Do They Know It's Christmas?

I wasn't going to talk about Band Aid 30's 2014 charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" but it's number four on the iTunes charts so maybe I should.

Recorded earlier this week in Notting Hill, London, the purpose of the track is to help in battling the Ebola virus.  The song was originally written by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 (hence why the current name is Band Aid 30 because it has been 30 years) to aid the famine in Ethiopia.

Several artists came together to record the song, including One Direction, Ellie Goulding, Paloma Faith, Ed Sheeran, Olly Murs, Bono, Sam Smith, Rita Ora, Chris Martin, and Emeli Sande.

You can purchase the song on iTunes and all of the proceeds go to helping battle the virus.

Buy the song.  Stop the virus.

[Source:  YouTube]

Say You Love Me

After being nominated for a Mercury prize with Devotion, Jessie Ware's fans became so excited when news came out about a sophomore album. After two years, the wait was finally over with the release of Ware’s title track, “Tough Love,” in June. With its peak in the Top 40, the single gave clue to what would come with this collection of broken hearts and deep feelings.

The difference between her sophomore album and her debut is her improved maturity, vocal delivery, and poise, making this album one of the best out right now. Her songs, like her debut, convey feelings of sadness and broken hearts. Produced by Dave Okumu, BenZel, and James Ford, the album is the perfect mixture of Electronica and Pop.

[Source:  YouTube]

Co-writing every track, Jessie Ware found herself occasionally collaborating with some of the most well-known songwriters of today’s time. Fellow Brit Ed Sheeran assisted in writing ballad “Say You Love Me,” the second single from her album, released in September. The song presents her power-alto voice in the way it should be presented.

Regardless of how her songs were composed, what really matters is how Ware sounds. Her powerful and romantic voice makes each song worth listening to 10 times over. With the electronic sound not as profound as in her debut, her vocal delivery is more apparent, resulting in an album that should be put on repeat.

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.

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.

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.

Wake Me Up

One of my new obsessions is the song "Wake Me Up" by Ed Sheeran. I'm absolutely in LOVE with it. He talks about how his girl will never know how beautiful she is to him. She loves Shrek, he's awful at computer games, and she should never cut her hair because he loves the way she flicks it off her shoulders. The song is done with only a piano in the background to make it even more beautiful than it already was.

My top five

1. Clarity (feat. Foxes) - Zedd
2. Sad Song - Ellen Foley
3. Troublemaker (feat. Flo Rida) - Olly Murs
4. Oh Boy - BOY
5. Wake Me Up - Ed Sheeran

A song a day

I'm sorry I haven't been on much lately, so I thought of a good idea. For the days I don't have time to "post" something, I'll just post a picture of a song I have been listening to a lot at the moment. We can start now.