Tuesday Tunes: This is Halloween!

      I couldn’t possibly let Tuesday Tunes pass me by this week.  With Halloween around the corner, everyone needs a little Marilyn Manson in their lives!!  So in the spirit of the coming holiday filled with candy, witches, goblins, and ghouls I hope you will enjoy this little tribute!

Tuesday Tunes: Roar!!

         It’s time for Tuesday Tunes and today I am spotlighting Katy Perry’s smash hit “Roar”.  Written by the singer, the gist of the song is about standing up for you when faced with conflicts in life.  It is something each one of us need to do at one time or another.  It is important to have a backbone and not allow others to walk all over you.  There is a certain determination felt throughout the song.  The accompanying video promoting the song is creative genius and revolves around a Tarzan motif. 

         When I first heard “Roar” and seen the video I have to admit that I wasn’t immediately blown away by it like I had been by some of her past hits.  The song “Roar” had to grow on me.  It rose above the noise of the competition and finally stood out on its own merit.  It demanded my attention and because of that I am spotlighting it today.  Compared with the competition of other songs in the mainstream now, it is one of the best.  Enjoy!

Tuesday Tunes- The Fox

      It is time for another round of Tuesday Tunes.  This week I am spotlighting a song that is taking the world by storm and is the biggest thing at my daughter’s junior high lately.  The song is performed by a Norwegian comedy duo from Bergen, Norway known as Ylvis.   When their video “The Fox” went viral on You Tube in September it quickly caught on gaining them worldwide attention.  My daughter came home from school and told me all about it, and then I brought up You Tube and checked out the video for myself.

       To be honest, the video and the song amuses the hell out of me.  It gives me the giggles.  It is so random.  Something about it makes me feel giddy and like acting like a complete idiot.  I wasted little time downloading it on my phone and often will randomly ask my daughter “What does the fox say?” before erupting in a fit of giggles.  My son thinks it is annoying and hates it which just makes us love it more.    We dance to it, sing along to it, and laugh our happy asses off to it.  It is great fun to sing at my daughter’s bus stop early in the morning.  Mind you, it is so dark when my daughter ventures out at the butt crack of dawn that I go with her to make sure she is safe and because she doesn’t want to be alone in the dark.   Quite honestly, I don’t want her alone in the dark.   Once the other kids start arriving on the scene, I sneak off for home in the cover of darkness because that is the kind of mom I am.  Before that, we have a merry time being silly.  It helps keep us warm in the increasingly colder morning temperatures we have been experiencing lately.  After all, what does the fox say?

           This morning I am not surprised to discover “The Fox” is rapidly climbing Billboard’s chart of hot 100 top songs.  After only 4 weeks on the charts the song is at number 8 and on the rise.  The song is red hot and I love it.  It is different.  The beat is catchy.  Once you hear it, it will be stuck in your head, as it is stuck in mine.  It may just drive you batty, but at least you will have a smile on your face.  Happy Tuesday Tunes!!

Tunes Tuesday- Every Time We Say Goodbye

 

   It is Tunes Tuesday and the first day of October!  My kids are off to school, and after a nice three day weekend my husband is back to work and I am here with my menagerie of dogs once again.

     The song that resonates with me most today is the classic “Every Time I Say Goodbye” performed by Ella Fitzgerald.  Every time I say goodbye to that man of mine I die just a little, but every time we say hello I am once again restored.  I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss my husband when he is on the road.  Once he
is gone the kids and I fall into a day to day routine until he returns.  It has always been hardest the day he leaves for me.  I love it when he is home, and I always want him to stay.  I want the good times to last. Unfortunately time goes so fast when he is home.   We are always so busy.  Before we know it, it is time to say goodbye once again and I die just a little.  I often wonder if he feels the same.  Unfortunately, this is his job and the life we chose so we make the best of it because the bills keep a coming demanding payment.

    
    From the moment we part I focus on all I need to do.  I keep busy.  I hope someday the time will come when we say more hellos than goodbyes.  Until then, I will take it one day at a time and burn up the air waves from my cell phone to his. 

Tuesday Tunes: Hail to the King or Are You Sick of It?

        It is time for Tuesday Tunes and today I am in the mood for some hard rock and heavy metal.  I know, I don’t appear the type but I will admit I love all kinds of music and do try to spotlight the best of the best and my personal favorites.  So sit back, relax, and crank your speakers because you are in for a treat.

        When I met my husband he loved Metallica.  While I love a couple of their songs I don’t prefer a steady diet of the stuff.  Last night while checking the Billboard charts for music to spotlight I happened onto a song performed by Avenged Sevenfold that blew my socks off.  An American rock band that originates from Huntington Beach, California, Avenged Sevenfold has a sound reminiscent of Metallica, at least in this song.  “Hail to the King” starts off with amazing guitar riffs that literally get your blood pumping and fire you up from the get go long before the drums start pounding the driving beat that is prevalent throughout the song. It is one bad assed song and I love it.  I love the intricate guitar solos and the driving force of the drums.  It is my kind of rock song. I am caught up with the music until the last guitar riff fades.

