I am a huge fan of songs that make you feel something. A couple years ago I created a top 25 list of the sexiest songs out of frustration from looking on the internet and finding nothing. In the years that have passed, I've been lucky enough to amass an additional 20 songs on to the list of perfect songs to seduce your lover (or lovers) to. I can't say that it always works but add a glass of wine and a starry eyed glare in the right direction and you might have yourself a fantastic evening, courtesy of these touching tunes.
00The National - Lemonworld* 01 The Rolling Stones - Beast of Burden 02 Hall & Oates - One on One 03 Chicago - No Tell Lover 04 Sade - Sweetest Taboo 05 Michael Jackson - You Rock My World 06 Joseph Arthur - September Baby 07 Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine 08 Bon Iver - Skinny Love 09 Corinne Bailey Rae - Closer 10 Dwele - Weekend Love 11 Elvis Presley - One Night 12 Norah Jones - Sunrise 13 Paolo Nutini - Last Request 14 Mary Wells - You Beat Me to the Punch 15 Todd Rundgren - Hello, It's Me 16 Jose Gonzalez - Heartbeats 17 Maroon 5 - Woman 18 Badly Drawn Boy - Silent Sigh 19 Sheryl Crow - My Favorite Mistake 20 The Shins - Sea Legs
*Lemonworld basically inspired this list. It is an otherworldy song.
Music is such a strange animal. Although I was born in the mid/late '80's, I feel like I grew up with my mother and aunt's music more than my own. While it is true that I was obsessed with Paula Abdul and had a Michael Jackson button on my winter coat, it was the music playing on CBS FM 101.1, the "oldies" station, that I recall as the music of my childhood. I've probably said it before but it was Bobby Darin, The Spinners, and Bobby Vinton that I thought of as musical geniuses when I was younger. I remember getting so excited when "Beyond the Sea" would come on the radio. That song along with "Heat Wave", "I'll Be Around", any Chicago song, and another silly favorite "Apple, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" were the songs that would get me going. Between the ages of 3 and 11, I'm not sure that I knew any other music exisited. It wasn't until TLC and who knows what else that my friends in elementary school made me realize that it wasn't "cool" to like oldies.
Although I wanted to fit in, it took me years to finally appreciate new music as it came out. Maybe by eighth or ninth grade I got the hang of it (and I'm not too embarrassed to admit that I did like *NSYNC - I thought their vocal harmonies were excellent and I still do).
For a long time after discovering Pete Yorn, basically the artist who got me into the style of music I still most enjoy today, I let go of some beloved oldies tunes. I got so absorbed in new singer/songwriter music during my teen years that it wasn't of interest to me to listen to the same old songs I had been hearing since my youth.
Since high school that has dramatically changed. MOST of what I listen to today has harkened back to that time in my childhood when the only thing I wanted to hear was classic R&B. It's not the easiest thing to explain because my favorite musicians still are John Mayer and The National, but as a whole classic soul/R&B is my favorite genre to hear. While I can point to certain musicians like Sam Cooke, The Temptations, The Spinners, and Mary Wells specifically, it's really the songs like Jay & the Techniques "Apples, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" that bring me back to that certain time in my own history that was the sweetest. It was a much simpler time for sure but also might have been the best time of my life musically.
I just downloaded that Jay & the Techniques song onto my iPod for the first time today and I've been listening to it nonstop. It is such a classic and gives me this wave of nostalgia that I quite enjoy.
Also, I should give credit where it's due: this post sort of came to me after reading about Phil Collins' new album full of motown covers, trying to give homage to the music of HIS youth that he claims to love most of all. I adore Phil Collins and although I was hoping, like many others, to hear some new material, I'm super excited for this new album.
So give this song a listen - and don't forget to check out more classic R&B on Amazon, iTunes, or wherever you get music.
