This is yet another reference to Community, so I apologize to those of you who don't watch the show, but I will explain. In season one, Shirley--the study group's only Christian member--decides to have a Christmas party for her friends at school. When she becomes upset with Jeff for fighting "on Christmas" the others remind her it is December 10th, not Christmas. But to Shirley it is Christmas, their Christmas, her best chance at Christmas because the study group is the closest thing she has to a family anymore.
S01E12, Comparative Religion
You'll have to watch the episode to discover how the conflict resolves, but fortunately the point I'm trying to make here doesn't depend on that. You see, this year my best friend decided we should have our own Shirley Bennett Christmas. We exchanged gifts, then ate mozzarella sticks and drank apple Izze juice while watching Olive, the Other Reindeer and A Charlie Brown Christmas. These two Christmas movies have been a kind of tradition for us since freshman year. Apart from the two finals we had to take that same day, it was a great day and a neat way to celebrate an early, college-friends-only Christmas. We had lunch with another friend (free fries at Burger King) and afterwards the two of us loaded up my car for the break, which I really appreciated. I would absolutely do it again, and I'm already looking forward to next year.
Shirley Bennett had it right in season one. Christmas with your family is always important, but if you're a college student, you should definitely celebrate Christmas with your friends, your college family, before you leave at the end of the fall semester. If you're short on money (like so many of us college students), you don't have to exchange gifts. But you can get together for a few hours, enjoy some Christmas treats, and watch a Christmas movie or two. It's one of my favorite college experiences and a great holiday tradition. Of course, include your friends from every religion, but maybe with a little more acceptance than Shirley ;)
I failed the 30 Day Song Challenge, as you might have noticed. My last day should have been days ago, and I never got past Day 27. But I'd feel like I cheated myself and my readers if I didn't just go through with it, so here are the last three days in one big, delayed post.
Day 28: A Song That Makes Me Feel Guilty
A couple years ago I was listening to a band called Forever The Sickest Kids, which I assume is something most of you either haven't heard of or don't really care for. Anyway, I was a fan for a while, and my favorite song from their album was definitely this one, "Coffee Break." It's a coming-of-age song about a guy who has to take a break from his busy life for a while and turn off his phone, just to accept that his life is changing and he has to change too, and grow up. The line that makes me feel guilty is "my mom hates my guts." Now, I don't really feel that way, but when life gets hard and you're not sure you're the person you wanted to become, it's easy to make yourself believe your parents are disappointed.
Day 29: A Song from My Childhood
There are a few I could talk about here. The first thing that comes to mind is that my mom used to always listen to country music, so I picked out my favorites from that genre when I was little. One I clearly remember dancing along to was "Boot Scootin' Boogie" by Brooks and Dunn.
Oh, the 90s! How I miss them. My sister and I were into all the cool stuff, like N*SYNC and The Backstreet Boys. Back then, we were bigger fans of N*Sync, but later we grew to really like The Backstreet Boys better. I have to be honest, I still have a huge soft spot for boy bands. No lie. "Tearin' Up My Heart" is one I remember being addicted to, and if I remember correctly, my group had to make up a dance to this in elementary school. I also seem to remember Marshall Hopkins being in my group, so I guarantee it was the best dance in all of the first grade. Maybe memory serves me wrong, but i doubt it.
And, last but never least, I cannot forget the wonderful Savage Garden. I don't think we knew anything about the band or heard any of their songs until sometime after 2003 when I rediscovered them and bought both their albums, but my sister and I loved "Truly, Madly, Deeply." (I doubt we could have told you the title in the '90s)
When I think '90s music, I always think of my sister. I remember singing these songs with her, and dancing to some of them, too. I remember singing along to the songs from Disney movies, and I remember running around with the characters, too. Sis, do you remember running around in the basement to certain scenes in The Lion King or The Rescuers: Down Under? Those days were incredible.
Day 30: My Favorite Song this Time Last Year
I wanted to talk about a Christmas song, but I have to honestly say I do not recall my Christmas song phase from last year. Sadly, I have to abandon that attempt.
Winter is a hard time for me when it comes to music. Especially these last few years, I'm used to finding an album or artist to listen to constantly in the summer. I go through that phase when I'm not happy listening to music if it's not that artist, or that album. Then it gets old, and I start to drop it, and when winter comes along I look for something new and can't grasp onto any of it. If I remember correctly, last winter I was trying to find something to replace The Summer Set's newest album (apparently no longer their newest; I have some money to spend, you guys), Love Like This, but I couldn't let go of this song, "Where Are You Now?" along with a couple others. Maybe you can guess why.
