A Bed of Songs & Stories

"PYT (Pretty Young Thang)" - Michael Jackson I just can't help, but love classic Michael music. And after such a busy week, there's no other way to spend a Friday night than dressed in jammies, loungin' around the house, hangin' with my family without a care in the world. Of course playing one of his best feel good songs ever, always does the trick. I grew up surrounded by his songs, singing to Billy Jean and rockin' out to Beat It during huge family parties! I never really shied away from the attention. Even at the age of 5, lip-syncing to lyrics I didn't even know I still got up in front of a crowd! I loved watching MoonWalker as he danced to Smooth Criminal and The Way You Make Me Feel. He made me love and appreciate different styles of music because what he created infused all genres that until this day artists are inspired to follow. Even though he gets a lot of crap nowadays, we can't deny that he brought out the best in entertainment and

"Good Day" - Jewel I wanted to write about one of her songs tonight. I have to admit I really didn't know which one would come to mind as I scrolled through the many tracks on this play list, but I figured it'll come to me. I clicked onto a few of her classics: You Were Meant For Me and Foolish Games kinda stuck out, but didn't quite fit so I pushed them back in with the rest of 'em . I started skimming through her more recent releases even though most of them have been sadly ignored by the monotonous tunes of the radio world. And then it dawned on me: Good Day . I love the way it starts out because I somehow find myself doing the exact same thing when I'm alone with nothing more than my thoughts to keep me company; Talking to myself in hopes to get some shut eye, but only finding more reasons to kill time awake. The clock ticks on and even though I know I have to get up for work in the morning, all I do is sit and think. And with all the shit that's

"High and Dry" - Radiohead I cheated. This song didn't come to mind when I woke up yesterday morning. It didn't pop up before bedtime either, whenever I decide to go to bed... It's almost 1:00am, but I just couldn't leave well enough alone so I opened my brown, leather bound journal that I haven't written in for a while. It still smells new even if I had it for over 5 years. Scribbled behind the page of my last entry was the title and artist of this song. I must've known sooner or later that I would forget about it, but luckily I felt like jogging my memory for old time's sake. I trip myself out with this shit sometimes. Anyway, to let you in on a little history of my life, this song belonged to a long lost compilation. It had less than 10 tracks if I remember correctly, but each one was beautiful and fitting for what I was going through at the time. I played it so much I thought it would burn right off of the CD. Then one day I felt I had to let i

"A Comet Appears" - The Shins Funny how when I try to search for a song, I end up finding a song I wasn't looking for to begin with... I sat in front of my laptop armed with two measly words that sprang to mind, hoping somehow they were part of the lyrics: "You Decide ." Oh, how I wish I could... As I thought more and more into it, the less and less I remembered. Finally after a few days of going nowhere fast and forgetting how to even hum the tune that made me think of these words in the first place, I just threw my hands up in the air and surrendered. Feeling completely unmotivated and not to mention disappointed that I couldn't solve this song mystery (yet), another set of lyrics pop into my head: "There is a numbness in your heart and it's growing." I was singing it and had no idea where it came from or what came afterwards because I was stuck on the one song I have yet to find! And low and behold this one came to me easily. Guess this prov

"If You Leave Me Now" - Chicago Here's a classic song from one of my favorite old school bands. It's like my own little lullaby. No matter how I'm feeling this always puts me at ease. It's kinda strange that it's emotional, but yet I feel happy every time I hear it. Whether I play it on purpose or it happens to be on the radio, it always makes me smile. I remember this episode on Sex and The City when Carrie went to "prom" with her gay bf Stanford. He just recently broke up with his beau and didn't want to go stag. But then his bf shows up asking for forgiveness, leaving Carrie to man the punch bowl so they can have their magical moment. But you don't feel sorry that she is left all alone. As this song continues to play, Carrie simply twirls around in her ballerina dress with a cup of punch in hand. I love this ending because it shows that you don't have to be in love or heartbroken to enjoy such a sad song. You just have to b

"Hard To Say I'm Sorry" - Az Yet I'm usually a fan of the originals. Don't get me wrong...I do love Chicago, but for some reason every time I think of this song this remake pops into my head. Every ooh-ooh and bop-bop comes to mind. Maybe because it carries with it so many memories. 1996...I was a junior in high school. A year of ups and plenty of downs. I was in a long-distance, long-term relationship. Being only 16, it carried with it a lot of confusion and not to mention pressure to grow up faster than I probably should have. What can I say? The teenage heart gets curious and starts to explore outside of familiar territory to see how far it can go before it breaks. And of course gossip spread like wild fire. Then came the bullshit. So, it was also the year I intentionally gained most of my enemies. I want to say that none of it hurt. From the rumors to the millions of mistakes I've made along the way, to the people I took advantage of and of course, to t

