Royals

I am currently obsessed with "Royals" by 16-year-old Lorde.  No instruments (except maybe a drum), just hands that were made for snapping.  This girl so young yet so talented.

[Source:  YouTube]

'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!

Chicken Lips and Lizard Hips

We are rapidly approaching Halloween.  The song "Chicken Lips and Lizard Hips" by Nancy Cassidy always gets me in the mood for the spooky holiday.

The song was later covered by Bruce Springsteen and appeared in the Disney Sing Along Songs video, Happy Haunting:  Party at Disneyland, which is how I know it.

Here are the lyrics to the silly song [Source: lyricsfreak.com]:

When I was a little kid

I never liked to eat

Mom would put things on my plate

And i'd dump 'em on her feet

But then one day she made this soup

I ate it all in bed

I asked her what she put in it

And this is what she said:

"Oh, chicken lips and lizard hips

And alligator eyes

Monkey legs and buzzard eggs

And salamander thighs

Rabbit ears and camel rears

And tasty toenail pies

Stir 'em all together

And it's mama's soup surprise"

I went into the bathroom

And i stood beside the sink

I said, "I'm feeling slightly ill

And I think I'd like a drink"

Mama said, "I've just the thing

I'll get it in a wink

It's full of lots of protein

And vitamins, I think"

"Oh, chicken lips and lizard hips

And alligator eyes

Monkey legs and buzzard eggs

And salamander thighs

Rabbit ears and camel rears

And tasty toenail pies

Stir 'em all together

And it's mama's soup surprise"

As Halloween gets closer and closer, I'll be posting more frequently about some spooky (and not so spooky) Halloween songs to get you in the spirit...even if you are not a huge fan of Halloween like me.

I Just Wanna Party

I am obsessed the Vine app.  My favorite viners include metal singer Curtis Lepore, actors Cody and Marcus Johns, and even the redneck lineman Josh Clark.

Josh and his buddy Greg make some of the funniest vines ever.  They have a series of vines where Greg asks Josh, "JOSH WHATCHA WANNA DO?!" Then the camera goes over to Josh and he dances, while driving, to the Yelawolf song "I Just Wanna Party" while lip-syncing.

[Source: Vine/YouTube]

I know, I know, you definitely think this is the most peculiar thing I have ever posted about, but if you have a Vine, I really think you should watch all of these.

Apart from that, the song itself is actually quality...just kidding.  I really have no idea how to explain this song to you.  For one thing, it is rap, but it's not your average rap song.  There is absolutely no way this song took any longer than 20 minutes to write.  I would really like to hope that Yelawolf is not trying to emulate a rapper like Eminem or Lil Wayne.

But, I do see an attempt on his part so I applaud him in that.  Really.  I do.

[Source:  YouTube]

So Close

So I remember hearing Jennette McCurdy's song "So Close" in 2009 on YouTube when it first came out.  I had no idea she could sing so well!

The song is country and she really sounds amazing in it.  Here's a video [Source:  YouTube]:

I literally have not listened to the song in years and I have no idea what made me think of listening to it the other day, but I did and I forgot how amazing it actually is.  Her voice is absolutely flawless and her range is incredible as well.  Job well done, Jennette.