30 Days of Music Challenge - The Recap

So, for the last month I've been participating in the 30 Days of Music Challenge on Facebook, and it's been really fun...and sometimes frustrating. Figuring out a song (or narrowing it down to just one song) for each day has been, in fact, a challenge. But now I've reached Day 30 and decided to recap and give explanations for why I chose the songs I chose. Others who were playing gave their explanations at the time they posted their song, but I decided to just let the songs stand alone until now. Not that my explanations are that exciting or revealing, but since a few people asked about a few of the selections, I thought, "Hey, that could be a good blog post." Let's see if you agree...

30 Days of Music Challenge

Day 01 - Your favorite song: Billy Joel - Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

It's nearly impossible to pick a favorite song. There are just so many genres and so many artists and picking a favorite seems crazy. Now, if this had said, "pick your favorite song of the last month or this week or even today" that would have been much easier. Please note that Day 30 has the same response because if we're talking about all-time favorites then really, it probably doesn't change in a year. Anyway...why did I choose this one? Have you HEARD this song? It's without question my favorite Billy song, and it is absolutely one of my all-time favorite songs. I just need to hear the first few notes and I'm transported. I tend to put this one on replay when I get in my Billy Joel moods.

Day 02 - Your least favorite song: Lady Antebellum - Need You Now

First and foremost, I hate country music. Yes. I said hate. It's the twang, and the whine, and the steel guitar. I just don't like it. I have no issue with the fact that millions love it, just as long as they don't try to suck me in. This song...ugh. So sick of it, and have you really listened to the lyrics? Yuck. I don't like the original and I didn't like the Glee rendition. VETO.

Day 03 - A song that makes you happy: Matt Nathanson - Little Victories

My all-time favorite Matt Nathanson song. I loved it the first moment I heard it but was completely gaga for it after he sang it live at The Fillmore in San Francisco. It's the music, it's the words, and it's his voice singing them...all of that combined make me smile. And it's just such a simple sentiment...that we get through the days because of little victories. See? You smiled didn't you? I knew it.

Day 04 - A song that makes you sad: Mark Schultz - Do You Even Know Me Anymore

The lyrics to this song are quite simply heart wrenching. The first time I heard it I cried. A lot. There are a lot of songs that can make me cry...I'm a girl, what do you want? But this one just tells such a sad, and very common, tale, and to this day, I can hardly get through it without some tears being shed.

Day 05 - A song that reminds you of someone: Elton John - Someone Saved My Life Tonight

This always reminds me of my friend Shawn. It's his favorite Elton song, and I always liked it, but now whenever I hear it I think of him.

Day 06 - A song that reminds of you of somewhere: Todd Carey - Photograph

This will forever remind of Washington DC. It's without question my favorite Todd song, and because he's so great, he played it for me after his show was over. Just him on the guitar in the green room of The Red Palace. It was incredibly generous of him, and I'll never forget it.

Day 07 - A song that reminds you of a certain event: Daughtry - Home

This song came on my iPod as I pulled out of the driveway of my old apartment, heading to the condo I live in now. There was something so perfect about it...that I was going home, to my new home, and I will never forget that moment.

 

Day 08 - A song that you know all the words to: Green Day - American Idiot

Someone else playing this game posted Billy Joel's We Didn't Start the Fire, and that was a great choice. Wish I'd thought of it. I know all those words too. I know the words to hundreds of songs, so I just had to pick one. I went with this one because it's such a great song and the lyrics are fantastic. There are a few words that I don't let myself say, but I still know them.

Day 09 - A song that you can dance to: Flo Rida - In the Ayer f/will.i.am

To be fair, there are probably a lot of songs I could do dance to. I choose not to dance to any of them. I probably wouldn't dance to this one either, but it's fun and maybe in my living room, when all the doors and windows are closed, maybe, just maybe, I dance around to it. Maybe.

Day 10 - A song that makes you fall asleep: John Mayer - St. Patrick's Day

This was a weird one because I didn't want anyone to think I thought a song was dull and therefore put me to sleep. I tried to think about a song that relaxed me and let my mind slow down enough to actually get to sleep. A lot of John Mayer does that for me, but I'm particularly drawn to this song, and I do have it in a playlist called Music to Sleep by.

Day 11 - A song from your favorite band: Third Day - Revelation

Much like picking a favorite song, it's hard to pick a favorite band and hard to pick a favorite song from said band. I've seen Third Day and Switchfoot more than any other band in concert so at some level, I think that does make them my favorites. Anyway, I went with this song because when I heard it the first time I was contemplating a job move and it just spoke right to me. It still does that today, and I absolutely love it.

Day 12 - A song from a band you hate: Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way

I know this is unpopular but I just don't like Fleetwood Mac. It's really Stevie Nicks I don't like. There are actually a few songs I can stand, but she just bugs me so much that I can't get there. I could have picked any of their songs, but this one was the first that popped up when I searched.

Day 13 - A song that is a guilty pleasure: Cali Swag District - Teach Me How to Dougie

If you haven't heard this, just go listen. It's just fun. And yeah, I like it. I have no interest in actually doing the Dougie mind you, but there are moments where I pretend to be an urban youth and this just fits right into it. And I don't really feel guilty about it at all!

Day 14 - A song that no one would expect you to love: Cobra Starship - Snakes on a Plane

Okay, this song is just funny, and the video is hilarious. I never saw the movie, but I'm told I should. I mean come on, it's about snakes. On a plane. And it has Samuel L. Jackson. What could be bad?

