I am trying to get back to blogging after two weeks of being here and there. Just needed to catch up on sleep this weekend and had to prepare for the new school year, which starts tomorrow!
I really enjoy participating in the Song Lyrics Sunday challenge two weeks ago. So, I am going to try to continue this every week! This week theme is “Burn/Fire/Flame,” as suggested by the host Jim at A Unique Title For Me, with this post.
What Song Did I ChooSE
This week’s 4M is a free choice week. Since a local adaptation of James Brock’s rendition of Aesop’s Fables, which I am a part of, will open this weekend only at a local playhouse here in Nagoya, I dedicate this 4M to the fox.
Everyone knows about the “Tortoise and the Hare” from the Aesop’s Fables collection! But have you heard “The Fox and the Sour Grapes”? Or even the “Donkey and the Lion Skin”? Or perhaps, “The Fox and the Crow”?
Why did I choose the fox for this 4M? Well, that is because I am playing the character of the Fox in one of the fables. I also play the role of Betty who is a bit of a snob and wants everything her way, think Gretchen Wieners from Mean Girls or a snobby rich girl from Clueless. (Note: This play features humans transforming into different animals, It’s also an ensemble play.) I can’t reveal the whole story (but you can find parts of the play on Google Books) as you have to come to Nagoya to see it! Of course, I can post the highlight video when it comes out.
It’s the final week of January! How has your first month of 2019 been? Mine has been an adventure. First, I came back from the US from a holiday trip. Then I got the flu for six days and was on bedrest during that time. And now, I am deciding if I need to be looking for a new job or will be sticking around at my current position for one more year.
However, I have been hit by the winter blues lately. Have you?
Read “How” By Clicking Here
I was lucky enough to be nominated for the Versatile Blogger Award by Polly’s Pad. This is my second award in like two months. I am pleased to receive one! I also received another one recently and have to write about that one very soon! (Don’t worry Walk a Myelin* My Shoes, I haven’t forgotten you!)
What is the Versatile Blogger Award? You have to cross over the cut to find out!
Last week, I had no work! Nine days of freedom and do whatever my heart desired. Well, my heart got what it wanted: sleep, watching dramas, reading, writing, and listening to music nonstop. It was glorious to be able to freely listen to music at any time of the day. There was even a different genre expressing the mood of each hour: dancing at noon with Eurobeat, experiencing the bareness and beauty of the sunrise with Toshinobu Kubota, and feeling the crisp late summer air with smooth jazz. Music makes life wonderful.
During this week-long vacation, I found a new earworm that was so addictive. I listened to this piece nonstop every day during my time-off. I also tried to perfect the dance moves and sing the lyrics.
For this blog post, we have to go back twenty years when this song was hip and cool. That decade was…
My nine-day “staycation” started last Friday at 6 pm. Many around Japan went overseas, did various activities around the country, or visited loved ones. Yet, I decided to do a “staycation”. Yes, it seems boring: me staying inside my apartment and surroundings for about a week. But, I love it since I could stay in bed for long periods of time, read various materials, be minimalistic, and deep clean.
That Friday, I pondered on what should I do on the first night of freedom: Should I do something or go to bed early so I could start my vacation off right by waking extra early on Saturday? Continuing to think about, I checked the TV Guide to see what was going to be the movie of the night. And by chance, it was going to be one of my favorites.
Do you have a soundtrack or two that you have fallen in love with? Perhaps so much that you have replayed it over and over over a long period? That is the case with Tangerine Dream’s “Legend” soundtrack, my new beloved earworm.
I have seen the 80s’ fantasy movie “Legend” only once or twice. The version I have seen was the Director’s Cut, which features Jerry Goldsmith’s orchestral works. The movie had two soundtracks: the European release had Goldsmith’s orchestral score, and the American release contained an electronic, pop-sounding score composed by German band Tangerine Dream. The reason for the change was that test audiences didn’t enjoy Jerry Goldsmith’s score.
One track from Tangerine Dream’s soundtrack, “Unicorn Dream”, was transformed into a love ballad for the US version’s ending. “Loved by the Sun” resulted from this transformation with the song being performed by rock band Yes’s frontman Jon Anderson. He also wrote the lyrics.
“Loved by the Sun” starts off with a quiet duet between an electric guitar and a synthesizer with two functions: starry sounds and synthesized deep bass. The duet continues on while Anderson begins the first verse softly. He continues to sing as the instruments build up the song’s emotion with an increase in volume. Some drums, a choir, and the trumpet function from the synthesizer are added in. This build up spills out in full energy at the final chorus with every instrument and voice’s volume raised to heighten the passionate message in the lyrics: “that legends teach us to love for goodness’ sake.”
My favorite part comes at the end, around the 4:15 mark, when the key changes from major to minor. The change begins when Anderson’s sings his note; a note that doesn’t resolve the phrase into a final cadence but instead slipping into the relative minor key. The song stays in the minor key till the end, as it fades into the instrumental piece “Blue Room”, which is another minor tune.
“Loved by the Sun” is a quiet piece. It doesn’t feature many instruments; only the synthesizer and electric guitar serve as the primary players. But, as Leonardo da Vinci said, “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Or, in layman terms, simplicity is beautiful. The song serves its purpose well: a gorgeous yet simple love song to support the movie’s romantic happy ending.
