Tunesday: Missing You

I love this song. I've loved it for years. There have been times when I've missed my husband like crazy. You know that feeling? When you love someone and they're not there for whatever reason, and you feel completely vacant without them? This song is a perfect description of that feeling. Plus, it's so smooth on the vocals and the melody is right on.
Don't click on the red square in the video that says "click here." It will just redirect you to another site.

Tunesday: You Are

It's been awhile. I actually forgot about my Tunesdays. Can you believe? I know, the horror. This song came out TODAY, and I have already loved it a million times over. I even made a dvd for my man with a bunch of our pictures set to this song. I owed him an apology, and that seemed like the best way to say it.
I already featured another Charlie Wilson song... remember "There Goes My Baby" in which we watched Snoop display his softer side? Anyway. Uncle Charlie let me know that this was out today (along with a few thousand of his other fans) but I appreciated the personal message, and I downloaded it right away. I added it to my after-hours playlist, and I thought repeatedly today how much I love my husband. Marriage is hard. There may be a few of you out there who find it to be smooth sailing. I do not. But the good stuff is so, so, SO worth the hard stuff. When you find someone who can really be your reason to love, then you got a good thing. Baby... we got a good thing. I love you!!

Enjoy his rich vocals, download this song, and then go love on someone who's given you a reason to love.

Tunesday: So Amazing

My baby and I were talking the other day about remixes, this one in particular. Have you always loved Luther? I have. Honestly, I can't remember a time in my life where there was no Luther. When I first heard this song, I was in college. As soon as I heard it, I told myself I would marry the man who made me feel this way. It took me awhile, but here we are.
Back to the remixes. Most remixes don't cut it for me like the original. And tributing Luther is a risk- he makes such a contribution to every song he sings, that it's hard to think anyone else could even come close. He died in 2005, and a few months later, this tribute album was released. Stevie Wonder and Beyonce sang So Amazing on it, and Skip and I both agree this is one of the few remakes that holds its own. The whole album was really fantastic, but in my opinion, this was the standout song.
Anyway. Sorry for the lame-o video. Sometimes YouTube disappoints. But listen to the words. I think this is one of the greatest love songs ever written.

Tunesday: A Whiter Shade of Pale

The first time I heard this song was in tenth grade biology. I know, weird. My teacher, Mr. Duluk, was amazing. Click on the link to read the tribute. Before every test, he would give us a musical trivia question. One day, he asked us who sang this song. Since it wasn't New Kids On The Block or Bobby Brown, my knowledge was being tested! He played it for us after the test, and I fell in love with the song. Skip and I were listening to it last night, and I said, "Man, I love this song." and he replied, "Yeah. Me too." And a Tunesday was born.

The lyrics are clearly symbolic, although some people debate the meaning. Is it about a drug overdose? A physical relationship? A bad dream? Given the era (late 60's), change "bad dream" to "bad trip" and it could be any of them.

Apparently, there are two more verses that have only been performed in live shows. Hook me up with a link if anyone finds it. That would be awesome to hear.

Tunesday: Queen Bee; Plus: Join Me in a Debate, Won't You?

My husband and I treated ourselves to a really, really, REALLY fabulous show the other night. Taj Mahal was in town, and holy smokes, that guy can PLAY! I came home and downloaded about twenty of his songs after the show. His style is so original.
Not that it's of any major significance, but he's originally from Massachusetts. That's where all the good ones come from, or so I've heard.

Anyway. He was so much fun to watch. If he were younger and I were single, this guy could've really won me over. Now, since he's much older and I'm married, I sort of just want to adopt him as my Grampa. Watch him play... does the guy's style not just ooze "I love music and I love playing it for you"? He's having fun! How many people really have this much fun doing their job? I love him. Go download tons and tons of his music. You will be so happy listening to it.


Now on to this week's debate. Let's talk about "tricking" your family members. I tried a little experiment 7 months ago. I switched all our ground beef for ground turkey. I traded beef kielbasa, pepperoni, and other such meats for their turkey-based counterparts. Why? Because white meat is leaner and healthier. Also, I have a little thing called irritable boom-boom syndrome, which means red meat is my enemy. Nobody really noticed the change. They enjoyed my cooking as usual. But when I mentioned the change, people got a bit peeved with me. Please validate my stealthy-healthy move, or justify its erroneous nature.
Thanks.

