Published July 7, 2011
I thought that now the 30 day music challenge is complete, it would be worth rounding up the highs and lows of what we've seen over the past month with a list of links. It will also be helpful when in future, any videos that I've linked or embedded may disappear (not the most reliable of formats, is it?) so it'll be good to have the definitive list all in …
Published July 2, 2011
I have a lot of favourite songs. Picking one should be hard, but I kept coming back to this, and really... there can be only one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L8-FTvSVxs It reminds me of lots of things. The many times I've seen We Will Rock You. The first time I saw and loved Highlander. (Not so much now.) My brothers. The awesomeness of Queen. The awesomeness of life, however fleeting it may be.
Published June 26, 2011
Just two more to go, and the challenge is at an end. It's been an interesting run through the highs and lows of my musical taste. I've discovered songs I thought I'd forgotten and I've managed to expand my knowledge at the same time. Good stuff. My least favourite song could be one of a few, but there's only one that springs to mind at the moment. I had this …
Published June 24, 2011
Unlike the last subject, where there are few songs that really make me sad, there are plenty of songs that make me happy. Narrowing it down to one is kinda hard, but I'll go with this one for now. They're specifically generating the music to make you feel better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2M612Xj8cU I hadn't seen the video before today. Not so keen on the clown thing.
Published June 23, 2011
There aren't a lot of songs that make me sad, although I did already mention that if I'm in a particularly melancholy mood, the song that reminds me of a certain event might do it. The only songs that are particularly emotional for me are all of those on the first Coldplay album. Those teenage years were tricky, and unfortunately for Coldplay, they were the ones who helped me wallow …
Published June 22, 2011
This song reminds me of my mum, because we used to have this exact concert on, well, VHS probably, and we'd watch it over and over. The mullets, the high pitched voices, and the guy's weird eye movements. What's not to like? I don't know if it's just me, but the video goes out of sync halfway through which is a shame, but you get the general idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3RqEl9s6NI Every …
Published June 21, 2011
This song reminds me so much of my ill-fated attempts to go to the gym. I stuck at it for a while, but the gym was never a particularly comfortable place for me. Just hearing the beginning of this, and particularly seeing the video - which was often played on those weirdly silent TV screens - puts me right back to that place. I can even smell the odd gym …
Published June 20, 2011
Does an entire year count as an event? When I saw this was one of the criteria for the thirty days, I immediately thought of Welcome to the Black Parade. F1 fans will know that it was used in the ITV video montage they played on their final race before coverage moved to the Beeb. It was the last race of 2008 and it was brilliant. The months leading up …
Published June 18, 2011
I'm afraid there's going to be two Will Smith songs in a row. I'm terrible with lyrics. I always think I know all the words, and then only find out halfway through that I don't. For some reason, I genuinely do know all the words to this, and I have no idea why. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRuHk6Drj2U
Published June 17, 2011
It can only be this. It is physically impossible for me to sit still to this. Impossible! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwBS6QGsH_4 "Will, we loved your last hit."
Published June 16, 2011
If I'd actually given this any thought, I would have planned it better so that I could have posted the Backstreet Boys video today, my birthday. But I didn't, so never mind, we shall move straight on to the land of nod. I can't really listen to music to fall asleep, although I know I used to when I was much younger. These days it's all about the podcasts. Nevertheless, …
Published June 15, 2011
The Backstreet Boys, obviously. I can't help it, those years as an obsessed teenager are pretty hard to break. This is an album track, pretty popular in live shows, but not yet a single. Silly boys. I even chose this one for my blog version of Desert Island Discs a while back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UELliW8qJQk And hey, if you don't like the song, there are bonus subtitles to learn a foreign language …
Published June 14, 2011
There's no one I really hate, but there are people that make me roll my eyes when I hear them on the radio or see them on TV. This category seems odd, because if I hate them, why would I want to embed a video of theirs in my site? Oh well. This isn't a band, just one person. I can just about put up with this video because it …
Published June 13, 2011
A while back, I seem to recall telling off someone, it may have been Alex, for watching A Christmas Carol when it was nowhere near Christmas. I'm going to have to take that back, I think. Just recently, it suddenly occurred to me that I should start looking at soundtracks. I'm watching more films these days, and they have good music in them too. Who knew? Anyway, all of this …
Published June 12, 2011
My music tastes are quite eclectic really, and_ I_ never know what I'm going to like, let alone anyone else. However, this is a song I probably wouldn't normally enjoy - not a big rap fan, and although I do like a couple of Linkin Park songs, they're a bit angsty for me. This, I absolutely adore. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLlF2FMv968
Published June 10, 2011
I've struggled with this one, probably because I took it a bit too seriously. I spent a good couple of hours agonising over lyrics and thinking, well, I do like this song and it is sort of me but that doesn't really fit. I don't want people to get the wrong impression... Then I got over myself, and decided this would do because a lot of the time I am …
Published June 7, 2011
I wouldn't go so far as to say I loved this song, but it is an example of the Glee effect. I've talked about Glee before, and I'm still impressed with how it has opened up music of all kinds to a wider audience. But, and it's a pretty big but, it can also ruin songs for you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxUATkpMQ8A Now, I cannot hear Gives You Hell, without hearing Rachel Berry …
Published June 3, 2011
This song has been following me around for the last month or so, and anytime I turn on a radio there it is. Funny, because it has radio in the title too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1N-Gf0Fbcg It gets stuck in my head, going round and round. "Nothing on but the radio, the RADIO!" Apologies if the same happens to you!
