Video of the Day: Adele - Lovesong (cover)

I was just sampling the clips of Adele's new album on iTunes after hearing immense praise of the highest order for her. I didn't anticipate this cover though. This song has been done so many times and usually it ends up the same way, beautiful but average. This is an exception. It's equal parts sensual, touching, soft, and elegant. It was meant to be sung by such a gorgeous voice. I can't believe how beautiful the tone is.

Video of the Day: Rihanna - Only Girl (in the World)

I don't know why I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I genuinely like Rihanna. During her "Pon De Replay" days or whatever she wasn't my thing but lately with the prior release of her "Rated R" album and the recent songs on the radio from her upcoming album, I'm really appreciating her sound. And not just that, I like her strong, nearly masculine message of taking charge and questioning the prowess of her admirers. There's something kinky and exciting about her image and overall aura.

In her latest video for "Only Girl (in the World)", she takes a step back from the overtly graphic lyrics and moves into subtlety risque territory - the entire video is just her wearing midriff baring tops with neon colored balloons floating in a meadow. It's still risky but kind of beautiful and really interesting to watch. The images almost work against the music which adds a nice contrast. This is really just a dance song with some so-so lyrics but like Lady Gaga, when you add these massively colorful, memorable scenes to it, there's this new layer that makes the song that much better.

I had a friend who used to insist that music videos were pointless because music must be heard not seen. We would harass him, saying that everyone should just close their eyes at concerts then because what would the point of looking at the musicians be? You should just let the music flow through your ears. Of course, I understand his logic a little but it's music videos like these, that have that extra edge of surprise that make the art form very worthwhile. When I used to watch MTV Hits, the 24 hour music video channel, obsessively, I would always love when Rihanna's "Rude Boy" video came on. It was during the Chris Brown controversy and possibly for that reason or something unbeknownst to my own mind, I always felt like this was a rather melancholy song. There's this air of sadness or creepiness about it although it's truly sexy and different (maybe a little M.I.A. "Paper Planes" but in my opinion, even better). I think of Rihanna more as a performance artist than musician. Perhaps my friend is right and music videos aren't necessary for songs like "Wonderful Tonight" or "Rave On" because classic, GOOD songs stand alone but carefree, fun dance songs need the visuals to back themselves up and become greater than the sum of their parts.

Take a Ciara music video for instance. Her songs bore me to tears but whenever she's on the screen I can't stop watching. The way she moves is hypnotic and in turn I start feeling the song more. I'm not saying it's right to use cheap tricks like that to sell music but it just happens. If I'm enjoying a song on a soundtrack to a movie that I never realized I liked before in real life, chances are I'll appreciate it a lot more from now on - in part because of the context I now think of it in. Rihanna's songs have always been like that for me too. I like her so in turn I like her music. To me, she's charismatic, beautiful, and fascinating. Of course I've never taken the leap and actually listened to any of her songs outside of the singles because I'm not sure it's my style but nevertheless I value her work as something that's more than just cheesy dance music. She reminds me of Tina Turner.

Enjoy.

Video of the Day: The National - Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks (Live Unplugged)

My dear friend saw The National live last night at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN and while she said the entire show was incredible, she singled out an unplugged version of "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks" as one of the best parts. Seeing the entire crowd softly singing along really affected her  - "not even a microphone!" she text me.

Well I didn't understand it until I saw this video. Have you ever seen a band do something like this before? This song is already an emotional segment of the show at a regular concert but to see it done like this is overwhelming. Seeing the entire crowd singing back up is unbelievable. The lyrics to this song are particularly poignant and it's strange how the diversity of the crowd doesn't change the fact that we all have these thoughts. There is a genuine feeling that lives inside this song that just resonates with people - any one of these audience members could've written these lyrics because they are truly that universal. Like I said in the last post, many of The National's songs can easily become anthems for people in their own lives. The repetition of certain lyrics bring out the truth in them somehow. It's also strange to hear the last line, "I'll explain everything to the geeks", without Matt Berninger's classic shouting. It all works though.