Lastly, if you missed the most recent update to the family blog, go here.

Tunesday: I Love My Job

It is entirely possible that I have the best job in the world. I teach special ed in the 4th, 5th and 6th grade. I love it. Really, every morning I wake up and I am happy about where I will be spending my day. It is satisfying, rewarding, enjoyable, and still challenging enough to keep me motivated.

One of the side perks of my job is that we have an amazing school district, heavily influenced by the nearby university. Right now, the university is gearing up to host its annual international jazz festival. As part of that, we have a program titled "Jazz in the Schools." Today, this guy came and hosted an assembly for our students:

He had those kids so involved in music totally beyond their era. They were singing... on tune... stomping, clapping, hollering, and learning so much in the process. And I got paid to sit and enjoy it all. Tell me... can it get any better than that?

Today's Tunesday challenge: Go find some jazz, and just try not to move your body. You can't. You totally can't. So give up, and just get your groove on.

Tunesday: DOUBLE WHAMMY!

As you may or may not know, or may or may not care, my friend Happyback has recently broken up with Blogger to go out with Facebook. He misses Blogger though, and sent me this little clip so he could blog vicariously through me. It was his request for Tunesday. I couldn't say no.


As I watched this video, it raised some interesting questions and points of interest for me:
1. Do you or don't you know sign language?
2. Is your face actually made out of epoxy?
3. Do you realize that the reason you can "hear him as he prays" is that you are stalking him at a church???
4. There are words that rhyme with "go" other than just "know." Try "bimbo" or "DOH!" or "NO, NO, NO, please make the auditory torture stop!" Well, that last one doesn't really rhyme, but it conveys my exact sentiments.
5. Delta airlines called. They want their uniform back.
Please... feel free to chime in with your two cents. *Don't download this one.

On a more serious note, here is one that you SHOULD download. Don't know if you caught the Hope for Haiti telethon the other night. You may or may not be familiar with my thoughts on telethons. I overlook the things I dislike about them and try to see the greater good. This most recent one brought a very interesting mesh of genres. I LOVED the Bono/Rhiana/Jay-Z number. Also digged on Mary's (J.Blige, that is) gospel tune. I think my favorite, though, was this version of Lean On Me by Sheryl Crow, Keith Urban and Kid Rock. Who'da thunk? So downlaod this, instead of Pardon Me.

Tunesday: I Am

I'm sure you all know by now that Mary has a new album out. I say album, but what I really mean is "songs available for download on cheap sites like mp3panda.com". I'm sure they don't make albums anymore, and does anyone really buy cd's still???

If you didn't catch her performance on the AMA's the other night, you missed out. Mary is Mary... kind of like Queen Latifah, she mixes just the right blend of thug and class. Her voice commands respect, and frankly, I am obsessed with her silky smooth mocha skin. IT IS FLAWLESS. How does she do it? I long to know.

Anyway. Stronger With Each Tear seems to be a nice compilation of tunes. My favorite by far, however, is this one called "I Am". No deep message in the song or anything. Just a super smooth set of vocals and piano, with a beat that makes ya head bounce. Enjoy.

Tunesday: CHRISTMAS!!

My husband has some Grinchy tendencies. While I would begin the Christmas playlist on the day after Thanksgiving, along with decorating the house, he gets a little uptight if I start that early. So we compromised, and started everything this past weekend. Don't you LOVE playing your Christmas music? Everyone has their favorites. I have a lot, but I chose 2 for this post.

What would Christmas be without a little soul infused into it? The Little Drummer Boy and Do You Hear What I Hear are my favorite songs. This version of DYHWIH by Destiny's Child tops the list for me. Sorry the video is non-existent. But listen to the song. Then download it. MP3panda.com gives you downloads for five cents. Can't beat that.


