Tonight

“Tonight's the night we make love till the end
Tonight's the night I vow my love to you
Look into my eyes
I'll love you till the end of time
I'm in love with you”

Tonight – TrueBliss

At the end of last week there were a few million people across the world who waited with held breath to see who would take out season two of The X Factor USA. Would it be the thirty something year old country singer finally getting his chance at fame, or the thirteen year old powerhouse with a voice well beyond her years? In the end, it was the country singer who won the $5 million recording contract and international fame. So what’s this got to do with TrueBliss? Well, New Zealand is adopting The X Factor format and screening it early next year, so it pays to revisit the very first winner of a New Zealand reality television singing competition.

Yes, if you didn’t know it, TrueBliss’ fame came through the New Zealand born concept of PopStars. The show’s creator wanted to form a new, five piece girl group, much like The Spice Girls, and doubled the hype by creating a television show to accompany. The format was sold overseas, with Bardot being created in Australia and Hear’Say being formed in the UK. Simon Fuller went on to create Pop Idols, which went to America as American Idol before Simon Cowell adapted the format in his own series, The X Factor. And now, the series is coming to New Zealand with Dominic Bowden hosting, Stan Walker and Daniel Beddingfield two of the judges – with two female judges still to be announced and my hopes still on one of Runga sisters. Thousands of unsigned singers will turn up and sing their hearts out, hoping to be put through to the next round and not told they are “a talent free zone”.

But will this singer or group become a hit in the country? Our previous reality television winners have crashed and burned when they tried to become big. NZ Idol season one winner Ben Lummis is now immersed in charity work and runner up Michael Murphy graces the stage once a year at Christmas in the Park. There’s nothing to be heard of from season two and three winners, and the show was canned after the third round. As for our TrueBliss ladies following their break up, we saw Megan Alatini judging on NZ Idol series three and owning her own business in Dunedin, Joe Cotton hosting on radio and appearing on Celebrity Treasure Island, Carly Binding having a string of successful songs for a few years, Erica Takacs making guest appearances and hosting that Coca-Cola sponsored top 40 show, and Keri Harper doing ... something.

I do hope whoever wins The X Factor New Zealand will make something of themselves in the music industry. Overseas acts have become famous in other countries through the show – Leona Lewis, One Direction, Reece Mastin and Chris Rene to name a few, so why not a Kiwi too. Although, let’s not forget this is for entertainment, and part of the pleasure is watching those first auditions where people hustling for new jobs cannot actually sing, much to the audiences, and later YouTube viewers pleasure. 

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

“Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the Yuletide gay
From now on
Our troubles will be miles away, ooh

Here we are as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more”

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – [Written by] Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane

It is this time of year when people start to think about New Year’s resolution and, among the other common ones such as lose weight, exercise more, start a blog and finally quit smoking, is the resolution to be nicer to people you previously have had altercations with. As with most resolutions, they fall apart within a few weeks because, at the end of the day, New Year’s is simply another day in the calendar and does not have much of a psychological attachment to it as some people claim. And so, by February we are just as nasty to those people we swore we would be nicer to.

It is, quite simply, built into our human systems not to like everyone we meet and not to get along with every colleague and every friend of a friend. You can be the nicest person on this planet earth and there will still be that one person that really, really irks you. Or you could be a person who hates someone for what they did to you in the past – someone who doesn’t deserve your forgiveness or your thoughts around New Year’s resolutions. I think you should save yourself the hassle of the negative thoughts – because I think I’ve got a better solution.

Next week is Christmas. In the religious sense, it is about celebrating the birth of Christ and the way he helped guide people through their lives in Biblical times. For others, Christmas is about family and friends, food and presents, and enjoying the day off. There is so much magic in the air around Christmas time, and through functions prior to the actual day, there is Christmas festivities to share with people who are in such a jolly good mood. Everyone deserves to have a Merry Christmas. From your best friend to your parents, and from the person who you bicker with occasionally to the person you hate the sight of, they deserve to have Christmas spirit. This doesn’t necessarily mean forgiveness or the start of a friendship, but it can mean a simple bit of holiday cheer in whatever way you can manage.

