Girls

I was listening to The 1975 in the car today and, of course, listened to their song "Girls."  For the first time I actually listened to the lyrics and let them sink in.

Wow.

That's all I am able to say.

The lyrics are very promiscuous.

[Source:  YouTube]

It starts with saying how she is "17 and a half years old / Worrying about my brother finding out / What's the fun in doing what you're told?"

"I said, 'No!' / 'Oh give it a rest, I could persuade you' / 'I'm not your typical, stoned 18 year old / Give me a night I'll make you' / 'I know you're looking for salvation in the secular age, but girl I'm not your savior' / Wrestle to the ground."

The chorus goes, "They're just girls breaking hearts / Eyes bright, uptight, just girls / But she can't be what you need if she's 17 / They're just girls / They're just girls."

"One moment I was tearing off your blouse / Now you're living in my house / What happened to just messing around?"  Now, if she is really 17, why are her parents allowing her to stay in the house of an older man?

"I said, 'Yo, I think you better go; I can't take you / You just sit and get stoned with 30-year-olds and you think you've made it / Well, shouldn't you be f***ing with somebody your age instead of making changes?'"

Now, how I take this song is that this girl is a distraction or someone to "mess around" with.  She's fun and dangerous because she doesn't listen to people, which is why he's into her.  She lives with him because she wants them to be together, but he claims he made it clear that he just wanted to mess around.  The harder he tries to distance himself from her, the harder she tries to stay with him.  That's why he keeps telling himself they she's just a girl.  She is not what he needs because she is only 17.  But this is how I interpret the song.

Comment below to tell me what you think!

I think The 1975 has some of the best songs lyrically and musically.  All around, actually, they're such a talented band.  

Problem

I was never a huge fan of Ariana Grande.  I thought her Summer hit "The Way" featuring rapper Mac Miller was catchy and I knew all of the words, but I wouldn't have the radio on full blast when it would come on.  That's kind of how I feel about her number one single "Problem" featuring "Fancy" rapper Iggy Azalea.

When the song was first released, I actually hated it.  I listened to the preview on iTunes and turned it off before it was finished.  Now, the iTunes previews never really do much for me.  I usually have to listen a song in full before I make my final decision.  At the time, I was too lazy to listen to the complete recording, but I heard the whole thing yesterday.  Yes, it is a fun song.

Ariana Grande's voice is outstanding.  She sounds like Mariah Carey and hits notes that no one ever really knew could be hit.  Here's the song if you haven't heard it.  If you have heard it but dislike it, try again.

[Source:  YouTube]

Against the Wind

I recently watched Forrest Gump for the millionth time (literally), but I completely forgot how awesome the soundtrack is.

[Source:  Wikipedia]

The CD was released June 28, 1994 with two discs.  It was re-released in 2001 with some additional tracks.

Disc one:

1. "Hound Dog" performed by Elvis Presley
2. "Rebel Rouser" performed by Duane Eddy
3. "(I Don't Know Why) But I Do" performed by Clarence Henry
4. "Walk Right In" performed by the Rooftop Singers
5. "Land of 1000 Dances" performed by Wilson Pickett
6. "Blowin' in the Wind" performed by Joan Baez
7. "Fortunate Son" performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival
8. "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" performed by The Four Tops
9. "Respect" performed by Aretha Franklin
10. "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35" performed by Bob Dylan
11. "Sloop John B" performed by The Beach Boys
12. "California Dreamin'" performed by The Mamas & the Papas
13. "For What It's Worth" performed by Buffalo Springfield
14. "What the World Needs Now Is Love" performed by Jackie DeShannon
15. "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" performed by The Doors
16. "Mrs. Robinson" performed by Simon & Garfunkel

Disc two:

1. "Volunteers" performed by Jefferson Airplane
2. "Let's Get Together" performed by The Youngbloods
3. "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" performed by Scott McKenzie
4. "Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)" performed by The Byrds
5. "Medley:  Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" performed by The 5th Dimension
6. "Everybody's Talkin'" performed by Harry Nilsson
7. "Joy to the World" performed by Three Dog Night
8. "Stoned Love" performed by The Supremes
9. "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" performed by B.J. Thomas
10. "Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man)" performed by Randy Newman
11. "Sweet Home Alabama" performed by Lynyrd Skynyrd
12. "It Keeps You Runnin'" performed by The Doobie Brothers
13. "I've Got to Use My Imagination" performed by Gladys Knight & the Pips
14. "On the Road Again" performed by Willie Nelson
15. "Against the Wind" performed by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band
16. "Forrest Gump Suite" composed and conducted by Alan Silvestri

In the 2001 re-release, they added tracks "Running on Empty" performed by Jackson Browne and "Go Your Own Way" performed by Fleetwood Mac.  In the movie, the two songs were featured int he scene where Forrest ran for three years straight.

