Ironic

[Source:  YouTube]

Everyone knows "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette.  Did you know that the song isn't ironic at all?

The line to start the song is, "An old man turned ninety-eight / He won the lottery and died the next day."  He won the lottery and then died, which is simply just good luck and bad luck, not irony.  In the chorus she sings, "It's like rain on your wedding day," which is just a coincidence, not irony.  "It's a free ride when you've already paid."  I say you ask for your money back, so it's not irony.

What is ironic is if you are seeing a nutritionist who tells you to stay away from junk food and to exercise and as you leave you see them drive through a McDonald's and order a Big Mac.  That's irony.

Canon in D

Johann Pachelbel was quite the composer.  Right now, I'm listening to a piano and violin version of "Canon in D" and it is so beautiful.

[Source:  YouTube]

This is definitely my favorite piece of his and it may be one of his most famous compositions.  You may have heard this song at a wedding, as it's played a lot of times during the ceremony.  I just think it's really beautiful, and I've never really been into orchestra music.

Holy Grail

It's already Friday and the GRAMMYs are on Sunday!!  It's crazy how fast the past year went.  Here's a continuation of my GRAMMY picks.

9.  Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Rob Cavallo - i.e.  You've Got Time (Regina Spektor), If I Loved You (Delta Rae feat. Lindsey Buckingham)
Dr. Luke - i.e.  Crazy Kids (Ke$ha), Rock Me (One Direction), Wrecking Ball (Miley Cyrus)
Ariel Rechtshaid - i.e.  Everything Is Embarrassing (Sky Ferreira), Modern Vampires Of The City (Vampire Weekend)
Jeff Tweedy - i.e.  Wassaic Way (Sarah Lee Guthrie And Johnny Irion), The Invisible Way (Low)
Pharrell Williams - i.e.  Blurred Lines (Robin Thicke feat. T.I. & Pharrell), Oceans (Jay Z feat. Frank Ocean)

My dream is to be a music producer, so I love this category!  It was difficult for me to pick, and I narrowed down my options to Dr. Luke and Pharrell Williams.  After minutes of contemplating, as you can see, I went with Dr. Luke because I like most of the song he's produced.  And like a good number of music producers he is also a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and remixer.  Seems to have a lot going for him.

10.  Best Song Written For Visual Media

"Atlas" - Coldplay for The Hunger Games:  Catching Fire
"Silver Lining" - Jessie J for Silver Linings Playbook
"Skyfall" - Adele for Skyfall
"We Both Know" - Colbie Caillat feat. Gavin DeGraw for Safe Haven
"Young and Beautiful" - Lana Del Rey for The Great Gatsby
"You've Got Time" - Regina Spektor for Orange Is The New Black

I was honestly very stuck for this one.  I didn't know whether I should pick "Young and Beautiful" or "Skyfall."  I went with "Skyfall" because Adele fits the James Bond voice so well.  I even feel like the song fit the movie perfectly.  While "Young and Beautiful" was good for The Great Gatsby, I felt it couldn't really compare to Adele's song for Skyfall.

11.  Best Country Solo Performance

"I Drive Your Truck" - Lee Brice
"I Want Crazy" - Hunter Hayes
"Mama's Broken Heart" - Miranda Lambert
"Wagon Wheel" - Darius Rucker
"Mine Would Be You" - Blake Shelton

I am a sucker for Hunter Hayes.  My friend got me into his music last year and I've loved him ever since.  He is young and talented and I think he will have a successful career in the music industry.  That's why I am picking Hunter Hayes.

12.  Best Rap Song

"F***in' Problems" - ASAP Rocky feat. Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar
"Holy Grail" - Jay Z feat. Justin Timberlake
"New Slaves" - Kanye West
"Started From The Bottom" - Drake
"Thrift Shop" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz

Again, this one was difficult for me to choose just one.  "Thrift Shop" was my FAVORITE song for weeks (who didn't like that song?) but "Holy Grail" has a great hook.  I think the hook is the reason I'm going for "Holy Grail."  The song itself is okay - I'm not a huge rap fan.  But "And baby / It's amazing I'm in this maze with you / I just can't crack your code / One day you screaming you love me loud / The next day you're so cold / One day you're here, one day you're there, one day you care / You're so unfair sipping from your cup / Till it runneth over, Holy Grail" is absolutely amazing...go listen to it right now.

Pure Heroine

My GRAMMY winners continued:

6.  Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

"Get Lucky" - Daft Punk (feat. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers)

"Just Give Me A Reason" - P!nk (feat. Nate Ruess)

"Stay" - Rihanna (feat. Mikky Ekko)

"Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke (feat. T.I. & Pharrell)

"Suit & Tie" - Justin Timberlake & Jay Z

I had a lot of trouble picking between Daft Punk and P!nk for this one, and I know I picked two yesterday for Album of the Year, but I shouldn't have done that because there can only be one winner for each category.  I went with Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers because, again, I think this song was done soooo well.  It's pretty rare that Daft Punk disappoints.  There's nothing about this song that I don't like.

