scraps & lagniappe

sunday rewind: simply red

Sunday Rewind has been absent from the blog for awhile, so I think I'll be bringing it back when the mood strikes. 

Today it's Simply Red. Simply Red is a band that I've loved since 1986 and not just because the lead singer and I basically have the same hair. Most of their well-known songs are covers and that's fine with me. The band is no longer a band, but in truth, it's been Mick Hucknall and a revolving door of musicians since the '90s. Now Hucknall is the singer for the re-formed Faces (Rod Stewart's old band) and owns a vineyard and has owned a restaurant with Johnny Depp, Sean Penn, and John Malkovich (because sure, why not?).

Let's have some music.

Here's an acoustic "Holding Back the Years."

 

"Something Got Me Started" live.

 

And their first hit, "Money's Too Tight to Mention," which is my favorite song about being broke that mentions Reaganomics and not being able to qualify for unemployment. If I had a band I would totally cover this song. 

 

Love that.

acoustic Florence

I found this great clip of Florence & the Machine doing "Dog Days Are Over" acoustic. Her voice is amazing.

  

"And I never wanted anything from you except everything you had and what was left after that too."

"Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back struck from a great height by someone who should have known better than that."

 

5 years time

I thought I'd share my current favorite little summer song. It's not new, but that's okay. Here is Noah and the Whale with "5 Years Time."

 

 

30 day song challenge: day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad

*I'm taking the song challenge to mean "of all time," not genre-specific. Any of these songs are subject to change at any time. 

 

I have a lot of experience with this category. When I'm sad I usually listen to Elliott Smith or The Smiths, so here are two of my favorites.

I found a great piano version of "Miss Misery" which I'd never seen, but I'm glad exists. It's a nice non-guitar version. 

 

There wasn't a good quality live video of The Smiths' "Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want," so looking at the album cover will have to do. I've always loved this song. The lyrics fit the melody so well and you can hear the desperation in Morrissey's voice. 

 

Somebody pass the Kleenex.

30 day song challenge: day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy

*I'm taking the song challenge to mean "of all time," not genre-specific. Any of these songs are subject to change at any time. 

 

There are a number of Kerry happy songs, but the number one happy song for me for the past year or so has been "C'mon Everybody" by Stew. I heart this song. Of course, there is no video of any kind. 

11 C'mon Everybody

30 day song challenge: day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry

*I'm taking the song challenge to mean "of all time," not genre-specific. Any of these songs are subject to change at any time. 

The only video of this song pretty poor quality, so I'm posting an mp3 of "Headstrong" by 10,000 Maniacs. "Headstrong" has been one of my favorite songs for years and years and describes me pretty well, as I am headstrong and can have quite the temper. 

06 Headstrong

When I'm in a mood, I like to put on "Redhead Walking" by R.E.M. as it is the theme song to the tv show in my head. Because it's a bonus track, iTunes won't let me make an mp3 of it and there are no videos of it, so if you'd like to listen, here's a link.

30 day song challenge: day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio

*I'm taking the song challenge to mean "of all time," not genre-specific. Any of these songs are subject to change at any time. 

 

Okay, here's the thing -- I don't listen to the radio. I don't. I sometimes listen to talk radio, but that's it. I haven't listened to the radio since I lived in Atlanta, where we had a GREAT station, 99x, an alternative station. I haven't found a decent station since. Now it's my iPod all the time, or Pandora. I find out about new bands on Twitter or through the Pandora station I listen to, but never the radio. Everything on the radio sounds the same and I can't take it. So, here's Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," which is doing well on the iTunes charts. It's a good song and Adele is fabulous. If you haven't checked her out, listen to this one and see what you think. 

 

30 day song challenge: day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate

*I'm taking the song challenge to mean "of all time," not genre-specific. Any of these songs are subject to change at any time.

 

I love 10,000 Maniacs and Natalie Merchant. Loved them since 1986. In my book whether with the Maniacs or not, Natalie Merchant has never put out a bad song and it's not that "These Are Days" is a bad song -- it was just played to death. Whether on radio, MTV, or high school graduations -- this song was played out. I loved this song in 1992, as I did the whole Our Time in Eden album, but for me it was one of those songs that was ruined by overexposure. The same thing happened with "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M. That's also I song I can't listen to anymore. Ugh. 

 

 

30 day song challenge: day 15 - a song that describes you

*I'm taking the song challenge to mean "of all time," not genre-specific. Any of these songs are subject to change at any time. 

"Best Imitation of Myself" by Ben Folds.

 

"I feel like a quote out of context
Withholding the rest
So I can be for you what you want to see
I got the gesture and sound
Got the timing down
It's uncanny, yeah, you think it was me
Do you think I should take a class
To lose my southern accent
Did I make me up, or make the face till it stuck
I do the best imitation of myself
The "problem with you" speech
You gave me was fine
I liked the theories about my little stage
And I swore I was listening
But I started drifting
Around the part about me acting my age
Now if it's all the same
I've people to entertain
I juggle one handed
Do some magic tricks and
The best imitation of myself
Maybe I'm thinking myself in a hole
Wondering, who I am when I ought to know
Straighten up now time to go
Fool somebody else, fool somebody else
Last night I was east with them
And west within
Trying to be for you what you wanna see
But I can't help it with you
The good and bad comes through
Don't want you hanging out with
No one but me
Now if it's all the same
It comes from the same place
And if my mind's somewhere else
You won't be able to tell
I do the best imitation of myself
Yes it's uncanny to see
You'd really think it was me
The best imitation of myself
The best imitation of myself"

30 day song challenge: day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love

*I'm taking the song challenge to mean "of all time," not genre-specific. Any of these songs are subject to change at any time.

This one really shouldn't surprise anyone who knows me, although it will mortify a few of you. Sue me, I'm a horrible person, but Ben Folds singing "Bitches Ain't Shit" is awesome - that's some real conversation for your ass. Come on, it's not like I'm playing it in front of the kids.

Bitches can't hang with the streets.