Wednesday, November 30, 2016

Song of the Day - I Lived - One Republic

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Today is my birthday.  I wasn't exactly sure how to approach it this year, at least on here.  I haven't been in a good place lately so I don't really feel too much like celebrating.  I thought about not posting at all today, but I just can't seem to skip a day.  So once I decided to go ahead and post, I set off to find a song to fit my life the way I feel today.

I don't feel like I've been living a lot lately.  Too many things on my plate these days and literally very little time to sit back and enjoy life even if it's just in bits and pieces. No, no time for anything but work and driving and more work...at school and at home.  And even when I do find some time to myself, like after my class last night, I was simply too tired and went to sleep early...something that seems to happen often lately.  

So my song choice is meant to remind me that I have lived life, just not lately, and I will have the chance to live it again sometime in the near future.  This craziness of life has just got me feeling stuck, that's all.  Anyway, happy birthday to me!  Enjoy the song...  

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Song of the Day - The Days - Avicii, feat. Robbie Williams

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I almost forgot about superstar Swedish deejay/producer Avicii until I was looking for something different to listen to yesterday and I came across his playlist.  It's been a long time since we've heard anything significant from him, so here's a gem from his 2014 The Days/Nights EP featuring British crooner Robbie Williams.  Great tune! 




Monday, November 28, 2016

Song of the Day - Same Ol' Mistakes - Rihanna

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Here's a very chill song off of Rihanna's latest, Anti.  I tell ya, I haven't really loved the album too much since its release, but a few of the songs have grown on me, like this one.  The tune is pretty complex and melancholy and perfect for some background music whilst having guests...one of those songs that'll unexpectedly work its way into your brain.  Check out Same Ol' Mistakes...




Sunday, November 27, 2016

Song of the Day - The Greatest - Sia

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Sia's latest has been out now for a couple of months already and has steadily grown on me.  The tune is typical Sia, well written and catchy and full of meaning. The song was reportedly penned for the victims of the Orlando shooting back in June and yeah, the opening to the video showing the tag #WEAREYOURCHILDREN suggests that perhaps this is true.  My love for Sia grows even more! Here's The Greatest...



Saturday, November 26, 2016

Song of the Day - Perfect Strangers - Jonas Blue, feat. J.P. Cooper

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Here's a tune by British producer Jonas Blue, with guest vocals from J.P. Cooper, that I just discovered recently.  I loved it the first time I heard it for it's island feel and it's uplifting interludes. It is so worth a listen, so check out Perfect Strangers... 



Friday, November 25, 2016

Flashback Friday Song of the Day - Sunshine Day - The Brady Bunch

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For those of you who haven't heard the news yet, Florence Henderson, once America's favorite T.V. mom, passed away yesterday at the age of 82.  For those of you out there who are my age, Florence and her clan of Bradys were an inimitable part of our young lives, and we are sad at the news.  Here's a little sunshiney flashback from those Brady kids in honor of their mom...Rest in Peace Florence!

Thursday, November 24, 2016

A Thanksgiving Song of the Day - Kind and Generous - Natalie Merchant

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For all of the problems we may have in our lives, there are always just as many blessings. Sometimes all you have to do to forget those problems is stop and think about all that you do have, even if just for awhile.  That's what Thanksgiving is all about, and that's why it's my favorite holiday.  Happy Thanksgiving to everybody!  



Wednesday, November 23, 2016

A Thanksgiving Song of the Day - Thank You - Alanis Morissette

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Here's a sarcastic, yet classic holiday staple from Canadian rockstress extraordinaire Alanis Morissette on this, the day before Thanksgiving. Enjoy!



Tuesday, November 22, 2016

A Thanksgiving Song of the Day - Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf, Again) - Sly and the Family Stone

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Welcome to the second special Thanksgiving Song of the Day with the most the original of funksters. It's Sly & the Family Stone with a classic thank you... 




