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.

I Get A Kick Out of You

I got this book fro Christmas from my aunt, uncle, and cousins called The Greatest Album Covers Of All Time.  The book features more than 250 of the best album covers and is arranged by decade and musical genre.

It was published in 2005 by Collins & Barnes and was written by Barry Miles, Grant Scott, and Johnny Morgan.  There are six different chapters:  1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.  I'll go over just a few of those.

In the 1950s chapter, there are four subchapters:

1. Pop - Frank Sinatra's Come Fly with Me and Peggy Lee's Black Coffee are two of the albums included.
2. Exotica - Robert Frost's Robert Frost Reads His Poetry is one of the records in this subchapter.
3. Jazz - Ella Fitzgerald's Ella Fitzgerald Sings Gershwin Vol 2 and Quincy Jones's This Is How I Feel About Jazz are just two of the several albums.
4. Rock 'n' Roll - Elvis Presley's Elvis Presley, Little Richard's Here's Little Richard, and Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps' Gene Vincent Rocks!  And the Blue Caps Roll.

In the 1980s chapter, there are seven subchapters:

1. Factory - New Order's Low-Life, Power Corruption and Lies, and Movement.
2. Pop - Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A., Adam and the Ants' Kings of the Wild Frontier, Madonna's True Blue, and R.E.M.'s Murmur are just a few.
3. Rock - Tom Waits's Rain Dogs, Talking Heads' The Name of this Band Is Talking Heads and Remain in Light
4. Agit Rock - Killing Joke's Killing Joke and The Fall's Hex Enduction Hour.
5. Metal - AC/DC's Back in Black, Van Halen's MCMLXXXIV, Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast, and ZZ Top's Eliminator.
6. Rap - Beastie Boys' Licensed of Ill and L.L. Cool J's Radio.
7. Soul - George Benson's Give Me the Night and Bobby Brown's Don't Be Cruel.

I don't want to give the whole book away, so if you would like to know the other chapters, you will have to buy it for yourself!!

'O Sole Mio

"'O Sole Mio" was composed by Eduardo Di Capua in 1898 and is referred to as a Neapolitan song.  Neapolitan songs were written for the Festival of Piedigrotta in Naples, Italy.  Di Capua set the music to the poem by Giovanni Capurro.

One of the most popular versions of the song is "It's Now or Never" by Elvis Presley.

Here are the Neapolitan Italian lyrics:

Che bella cosa na jurnata 'e sole,

n'aria serena doppo na tempesta!

Pe' ll'aria fresca pare già na festa...

Che bella cosa na jurnata 'e sole.

Ma n'atu sole

cchiù bello, oje ne'.

O sole mio

sta 'nfronte a te!

O sole

O sole mio

sta 'nfronte a te!

sta 'nfronte a te!

Quanna fa notte e 'o sole se ne scenne

me vene quase 'na malincunia;

sotto 'a fenesta toia restarria

quanno fa notte e 'o sole se ne scenne.

Ma n'atu sole

cchiù bello, oje ne'.

O sole mio

sta 'nfronte a te!

O sole

O sole mio

sta 'nfronte a te!

sta 'nfronte a te!

I know that it is probably not easy to read, but that's because the Neapolitan dialect is a little...informal.  Also, some of the words are definitely a little different from regular Italian.  For instance, in lines 1 and 4, the word "jurnata" is really "giornata."  In the Italian language, there is no "j" in the alphabet.  

Anyway, here is an English translation:

What a wonderful thing a sunny day

The serene air after a thunderstorm

The fresh air, and a party is already going on...

What a wonderful thing a sunny day.

But another sun,

that's brighter still

It's my own sun

that's in your face!

The sun, my own sun

It's in your face!

It's in your face!

When night comes and the sun has gone down,

I start feeling blue;

I'd stay below your window

When night comes and the sun has gone down.

But another sun,

that's brighter still

It's my own sun

that's in your face!

The sun, my own sun

It's in your face!

It's in your face!

The song was really made popular by Luciano Pavarotti, a famous Italian opera singer.  The Italian tenor pop group Il Volo recorded a cover of the song two years ago.

[Source: IlVoloVevo on YouTube]

It's a beautiful song, isn't it?  If you search for it on iTunes, so many different versions appear.  Andrea Bocelli, Bryan Adams, Luciano Pavarotti...the list is endless!

Barracuda

I have our organ called the heart on my mind so I thought it would be appropriate to create a playlist all about hearts!