New Vid!!

5 Seconds of Summer's new music video for their single "Don't Stop!"

[Source:  YouTube]

Arabian Nights

Due to some medical problems, attending my Senior prom would've been a little difficult, so instead of going to prom, I went into New York City with my cousins and we saw Aladdin on Broadway.

It was SPECTACULAR.  The music, the acting, the choreography, everything!  Adam Jacobs, the man who is usually Aladdin, was not in attendance on Friday, so Aladdin was played by Joshua Dela Cruz, a friend of my cousin's from college!  We were waiting on line to get in when she saw on the board it said "The Role Of Aladdin Will Be Played By:  Joshua Dela Cruz" and she freaked out.  He was incredible!

Courtney Reed (Jasmine) was amazing as well.  Her voice was flawless and she fit the role perfectly.  Jonathan Freeman played Jafar, just like he did in the movie!  I liked seeing the real "voice" playing the same character on the stage.  I think him playing Jafar really helped make the play so great.

And my favorite character was the Genie, played by James Monroe Iglehart.  My favorite song of the whole show was "Friend Like Me" which was performed by the Genie, Aladdin, and the ensemble.  The performance was so incredible, there was a two minute standing ovation by the audience.  My cousin said the only time she has ever seen a standing ovation after a song was when Idina Menzel performed "The Wizard and I" in Wicked.

Another great performance was "Arabian Nights," which opened the musical.  Here's a video of that performance on Good Morning America.

[Source:  YouTube]

Wrecking Ball (Afrojack Remix)

I was on SoundCloud and stumbled upon Afrojack's remix of Miley Cyrus 2013 hit single "Wrecking Ball."  What I love most about the mix is the first minute and 30 seconds.

[Source:  YouTube]

If I ever went on a headlining arena tour, I would definitely want that first part to be the opening before I hit the stage with my first song.

Oh, the things I dream of.

The Legend of Zelda

I was listening to some DJs on SoundCloud and stumbled across Zedd's remix of the "Legend of Zelda" theme.

I have always thought that game was fun, but I am awful at video games, so I would always lose and get frustrated when I received the dreaded GAME OVER on the screen.

[Source:  YouTube]

I went through a house-genre phase and I think this is the first video game remix I have come across.  There may be a few Super Mario ones out there, so don't be surprised if I spring it on you in the near future.

How

"How" is a song by The Neighbourhood off their album I Love You.  Several questions are asked, such as "How could you tell me that I'm great / When they chew me up, spit me out, pissed on me?" and "Why would you tell me that it's fate / When they laughed at me, every day, in my face?"

The song itself is very short lyrically, but lasts a total of five minutes and fifteen seconds.

[Verse 1:]
How could you question God's existence
when you question God himself?
Why would you ask for God's assistance
if you wouldn't take the help?

[Bridge:]
If you're gone, then I need you
If you're gone, then how is any of this real?
When I'm on, I believe you
When I'm not, my knees don't even seem to feel

[Hook:]
How could you tell me that I'm great
When they chew me up, spit me out, pissed on me?
Why would you tell me that it's fate
When they laughed at me, every day, in my face?

[Verse 2:]
They say the end is coming sooner
But the end's already here
I said today is but a rumor
That we'll laugh at in a year
Or two, or three, or four, or five, whatever

[Bridge]

[Hook (x2)]

How?
How could you tell me that I'm great?
How?
How could you tell me that it's fate?
How?

I don't know why, so I couldn't explain, but I find this song to be very powerful.

Rockstar

How would I dress on stage if I ever became a singer?