This is so impressive and a perfect depiction of how interactive and perceptive The National are as a band.



Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks Lyrics by The National

Leave your home
Change your name
Live alone
Eat your cake

Vanderlyle, crybaby, cry
Oh the waters are risin'
Still no surprisin' you
Vanderlyle, crybaby, cry
Man its all been forgivin'
Swans are a swimmin'
I'll explain everything to the geeks


All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love
All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love
All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love
All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love


Vanderlyle, crybaby, cry
Oh the waters are risin'
Still no surprisin' you
Vanderlyle, crybaby, cry
Man its all been forgivin'
Swans are a swimmin'
I'll explain everything to the geeks


Hangin' from chandeliers
Same small world
At your heels


All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love
All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love
All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love
All the very best of us
String ourselves up for love


Vanderlyle, crybaby, cry
Oh the waters are risin'
Still no surprisin' you
Vanderlyle, crybaby, cry
Man its all been forgivin'
Swans are a swimmin'

I'll explain everything to the geeks
I'll explain everything to the geeks

Video of the Day: William Fitzsimmons - "King of Wishful Thinking" Cover

Originally a song by Go West off the Pretty Woman soundtrack, William Fitzsimmons makes it sound contemporary and much sweeter.

Video of the Day: The National - You've Done it Again, Virginia

All week I'll be posting about The National in one respect or another leading up to the concert on Friday. This particular video is a couple years old but I never get tired of it. I have an addiction and I love it. In this moment, there's nothing I love more in fact.

Video of the Day: John Mayer - Ain't No Sunshine (Cover)

Taken during his two night stint at Madison Square Garden at the end of February 2010, this video perfectly encompasses all that I love about a John Mayer concert. His recent addition of "Ain't No Sunshine" not only gives him an opportunity within the set to display what he's best at (guitar solos) but puts such a sophisticated spin on the entire concert. This song actually fits in with his usual collection of songs much better than his own earlier work does. Hearing "I Don't Trust Myself (Loving You)" and then "No Such Thing" never worked for me.

I was lucky enough to be at this performance with pretty much the same seat as the person taking this footage. This was the first time I saw him perform this live and over the summer he played it at every concert I went to - maybe even performing better than in this clip.

Below you can also find Bill Withers' best known version of this song that I have become obsessed with over the past 24 hours. After adding it to my "Lonely Mix", I can't stop listening. I don't understand how he fits so much into 2 minutes. His voice is breathtaking and the "I know, I know, I know" part takes up about 1/6 of the entire song. It almost feels like an inner monologue being played out in song. It's also interesting how much the delivery of the "I know" changes the song from one version to another. In Withers', it almost comes across as melancholy to me while Mayer's version is slightly breathless and darkly intimate. The balance of that is fantastic. I know there are tons of versions of this song and I definitely plan on finding more but for now I'm enjoying these.

Also: take note of the drummer in the second video. He gets so excited when the funky parts come up. I hope this guy is still alive and willing to be my friend. I want to borrow his striped blazer.





Ain't No Sunshine Lyrics

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone.
It's not warm when she's away.
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
And she's always gone too long anytime she goes away.

Wonder this time where she's gone,
Wonder if she's gone to stay
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone
And this house just ain't no home anytime she goes away.

And I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know,
I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know

Hey, I ought to leave the young thing alone,
But ain't no sunshine when she's gone, only darkness everyday.
Ain't no sunshine when she's gone,
And this house just ain't no home anytime she goes away.

Anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.
Anytime she goes away.

Video of the Day: The National - England

As usual, thank you Matt Berninger for writing some of the most beautiful lyrics on paper and singing them even more beautifully.

The National makes everything right.



