30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 23

Day 23 -- A Song You Used to Hate But Now You Don't

"Money" -- Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

They say the average person stops listening to "new music" at the age of 33. My dad turned 33 in 1988 which is also the year I--his one and only child--was born. Coincidence? Definitely. If you ask my dad, he claims to have stopped listening to new music around 1983 or whenever keytars became a thing. I am apt to believe him because he pretty much only ever listened to stuff from the 60s and 70s as I was growing up.

When I was in junior high, my dad rediscovered his love for Pink Floyd. Every single family outing and vacation was accompanied by one of their progressive rock albums. I resented the hell out of being forced to listen to anything I didn't want. Especially since I could hear it through my damn headphones! (No wonder I have hearing problems.)

Eventually, I opened my mind and ears. Years down the road. On my own terms. I thought I'd give The Dark Side of the Moon a listen since it is one of the top selling, most popular and influential albums of all time. And you know what? I liked it. For today's post, I chose "Money" because it's one of the more "upbeat" songs on the album and a satirical take on those who think money is the most important thing.

30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 22

Day 22 -- A Song You Used to Love But Now You Don't

"Take it on the Run" -- REO Speedwagon, Hi Infidelity (1981)

The most apt choice for this category is my former favorite song. I simply don't like it anymore because it reminds me of who I was when it was my favorite song. Since I am no longer that person, I don't enjoy listening to it as much as I used to. Even though musically "Take it on the Run" still rocks (like really), one of the members of REO Speedwagon wrote it about his philandering wife, so the subject matter was unpleasant to begin with. I can't imagine what people thought about me when they heard "Take it on the Run" was my favorite song.

But it isn't anymore. Yay! Yay for change! Yay for coming to terms!

30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 21

Day 21 -- A Song You Hate by an Artist You Love

"Me Against the Music" -- Britney Spears (feat. Madonna), In the Zone (2003)

Again, "hate" and "love" seem like really strong words. Let's just say this is one of my least favorite songs by one of my favorite artists. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am a fan of Britney Spears. I do not know her personally, but I like a lot of her music and I have a great amount of respect for how she rose from the ashes after a nasty public breakdown. No, she probably will never be as famous as she once was, but she has a residency going in Vegas and seems to be doing well. Good for her.

"Me Against the Music" was the first single off of Britney Spears' fourth album when she was at the height of her career. In the midst of a lot of great hits, this one always fell flat with me. Lyrically and musically it's just all over the place. It's chaotic and sort of gives me a headache. It's not even easy to dance to, which is the whole point of this alleged dance song. Both Britney (and Madonna for that matter) have released far better material.

30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 20

Day 20 -- A Song You Love By an Artist You Don't

"This Love" -- Maroon 5, Songs About Jane (2002)

First off..."love" is too strong of a word to describe how I feel about this song. A better title for this post would be "a song that's okay by an artist I don't particularly care for". Just sayin'.

Pretty much no one needs to explain why they don't like Maroon 5, but here's my excuse: Maybe the rest of the guys in the band are decent enough but their front man, Adam Levine, seems like an insufferable arrogant douchebag. His voice can also get pretty high. It doesn't sound good to my ears. Also, I cannot think of one other Maroon 5 song--and there are a lot of popular ones--that I like. Seriously, if I hear the opening notes to any of their songs, I pretty much always switch the radio station.

I will, however, listen to "This Love". It has a funky sound. A different sound from later Maroon 5 hits. In this case, I like the music way more than the lyrics which talk about a break up with some not-so-nice woman. Plus there was a lot of hip-hop released in the early 2000s and it was nice to hear an attempt at pop-rock in that era. Just sayin'.

30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 19

Day 19 -- Your Guiltiest Guilty Pleasure Song

"Redneck Woman" -- Gretchen Wilson, Here For the Party (2004)

Even though I grew up in a teensy tiny farming community, I am proud to say that I am not a redneck. For the record, dictionary.com defines redneck as "an uneducated white farm worker especially from the south" or "a bigot or reactionary, especially from the working class". I am none of these things. (Well, I guess I'm from the working class? What does working class mean these days?) But the point is, I am educated and not bigoted. So what gives?

"Redneck Woman" came out when I was in high school. Two of my classmates went nuts over it because I guess they thought it applied to them (although it didn't really). They loved it and played it all the time and by the time my sophomore year ended, I knew all the words. I found myself singing along. Then I found myself listening to the country station where it played nonstop.