So, to my friends, my family, my colleagues, my university mates, my wonderful blog readers, and the people I really don’t like (whether or not you know it), I truly wish you a Merry Christmas. I hope you have a wonderful day – and if you aren’t a Christmas goer, I wish you a fantastic 25^th of December in what will hopefully be a fine summer’s day. I will see you for a final Kiwi blog next week, then I look forward to bringing your more rambling wisdom and musings in the New Year. 

Get Rhythm

“Hey, get rhythm when you get the blues
Come on, get rhythm when you get the blues
Get a rock 'n' roll feelin' in your bones
Put taps on your toes and get gone
Get rhythm when you get the blues”

Get Rhythm – Johnny Cash

Yesterday was one of the most surreal days I’ve ever experienced. I donned a heavy gown and hood, walked across stage (without tripping, thank goodness) and received the certificate that officially said I have completed my degree. Now, I’ve assumed I was going to graduate throughout my whole university life and knew I would graduate a couple weeks back when I received my final academic results saying I had passed everything. But it wasn’t until I actually received the certificate and put on the trencher when I really realised I had done the degree. And, as surreal as it was to know I had actually done it, there was a large part of me which was proud of myself.

So what now? I have the certificate and the knowledge of three years of uni – well, what I can remember from Media Comm which I haven’t removed from my brain. I’ve made some amazing friends which have resulted in the best memories (and worst mornings, and the occasional times where things don’t quite get done when they should, like Thursday blog posts). As my tutors would say, it is time to face “the real world”. It’s an exciting prospect – my graduates and I are young and living on hopes and dreams and tins of spaghetti when the finances get really bad. I feel like there’s been a part of me which has been in this “real world” for a few years, as I held down a part time job and made sure not to go into debt, and made it a point of interest to meet people who can help me move forward.

But what if it all falls apart? There’s a deep dark part of me which is so worried everything will just fall apart.

 

I guess that’s when I get rhythm. If anyone knows how to cure the blues, it has to be the man in black who nearly ended up in Folsom Prison. And if any song character can still get rhythm when they are the shoe shiner on a windy corner of the dirty street, then surely a graduated university student can get rhythm too, because it does you a world of good. Getting some rhythm helps you calm down and put things in perspective, and figure your way forward. I’ve heard stories of people succeeding through the worst times and it seems nothing is ever too big to be solved if you want to solve it. It might not be able to be solved straight away and it will take some hard work – but in the meantime, you can get your rhythm on to get through it all. 

Somebody That I Used to Know

“But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough
No you didn't have to stoop so low
Have your friends collect your records and then change your number
I guess that I don't need that though
Now you're just somebody that I used to know”

Somebody That I Used to Know – Gotye feat Kimbra

I’m always happy when it comes to December, because a lot of cool exciting things happen all around the same time.  There is Christmas and all the trimmings which come with it. In New Zealand December means our summer and beach and barbeques. And it’s also a time for countdowns and looking back at what the biggest events of the year were. The news breaks, sport stories and entertainment scandals which made front page news are all put into countdowns to see what the biggest event of the year was (this year it has got to be the Olympics).

It’s also the time of year when we start to look back and determine what the biggest song of the year was. At the end of every year I scour lists to see who put what song where. It began in 2003 during my ZM listening days when I heard their top 103 of ’03 and I waited all day to hear Where is the Love by The Black Eyes Peas was number one. It’s been a yearly obsession since and each year I’ve always disagreed with the website which told me the winners. I often use this website http://www.bobborst.com/popculture/songoftheyear as it is US based and reflects that of Billboard pop charts (which doesn’t give me top songs of the year). I have followed it when it said 2004 went to Usher with Yeah! And 2005 was Mariah Carey, followed closely by Gwen Stefani’s Hollaback Girl. Last year Adele took it out with her smash hit Rolling in the Deep. And, interestingly, in 2002 it claimed Nickelback’s How You Remind Me was the biggest song.

