American Girl

[Photo:  dearagi.com]

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' second single from their debut album, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.  It is from 1977 and people still play it all the time.  That is when you know a song was a good one.

The chorus is only four lines, but it is sooo good:

Oh yeah, all right

Take it easy, baby

Make it last all night

She was an American girl

And along with the chorus, the second verse is astounding:

Well it was kind of cold that night,

She stood alone on her balcony

Yeah, she could hear the cars roll by,

Out on 441 like waves crashin' on the beach

And for one desperate moment

There he crept back in her memory

God it's so painful when something that's so close

Is still so far out of reach

Is that not a powerful set of lyrics?  "God it's so painful when something that's so close / Is still so far out of reach," hits home I think for everyone.  But while it is so relatable, I guess you could say it is a tiny bit depressing.  "And for one desperate moment / There he crept back in her memory."  A "desperate moment" is always a hopeless moment.

So many different feelings I feel are tackled in this song, which is partially why I think it is formidable.  The band made it an upbeat, fun-sounding song, yet they talk about a girl who stands on her balcony alone thinking about some guy who has no meaning to us as listeners.  It is like, you want to feel badly for her, but the song is so dance-worthy that you...can't.  Am I misinterpreting it?  Probably.

With A Little Help From My Friends

Happy Thanksgiving!!  We all get caught up in work, school, and everything else in our lives, that we forget about what we do have.  Today is the perfect day to say "thanks" for everything great in your life.  I always give thanks for my family, my friends, my good health, and music.  What would I do without music?  Not much, that's what!

I am thankful for all of the classic artists, as well as the new and upcoming.  There is a lot to be thankful for with the music industry.

[Source:  YouTube]

Midnight Memories

I bought One Direction's new album, Midnight Memories, yesterday and I have to say, it is different, yet very good.

Actually, I kind of want to change what I said.  It is different, but I have seen that every new release of theirs sounds different than the one before.  The only thing, is that this one sounds extremely different.

Here's the track list:

1. Best Song Ever
2. Story Of My Life
3. Diana
4. Midnight Memories
5. You & I
6. Don't Forget Where You Belong
7. Strong
8. Happily
9. Right Now
10. Little Black Dress
11. Through The Dark
12. Something Great
13. Little White Lies
14. Better Than Words
15. Why Don't We Go There*
16. Does He Know?*
17. Alive*
18. Half A Heart*

*Deluxe version

If you listen to Up All Night and then listen to this album, you will be amazed as to how the boys have matured; lyrically and musically.  Even the jump from Up All Night to Take Me Home was a pretty great one.

Louis's solos make me want to cry.  Zayn's high notes make me want to scream.  This whole album makes me want to go crazy.  Play this album on the highest volume your device allows!!!!

"Midnight Memories" is very rock 'n roll (actually a majority of the album sounds very rock 'n roll), "Little White Lies" has a BASS DROP, and "You & I" sounds a little like "Change My Mind" from Take Me Home.  This whole album has me very impressed.  Amazing job my little British and Irish lads!

You can of course purchase the album wherever CDs are sold.  

Salute

There are plenty of songs that I absolutely hate before I love.  Whether it's the rhythm, the lyrics, or the genre, sometimes all I need to do is listen to it 50 times before it is one of my favorites.

1. Little Mix - Salute - This song is off their new album Salute which is not yet available in the states.  I couldn't resist myself and I listened to all of the songs on YouTube and the second this song started playing, I immediately turned it off.  I thought it was absolute rubbish!  The beat just gave me chills.  But since I love Little Mix, I brought myself to listen to it a few times and now it is one of my favorite tracks on the album.
2. One Direction - Change My Mind - I know, I know.  How could I hate a 1D song?  I'll admit that I had never listened to the song from the beginning to the end until about four months after I got the album.  The reason?  I hated the beginning of the song.  It was not Louis, I just found the first ten seconds to be very dull and borrring.
3. Lorde - Royals - I have never heard a song played on the radio as much as this one.  I was sick of hearing it, until I listened to it on my own.  I don't love it, but I like listening to it.  I guess you could say it's one of those songs that I have to be in the mood to listen to.  

Stop the Music

A new EP by Sammy Adams was recently released and I just had the chance to listen to it.  It's called Homecoming and sounds similar yet more mature than his previous albums...not that his previous albums sounded immature.

The EP is just $4.99 (plus tax) on iTunes and features six brand new tracks...which are all explicit so I don't recommend it for children under the age of 17.

The genre, of course, is rap, but they don't sound like songs from a new Lil Wayne album.  No, no, no.  The songs sound the way Sammy Adams has always sounded, trust me.  My favorite one is called "Stop the Music" which is the first track on the EP and really does not sound like rap at all.  Here's the tune:

[Source:  YouTube]

Sammy Adams is currently on tour with Timeflies and their final show is tomorrow night in Detroit.  If you would like to find out more about Sammy, you can go here!

Oath

Well, it is official.  English singer Cher Lloyd married longtime beau Craig Monk on the 18th.