"Beautiful Lie" - Yoav I first heard this song back in Nov. '07 at the Nokia theatre in LA right before Tori Amos kicked off her American Doll Posse tour. The funny thing is I usually show up late to concerts. Taking my time to mingle around a bit and maybe grab a souvenir before the crowds get too crazy...but being of course an ultimate Tori fan, I made it a point to come early that night. At first I paid no attention when he made his way on stage. He looked a little out of place, standing in the middle of a practically empty set-up with nothing more than a guitar in hand. He said a quiet " Hello " as he approached the mic. We were going to get up and stretch our legs again... Until he strummed a few chords. It started out slow, appearing as though he were rehearsing; Checking to make sure the strings were in tune. But then the sound began to fill the room and as it grew louder his words echoed, hypnotizing the crowd to stay still. We sat there. Simply stunned

"Que Linda Manita" Sick, tired, and restless... my bf and I spent our Valentine's Day in our bedroom watching movies. Yes, I got weary. And yes, we both wanted to do other things, but nothing was worth getting out of bed for. So we popped in the gift he gave me ( Paris, je t'aime ) and let time pass us by. And I woke up softly singing a lullaby. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it to put on my play list, but watch the movie and you'll see what I mean. To give you a little insight, the film has several different directors shooting multiple shorts about love. Some were comical and enlightening while others were dramatic and heartbreaking. But this one hit a little close to home. This particular story shows a woman caring for a child in the same way she would her own. And though I have no children and may never feel what it feels like to be called, "Mom..." I feel as a mother would for the few that I consider to be a little part of me . Spanish Lyrics: Q

"Bang, Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" - Nancy Sinatra This will always be a true favorite of mine. It all happened one night in a packed movie theatre when Kill Bill Vol. I premiered. I swear I thought I was tricked into watching one of those ol' black and white, horror films as this song crept into the background. But then it hit me... I knew this was going to be one of those films I would love forever. Until this day, it still is...And I somehow find myself singing this song whenever I'm in a somber mood or at a loss for words. Lyrics: I was five and he was six We rode on horses made of sticks He wore black and I wore white He would always win the fight Bang bang, he shot me down Bang bang, I hit the ground Bang bang, that awful sound Bang bang, my baby shot me down Seasons came and changed the time When I grew up I called him mine He would always laugh and say "Remember when we used to play?" Bang bang, I shot you down Bang bang, you hit the ground Bang ba

"Heartless" - Kanye West The first time I heard this song was when Kanye performed it live at the American Music Awards back in Nov. '08. I absolutely love the way it started out, especially because he sang it in the same style as it appears on his album. Some artists tend to mix it up a bit, but I usually like it to stay true to form. In my opinion, if it was good enough to put on the album, then they should be good enough to perform it as is. Otherwise, it's the studio who possesses the real talent, not the artist. Only a few great performers are able to pull this off. Kanye is so blunt and at times, arrogant. Preaching his work as he damn well pleases. None of it scripted, none of it rehearsed. Now that he finally has the credibility to just put it out there in your face, it's amazing how much he has to say. Let me share with you his speech on that night: "I’d like to thank everybody who accepted me trying to break new boundaries in music,” Kanye sa

"Vindicated" - Dashboard Confessional A flashback in so many ways...It was the last day of January and the first jump into the New Year. And even though it hasn't been that long ago, I really can't remember if I woke up with this song or fell asleep thinking about it. Regardless, I was in no mood to write about anything else on my growing playlist and well, I just didn't have a song today that stuck. Interesting thing is I had absolutely no idea that Dashboard Confessional sang this song. It's kinda eerie considering I actually love their music, even though many argue that it's too "EMO" (emotional). Most people (men) with an ounce of pride wouldn't want to admit that they could relate to a guy screeching about being blind to love and wrong. But I find it incredibly tragic; a lesson learned too late. Funny that I somehow rediscovered it by one little line: "Hope dangles on a string." Lyrics: Hope dangles on a string Like slow sp

"My Blue Heaven" - Taking Back Sunday It has been one of those weekends when "relaxing" just wasn't much of an option. I figured it's because my body was nowhere near a level to recuperate fast enough. Then again, I was just so damn tired from housecleaning on Friday and hosting an eventful day on Saturday. No surprise that as Sunday was coming to an end, a song by Taking Back Sunday sprang to mind. I couldn't think of the title so I had to wait until Monday evening to jog my memory. Well, skimming through my bf's playlist did help me quite a bit. So, now I'm relieved that another one of my song mysteries has been solved. This is my heaven. Well, until my next brain relapse... Lyrics: Two selves twist and then collide You're coming off the cart (Am I coming?) I'm coming through (Am I coming?) A torturous condition to a spin cycled submission You know, sometimes it just feels better to give in (Sometimes, it just feels better to giv

