Posts Tagged ‘Abba’

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Abba – "Dancing Queen" (1976)

2011/06/26


I would like to dedicate today's selection to all who support the "Marriage Equality Act" in New York State making New York, the sixth state to legalize gay marriage, especially the few Republican State Senators who did the right thing and broke ranks with their bigoted counterparts to make it happen.

Really, I would've thought we'd be 1st or 2nd state, so it is about time. It is a relief really, because if it had not passed, I would've been so ashamed. Like that time we re-elected President George W. Bush. (Man, he was an idiot. His slaughtering of the English language was bad enough, let alone the lies he told to force us into a war against the wrong country. But whatever, that is past us now. I sleep better knowing he is not at the wheel anymore!)

As for the 39 states where it is outlawed and those of you opposed, I reject your arguments against it. If we are to be a society where everyone is treated as equals by the law, then gender should never play into it. In fact, why should the government care, or even know, what gender you are? Do you want the government in your pants? I don't! It should not matter in the eyes of the law or the government. We are citizens. Period.

Thus if we are going to allow people special legal rights via a "legal marriage", then it should be allowed between any two people. Do we really care what is in their pants? No!

And really, isn't it about love. …or at least two people trying to manage risk by taking care of each other. These are not bad things in either case.

…Bible Thumpers Keep Reading…

Oh and that bible that seems to be the big barrier to most people, you people are idiots. You are reading some parts and ignoring the rest. The King James version says "Leviticus 18:22: Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." It also talks about if you curse your parents, you need to be put to death ("20:9 For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death") and you cannot mix fabrics ("19:19 neither shall a garment mingled of linen and woollen come upon thee"), people who are wizards or psychics must be stoned ("20:27 A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones"), etc. etc. Lots of ridiculous rules. In "Deuteronomy 17:2-7" it says you should stone to death anyone of another religion. It is funny really because I seem to recall a contradictory "commandment" that said "thou shall not kill".

So yeah. Don't cherry pick, and then claim to know which parts god actually meant for you to follow and which ones are "flexible" or completely ignorable. There are so many contradictions in the bible, I don't see how you can really know anyway. In fact if your faith is so strong, why don't you just let God speak for himself? If he really hates this gay marriage thing, maybe he'll flood New York or something. Until then, perhaps you should just go home, shut the fuck up, and stop worrying about what junk may or may not be in everyone's trunk.

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Madonna – "Hung Up" (2005)

2009/04/10


Time for some "girl music"… er… Madonna remixing Abba. I suppose most people would consider it "girl music", but really it is just super pop-y dance music (aka Europop) with a trance like twist. Ok so most of you are probably saying, "yeah, that's still 'girl music'". It is odd that I feel like I have to legitimize a musician as successful as Madonna but here me out…

Madonna is like candy to me musically. Not very deep or anything. But she frequently has a catchy melody, and a catchy beat (excellent for running to, by the way.) She still has just a touch of the 1980s in her music too, even though she has evolved musically, and I am a huge 1980s music lover. These things keep me listening to her even though it is 'not cool' among either my Indie or 'manly music' listening friends.

You cannot deny that Madonna as a musician is hugely influential and clearly deserved her place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Like it or not, she paved the way for Brittney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Fergie, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez, most of the American Idol singers and so many other popular musicians. She has also managed to evolve her music past the 1980s and is still going platinum with just about every album at the age of 50, unlike some of her contemporaries, e.g. Michael Jackson, who lost their way musically (and yes, yes… he lost his way in other ways too).

I think this song "Hung Up" is an excellent example of just how good she is. She has sampled "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" by Abba, a 1979 song that came out only 3 years before her first release in 1982, and made this song her own. I think she even improved upon it. The whole dance floor bit in the video with the boom box it is like she is reminiscing at the same time, perhaps even poking a little fun at the late 70s and early 80s with her pink leotard and purple sequin belt, which I also indicates some brilliance on her part.

To the guys… er… manly men still reading out there…

Perhaps Europop isn't your thing? That's fine. I appear to be a freak (musically) and see value in just about every genre out there. Not all music is for everyone, and it is very unlikely you'd like every song of the day I post.

I'm sorry if your masculinity is threatened in some way by this post. May I suggest some of my other posts like Led Zeppelin or God Lives Underwater to restore you to your proper testosterone levels?

And yes, I saw that episode of "The Family Guy" where they are talking about guys who listen to Madonna. One word for all of you people… "Whatever!" *flips wrist, turns, struts away*

PS: I love "The Family Guy", the FCC episode at the beginning of Season 4, SO funny! And the song! Ha!

PPS: Although Madonna also has songs listed under Rock and Roll, Trip Hop, Trance and Country, I'm leaving this post off of those genre tags so not to cause confusion.


Click here for more info on Madonna – Confessions on a Dance Floor – "Hung Up".

The MP3 may be purchased here…