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

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.

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.