You all know I am a huge fan of the pop star so I am so happy for her and her new husband.  She may only be 20-years-old, but he star has already accomplished so much with her career with number-one singles, top twenty album in five countries, and a sophomore album on the way, Cher has done more than the average 20-something.

Want U Back

With Ur Love

Oath

I Wish

(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)

I was thinking about this song a lot yesterday, so I thought I'd share it with you.  Enjoy!

Beastie Boys - (You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party!)

[Source:  YouTube]

The Way I Am

So something interesting was recently brought to my attention.  Hip-hop vs. Shakespeare.  When given the task of determining whether a line is from a famous rap song or from one of the playwright's works, the answer is quite difficult to come to.

You see, Shakespeare was a self-educated man who spoke with deep meaning.  Rappers (although not always) do the same thing.  They take their feelings and modern day issues and address them in their raps, but do so with a lot of emotion.

So, I thought we would play a little game.  I am going to give you a line from either a work of Shakespeare or a line from a contemporary rap song and you will have to guess what it is from.  No cheating!!!  Ready?  Let's go.

1.  "And I rest again peacefully."

2.  "Hell is empty and all the devils are here."

3.  "I must be cruel only to be kind."

4.  "Then I hope this take away from my sins."

5.  "May the Lord protect me as the world gets hectic."

6.  "To destroy the beauty from which one came."

7.  "The most benevolent king communicates through your dreams."

8.  "I was not born under a rhyming planet."

How do you think you did?  Well, you had a 50/50 chance, right?  Let me explain the answers.

First, let's look at number one.  Hip-hop or Shakespeare?  Hip-hop.  This line is from Eminem's song "The Way I Am."  Number two is...Shakespeare.  "Hell is empty and all the devils are here" is from  Act I, Scene ii of his play The Tempest.  Number three should have been a piece of cake!  It was from Act III, Scene iv of Shakespeare's play Hamlet.  Know Kanye West's song "Jesus Walks?"  That was the answer to number four.  "May the Lord protect me as the world gets hectic" sounds like a line from Shakespeare.  Wrong.  It's a line from Nicki Minaj's "Autobiography" which means number five is hip-hop.  The answer to number six is hip-hop.  It 's from Jay-Z's song "You Must Love Me."  Number seven is a tricky one.  If you guessed hip-hop, you are correct!  It's a line from a Wu-Tang Clan song.  And finally number eight, which is surprisingly Shakespeare, Act V, Scene ii of Much Ado About Nothing.  

Little Me

Little Mix just released their sophomore album basically everywhere except the US!!  Thanks, girls (sorry for the sarcasm).  Salute features their brand new single "Move" which is available for download on iTunes.  At least we get that to help make this dreadful wait a little bit better.

Well I am a huge fan of the X Factor UK.  There is a portion of the show called The Xtra Factor and Little Mix performed a song from their new album called "Little Me."  I fell in love with it immediately!

[Source:  YouTube/The Xtra Factor]

This is a piano version of the song, but it is still as good as the recording.  I just think they sound beautiful in this.  The four girls - Perrie, Leigh-Anne, Jade, and Jesy - sound amazing together.  Their voices all compliment the next girl's perfectly.  This song has the same sound as their first album DNA, so I like that, too.  

Summertime Sadness

The lyrics to "We Can't Stop" and the title Bangerz for her album have made Miley Cyrus one of the most well-known names in the music biz.  Despite her recent decisions (which have been viewed as "trashy" by some) I love her.  She has an incredible amount of talent and is perfect in so many ways.

I also love BBC Radio 1, the radio station in the UK. Well, Miss Cyrus was there the other day and did a cover in the Live Lounge of Lana Del Rey's "Summertime Sadness."  I have nothing to say except it was incredible.  Lana has such a distinct voice that I have felt no one can really mimic, but Miley does it beautifully.  Here it is:

[Source:  YouTube]

I am also blown away by how well she sings this live.  I sing Del Rey songs around the house and I always have a hard time.  I saw her in concert in 2009 for her Wonder World Tour and she was flawless then and continues to be flawless now.

She gets a lot of crap from so many people, but my cousins and I will always be true Smilers...forever!  Love you, Miley xx <3

Stutter

I want you all to check this out.  Notice how I wasn't asking you to, I was telling you to.  It was written by a friend of mine on Twitter, Amelia, @playful_kitty9 (yes, that means you should follow her).  This is from her blog with Tumblr and on this post she talks about my favorite thing...music.

In her "Notebook Challenge" for November 9th, she talks about "Stutter" by Marianas Trench (the band I spoke of last Tuesday), One Direction's "Story of My Life," "If We're Alright" by The Wanted, and "Wildlife" by Hedley.  The post is done so well!

You really have to read it yourself because she wrote it so she deserves 100% of the credits.  She says things "so much better than I do."  The way she explains her feelings and views on each song is done in such a way that I have to think of a way to tell you.