Crop & Shorts by loveynj featuring Topshop

Topshop sleeveless shirt
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Topshop crop shirt
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Topshop shorts
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The Ragged Priest pink jean shorts
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Topshop hot short shorts
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Topshop platform shoes
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Topshop white shoes
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Valerie

I used to watch Glee every week, but I never had the time to continue, which is the reason why I stopped.  I know I may have been a little critical with yesterday's post, but it was just my opinion.  Not every Glee cover is bad, which is why I thought I would talk about a few Glee songs that I love.

1.  Valerie - Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse version

I first heard this song while watching the One Direction concert Up All Night Tour DVD when Louis Tomlinson covered it.  When I searched for the song on iTunes I listened to the Glee cover and fell in love with it.  I think Naya Rivera's voice is the perfect match for the song.  I remembered I heard the song a few years ago in season 2 in the episode "Special Education."

Here's the real version

And here's the Glee version

2.  Wake Me Up - made famous by Avicii

I think Avicii is a great DJ, by "Wake Me Up" never really tickled my fancy.  Yes, it is a catchy song, but I kind of like how the Glee version, sung by Rachel (Lea Michele), has a country twist to it.  The song was featured in the April 23, 2014 episode "The Back-Up Plan."

Here's the real version

And here's the Glee version

3.  Pumpin Blood - made famous by NONONO

What I love about the Glee cover is the fact that they didn't change the song from the original at all, or at least from what I can hear.  The song was featured in the episode "Opening Night," the 17th episode of season 5.

Here's the real version

And here's the Glee version

All videos came from YouTube

Wings

I was listening to some Glee songs on the iTunes store, hence the reason for this post.  There are a number of songs I feel like Glee should have never covered.

1.  Wings - made famous by Little Mix

I love Little Mix, but if a cover is good, I'll admit that it was good.  This cover, on the other hand, was... brutal is too harsh of a word.  This cover was... interesting?  It was performed in the final episode of the fourth season in May 2013, "All or Nothing."

Here's the real version

And here's the Glee version

2.  It's Time - made famous by Imagine Dragons

I absolutely love the percussion in this song, but it's absent from the Glee version.  While Darren Criss's voice is great, this cover just isn't doing it for me.  It was performed in the first episode of the fourth season, "The New Rachel."

Here's the real version

And here's the Glee version

3.  Story of My Life - made famous by One Direction

I am kind of against any cover of One Direction because if you're not One Direction, you can't sound like One Direction, so you shouldn't be singing One Direction.  I might feel this way because only Blaine and Kurt are singing, as opposed to the five guys we are normally used to hearing.  This song first aired in "The Back-Up Plan," the 18th episode of the fifth season.

Here's the real version

And here's the Glee version

But don't worry.  I am a pretty fair person, so I will, tomorrow, post about some awesome Glee covers.

All videos obtained from YouTube, courtesy of FOX and Vevo.

Don't Stop

[Source:  Google]

Big announcement:  Aussie band 5 Seconds of Summer will be making their US television debut at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards on May 18th!

Of course I am super psyched because I can't seem to get enough of them.  I mean, look at them - they're gorgeous.  And have you heard them sing?  What's better than a guy who can sing well and play an instrument?!

The award ceremony will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.  Unfortunately for the pop-punk band they will be unable to gamble - their eldest member has yet to become 20-years-old, the other three are either 17 or 18.

5SOS have made their new single, "Don't Stop," available for pre-order on iTunes pretty much everywhere except for the US, Canada, and Mexico, which is a little odd considering they released their latest EP, She Looks So Perfect, in the states only a few weeks following the release of the extended play in their native country and others.  I wish I had answers, but I don't, so I apologize.

But since they're Australian, they each get joy out of being a tease.  They have released their solo vocals and solo instrumentals on Instagram with the fifteen second video option.  Have a little taste of their gorgeous voices below.

All videos were obtained from YouTube, courtesy of Instagram.

Car Radio

The moment you all have been waiting for.... I think, I hope.  I am finally going to talk about one of my favorite groups, Twenty One Pilots (stylized twenty | one | pilots)!!

First, let me just touch upon the fact that they put on an amazing show!  They were fun, energetic, and interactive, all while sounding incredible.  They jumped off of high things and did flips off of high things.  They performed songs from their studio debut album Vessel as well as a cover of "Mad World."