England Lyrics

Summer sent a runner
Through the weather that I'm under
For the feeling that I lost today
Summer sent a runner
For the feeling that I lost today


Summer sent a runner
Through the weather that I'm under
For the feeling that I lost today
Summer sent a runner
For the feeling that I lost today

You must be somewhere in London
You must be loving your life in the rain
You must be somewhere in London
Walking Abbey Lane


I don't even think to make
I don't even think to make
I don't even think to make corrections


Famous angels never come through England
England gets the ones you never need
I'm in a Los Angeles cathedral
Minor singing airheads sing for me

Put an ocean and a river
Between everybody else,
Between everything, yourself, and home
Put an ocean and a river
Between everything, yourself, and home


You must be somewhere in London
You must be loving your life in the rain
You must be somewhere in London
Walking Abbey Lane


I don't even think to make
I don't even think to make
I don't even think to make corrections


Famous angels never come through England
England gets the ones you never need
I'm in a Los Angeles cathedral
Minor singing airheads sing for me

Afraid of the house, stay the night with the sinners
Afraid of the house, stay the night with the sinners
Afraid of the house, 'cause they're desperate to entertain

Video of the Day: Lil' Wayne feat. Nicki Minaj - Knockout (2010)

I'm a huge sucker for hip hop videos. I love the kitsch, the glamour, the big, ridiculous hooks. Lil' Wayne, the talented guy with the silly name, is a really interesting example of this. I always enjoy his addition to other people's songs but his own songs have never been favorites. Typically they go right over my head but this song is rather unique. There are several pros and cons that I'd like to share in a goofy "pros and cons" format.

Pros

• The obvious: Nicki Minaj is usually completely unlikable. I think this is universal. I took a Gender, Race, and Culture in the Media class and she was one of the only musicians singled out as a bad stereotype of all three. Lil' Wayne makes her likable somehow. Their chemistry in the video is actually kind of nice and her hair makes me crave ice cream.
• Lil' Wayne plays guitar? I don't know much about him or about how to play the guitar but I like it. I think he's good - and even if he's not, it seems like he is which is just as important.
• The entire song feels like a hybrid of genres that when combined sound really good together.
• The dynamic of just two people in a video. I think a random guy pops up at the end as well but let's forget about him. It's really Nicki and Wayne. They're both small, well dressed, and funky. They're just cute together.
• There's something dark about the video that makes the part where she sings "Baby 1,2,3"  kind of eerie and depressing, which I'm always fond of.
• I think the entire video looks pretty cutting edge.
• They play it a lot on MTV Hits and I'm always a fan of whatever makes music videos more popular.

Cons

• The lyrics are awful.
• Ms. Minaj never stops moving her head.
• Lil' Wayne doesn't really rap in it - and I like that he sings - but it's more her song than his.
• I don't understand the point of this song whatsoever.
• Nothing happens in the music video. It's a nondescript boxing ring with a fake audience almost entirely blurred out and no action. Kind of weird/kind of cool.
• There's no way I'd be able to listen to this ten years from now or probably even ten days.

Enjoy!



Knockout Lyrics - Lil' Wayne

(Lil Wayne)

Uhh,
Yeahh,
Uh ohh,
Yehh,
Hey barbie, ah, ah, ah, are you into black men?
He- hey hey barbie! I can be your black Ken
Wow! cause' once you go black, you never go back
She wore her hair black, with curls in the back
Then she threw that ass back, back, back
Then I fell to the mat, and after that
Everything went black!

(Chorus)
Baby 1, 2, 3
Tell em get the referee
Cause he can, get the knockout
If the telephone rings
Its emergancy
Cause he can, get the knockout
Get the knockout

(Lil Wayne)
Hey barbie, can I call you Barbara? haha
Hey barbie! can I call you tomorrow, and today
Cause' once you go black, you never go back
And once you go wayne , everybody else is whack
She threw that ass back, back, back, then I fell to the mat
And after that everything went back!