Day 15 - A song that describes you: Switchfoot - Your Love is a Song

This is from the band's last album, and the first time I heard it I just fell in love with it. It's all about letting God's love for us just run through us like a melody, like a symphony and it makes me want to hear what He has to say to me. And what I love about Switchfoot is, they write such poignant lyrics that I know they are anointed and I do hear God's voice through them.

Day 16 - A song that you used to love but now hate: Train - If It's Love

I got SO SICK of this song during Train's last tour. Forget how overplayed it was on the radio. Which it was. I got sick of them posting a song from it every night, making a big deal about the part where it says "hold your cell phones up in the air". Really? You write those words then make it part of your show? Lame. And no, when I saw them in concert I did NOT hold my cell phone up in the air, but I suppose I'm in the picture.

Day 17 - A song that you hear often on the radio: Bruno Mars - Grenade

I'm not a fan of this song and on the day this hit I was hearing it all the time. And it was driving me crazy. I wish he'd record the version he sang on the Grammy's. So much better!

Day 18 - A song that you wish you heard on the radio: Linkin Park - Iridescent

This is a great song, but why it's even more great for me, and why I think it should be on the radio, has everything to do with Brodie Brazil and the San Francisco Giants. He used it in an intro video for the World Champions Parade, and it was freaking awesome. In case you doubt me, you can check it out here. Just hearing the beginning gives me chills and takes me right back to that moment. GO GIANTS!!

Day 19 - A song from your favorite album: U2 - Mysterious Ways

It was hard to choose on this too...this whole game of playing favorites is not, well, it's not my favorite. Anyway...Achtung Baby has always been my favorite U2 album and therefore one of my all-time favorites. This song just has such a great sound, and it was so different from prior U2 music that it really made you wonder if you were listening to the same band. I think I need to have an Achtung Baby album day pretty soon.

Day 20 - A song that you listen to when you’re angry: Eminem - Lose Yourself

This song is great and if it doesn't get your adrenaline pumping, nothing will. When I'm having a bad day, I listen to a lot of hip hop because the beat and the words help me get out whatever I need to. I love this song because of the story it tells and the scene it was in in the movie. It was the moment when Eminem knew how good he was. And so did everyone else.

Day 21 - A song that you listen to when you’re happy: Plain White T's - Irrational Anthem

I don't know what it is about this song. Maybe it's the title. I just like it. And it makes me smile. On another day this choice could have easily been different, but I think this works very well.

Day 22 - A song that you listen to when you’re sad: Billy Joel - Souvenir

Another great Billy song. This one always reminds me of college, and yeah, I guess there's some sadness associated with that, but mainly I just think the song itself is sad. It's about remembering your life and how it fades over time, and as much as we want to remember, as much as we keep like postcards and play programs, it still fades. See? Sad.

Day 23 - A song that you want to play at your wedding: Joshua Kadison - Beautiful In My Eyes

There's nothing in my life that tells me I'm actually going to have a wedding, but if I did, I'd definitely want this song to be involved somehow. The lyrics are so beautiful and his voice his perfection. 

Day 24 - A song that you want to play at your funeral: Lauryn Hill & Friends - Joyful Joyful

I don't want my funeral to be sad. I want it to be a celebration of my life, and I want people to remember that I'm in a much better place. My mom has always said she wants this song, well, the instrumental version, played at an upbeat tempo, and I think it's perfect. I love this version. Lauryn Hill's voice is so pure and it's just so uplifting that you can't help but smile and maybe even dance. 

Day 25 - A song that makes you laugh: Digital Underground - The Humpty Dance

It's called The Humpty Dance. What more do you need to know?

Day 26 - A song that you can play on an instrument: JJ Heller - Mary's Song

I sang and played this at Christmas in church a few years back, and I loved learning it and being able to share my friend JJ's words with others. I can play a lot of things on the piano, so choosing was a little hard. I think I came to this one because it is so beautiful, and I am always looking to share JJ's music with other people.

Day 27 - A song that you wish you could play: Billy Joel - Prelude/Angry Young Man

Yes. Another Billy song. The piano on this song is ridiculous. I absolutely love it and am sure I probably could play it if I had time to practice, but I don't, so I just wish I could.

Day 28 - A song that makes you feel guilty: Brandon Heath - The One

It's not really that this song makes me feel guilty, but it definitely challenges me to do more than I'm doing. It really can take just one of us to make a difference to someone else, and I know that many times I don't do something because I think that my contribution is so small that it won't matter and that's just simply not true. Also, Brandon Heath is amazing and the song completely rocks.

Day 29 - A song from your childhood: John Denver - Rocky Mountain High

We listened to a lot of John Denver growing up and I love so much of it. It's pure 70s and reminds me of so many things about growing up. It still makes me sad to think about him dying so young, after he'd gotten his life back together, but I'm glad he left us so much great music. This is one of my favorites.

Day 30 - Your favorite song at this time last year: Billy Joel - Scenes from an Italian Restaurant

See Day 1, and if you haven't already, go listen to this song!

So there it is. Feel like taking the challenge yourself? It was actually quite fun, and I'm thankful to Layne for sucking me in.

Until next time...

Falling back in love with Some Mad Hope...

It seems to be rare these days when an album, a WHOLE album, hits you just right; where you want to listen to it over and over and over and over and then listen some more. And you want to listen in order. And you want to listen out of order. And you want to invent your own order. There are very few albums that have had that effect on me.