7.  Best Pop Vocal Album

Paradise - Lana Del Rey

Pure Heroine - Lorde

Unorthodox Jukebox - Bruno Mars

Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke

The 20/20 Experiences - The Complete Experience - Justin Timberlake

I know, I know:  How could I have picked Lorde?  Overall, here debut album is pretty solid.  Yes, I am sick of hearing "Royals" and I am tired of hearing everyone go crazy over this 17-year-old New Zealand star, but I recently got a chance to listen to the record and every song is good - not a single one (well, besides "Royals") is terrible.  Maybe there is reason to hype...

8.  Best Dance Recording

"Need U (100%)" - Duke Dumont (feat. A*M*E & MNEK)

"Sweet Nothing" - Calvin Harris (feat. Florence Welch)

"Atmosphere" - Kaskade

"This Is What It Feels Like" - Armin Van Buuren (feat. Trevor Guthrie)

"Clarity" - Zedd (feat. Foxes)

I am still obsessed with this song.  I love the mix and I love her voice.  I was listening to iTunes and saw something I never realized that on Lady Gaga's album Born This Way (Deluxe Edition), Zedd remixed her song "Marry The Night," which is really good.  Anyway, this song was the biggest hit out of the five nominees, so Zedd deserves to win this.

There are only a few more categories I am going to post, so I'll do those tomorrow!

Get Lucky

So it is GRAMMY season.  I thought I would tell you who I would like to see win in each category.  Even though I may not get my wish, I still hope I'll "Get Lucky."

1.  Record of the Year

"Get Lucky" - Daft Punk (feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)

"Radioactive" - Imagine Dragons

"Royals" - Lorde

"Locked Out Of Heaven" - Bruno Mars 

"Blurred Lines" - Robin Thicke (feat. T.I. & Pharrell)

I really want Daft Punk to win this because Lorde, Bruno Mars, and (I can't believe I'm saying this) Robin Thicke have really gotten on my nerves this year.  I like Imagine Dragons' music, but that song just didn't do it for me - I prefer "It's Time."  "Get Lucky" was a good song to hear this past summer.  I'm rooting for them!

2.  Album of the Year

The Blessed Unrest - Sara Bareilles

Random Access Memories - Daft Punk

Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City - Kendrick Lamar

The Heist - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Red - Taylor Swift

This is a tie for me.  Macklemore & Ryan Lewis have solid songs on this record, while Daft Punk has always "wow-ed" me.  I may lean a little more to the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis end just because they are new to the charts, while Daft Punk has been around for a long time.

3.  Song of the Year

"Just Give Me A Reason" - P!nk (feat. Nate Ruess)

"Locked Out Of Heaven" - Bruno Mars

"Roar" - Katy Perry

"Royals" - Lorde

"Same Love" - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Mary Lambert)

I love duets!  This is probably my favorite male and female duet from 2013 and I'm a huge fan of P!nk.  I'm not a fan of Katy Perry's most recent songs, so that's why I'm not choosing "Roar."  The other songs, to me, were overplayed and talked of too much.

4.  Best New Artist

James Blake

Kendrick Lamar

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

Kacey Musgraves

Ed Sheeran

I love my Brits and that's part of the reason why I'm picking Ed Sheeran as Best New Artist.  But his album + was popular and I loved it, too.  He had hits like "The A Team" and "Lego House" and I like "Wake Me Up" as well.  Sheeran's sound is exactly what a lot of people like these days. 

5.  Best Pop Solo Performance

"Brave" - Sara Bareilles

"Royals" - Lorde

"When I Was Your Man" - Bruno Mars

"Roar" - Katy Perry

"Mirrors" - Justin Timberlake

I don't think I am picking any nominee for this one because all of these songs made me want to punch myself in the stomach last year.  I heard them too much and too many people went crazy over them.  Nope, won't pick. 

There are a lot of categories, so I'll post five a day until I'm done giving my own GRAMMYs away.

I Knew You Were Trouble

It's very rare to see me rant on my blog, especially when it comes to singers and bands.  But there are so so so many singers that have been getting on my last nerve.

1.  Taylor Swift.  Her music, especially from Red, is very catchy and entertaining. BUT, the fact that a majority of her songs are written about her two-month flings drives me insane.  And on top of that, her snarky comments when receiving her awards are uncalled for and immature.  But she seems like a good friend and is a great musician and completely worked for where she is today in the music industry, so I honestly applaud her for that.