[Source:  Google]

The duo consists of Tyler Joseph (lead vocals, piano, ukulele, keytar, synthesizer) and Josh Dun (drums), and it is seriously just the two of them.  They originate from Columbus, Ohio, where they self-released two albums, Twenty One Pilots and Regional at Best.  After signing with famous label Fueled by Ramen, they released Vessel, which peaked at number ten on the US Alternatives chart.  They have also released an EP through Fueled by Ramen entitled Three Songs EP.

[L-R:  Josh Dun and Tyler Joseph][Source:  Google]

All of their songs consist of piano and/or keyboard/keytar, drums, synthesizer, and vocals.

In case you feel like you have heard of the duo before, you may have seen them on Conan last August in their late night debut and last month they performed their hit song "Car Radio" at the 2014 MTV Movie Awards.

I have three favorite songs:
Migraine

[Source:  YouTube]

Ode to Sleep (my favorite part starts at 1:50)

[Source:  YouTube]

Guns For Hands

[Source:  YouTube]

They opened with "Guns For Hands," and that was the best choice I have ever seen from a band for their opening song.  The amount of energy they came out with was astonishing and it rubbed off on the crowd quite easily.  The moment they took the stage the crowd went bats***.

[Source:  Wikipedia]

Their debut studio album has twelve tracks, all of which are fabulous:

1. Ode to Sleep
2. Holding On to You
3. Migraine
4. House of Gold
5. Car Radio
6. Semi-Automatic
7. Screen
8. The Run and Go
9. Fake You Out
10. Guns For Hands
11. Trees
12. Truce

I don't remember where I read it, but apparently the two men on the cover of the album are their grandfathers.  The one man is Tyler's paternal grandfather, while the other is Josh's paternal grandfather.  Pretty cool;  I just thought they were random people.

I have been to several concerts, and this one was honestly one of the best.  Truthfully.

You NEED to buy their album because I want you to get addicted.

Here are some pictures I took.

Yes, Tyler is wearing a ski mask in the above two pictures ^^^

Yes, Tyler's standing on the crowd ^^^

Yes, Josh is playing the drums on the crowd ^^^

Yes, Tyler is wearing a ski mask...again ^^^

The videos are having trouble uploading, so I'll have to attempt posting some on a later date.  If not, go to my Instagram pages, jordanhanley03 and jordanmusicrookie to watch some of the performances.

Pumpin Blood

Swedish band NONONO was the second opening act at the twenty one pilots concert and they were pretty good like Hunter Hunted (click here to read about Hunter Hunted).

The alternative trio consists of Stina Wäppling, Tobias "Astma" Jimson, and Michel "Rocwell" Flygare.  Their debut single (and my favorite) "Pumpin' Blood" peaked at 22 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.

Like Hunter Hunted, they were also a pretty solid group.  They kept the crowd engaged and had energetic songs.

[Source:  Google]

Their EP, Pumpin Blood, is available on iTunes and has five tracks:

1. Pumpin Blood
2. Jungle
3. Fire Without a Flame
4. Like the Wind
5. Pumpin Blood (Acoustic)

I have never been to a concert where they have been from a place other than the US, Canada, England, or Ireland, so I enjoyed their Swedish accents very much.

I thought they were a fun band to see live.

Here are pictures and a video I took.

Keep Together

I spent last night at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ for the Twenty One Pilots (AKA twenty one pilots) concert.

There were two opening acts:  Hunter Hunted and NONONO.  Today I'll be talking about the first act, Hunter Hunted, tomorrow's post will be about NONONO, and on Saturday, I'll end this little series by talking about twenty one pilots.

Hunter Hunted is a 2012 indie pop band from Los Angeles and consists of Michael Garner (keys and vocals) and Dan Chang (guitar and vocals).  I had never heard of them until I got the tickets for the concert, but I'm glad I now know who they are because they are awesome!  Sometimes artists have trouble performing at a small venue because it's so intimate, but they were so interactive and energetic, so they fit the atmosphere perfectly.

My favorite song of theirs would have to be "Keep Together."  They performed songs off their self-titled EP and gave us a sneak peek of their upcoming album which they are in the midst of recording.  The group also did a cover of the Pixies' "Where Is My Mind?" which was also pretty great.

[Source:  SoundCloud]

Their EP is available on iTunes and includes five tracks:

1. Operating
2. Keep Together
3. End of the World
4. Dora Maar
5. Gentle Folks

They're very talented musicians and their songs sound perfect from start to finish.  I also enjoyed the drummer.....Below is are a picture and video I took.