Matt Nathanson's Some Mad Hope is just such an album.

I loved it from the minute I first heard it in 2007 and saw him play selections from it live on more than one occasion since it came out - six times to be exact. Waiting nearly four years for his next album - I'm just assuming it's actually going to come out in 2011 - has been torture, but I always have Some Mad Hope to fall back on. If he never made another album I'd be sad, but I'd also be okay because yeah, it's JUST THAT GOOD!

I listened to it in its entirety for the first time in probably a year or so over the last couple of days and remembered exactly why I fell in love with it to start with. Let me just lay it out for you...and trust me, if you've never heard it, or have only heard the songs on the radio, you are missing out. BIG TIME. Get this album. Now. Do it.

Okay, here we go...

CAR CRASH

Yes. You've heard this. It was on the radio. I think there was even a video, though I don't completely remember. From the first chord, the sound that guitar makes, I am hooked. And Matt is such a genius with words that I don't ever stop being hooked.

Opening Line: I'm wide awake and so alive; ringing like a bell.

How great is that? Wide awake. Alive. Ringing. And yet, he still wants to feel something, to be more satisfied. Isn't that what we all want? To feel and be satisfied? I think for most of us the answer is yes.

Favorite Line: Take me deep out past the light where nothing dims these stars.

I think I love that line so much because it reminds me of growing up in Wyoming and how you can just see stars forever. Nothing dims them. I realize that the meaning in the song is likely deeper, but I think the sentiment is the same. Get me out of the light of the world and let what the world is supposed to be really shine. That's how I see it anyway.

Closing Line: I'm open wide.

I love that. I wanna feel, I'm open, let me see it. All of it. After that we jump right into the biggest hit from the album...

COME ON GET HIGHER

This song is sexy. And as Matt said in a concert late last year, it paid his mortgage. This was his biggest hit to date, and the video was divine. Even if there were no words, the music would make you feel beautiful and wanted and loved. When I saw him sing this in 2007 not too long after the album came out he made it very clear that he wrote it to be a romantic song. And trust me. He succeeded. 

Opening Line: I miss the sound of your voice; and I miss the rush of your skin; and I miss the still of the silence; as you breathe out and I breathe in.

Wow. Imagine being missed like that. I honestly can't, but I love the idea of it, to be missed so much that the one missing you misses the small silence between breaths. Swoon.

Favorite Line: I ache to remember all the vile and sweet perfect words that you said.

Again. Aching to remember. How awesome is that? When's the last time you ached for someone like that? Or had someone ache for you? I can't imagine what that would feel like on either side...to ache or be ached for. Either one, I think would be amazing.

Whenever I hear this song I can see him singing it live and I smile thinking about him smiling as he sang it. It was obvious how much he loved singing it and very clear that he felt every bit of it.

Closing Line: Everything works in your arms.

That's pretty cut and dry. I miss you. I ache for you. It all works with you. Yeah. That all seems good to me.

Heartbreak World

It's actually a bit of a melancholy song, talking about the world that breaks your heart, but then also talking about making dreams come true. It's what we all need to be moving toward...getting out of the heartbreak, figuring out what our dreams are, even if they're not fully developed yet, just going for it.

Opening Line: Let's all pack up and move this year; we'll slip the lines and disappear; leave memories for auctioneers and those just standing still.

 

The whole song is about leaving what's not working, what's breaking your heart, and moving forward. Sometimes that starts with moving. It may not be from one place to another, but to make any kind of change, you have to move. And you have to pack the old away.

Favorite Line: Let's move out of Los Angeles; and just drive until this summer gives; forget the lives we used to live.

I remember so vividly Matt singing this in San Francisco and when the line about leaving Los Angeles came around the entire venue cheered loudly. I think that, more than anything, makes me smile when I hear this song.

Closing Line: Come on let's make this dream that's barely half awake come true.

I love the strain in his voice on the last line, like he really wants us to come on the journey with him, to find what's going to really make us happy. It's just good!

Gone

This, like many songs, is about leaving, but it's laid out a bit differently. He seems genuinely sad that he's been hurt, that he's fallen out of love, that he has to go. The idea of it makes him short of breath. And apparently, whatever he's leaving, whomever, was the best he ever had, but it's like he knew it wasn't right even though it was really good.

Opening Line: Love; I'm aching to believe; give me something real enough; give me somewhere to fall from.

Continuing the theme of aching for love this line starts the song right. Just give me something. And he doesn't even ask for something real, just real enough. And he doesn't care if he falls. I think so many times we're looking for perfect and we just keep reaching. But we don't take risks and we don't give things a chance. For me, that line says all that and more.

Favorite Line: At its worst the heart is sober, at its worst the heart is cold.

Love Love Love this! I just love the idea that the heart shouldn't be sober or cold. It should be warm and drunk on the person you love. And if it isn't, then what's the point?

Closing Line: I'm gone; and when I disappear, don't expect me back.

In other words, he won't be crawling back to the one he's leaving. And no one should expect him to. He has to make the clean break or he'll never get out of it. This is a good lesson for all of us in more things than just love.