This song features Dia Frampton of Meg and Dia (I don't know who that is, but I figured I might as well credit the female vocals, as she is not a member of The Summer Set). Also, one thing I like about this band is their drummer is a woman. And I think this is the first band I've mentioned here that I've seen in concert. Nice way to end the challenge, I guess.
Did you know I used to take piano lessons? I was awful. As I like to put it, I can't think with both hands at the same time. When I found out we were moving to Colorado, I saw an opportunity to quit piano lessons once and for all. The problem was the big recital that stood in my way.
This is bad, you guys. Part of me is ashamed of what I did, and part of me is still that proud 12-year-old. I devised a plan and kept it secret until my performance. You see, I was going to be playing Mozart's Symphony No. 40, and someone was going to announce it as that just before I played. But the way I played, you couldn't tell it was Mozart. Everyone would know I was butchering the heck out of the song. So I made up my mind to practice only the recognizable right-handed portion of the song and play without my left hand.
My parents (and grandparents? She was there, right?) were disappointed in me, if I remember correctly, but I still think it was more of a success than it would have been if I had tried to practice both hands. Still, I wish I had the talent and the discipline to have really pulled off a performance that day rather than half-handing it.
Here's someone who can play it.
I was sitting at Wing Stop with my parents when I heard this song for the first time, soft and barely audible through the restaurant speakers. I tried to remember some of the song lyrics so I could look it up later because it sounded cool, but all I could ever remember was people sitting on rooftops. I should have looked it up; the title is "Rooftops." Anyway, I didn't hear it again until I heard my boyfriend at the time playing it, and I got all excited and shortly I learned to play it, too. You know, on Guitar Hero: World Tour.
I'm sorry if you expected a real instrument. If it helps, I can also play "Taps" on my harmonica. I could the last time I checked, anyway. Other than that, no musical ability whatsoever.
There's an artist I've been dying to talk about, and fortunately one of her songs fits into this category for me. It's Dawn Landes, and I know nothing about her except she has a crazy awesome voice and her music is best when listened to at night (as recommended by a friend of mine). There is one song that always catches me off guard because of the strange lyrics. I don't know what to do other than laugh at it.
I think this is it... "Picture Show" by Dawn Landes
At my sister's request, I have to mention a certain band I once loved somewhere is this challenge. This is the only place for them at this point, and I think I might have put them here all along if I had remembered them. The band I'm talking about is Bowling for Soup, and I think almost all of their music makes me laugh. I'm more of a Hangover You Don't Deserve kind of person, but Drunk Enough to Dance was cool too. I'm not familiar with most of The Great Burrito Extortion Case. My parents laughed at my Bowling for Soup phase, I think. Who wouldn't? Weird name, weird band. But I love them. One of my favorites, which I definitely laugh it, is "Two-Seater." It's a classic break-up song, way cooler than Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats."
Fun Fact: I sang that one in the shower the other day. I mean, Fun Fact: Bowling for Soup also sings the title song for Phineas and Ferb. So stick with us 'cause Phineas and Ferb are gonna do it all.
Someone brought up the point to me that I won't be there, so it's really more up to my family and loved ones who will be at my funeral. Honestly, I don't look forward to that particular date yet anyway, so I say who cares? I'm just going to do this thing.
I'll start of with "Old Rugged Cross" because it just seems right. I think my mom is a fan (Mom, please don't attend my funeral. I plan to attend yours instead. Thanks.) This topic is morbid. So... Anyway, this is a great hymn, and I've heard it at funerals before, and if I had the choice I'd play it at mine. This one's Anne Murray; I wouldn't be too picky about the artist, but it would have to be a woman.
I also think "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" is beautiful. Soft, slow, and sweet. Absolutely perfect. The one I'm including is by Zooey Deschanel from She & Him Volume 1. I love Deschanel's voice, and this is the most beautiful version of the song I've heard. I think it would be the coolest for this one to be sung a Capella (is there any other way?) by a small ensemble. I've heard it done by a barbershop quartet and thought it was fantastic.
I don't even know why I'm including this last one, except that I just can't get it out of my head. I don't know if I can say for sure, like I can with the other two, that I'd like it played at my funeral, but I do think it's beautiful, and I like that's just sad and slow enough but also full of hope. I'll have to over-analyze the lyrics before I make any further decisions. For now, please just enjoy... "Blackbird" by The Beatles.