Monday, November 21, 2016

A Thanksgiving Song of the Day - Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper

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It's Thanksgiving week and although I have been super super busy these past couple of months, I need to stop and take some time to acknowledge my favorite holiday and what it means. Thanksgiving is waaayyy better than Christmas!  No shopping for presents, no pressure, a little less cold, lol...all ya gotta do is say thanks!  Here's a classic by the inimitable Cyndi Lauper, and if she was singing this to me, I would totally feel the warmth of appreciation in my heart!  Enjoy! 



Sunday, November 20, 2016

Song of the Day - Stay - Kygo, feat. Maty Noyes


Thought I could leave you cause I felt my heart numbing
It hits so deep, I closed my eyes and I just took off running
I turned around and saw the look on your face
So I stayed, stayed

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Here's a particular favorite of mine from Norwegian deejay/producer Kygo.  The song's got a melancholy, yet dance vibe to it, and Maty Nobes' voice carries the lyrics oh so tenderly.  Check out Stay...  




Saturday, November 19, 2016

Song of the Day - Hold My Hand - Jess Glynne

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I love music, especially happy music that does nothing really more than make you feel good when you listen to it.  Jess Glynne's Hold My Hand is one of those special songs that just puts a smile on your face and a lil warmth in your heart whenever you hear it.  So click play, enjoy and Happy Saturday!



Friday, November 18, 2016

Flashback Friday Song of the Day - We R WHo We R - Ke$ha

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Happy Friday!  I don't know about you, but it's been a long long week for me and I am so happy the weekend is finally here.  Here's an oldie but goodie and still a dance floor filler.  Click play and enjoy!



Thursday, November 17, 2016

Song of the Day - Not Above Love - AlunaGeorge

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Electronic music duo AlunaGeorge has been around for quite some time now, having had success on the Dance Music charts for three years with several singles including the infectious You Know You Like It and Automatic, with Zhu.  Well they've got a brand new album called I Remember, and this tune from it is simply candy for the ears.  Check out Not About Love...





Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Song of the Day - Clumsy - Britney Spears

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I swear I didn't know this before I decided on this tune for Song of the Day, but as I searched for a decent audio version of it I discovered that just a day ago it was announced that Clumsy would be the newest single off of Britney Spears' newest album Glory.  I was actually listening to the album in the car last night and decided that this was one of the better songs on the album, very clubby and very Britney.  So there! (Pats himself on back!)  Check out Clumsy...




Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Song of the Day - Express Myself - Ricky Reed

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You may not know who Ricky Reed is, but hopefully you soon will.  He is pretty darned famous for his talents as a producer, having worked on a string of hit songs like Jason Derulo's Talk Dirty (to Me), Jessie J's Burnin' Up, Pitbull's Fireball, and a host of others.  Well, Ricky's got a brand new single as a frontman, so to speak, and it is simply an awesome tune. Classically catchy, this one will definitely keep you singing long after a listen.  The version here is a bit different than the one I found on iTunes, but it's still great.  Check out Express Myself...  




Monday, November 14, 2016

Song of the Day - Sorry - Justin Bieber

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I spent the weekend in Philadelphia and I heard this song a couple of times in the clubs down there. I've had it in my head ever since.Such a fun song!  




Sunday, November 13, 2016

A Short, and Weird, Song of the Day - Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen - Piko Taro

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Well I've had a long weekend with very little time to spare, and so I did not want to go two days this week without a Song of the Day post.  Here's a totally weird, yet catchy, tune by someone outta the Far East and it's really, really short...




Saturday, November 12, 2016

Song of the Day - Hopeless - Khalid

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Here's a tender and sweet tune by an 18 year old, El Paso, Texas native named simply Khalid.  Both his voice and the tune sound like it'd be coming from someone a lot older and more seasoned, almost like a Frank Ocean.  Check out Hopeless... 



Friday, November 11, 2016

Flashback Friday Song of the Day - Wake Me Up - Avicii, feat. Aloe Blacc

Feeling my way through the darkness
Guided by a beating heart
I can't tell where the journey will end
But I know where to start


So wake me up when it's all over
When I'm wiser and I'm older
All this time I was finding myself and I
Didn't know I was lost

In a less than ordinary week I've been struggling to find a way to soldier on with life. On Wednesday I decided to go without music for a day and therefore there was no Song of the Day post.  I didn't even listen to music during my long ride to work, not wanting it to interfere with my thought-process in trying to make sense of all that's happened this week.  Tuesday's election is still a very bitter pill to swallow and whatever divisions existed before the event seem to have intensified in the days since.  It's really such a sad place to be!