This is probably not the 'ultimate' list for the entire summer as there's still a perfectly good August to go through but this is the start of a great, complete, playlist. Generally these songs are unforgettable personal favorites with a few new sassy ones mixed in but of course all meet the standards of a sexy, fun, breezy summer song. I think it'd make a fun mixtape.
Enjoy.
01. Will Dailey - How Can I Make You Happy 02. Michael Jackson - You Rock My World 03. Sly & the Family Stone - Hot Fun in the Summertime 04. Kings of Leon - Use Somebody 05. Gin Blossoms - Hey Jealousy 06. Mason Jennings - I Love You and Buddha Too 07. MGMT - Electric Feel 08. Sade - The Sweetest Taboo 09. Pete Yorn - Don't Wanna Cry 10. The Monks - Oh, How to Do Now 11. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero 12. Phoenix - 1901 13. Passion Pit - Sleepyhead 14. Paul McCartney - Maybe I'm Amazed 15. The Cars - Just What I Needed 16. Pharrell - Frontin' 17. The Doobie Brothers - Listen to the Music 18. K.D. Lang - Summerfling 19. M. Ward - Never Had Nobody Like You 20. Bob Marley - Is This Love
"You Rock My World" was a single off Michael Jackson's 2001 album "Invincible", reaching #10 on the Billboard charts and becoming Jackson's last single to reach the top 10 list in the US. The debut of this single fell on the anniversary of his first solo single, "Got to Be There", marking 30 years in the entertainment industry as a solo artist. The album itself, on Jackson's long time label Epic, became his last studio record ever and has sold 8 to 10 million copies worldwide to date. While most of the critical reviews were generally favorable, many said the album didn't live up to Jackson's previous work and continuously referred back to his eccentric image, even going so far as to call him a "freak" and "scary" within the reviews. Now, this album is regarded as a success with most supporters standing behind the fact that reviews were unnecessarily turning people off with the details of scandals and personal information mixed into the musical critiques.
The music video, with guest spots from Chris Tucker and Marlon Brando, depicts a Michael Jackson we've seen before with the slanted hat, white socks, and black blazer. He is slick - chasing after a contemporary version of the girl in all his videos yet the hat is maybe too slanted as if he doesn't want anyone to see his face. As always, despite controversy, he manages to give off a sexy, cool vibe. This was the last music video he appeared in and the second to last he ever made.
Rock My World - Michael Jackson My life will never be the same ‘Cause girl, you came and changed The way I walk The way I talk
I cannot explain the things I feel for you But girl, you know it’s true Stay with me, fulfill my dreams And I’ll be all you’ll need
Oh, oh, oh, oh, ooh, it feels so right (Girl) I’ve searched for the perfect love all my life (All my life) Oh, oh, oh, oh, ooh, it feels like I (Like I) Have finally found her perfect love is mine (See, I finally found, come on, girl)
You rocked my world, you know you did And everything I own I give (You rocked my world) The rarest love who’d think I’d find Someone like you to call mine (You rocked my world)
You rocked my world, you know you did (Girl) And everything I own I give (I want you, girl) The rarest love who’d think I’d find Someone like you to call mine
In time I knew that love would bring This happiness to me I tried to keep my sanity I waited patiently
Girl, you know it seems My life is so complete A love that’s true because of you Keep doing what you do
Oh, oh, oh, oh, who’d think that I (Oh) Have finally found the perfect love I searched for all my life (Searched for all my life) Oh, oh, oh, oh, who’d think I’d find (Whoa…oh…oh…) Such a perfect love that’s so right (Whoa, girl)
Watching Michael Jackson's very strange yet uniquely beautiful memorial service, so many moments stood out for different reasons. It was difficult to watch yet I couldn't turn my eyes away from the screen. This man that so many people, specifically the media, teared down for so long is suddenly praised as the greatest thing since sliced bread - specifically by the media. What is wrong with this picture?