So I looked it up, and it's actually about racial tension. Well, you know what, that's the meaning intended when it was written. I'm an English major, and I think we're allowed to assign our own meaning. If I wanted to, I could definitely see this as a funeral song, especially for Christians.
This post is somewhat incorrectly titled, because I don't want a wedding. That's how I feel right now, anyway. I'll change my mind tomorrow, and then in a couple weeks I'll be right back to this again, or something like that. Anyway, someone who doesn't want a wedding half the time, does not take the time to plan out music the other half of the time. So I have no idea. But I think this could be a really cute song for the father-daughter dance at the reception, for any girl who would have the guts to play it. I'm pretty sure I would just cry. I've always found it incredibly sweet, in an almost sad way.
"I Loved Her First" by Heartland
P.S. If my sister is reading this...You're not allowed to steal this and use it at your wedding first. If you already had it in mind then...I'll think about allowing it. ;)
This sort of relates to the category I'm supposed to talk about today: a song you listen to when you're sad. I'll tell you how: You may or may not remember my day 4 (a song that makes you sad), but I gave a video for the original song as well as a fan cover of the song. This was done by a cool kid named Julia Nunes. I wanted to talk about her a little bit more because, while most of her covers are pretty solid, I think her original songs are pretty creative too. So I'd like to share some her stuff with you. She does announcements at the end of most of these, so you can stop watching when the song is over.
I'll start with "Maybe I Will," because I think this one has a pretty cool video. This took a lot of work, I'm sure, and it looks pretty neat.
Next up is "The Debt." I love everything she does in this one. So much talent.
I think I'm just in love with her, because I even like this one:
Anyway, there's a lot of talent out there on YouTube, if you know where to look or if one day you happen to stumble upon a quirky girl with a great voice like Julia Nunes. If any of you guys have discovered someone super talented on YouTube, please share with your comments!
Today is supposed to be a song I listen to when I'm happy, but I already covered the happy category with day 3. Instead, I decided to try to steal a category my best friend used as a substitute, which was theme songs from his favorite shows. Unfortunately, he pretty much used all of them, so I have to be as creative as I can.
I'll start off with Community, my current favorite TV show. My friend already highlighted the theme song in his post for today (you can read his blog here) so I feel like I can't talk about that now. Instead, here's Troy and Abed's Spanish rap. It's fun even though it doesn't make sense, like pretty much everything Troy and Abed do together.
Makes me smile every time. Well, I might as well throw in the season two Anthropology rap. Because, you know, it has Betty White.
Another them song my friend highlighted was the 30 Rock theme song. I love and hate that song because, while it is incredibly catchy, that just means it gets stuck in my head every time I watch an episode. The love overrides the hate though, for sure. Another fun song from 30 Rock is Jenna's "Muffin Top," apparently quite popular in Israel. I tried to find the clip of Jenna actually performing the song, but YouTube isn't perfect. This just has pictures of the cast in the background, but I guess it works. Anyway, this song is hilarious just because of how weird and awkward it is. Another good one is Tracy Jordan's "Werewolf Bar Mitzfah." (I'm not including that one, sorry.)
Moving away from NBC now, one of my favorite shows on TV is Psych. What I love about Psych is that it's a comedy and a drama. It's flexible enough to have some serious plots without losing its humor. And the theme song is catchy and does a great job summing up the premise of the show. Here's the full-length version of "I Know You Know."
I think four songs is enough for today. Thanks for reading, I had fun with this one.
This is a fun category. I remember in middle school I was listening to Avril one day in my room, and my dad came in and I was like, "This is my angry music!" and he laughed at me. Thanks, Dad. Anyway, it's always good to have that one song, or artist, or album, that you can turn to when you're mad. It's healthy, I think. Ask your therapist.
For me, one artist I can rely on in times of anger is 3Oh!3. You guys, this band is really quite awful in several ways. For some reason, I'm addicted to how bad it is. And this song, "I'm Not Comin' To Your Party, Girl" is good for a mad song. It's not good for much else. It just played on my Zune and I didn't even realize it until I looked down to find it to clarify the title. So yeah, definitely my favorite song, right?
I guess I like the "I don't need you" attitude of it. It works.