"Circus" - Britney Spears What a weekend! Rain, sickness, and a baby shower...oh my! We had decor to lay out, tents to pop up, food to prepare, drinks to purchase, guests to entertain, and a soon-to-be mommy to keep happy. Everyone was running around in a frenzy making sure all our i's were dotted and t's crossed. We had a lot to do and limited time to work with. So with a ball of tissue in hand and tons of cold medicine in my system, my family and I took off running and never stopped! Funny how I woke up with this song blasting in my head the next day. Maybe because the day before was a CIRCUS trying to fit over 70 people in a small house comfortably on top of fighting the weather and maintaining our health...and not to mention, sanity! It was a juggling act to say the least and everyone was watching to see how it will all end. But I'm proud to say we pulled off the most beautiful event for the most beautiful Ate (older sister) and as expected, we put on an a

"In Pieces" - Linkin Park With the rain and the wind, the cloud and the gloom...it all just puts me at ease. I woke up at 7:00am this morning (a rarity since I am a night owl), with the sound of the weather at my window. It was cold, but comforting under my covers and I felt like utter and complete crap. I don't know how I managed to get away from being sick after being surrounded by it for over a month at work, but it caught up to me late Monday night. And of course, came full blown as I tried to get out of bed. So, I didn't. I stayed under the warmth and got lost in it for another hour and a half. Then decided to stay hidden just a little while longer. So, what made me think of this song? I have no idea. I just started singing, "In pieces, in pieces..." Maybe it's how I was feeling. Maybe it was just the image of watching the rain drops fall to the ground. But actually, it was what came to mind at the time. Lyrics: Telling me to go But hands b

"Love Story" - Taylor Swift I still have mixed emotions about this song. Either you like it or you don't, but I somehow find myself stuck in the middle. It's not your usual country, more like pop princess plays a banjo. But...I can't deny it's catchy even though the concept of a real life Romeo and a Love Story come true is so far from what I desire in life: I want MORE. No, I'm not married and yes, I'm ok with that. No, I don't have kids and yes, that is my choice. But yes... I want romance. I want passion. I want unity, loyalty, trust and communication. I want someone to confide in, who will confide in me just the same. I want to share stories and have them eager to listen. I want freedom, but closeness. Soft energy, but excitement. I want intimate friendship and the ability to think each other's thoughts without invading our separate spaces. I want to travel. Discover a little about that person as I spill out my inner secrets. Create memori

"After Hours" - We Are Scientists Sometimes I have bits and pieces of lyrics in my head and for the life of me, I can't piece it together! Sometimes the best way to see the whole picture is to observe it in smaller sections: Think of the name of the artist. Think of the title of the song. Where'd I hear it? Who sang it last? Sometimes I would Google parts of what I know in hopes that the Internet will save me. Sometimes I would sing it aloud to someone in hopes they would help me, but it is after midnight on a weekday and the average person is well, asleep. Sometimes I can't sleep with the thought of not knowing driving me crazy as each hour passes by. Sometimes I just keep singing it to myself in hopes that my ever-so-lovely musical light bulb will turn on and say, "Hey, we've found our lost thought for the night!" Fortunately tonight, after hours it managed to flicker on to say, "Hi." Lyrics: This door is always open This door is always

"Fire and Rain" - James Taylor I wanted to blog about a song today, but nothing really came to me and I left my lil' post-it at home...So, my bf switched the TV on right before I got on his computer to type away. The movie, Remember the Titans was on at the scene when the head coach was talking to his daughter. The song playing in the backgound was this one. And even though this is what got me singing to it, it's a song that I always sing. Most of the time, I sing it when I'm trying to calm down... And after a day like today, I'd say it's a better time as any. I was stuck at the doctor's office for almost 3 hours! Got poked by a needle 3x's cuz the bastard couldn't find my, "little veins hiding underneath such thick skin." Waited over an hour for my prescription that was ready, but no one bothered to call out my name! After being told that my left shoulder is a wreck, my stomach is in dire need of fiber, and my bones must have more ca

"About A Girl" - Academy Is Here I go...back-tracking again. But there's just too many musical notes escaping out of me that I wish I could hit "record" to trap it before it slips away. Luckily, there's this thing called post-its to let me quickly jot down notes and leave it for next time. Needless to say, I have quite a bit of catching up to do. Fortunately, I love doing it so I don't mind. Not at all. I woke up on Jan. 23rd singing my heart out as if this song were something I could relate to, but really I can't. So, I ignored it. I wasn't going to write about this at all, but it kept on coming back to me until finally today (Feb. 1st) I said to myself, "Alright already!" Well, to me the point of this song is to state the obvious: It's a no-brainer to know that guys still think that in order to show they care, they'd have to deny it first! The meaner they get and the less-romantic they seem, the more they crave you. Obviously