Wedding Dress

When I first heard this song and didn't really listen closely to the words I thought it was about people getting married, and it is, but the meaning seems much deeper than that. I think it could go a couple of ways. One, this guy's getting married, but he's not really sure he should be, and he sees his future wife there in her wedding dress and the idea of forever is just too much for him. Or two, the woman this guy loves is getting married and seeing her in her wedding dress, about to give her forever to someone else, is more than he can bear. I'm not sure what Matt's meaning was here, but it's definitely not a cheery wedding tune.

Opening Line: So we lie here in the dark; all the wrong things on fire; in sickness and health; to be with you; just to be with you.

You can tell in the last part of the line, to be with you, just to be with you, that he's aching to be with this person. But it's not right. You just feel it.

Favorite Line: All I can feel is how long ever after is; and it's all that I can do; to be with you; just to be with you.

I would guess that a lot of people feel this before they're about to get married. I'm not married, nor have I ever been close to getting married, so I can't say for certain, but it seems like when you really think about forever and ever after it can be a little overwhelming. And it's literally going to take every ounce of yourself to be with that person.

Closing Line: I wanna be missing you love; missing you love; all that I have left.

Most of the songs on this album have an actual end, but this one fades away and I think it's completely on purpose. At the end he's frantically missing this person, and he just keeps saying it but the music fades before he can finish. It's like he's being pulled away and as it's happening he knows that person is all he has and he's missing her. Seriously love it.

Bulletproof Weeks

On my first few passes on this album this song didn't stand out as much as some others. I'm not sure if it's because I was in a different place in my life or what, but at some point, it hit me. And it broke me. At first I thought it was a post-9/11 sort of tune, talking about September taking the tourists, and it still has that feel to me, but I think it could also just be talking about transitions and moving on and how it happens without us even noticing sometimes. It's clearly set in New York, and now, after having been to New York, it just makes me want to go back.

Opening Line: Somewhere in between; the beginning and the end; September took the tourists; and settled in for good.

He sounds so sad when this song starts, and the simplicity of his guitar and how we can hear his fingers sliding on the strings...oh my goodness, it makes me sigh. It's like something or someone he loves is gone and he's not even quite sure how they faded away. When it gets to the chorus he asks a lot of questions without actually asking what happened to his love.

Favorite Line: Talking to what's left of you, and watching what I say; counting on the freckles on your perfect face.

It seems to me that somehow the one he loved started to fade away, and we're never sure why, but somehow, the love they had, the fun they had, is gone. It's like maybe they used to be young and carefree and now they're grown up and it's not so simple, not so easy, and it's hard to figure out why or how to move on.

Closing Line: What happened to bulletproof weeks in your arms? What happened to feeling cheap radio songs? What happened to thinking that the world was flat? What happened? What happened to that?

Now, listening again this morning, I'm wondering again if it's more about 9/11 than anything. Maybe its about how we've all changed since then, and nothing is simple anymore, and we can't think about things in the same way. Maybe it's about how we lost something great and we don't know exactly why but we know we miss it.

When I saw him sing this live sometime in 2008, I think in November at the Warfield in San Francisco, I can honestly say I've never heard a venue so quiet. It was quite possibly the most beautiful concert moment I've ever had.

To the Beat of our Noisy Hearts

I like how the album moves from such a mellow point to this song, which is more upbeat and more uplifting at the outset. We meet this girl who is a risk taker and while we all keep moving to the noise around us, she's out there actually living.

Opening Line: She don't lie in bed at night; staring at the ceiling; she don't wait to begin.

Favorite Line: She bets on longshots; she wants what they've got; she skates where the ice thins.

This girl is all about the risk. And that's a good thing. She's doing what people tell her not to, and it's working for her. But then we hear this line: She says pick up the phone 'cause I need to get more alone and your voice drives me crazy. Does she love this guy? And why would she be more alone if he answered? It just seems like there's so much noise around us that maybe we get confused sometimes and need to slow down and really be alone. Most of us don't take the time to do that.

Closing Line: On and on we keep going; crowded like subway cars; on and on to the beat of our noisy hearts.

By the time the song ends my whole perspective changes. I always start it thinking that it's the world around us that's loud, but in the end, I think it's our hearts that are making all the noise, and while it can drown us out, it's what actually drives us. And when we don't hear the noise, we do whatever we can to find it. We take risks, we reach for people, we try to live.

Still

I loved this song from the beginning, but it became one of my favorites after I saw him sing it live at a radio event in 2008. It wasn't released as a single, but it really should have been. I think it's MUCH sexier than Come On Get Higher, more intimate somehow. I just know that you feel every bit of his love for this woman and you, okay I, wish I was her. To have someone remember you like that? Delicious.

Opening Line: I remember hearts that beat; yeah, yeah; I remember you and me; yeah, oh yeah; tangled in hotel sheets; you wore me out, you wore me out.

I can see his face singing this line so clearly, and the smile when he said yeah, oh yeah...goodness. It was perfectly crooked and telling. You could tell he was remembering something beautiful. Whether it was really a moment in a hotel room or something else, it doesn't matter. He's in it, so you're in it.

Favorite Line: And you moved like water, yeah; and you broke like rain; I've never been deeper; so far gone; your sister in the next room with the television on.

Wow. Don't you just get the feeling, even just reading those words, that this love, this romance, this affair, whatever it was, was absolutely beautiful? I've never been deeper. So far gone. It just...well, I think you get it.

Closing Line: Still can feel you kiss me love; still can see your eyes like diamonds, diamonds; memories are strong enough; so come on and drive me wild; come on and drive me wild.