Guess what? It's difficult for me to single out an album I definitely prefer above all the rest. No surprise there. I was going to try, though. I was going to talk about Mumford and Sons, and their CD, Sigh No More. Did you know the album title is a reference to a song from Shakespeare's "Much Ado about Nothing"? I love references to the works of the bard. (English nerd alert.) I guess, since I've mentioned that, the song I'll give you is the title track, "Sigh No More."
This band makes beautiful music. I fell in love with "Little Lion Man" in January, then "The Cave" in the summer, shortly followed by the rest of the album. I like them for their unique sound (gotta love the way they use that banjo) and for their lyrics, in which I personally found some Christian themes. I'm a little disenchanted ever since I realized they're more popular than I initially guessed, because something about mainstream music often turns me off. There's something exciting about loving a band no one else has heard of.
I love that album, but I have to talk about Vampire Weekend too. Unfortunately, I can't tell you which album I prefer. At first, I was a bigger fan of their self-titled album, but when I warmed up to their second album, Contra, I realized I couldn't choose one over the other. I will pick only one song though, not because it stands out as my favorite, but just because it's the one on my mind right now. It's called :"Giving Up the Gun," and it's off their second album.
The reason this song has been on my mind is because of these opening lines:
"Your sword's grown old and rusty
Underneath the rising sun.
It's locked up like a trophy,
Forgetting all the things it's done."
The last time I heard these opening lines, I thought, "That's it. That's why I started my blog." As a writer, I felt I wasn't exercising my gift at all, that maybe my talent was going to dry up with disuse. So I thought a blog would be a good way to get my sword back out of the confines of the trophy case and wield it with pride. And now I'm writing "every day" (sorry day 18 was late. I have all this work to do for class...)
I am currently listening to the radio at work, so this is just the song I wish they would play right now.
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel by Sugarland
I loved this song the first time I heard it, and the first time we sang it in chapel. There's a quiet and beautiful power in the lines, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel" as well as just in the entire song as a whole. This time of year, I love to think of this name for Christ. Emmanuel, God with us. God cared so much for us that He came down to be with us, for our sake and not His own. The idea means so much to me, seems so crazy and beautiful, and the name "Emmanuel" sums that up and always triggers that place in my heart.
This year, my friend put together a Christmas playlist for me to listen to on my Thanksgiving drive home, and he included this song as sung by Sugarland. It took my breath away, and I had to replay it. These guys have done a perfect job with this song, if you ask me. When Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush combine their voices, it creates the most beautiful sound in all of country music, with the exception of similar groups like Lady Antebellum. They have a great sound too. In fact, I would single out Lady Antebellum as my favorite country group, with Sugarland close behind.
In conclusion, this particular version of this song has become a Christmas essential for me and will stick with me for years to come, I am sure.
You know I don't listen to the radio very much. Mostly I prefer my Zune, especially for longer drives. But when I'm at home, there are a few stations I like to switch between when I'm just driving around town. And there's a song I always hear, it seems, every time I turn on the radio, on more than one of these stations. As far as I know, they've been overplaying this song since the day it was released a year and a half ago. The song is "Say You'll Haunt Me" by Stone Sour.
Now, I don't have anything against the song itself. It's okay. But the only other song I've ever heard from this band was "Through Glass," which I thought was much better. To me, "Through Glass" represents all this band is capable of, and "Say You'll Haunt Me" represents their failure to live up to that. Maybe I would believe in this band more if I heard more than just these two songs, but until I make that decision, this is all I have to go by. I'm including "Through Glass" just because it's better.
Again, I have to go with a band instead of a song. It's going to be an obvious one, and I apologize for that, but it is what it is: Linkin Park. I used to like their old stuff, and I'll admit I was even a fan of Minutes to Midnight, the album that turned almost all of their other fans off. It was honestly more like the kind of music I was listening to at the time. Which was everyone else's problem: this band sold out. Anyway, after that album it all went downhill. They don't even sound like the same band anymore, and I refuse to believe they are. So a while back, I added some of their older music to my playlist thinking I was doing myself some good, returning to the band as it should have been. Sadly, I discovered I'm not even a fan of their old stuff so much anymore. It is so angsty, as I guess I once was. I've just grown out of it.I don't hate it, but it's also not my favorite anymore. Here's one I was once crazy about: "Nobody's Listening." (I'm not including any of their newer stuff because I prefer to pretend it does not exist.)
