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]