Small Bump

I am going to be doing a one week series on my favorite songwriters of all time.

Day One:  Ed Sheeran

I think Ed Sheeran is the most talented songwriter of today's music.  First off, he's written some of the biggest songs of today's era including One Direction's "Little Things" which was in the top 10 in 2012 when it was released.

Secondly, he hints in his lyrics, rather than tells.  In "Wake Me Up" on his album + has the line, "See I could do without a tan / On my left hand / Where my fourth finger meets my knuckle."  He's talking about a wedding ring.  A WEDDING RING!!!

In the same song, he has the part that says, "So I'll take you to the beach / And walk along the sand / And I'll make you a heart pendant / With a pebble held in my hand / And I'll carve it like a necklace / So the heart falls where your chest is / And now a piece of me is a piece of the beach / And it falls just where it needs to be / And rests peacefully / So you just need to breathe / To feel my heart against yours now, against yours now."  It's really such a simple action that he is speaking about.  Going to the beach and making a necklace out of a pebble.  But the way he words it, and the way he sings it, makes it sound that much more...perfect.  There really is no other word to describe it.

He has another song that brings tears every time I hear it, and it's called "Small Bump."  It starts with lyrics such as "You're just a small bump unborn, in four months you're brought to life / You might be left with my hair, but you'll have your mother's eyes" which is pretty comical because I think he's putting down his red hair, but I am unsure about that.

The chorus says, "'Cause you are my one and only / You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight / You are my one and only / You can wrap your fingers round my thumb and hold me tight / And you'll be alright," which is a beautiful way of saying how much he will love them.

"'Cause you were just a small bump unborn for four months then torn from life / Maybe you were needed up there but we're still unaware as why."

And just like that, the baby's gone.  Two lines is all it took for the listener to become completely lost in a state of sadness.  Who knew two lines could be so powerful?  That's Mr. Ed Sheeran for you.

Dancing Shoes

I have a whole list of songs I would like to cover...is that weird?  I guess I think my voice will improve enough to be able to sing some of them and that I will actually get around to covering them for YouTube purposes.  But let's be real:  we ALL know I will never get around to covering them.

That's why I am going to make a promise.  I will try my very best to cover a good number of the songs on this list by the end of the year.  Don't believe me?  Yeah, neither do I.

1. "Teenage Dirtbag" - Wheatus
2. "Let It Be" - The Beatles
3. "Dancing Shoes" - DEV
4. "These Four Walls" - Little Mix
5. "Towers" - Little Mix
6. "Little Talks" - Of Monsters and Men
7. "Half A Heart" - One Direction
8. "Hallelujah" - Carly Rose Sonenclar
9. "Dream A Little Dream of Me" - The Mamas & the Papas
10. "Don't Let Me Go" - Sam McCarthy feat. Harry Styles

Shiny Happy People

Let's have a Psychology lesson, shall we?  We are talking about humanism in my AP Psych class, which is the belief that we, as humans, have unlimited potential, unlike other beliefs by Freud saying we use defense mechanisms to cope with anxieties we have or that we simply just don't go after our potential due to past experiences.

There is a quote my teacher brought up by John Lennon - which is why I'm talking about it because it was said by a singer!!  Lennon said, “When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy.' They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life.”

That quote is the perfect example of humanism.  John Lennon wanted to be happy, and was told that was ridiculous.  Humanist Carl Rogers would completely disagree with that.  If a kid says he wants to fly, you don't tell him it's impossible, you tell him it is possible if he puts forth the effort to achieve it.  Your passion is possible if you learn to get past the barriers.

So many bands and singers sing about happiness:

• "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" - Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
• "Brighter Than The Sun" - Colbie Caillat
• "Celebration" - Kool & the Gang
• "Happy Days" - Pratt & McClain
• "Shiny Happy People" - R.E.M.
• "Walking On Sunshine" - Katrina & the Waves

It's Gonna Be Me

I don't know how many of you have the app Vine, but for those of you who are unaware of the application, you are able to make videos six seconds or less and post them for everyone to see.  Of course there are people who are "Vine Famous" who make hysterical videos and have millions of followers, but that's besides the point.

My friend and I are obsessed with this one video where a guy is rocking out, like I mean ROCKING OUT, to *NSYNC.

[Source:  YouTube/Vine]

As you can hear from that clip, this song is extremely catchy, as well as most '90s pop songs.  Of course my friend and I are going to have to listen to this song every time we are in the car just so we can dance like this guy.

This Vine put me on an *NSYNC kick, though, that's for sure.  Dancing to "Bye Bye Bye" right in front of your eyes is something that could very well occur.  There's about a 98% chance it will at one point.

