Music Meme (Days 20 - 24) - Mood, Marriage, and Funeral Music

Day 20 – A song that you listen to when you’re angry
Day 21 – A song that you listen to when you’re happy
Day 22 – A song that you listen to when you’re sad
Day 23 – A song you want to play at your wedding
Day 24 – A song that you want to play at your funeral

I do not seek out specific songs when I'm "in a mood."  (my music = mood enhancer...always!)

I didn't have music at either of my weddings. (whoops!)

I do not want a funeral, which means "no worries" about any particular song. (just light me up!)

That was easy. 

Music Meme (Day 19) - A Song From My Favorite Album

Picking the song for this one is a snap. Choosing my favorite album. Not so much. I've heard  myself say that this is my favorite, but I can't really describe what makes it so. Two* of the ten songs on this 1992 album are, in my humble opinion, two of this artist's best. I've never come across anyone else singling them out though. What is it about this particular album that stands out among the 24 studio, live, and compilation albums this genius has done? I wish I had the words to give it the praise I believe it deserves. I don't. I will just name the artist, album, and song. I played the hell out of the CD in my vehicle. It survived and was ripped onto my PC in 2005. From my favorite album, Lucky Town, by my favorite artist, Bruce Springsteen, one of my favorite songs of his, Souls of the Departed. 

Souls of the Departed
Lyrics by Bruce Springsteen

On the road to Basra stood young Lieutenant Jimmy Bly
Detailed to go through the clothes of the soldiers who died
At night in dreams he sees their souls rise
Like dark geese into the Oklahoma skies

Well this is a prayer for the souls of the departed
Those who've gone and left their babies brokenhearted
This is a prayer for the souls of the departed

Now Raphael Rodriguez was just seven years old
Shot down in a schoolyard by some East Compton Cholos
His mamma cried "My beautiful boy is dead"
In the hills the self-made men just sighed and shook their heads

This is a prayer for the souls of the departed
Those who've gone and left their babies brokenhearted
Young lives over before they got started
This is a prayer for the souls of the departed

Tonight as I tuck my own son in bed
All I can think of is what if it would've been him instead
I want to build me a wall so high nothing can burn it down
Right here on my own piece of dirty ground

Now I ply my trade in the land of king dollar
Where you get paid and your silence passes as honor
And all the hatred and dirty little lies
Been written off the books and into decent men's eyes

 

* BTW, the other song I LOVE from this album is The Big Muddy (lyrics).  

Music Meme (Day 18) - A Recent Favorite

There are quite a few songs by this duo that I'm thrilled to have emerge from one of my play lists.  Many are from their past albums.  There are two songs from their current album that I've rated 5 stars, and of those two this one, which was the first single, edges out the other.  The name of the duo is The Black Keys and their awesome tune, Tighten Up, is definitely a song I love to hear very often!  The sound is deep and the whistling is the perfect intro!

*The style of the video doesn't do anything for me, but the song more than makes up for the video's "creativeness".

Music to My Ears

 

It's been nearly four whole months since I got some new music! Once again I used Genius Recommendations from iTunes. I've had the most amazing good fortune using that feature.  I'm looking forward to listening to the songs in their entirety and rating them. Woo hoo!  I'm well aware that the Alternative genre is steadily becoming my overall favorite. Interesting!

Paper Tongues - Paper Tongues (Alternative - 2010)
 1.  Trinity
 2.  For the People
 3.  Ride to California
 4.  Get Higher
 5.  What If
 6.  Soul
 7.  Everybody
 8.  Strongest Flame
 9.  Rich and Poor
10.  Love Like You
11.  Get Higher (acoustic)
12.  Ride to California {video}
13.  Trinity {video}

The Crash Kings - The Crash Kings (Alternative - 2009)
 1.  Mountain Man    
 2.  1985    
 3.  It's Only Wednesday  
 4.  Come Away     
 5.  Non-Believer  
 6.  14 Arms  
 7.  Raincoat  
 8.  You Got Me  
 9.  Saving Grace   
10.  My Love  

Neon Trees - Habits (Alternative - 2010)
1.  Sins of My Youth
2.  Love and Affection
3.  Animal {already had}
4.  Your Surrender
5.  1983
6.  Girls and Boys in School
7.  In the Next Room
8.  Our War

The Raconteurs - Broken Boy Soldiers (Alternative - 2006)
 1.  Steady, As She Goes
 2.  Hands
 3.  Broken Boy Soldier
 4.  Intimate Secretary
 5.  Together
 6.   Level
 7.   Store Bought Bones
 8.   Yellow Sun
 9.   Call It a Day
10.  Blue Veins

James Blunt - Some Kind of Trouble (Pop Rock - 2010)
 1.  Stay the Night
 2.  Dangerous
 3.  Best Laid Plans
 4.  So Far Gone
 5.  No Tears
 6.  Superstar
 7.  These Are the Words
 8.  Calling Out Your Name
 9.  Heart of Gold
10. I'll Be Your Man
11. If Time Is All I Have
12. Turn Me On

Cold War Kids - Mine Is Yours (Alternative - 2011)
 1.  Mine Is Yours
 2.  Louder Than Ever
 3.  Royal Blue
 4.  Finally Begin
 5.  Out Of The Wilderness
 6.  Skip The Charades
 7.  Sensitive Kid
 8.  Bulldozer
 9.  Broken Open
10.  Cold Toes On The Cold Floor
11.  Flying Upside Down

The Rolling Stones - Forty Licks {for these 9 songs} (Rock - 2002)
 1.  Gimme Shelter
 2.  Paint It Black
 3.  Beast of Burden
 4.  Jumpin' Jack Flash
 5.  Start Me Up
 6.  Sympathy For the Devil
 7.  It's Only Rock 'n' Roll
 8. 19th Nervous Breakdown
 9. You Can't Always Get What You Want

The Killers - Boots {single} (Alternative - 2010)

Snow Patrol - Shut Your Eyes {single - already had Hands Open & Chasing Cars} (Alternative - 2006)

What say you? What are you listening to these days?

Music Meme (Day 17) - The Song I've Listened To the Most

Between iTunes' play count and Last.fm it's super simple to determine how many times I've listened to my tunes. However, I've already chosen the song I have listened to the most (70 plays) as the song I know all the words to. How very appropriate! So, instead of repeating a song in this meme challenge I've opted to move on to the 2nd place winner with 55 plays. My Top Tracks Overall are all from the Twilight Soundtrack. For several months after I bought it in 2009 I listened to it a lot. For quite a long while now I simply delight when I hear a song come up in one of my huge multi-genre play lists. The song is by Linkin Park. It is Leave Out All the Rest. It has a great sound and first rate lyrics. 

I dreamed I was missing
You were so scared
But no one would listen cause no one else cared

After my dreaming
I woke with this fear
What am I leaving when I'm done here?

So if you're asking me I want you to know

When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed
And don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory
Leave out all the rest

Leave out all the rest

Don't be afraid of taking my
I have shared, but I'm me
I'm strong on the surface
Not all the way through
I've never been perfect
But neither have you

So if you're asking me I want you to know

When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed
Don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory
Leave out all the rest

Leave out all the rest

Forgetting
All the hurt inside you have learned to hide so well
Pretending
Someone else can't come and save me from myself
I can't be who you are

When my time comes
Forget the wrong that I've done
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed
Don't resent me
And when you're feeling empty
Keep me in your memory
Leave out all the rest

Leave out all the rest

Forgetting
All the hurt inside you have learned to hide so well
Pretending
Someone else can't come and save me from myself
I can't be who you are