Unit 4 + 2

I accidentally found this song while searching for a Jurassic 5 song by the same name on Grooveshark today. It just goes to show ya' everything happens for a reason. If I had never chosen Public Relations as my major, I would never have taken marketing. If I had never taken marketing, I would never have had a seven page research paper. If I had never had a research paper, I would have never come to a coffee shop in the middle of sunny summer day. If the coffee shop played their music loud enough for human ears to detect I would never have been forced to resort to Grooveshark. And finally, if I had never resorted to Grooveshark, I would have never heard this song...! So there you have it. The stars are aligned in my favor today. 

Unit 4 + 2 were a British pop band from the 1960s. They had but one major hit single. Their song "Concrete and Clay" topped the UK Singles chart for a week in 1965 and only made it as far as number 28 in the US. I love the upbeat, slightly Latin sound to this forgotten jam. Its just so dang happy, like a little ray of sunshine streaming into my headphones. The lyrics are totally cheeseball, but I'll have to admit, I really wouldn't mind if a boy wrote this kind of a love song for me.

You to me

Are sweet as roses in the morning
And you to me
Are soft as summer rain at dawn, in love we share
That something rare

The sidewalks in the street
The concrete and the clay beneath my feet
Begins to crumble
But love will never die
Because we'll see the mountains tumbleBefore we say goodbye

My love and I will be
In love eternally

<3 

Monkee Mania? Errrm no.

Can't say that I love The Monkees as much as I love The Beatles (I wouldn't trust anyone who does), but that certainly doesn't mean I don't care. I was introduced to The Monkees on the night of the epic slumber party that was my seventh birthday. After shot gunning a couple of sodas, eating our weight in pizza and blowing out the candles, it was time for presents. Knowing my love for musicals and oldies, the mother of a dear and now long lost grade school companion gave me The Best of The Monkees. A faithful fan I have been ever since, with only a minor glitch when I was disturbed to discover they were a "made for TV" band and may not have...in a strictly technical sense...played their own instruments. Needless to say I got over it. I mean, who really cares? Davy Jones and his ridiculous bowl cut alone were enough to keep me hooked. The video below is especially wonderful for containing the following: catchy lyrics, striped outfits, mutton chops and above all some of the best/worst white boy dance moves known to man.

BEATLE MANIA

To say that I love The Beatles is a gross understatement, if there even is a word to encompass my obsession, I believe the term worship is much more fitting. I will pay any price to add one of their albums to my record collection. I have two group and a set of their individual posters on my walls. Ringo Starr is the current and lasting background of my computer screen. I have named not one, but two dogs after Beatles songs: Lucy as in Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and Penny from Penny Lane.  And as if all that weren't enough, I even painted a scene from the Yellow Submarine on the side of my car. Yup. I'm obsessed.

I thought I had heard every Beatles song ever made, I thought I was an expert, but I'm sad to say it isn't so. In March, I picked up a copy of the single Let it Be in a record shop in Brussels as a souvenir of my trip. Because I didn't have a record player handy while studying abroad in Spain, I had to wait until I got home to spin my new purchase. Although the A side will always be one of my favorite Beatles songs (if I can even say that...to pick a favorite Beatles song is like choosing which of your children you love the most), the B side is what really stood out. It was a song I had never heard before, this sneaky little song had somehow managed to fly below my Beatles radar for years, and if I hadn't just happen to buy that single, who knows how long I would have lived without it.

Personally, I think "You Know My Name (Look Up My Number)" is a pretty awesome song. The lead-in drums and piano are not in typical Beatles style. Only when the quirky repetitive lyrics chime in, you start to realize this must be a Lennon-McCartney studio goof around turned actual recording. The unexpected three part lounge lizard sound makes this song the perfect lighthearted relief to "Let it Be's" heavier vibe.

Someone Still Loves You Brian Wilson

I recently watched a documentary about the life of Brain Wilson, lead singer and song writer for The Beach Boys. The documentary details the band's rise to fame and the detrimental effects this had on Wilson's sanity. Although interesting, it was difficult for me to watch. I had no idea Wilson suffered from mental illness and was shocked to learn how the record company completely dismissed his problem and forced him to create music while trying to cope with depression and bipolar disorder. Sane or not, I love and will always love Brian Wilson. I can not tell you how many times I have listened to the album Pet Sounds or how important those songs and his lyrics are to me.

Be My Baby by The Ronettes was, according to the documentary, Wilson's all time favorite song and the inspiration for his own hit Don't Worry Baby. I found this connection to be especially interesting. I consider both of these songs personal favorites, but had never before consciously noticed a connection between the two. Now that I know one inspired the other, it is impossible to ignore the similarities. Wilson's use of The Ronettes song is an excellent example of how artists can take aspects from existing music without plagiarizing or infringing on copyright laws. 

After a breakup, more than a few days of wallowing in self-pity becomes not only pathetic, but also counterproductive to personal sanity. When I allow myself to lay in bed watching Elliott Smith videos long enough, I get seriously delusional. I start to think I would be better off leaving laughter in TV sitcoms and kindergarten classrooms where it belongs and surrendering to the gravitational pull of my broken heart's black hole of doom. My thoughts venture off into..."Elliott was right, sunshine is overrated...I need to move to a place like Portland where the weather is consistently as gloomy as my mood"

And that is why my favorite, and less delusional, option for curing for a heartbreak hangover is good ole fashion girl power. No, I am not talking about the Spice Girls or Alanis Morissette...I'm talking about Bettye Swann and Barbara Lynn. These two soulful ladies have landed themselves spots on just about every iPod playlist and mix CD I have made since March. My dad can tell me, "that dumb boy lost the best girl he'll ever find" and my friends can remind me that "he's just not worth my tears", but for some reason when Barbara and Bettye sing it out, I believe them. If Bettye's not cryin', neither am I. If Barbara's movin' on, I'm goin' right on with her.

Songs of Summer

Summer for college students is the season of seasonal occupations, lounging poolside, frolicking in the sun, floating down rivers, eating popsicles, or simply put, enjoying youth…unless you’re me. If you are me, then your summer entails spending the sunny hours of every weekday confined to a classroom or windowless auditorium and the majority of your weekends holed up in 24 hour coffee shops cracked out on dark roast trying to catch up/keep up with the demands of fast paced summer school classes.

Am I grateful for higher education? More than anything. Am I being a whiny baby? Maybe a little.  

Here are four old tracks sure to breathe new life into any summer mix:

1. Grazin’ in the Grass: if this song doesn’t make you smile…you may be a robo-alien 

2. The Techniques: old-timey, chill-out, beach-side reggae.

3. Os Mutantes: psychedelic 60s by way of Brazil.

4. The Beach Boys: Nuff’ said.

Modern Oldies

Some people tell me to "lay off" the oldies, to quit digging through my parents dusty records and plug in to what's trending now...and some of the time I do. I may download indie music, go to raves and jam at big outdoor festivals but one thing's for certain, I will never turn my back on my first true love. Oldies.

I don't intentionally neglect the current music scene. It just seems that every time I drift to far from oldies, the ghost of music's past hunts me down and drags me back. I can't help it if I feel more connected to Elvis and The Beach Boys than I do to Ke$ha and Lady Gaga. Just because I'm a "Gen Y'er" doesn't mean that I should have to forgo my personal taste to fit in with the rest of them. Why do they need me anyway? Don't these modern acts have enough followers on Myspace and Twitter already?

Although most of my favorite music is actually 40-50 years old, every now and then a modern track comes along that sounds too much like it could have been a hit in 60s for me to ignore. Two of these "modern oldies" are posted here for listening pleasure.