I think by the end we realize he's still in love with this woman and remembers their first days together and just thinking about it is enough to drive him wild, but he doesn't just have to think because she's right there, and no matter how many years have passed, she's still the one. And really, who doesn't want to be that person?

Detroit Waves

This was honestly not one of my favorites when I started listening to the record. It sounded different and didn't seem to fit. But then I started listening more closely and realized how much it's really saying. Matt has such a way with words that sometimes you have to listen several times before really hearing what he's trying to say. That's what this song was like for me. And now I just love it.

Opening Line: So, we let it go to start again; knowing now how all our best intentions never lit the world on fire.

I love this. He's looking back and when we do that we always see the better path we could have taken. We always see that even though we had good intentions with some things, some people, but even our best intentions aren't enough sometimes to make something great.

Favorite Line: When you're warm enough to share your sheets; cold enough to make it seem like I was only there long enough to disappear.

Man. That line says so much. I think the reason this song is more upbeat is that it's telling us a story of a short-lived romance that was exciting at the beginning but just didn't have enough to make it last.

Closing Line: Detroit waves goodnight; spread out, beneath me now; If I could; if I could change, believe me I would, yes I would. Detroit waves. Detroit waves.

I sometimes wonder if this song is more about music and the music industry. I'm still not sure why Detroit plays such a big role in it, but I was thinking about Motown and how so many people had a love affair with it. Or maybe it's about the automobile industry, and how it was all great in the beginning and we fell in love, but then it wasn't great and we knew it, and even though we had the best intentions of making it work we just couldn't. And now Detroit sits there, a broken city, and we would like to see it change, to get better, but we don't know how. 

I don't know. It's likely about something completely different, but this is what I've been thinking about.

Falling Apart

This was supposed to be released as a single, and I'm pretty sure there was a video, but it never caught on like Car Crash or Come On Get Higher and I honestly can't understand why. The music is just as good, the lyrics are great, and it's a great song.

Opening Line: Maybe it's because I'm crazy; maybe it's because I just can't honestly tell you what I want.

I love how the piano plays such a nice role at the beginning of this song. Most of Matt's songs are guitar-driven, since he plays the guitar masterfully, so I love how the piano drives the beginning of this. And I love the idea that he's just like, look, I can't even tell you what I want because maybe I don't even know, I just know that what I've got now is not enough. Oh to be this honest in real life.

Favorite Line: I've given up; so call my bluff; 'cause I just need to be reminded who I am.

This line comes after he talks about how people sell you out, how he's safe in the arms of the one he loves, maybe. He's not sure, but he knows he should be safe there, but he feels like they're all over the place, falling apart, spilling over. And he knows he hasn't done everything he's done and said wasn't great, but he also knows it doesn't matter. He's given up and needs to get back to the person he used to be.

Closing Line: So wanna be loved; falling apart; so wanna be loved; so come on, love; so come on, love.

By the time the song ends we see him wanting and reaching for love and all he can say is come on. Come on love. Come find me. I gave up on not wanting you, but now I do. Come on.

Sooner Surrender

I like how the music sort of fades in with a simple pad on a keyboard, and then we hear his guitar, and he starts to tell us a story.

Opening Line: In the party love; some band's playing Hallelujah; Hallelujah; in the corner the all night girls drink wine and try to sing along.

It's funny, but I always wonder what version of Hallelujah the band is playing. I assume it's the Leonard Cohen song that Jeff Buckley sang so beautifully, and one that many, many others have recorded. I assume it's not the Hallelujah chorus, though that would be more entertaining. I like the visual here, of a band just playing in party, probably at a bar, and there's this group of girls singing in the corner. He's painting us a picture of a scene, and the whole idea of them singing or the band playing really has nothing to do with the rest of the song.

Favorite Line: You've got someone new singing you your songs now; I'd sooner surrender than watch the last walls collapse.

Ouch. He's given up. She's got someone else and rather than watching it completely collapse he's surrendered to her. Later we hear that he hates how he just gave up and that he's waiting for love to come back to him and how he's stuck somewhere and she's coming alive. It's heartwrenching, at least to me. It's like he gave up too easily and didn't fight for what he wanted and now he's at some sad party where these sad drunk girls are singing along to a song he can no longer relate to.

Closing Line: I'd sooner surrender, then watch the last wall collapse; I'd sooner surrender, and our love would count for everything; and our love would count for everything; I miss when you were everything.

This is another song that fades away, though not as dramatically as Wedding Dress. But it ends with just simple notes on a keyboard, maybe even an organ, and we know it's over. He let her go and he misses her but she's moved on and all he can do is remember and be sorry and wish he'd fought for her. Sigh.

All We Are

I can only smile when I hear this. Seriously. I don't see how every single on this album wasn't a Top Ten hit. Maybe the world just isn't ready for this sort of honesty. Maybe people don't want to feel this exposed and don't want to admit that they've failed and that what they really want is love. Pure and simple.

Opening Line: Tasted, tasted, love so sweet; and all of it was lost on me; bought and sold like property; sugar on my tongue.

What a great opening line. I've tasted love, but I totally missed it. How many of us can say that? Do we even really know what love is? Would we know it if it happened to us or would it just dissolve like sugar without us even realizing it was there? I wonder about this a lot actually. I can't say I've ever been in love, and no, that's not hard to admit, okay, maybe a little hard, but hearing these words make me wonder if I just missed it, either because I wasn't paying attention or because I just really didn't get it. Am I alone in this?