 

      Even though Memphis, Tennessee based band, Skillet, has been around since 1996, I have obviously been under a rock as usual.  I happened across their latest single “Sick of It” quite by accident and LOVED it.  I simply cannot get enough of it and immediately downloaded it to my phone.  My phone is full of music that I must listen to and this song has joined the ranks of a quick favorite.  I love the driving force and energy of the song, the vocals which begin whispery and explode with power at the bridge.  Now that this American Christian rock band is on my radar, I will be exploring more of their music with little doubt that I will love it. They have a great sound.  Starting in October they are touring with Nickelback, another one of my favorites and I can just imagine what an amazing concert that will be.   I hope you have enjoyed Tuesday Tunes this week as much as I have.  Until next time, crank the tunes, and rock on!

Tuesday Tunes: Your Love Amazes Me

    16 years ago on September 12 I married the love of my life and best friend.  With the anniversary so close it seemed only appropriate to highlight our song this Tuesday Tunes.

      We have been through a lot over the years.  A full, happy life mixed with an even mix of celebration and struggles.  We have overcome the trauma of losing family members to deaths grip and celebrated the births of both of our kids.  16 years later, we are still together and I still love that man just as much today as I did the day I said “I do”.  

     "Your Love Amazes Me" performed by John Berry was extremely popular when we got married and after that when we attended other weddings, when this song played, we danced and the rest of the world melted away and only the two of us remained.  Pure magic!

Tuesday Tunes: Kissing, Love, and Clarity

     It is time for Tuesday Tunes and today I am highlighting a selection of songs that are polar opposites from each other in sound and attitude. 

      The first song on the agenda is “Clarity” performed by Zedd featuring Foxes.  I love the driving force behind this song and the message behind the lyrics.  It describes a love that is pure insanity and a tad bit dangerous…but vital.  The kind of love that is discussed in the song is laced with passion and may not provide the healthiest of relationships due to the fact it is based on pure lust and little else.  It is like a drug.  Once tasted and experienced, you simply have got to have more and more.   The song is addicting, and the more I listen to it, the more I love it.  Even the art direction of the video is mesmerizing and goes hand and hand to promote this song in superb fashion.  It talks of a love so blinding and a passion so enormous one forgets common sense.  In my opinion it is pure brilliance and there is little wonder why it is taking the world by storm holding steady at number 8 on Billboard’s hot 100 charts.  You can relate to it.  It is the stuff of fantasies.

     The next song I am highlighting is performed by none other than Blake Shelton.  Today this song makes me smile.   It contains attitude and I love it.  It is the kind of song you sing along with and celebrate.  I actually thought of highlighting another of Blake’s songs today…but since I am struggling to adjust to the new regime of waking up at 5:30 in the morning  to insure my kids are on the bus when it rolls past, it certainly reflects the current mood.  I am obviously sleep deprived and half past give a shit so it only seems fitting that I should include “Kiss My Country Ass” in today’s lineup.  This song insists I sing along and even let out a rebel yell at key points.  It is a party song, plain and simple and I love it.

  

      My last selection today is performed by Maroon 5 titled “Love Somebody”.     I love the lyrics and beat of this song.  It encompasses the desire to love and be loved.  Once you have loved, you are never the same again.  It is a happy, feel good kind of song and that is probably what I like about it most.  Two thumbs up on the art direction for the video.  It is spectacular, symbolic, and spot on.  How ironic that I started this post with love, spiraled into a celebratory kissing of my country ass, and ended up wanting to love somebody in the end just as frantically as I did at the first.  It can only happen on Tuesday, and perhaps that is why I love my Tuesday tunes so much!  

Tuesday Tunes- Gone and Still Into You

     Even when I don’t have a shred of desire to write I can summon up some inspiration for Tuesday Tunes because I love my music.  Today is the day I get to share my picks for the week; you know the tunes that are rocking my mp3 player at full volume.

     Where did the summer go?  Didn’t school just let out?  It went by entirely too fast and tomorrow is the first day of school.  It blows my mind and today I am contemplating what it will be like after I put the kids on their buses.  I know about the silences that will envelope the house soon after they are gone.  It usually takes me a few days to realize that I have the house to myself and then I react much like Macaulay Culkin’s character in “Home Alone”.  Yes, I run through the house screaming and waving my hands celebrating my freedom.  Then I crank my tunes to full blast and have the time of my life.  Of course, by afternoon I need a nap because I have worn myself out and need to regroup before the kids come home…but still I enjoy every minute of it and look forward to when they come home so I can hear about every little detail about their days.  My first song captures the spirit of my feelings as my kids head back to school perfectly.  I love everything about “Gone, Gone, Gone” by Phillip Phillips.  It has got a great beat and the lyrics are so poignant.  I find myself singing and swaying along when I hear it.  I love it!!!