2.  Lorde.  I don't know.  Something about her kind of freaks me out.  She's 17-years-old yet acts like she's 70.  "Royals" and the other songs on Pure Heroine are all extremely well done and she has a great voice.  I guess you could say I just find her a little creepy.

3.  Robin Thicke.  I'll just start by saying that "Blurred Lines" was never on my iPhone.  And to be really honest, I don't think I have ever listened to the song from beginning to end.  Yes, I know parts, and from what I've heard, it's annoying.  And to make things more annoying, Robin Thicke is constantly a musical guest at an awards show.  What?!?!

Teenage Dirtbag

This song by Wheatus sounds so '90s but I love it so much.  He basically just talks about how he likes this girl named Noel.  But, and here's the catch, she doesn't know who he is and she doesn't "give a damn" about him.  Oooh, an unknown love...I like it!

He then goes on a rant saying he's just a teenage dirtbag and he wants her to listen to Iron Maiden with him...maybe, though!

But now he decides to pick on her boyfriend.  He apparently takes a gun to school and drives an IROC and would definitely kick the speaker's ass if he knew that he likes his girl.  Oh yeah, and the "dick" boyfriend doesn't know who he is and he doesn't "give a damn" about him.

And then we have another rant about how he's a teenage dirtbag who still wants her to listen to Iron Maiden with him...maybe?

He all of a sudden goes from being depressed and having no faith in his love life to getting all inspired and saying, "Oh, yeah, dirtbag, no, she doesn't know what she's missin'," because apparently he thinks he's hot stuff now.

Now here is where the twist comes in!!  He's feeling like mold and is sitting at prom all alone when, drum roll, she starts walking over to him!  He sits there with shaking lips and thinks, "How does she know who I am?  And why does she give a damn about me?"

Remember how he wanted her to listen to Iron Maiden with him?  Well you better because he only said it like fifty times.  Anyway, she says to him, "I've got two tickets to Iron Maiden, baby.  Come with me Friday, don't say 'maybe.'  I'm just a teenage dirtbag, baby, like you."

Look at that.  He got the girl AND a teenage dirtbag - just like him!

Now for what I take from this song.  I take that being pessimistic and depressed will get you what you want.  He put himself down and supposedly "knew" she didn't give a damn about him when apparently she did - she bought him Iron Maiden tickets.  What girl would buy Iron Maiden tickets for the two of them when she has never spoken to him?!?!  What if he didn't like Iron Maiden?  But to be fair she obviously DID know who he was and DID give a damn about him.  Was a good night for the young fellow.  Go get 'em, tiger!

[Source:  YouTube]

Images

It's easy to believe that people create images of themselves based on their physical appearance.  Do singers create an image by the songs they perform?  They do in fact build images by how they appear in videos and on stage, but the songs themselves - are they a factor?

I'll start with Miley Cyrus.  She has created the image of being rebellious and daring by defying previously molded behavior that was sculpted by no, not her, but us.  She was a "Disney" star, and while I love Disney and absolutely everything they offer, Miley knew that the only way she could break away from what made her famous (Hannah Montana) was to be everything they didn't want her to be.  "We Can't Stop" is a badass song.  The lyrics are scandalous and the video is even worse, but it's still a good and popular song.  But take away the physical aspects of everything and just listen to it.  It's still scandalous, right?  And the way the song sounds molds an image of what Miley should look like based solely on how the song was written. 

Now I'll talk about One Direction.  They always sing about girls and falling in love and falling out of love.  "What Makes You Beautiful" is the perfect example of being in love with a girl.  He throughout the song tells her that she lights up his life and how flipping her hair makes him overwhelmed.  Does the song make them look like romantics and great to go out with?  It sure sounds like it, right?  The mushy lyrics develop an image for the boys that they are sweet teenagers, and that is the image they created for themselves.

It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

I recently read a short story by Joyce Carol Oates called Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been about a fifteen-year-old beauty named Connie who finds herself responding to someone who shouldn't even know she exists.  He, Arnold Friend, persuades her to go with him, away from her family because they don't really care about her and he will love her.  Intense, isn't it?

But in the beginning of the story, Oates says, "For Bob Dylan."  Why?  Oates has stated that after listening to Dylan's 1965 song "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," she was inspired to write this story in '66.  I have been trying to figure out why she was inspired by this song in particular.  The tone and mood can definitely be part of it.  But when you look at the lyrics of the song, they relate to Connie's situation:

“Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you.

Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you.

The vagabond who's rapping at your door

Is standing in the clothes that you once wore.

Strike another match, go start anew

And it's all over now, Baby Blue."