Word Up!

Little Mix recently covered this song for Sport Relief 2014 and I had never heard it until I heard their version.

The song "Word Up!" was a 1986 R&B/Funk song by Cameo.  The song was their first US Top 40 hit and made it to number six on the charts.  It was written by Lawrence Ernest Blackmon & Thomas Michael Jenkins.

I like Little Mix's version because, well, it's Little Mix, and because I honestly think it sounds better with girls?

I don't know why I said that like I'm asking you.

And apparently the charity single Little Mix has recorded will only be released in the UK on March 16 in digital download format and March 17 as a CD single at Sainsbury's.  Lame.

But I want it NOW.

[Source:  YouTube]

In My Life

I finally got a chance to watch The Beatles 50th Anniversary special, The Beatles:  The Night That Changed America, and it was incredible.  The covers were amazing and Paul's and Ringo's performances were unforgettable.

My personal favorite was Ed Sheeran's cover of "In My Life."  I love Ed Sheeran.  His voice is angelic and his guitar playing is mesmerizing.  Here's his performance:

[Source:  YouTube]

So many people were unhappy with Katy Perry's cover of "Yesterday."  According to fans, her dress choice was odd and the fact that she changed the lyrics was horrid.  A little harsh?  I think so, but I have to say, I never like changing the lyrics to fit my gender.  Last year when I performed "Operator (That's Not the Way It Feels)," I did not change the lyrics "She's living in LA / With my best old ex-friend Ray," because that's not how Jim Croce wrote the song.  Especially at an event like that, I don't think Ms. Perry should have changed the words to the song.  But aside from that, I thought her performance was quite good.

Yoko Ono has been blamed for the breaking up of The Beatles for years.  It has been clear to at least my family that Yoko truly loved John Lennon.  During the whole special, she was dancing to the songs and the look on her face...you could see the love in her eyes for her John.  She wasn't the reason they parted ways.  Every band has to end and theirs ended at a time where the easiest person to blame was her.  Whether you want to believe it or not, Yoko Ono was madly in love.  She wasn't in it for the fame.

Werewolves of London

I love the show "Teen Wolf," and every week when I watch the new episode, I always get "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon stuck in my head, especially the opening line, "I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand."

The song is fun and you never get tired of listening to Warren's impression of a werewolf howl.

[Source:  YouTube]

She Looks So Perfect

I want to start by apologizing to all of my readers.  I haven't been on much because I have been extremely busy and overwhelmed with sports and school.  I am surprised I have found time to breathe.  I am going to try my best to post every day again.

On that note, 5 Seconds of Summer have recently released a new song on YouTube through a lyric video called "She Looks So Perfect."

[Source:  YouTube]

I think the lyrics are very clever:  "She looks so perfect standing there / In my American Apparel underwear," and "Your lipstick stain is a work of art / I've got your name tattooed in an arrow heart."  Those lines come from the first chorus.  It's a pop/rock love song the way he compliments her from her figure to the stain her lipstick leaves behind.

And how cute is it that he got her name tattooed...in an arrow heart?!?!  Aww, you cheeky boy.

In the second chorus, the lyrics change a little from "Your lipstick stain is a work of art / I've got your name tattooed in an arrow heart," to "I made a mixtape straight out of '94 / I've got your ripped skinny jeans lying on the floor."  I like making myself mixtapes, but receiving one from him from 1994 would be incredible and adorable.

The word "hey" was said 79 times.  79 times!  That's a lot of times.

The song is called "She Looks So Perfect" which is sung the first line of the chorus along with "...In my American Apparel underwear."  He says the whole time how much he loves her - all because he likes the way his underwear looks on her.

Towers

My dad got me Little Mix's sophomore album Salute yesterday and I am obsessed!!

The album sounds similar to their debut, but like One Direction, this one definitely has a more mature and progressed sound - like they've come a long way since they started their career.  Their voices were great on DNA, but they all sound amazing and have improved so much in the past two and a half years.  The girls wrote most of the songs, so they have their own personal touches in them.

The track list is as follows:

1. Salute
2. Move
3. Little Me
4. Nothing Feels Like You
5. Towers
6. Competition
7. These Four Walls
8. About The Boy
9. Boy
10. Good Enough
11. Mr Loverboy
12. A Different Beat

My favorite (besides the first three tracks) would have to be "Towers" or "These Four Walls."  I love "These  Four Walls" because they don't sing together until the end and they sound amazing.  With "Towers," I love the music and the verses.  Overall, I give the album 4/5 stars.