"Redneck Woman" is the first in a long line of Hick Pride songs from the mid 2000s. The tune is catchy, the specific details are neat, and Gretchen Wilson is completely underrated as a vocalist. The whole song is just fun. (And stupid.) When I hear it, I just throw up my hands. I surrender. I like this song even though it glorifies a lifestyle that often goes hand in hand with ignorance and inbreeding. Those are the breaks. That is the nature of the guilty pleasure song.

30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 18

Day 18 -- A Song Used Well in a Movie or TV Show

"Girl" -- Davy Jones in The Brady Bunch Movie (1995)

My parents wouldn't take me to see The Brady Bunch Movie in theaters. They said I wouldn't get it. But what was there not to get? I watched The Brady Bunch on Nick-at-Nite all the time! I knew the characters! I knew that "groovy" meant "cool"! I understood bell bottoms and daisy appliques were once all the rage! And I liked all that stuff! 70s trends were way more neato than 90s trends. I even felt that way back then.

What I didn't know was that The Brady Bunch Movie was a parody of everyone's favorite blended TV family. The film took the family with all their 1970s fashion sense, lingo, and moralism and transported them to the grungey, techy 1990s. Hilarity ensued. Much later, when I finally saw The Brady Bunch Movie, I realized there were a lot of double entendres and other kid inappropriate stuff. So my parents were right. I wouldn't have "got it". It was best I stuck to the old sincere sitcom.

One of the original episodes of The Brady Bunch focuses on Marcia getting Davy Jones to perform at a school dance where he sings the ultra corny bubblegum pop song "Girl". Naturally, the movie parodies this very famous episode by having Marcia do the very same thing--getting Davy Jones to perform at the Big Dance. Except, you know, it's the 90s and bubblegum is out. Grunge is in. But since Marcia is so delusional about what is popular, she brings Davy Jones onstage. He begins singing "Girl" while the Gen-Xers stand around looking confused and the thirty-something female teachers swoon over their high school crush. In time, the back-up band begins playing along with "Girl" putting a grunge twist on it until everyone is dancing.

It's a great scene that shows how music can bring generations together and teaches the ever important lesson that, hey, maybe your parents' music isn't so lame after all.

30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 17

Day 17 -- The First Song You Remember Liking

"Over the Rainbow" -- Judy Garland, from The Wizard of Oz (1939)

My very first memories are inextricably linked to The Wizard of Oz. My parents have always been fans of the movie. Way back when they were first married, they rented a motel room just so they could watch the film's annual telecast on a color TV. (I'm not kidding.) So when I came along, it was only natural that I be exposed to The Wizard of Oz at the earliest possible moment. I was at the very least two. I loved the movie and I watched it constantly. And with a lot of repeated viewings, I came to love one of cinema's most popular and enduring songs, "Over the Rainbow".

30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 16

Day 16 -- An Oldie But a Goodie

"I Only Want to Be With You" -- Dusty Springfield, Stay Awhile/I Only Want to Be With You (1964)

You know what's a really happy song? Like a deliriously, I'm-in-so-much-damn-love-the-world-is-a-better-place-now happy song? "I Only Want to Be With You" by Dusty Springfield. This is one of those early 60s songs that marries the girl group Motown sound with that of the British invasion. It bombastically and giddily expresses, that when you are in love, you only want to be with that one person.

It's not a very complex song. (Here is one of the lines: "I just want to be beside you everywhere/As long as we're together, honey, I don't care") With these general lyrics, it can apply to almost anyone. It certainly applies to me. In its most simple terms, love boils down to just wanting to be with that one person, no matter what you are doing, from date night to cleaning the gutters. Of course, that one person for me is Tyler and although I'd rather have date night, there's no one else I'd rather clean the gutters with.

(FYI, an "oldie" is a song from the early years of rock n' roll, roughly meaning 1955-1970. These were the parameters I chose to work within.)

30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 15

Day 15 -- A Story Song

"We Danced" -- Brad Paisley, Who Needs Pictures (2000)

From what I can gather, most story songs are depressing. They deal in murder, rape, suicide, prostitution, alcoholism, insanity and other depressing unpleasantness. I get it. Drama sells. But you know what? Depressing unpleasantness just ain't my bag, baby. So I went on the hunt for a happy story song. I won't lie, it was slim pickins'. But luckily there is "We Danced".