At first I thought, "I don't feel like blogging today. Do I have to? I suppose I do..." But then I saw the topic for today, and I'm pretty excited about this one. There are two songs that jumped into my head immediately when I first considered this day of the challenge. The first is "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield. I haven't heard it in a really long time, but I used to think of it as "my song" because I felt a connection to it as a writer. I know the writing theme is supposed to be a metaphor for life, but I like to take it literally too. Maybe that's partially because, as a Christian, I don't necessarily belief my life itself is completely "unwritten." But it's great to think that, when it comes to writing, I have so much ahead of me to look forward to. I have so much potential, and since I haven't even begun a career, all of my writing is so far unwritten. But maybe today is where my book begins.
The second song is "Unwell" by Matchbox 20. I guess the theme for today is "un-." Anyway, I'm not trying to say I lie in bed making friends with shadows on my wall (odd). I don't hear voices either. But I definitely do talk to myself in public, and I can relate to dodging glances even if I don't ride the train. The way people look at you sometimes when they realize you're talking to yourself...I feel a bit like Raskolnikov from Crime and Punishment. There are some times when I want to tell people, "I'm not crazy," but there are other times when I scare even myself and I wonder when they'll discover me and take me away. But I'm not crazy. Just a little unwell, right?
Enjoy the acoustic version of this one, guys. It's different, I think in a good way.
Who made this list?
Personally I think this category is a lot like yesterday's category, so I'm spinning it a little. Instead of a song no one would expect me to love, I'm giving you a band no one would expect me to love. And since most of the music I like is the kind of thing that might inspire the, "You? You like that band, really?" response, I'm going instead with a band that no one would expect me to like for the simple reason that no one else has heard of this band. You can't expect me to love a band you've never heard of, right? Call it cheating if you wish.
I don't know where I found this band, but because of their name I used to confuse them with Death Cab for Cutie. This band is not Death Cab for Cutie. This band is Cute Is What We Aim For. If cute is what they aim for, I'm not sure they're hitting the mark, but I do think they're weird but catchy, witty but sometimes lame. And I'm addicted. This band's jams are on that driving playlist I can never manage to shut up about. Here are just a couple.
This first one is called "Teasing to Please." I don't know why, but I like the bit about the ripped knees.
The second one I'd like to share is called "Time." It's a little bit more slow and sad, and you know I like that.
The only videos I could find had the lyrics, so I hope you guys don't mind that.
And that's the weird band I listen to when I drive across Kansas. I wouldn't call them a favorite by any means, but I like singing along.
There's not much to say about this one. I don't like the artist, I can't say I really like the song, but if I hear it on the radio while I'm driving, I'll crank up the volume and sing along. You guys... I'm sorry about this...it's "Pokerface" by Lady Gaga. You can stop being my friend now, I'll understand.
But since no one wants to hear that, here's Christopher Walken.
Fortunately, I keep finding out I don't actually know any of the words to this song, except for the chorus. I discovered this first when I tried to do the vocals for it on Rock Band in a friend's basement last summer (miserable failure ensued). So I'm not too far gone, right? Right?
I don't know that I like the word "hate." But I do know of a band I can't stand. There's a radio station back home that I had to stop listening to because they played this band too often. But it's not hatred, really. I just think they're annoying. And what I think was even more annoying was that one of their songs ended up as our "class song" my senior year in high school. I'm pretty sure the voting was rigged somehow. I was in choir that year (okay, I was in choir every year in high school. Sometimes multiple choirs in one semester), and for whatever reason we had to sing the class song at graduation. Actually, I found that slightly more bearable than the band's version, though I still never saw it as an appropriate song for a graduating class of high school students. But that's in the past. Anyway, the band is Green Day, and the song is "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
This one is easy for me, for some reason. Ask me to name my favorite song, I can't do it. Ask me for my favorite book, I'll struggle. But my favorite band? Panic! at the Disco. Almost no hesitation.
You guys, I love this band. I almost can't even explain why. I'm just crazy about them. I think part of what helped me was I started listening to both of their first CDs at around the same time. Most people who heard the first CD and really liked it were probably a little turned off by the second album because it was so different. They probably thought to themselves, "Well this isn't even the same band" and gave up after that. And who could blame those people? Technically it wasn't the same band. But I knew both albums at the same time. To me, A Fever You Can't Sweat Out was Panic, but Pretty. Odd. was also Panic. The albums each have their own distinct sound, and I appreciate both.
Because the three albums represent three different sounds, I'd like to share one song from each album.
