Archive for the ‘Mad about Music’ Category
Thursday, July 26th, 2007
I never really got into Debbie Gibson or Tiffany. But it’s not because I missed the bubble gum pop days of my 80’s youth. I just came at them a little sooner, and from a little different direction on the radio dial. For me there was no Electric Youth. I dedicated all my pre-teen pop love to Sylvia.
At about 10, when I was gravitating away from my parents’ albums and starting to choose for myself, I played Sylvia’s Snapshot and One Step Closer cassette tapes over and over, and I choreographed elaborate hula-hoop/jazz dance routines in which I would direct my sister to perform. (Indeed, if only I had video, I’m certain our recreation of the civil war through hula-hoop dance to the powerfully rocking Bobby’s in Vicksburg was something to behold. (For those of you who may not be familiar with Sylvia’s work, the refrain: “the cannons roll like thunder, the South is going under, and ooh ooh Bobby’s in VICKSBURG.”))
Before Shania Twain was grappling with her name change, before Carrie Underwood was even born, Sylvia was lollipopping up the country charts singing songs that were clearly appropriate for the under 12 set, like Snapshot, telling the story of a woman scorned who’s really got the upperhand, because she’s got the “Snapshot, he doesn’t know I’ve got oo hoo.”
Of all the songs on those two tapes, though, I think my favorite was “So Complete” because she dared to ask the question “What good is the Oreo, without the middle part?”
Anyway, Nobody came across my radio today, and the memories came flooding back. I swear I could probably recite the lyrics to every Sylvia song (maybe this would be a good project for the next time I run). What tape did you first wear out?
Posted in Mad about Music | |
Thursday, May 24th, 2007
What do the people referenced in the title of this post have in common? … You can find all our names in today’s post over at ‘The Lovely Mrs. Davis‘ — mine because I wrote the guest post she’s posted today, and theirs because they are subjects of the piece.
All of this is to say: Amy Davis asked me if I would be interested in writing a guest post for her on some topic about pop culture and parenting. To which I replied, “YESSSS!!” (I was, quite honestly, thrilled to be asked).
Anyway, I’d be honored if you would head on over and check it out. And when you come back I want to hear all about your favorite musical memories from your childhood.
Posted in Mad about Music | |
Monday, May 14th, 2007
Not only is the lusty month of May now half over with nary another mention from me, I’ve failed to put up a Mother’s Day post, despite my best intentions, and I am looking down the barrel of another week in which my infamous Google ’to-do’ list threatens to overtake the entire new Google home page. (Besides the usual work and home, it’s the last week of preschool before summer break, AND it’s a certain high maintenance three year old’s fourth birthday party week.) Since I hate it when quiet fills the bloggy spaces, let me fill some air with random ramblings on which your input is sought.
1) I don’t know if anyone else here watches the Sopranos, but I’m itching to discuss. In an effort to stay relevant – is it the Mom in me that desperately wants to believe AJ can emerge, perhaps not unscathed but at least as a tiny little piece of hope in a world gone mad? I’m afraid the writers are just taunting me with that miniscule sliver of potential goodness and then they’re going to drop their metaphorical piano on my head.
2) The latest Tori Amos song… I can only make out about half the lyrics, much less the point, (maybe I’ll google the lyrics later) but it’s so fun to listen to and reminds me how much I once loved her. My jury’s still out on the rest of the album. (Credit due to tara on this one).
3) I have more, but the window has closed. If you are one of the faithful few who checks back here often, thank you for your patience and don’t give up on me.
Posted in Mad about Music | |
Monday, January 15th, 2007
*eta: If you came here via a search for some incarnation of “popular songs about parenting” you can go straight to the list we compiled, you can even skip the list and go straight to the iMix we created from the list, or you can continue reading this post to learn about how and why we made the list. The links repeat below.
If I try, I can remember the days when every starry-eyed romantic love song and every angst-filled power ballad about breaking up seemed to have endless application in my life. Back in high-school I could cruise around in my bronze 1974 Chevy Vega, crank the radio and ’suffer’ right along with Poison. Yes, I could agree, every rose really did have its thorn. Back then, and for awhile after it seemed, love really did stink… and bite … and hurt/burn/wound/scar.