(Chorus)
Baby 1, 2, 3
Tell em get the referee
Cause he can, get the knockout
If the telephone rings
Its emergancy
Cause he can, get the knockout
Get the knockout

(Nicki Minaj)
Awe fuck it
Give me that damn bucket
Wh-when I throw this pussy
You better not start duckin
Oh yo
Head on with the blow
Lo-look out in the crowd
And everybodys yellin no
Grab him by the locks
And give us a good box
The head of the below the belt
I wanna give him good tock
Tock, tock
Give him good tock
And if it below the belt
I wanna give him good tock
1,2,3
They yellin 1,2,3
I done hit him with that motherfu---- court piece
Tell em, tell em the mouth out
To late to cop out
Give him more head than toothpaste like I locked out

(Chorus)
Baby 1, 2, 3
Tell em get the referee
Cause he can, get the knockout
If the telephone rings
Its emergancy
Cause he can, get the knockout
Get the knockout

(Lil Wayne)
So just knock me out
So just knock me out
Yea
Just knock me out
So just knock me out
Just knock me out
Just knock me out
Just knock me out
Just knock me out

Video of the Day: Not Myself Tonight - Christina Aguilera

I am extremely liberal and very supportive of artists in any medium expressing themselves in the way they feel fit. I only begin to have a problem when a married mom is seen making out with women in latex, wearing red lingiere while riding some overly greased buff guy, and deliberately making it appear that she is having sex with a woman when we know very well she's heterosexual.

I am not making a judgment about all of this but just throwing my opinion into the ring. I think Christina Aguilera is exceptionally talented. I've been a semi-fan since I was probably 11 years old or something. She's got a great voice and her style is typically really neat. Also, it must be said that I usually love outlandish music videos. I actually like "Not Myself Tonight" as well but I think it is merely verging on a collection of images purposely provoking a reaction - and that's it. The song itself  - other than her incredible voice - is really silly. The generic dance beat in the background is bland and the lyrics certainly aren't anything new. I think Aguilera knows this - and maybe she just likes to dance and have a good time - but I didn't realize that's the image she was going for. I thought she was a serious vocalist.

Not to retract that statement but I don't want anyone thinking I like my artists to come in a package: it's important for musicians  to expand themselves into as many genres and styles as they please but why would one deliberately regress? It is not like she is trying to get a message out that's important to her: she did not write this song and seems a little angry overall, giving the camera the middle finger at points. But why is she angry? I'm so confused.

There's no denying she's thin, blonde, and beautiful but she can be all those things in a REAL video too. Why does she have to simulate oral sex with a woman and very graphically show scenes that look like they're right out of a porno? That's actually the thing that bothered me the most - I love women being sexy and taking control but those images were gratuitious. Like, it is fine to be naked in your music video or whatever but this is beyond that for no apparent reason. You can say it's for fun but who is having the fun?

I don't know. This is a tricky situation. I know some artists make music to turn people on and there have been musicians like David Bowie, Madonna, Prince, etc. shocking people for years. Compared to those, this probably won't get any notice except for her apparent 'blatant copying' of Lady Gaga. The only thing is I don't even see the Gaga copy because Lady Gaga wouldn't just do things for the shock value. I actually believe her when she says there is an underlying context to her performances and videos. She articulately explains that she just expresses herself in a different fashion than others and you have to look closer for the meaning. What could possibly be the meaning behind this Christina Aguilera video?

If people had a problem with Katy Perry's song "I Kissed a Girl" because it was portraying homosexuality in a fun, frivolous way for heterosexuals, I can't imagine what people would think of this video. Why do people continuously think it's sexy to dress in latex and make out with other girls? The gross, middle-aged guys that watch this alone late at night are not the audience I would think Ms. Aguilera was going for. And I'm just going to put this out there as well: I know music videos are acting but if I were her husband I would be pretty disgusted. He could be totally open-minded but if my boyfriend was gratutiously making out and basically having sex with a girl in a film or music video I wouldn't be able to look at him the same way. Tina Fey recently said that while filming "Date Night", both her and Steve Carrell felt awkward during the kissing scenes (that are really not sexual at all) because they're both married. I know it depends on each person, but I've heard that a lot in interviews - and I believe it. That has to be insanely awkward - if it's important to the plot of a scene I understand but once again, why in a music video?