Amelia speaks of each song for about a paragraph and talks about the lyrics, the artist, the beat - all in six or seven sentences.  When I first read the post, I immediately felt what she felt about the song in such a short amount of time.  I have only listened to one of the four songs, yet I already like the "unknown" songs, just from what she wrote.  If you haven't read it yet, read it now.  Here it is again, just in case you skipped the one at the top.

I'll Follow the Sun

Beatles '65.  This is an album wanted by many, yet difficult to find.

A family friend at church found out yesterday about my record collection (I am almost at 200) and today brought me his copy of the number one hit.  Another one for the collection woohoo!!!

November 23, 1964 was the day the vinyl hit stores through their label, Capitol.  In America, the album went from the number 98 spot to number one.  The Beatles had their release at that position for eight extra weeks.  The track list goes as follows:

1. No Reply
2. I'm a Loser
3. Baby's in Black
4. Rock and Roll Music (written by Chuck Berry)
5. I'll Follow the Sun
6. Mr. Moonlight (written by Roy Lee Johnson)
7. Honey Don't (writeen by Carl Perkins)
8. I'll Be Back
9. She's a Woman
10. I Feel Fine
11. Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby (written by Carl Perkins)

It was released in both mono and stereo versions and holds eight out of fourteen songs from Beatles for Sale.  It also includes the song "I'll Be Back," which I believe is from A Hard Day's Night, and singles "I Feel Fine" and "She's a Woman" which were released as singles in November 1964, a month before the album was released.

Madman Across the Water

For those who don't know, my family revolves around music and hockey.  I have spent a good amount of time at Madison Square Garden, "The World's Most Famous Arena," so my dad bought us tickets for a tour of the transformed Garden.  We got to go see the locker rooms (Ryan McDonagh ;)), walk along the new bridge that hangs from the ceiling, and got to see a bunch of other cool things most people will never even know about.

But besides seeing everything related to my beloved New York Rangers, I got to see a bunch of candid photos and used concert gear from some of the greatest artists of all time.

The Eagles are performing at the Garden tonight, tomorrow, and Monday night.  We were lucky enough to see the crew setting up the stage for their show.  I love the Eagles.  I LOVE them.

Elton John.  He's a record holder with MSG.  By December 4th, Elton John would have performed 64 shows at Madison Square Garden, a number no performer has ever reached.  Pretty impressive.

MSG has hosted several charitable events like the Hurricane Sandy Relief Concert and the relief concert for Hurricane Katrina.  In the main concourse of the arena, they have a number of cases with lots of memorabilia.  One case was filled with things from the Hurricane Katrina concert.  A set list signed by Sir Elton John, a baseball hat signed by Paul Simon, and countless other things.

Madison Square Garden is a pretty cool place.  I am lucky enough to live right outside New York City so I have access to MSG so much.  After all, it is the most famous arena.

Got Me Going Crazy

With the Jonas Brothers' sudden split, I have been thinking about their music a lot recently.

The band has released four studio albums:

1. It's About Time - 2006
2. Jonas Brothers - 2007
3. A Little Bit Longer - 2008
4. Lines, Vines, and Trying Times - 2009

I liked the fact that they released a new album every year, especially because I hate waiting!!

Right now, I'm listening to their song "Got Me Going Crazy" off their third album, A Little Bit Longer.  The album got its title from the song Nick wrote about his diabetes.  That was their second best album, their most popular being their fourth and final record Lines, Vines, and Trying Times (as far as the peak chart rankings are concerned).

The brothers released their first record with Columbia records, but released the others with a different label, Hollywood.  Does that have something to do with the fact that they worked with Disney?  We can only assume.

I miss the JoBros, I don't know about you.  Their music was good and they seem like really decent guys.  I was young when they were big like One Direction, so it's kind of an upsetting incident.

Good To You

A friend of mine introduced me to the band Marianas Trench and now I love them!

My favorite album, from what I have listened to, is Masterpiece Theatre.  The record sold 80,000 copies in Canada, the band's native country.  The regular release has twelve tracks and the "Director's Cut Edition" has an extra four.  You can purchase the album on iTunes.

My favorite song is "Good To You (feat. Jessica Lee)."  Jessica has an amazing voice!  Listen below.

[Source:  YouTube]

Another good song is "Celebrity Status."  This band kind of has the same sound as, maybe, Simple Plan or Fall Out Boy.  Kind of.  I don't know, please tell me if you disagree.

Story of My Life

So I had a different post in mind for today, but after watching the new One Direction video, I felt it necessary to speak of that.

The song is called "Story of My Life" and is off their third and upcoming album Midnight Memories.  The song is amazing, but the music video makes it incredible.

The boys each recreate a favorite picture of theirs, but it is so touching to the point where I actually cried.  Did I overreact?  Probably, but watch the video for yourself and see what happens.

It was directed by Ben Winston, the guy who does all of One Direction's music videos, so he must be a pretty fantastic dude.  Just sayin'.  Well, here it is:

[Source:  YouTube]

Move

So, Little Mix is BACK with a brand new single off their sophomore album, Salute.  I have been anxiously awaiting this song and it is exactly what I have been expecting!

Little Mix's new single "Move."  Enjoy!!

[Source:  YouTube]