A Bed of Songs & Stories

"Dark Blue" - Jack's Mannequin This was a night full of random songs. It was getting later and later and I still couldn't pick one to write about. I'd have an idea, but I promised myself that if it's too difficult to tell a simple story about a song, then it's a sign to choose another. And with the play list I have in my head, there were plenty. So...at 2:00am it finally hit me. It was kinda strange because I haven't heard it in a long while. I mean, when it first met my ears I fell in love with it immediately. From the melody to the lines. Everything in its entirety was beautiful! So, I listened to this same song...constantly. Until one day, I decided to come up for air. I ejected my poor worn down CD and placed it in a safe place. Surprisingly, I almost forgot about it altogether until last night/this morning, Jan. 31st. Now I'm sinking into it all over again. Lyrics: I have (I have) you breathing down my neck (breathing down my neck) I...

"Lovers in Japan" - Coldplay It was a chilly night. I tossed and turned trying to get warm. Getting up every half hour to turn the heater on then off... then on again. With socks, without socks. With or without a sweatshirt on. I'm sensitive to extreme temperatures. You should see me in the car: ac on/off, windows up, down or just a crack to let the outside air in...what's the point in all this? Well, I woke up with no socks on, sweatshirt on the floor, half the covers off me and freezing! In the middle of dealing with all of this mess, the first thing that popped into my head was the chorus to this song. How it deals with weather, I'm not sure. But...it seemed relevant at the time as I tried to find my missing pair of socks with a penguin stitched on the upper left corners. Maybe I wanted the sun to come out , but for now I'll settle for what I truly love: the cold . Lyrics: Lovers, keep on the road you're on Runners, until the race is run Soldi...

"Stare at You" - NKOTB I've had so many songs drift in and out of my head in the last day or so that I didn't even get a chance to blog them all down...so let me back track just a little bit. On the morning of Jan. 22nd, I woke up singing a newer release. One that many may not be able to admit they know and even like because of the band's former reputation. But I ain't ashamed to say that I was and still am crazy over New Kids on the Block (NKOTB)! Regardless of what the whole "boy band" genre stereotype may be, it's still jaw-dropping to see a group of guys singing their hearts out! Especially if they're 5 boys from Boston with sexy yet subtle accents and a lot on their minds! Sure, their lyrics aren't poetic. It's not difficult to rhyme together with forever . And maybe the lines aren't the most original: I could be here with you, doing whatever... But... It's sweet and sincere. Catchy and adorable. Fun and lighthearted. ...

"Come Away with Me" - Norah Jones I woke up today completely distracted with too many songs...from movies I watched the night before to kids singing along to the theme of Sponge Bob Square Pants and Wow Wow Wubbzy . But during my drive back on the 605 freeway, as I headed towards the mountains still covered with clouds fresh from the rain storm, I popped in my "Stress Relief"compilation I made ages ago to ease my tension. I used to work 2 jobs, back-to-back to fight the insomnia I was suffering back in the early 2000's. I kept thinking if I exhaust myself, then it would be easier to fall asleep. Sometimes it helped, but other times it only made me realize how tired I was and how I wish I could rest just once. So right before job #2 I'd play track #2 ( Come Away with Me by Norah Jones ) and take a few moments to catch my breath by running a long, warm bath and getting lost in this compilation. And for a second, I'd find a way to relax. Lyrics: Come a ...

"Once Upon A Dream" - Sleeping Beauty How funny it is that even after all these years and how far we've come with animation, this classic Disney cartoon still grabs me. Yes, I know it's silly, but it's a silly I grew up with and can't help but fall for... I know the story is so far fetched: a 16 year old girl (that looks more like a 21 year old) with gold of sunshine in her hair and lips that would shame the red, red rose sings high up in the mountain tops and suddenly attracts the man of her dreams; her soul mate! (who by golly is the prince that she has been betrothed to since she was a baby!). Unbelievable. So it's all fairytale crap, but so what? I'm not into it because of the romance! To tell you the truth, I don't even like Aurora all that much, the spoiled lil' brat. I mean, she's beautiful in EVERY way, finds out she's a princess and is going to marry into royalty on top of her royalty! I can't really sympathize... Seriousl...

"She Goes All the Way" - Rascal Flatts I like a lot of different genres of music, but there's just something about country that just sticks. Most people seem to cringe at it because it's too sad or too corny, but most of all they poke fun at it for having such long, drawn out and at times, ridiculous lines like, "Ooooooh! The cow kicked Nelly in the belly in the barn!" That is not what a Rascal Flatts song is about...not at all. Their voices are so harmonious and soothing that it really can take the hurt away. I know that sounds completely cheesy, but I pop in their CD just to drown out the noise of the everyday conundrum we call life...like being stuck in traffic, having too much work to do and not enough time to do it in, arguing with someone you didn't expect to argue with and all the bullshit in between. Recently, what stuck to me is "She Goes All the Way," which to my surprise is a duet they sing with Jaime Foxx (I just didn't expect ...

"Cooling" - Tori Amos Someone once asked me what I thought about one of Tori's infamous, not-on-any-of-her-album songs, she calls "Cooling"... I sing this to sleep a lot. See, if you've never heard of Tori Amos or had never had the pleasure of listening to ANY of her many songs, then you're not going to get what it is about her that I admire the most. But...I'll write it anyway. Tori is an amazing songwriter with so much material that she just can't squeeze it all into her albums so she has bonus tracks, b-sides, singles, live versions, acappella, and funky little snippets like " Whomp, There It Is" and "Sweet Home Alabama" that she scrambled together during on the spot radio interviews. She is just loaded with lyrics that it drains out of her brain, shoots out of her fingertips and pours all over sheets upon sheets of musical paper! There's just not enough time...or maybe I just don't have the energy to break her art ...