I don't mean to sound so stiff but I feel like this video is making a mockery out of music videos and that offends me personally because it's already a dying breed and already seen as entirely too sexist. I love tons of sexist videos but this is just too much for no reason. I don't hate it but I just don't get it.

Also, when did she get her new British Aristocracy accent? I've lost count of how many pop stars are doing this now.

It seems very ironic now that she would complain in interviews all the time about not being taken seriously as an artist with songs like "Genie in a Bottle" that only accentuated her sexuality and not her voice. It makes me really sad to think that some music is just about the money..

Guess I have to just suck it up and go out and buy some bondage materials.





Not Myself Tonight Lyrics
Written by Polow Da Don


You know tonight
I am feeling a little out control
Is this me
You wanna get crazy
Because I don't give a...

1ST VERSE
I'm out of character
I'm in rare form
And If you really knew me
You'd know its not the norm

B SECTION:
Cause I'm doing things that I normally won't do
The old me's gone I feel brand new
And if you don't like it **** you

The music's on and I'm dancing
I'm normally in the corner just standing
I'm feeling unusual
I don't care cause this is my night

HOOK:
I'm not myself tonight
Tonight I'm not the same girl same girl

I'm not myself tonight
Tonight I'm not the same girl same girl

2ND VERSE:
I'm dancing alot and I'm taking shots I'm feeling fine
I'm kissing all the boys and the girls
Someone call the doctor cause I lost my mind

B SECTION:
Cause I'm doing things that I normally won't do
The old me's gone I feel brand new
And if you don't like it **** you

The music's on and I'm dancing
I'm normally in the corner just standing
I'm feeling unusual
I don't care cause this is my night

HOOK:
I'm not myself tonight
Tonight I'm not the same girl same girl

I'm not myself tonight
Tonight I'm not the same girl same girl

BRIDGE:
In the morning
When I wake Up
I'll go back to the girl I used to be
But baby not tonight

HOOK:
I'm not myself tonight
Tonight I'm not the same girl same girl

I'm not myself tonight
Tonight I'm not the same girl same girl

Yah, that feels good
I needed that
Get crazy
Let's go
That's right
Come on
Give it to me now, don't stop

Video of the Day: Todd Rundgren - I Saw the Light (Live - 1974)

I love vintage Todd Rundgren videos possibly more than anything else on YouTube. This one is not actually my favorite but "I Saw the Light" is one of the greatest songs of all time, by any measure, and I couldn't stop watching this tonight.

Mr. Rundgren is absolutely underrated for his songwriting, musicianship, and style.

Please enjoy.

Video of the Day: Phil Collins - Another Day in Paradise

Hopefully I'll get the ambition for a much larger post on Phil Collins but I want to send this out into the world:

No one sounds better on good speakers than Phil Collins.

I don't know why but it's a fact (in my world at least). I don't think I even like him much as a person from what I've read about him but his voice is like a pretty bird from a heavenly village of lovely singing creatures.

Also, I'm not sure if I'm the only who thinks Phil Collins looks like Kevin Spacey but that's for another time.

I can't speak for everyone but if you're around my age, this 1989 hit will surely bring you back:

Video of the Day: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Psychotic Reaction (Cover)

I found this on Youtube when looking through the Count Five videos. This cover is from a concert in Reno, Nevada in 1991. Stan Lynch, the original Heartbreakers drummer, does the vocals and it turns out he has a great voice.

I've always had a soft spot for Lynch and secretly believed he and Petty were like brothers which made it difficult for them to get along.

Stan Lynch is also an acclaimed producer and songwriter, working closely with many acts (Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Bob Dylan) and specifically with Don Henley on solo projects (aka most of his biggest hits).

This cover is really fun though and worth a few minutes.



(cover of Count Five hit "Psychotic Reaction")