There is a radio station in my neck of the woods named "WARM 101.3", and can you guess what they play? "Porn lullabies" you say? Close! I was looking for "Soft Rock". They have a couple of tag lines. One of them is "WARM 101.3, Today's Soft Rock", which they like to say in a sultry voice. They said it yesterday and then played this song, and my first thought was "If by 'Today' you mean 20 years ago, then yeah, you guys are 'Today's Soft Rock'." …and then I thought… "Ooo! I like this song. I'm going to listen even though it is gushing with sentimentalism and brings a weak tear to my eye." Enjoy, you softies out there!
I'd like to dedicate this one to The Illustrious G. I'm still chuckling from the other day when she was yelling at me about the laundry baskets. An insufficient number of baskets were in the basement to receive the clean laundry because I had moved some of the empty ones upstairs to collect the dirty laundry. I went out the next day and purchased three new shiny baskets to alleviate her laundry woes. What is funny about it is later when I said she didn't need to "yell" at me about it she said "I was not yelling… I was explaining loudly." Too funny!
PS: If you haven't heard it, the cover version from the movie Moulin Rouge, sung by Ewan McGregor, is well worth a listen!
I'm in a bit of a cheesy 80s mood lately, if there is such a thing. (If posting Bryan Adams didn't prove it, maybe this one will?!) The Karate Kid Part 2 was on TV while I was waiting for the Gold Medal Men's Hockey game to start in the Olympics a week ago. This horribly and wonderfully corny song has been stuck in my head on and off all week as a result! Out of my head Mr. Miyagi!
I do have an outstanding question though. Daniel, the main character in The Karate Kid series, has a different love interest in each of the movies. That isn't a bad thing per se, but it does kind of lead you to wonder about Daniel. Is a bad kisser or something? Perhaps his boyish looks only go so far? Maybe he is a player and just in it for the glory of love? Love 'em and leave 'em. Where is the honor in that Daniel-san? Watch out ladies!
It is so easy to get caught up in particulars. Who doesn't want a better job, better house, or a better life. It is never as perfect as we might like.
Last night I awoke with concern that G was out, her car stuck in a ditch somewhere. I went from asleep to awake instantaneously, "what ifs" flying through my head. I jumped out of bed, and peeked out to the window. Sure enough her car was parked in the driveway in one piece. I felt so relieved and lucky to have the life I have with G. The details really aren't that important. Or as the song says…
Baby you're all that I want
When you're lyin' here in my arms
I'm findin' it hard to believe
We're in heaven
I hate it when this happens. I hear a GREAT "new tune" and it's by this really cool artist. Sometimes I post it as a NEW tune. But usually, I catch the actual date and see the song I'm promoting is ten years old already! How can such good music not have found my ears in all that time? Do I live under a rock? The opportunity lost clangs to the floor with a thud.
Case in point: Midge Ure's Breathe came out in 1996. The video looks like it was produced yesterday.
There are usually around 30,000 albums released each year. I think it was a little lower in the 1990s, but regardless there are only 365 days in a year and how could anyone listen to 100 albums a day? Some music is bound to fall through the cracks because music has channels for dispersal, and most people only listen to certain channels, be it particular radio stations, blogs, or whatever. You're more likely to hear some stuff you do not like over and over than you are to find everything you would like. Great opportunities are thus lost with no good solution to prevent this. The most you can do is keep your ears open to new songs, and build on what you like… if you like X and Y is being suggested to you because you like X, then go listen to Y!
This is a cool song. It is a bit new age-y or soft rock-y, and both new age and soft rock have a bad rap. New Age and Soft Rock are just not cool with the punk, rock or pop crowds in general (AKA most of North America) so the song probably was not widely dispersed. It does appear he hit the charts several times in the UK (he is Scottish by the way), including with this song in 1996. His earlier work is more New Wave-y and Glam Rock-y, and so by this, his 4th album (I think), he just didn't have the same audience. I never heard of him or that song before, and you are so right about it looking like it was just produced. The imagery is not time specific which helps. I would not have guessed it is 13 years old. We could totally just tell people it came out last year and pretend we're up on the latest trends! (Fortunately we are already so we don't need to lie. We know we're that cool. *snort laugh*)
It has been a long weekend. Lots of work. Lots of fun. Not enough sleep. Life passing by so quickly I can barely grasp anything. Tiring. I need a pause button.
"Hello Sunshine, Please Don't Fade Away"
I know I do it to myself. Always torn between what I want to do and what I feel I need to do. Squeezing in as much as I can every day, and to what end? To live the life I want to lead and yet fulfill everyone's expectations? Impossible it seems. Only to be worn down in the end, eventually fading away.
I love "80s music", despite its frequent cheesiness when compared to other rock. I really don't care. I grew up with it. I embrace it. I don't know if the guy in the song picks Africa over the girl (I would pick the girl), and I don't care about that either. This song is a classic in my book.
This song came up because my father emailed me a link to the following a capella cover of Toto's "Africa" by the Slovenian choir/group "Perpetuum Jazzile". The simulated rain storm during the first two minutes is particularly cool, at least to those of us who have even been in a choir wearing blue sequin vests.
What? Perpetuum Jazzile doesn't wear blue sequin vests? Oh, right, that was me. (They seriously looked like this!) I'd blame the drugs in high school, but I was sober. Too much glam rock perhaps?
PS: Although Toto is listed as "Hard Rock" on Wikipedia, I find it hard to believe. Especially when it also is listed as "Soft Rock". Unlike most genres, I think those two are mutually exclusive. So no "Hard Rock" tag for Toto!
