Note – You may not be able to handle this post. That’s OK. It’s not for everyone.
I throw around the word “awesome” quite often.
However, I feel I have let you down by not defining it, in a pop culture context.
“Awesome” things in pop culture are things you see and your only thought is “DUDE, THAT WAS AWESOME!”
Whew. Glad I got that off my chest.
So now, to further clarify, here are some videos that are AWESOME.
And let’s end this list right about where we started it:
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Everyone needs some Friday workout jams! So here we go!
1) Guns ‘n’ Roses – Paradise City
2) Pink Floyd – Another Brick in the Wall (Pt 2)
3) Timbaland f/Justin Timberlake – Carry Out
4) Paramore – Misery Business
5) AFI – Miss Murder
6) Halifax – Straight Up
7) Live – I Alone
8 Queen – Princes of the Universe
9) Michael Jackson – Beat It
10) Junior Senior – Move Your Feet
Have a happy, super fit weekend!
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I’ve always been fascinated with cover songs – when one artist does their version of a song another made famous.
For me, seeking out covers has exposed me to new songs and artists, and even new genres of music. A new slant on an old song shows creativity and artistry, and says as much about the coverer as it does about the coveree.
So I present to you, my Top 16 Cover Songs!
[Notes: Some people say that artists can cover their own songs. An example being Eric Clapton's unplugged version of "Layla." While these alternative versions are awesome, they are not covers in my book. You'll notice some bands you may not be familiar with. Feel free to look up their versions! Also, American Idol performances get their own "Honorable Mention" catgory. Glee performances aren't eligible, as are tribute movies, like "I Am Sam" or "Across the Universe." Also, this is my list of my favorites. It's biased. Put your favorites in the comments! And you can look up the original artists...it doesn't matter because these versions are so good!]
American Idol Honorable Mentions
“Straight Up” by Andrew Garcia
“Eleanor Rigby” by David Cook
“Hemorrhage” by Chris Daughtry – In my opinion, THE rockstar making performance of his career.
“Heartless” by Kris Allen – Making a Kanye song sound like your own is no easy feat.
And here we go with the Top 16!
16 – “Smooth Criminal” by Alien Ant Farm – Are you OK, Annie????
15 – “Boyz In Tha Hood” by Dynamite Hack – Apologies for the language, but this is pure brilliance.
14 – “Careless Whisper” by Seether
13 – “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston
12 – “The Man Who Sold The World” by Nirvana
11 – “Feelin’ Good” by Muse
10 – “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley
9 – “Billie Jean” by Chris Cornell – Raw emotion…incredible.
8 – “All Night Long” by Jason Mraz – One of the most fun songs made even more fun!
7 – “Cry Me A River” by Glen Hansard – Sounds like it was written for his voice.
6 – “All Along The Watchtower” by Jimi Hendrix
5 – “Landslide” by Smashing Pumpkins – I LOVE this song and Corgan’s sad voice makes it even better.
4 – “Hurt” by Johnny Cash – A lifetime of pain comes through in this version.
3 – “Umbrella” by Boyce Avenue – Never heard of them? Jump on the bandwagon! I can’t stress the awesomeness of this group any more. Take a listen!
2 – “Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin
1 – “Over the Rainbow/What A Wonderful World” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – The. Best.
Popularity: 12% [?]
For the past few months, I’ve tweeted “Stuck In Your Head” songs of the day. These are the tunes that somehow get stuck between your ears and hang out there for an eternity. You may HATE the song, but it’s there. Nothing you can do about it. So just enjoy the music and let is play, constantly, endlessly, eternally looping. On the other hand, some of these songs are ALL-TIME favorites!
I’ve assembled here for you the ULTIMATE Stuck-In-Your-Head Mixtape. You’re welcome, in advance!
1) Lionel Richie – Hello
2) Ace of Base – The Sign
3) Mr. Big – To Be With You
4) Hall and Oates – You Make My Dreams Come True
5) Journey – Don’t Stop Believin’
6) Heart – Alone
7) Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight
George Michael – Careless Whisper
9) The Fratellis – Chelsea Dagger
10) Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody
11) Extreme – More Than Words
12) Michael Jackson – PYT
13) Bon Jovi – Livin on a Prayer
14) Soft Cell – Tainted Love
15) Lionel Richie – All Night Long (Yes, we started and ended this list with Lionel Richie – got a problem with that?)
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OK, so, removing the Preamble entry, this is the 100th post on The Buzz!!