Favorite Line 1: I went broke believin' that the simple should be hard.

Favorite Line 2: Well it's hard to change the way you lose if you think you've never won.

The fact is, every line in this song could be my favorite, but these two just jump out every time. In fact, for several years now, the second one has been my email tagline. It's just such an interesting idea. You can't change the way you lose, the way you react to losing, if you think you've never won. It's like, if you don't know what being the victor is like, how can you really be sad about losing? And the first line, wow. That is just so true all over our world. We work so hard at stuff that should be simple. Most things are simple and somehow, with our technology and the media blaring at us all the time, they become more complex and much harder to deal with and we kill ourselves trying to figure it all out.

Closing Line: All we are, we are; all we are, we are; and everyday's the start of something beautiful, beautiful.

Perfect end to this record and seriously just brought tears to my eyes listening again. After all the heartache, all the wondering, all the longing, all the missing, we get to start every day fresh. Every day is beautiful and let's us start again. It's just simply perfect. 

So, like I said before, if you don't have it already, go get this record. Trust me. You will not regret it. I can only hope Matt's next album, coming out in June, is as good, but this is going to be tough to beat.

And now, I shall rant about Amici's...

So my friend and I went to Amici's before the Sharks game tonight, as we've done on previous occasions, and were looking forward to a relaxing meal. And it started out okay. The hostess sat us outside and it was nice and cool. I said hi to some other friends sitting inside and everything was jolly and perfect.

Our waitress was a little over the top when she came to the table, thinking she was much funnier that she was, but we just went with it. Her makeup was a little scary and we were afraid she might pop right out of her top due to it being way too tight, but we let that go too. She brought us our drinks, we ordered some bread and then waited. The bread arrived fairly quickly and we ordered our meals. That's when the fun began.

To be fair, we both ordered something not actually on the menu, but it didn't seem that hard. My friend wanted a dish normally served with linguine to be served with penne. The waitress wrote it down and it seemed like a slam dunk. I just wanted some plain penne with garlic and olive oil and maybe a little parmesan. So, I asked for a bowl of penne with said garlic and olive oil and parmesan and seriously, she looked at me like I had two heads. I was like, "Is that possible? To just get plain penne?" And her response was, "So you want a bowl of penne?" "Yes," I said. "With olive oil, garlic and parmesan." This went back and forth again and finally we discovered that the issue was my use of the word bowl. Apparently ordering a BOWL was the hard part. I was like, "Yeah, I don't care what sort of dish it's in. If it was at my house, it would be in a bowl." "Oh, okay."

Wow.

Our food arrived and mine was right, but my friend's was wrong. It came with the linguine. I don't think I need to tell you that it wasn't our server that delivered it but a runner of some sort. When we told him the problem he was like, "Uh, okay, who's your server?" We described her and he left. And left the incorrect dish in front of my friend. I started to eat mine and holy hell was there was lot of garlic in it. I seriously think they roasted a head of garlic, pureed it then squeezed it onto the pasta from a pastry tube. It was crazy!

Time goes by, as does half of my meal, and there is no sign of our waitress or my friend's dinner, until, that is, I see another runner carrying a dish that looks suspiciously like the one already sitting on our table towards us. I then see our server intercept him and tell him that it's supposed to be penne. Yeah. They remade it wrong. Meanwhile, no one ever came to say anything to us like, sorry, or we're re-doing it, or anything. It was several more minutes when the correct dish was delivered by yet another person, and there was no sorry or anything, just the delivery. They also didn't remove the incorrect dish, so it sat there feeling neglected.

Our server did finally happen by after a while and say, "Oh I see you got your penne." That's it. Nothing about being sorry or anything. She didn't ask us how we were doing or if we'd like something more to drink. Nothing. Her tip was long gone at that point.

We finished eating and waited for our check and I kid you not, in the span of 10-15 minutes our server walked by three, maybe four times and didn't once stop or even look in our direction. When we'd had enough we got up, went back inside and asked the hostess if we could speak to the manager. 

Now typically, when you explain what's happened to a manager, they offer to comp your meal or provide you free dessert or something. They don't say, "So what would you like me to do for you?" Now he was nice about it, but I'm sorry, he should have just done something. Just fix it dude. Why should we tell you? 

In the end, we paid our bill, got two free desserts, and what we thought were two gift certificates for return visits. This was all well and good until we realized the gift certificates were for a large one-topping pizza, unusable on delivery and only valid Monday-Thursday. Really? We didn't even order pizza, so why did he think that was a worthy solution? I was going to just let it go, but now Amici's will be getting a complaint letter from me. 

I've never had such terrible service from them, but now they're totally tainted and I have no real interest in going back, at least not to the downtown location.

Thankfully the Sharks won tonight, and thankfully there was some fun during the game or my head might have actually exploded from the ridiculousness of the situation.

Blogging the Idols - Top 11/Top 9

Yeah, so I'm just now catching up with my DVR and watching the last TWO weeks of Idol. Clearly I already know who was evicted, but I felt like I should watch so I could be fully in the know. I'll try to be better this week, but depending on how the Stanley Cup Playoffs are scheduled...well, we'll see...

Alright, here we go...

Top 11 - The Elton John Week

First of all, don't even get me started about how someone got saved the week before...do not approve of that at all! I feel like this: if you're going to let America vote, then let the vote stand. If you want to actually judge, then judge. Stupid.