My mom is from the West Indies. She grew up on the tiny island of St. Lucia. Growing up, she had this song... I think on reel-to-reel, and she LOVED it. She would listen to it and do her cute little rhythm of the islands dance. She searched and searched for the ALBUM, and then after a few years, the CD, and finally, when the almighty internet came along, we found it in digital format. Now, it's on YouTube, for crying out loud. It's called "Mary's Boy Child" by a growp known as Boney M. These guys are Jamaican, but came out of Germany. This song topped the holiday charts in 1978. Every time I hear it, I feel happy. It has great memories tied to it, and now my kids know it as well. The video is hilarious. Pay special attention to the lone male's dance moves. Wow. It's a good thing brotha can sing, because he ain't makin money off his groove.

Tunesday: Reflections on Piano Lessons

Did you take piano lessons? I did. Oh yes, I did. For something like 11 years. I mostly hated it because it TOTALLY interrupted my social life between the years of 1980-1991. During those 11 years, I would also have to add that piano lessons were the main cause of fighting between me and my mother. She had this ridiculous notion that if she was shelling out all this money for my lessons, I should be practicing in my spare time. Puh-LEEZE.

But looking back, I will admit that I often found myself impressing friends at parties with my amazing repertoire. If you took piano lessons during my decade, you were probably impressing your friends as well with tunes such as...









And of coure, lest I be deemed uncultured, here was the piece I saved for times I wanted to appear smart, cultured and rich:



I have recently been debating starting my kids on piano lessons. I look back at classics such as these and realize I would be robbing them of precious life experiences by keeping them from the ivories. I also realize the amount of whining, nagging and crying that I would avoid if we didn't sign up.
What a quandary.

Tunesday: Sampling vs. Remaking; PLUS: A GIVEAWAY!

There's a difference between an artist remaking a song (think Tribute Albums) and an artist sampling a song. For me, a remake is really great if it's as good as the original. (Mary J. Blige's remake of Chaka Khan's Sweet Thing is an example.) Sometimes, a remake can actually exceed the original in listening pleasure. (Beyonce and Luther remade The Closer I Get To You, which for me completely tops Roberta Flack's version). Are you catching on? Sampling, however, is different from remaking a song.

One of my favorite things to do is find a sample from an old song in the background of a newer song. I'm talking a little LESS obvious than Vanilla Ice's infamous "Under Pressure, Pressure, Baby". There is so much music out there that has snippets of classic old tunes. It's a never-ending adventure.

Anyway. I love me some LL. I saw him once in concert, and while he doesn't hold a candle to the phenomenally sexy man I'm married to, he is still a piece of art. One of my favorite songs by him is "Hey Lover." This song is classic; it's only made better by the fact that Boys II Men throw their smooth harmony all over the place. Love them too. I wanted to post the video, but in true LL style, it's... shall we say... a bit racy? Yes. We shall say that. So below you will find only the audio clip.

CHALLENGE: If you can tell me the name of the song he sampled here, to include the artist, I will burn you a cd with all of the Tunesday hits up to this point. As you know, I use comment moderation. So I will simply store all the comments this week instead of publishing them, so no one can see anyone else's replies. Comments will be posted when the winner is announced at the end of the week. AND NO CHEATING. You can't google the answer. Where's the fun in that??

Tunesday: Wish You Were Here

I don't care who you are, what you listen to... you HAVE to like Pink Floyd. You just have to. It's in my rules.

Really though. When I think of "classic;" of groups that have been around since before I was, and whose music will be around even after I'm gone... it's not the Black Eyed Peas or Miley Cyrus or Rascal Flatts. They have their time, but their time is limited. Pink Floyd, up there with the likes of Led Zeppelin and The Eagles, just made music that made people feel stuff. And given that the feeling came for most through a ridiculously thick haze of drug-induced numbness, that's pretty impressive.

This is my all-time favorite Floyd tune. I love it. It's haunting yet it makes such a statement. It screamed against politics and war with such a quiet fortitude, that people listened. It has an almost confusing symbolism, but I am convinced you can read it without chemical assistance. You just want to lay in a hammock and soak it in.