From A Fever You Can't Sweat Out, you've probably heard "I Write Sins, Not Tragedies" or one of the other singles. But you may not have heard my favorite, "There's a Good Reason These Tables Are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Thought of It Yet." This is one of my driving tunes. I especially enjoy singing along word-for-word. It's good fun.
From Pretty. Odd. perhaps you've heard "Nine in the Afternoon" or maybe even one of my favorites, "Northern Downpour." I'm crazy about :"Northern Downpour." But maybe you're not familiar with "When the Day Met the Night." Also on my driving playlist, I listened to this one Tuesday night while driving towards the sunset. Absolutely beautiful.
And now for Vices and Virtues, the last CD I bought. I don't buy CDs very often, because I'm a broke college student and before that I was just broke. But I was excited about this one, and I went out to buy it the week it came out. It's different from both of the previous albums, but it's great. I'm not sure which songs from this album made it to the radio, but I'll just assume you haven't heard any and then share one I think is probably more obscure anyway. I used to think this one was beautiful. Sadly that magic has faded, but I do still love it. Here's "Trade Mistakes."
So there's a little sampler of my favorite band. Their sound has changed over the years, but my love for them has not.
I had to get a little creative with this one, because I honestly don't listen to music at night very much. There have been times when I listened to music to help me sleep, but white noise works so much better. Music just distracts me and keeps me up longer. So I'm sharing a lullaby my mother used to sing for me when I was little.
First I'm going to define, "can dance to." I'm not making any claims to a dancing ability here. I learned the Electric Slide in elementary school and thought I was pretty good at it, but that's the extent of my skill and I have long since forgotten that one anyway. So I'll be talking about a song with a beat that I can move to, not about something I can "dance" to and look good while doing so. That one doesn't exist.
I'm actually going to talk about couple of songs. So for the first one, does anybody remember Savage Garden? I was a fan of the band when I was younger, and then several years ago I learned the lead singer, Darren Hayes, had a solo career. I think the guy is actually still making music, which seems crazy to me. I haven't heard any of his recent stuff, but I like some of the older songs. Here's one I can't quite sit still to.
"Spin" by Darren Hayes
It's just fun, in my opinion. I listened to this one today while driving across Kansas, and I danced as much as possible while remaining in my seat. You guys get that, right? That's not just a me thing?
I heard this next one during my drive too. The lyrics aren't quite as light and enjoyable, but it does have a good beat. I believe my finger danced to this one today. Don't ask...
"Capital G" by Nine Inch Nails
(Use headphones at your own discretion; the lyrics aren't entirely clean)
This will be a kind of two-for-one, because this was the the song I had planned to use for my day 7. I forgot about it, of course, until several hours after I posted about "Crazy Train" instead. So here's a song that I know all the words to, but that also reminds me of a certain forbidden spring.
Freshman year, second semester. My roommate never went to bed before 2 or 3 in the morning. She stayed up watching television shows on her laptop without ever turning the light out. I had wanted to switch rooms after winter break, but I was too lazy to move all my stuff out and didn't know where I'd move to anyway, or who I'd room with. Then, just before spring break I heard about the empty room right next door. It sounded perfect. I could have a room all to myself, and I would still have to move my things out of the current room, but they wouldn't be going very far. I talked to my RA and she promised to talk to the RE for me. It looked very much like I would be getting that room.
Days passed. I spoke to my RA again, and she said one of the girls had never signed out of the room, though she was clearly living at home and had not been back to the dorms for quite some time. The room was abandoned, but not officially available. Spring break came and went, and I told myself it wouldn't be worth it now. Why move into another room for only a few weeks, even if it was just next door? I told myself to give up on the idea. But I couldn't.
One day I found out the empty room was unlocked. I moved some bedsheets and a pillow into the room in secret and began to sneak in every night to get to sleep at a decent hour, always remembering to wake up and sneak back to my own room at four or five so my roommate would only think I had been out late. Through a series of events that would take too much time to explain, the room became locked and I borrowed the key secretly so I could take my sheets back and give up my routine. Again, I could not. I kept the key and continued sneaking into the room until someone caught on and my RA confronted me.
I somehow discovered this song around that time, and now when I hear it I can almost feel that fleeting sense of freedom, the thrill of my secret, empty room. I called it my Room of Refuge.
"Paper Walls" by Yellowcard
Empty rooms tend to echo like crazy, so I would listen to music to shut out the noises from the hall. Most nights I just listened to this CD, and the title track was by far my favorite. It's a beautiful tale about breaking free from all the nonsense and getting back to the music, the reason the band started playing in the first place.