Second of all, what the HECK is up with Ryan's hair? Goodness.

I'd heard from so many people how bad this week was that I'm honestly not looking forward to it - probably why I'm just now getting to it 10 days later. I anticipate lots of fast forwarding since I'm a HUGE Elton fan and can't imagine anyone being in the vicinity of worthy...

Scotty - Country Comfort: I really just shouldn't listen to anything this kid does because I just can't stand his voice. Please go to Country Idol...wherever that is. This just continues to bother me. Do I even need to say it? Fast. Forward.

Naima - I'm Still Standing: Oh dear. No. No. No. Reggae? Really? No. Done. Definitely not sad that she got kicked off after this one. Buh bye.

Paul - Rocket Man: When I watch Paul in his little interview things I actually like him, but when he sings? I just can't get there. And what was that jacket? Goodness. I just don't like his voice but compared to the other two he's the best so far. Still, I can't listen to the whole thing. I just can't do it.

Pia - Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me: Ahhh...someone I can actually listen to. She looks great and she sounds great. And I'm not fast forwarding. You go Pia.

Stefano - Tiny Dancer: I can't explain it but I just don't like it. It seems uber cheesy...like I'm watching a Vegas lounge act...and wow, I sound like Simon. I miss Simon...sorry, got distracted. Yeah, I just don't like this.

Lauren - Candle in the Wind: She just wants to be Carrie Underwood, and I don't like it. Again, why isn't this one on Country Idol? Oh dear...this is not good. I can't do it. F.F.

James - Saturday Night's Alright: I'm liking him more and more. He's not the best singer, but he's definitely got stage presence and is totally having fun. My favorite of the night so far.

Thia - Daniel: I'm sorry, but how did she get kicked off? This is a good performance! America is stupid.

Casey - Your Song: First of all, did we really need to see him getting the hair/beard trimmed? I'm already bothered and he hasn't stepped on stage. But it definitely looks better. Too bad it didn't really help the performance. He can sing, but this just seems cheesy too. Elton is not cheesy so why are all of these peeps dripping in it? Meh.

Jacob - Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word: Okay, I think I'm over Jacob. It's just too much. I'm with that producer guy...over-dramatizing is killing him. There's no question he can sing, but the performances just don't seem sincere to me. Maybe I'm cranky. I sorta feel like I'm channeling Simon this morning. Note to Jacob: go back and watch Ruben in season two. That is all.

Haley - Benny and the Jets: Ummm...what is THIS? Only Michelle Pfeiffer can sing from a piano and get away with it. This is one of my least favorite Elton songs to start with and her version isn't helping the cause. Although she was still better than some I still don't like it and I'm kicking it to the curb.

My favorite: James. Definitely. Pia a close second.

My least favorite: Ummm...everyone else? If I had to pick, I'd pick Naima. Yuck.

Top 9 - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Week

Jacob - Man in the Mirror: I have to admire him for changing the song to do what's more honest for him, but really? "It'll be because everybody in America wasn't ready to look at themselves in the mirror." Goodness. But, he sounds and looks good. I actually feel like this performance is sincere. Much better than the prior week. MUCH.

Haley - Piece of My Heart: I'm in pain from this. It doesn't help that I can't stand Janis Joplin, so maybe she was good, but I do not like it and I do not want it.

Casey - Have You Ever Seen the Rain: Ugh. Really? Pretentious much? Wow. I seriously feel so bothered and irritated watching this. Maybe someone needs to feed me because nothing is exciting me right now. Fast Forwarded.

Lauren - Natural Woman: WHAT is she wearing? I feel like she's Diana Degarmo revisited this week. Again, she can sing, I just don't particularly like it. I think I've been watching this show too long. This is just very meh for me.

James - While My Guitar Gently Weeps: It doesn't help that I do not like this song at all, but he's okay. I think. I don't know. I feel bored.

Scotty - That's Alright Mama: "It's not gonna be the country Scotty." Really? Pretty sure he can't sing anything else. Nope. This is country. But Elvis had a bit of country in him, so I guess it matches. I still don't like it.

Pia - River Deep, Mountain High: Okay, how exactly was she kicked off? I reiterate my comment from the week before. America is STUPID. Because this is really good. So far my favorite of the night.

Stefano - When a Man Loves a Woman: Too big of a song for this kid. Sorry, but I'm seriously done with him. He can sing, but it's just too cheese for me.

Paul - Folsom Prison Blues: Okay, this might be my favorite performance of his. I don't think he was the best of the night, but I don't feel as annoyed as I usually do. It's like he finally found the right song.

My favorite: Pia. No question. Seriously, how is she no longer a contestant? Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

My least favorite: Haley and Casey. YUCK. Please go away.

I feel like I want to go back and watch the early seasons of Idol and see if I'm as annoyed as I am now because I don't remember being as annoyed by the contestants as I have in the last few seasons. And so far, no one has just jumped out as my favorite like in other years (hello, Ruben? Chris Daughtry? David Cook? Kelly?). Maybe that's why I'm so bothered this season...no one is jumping out to me as my favorite so I'm not as invested. I don't know. Maybe I just miss Simon. Maybe I'm too old. Maybe I need a snack. Anyway...next week we're down to eight, so we'll see how it goes.

Until then...happy singing!

Top 15 Concert Memories

I've been reading Todd Carey's Ping playlists over the last few weeks and have really enjoyed seeing what he's listening to and why, finding some great new music along the way, and I thought for a moment that I might want to do my own list. And so, thanks to TC's challenge, here we go...