One of the biggest disappointments of my life was being a week early in Berlin. You may or may not recall that Roger Waters did a benefit concert in 1989 titled... what else... "The Wall." The Berlin wall had just come down and it was crazy. We were in Europe on vacation for the summer, only we hit Berlin one week before the concert. I couldn't quite convince my dad to reschedule the entire trip so I could catch the show. If you have some time, check out that album. It's fun. I had the cassettes from it but my brother stole them from me while I was on my mission. Jerk. But I forgive. Anyway, Sinead O'Connor's rendition of "Mother" is absolutely unique.

Tunesday: You and Me

When I fell in love with my husband, this song was huge. He was in Iraq. I was extra emotional and sensitive for about a million reasons. This song, even though it was ridiculously overplayed and a tad bit bubblegummy, sort of snatched us both up in the whirlwind of newfound romance.

Sometimes on the blog, I write about what a super guy he is. I think he was starting to become concerned that people think he's just about perfect. I offered to write a post detailing his flaws and annoying habits, and list the things about him that really bug me. Instead, he sent me this email:

Can I have Tunesday tomorrow? If so the song is "You and Me" and here's my post:
This may come as a shock to some but I am not Mr. Perfect. As a matter of fact, I am far from it, but I am trying. I would love to say that I am trying because I will be a better person for it, but the truth of the matter is that my lovely wife deserves more. The closer I get to being perfect, the happier she is and that is all that matters. This is our unofficial song and I share it with all of you as a glimpse of what a blessing she is in my life and the love I have for her.

We're a normal couple. We enjoy each other. We do fun stuff. We talk. But we're not always the cheese and mush you see on the blog. We argue. Sometimes we even fight, and it ain't pretty. But in the end, it's me and him. We love each other, and we make it work. Thank goodness there are so many songs to help us express that. This one may not be a must-have for EVERYONE'S library, but it is in ours.

Tunesday: Ain't No Mountain High Enough

This is our family anthem. One night a few years ago we happened to be in Utah. Bountiful, specifically. Up on the east side in the mountain, driving around at sunset. This song came on our ipod, and we cranked it at full volume, rolled the windows down, and drove around with five kids and two adults singing at the top of their lungs. It is one of my absolute favorite memories.

I miss my stepkids this week. It's really hard to love someone very much, and have to be mostly removed from their lives. I know they feel the same way. We are always hopeful that time will improve the situation, and that as they get older, they will become more independent in their abilities to communicate with us. Until then, there's hope and faith in the ability to see over high mountains.

Tunesday: Hey Mr. DJ

Zhane. Remember them? I wanted to name my first daughter Zhane. (Pronounced Jah-nay) Noe was probably a better choice. This song came out I think around 1993. Weekend nights, college parties, nothing but good times and great dancing.

I realized I've had very few female artists featured in my Tunesdays, so I tried to think of my favorites. These ladies haven't put out too much, but what they have is fantastic. Their upbeat stuff will make you feel like no one on earth can dance better than you, and their slow jams will make you cry. Plus, anyone who can rock the nearly-shaved head like they can is absolutely cool in my book.

If you listen to this song, you will want to let go of your stress and have yourself a little fun. Isn't that what music is all about anyway? Taking you somewhere you can't quite go on your own? Thank goodness for it.

Tunesday: Everything

The first time I heard of Michael Buble I was working in the back room stocking shelves at Bath and Body Works. There was this uber-Baptist chick who worked there, and while the rest of the crew was bringing in slammin hip hop and velvety RnB tracks to pass the time, she was constantly throwing on "inspriational" music. I thought she was a bit of a zealot, and she was totally obsessed with Michael Buble. So due to her need to save my soul, and the weirdness of the name "BOOBLAY", I have always avoided listening to him.
I have no idea how old or new this song is, but I recently heard it and fell in love with it. I didn't even know it was Michael BOOBLAY until I was already hooked. So he has now managed to sneak his way into my music library. Darn.
Anyway, do you ever sometimes listen to a love song from the perspective of a parent? I mean, it doesn't work for all of them, for example anything that makes reference to dimming the lights and lighting the candles wouldn't work. But this one, for the most part, makes a cool love song for your kids. We've been listening to it every morning getting ready for school, and I always make a silly point to dedicate it to my kids, and tell them that they are my everything. It's fun. Try it at your house.
PS Good luck getting past his cheezy variety-show mannerisms. You may want to leave the video playing and navigate away to a new tab, so you only listen to him. He is so Osmondesque, it's creepy.

