Birthday Shuffle a Deux #6

Wow are the memories coming back... Overjoyed by Stevie Wonder

Again, like yesterday, college, Freshman Year, unrequited love song to the max... funny how this week's songs are all taking me back to that place and time. I've got to give my iPod a good shake tomorrow, but regardless.

Stevie Wonder actually was going to use the song in 1979 for an album he released, but it got left off that album and wasn't released until 1985 when it was released as a single.

The lyrics that always get me are:

"And though you don't believe that they do 

 They do come true 

 For did my dreams 

 Come true when I looked at you 

 And maybe too, if you would believe 

 You too might be Overjoyed, over loved, over me 

 And though the odds say improbable 

 What do they know 

 For in romance 

 All true love needs is a chance 

 And maybe with a chance you will find 

 You too like I 

 Overjoyed, over loved, over you, over you" 

Oh, to be able to go back in time and tell that crazy, stupid 18 year old, "this is leading nowhere good..." Knowing me, though, I wouldn't have listened.

Birthday Shuffle a Deux #5

A Different Corner - by Wham!

College.  Freshman year.  Major crush.  Broken heart.  Need I say more...?
It's one of those songs that always pulls me back in time for just a moment.

There's no real "song fact" for this song.  Some say, George Michael wrote it for a photographer he was in love with at the time.

Birthday Shuffle a Deux #4

I grew up with Elvis. He's my mom's favorite singer. I like certain Elvis songs, and this is one of only 5 that I have on my iPod. Not my favorite of them, but still a good one. Last year, "Hound Dog" was on Day 14. And, I mentioned at that time how I was glad "Lilo and Stitch" was able to bring Elvis to a new generation. His songs are fun, and I still always find myself singing along to them.

Speaking of Stitch, hubby and I are eagerly awaiting the birth of Dixie's siblings some time this month. Dixie is a red merle Australian Shepherd, and for variety, we are hoping for a blue merle male to add to our family... I want to call him Stitch. Still trying to convince the hubby... Or maybe Sylvester...?

Birthday Shuffle a Deux #3

The Way He Makes Me Feel - Barbra Streisand What can I say...? I can think of one or two, ok maybe three crushes in my life that I can totally relate this song to. I know that a lot of people dissed this movie, but I actually enjoyed it. And, who wouldn't love a naked Mandy Patinkin? Short entry, but there really isn't much more to say about this song...

Birthday Shuffle a Deux #2

Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley I loved "West Wing." It was such a smart and ground-breaking show. Music was always a major part of many of the scenes; like this one where C.J.'s Secret Service agent is shot and killed, and where the Chief of Staff Leo asks for a foreign dignitary to be killed. The haunting tones of this song, with "Hallelujah" in the chorus gives the scene a religious and somber overtone. What's funny is that the song is actually about scorned love, women and how evil they can be. I like this song on so many levels. One is the images from favorite TV shows where it's been played. Two is the heartache and mistrust that comes through the lyrics. Finally, it's the sultry underlying truth that something like love and sex can be both so glorious that it carries you to the heavens, yet can also plunge you down to the depths of hell. Yeah. Hallelujah. Around Christmas, I'll have to remember to post about my most favorite "West Wing" episode ever...

Birthday Shuffle a Deux #1

Last year, I decided that I would blog every day during my birthday month and reflect on the past, think about the future, and have fun going through my iPod shuffle.  Since I am over 1000 songs, I shouldn't have any repeats, but if I do, I will shuffle past to the next one... that's not cheating, right...?

Let's spin the wheel and see, shall we...?




Scarborough Fair/Canticle by Simon & Garfunkle.  Did you know that this is actually two songs in one?  Scarborough Fair is a ballad and the first and last stanzas while Canticle is the middle part of the song.  I always wondered about the "parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme..." lyrics.  My research has showed that different spices in medieval times were associated with different virtues.  Parsley was comfort, sage was strength, rosemary was love, and thyme was courage.  

I can't say I love this song.  I can't really say this song is particularly associated with any part of my life.  It's just a nice "easy listening" kind of song.  Oh, and I always found it to be kind of anti-war with the "generals order their soldiers to kill, and to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten."

We'll have to see what the rest of the month holds...

Waxing Melancholia

Isn't it funny sometimes how something so simple can set off a chain of memories?  Today was a burn day, and you know how I love a good burn.  We're still doing a lot of clearing around the property, and I have spent several days going through a lot of boxes, etc. since we've been cleared from our rental house once and for all and everything we own is now up at our new home.  Today we cleared out a number of boxes from underneath the car port to make room for the new riding lawn mower, and I placed them on the fire.

The box you see in the front of the pile is from my Sony Dream System.

It was the first major purchase I bought after I started my internship year.  I can still remember going to the Best Buy on North Avenue and being so excited carrying the box out to my car.  I got home and carefully set everything up in my living room.  All the wires were color-coordinated and made set up so easy.  Popped in that first DVD and relished in the ear-shattering "the audience is listening" THX surround sound.

Back to the box.  The system was so well packed, that this box made the move from Chicago to Boston to Minneapolis to St. Paul to Buffalo then cross-country to Northern California.  It was one of the boxes that I always carefully stored and kept from move to move.  And, today, I finally burned it.  It actually brought a bit of a tear to my eye thinking that it had made it through the last, almost 10 years, and would not longer be needed... that it had made it to the final move... that I'm finally home...