I've got a million, yet nothing to say about it, for now, but I think I speak for many of my fellow Americans when I say that some of the lyrics to this song, especially the chorus, kind of sum up how we've been feeling as we grapple our way towards both acceptance and resolve.  So for what it's worth, check out Avicii with Aloe Blacc and their tune Wake Me Up...  




Thursday, November 10, 2016

Song of the Day - Run - Tiggs Da Author, feat. Lady Leshurr

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Took the day off yesterday to collect my senses after what happened on Tuesday, but I'm back.  Ooh, it's been a long time since I've caught on to anything new and reggae...ish.  This fun tune by Tanzanian born, Britain raised Tiggs Da Author is just that...fun!  And the guest vocals by the sexy Lady Leshurr are the perfect complement to the fun and funky tune. Check out Run...




Monday, November 7, 2016

A Special Song of the Day Post, with Commentary - Dear Mr. President - P!nk, with Indigo Girls

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Dear Mr. President,
Come take a walk with me
Let's pretend, we're just two people and
You're not better than me
I'd like to ask you some questions if we could speak honestly

Well, after months and months we are finally here.  The day of reckoning!  This is undoubtedly one of the most momentous days in our 240 years of history, the world is watching, and the stakes couldn't be any higher.  

What do you feel when you see all the homeless on the street?
Who do you pray to at night before you go to sleep?
What do you feel when you look in the mirror?
Are you proud?

Today's song was written about another president who took office after another very contentious election season 16 years ago.  Back then, so many of us were angry.  We'd felt cheated and we feared for our future.  Unfortunately, those fears came to pass as 8 years of that poor choice brought us two wars, one plausibly acceptable, and the other completely unnecessary and based on lies.  Thousands of people lost their lives as those in the inner circles enriched themselves off of the misery of others. We tortured our enemies in questionable violation of international law.  Our economy was in shambles.  The housing market crashed.  Unemployment rates and the deficit soared as the stock market fell.  We all suffered...but we survived.

How do you sleep while the rest of us cry?
How do you dream when a mother hs no chance to say goodbye?
How do you walk with your head held high?
Can you even look me, in the eye, and tell me why?

It was 8 years ago now that we made history.  We'd finally said enough as a nation and brought the other party back into power.  A black man had been elected president.  Hope was at hand. Unfortunately, whatever popularity this new President brought to the office was despised by many, either because he was a black man or simply from the 'other side.'  

His integrity was questioned and every attempt he made at progress was met with unprecedented obstruction, which remains to this very day as the Supreme Court's power has been unconstitutionally and unprecentendtedly checked by the branch of government still controlled by the former president's party. The supposed outrage that's been spun over the past 8 years truly boggles my mind, as the previous 8 years of absolute misery seem to be an aberration to those on the other side.  Perhaps there is a case of mass amnesia.

Dear Mr. President,
Were you a lonely boy?
How can you say, 
No child is left behind?
We're not dumb and we're not blind
They're all sitting in your cells
As you pave the road to hell    

So now we have this...an anti-establishment billionaire vowing to "Make America Great Again." Does anyone out there really believe that we are no longer a great country?  Please look me in the eye, and tell me why.

Of course, our choice is minimal.  One out of two, well in reality four, people.  But that in itself is a problem we must overcome.  Yes, the establishment is crooked all over.  Both sides of the aisle work first towards their own personal gain before helping us, the little people.  It's been that way for a long, long time.  The United States of America has become the United Corporations of America, where special interests gain favor to our detriment.  Yes, we need an anti-establishment president.  This isn't the one, though.

What kind of father would take his own daughter's rights away?
And what kind of father mght hate his own daughter if she were gay?
I can only imagine what the first lady has to say
You've come a long way, from whiskey and cocaine

The climate of our politics has been dividing us for too many years now.  Politicians tell outrageous lies simply for their own gain.  And we believe them, yet our lives never seem to change that much for the better, no matter what they say.  Right?  

