List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether they have words, or even if they’re any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your blog along with your seven songs. So I did. But I got a bit verbal about why I like the various songs. And it makes a half-way inspiring read. Have a look!
1) Whitesnake - Here I go Again
I have no idea why this song has recently made a re-entry on my ‘frequently played’ list. I guess I was reminded of it when I watched Old Skool again the other day (”You’re my boy, blue!”), and it’s a cracking song. When the chorus kicks in at 1:16 into the song, you just can’t help but change your stride, feel alive, and have a cracking time.
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
2) Aretha Franklin - I Say A Little Prayer
Somehow, as a staunch anti-religionist, every time I come across vaguely religious music, I feel as if liking it is a guilty pleasure. But then I started thinking ‘fuck, why should that be a problem? I quite like guilty pleasures’. After I decided that, this rapidly became one my current favourite songs. Aretha can sing like there is no tomorrow. Her voice caressing my eardrums on the bus to work is a good way to stay happy, methinks
Answer my prayer, now, baby
3) Stevie Wonder - I Wish
How did I go through 22 years of not discovering Stevie Wonder? The man is a bloody genious. the funky bass line in I Wish is united with the careless yet slightly nostalgic lyrics, the carefully constructed brass section and some weird sound effects. Oh yeah. I just want to walk down the street, striding along, with the whole of Church Street in Liverpool joining me in the dancing, proper Blues Brothers- stylee.
Hanging out with those hoodlum friends of mine
4) Dave Matthews Band - What Would You Say?
Dave Matthews has an uncanny ability to build up some very cool soundscapes. The syncopated drumming, the wide number of instruments and the background choir all add to this song. It has a strange way of driving the song forward - like so many other DMB songs - but it works perfectly, and is an excellent example of how a song doesn’t have to drone on to stay interesting. The playfulness is what really makes this one a keeper. It certainly is a much-listened-to and much-loved iPod addition.
Mom, it’s my birthday (would you say)
5) Ane Brun - So you did it again
Ane Brun is an artist I’ve only recently been introduced to (Thanks, Øyvind!), and obviously, I had to buy all her stuff immediately. This song is atypical for her - she does folky, melancholic stuff very well. However, after 45 minutes of depressing stuff, that edge of the motorway bridge is starting to look mighty tempting, which is why ‘So you did it again’ stands out so much. At less than 115 seconds, it’s only a short song, and it isn’t exactly cheerful either. But it’s blues the way it’s meant to be played - with gusto - and with lyrics they are meant to be sung - from the heart. Lovely.
You lay all your time and money on the fucking long horse.
6) Jimmy Eat World - Pain
Chris and I went to see Jimmy Eat World quite recently, I believe (Sadly, all these bands kind of blur into each other, and when you are on the press list, you don’t get ticket stubs either, so for all I know I may have seen something different altogether). Either way, this song is loud, it has drive and passion, and it is has some fabulous guitar parts in it. Brash, loud emo-rock music just the way it is meant to be.
It’s a lie, kiss with open eyes (…) Takes my pain away
7) Ben Harper - I’ll Rise
This song will forever fill me with sadness and hope at the same time. Ben Harper’s voice is hardly the pretties out there (it’s too breathy), the background choir is too pushy, and the piano part seems too simple for this song. But what gets to me is its sheer simplicity, and the way how all its little flaws come together to make a fantastically beautiful song. The lyrics are spot-on, and this is my number one “don’t-give-up-hope” song in my collection. It’s a bitter-sweet punchline that Kate initially sent this song to me, of course, but it all adds to the mood. I wouldn’t be without it for anything in the world.
Cause I’ll walk like I’ve got a diamond mine breaking up in my front yard