I loved that, but it meant something even more to me, I think. "Let's burn a hole so we can climb out of these paper walls and this empty house." I listened to this song during a time of escape, and I think my own dorm room felt more empty than my precious Room of Refuge. The Room of Refuge was the hole I had burned to get out. And I think that's why this song really stuck with me, and why I still know the lyrics to this day.
I was raised a Chiefs fan, with the exception of the one day we played the Dolphins during my "I'm going to be a marine biologist when I grow up" phase, in which case I rooted for Miami to the dismay of my mother. This year I'm also a fan of the Packers, mostly because I believe in Aaron Rodgers. But no matter who I'm rooting for (and it's usually my Chiefs), football has become an important part of my life.
There was a song I always heard parts of when I saw the games on television, and I never knew what it was. It was "that football song" to me and nothing more until Guitar Hero: World Tour finally washed away my ignorance. Someone played this song in my basement and I thought, "Hey, hey! It's that football song!"
"The Song they Always Play at Football Games"
Yes, that's the one. "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne. I apologize sincerely for my 18-year ignorance. The effect is essentially irreversible. Though I now know the title and artist of this song, and that it's plenty popular without the help of football, I will never be able to hear this song without thinking of football. And that's okay with me, because football is America.
This one was hard for me, because it tends to go the other way around more often. I find that certain places, when I'm there, remind me of certain songs. But a song that reminds me of somewhere? I wasn't sure at first. In the end, what I had to do was think about the places that are important to me and try to come up with songs that fit those places. And that's when I thought of this song.
Baby Blue by George Strait
I used to hear this song a lot when I was younger, because my mom always listened to country music. But it never meant anything to me until I actually moved to Colorado, and that was when I finally understood about the Colorado sky. I can't say this any other way: it is just so blue. I haven't been to very many places, but any place I have been other than Colorado, the sky just doesn't compare. I sometimes say the grass may be greener in Kansas, but the sky is bluer in Colorado. It's absolutely breath-taking.
Did you guys know I had a "boyfriend" in first grade? It's true. His name was Justin. I was in this great clique, and I'm pretty sure one of the requirements for joining was you had to be a fan of the Spice Girls. We would hang out at recess and sometimes try to determine how to get back at the "class bully," Dillon. I don't have the greatest memory in the world, but looking back I don't recall Dillon ever doing anything to hurt anyone else. Of course, I don't remember anything we did to him either. I think someone told me he was the bully and we had to act against that, and I just went with it.
Anyway, back to Justin. At some point, it was decided the two of us should be boyfriend and girlfriend (Don't ask me why he couldn't have picked either of the other two girls in the group), but to earn his love I had to memorize...."The Titanic song."
Here it is: "My Heart Will Go On" by Celine Dion
Yep, that's the one. Justin moved to some other city after first grade and I never saw him again. I don't remember ever knowing his last name, and beyond "dark hair" I couldn't tell you what he looked like at all, but every time I hear this song a piece of my mind always travels back to my silly first-grade "relationship" and our little group of crazy people.
As I've already said, here's how I feel about music: sad = beautiful. And there are a lot of songs that would fit into this category, but there's one in particular that I think I'd really like to share.
The Conversation by Motion City Soundtrack
I don't feel like I have to say a lot about this one, because it mostly speaks for itself. I will say it can do weird things to my head. I was listening to it one night and it almost made me end the relationship I was in at the time, just because of the gloomy mood it put me in.
That's a little depressing; I didn't mean to go that way with this. Most of the time it gives me a good kind of sad feeling, if you know what I'm trying to say.
So you know how sometimes you just want to hear one of your favorite songs, so you look for it on YouTube and all you can find are covers by fans? I usually hate that feeling, but once I was looking for this song, and I found this cover that I thought was done really well. So now I'd like to share this one with you too. (I think she makes some announcements at the end, but you don't have to watch that; they're pretty outdated.)
I thought about this one for a while and decided I have to go with one of my favorite worship songs.
Days of Elijah
Now, don't ask me who the original artist is. I'll admit, with songs like this I don't actually care. When it comes to worship music, nothing is more beautiful than the entire congregation singing along with your home church's humble worship team.