       Lately every single time I drive anywhere I discover Jake Owen's crooning on the radio “The One that Got away”.  I find myself singing along to this one too.  I think we have all had that one special one that got away. If you are lucky, there might even have been two.   You never quite forget them.  The magic of that first meeting and the time you spent with that person is locked in a secret place in your heart forever.  It is a memory you never lose…because after all they were amazing but somehow they escaped your clutches.  Still looking back, you remember them with a mischievous smile on your face and this song definitely in your heart.

    My last pick for this week is a fun little ditty called “Still into You” by Paramore.  I love this song!  It is a feel good bouncy song that spells out how I feel about my husband.  We will have been married 16 years September 12.  After all this time, I am still into him.  Through thick and thin and sick and sin…he’s still the only one for me.

     I leave you with another Tuesday of great tunes.  Feel free to pump up the volume and give a listen.  Let the music take you to a special place filled with unicorns that poop out rainbows and fanciful pixies.  Life is much better when you are happy!!

Tuesday Tunes: Best Songs Ever!

     It’s Tuesday and long past time for some tunes.  I will be honest; I haven’t really been in the mood to write.  Sometimes you have to step on back when the words don’t flow and do other things.  This morning the itch is back…and I am up at the butt crack of dawn rocking out to songs on YouTube and picking my selections for today.

      When I am looking for songs for Tunes Tuesday my criteria is always to pick the best song ever so it makes sense that I would start it off with this little gem from One Direction.   The video itself takes a while to get going since it is one of those mini movie things.  Bottom line it stresses the point that the best possible choice is to be yourself…and that ultimately will be the best choice.  “The Best Song Ever” is catchy and ultimately upbeat and a way to get the party started.

       Anyone that is a regular here knows that I am a pretty big Imagine Dragons fan.  I love their music, plain and simple.  They have a great sound.  Today I am spotlighting their song “Demons”.  I love this song because we all have demons.  I love the reference in the song that if you would just look deep into my eyes you will see where my demons lie.  No matter how together you appear, everyone has demons hiding right below the surface behind the smiles.  It reminds us to live life with compassion and I love that.

       Last but not least I would like to share a Carrie Underwood song that is high up on my play list these days.  “See You Again” really resonates with me deeply.  Every single day of my life it seems I live for the day I can see my parents again.  On August 12, it will be 20 years since I last hugged my mom and spoke to her.  It is overwhelming and soul crushing to think it has been that long.  There isn’t a day that doesn’t go by that I don’t miss my mom, that I don’t miss her laugh that lit her whole face up.  That anniversary is coming up in 6 days and as the years have passed it has got easier.  Equally hard to believe is that 9 whole years have passed since I last laughed with my Dad.  My Dad could make a saint soak their panties in amusement.   He could be that funny.  Almost all of the 16 years I have been married to my husband have been spent apart due to his job.  It is part of life and you learn how to roll with it.   So, you can see why I love this song. 

      So I leave you this Tuesday satisfied after several days of silence that once again thanks to the power of music my gift for words has returned.  Hope you will crank up the volume on your computer speakers and let the music take you where it will until next time!

Tuesday Tunes: Running Out of Moonlight!

      With the first day of school closing in fast I have been running around trying to get things around for it.  I am up to my ears in school supplies and school clothes!!    Today the kids and I went school clothes shopping and took a walk through the Wellfield Botanical Gardens, capping off the day with a trip to Subway for our favorite sub sandwiches.

  

      It was a busy day and while travelling here to there I kept here Randy Houser singing “Running out of Moonlight” and found myself singing along. This song sums up my day this Tuesday so it is the perfect song for Tuesday Tunes because with all that chasing around, and more blogs needing to be written, comments to be answered and returned, and the days of the Ultimate Blog Challenge running out fast, I feel like I am running out of moonlight!!  Happy Tuesday everyone!

Tuesday Tunes: Cups

     

 It is Tunes Tuesday and the 23^rd day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge and NaBloPoMo.   This month seems to be flying by!! 

       Towards the end of the school year my daughter couldn’t sit at the dinner table without going through the motions of the cup song.  She said anyone who was anyone knew how to do the moves and were doing them all the time at school.  Oh to be almost 13 years old again!!!  Finally one day I looked up the “Cup Song” which is performed by Anna Kendrick on YouTube to see what all the fuss was about.  Anna Kendrick is an American actress from the film “Pitch Perfect” with the tune a remake of the 1931 folk song “When I’m Gone” recorded by the Carter Family.

       The video is fun and clever and the song catchy.  While I still haven’t felt compelled to play with my cups like a teeny bopper no matter how many times my daughter insists I try it, I love the song and find myself singing along.  If you haven’t heard the “Cup Song”, give a listen!