"We Danced" tells the very short but sweet story of how two people meet, fall in love, and eventually get engaged. A woman returns to a bar after closing time looking for her purse. The bartender and this woman get to talking and before he gives back her purse, he "ransoms" it saying he'll only return it if they dance. Cute. Then, presumably much later, the woman stops by the bar after work and the bartender proposes. She says she'll only marry him if they dance. Cute.

I like the simplicity and the earnestness of the song. Brad Paisley's sincere delivery is also spot on. The song is corny, he knows it's corny, but he doesn't care. In the words of Paul McCartney, some people want to fill the world with silly love songs. And what's wrong with that? Nothing, I say. Absolutely nothing.

30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 14

Day 14 -- A Cheating Song

"Before He Cheats" -- Carrie Underwood, Some Hearts (2005)

This song is probably still Carrie Underwood's biggest hit after eleven years in the biz. This roaring country tune tells of how a woman destroys her cheating ex-boyfriend's car while he schmoozes a skeezy bar chick. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, you know. She sings "I might've saved a little trouble for the next girl/cause the next time that he cheats, you know it won't be on me." I respect that she removes herself from a toxic relationship instead of forgiving him and allowing him other opportunities to cheat. "Before He Cheats" is a fun song to sing, nay belt. (I can sing the piss out of it, by the way.) It makes one feel empowered, like you're a take-no-shit kind of broad. And it's over the top ridiculous.

I don't believe destroying personal property is the best way to get revenge in this type of situation. That's just uncalled for. I think ending the relationship is the best "revenge". They fucked up, and so their punishment is to never be with you again. That sounds fair. It's as simple as this: If you are happy with your partner, there is no reason to cheat. If you are so unhappy with your partner that you are contemplating cheating, you should not be with that person.

We all know cheating is bad. Therefore, "Before He Cheats" is the only kind of cheating song to write about.

30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 13

Day 13 -- A Love Makin' Song

"Love Me Like You Do" -- Ellie Goulding, Delirium (2015)

Last spring, one of the hits on the radio was "Love Me Like You Do" by Ellie Goulding which was from the 50 Shades of Grey soundtrack. I didn't see the film until much later, but the song--a sweet, ethereal ballad--seemed mismatched with an erotic S&M film. The song is about a woman surrendering and accepting all of the love, passion and pleasure her man wants to give. It fits with the dominant/submissive themes of 50 Shades of Grey, but it also applies to how I felt when Tyler and I first started making love. I had no idea how to handle the emotional and romantic aspects of sex. I didn't know what to do or feel, so I let Tyler "set the pace" as the lyrics say because "I [was] not thinking straight".

The most important moment in my life was when I met Tyler. We liked each other and were attracted to one another immediately. As we got to know each other, we fell in love and eventually physically show that love. AND IT WAS INCREDIBLE. The chemistry was astounding. The kisses were uplifting. The touches were transcendental. Tyler's passion for me was real. He was making love to me, not just a willing female. It was more than a physical act. It was a genuine expression of love just like I always wanted.

"Love Me Like You Do" is beautiful and sexual without being crass. Every time I hear it, it reminds me of when I made love for the first time. Wonderful, passionate, body quaking, earth shattering love. It reminds me of how I am able to express all my feelings to Tyler and how he expresses those same feelings right back.

30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 12

Day 12 -- A Love Song

"You Light Up My Life" -- Debby Boone, You Light Up My Life (1977)

I first heard this song, like so many songs, in an episode of The Simpsons. The episode is "I Married Marge", the second flashback episode of the series. This one, as you may be able to guess, shows Homer and Marge as a young couple, their brief engagement, their wedding and the birth of Bart. But before all that, they are just a pair of young lovers who drive around Springfield singing along to their song, "You Light Up My Life".

It's only a clip, but I really liked it. I think I used to listen to the MIDI file and read the lyrics because YouTube didn't exist yet. Eventually I illegally downloaded it on LimeWire (I'm really showing my age here...) and learned to sing it. I mean, it is the biggest selling song of the whole of the 1970s and a love song to boot. Right up my alley.

