Tag: random song

Near the end of the series New Girl, there’s a scene where something of note is happening and, as happens regularly with network television, a song is layered to bring more meaning.

I can no longer remember what what happening in the scene, because I had, for the second time in my life, an out of brain experience. In this experience, I am singing along to the song, but the words are coming from a place buried deep in a file cabinet and, if the music were to shut off, I would not be able to tell you what the next word is. But since the music is going, I’m singing along like it’s back in the day.

This happened once before, with Cheap Trick’s “Ghost Town,” which I committed to memory back in the 80s, and it’s not a Cheap Trick song that has made a transition to commercial radio, so I didn’t hear it for several decades.

So it went with Sherriff’s “When I’m With You” a song that I apparently know by heart and have probably not heard since the first George Bush was in office.

After the scene was over and I asked my Google Speaker who sang “When I’m With You” I did a tiny bit of research and learned the song was released in 1983, but actually became a number 1 hit in the USA in 1989, thanks to a DJ in Las Vegas. Sadly, this was four years after the band separated and—an even more amazing fact—there is no video for this song.

As for the song itself, it has plenty of fun sustained notes:

Ba-a-a–a-a-be oh I get chills when I’m with you o-o-o-o-o-o, oh oh oh ba ay ay ay ay my word stand still when I’m with you o-o-o-o.

Plus, there’s a really high note at the end.

Walk the Moon’s song is a hit with me.

Aside from, “It’s the way that I am, I’m a mess and it’s literal” which feels true to fact, I also like the bounce between octaves that that particular potion of the song has.

by Weezer. It’s a cute little video. (With an embedded ad for Hey, Google)

All my favorite songs are slow and sad.

This is a song of the summer. Very catchy and of the moment.

Although I don’t think that having favorite songs that are slow and sad means something is wrong with you.

I found a list on my computer and its origin and purpose has been lost with the passing of time. I think it was a list of songs from Pandora that I liked. Let’s have a listen, shall we? Then I will add them to my Song of Month Playlist on YouTube.

“It’s Time” Imagine Dragons. I’m not going to add this to the playlist, because it gets played on the radio a lot. Still. But I always enjoy listening to it, despite the number of times I encounter it. (Also: “miles of clotted hell” is one of my favorite things about this song)

“You’ve got me” Colbet Callie. This is a nicely pleasant song.

Every Morning Sugar Ray. I would describe Sugar Ray’s guitar sound as “bright.” This is why I tend to like the Sugar Ray songs I encounter. And holy cow, is this video all about the 90s. Even all the 70s stuff in there is totally 90s.

“The Underdog” Spoon. This song reminds me of Neil Diamond in all the best ways. The horns! The various percussion things! The tonal quality of the lead singer’s voice! The way it seems to be a very serious song, but with such a cha-cha-cha kind of musical arrangement!

“Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in my Hand”–Primitive Radio Gods. Speaking of the 90s… I’ve always loved the “I’ve been downhearted baby” sample in this song. Since I spent large portions of the 90s depressed/sad, this hits those zones, but in a good way. Also, someone good at singing pointed out that this is a fun song to harmonize to because there are lots of entry points.

For fun, here’s the song the sample came from. B.B. King “How Blue Can You Get”

“Cough Syrup”–Young the Giant. Oh yes! It’s that song. I had no idea it was called this. And! Synchronized swimmers!

“Last Night”–The Strokes. Such good basic rock. Standard guitar, driving rhythm. Singer’s voice.

“Age of Consent”–New Order. Yeesh. This is just a solidly good song.

That brings us to the end of the list.

It’s the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I have the day off, and I’m working on getting the gumption to go work on the side yard project.  To distract myself from that unfinished project, I’m working on the another (endlessly) unfinished project: the Great 2017 Blog Catch Up.  Having written Song of the Ponth posts for October, I was letting the Mountain Goats autoplay while I wrote and edited.  At some point I clicked back and the computer algorithm that YouTube uses suggested a bunch of Tiny Desk Concerts.  And here were Bleachers.  Given how often they’ve been on my song of the month list (either as Bleachers or as one-third of the now-defunct fun.) I clicked.

And what a great Tiny Desk Concert.  I loved the first song a lot. It manages to use saxophone without inducing terrible 80s-pop-song flashbacks.  There’s a funny bit where Jack Antonoff asks, “how often do you do this?” and disappointment or uncertainty flashes over his face when someone answers.

It’s also interesting to see this version of “Don’t Take the Money,” (In contrast to the Tonight Show Version I referenced previously) and to see how he fights to keep up with the drum machine that is coming out of the boombox.  It doesn’t quite work, which, in an era of overproducing music, I quite enjoy.  Stick with it thorough the end of the song and you will get to see a different charming mistake.

For contrast, here’s the album version of the first song, Everybody Lost Somebody.