If you were to glance through my playlist on iTunes you would find country, folk, rock, alternative, bluegrass, classical, oldies, metal, pop, and some rap. Sometimes it is the lyrics that pull me in and other times it is the beat that hooks me. When it comes to musical instruments, I am a sucker for banjos, harmonicas, orchestras, and pianos in songs. I love it when a beat or melody can pull me into a song and make me forget myself. Most of my music would fall into either alternative/folk rock or country--alternative rock keeps me pumped and country makes me smile. The Kooks are one of my favorite bands. I saw them live at the Fineline Music Cafe a couple of years ago and they were amazing! What I loved their concert was how intense and powerful the live versions of their songs were. I also think it is worth mentioning that went through a major Beatles phase between 4th-7th grade. I listened to their albums driving from Baltimore to Yellowstone and back in fifth grade and that is all we listened to.
When I was fifteen I got both the Jimmy Eat World album Bleed American and a car for Christmas. I put that CD in and went driving around my hometown on Christmas Eve and hearing that album always makes me think about that night. I can remember everything about that night--from what I wore to where I went to every single time I stalled (it was a standard car and I had never driven one before). I also associate songs with different people in my life, for example, "There Goes My Life" by Kenny Chesney makes me think of my Dad, and "Son's Gonna Rise" by Citizen Cope makes me think of my friend Kait.
It is hard to pick one song to encapsulate my music preferences because they are so varied and depend so much on the moment, but, because I mentioned the Kooks and how great they are, I thought I would talk about the song "Come on Down." I like the old rock, bluesy quality of the guitars and the simplicity of the lyrics--a few "sha la la la la la's" never hurt anyone.
Come on down love,
I've come to see you
Cause I am down, love
Only when I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
I feel fine
I lose my mind
I feel fine
Oh yes but you have the most beautiful...
Here I am love
I've come to be with you
Cause I get lost now
When I'm not around you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you i feel fine
I lose my mind
I feel fine
Oh yes but you have the most wonderful...
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
I feel fine
And I lose my mind
I feel fine
Oh yes and you have the most beautiful mind.
I've come to see you
Cause I am down, love
Only when I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
I feel fine
I lose my mind
I feel fine
Oh yes but you have the most beautiful...
Here I am love
I've come to be with you
Cause I get lost now
When I'm not around you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you i feel fine
I lose my mind
I feel fine
Oh yes but you have the most wonderful...
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la la la
Sha la la la la la
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
When I'm with you
I feel fine
And I lose my mind
I feel fine
Oh yes and you have the most beautiful mind.
Simple, sweet, upbeat, and bluesy...perfect.
I love that you highlight the use of "sha-la-la" in your post. I think sha-la-las and na-na-nas and such are also good fun. Seriously, the sha-la-las in "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison are among the most joyous and singable syllables in all of music.
ReplyDeleteI also love that you went through a Beatles phase at a ridiculously young age. Seriously, most people go through the Beatles phase in high school or college. Not Meredith! You were way ahead of the curve. I grew up on the Beatles, as both my mom and my dad liked them. They are still among my favorite bands, both due to their musical excellence and the many memories that go with their songs.
Finally, I apologize for causing you pain with my blog post about music. It's not that I dislike all country automatically, I'm just not a huge fan. There are a few songs I do like: most Johnny Cash, "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" by Big and Rich (country rock, a mostly forgotten style of music), "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks (one of the best bar songs ever written), and "Fishin' in the Dark" by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (a great Texas two-step song) to name a few. I also like a number of bands that are generally defined as alt-country, like Wilco and Over the Rhine. Now that I've apologized and country music and I are friends again, will you quit giving me dirty looks across the classroom? :)