The song tells of a woman who has long desired to have a strong romantic relationship. She eventually finds it and she is happy. It is very simple song, no bells and whistles. Allow me a diversion, but you can understand every word Debby Boone is singing because she isn't showing off. (Whether or not she is capable of showing off is a moot point.) The song is a pure expression of love. Its delivery is pure. And it can apply to nearly everyone who is lucky enough to have found love (myself included) which I'm sure added to its massive success. There were rumors that Debby Boone, the daughter of the proto-Christian pop king Pat Boone, was singing about God. This was even mentioned in The Simpsons episode. Whatever.

This is why people love music (except my mom who just has a nice businesslike relationship with music.) With whatever song, you can make it mean whatever you want. Say if you want to believe "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" is about suicidal lovers, you will. When I sing/listen to "You Light Up My Life", it's about Tyler. That's why it's such a great love song to me; I live it.

30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 11

Day 11 -- A Drinking Song

"Chandelier" -- Sia, 1000 Forms of Fear (2014)

The beer flowed freely in the house I grew up in. My dad is and always has been a drinker. Not an alcoholic, but a drinker. And from a young age, I was introduced to the "culture" of drinking. I saw my dad drunk many times, and I never liked it. He wasn't angry or abusive he was just...ignorant. He wanted to feel good and he didn't care how annoying it was to my mother and I. Usually accompanied with his heavy drinking would be hours upon hours of him blasting his stereo. Never on a school night. But when it was his weekend, he wanted to get wasted. He either didn't care or didn't realize how much this bothered me and my mother. And his selfishness hurt our feelings.

When I got to high school, the worst peer pressure to drink I received came from my from my dad. He wanted to bond with me. I get it. But I was a square so I always declined.  Plus, my mom obviously had her opinions on drinking and I wanted to be on Team Mom. There wasn't a lot of actual peer pressure to drink when I was in high school. Everyone was very focused on sports and the town was so small that if there was drinking, someone would find out and then you couldn't be on the team and that was, like, the worst thing, like, ever.

Still, I had my first official drink my senior year: a glass of red wine to celebrate finishing my first novel, the now lost Jackson's Bride. This was done at my best friend Ashley's house. She and her brother were allowed to drink wine whenever they wanted. Although I could have easily grabbed a beer from my dad's garage, I wanted something classy. So red wine it was. I didn't like it. I don't remember even feeling buzzed. Drinking was...whatever.

Then came college. And I began to regress. Suddenly all my D.A.R.E. lessons went out the window. I wanted to seem mature. I wanted to fit in, to join in. I was a theater major and at the end of every show's run, there would be a party for all those involved in the production. The first time I got drunk--off of Mike's Hard Lemonade--was at one of these parties. At the time, it was awesome. I felt happy and giddy and free. My good time was amplified. I could speak freely. I felt invincible. I could flirt. And if I happened to say something a little too revealing, I could always blame the alcohol later. It was the perfect excuse.

Until I turned 21, these far between parties were mainly where I got alcohol. I justified getting wasted at each one because they were only every few months. I wasn't doing it every night or even every week. So it was "okay". But when I did turn 21, that changed. All of my worst decisions have been made while intoxicated. All of the worst moments of my life have somehow been related to alcohol. I don't need to go through these events with a fine tooth comb because it doesn't matter what. It matters why. I wanted to feel confident. I wanted to do things against my character. I wanted to be selfish. I wanted to escape from the pain of these mistakes. I wanted a loophole for my bad decisions.

Alcohol isn't to blame here. (18th Amendment anyone?) I knew how alcohol would effect me but I drank it anyway. I am to blame.

BUT I'M SUPPOSED TO BE WRITING ABOUT A SONG, RIGHT?

The first time I heard "Chandelier", I was working as a housekeeper in a hotel. Not a good time in my life, needless to say. I drank frequently at that time because I had nothing better to do. My social life was relegated to watching The Bachelor with two friends (one married with a child, the other recently engaged) on Monday nights.

I liked "Chandelier" the moment I heard it. So weird! Such passion! POWERFUL! Then I listened closer. The lyrics tell of a party girl who drinks to feel good and suppress her true feelings. She feels ashamed, so she drinks more. A vicious cycle. Hey, I knew about that! I wasn't in my "party girl" phase anymore, I was in my "drinks alone in self-pity" phase. One seemed far more exciting than the other. Therefore, "Chandelier" became my most listened to song of 2014. And a little into 2015. Basically until I got my new job where I eventually met Tyler.