1. "Leave your stepping stones behind, something calls for you" is mentioned throughout the story, as Friend          keeps asking Connie to follow him.  As she keeps staring at him, she starts to think he's not eighteen like        he said.

2. Friend uses yet another method of persuasion where he tells her how her family won't follow her and the       life he will give her can't compare.  Sounds like "Forget the dead you've left, they will not follow you."

3. Arnold Friend later approaches a door when Connie backs away and threatens to call the police which         pertains to the line, "The vagabond who's rapping at your door."

4. Do I want to give the end away?!  The heck, you're not going to read it!  He goes with her.  "Strike               another match, go start anew.  And it's all over now Baby Blue."  Connie looks beyond Arnold as she           opens the door and sees a world she never did before.  And as she walks to him, he talks about her             BLUE eyes...but she has brown eyes.  

People say how there are several Dylan references in this story.  Maybe I will talk about those another day.

Little Talks (X Factor Edition)

Here's Alex & Sierra's performance of "Little Talks" by Of Monster and Men on this past season of X Factor USA.

Vibe On

The magic behind every song is/are the songwriter/s.  You may not know this, but "Loser Like Me" from Glee, Usher's "DJ Got Us Falling In Love," and Vanessa Hudgens's "Say OK" all have something in common - the man who helped write them.

Savan Kotecha is an very talented songwriter and music producer from Austin, Texas.  He writes for so many different labels like Syco Records, Columbia Records, RCA, and Capitol.  He has co-writtern so many hit songs like (but not limited to):

• Justin Bieber - "Beauty and a Beat"
• Vanessa Hudgens - "Say OK"
• Ke$ha - "All That Matters (The Beautiful Life)"
• Victoria Justice - "Beggin' on Your Knees"
• Glee - "Loser Like Me"
• Emblem3 - "Chloe (You're the One I Want)"
• Usher - "Scream"
• Cher Lloyd - "Want U Back"
• One Direction - "Up All Night"
• Britney Spears - "I Wanna Go"
• Maroon 5 - "One More Night"
• Dannii Minogue - "Vibe On"
• Adam Lambert - "If I Had You"

To see the FULL list (and I really recommend you do because your mind will be blown as to what songs he has co-written) click here.

Let It Go

To me, Idina Menzel has one of the best singing voices ever.  Not only does her voice just sound incredible, but her vocal range can't compare to the majority of singers around today.

The first time I heard her sing was when I heard "Defying Gravity" from the Broadway production of Wicked.  The last two minutes of the song brings goosebumps to my arms every single time I hear it.  She hits the notes and holds them for an impressive amount of time.

But most recently I was incredibly impressed with her performances in Disney's Frozen as Elsa.  I particularly love the song "Let It Go."  Menzel sounds completely flawless (as usual) and the song is very good as well.  Written by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, the lyrics fit her voice perfectly.

[Source:  YouTube]

Born To Make You Happy

Pop legend of the 1990s.  I don't remember getting ...Baby One More Time when it was released, but I know my mom went out and bought it for me because I loved Britney.

As a young girl, I of course loved "...Baby One More Time."  It wasn't until about a year ago that I really got into "Born To Make You Happy."  The portion of the song that is the collision is my favorite.  Right after the bridge, going into the final chorus, is when I get goosebumps.  That beginning of the final hoorah gets a faster, more intense, beat.  To hear what I'm talking about, skip to 3:07.

[Source:  YouTube]

The song itself is a typical teen-pop track.  With lyrics like "I don't know how to live without your love / I was born to make you happy," you can easily figure out this is a song about an upset teenager going through a rough heartbreak.  But despite the '90s tune, I still love this song.

Still D.R.E.

I had been dying for Beats by Dr. Dre himself and finally decided it was time to buy some.  I went on Friday to buy a pair of Beats Solo HD headphones and bought the new "drenched in color" ones in teal.  One of the best decisions I have ever made.

[Source:  Amazon]

First off, just placing the headphones on your ears blocks out unwanted sound.  And when you actually play music, the sound is phenomenal!

There are so many different kinds of Beats headphones:

1. Studio - $299.95
2. Studio Wireless - $379.95
3. Solo HD - $199.95
4. Mixr - $249.95 (perfect for the DJ!!)
5. Pro - $449.95
6. Wireless - $279.95
7. Executive - $299.95

I know the prices seem intimidating and they are, but they are completely worth the money if you plan on wearing them.  I have been wearing them all day and the songs sound 20x better with these headphones.  With normal headphones or earbuds, they are made and sold to make songs sound good, not sound the way they were recorded, which is exactly what any Beats product will give you - the song the way it was intended.

But you don't have to buy the headphones, you can buy several different types of earbuds and speakers - all are amazing!  All of the products come in different and really cool colors.  I highly recommend any Beats By Dre product because they all work really well.