Published June 2, 2011
If I was doing this the right way round, this category would come immediately after "song you keep hearing on the radio" which has a nice symmetry to it. I have ruined it, of course, by being both contrary and backwards, but still. A song I wish I heard on the radio can only be something live that would never be played, or only in exceptional circumstances. Instantly, that means …
Published June 1, 2011
I have never really been a big album person. Right from when I bought my very first one, I was keen to make sure that I liked at least a couple of songs on there so I would be getting value for money. And of course, once again, this is the kind of thing that iTunes has changed. I don't need to buy albums now. I can't remember the last …
Published May 31, 2011
I'm not sure this really counts as angry, but when I was struggling in those early days of trying to reach a 5k running distance, I used to listen to this song over and over and it got me through. I can't really explain why, but there's something about it that definitely spurred me on. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kNwvIEQsg0 I've never seen the video before today. That's an odd one.
Published May 30, 2011
The last few days have been a tough criteria for me. I don't really think, oh I am in this particular mood, I will listen to this. I suspect iTunes and the shuffle feature have ruined that for a lot of people. Still, I know this song is mostly quite cheerful and it makes me happy to hear it, which is almost the same thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4EHSMq0Uso The Chain is not …
Published May 27, 2011
Technically, I should probably put the entire Parachutes album from Coldplay here, because I listened to that A LOT when I was going through tough teenage times. Because of that, though, I can't bear to hear it, so it would be a bit of a waste of time. Instead, I'll go with this. It makes me think of my BFF. It was one of those songs, for her, that is …
Published May 26, 2011
Well, of course, I have kind of missed the boat on this one. Or more correctly, I got on the boat and got married already, with just some silly music to walk in the room to. Songs were not important, it was about being married and getting our hands on the champagne. However, let's say that I was going to do the wedding again (shuddering at the thought), and do …
Published May 25, 2011
I'm not so good at formal events like this, and I don't particularly want a fuss at my funeral. Although, of course, I'm hoping not to be conscious of what's going on when it does happen, so the organisers could make as much fuss as they want. Music isn't something I'd particularly given thought to at a funeral, but eventually, I found something I'd like. Imagine the scene, the coffin …
Published May 24, 2011
Ahh, Tim Minchin. There aren't many of his songs that are lacking in swear words, although it's worth a warning that there's a bit of a swear before this one gets going. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBUc_kATGgg Take my wife. Plink!
Published May 23, 2011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcawnRIyeok Well, sort of. When Garageband became available on the iPad, I made a good effort at the best bit.
Published May 21, 2011
I can play the piano a little, and the guitar even less. I've always wished I was better at the piano, but I don't really have the patience to put the effort in. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwkej79U3ek I had this track in one of my many music books, and I tried to play it many times before eventually I gave up, and mostly stopped playing altogether. Not because of this song, I might …
Published May 20, 2011
I'm not sure there is any song that makes me feel guilty. Isn't that a weird emotion to be related to a song? Happy, absolutely. Sad, yup. Even angry occasionally. But guilty? I thought about it for a long while, but this is an odd concept. Nevertheless, I have come up with something. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4nKOzk8qbw You know, as an F1 fan, it's difficult to like Ms Scherzinger, but I do very …
Published May 19, 2011
When the Spice Girls first came out, when there were five of them and before they started dating footballers and having babies, I was a big fan. I like a good bit of pop music, and with all that Girl Power stuff, these ladies spoke to me. So much so that I remember having a special compilation video, taping all appearances by the Spice Girls on Top of the Pops …
Published May 18, 2011
I blogged about the 30 Day Song Challenge, pondering whether I would be able to do it or not, and after giving it far too much thought, I'm going for it. One thing to note. I'm doing it backwards. I don't like that it starts out with your favourite song. That should be the culmination of 30 days hard work. Thus, today, I begin with my favourite song from this …
Published May 2, 2011
A lot of the blog memes and challenges pass me by, but occasionally there is one that catches my eye and the 30 Day Song Challenge is one of those. I'm not sure where it's origins lie, but I have seen it posted by a few friends, on Facebook, on blogs. Most recently, Lukeh took up the challenge with the genius idea of using Posterous so as not to spam …