Tunesday: Lemonade

I can't remember exactly when this song found its way into my library, but I do remember it was a summertime... probably about five years ago? I loved it the first time I heard it. The name of the song is Lemonade, and the guy who sings it (Jeremy Manongdo) goes by the name Passion.
We had an event occur in our family yesterday that rocked us. It was disappointing and frustrating and sad. But by the end of the day, I didn't think there was any way I could love my husband more than I did. He was by my side, on my team, and I knew he felt what I was feeling.
My favorite line in this song is "You're soothing like the ocean rushing on the sand." I love the beach, and that line just makes sense to me.
Anyway... I love my husband and I feel like with him, I can do hard things. Thanks for being exactly what I need, baby.

*This version gets a little silly. Download the original track, without the college kids laughing in the background. You will love it.

Tunesday: Retro Uh-Oh.

Last night, Skip and I were playing cards before we turned in for the night. This song was on the playlist, and when it came on, I started laughing. One eyebrow raised, the man says, "Yes??"
I say, "One day, my Dad and I were strolling around a KOA campground in Nephi, Utah. This was about my late teens/early twenties. We pass a small cabin and he says to me, 'Andrea. Do you see that cabin right there?' And I reply, 'Yes.' He then says to me, 'That's the cabin where you were conceived.'"

It was perhaps the most traumatic moment of my life. No child should ever be forced to learn that they were not actually dropped off by the stork. However, in honor of my parents and as a way of saying, "Hey, thanks for good times at the KOA." i offer this little number.

I love Marvin Gaye, and am convinced he was put on earth simply to improve the love lives of the human race. God bless you, MG.

ps I kinda wish this is still the way people danced. It would make chaperoning so much easier.

Tunesday: Eggplant

or click here

Pardon the boring nature of this "video" clip. Obscure songs are limited in availability.

You may or may not have noticed my URL before. This song is a great song, but quickly became a joke between Skip and I. He has an aversion to vegetables. Corn, uncooked carrots, and green beans are the only ones he'll eat. Oh, and salad. As most of you know, I'm a little different. My life mantra is "Bring on the Produce!"

Anyway. In the early days, I was convinced Skip would come to love veggies as I do if he just had someone to cook them for him in a remarkably appetizing way. So I made this sandwich for him... grilled eggplant, summer squash, zucchini, red peppers and onions. I brushed them with olive oil and minced garlic. Threw them on his grill (GASP! THE CONTAMINATION OF MANHOOD!) and then whipped up an herbed mayonnaise while they cooked. Spread the mayo on a crusty, thick hoagie roll. Added the veggies. Topped with grated parm. I was seriously almost at the height of ecstacy over this sandwich. He took one bite, chewed without actually letting the food touch his tongue, smiled at me with tight lips, and put the sandwich down.

I was shocked and dismayed. A few days later, he played me the song to soothe my broken heart. It's since become a favorite in our house, and instead of forcing him to eat eggplant, we listen to it together and call it good.

The best version is not a live one. Dowload the album cut. It's by Michael Franks. Then go eat your vegetables while you listen. It's a double treat.

Tunesday: There Goes My Baby

Remember the Gap Band? Oops upside ya head, I said oops upside ya head...Yeah. Good times.

Well Charlie Wilson, aka Uncle Charlie, has been doing quite a bit on his own since those days. Mostly songwriting for other artists, but producing a bit of his own stuff here and there as well. This is his latest, and frankly, I am obsessed with it. I listen to it multiple times every day. It is a smooth, upbeat love song, and it makes me want to snatch my husband right up and dance with him.

The official video has no embed code, so I had to post this clip from the Jimmy Kimmel show. The official video is so awesome though. Click here to see it. Uncle Charlie is good friends with Snoop Dogg. It's a really heartwarming version with Snoop and his true love, I think her name is Shante. I know "heartwarming" and "Snoop" are sort of contradictory terms, but really, check out his softer side. You'll feel the love, I promise. I get a little misty every time I watch it.

Click here if you can't see the video.