Unlike Bill O'Reiley, I believe he should have been receiving praise this entire time. While I do agree that the media coverage is somewhat bizarre, it is only because these are the same newscasters that acted like Michael Jackson was the biggest disgrace in the world only six or so years ago. I 100% do not believe that any allegations against him are true and while it shouldn't be okay for someone with three young children to take a heavy dosage of prescription pills on a daily basis, none of us are in the same league as Michael Jackson and I can say that I get heart palpitations just from figuring out where to eat out sometimes so I can't imagine the kind of stress the most famous figure in American culture could accumulate. It's the oldest story in the book: we Americans love to bring our heroes down to the ground only to raise them up again in death. It's incredibly morbid. Consider how happy Mr. Jackson would've been if he could have seen all the sincere love pouring out of so many millions of people's hearts and souls while he was alive. Maybe he wouldn't have felt that he needed to impress everyone so much with these final 50 concerts that clearly did him in - not the physical exertion but the stress to impress.
On a much lighter note, I was surprised to see John Mayer perform. I have no idea who came up with the idea, although he mentioned that the family specifically requested him, but it turned out so much better than I expected. John Mayer has this strange natural ability to make certain people repulsed when he opens his mouth and other swoon to the high heavens. While I don't fall into either of those categories, I would place myself in a smaller category of people who are such weirdos they practically consider him a member of the family. When a person's voice is in your ears since you're 13 years old, they solidify a certain piece of your heart - whether you want them to or not. I worry for John Mayer the way I would for my cousin when she makes foolish mistakes. Hearing that he would be performing on the memorial service and then seeing the title "Human Nature" flash on the screen made me nervous - I didn't want to hear his whispery voice and high notes at that minute. For the first time in my life I was happy to not hear John Mayer sing.
The vocal absence within one of the most melodic, beautiful, haunting songs in Michael Jackson's catalog paid more homage to the king of pop than any other performance that afternoon and I'm so proud that John Mayer was the one to do it. I can only imagine how insanely electric that performance would've been if it were a Michael/John duet. I can picture Michael going up to Mayer as he played a killer solo and bopping his head along to the beat with microphone in hand wearing some fantastically flashy outfit. That's really, really sad.
To stray totally away from that element of the performance, why was John Mayer looking so good? What did he do? I feel like it's incest to say this but he looked unbelievably attractive - more than ever. The vest, the blue shirt and tie, the hair.. I think I'm going to hang a picture of him in my boyfriend's closet so he knows exactly what a guy should look like.
Just kidding.
And on an even lighter note, I am obsessed with Guitar Hero, made it to the medium level successfully and then found this picture on the internet:
As I've mentioned on this site before, I've been in the process of moving for the past few weeks. I thought things were over when all the "stuff" was moved in but unbeknownst to my naive mind, that is just when the headaches begin. I was suffering for weeks without cable or internet, relying solely on my new Playstation 2 to ease my nervous tension with Guitar Hero and SingStar. Unfortunately, SingStar ended up being the last straw in an already strained roommate relationship and forced one of our address-sharing friends to flee before the month was even complete. Whether said friend will live up to his summer promises of cash and companionship is still up in the air at this current juncture. I am disappointed and feeling quite lonely.
The biggest challenge I've had to face so far - at least in the cerebral context - is the lack of writing time this move has afforded me. Like any hobby or job, when the vacation is over, you appreciate it ten times more than before, which is happening to me now, but I'm still saddened that I don't get that space in each part of my day to scour the internet looking for interesting blog ideas or rattling my brain to create posts about some of my favorite forgotten artists. That is the biggest release for me. In the past couple weeks I've been dying to write posts about my newfound interest in hard rock bands courtesy of the peculiar music they play on Guitar Hero and how interesting it is that SingStar has created an "amped" package to bring about the Audioslave-loving, alternative-grunge crowd that secretly loves a good old fashioned round of karaoke. Gloria Gaynor, Aretha Franklin, and Nirvana - all on one game! Geez.
I wish I didn't find it so difficult to listen to music during trying times. I know for some music lovers that is the key time to listen to their favorite songs and I envy that. I imagine hearing your favorite comforting voices during bouts of loneliness is incredibly soothing but I still can't grasp it.