I decided my list needed a theme or I'd just be listing hundreds of songs I think are awesome, and I started thinking about concerts I'd been to and decided to create a playlist of my top 10 (okay 15 because I couldn't narrow it down!) concert memories. They are in order by when I saw the concert...I found the best videos I could...some mine, some the official videos, some from other people...enjoy!

1 - Al Jarreau - Roof Garden - Saw him live at Red Rocks in 1984. It really doesn't get much more awesome than Red Rocks, and his voice...so pure, so perfect. Hearing this song now takes me right back to that moment.

2 - Boyz II Men - Motownphilly - Saw them in Pittsburgh in 1992 open for Jodeci who were the opener for MC Hammer. Yeah. They were brand new. And all kinds of awesome! Their harmonies were spot on and I love that I saw them when they were first starting out.

3 - Luther Vandross - A House Is Not A Home - Saw him in Pittsburgh in 1992 also and he did not disappoint. We lost a great voice when Luther died, and this song live was simply amazing. It can bring me to tears even today.

4 - Public Enemy - Fight the Power - They opened for U2 on the ZooTV tour, and I saw it in Chicago in 1993 (I think...maybe 1992). I probably wouldn't have gone to see them on their own but wow. They could perform! Great lyrics, great presence...still love this song.

5 - Burlap to Cashmere - Basic Instructions - This band only recently came back on the scene, and I am so glad! I saw them tour off their first album in 2000 in San Francisco (The Warfield) and I honestly don't think I've ever seen anyone play guitar like them. Their hands moved so unbelievably fast that I really thought I was seeing things. This song always reminds me of that night, and I've still never seen anyone else play like that.

6 - Third Day - Agnus Dei - I first saw Third Day in 2000 at Marine World in California, and this is the song they ended their show with. It was quite possibly the most moving experience I've ever had at a concert and thinking about it now just gave me chills. One of my all-time favorite bands who I have actually seen more than ten times now, but I will certainly never forget that first show.

7 - Train - When I Look to the Sky - In 2004 Train played 4 or 5 shows at this tiny little club in San Francisco called Cafe du Nord. It might hold 200 people. We were lucky enough to get tix for the Friday night show and wow. It was AMAZING! I could have honestly picked any song from that night, but this is one of my favorites and seeing them perform it live and being so close to them was truly great. However, the best part of the night was being handed a cd of the first two-thirds of the show when we walked out. Yeah. Very few people have that cd. So very cool.

8 - Switchfoot - On Fire - Another band that I have seen more than 10 times, and they play this at every show, but I remember the first time I saw them at The Warfield in San Francisco. Truly amazing showmen and phenomenal musicians. So much energy! This song moves me so deeply...I couldn't even describe it in words if I tried. Switchfoot live is something everyone should experience at least once.

9 - U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name - My memory of this song at a U2 concert is actually from the second time I saw them, which was in San Jose in 2005 on their Vertigo tour. I always loved this song before that show, but something about the way the stage lights moved and the swell of the crowd noise when The Edge starts playing the very famous opening riff...wow. It was spine tingling and it is now one of my absolute favorite U2 songs and the thing I remember most about that show.

10 - Matt Nathanson - Still - If you've never seen Matt in concert, make plans to do so immediately. It's so much more than just a concert. The man is hilarious and can, in one night, make me laugh until my sides hurt and bring me near tears. The performance of Still I'm remembering is from a radio show he played on Halloween at a tiny place in San Francisco called The Slide Lounge. It was about as close to perfect as a person can get. Watching his emotion as he sang the words that I knew by heart made it so much more special for me. Of course, the fact that in the middle of the show we had a 1-2 minute exchange about my phone made the night fairly memorable too...

11 - JJ Heller - Love Me - I've seen JJ perform this many times, and while I can't pinpoint a specific date, I just know that it never ceases to move me. She has since re-recorded this and renamed it What Love Really Means, but I will always know it as Love Me. The words are so pure and so real, and I can't help but think part of it was written just for me. JJ and her husband Dave are longtime friends and I can only smile when I hear their music now...could not be more happy for them.

12 - Kelly Clarkson - Sober - I saw Kelly sing this live in San Jose in late 2009 and wow. The song hadn't done a lot for me on the record but hearing it live changed my attitude completely. Simply amazing. The woman can just flat out sing.

13 - Billy Joel - Scenes from An Italian Restaurant - Hands down my favorite Billy song, and while I've seen him sing it live several times I'm remembering the last time, in San Jose in 2010. Billy is pure rock and roll and this song embodies all of it. Absolutely awesome.

14 - Elton John - Levon - I've seen Elton several times too, but I don't ever remember him performing Levon until the last time I saw him, which was in San Jose in 2010. I only need to hear the introductory notes and I'm completely lost in the song. It's always been a very moving song to me, and I will never forget him doing it live that night.

15 - Todd Carey - Photograph - Since my list was inspired by Todd I certainly couldn't leave him off of it, but believe me, he would have made it either way. In a little less than 6 months in 2010/2011 I saw TC in concert 3 times, but there is nothing I will ever remember more than him playing Photograph - my absolute favorite of his songs - in the green room in this tiny little club in DC called The Red Palace. Truly a night I will never forget.

So, there you have it...maybe I'll do another one of these some day...we'll see...