Thank you to everyone who has read, shared, inspired, and commented here. It’s been an absolute thrill to get to know you (or know you better!). I try to provoke discussion, so I definitely appreciate people who tell me I’m wrong!
I gave a lot of thought on what to do for the big 100th post, whether it be a list, a retrospective, etc. As you know, we cover a lot of different ground here, from PR, social media, sports, pop culture and more.
Music, however, is very important to me. I was a bar mitzvah DJ when I was in high school, and transitioned to radio while I was in college.
I’ve always been fascinated with a concept I call “The Soundtrack of My Life.” The jist is, you pick 18 songs that MUST be included in a biopic movie about your life. No other rules apply. Any piece of recorded music is fair game. I made several CDs trying to capture this essence, and every one of them was different. Of course, the 18 songs will change as you have new experiences, are exposed to more music, have more life to cram into 18 tracks, and so on. This IS not a favorite songs list. This is music to be played in your life story. Some of them are included for instrumentals, others for lyrics, and most, hopefully, for both.
I hope you will place your 18 songs in the comments section!
One more thing: Here are my personal favorite posts!
2) The Currency of Pop Culture
Without further ado, the 100th Buzz – The Soundtrak of My Life (in no particular order):
1) “Chelsea Dagger” – The Fratellis
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FinNUQVi9Q]
2) “All For You” – Sister Hazel (acoustic version)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPKFhq1iRdI]
3) “Apache” – SugarHill Gang
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQObWW06VAM]
4) “For Once in My Life” – Stevie Wonder
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vxVyaYuGYE]
5) “Hole Hearted” – Extreme
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4msmR_iST9Y]
6) “Life is Wonderul” – Jason Mraz
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkXcNiWFB28]
7) “Big Time” – Peter Gabriel
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qvl30tbq7wA]
8 ) “Crazy” – Seal
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd2ayCVmqy0]
9) “Don’t Stop Believin” – Journey
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNB1EUJg1-w]
10) “The Way You Make Me Feel” – Michael Jackson
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEU9Q8NlOiY]
11) “Rock & Roll” – Eric Hutchinson
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4h4YrBBuer8]
12) “Glow” – Alien Ant Farm
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_-Wy2B0Xl4]
13) “Everything” – Michael Buble
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNM8VBeecYU]
14) “All You Need is Love” – The Beatles
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzJ2NKp23WU]
15) “I Need More Love” – Robert Randolph and the Family Band
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4zpzEIdoPc]
16) “Metallingus” – Alter Bridge
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cq9j5JaMEEU]
17) “Will I Ever Make It Home?” – Ingram Hill
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx1aARfDXlg]
18) “Drive” – Incubus
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpwsuhOUAkk]
Hidden Bonus Track: “What Is Love?” Haddaway
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsCXZczTQXo]
Hidden Bonus Track: “Can I Get Get Get” – Junior Senior
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6uSQAQ0F3w]
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“Gotta make a change
For once in my life
It’s gonna feel real good
Gonna make a difference
Gonna make it right”
—
“I’m starting with the man in the mirror
I’m asking him to change his ways
No message could have been any clearer
If you wanna make the world a better place
Take a look at yourself and then make the change
You gotta get it right, while you got the time
‘Cause when you close your heart
Then you close your mind”
Two of my favorite passages from “Man in the Mirror,” (one from the beginning and one from the end) strangely not one of Michael Jackson’s biggest hits, yet one of his most enduring songs. It has become almost an anthem of his passing, perhaps a bigger song for him posthumously than it was during his life.
Looking at the song in full context, with all of the lyrics, it’s plain to see it is about charitable work, feeding those without food, finding homes for the homeless.
However, it is also a song about personal redemption. The first part of the song includes and admission of laziness/apathy/wrongdoing. By the end, it is a powerful, loud statement of making an impact on the world.
Suffice it to say, by the time “Bad” was released, Michael Jackson had made his mark on the world.
But you can look at this in another way: the past is entirely in the past and doesn’t mean anything if you aren’t currently doing something. Perhaps the song is about drive to succeed, always building upon what you have already achieved.
If you are constantly looking to improve, you HAVE to look at yourself in the mirror and know that what you did before was OK, but that you have so much more inside of you. If you know in your heart that you have more to give, than your mind will find a way to make it work.
The song stresses personal responsibility. You can’t do everything yourself…but you can control your actions and handle your business. And if everyone does that, then we’ll all be better off, right?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9lq8oaK5Mw&hl=en&fs=1&]
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