Here is the US version’s ending with the song playing along:
2018 is shaping up to be a fantastic year of brilliant movies. “Black Panther”, “A Wrinkle in Time”, “Konya, Romansu Gekijo de”, and “Bohemian Rhapsody” are just a few of this year’s cinematic gems that have been released or expected to be released. And with great movies come excellent soundtracks. Perhaps, the soundtrack for “A Wrinkle in Time” might be a masterpiece this year. All thanks to Sade’s “Flower Of The Universe”.
An article from the National Public Radio segment “All Songs Considered” recently popped on my Facebook timeline in which the author described Sade’s newest piece as “stunning”. I would have to agree with the author’s single word review. The song is stunning but also breathtaking, eloquent, and bare.
Hey, hey, do you remember Kazaam?
That horrible movie that featured basketball legend Shaq?
You probably have at least seen it once if you a child of the 90s. I remember watching this bizarre film on videotape when my mom bought me every kid movie tape out there.
Nooooow, do you remember this movie?
What? You want the painful memories to stop?
Don’t worry, we won’t be talking about the movie, which will turn twenty years old next month. Instead, we will briefly talk about a song from it’s soundtrack, which features a mixture of R&B, hip-hop, and pop. It had songs from well-known artists like Spinderella (from Salt ‘n’ Pepa), Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes (from TLC), and Nathan Morris (from Boyz II Men). But, it also spotlighted up and coming artists like Backstreet Boys, Usher, and P!nk who were just scratching the surface of the music world at the time of Kazaam’s soundtrack release.
One of the groups featured on this album was the girl group Choice. The group was made up of three girls from the suburbs of Philadelphia; Stephanie Galligan, Alecia Moore, and Chrissy Conway. The R&B-flavored group recorded songs and sent them to various record companies in order to get a deal. One person who noticed the group’s music and talents was L.A. Reid, who signed Choice on his own record label LaFace Records. He flew the girls down to Atlanta to record their debut album. During this time, one of their recorded songs, “Key of My Heart”, appeared on the Kazaam soundtrack.
However, Choice’s debut album never saw a physical release as the group disbanded before anything could be released. One of the possible reasons behind the breakup was the LA Reid gave Alecia a hard choice, go home or go solo, as he thought she was too talented to be in Choice.[1] And so she did, changing her name to P!nk and releasing her two time platinum-hit debut record “Can’t Take Me Home” in 2000. The edgy, in your face singer has had a successful career since her debut as the artist has dabbled in various musical genres from R&B to rock and beyond.
While P!nk was doing her thing, Chrissy Conway went onto join a Christian pop girl group called ZOEgirl from 1999 to 2006 and COLMANblue from 2008 to 2010. Meanwhile, Stephanie Galligan left the music business after the breakup.[2]
You probably wouldn’t notice P!nk’s vocals when you first listen “Key to My Heart”. The song features vocals that is completely different then P!nk’s powerful, brazen vocals that you typically hear in such songs like “Just Like Fire” and “Get This Party Started”. Instead, it features a mellow tone from the then-young singer to fit in with the mid-tempo flow.
The song is pretty soothing with the light tones from the members’ tone, a great flow, and a laid-back mood. It’s a basic 90s’ mid-tempo R&B that is a bit generic as you could hear the synthesizer, those types of vocals run, and the prominent woodblock mixed with snaps backbeat that you could find in any smooth R&B jams during the same time (see SWV, Allure, and others). However, it’s a pretty decent tune that doesn’t really bore anyone. It’s a great listen while you are relaxing on this beautiful Sunday.
Sources:
[1] Behind the Music. Perf. P!nk. VH1, 1999.
[2] Ali, Rahsheeda. “Solo Artists Who Got Their Starts In Now-Forgotten Bands.”VH1. 2014. Web. 05 June 2016. <http://www.vh1.com/news/53694/solo-artists-forgotten-bands/>
It is really sad when a shining star in the music industry dies out, especially a legend like Natalie Cole. I can admit that I have barely listened to anything by her. Maybe because I am not a big fan of the classic jazz type of music that her, her dad, and many others were famous for. I am more of the modern smooth jazz from the 80’s and 90’s.
I discovered a song, called “Wild Women Do”, that she contributed to the blockbuster film Pretty Women while watching the film about a year ago. I recently was able to buy the soundtrack at a local discount store and one the first songs I listened to was Natalie Cole’s. It’s my favorite tune off the soundtrack due to how brash, in a good way, and tough the song’s character is. And, it’s all thanks to how Natalie’s soulful yet aggressive vocal style helps to paint this “tough girl” attitude, something alike to the personality of Julia Roberts’ character in the movie. My favorite line in the whole song is “Well, let me tell you something, little boy” because Cole sings in a cynical style, just like the mannerism of Roberts’ character.
“Wild Women Do” is a perfect blend of R&B, pop, a little soul, and rock with it’s aggressive “I don’t take jack” approach about women who live life on the wild side (or prostitutes). I think I might have to start 2016 off by listening to more of Cole’s works that are like this one. And maybe, someday, I will get to her more profound and earlier works. But right now, I am going to jam to “Wild Women Do” and you should too.
☆ai love music☆ 