Swinging from a chandelier is ridiculous. If you saw someone doing this at a party, you would pity them and fear for them. It's dangerous, not beautiful and not impressive. The act of swinging from the chandelier is a metaphor for drinking. You are trying to make getting sloppy drunk seem more glamorous than it is. "Hey, I'm swinging from a chandelier, not twirling around a stripper pole! It's not so bad! I'm a classy hot mess!" This is dark material for a pop song for this decade. I was impressed that it charted so high. But that's because "Chandelier" is so unfortunately normal. Sia and I weren't the only ones with these problems apparently.

Regardless of my personal improvements and epiphanies, "Chandelier" is still a weird, passionate, powerful song. I still like listening to it and attempting to sing it. I look at the song differently now. It is no longer a painful anthem for me to wallow with. Now I see it as surprisingly poignant piece of art. It helps me identify the absurdity of drinking. I would look like an asshole swinging from a chandelier, not a tragic heroine in self-destruct mode. I don't want to be either.

There are a lot of reasons why people drink: to make a good time better, to make a bad time better, to relieve stress and on and on. Lately, I haven't had any "bad times", so I don't need booze to feel better. As for good times, I don't think alcohol makes improves them any. Because how can they be improved? When it comes to stress, I have tried to find alternative methods like meditation and herbal tea (Christ, I sound like hippie).

Bottom line: I am not a good person when I drink. I want to be a good person, therefore I no longer drink. (Unless I'm with my dad. Not drinking when I'm with my dad is equivalent to some kids refusing to pray at the dinner table when they go home.) I am not at my best when I drink. But who is, really? Drinking doesn't make anyone better. It just makes some people feel better. I want to be my best because that is the woman Tyler deserves to be with. The least I can do is not get in my own way.

30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 10

Day 10 -- A Relaxing Song

"Wild Child" -- Enya, A Day Without Rain (2000)

I don't care if it's considered "cheating" to pick an Enya song. Nearly every Enya song is relaxing. (Probably. I have yet to listen to her entire discography.) Making relaxing music for soaking away your troubles in a bubble bath is exactly Enya's shtick. She owns the genre. Good for her.

While I've heard "Wild Child" before, because it is sixteen years old after all, I recently rediscovered it thanks to Pandora. I was unwinding in a bubble bath after a rather average day, waiting for Tyler to come home so he could join me. (Taking a bath with my love has long been a desire of mine and winter was ending, so I decided to make my move. It was awesome. A super sexy!) Anyway, there was a good 30 minutes before Tyler would be home, so I lit some candles and turned Pandora to the Enya station, because like I said, Enya is the queen of relaxing bath time music.

"Wild Child" was the first song to play. Of course the music was easy going and pleasant, but the lyrics are also quite calming. The title "Wild Child" is totally misleading. The lyrics are about being mindful--something I try to and need to continue to try to adopt--and accepting the day. Living in the present and knowing that everything will be all right. Everything is peachy keen. A sort of new age "Don't Worry, Be Happy", but far less annoying. Whenever I start to get stressed about anything, I take a moment to sing this song in my head. I imagine myself on a big white fluffy couch. I start to calm down. Whatever works, right? Thanks, Enya.

30 Day Song Challenge REDUX -- Day 9

Day 9 -- A Song That Makes You Want to Dance

"Jump" -- Kriss Kross, Totally Krossed Out (1992)

Okay, so it's not so much dancing as jumping, I suppose. But I car danced the hell out of this one on mine and Tyler's drive back from Manhattan Beach. Before we left, we grabbed a bunch of Tyler's childhood memorabilia from the attic which included thousands of baseball cards, trophies, and a random mix of Bobby Brown, Milli Vanilli, and MC Hammer cassette tapes. (Now I'm showing Tyler's age.) There were also some CD cases but Nirvana and Pearl Jam were already emptied. But alas! A silver lining! Kiddie rap duo Kriss Kross's debut album still remained. We were about to get totally krossed out.

While I was technically alive in 1992, I remember nothing of the popular music scene. So I have the stuck up privilege of hindsight and can tell you this song is ridiculous. While it is catchy and fun and light-hearted rap compared to say N.W.A., it is a novelty song. It was probably the inspiration for Kidz Bop. Anyway, it can't be denied that "Jump" has an infectious beat that makes me want to move. I literally can't sit still when this song comes on.

P.S. I am trying to learn all the words to "Jump" so I can perform this at mine and Tyler's wedding. No, I'm not kidding.