1. Heartbeat - Buddy Holly
2. Give One Heart - Linda Ronstadt
3. You'll Be In My Heart - Phil Collins
4. Heart of Glass - Blondie
5. My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion
6. Young at Heart - Frank Sinatra
7. Listen to Your Heart - Roxette
8. Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler
9. Heart Attack - One Direction
10. Hungry Heart - Bruce Springsteen
11. Straight From the Heart - Bryan Adams
12. Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Elton John and Kiki Dee
13. Piece of My Heart - Janis Joplin
14. Listen to Her Heart - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
15. Heart of Gold - Neil Young
16. When the Heartache is Over - Tina Turner
17. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - The Bealtes
18. Heartbreak Beat - The Psychedelic Furs
19. Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri
20. Heart Out - The 1975
21. Who Owns My Heart - Miley Cyrus
22. Heartland - U2
23. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Bee Gees
24. Change of Heart - Cyndi Lauper
25. Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley

Now that you have read over my playlist, do you have any idea why the title for this post is "Barracuda?"  Tweet me your answer @jordanblogger

Duets

I love hearing duets!  There is something about the way opposite genders sound together.  I created a list of some of my favorite duets.

• Before the Storm - Jonas Brothers & Miley Cyrus - I used to be in love with the Jonas Brothers and I still love Miley Cyrus.  As you may remember, Miley and Nick dated briefly a little while back, so it was nice hearing them collaborate.  
• Endless Love - Lionel Richie & Diana Ross - This is of course a really popular song.  It is a great duet, although for some reason when Lionel Richie made a music video for the song, he was singing the duet with Shania Twain - not Diana Ross.  
• Missing You - John Waite & Alison Krauss - I love this song!  My mom likes John Waite's original recording from 1984 so much more but my dad and I disagree and think this version is much better.  
• The Lady Loves Me - Elvis Presley & Ann-Margret - This is one of my favorite movies and this is definitely my favorite song from it!  The two of them sound incredible together - I wouldn't have wanted someone different to play either of them.
• I Got You Babe - Sonny & Cher - In my opinion, probably the most famous duet ever.  I can't listen to this song without thinking of Groundhog Day with Bill Murray.  
• Leather and Lace - Don Henley & Stevie Nicks - This is a great duet.  The lyrics go so well with their voices - I know that probably sounds really corny, but it's true!
• You're the One That I Want - John Travolta (as Danny) & Olivia Newton-John (as Sandy) - Grease was one of my favorite movies growing up.  I loved the songs that went along with the movie as well, this being one of them.  
• Islands in the Stream - Kenny Rogers & Dolly Parton - This song was originally performed by the Bee Gees, but blew up when Kenny Rogers covered it with Dolly Parton in the early 80s.  Most don't know that it was a Bee Gees song because of how popular the duet was.

Hound Dog

Music started becoming "controversial" in the 1950s.  Lyrics became more intense and new dance moves made their way out into the public.  One of the major artists that was believed to have been controversial was Elvis Presley.  Being nicknamed "The King" puts across the message that he was a "King" at what he did best - rock and roll.
Elvis had so many hits.  "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock" were only a couple of many.  He later went on to star in a movie Viva Las Vegas with Ann-Margret in 1964.  But with an extraordinary number of fans, there had to be people who disagreed with him, right?  His dance moves are seen as being iconic to me and most people, but there are people that feel very differently.  At the time of his peak, the movement of his hips were thought poorly of by a lot of people.  And of course we as music lovers find most of his songs upbeat and fun to listen to, while some came to the conclusion that he sang of things "inappropriate" and "uncalled for".
Now, I know you have the right to disagree with either of the points I brought up.  Personally, I find nothing wrong with Elvis' dancing or lyrical decisions, but you very well might have an issue with them.  Either way, please feel free to share with me how you feel about Elvis Presley, the King.

Give thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!  I am thankful for a lot of things: my family, my friends, my house, my school, and of course music.  There are many classic artists I am thankful for (in no particular order):

1. The Beatles - They revolutionized rock music
2. The Rolling Stones - They ARE rock music
3. Buddy Holly - He created rock music
4. Beethoven - His music changed the way we see some music
5. Michael Jackson - He's the "King of Pop"
6. Elvis Presley - He's the "King"
7. Bruce Springsteen - He's the "Boss"
8. Queen - One of the most relevant bands of all time
9. Elton John - His lyrics are incomparable
10. Led Zeppelin - A lot of singers covered their songs
11. Bob Dylan - Was an idol for a lot of singers
12. Frank Sinatra - He owns New York