Now, though, as I drive my minivan (interestingly, still in an almost bronzy hue) through my happily married mom life, my day-to-day concerns and thoughts tend more toward the “should junior go to half-day or full-day kindergarten?” variety and less toward the “why hasn’t the non-committal musician boyfriend returned my seventeen phone calls?” variety. It’s a change I’ve barely noticed, but whether I’m thinking about Alice Cooper and his penchant for snakes, or online education for the kids, I find the same music still lets me unwind; there’s been no need to evolve. And I just can’t identify with brooding pop songs with quite the same fervor I did back then.
So I got to wondering … I know they exist, but is there a LIST of the great songs that contemplate the sweet, and the bitter, emotions of the parent?
After tiring my googling fingers in an attempt to find such an inventory, I enlisted help from Formerly Almost Fabulous and children’s media blogger Amy Davis, and we set out to make our own list of all the best popular songs about parenting.
The early choices seemed loosely divisible into two categories: The Songs For the Children – the advice, the lullaby (often aptly and conveniently named “Lullaby”), or the expresssion of the parent’s deep and abiding love, and The Songs For Us – the songs that sometimes sadly explore the shifting paradigm of the parent and the fun ones that dare to say “Wow, I think I used to be cool – what happened?”
Of course, many a songwriter has implored the collective body parent to do it better … “Fathers: Be GOOD to your Daughters!” “Teach the Children Well,” “Children are OUR FUTURE … let them lead the way.” But, we thought, we get enough of people telling us how to parent. We left those out.
And, of course, there’s no shortage of tormented parent blaming ditties, and a few sweet expressions of gratitude to the parents, but that seemed another list entirely. We tried to focus on songs more or less contemplating the good and the bad of life as a parent.
Once we compiled the list, we thought about ranking them, but how do you compare Everclear’s supposition that all the porn stars live in the suburbs to a sweet pop lullaby like the John Lennon-penned Beautiful Boy?
So, we simply give you our list, and a word on our personal favorites…
The Mommy: Call it cliche; call me sappy. Mock me if you will. But don’t even pretend you don’t bawl like a baby when they play Butterfly Kisses for the father/daughter dance.
Formerly Almost Fabulous: Stacy’s Mom from Fountains of Wayne. Because it’s fun, and Fountains of Wayne are a little bit cool. And while I realize it’s ridiculous to really care too much about it, I still want to be a hot mom.
The Lovely Mrs. Davis: The first time I heard Bowling for Soup’s 1985 I was sitting in a Dairy Queen parking lot with my husband while our son slept at my parents’ house. We both felt a huge rush of nostalgia and an immediate connection with the song, and I’ve loved it ever since. Other favorites of mine are John Hiatt’s Georgia Rae, Ben Folds’ Still Fighting It, and Five For Fighting’s 100 Years – that ultimately sappy song from Chase credit card commercials.
Finally, because we aim to be helpful, you can find most of these songs in an iMix we made just for you – we called it Mommy Tracks: Songs of Parenting.
Now it’s YOUR TURN… What did we miss? What are your favorites? What gets you crying in spite of yourself every time?
eta: Based on comments here and elsewhere many songs have been added, and we hope you’ll continue to add more and tell us your favorites in the comments.***
Posted in Mad about Music | |
Sunday, January 7th, 2007
Our friend, and always lovely, Mrs. Davis, is giving away (yep, free) tickets to a Ralph’s World concert in the venue of your choice.
Your response to this news was either 1) Cool! or 2) Who the hell is Ralph and why would I want to go to his world?
If it was 1 – you are clearly a hip mom, in tune with all the coolest things in kids’ media. If it was the latter (as it was for me), well, then you’re not. Either way, you need to head over to her place to check it out.
Posted in Mad about Music | |
Thursday, August 17th, 2006
“You take the good, you take the bad. You take them both, and there you have: the facts of life, the facts of life. … When the world never seems to be livin’ up to your dreams, suddenly you’re finding out the facts of life are all about you.”
“Making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got. Takin’ a break from all your worries sure would help a lot.”
“Show me that smile again. Don’t waste another minute on your cryin’. We’re nowhere near the end. The best is ready to begin.”
Posted in Mad about Music | |