Back to normal as of this week hoping that the full lockdown worked to decrease the number of cases. Once the vaccinations speed up I hope that life will be better after summer. But for now we need to pay more attention than ever and not relax at this final junction.
As Napoleon Hill once said;
"Effort only fully releases its reward
after a person refuses to quit."
Here is the list for this weekend;
Tim Booth & Angelo Badalamenti - "Fall In Love With Me"
The Rolling Stones ft. Dave Matthews - "Wild Horses"
Brittany Howard - "Stay High"
Max Cooper - "Repetition"
Tricky - "Makes Me Wonder"
Hope you have a great weekend.
nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.
This week's song is a song popularized in 1969 by Frank Sinatra set to the music of the French song "Comme d'habitude" composed and written by French songwriters Claude François and Jacques Revaux, performed in 1967 by Claude François. Its English lyrics were written by Paul Anka and are unrelated to the original French song.
Here is the song for this week;
"My Way"
The French version tells the story of a man, living out the end of his marriage, love killed by the boredom of everyday life.
Paul Anka discovered this song while visiting France and re-wrote the lyrics as "My Way" when he returned to New York. Anka says it was 3 a.m. on a rainy night when the words came to him. Anka, who was a very popular singer, pitched the song to Frank Sinatra, who recorded it on December 30, 1968. Anka's lyrics changed the meaning to be about a man looking back fondly on a life he lived on his own terms, and Sinatra's version became one of his signature songs.
This became Frank Sinatra's signature song, but he couldn't stand it, saying he "loathed" the song. In his later years, he described the song as "a Paul Anka pop hit which became a kind of national anthem." In a 2000 interview with the BBC show Hardtalk, Sinatra's daughter Tina said, "He always thought that song was self-serving and self-indulgent. He didn't like it. That song stuck and he couldn't get it off his shoe."
A song of individuality and aspiration, there is a scientific explanation for why it has triggered such a strong emotional reaction despite the rather pedestrian lyrics and silly rhymes (losing/amusing, curtain/certain). The song starts with a rising 6th progression, which indicates striving. It builds in intensity and powers to a big finish, which Sinatra could really sell with his declaration, "I did it my way."
This is a very popular Karaoke song, but one you should probably avoid in The Philippines. As detailed in a February 6, 2010 article in the New York Times, many violent incidents have taken place following Karaoke performances of "My Way." Karaoke is very popular in that country, and there is a certain etiquette which tends to break down when patrons choose this song, sometimes resulting in fights that can escalate quickly. The bravado of the song may have something to do with it, but whatever the cause, most Filipinos will avoid the song, and many bars don't offer it on their playlists.
The song was a favorite of former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic. He often played it in his cell at a loud volume during his trial for crimes against humanity in 2002.
Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder requested "My Way" for his final send-off (Zapfenstreich in German) prior to the inauguration of Angela Merkel. More than seven million television viewers watched tears well up in his eyes as a military band saw him off with a version of this song.
Donald Trump's first dance as president of the United States was to this song. On January 20, 2017, the night of his inauguration, he danced to it with his wife Melania at the Liberty ball, his second of the evening. Trump was never seen dancing on the campaign trail, with good reason: he is very awkward on the dance floor. Despite sticking to a basic side-to-side shuffle, he still managed to look pained, as did Melania. Midway through the dance, he called his vice president, Mike Pence, to join him with his wife, Karen. At this point, Trump did more waving and gesturing than dancing.
Two days earlier, Nancy Sinatra was asked on Twitter what she thought of Trump using the song. Her reply: "Just remember the first line of the song."
That first line is: "And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain."
Here are the 6 versions I picked for you;
Nina Simone - "My Way"
The Sex Pistols - "My Way"
Miley Cyrus - "My Way"
Robbie Williams - "My Way"
Shirley Bassey - "My Way"
Elvis Presley - "My Way"
Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).
nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.
Lockdown still going on but I had the chance to go out yesterday for a doctor's appointment and witnessed that the streets are even more crowded than usual... My only hope is that this lockdown works as planned and after May 17th people will be more comfortable and all of us faces fewer Covid threats.
As Mark Twain once said;
"Only he who has seen better days and lives
to see better days again knows their full value."
Here is the list for this weekend;
M83 - "Bibi The Dog"
Kelsey Lu - "Rebel"
Rodrigo y Gabriela - "Take Five"
The Cult - "She Sells Sanctuary"
Angel Olsen - "Lark"
Hope you have a great weekend.
nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.
This week's song is a song from Billy Idol that was released as the second single from his self-titled studio album in 1982. Although not Idol's highest-charting hit, it is often considered one of his most recognizable songs. In the US, it peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart on 27 November 1982, then reached No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 2 July 1983 after it was re-issued.
Here is the song for this week;
"White Wedding"
Despite rumors to the contrary, this song is not about Idol's actual little sister. "Little sister" is slang for girlfriend. He is singing about a woman/girl he loves marrying someone else while he still loves her.
Idol did have a sister who was getting married, but on an episode of VH1 Storytellers, he explained that his sister's wedding simply gave him the idea for the song. Like many of Idol's compositions, he started with the title and wrote the song from there.
The video for this song helped launch Billy Idol to stardom. It was directed by David Mallet, who had worked with Queen and David Bowie. Idol had little cash, so Mallet cut him a break on his fee. The concept was a "nightmare wedding," with a Goth guy (Idol) marrying a normal girl, with some vampire imagery thrown in. The bride was played by Perri Lister, who was Billy's girlfriend. The resulting video contained some of the most indelible images seen on MTV, including the barbed-wire wedding ring, the motorcycle crashing through the church window, and the dancers slapping their own butts in time to the music.
Mallet said of Idol in the book I Want My MTV: "In those days, he was the greatest looker and mover since Elvis. Before 'White Wedding,' nobody would have admitted that was even possible. One look at that video and they got him."
A key element to this song is the quick little guitar riff that starts it. Idol and his guitarist, Steve Stevens, liked to have a distinctive guitar part to open the songs - they thought of it like a flag harkening its arrival.
This song is a very anti-marriage song, and yet many people have it played at their weddings simply because it mentions a wedding.
This was used in the movie The Wedding Singer. After getting dumped at the altar, Adam Sandler tells his friends to "turn this crap off" after the video comes on. Idol later appears in the movie as himself. He helps get Sandler together with Drew Barrymore.
Here are the 6 versions I picked for you;
Queens of the Stone Age - "White Wedding"
Leo Moracchioli - "White Wedding"
Polkaholix - "White Wedding"
Janet Devlin - "White Wedding"
Herman's Hermits - "White Wedding"
Cityrocks - "White Wedding"
Now the floor is yours, go ahead and make your comments (here, Instagram, Facebook wherever you feel like...).
nb. Please note that I intentionally do not include the original versions of the songs as it would be a little unfair to the artists covering the songs, and I am sure that sometimes you will be surprised to see that the songs you thought were the originals are just covers.
Another full lockdown as of this Friday due to increasing Covid-19 cases and deaths. Let's hope this will be the last time and with one last effort let's try to turn this nuisance into a manageable scenario...
As Aristotle once said;
"Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet."
Here is the list for this weekend;
Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes - "Can You Feel It"
Cande y Paulo - "Summertime"
Silver Apples - "Ruby"
Kraftwerk - "The Man Machine"
Nick Hakim, Roy Nathanson - Moonman
Hope you have a great weekend.
nb. You can open the actual youtube page by clicking the name on the upper left side of each video.