When news officially spread that Michael Jackson passed away yesterday, I was rendered speechless by the only gratifying, genuinely appropriate tribute I found on television - and it was on MTV. While everyone else was interested in finding the doctors that shot him up with morphine and talking to his family lawyer to gather up the latest juicy details before any other network, MTV immediately went into their lair of drama and poppiness and came out with a lovely music video tribute that sent chills down my spine. On CNN it seemed wrong to watch the Thriller video but with the MTV logo on the lower right hand side of the screen, it seemed lovingly nostalgic. This was maybe one of the first times I could listen to powerful music within a sad context and not wince. It was finally fitting.
Today I'm sort of left with this emptiness and strange eeriness. I work for AEG Live, the company that was responsible for Mr. Jackson's final 50 date concert schedule and although I'm at the way, way end of the pipeline in terms of actually contributing anything to the promotion of these shows, that is the company that pays me and who I've dedicated a lot of my time to. Seeing AEG mentioned on Perez Hilton and discussed on CNN is surreal in some strange way - even though they are the second largest concert promoter in the world so it shouldn't be. It just makes it seem all the more personal. I knew he had to be given an extensive physical before they could get an insurance contract and that he had in fact passed it with no problem. This was heresay but that made it seem even more likely that medicines of some kind were involved.
I'm not really sure what else to add but I hope anyone reading this can mourn in a way that makes them feel comforted and satisfied with the amazing gifts we received from such a treasured man. I find that even if you've heard the same song a hundred times before, there are always new ways to explore it and re-discover it through the eyes of others. All the beautiful, funky pins in a Michael Jackson song make me think of one of those weird contraptions they used to sell at places like Spencer Gifts - they were boxes full of pokey pins where you could put your hand or face and it would leave an imprint in the needles so when you turned it around you could see the outline.. they were always so weird, fun, and constantly entertaining - just like Jackson himself.
And to tie it all in, I really hope I have internet at home soon and don't go bankrupt from my lousy move. How do you meet new people with similar interests? I'm completely at a loss and my boredom is moving up the Richter scale.
This is controversial to some (and well accepted by millions) but I am a fan of American Idol. So what? I understand the contestants aren't Ella Fitzgerald or Robert Plant or any other iconic singer you can think of but I adore their charisma. Some of these cats have emotions seeping out of all their pores and the rawness can't be denied. Although one of my favorites - Nick "Norman Gentle" Mitchell - is long gone, there are still some classics like the crying Ricky Ricardo, Jorge Nunez and the wonderfully flamboyant Adam Lambert who fits himself into a Rolling Stones song like a snake burying into a thick bed of grass. They're all rough around the edges but they bring something fresh to songs that may have been otherwise forgotten on a daily basis. It brings me to wondering what kind of impact American Idol and its little minions have on classic music in general.
Whether you like a specific participant's rendition of a song or not, more than likely if you're a fan of the song it will stick with you long after the little kid is voted off. This recently happened to me with several personally long dismissed hits like Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror and Bruce Hornsby's Mandolin Rain, a song I never even realized I liked until it was sang to me by a blind man from somewhere in the midwest. Naturally, I immediately went on iTunes to retrieve these songs and relive them on my headphones. To my surprise I found that iTunes was way ahead of me and already had a genre button for "American Idol Songs by Original Artists".
Well, hmm.
I guess everyone has to get a piece of the pie. It's fun for me to think of Mary J. Blige sitting at home with her husband somewhere in the hills of New Jersey listening to a woman named "Lil' Rounds" sing her songs and get more of a reception - and probably audience - than even she sometimes get. What do these artists think? I'm truly fascinated. Do you think some one hit wonder artists try to get in contact with the contestants or judges and beg for their songs to get some air time? If they haven't already they probably should. Pay Danny Gokey a little on the side to sing the Pina Colada song or something.