Today we all have a huge choice to make.  For seemingly all of us, the choice is clear.  Unfortunately, that choice isn't the same.  While I see it as the choice between a seasoned, yet admittedly flawed candidate and a misogynistic, inexperienced and impulsive bully, others actually believe that the bully would do us better.  Well in my eyes, that bully has cheated our country of thousands and thousands of dollars in taxes, gone bankrupt on quite a few occasions, and looks to divide us rather than unite us.  He doesn't deserve to be president.  

Let me tell you about hard work
Minimum wage with a baby on the way
Let me tell you about hard work
Rebuilding your house after the bombs took them away
Let me tell you about hard work
Building a bed out of a cardboard box
Let me tell you about hard work, hard work, hard work
You don't know nothing about hard work

Yeah, those 8 years were terrible!  But they seem like nothing now compared to what could happen in the next 8.  It truly makes me sad...and a little scared, too.  Why do we spend so much time hating and being sheep rather than keeping informed, loving one another and really making the world and our country a better place?  We should all be on the same side.  

I only hope that today we get it right and we make it better.  Maybe someday in the future we will find a true anti-establishment hero willing to lead us all into a brighter future.  Until then, we need to make the right choice now, or the next time could be even worse.   



Song of the Day - Call On Me - Starley

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Here's a recent discovery from an Aussie singer named Starley.  I couldn't find much on her, only that this is her debut single, first released back in July, but it's just been re-released last month...for good reason.  Nice, nice chill tune.  Check out Call On Me... 




Sunday, November 6, 2016

Song of the Day - Setting the World on Fire - Kenny Chesney, with P!nk

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Kenny Chesney.  P!nk? Country music?  Yeah!  When I first heard that P!nk had done a song with country music legend Kenny Chesney, I did a virtual double-take.  But then I thought about it and this totally makes sense.  After all, P!nk may be known for her pop prowess, but she's written and performed many a tune in the country music vein.  In fact, some of my favorite tunes of hers, like The One That Got Away and Mean, have a bit of country twang to em'.  Anyhow, this one definitely works!  Check out Setting the World on Fire...



Saturday, November 5, 2016

Song of the Day - Talk - DJ Snake, feat. George Maple

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Though French producer DJ Snake currently has a monster hit on his hands with Let Me Love You (with a lil help from Justin Bieber), there are quite a few other gems on his record, Encore.  Here is the second single from the album, released back in June, and it's a nice chill/dance tune with equally chill vocals from Aussie George Maple.  Check out Talk...




Friday, November 4, 2016

Flashback Friday Song of the Day - True Blue - Madonna

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I remember getting an email not too long ago from Madonna's official Icon website saying that it was the 30th anniversary of the song True Love.  Wow!  I guess that's about right, lol. I distinctly remember those days, as I often associate Madonna songs with different parts of my life, and back then I was in one of the most destructive, albeit and thankfully short, relationships of my life...and this was our song, lol.  Anyway, relive a memory of your own... 



Thursday, November 3, 2016

Song of the Day - Good Intentions - The Chainsmokers, feat. BullySongs

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I don't think The Chainsmokers have made one song I haven't loved.  Here's an 'oldie' of theirs, a really catchy track kinda sorta reminiscent of something Avicii or even Calvin Harris might do. Here's Good Intentions...



Wednesday, November 2, 2016

Song of the Day - Side to Side - Ariana Grande, with Nicki Minaj

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It's Hump Day and we've got Ariana riding high and Side to Side with Nicki Minaj on one of the hottest songs out there. Enjoy!




Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Song of the Day - Cool Girl - Tove Lo

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Anybody remember Swedish singer Tove Lo?  Well, she struck it big here in the States a couple of years ago with the retro and ethereal Habits.  Well, you're about to get another taste of her, though this time the music is very different.  Cool Girl is a fun, dancey tune that fits more into the club scene than anything else and it is hot!  Check this one out...