The first time I sang this song in my church, it was one of those, "Let's all sing the song we taught you guys last Sunday!" situations, and for whatever reason I hadn't been to church the previous Sunday. Naturally this made me a grumbler, because I hate singing worship songs I'm not familiar with. The words display on the screen, but I'm never sure what the tempo is going to be like, and it's just not an enjoyable experience for me. So at first, this was just another song to stumble through, something else to learn reluctantly while everyone else already had it down.
I don't know when or how it happened, but somehow I grew to love this song despite my initial grumbling. Now I get really psyched about it, probably more than any other song I've ever sung in church. Sometimes when the worship team is on stage, I just wanna shout, "Days of Elijah" but I don't know if that's okay. Can you shout out song recommendations in church? I feel like that needs to be a thing.
I can't explain how excited I am about this song. It's powerful, it's uplifting; it's just good.
There are a few songs that'll make me change the station if they come onto the radio, but this is the one I can probably stand the least:
California Girls by Katy Perry
I'm sorry, what's that? It's actually spelled "California Gurls"? Well, that's just stupid. As an English major, I take offense to that blatant butchering of the English language. Is it really necessary?
Spelling errors aside, I still think this is a disgusting song. Any man can objectify women in his music, but it really grinds my gears when women do it. A few of Katy Perry's songs annoy me slightly less than the rest, but I am definitely not a fan of this one or "I Kissed a Girl" (or is it "gurl"?).
To test my own commitment to this thing, and to show you guys I'm serious about posting regularly, I have decided to challenge myself. Okay, so it was a suggestion from a reader, but I like it. So, for the next 30 days, I'll be doing the 30 day song challenge. As my friend mentioned, we're getting to the busiest time of the semester, so if I can do this now, I can do it anytime. I'm excited about this challenge. So we begin with Day 1: My Favorite Song.
I get a little frustrated when I try to look for this song on my Zune, because All Time Low is not a band I listen to much, so I can always remember the song title but sometimes I forget the artist.
Freshman year I annoyed the heck out of my roommate with this one (she deserved it a little). For whatever reason, I could never listen to it just once. In fact, I'm listening to it on repeat as I write this.
It took me a while to think of a "favorite song" because that's just really tough. If you held me at gunpoint and asked me to tell you my favorite book, you'd probably end up shooting me if I didn't just spontaneously combust from the pressure. Music is pretty much the same way, but at the same time it isn't. I get into moods sometimes, and they determine my "favorite song right now." Unfortunately right now I don't have one of those. At one point, I thought "I Knew I Loved You" by Savage Garden would be my favorite song forever, but I got tired of it like all my other "right now" favorites. I could listen to it today and enjoy it, but not quite like I used to. If you had asked me in August, I might have said my favorite song was "The Cave" by Mumford and Sons, but I'm harboring a grudge against it right now due to overplaying.
"Remembering Sunday" is one of those I did go through a phase with (unfortunately for my freshman roommate), but that didn't lose its power over me after time. I still find it incredibly beautiful and romantic. The way the character tirelessly pursues his love interest ("and even though she doesn't believe in love, he's determined to call her bluff") really pulls at my heartstrings--as a hopeless romantic, these things just get to me. I also like the sad ending. To me, there is something beautiful about sad songs.
Speaking of sad endings, does anybody have an opinion on what the end means? I was told by a friend in high school that one of the band members said the girl just left for some faraway place, and that her being above the clouds is just her in an airplane. I don't buy it; sounds like suicide to me.
The other thing I really like about the song is the mixture of male and female vocals. It's not exactly a duet, but I love a song that uses both male and female voices. It's a great effect. That and overlapping lyrics, when two parts are singing different lyrics at once (not really used in this song) are my favorite.
"Remembering Sunday" by All Time Low (I remembered it!) may not be my absolute favorite song, but that's difficult to define for anyone, and this one definitely stands out, for me, among many others. I can listen to it any time and still be moved.
So I finally broke down and decided to start a blog. It's nothing special; I'd just like to use it to talk about whatever comes to mind, life in general, etc.
And that's why I've called it "Anthropology 101" as a shout-out to my favorite show, Community. In the beginning of the season two episode, "Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples," the under-qualified professor of the group's Anthropology class is playing videos on YouTube instead of teaching because, since Anthropology is the study of humanity, everything applies.
I'm going to take that attitude with this blog. No, I'm not going to be showing YouTube clips. But I am going to write about anything I feel strongly about, because here, everything applies.
As a closing note to this first post, I'd like to add that Community is in danger of hiatus/possible cancellation. So if you stumble across this blog, please support the best comedy currently on the air. Watch Community!