This year there have been some huge hits in the pop charts– Maroon 5 have had two chart topping hits, Carly Rae Jepsen’s song for some reason stayed near the top  for weeks, Katy Perry, fun., Pink, One Direction and Flo Rida have been dominating our Top 40 radio stations ... and Gangnam Style, of course. But my prediction is Goyte feat Kimbra will be the song of the year. I’m not saying just because it is featuring a gorgeous Kiwi girl; it has been chart topping since it broke into the American market at the beginning of the year. It was the number one song on the Billboard charts for 15 weeks in a row and has sold more than six million copies into the market. It is the third-best-selling single of all-time in Australia, with a certified 10 times platinum status. The stats add up to one smash hit song which I think deserves to take out song of the year – but what are your predictions? 

This blog idea came to me from this awesome mash up video 

Maybe

”I'm not playin' hangman with you
I've run out of letters, let alone words
You've got me shiverin' in my spine
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/o/opshop/maybe.html ]
If everything turned out as we had said
We wouldn't have to sit here talkin' like this
Maybe I would be a better fit in my own skin
Maybe”

Maybe – Opshop

I find the word ‘maybe’ quite an interesting term – it’s a sitting on the fence kind of decision you make when you cannot make up your mind. It’s how you reply to Facebook event invites if you’re unsure what you will be up to that night ... or don’t want to go to said event. Or you can only rationalise an 11.4% chance you will be off work that night and can find a ride to the events location. For a better definition of ‘maybe’ I hit up google. The first return was Call Me Maybe. Ugh. A scroll down and maybe shows uncertainty, much like the characters in this Opshop song, and much like my opinion of Opshop’s lead singer Jason Kerrison ... maybe I like him.

Jason Kerrison is the good and the bad of New Zealand music. He’s the lead singer of a pretty sweet New Zealand band – not the best, not the worst, but somewhere between Evermore (higher up there) and The Feelers (a bit lower down). He’s currently a judge on New Zealand’s Got Talent and, while I have only watched a few episodes, he’s doing a not so bad job bringing people into the entertainment business. And he came into the semi finals Rockstar Supernova back in 2006 and while he never made our screens in the final 15, he’s the Kiwi which got the furthest on the Rock Star stage.

But maybe Kerrison isn’t all that amazing – after all he’s in an above average but not amazing Kiwi band which puts out good songs, including the one which was on the New Zealand Post ad. He’s on New Zealand’s Got Talent which, in my opinion, didn’t quite live up to its expectations. And he built an ark to survive the 2012 apocalypse thing. Built it from scratch for his family. Like, AN ENTIRE ARK! I don’t find that maybe weird, I find that weird full stop.

Interestingly, amongst my sitting on the fence musings of Jason Kerrison, I realised I find Opshop’s music average in the overall scheme of music. I pride myself on loving New Zealand music and have even dedicated the last blog of every month to a Kiwi artist. But when I think about it honestly I don’t love, or even particularly like, every single New Zealand song. I do love some, I hate some, and some I ... maybe sitting on the fence with uncertainty like, but that's just the way music preferences work. And while Jason Kerrison probably won’t be the Kiwi musician who will change the world, he hasn’t done anything wrong. Apart from this ark business...

We Are Young

"The world is on my side
I have no reason to run
So will someone come and carry me home tonight
The angels never arrived
But I can hear the choir
So will someone come and carry me home

Tonight
We are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter
Than the sun”

We Are Young – fun. ft. Janelle Monáe

Remember when you were a wee child about to start your first day at school and year six seemed so far away. Or when you started high school and saw the year 13’s walking by and thought there was no way you would ever become that old, ever. You would go to your older cousin’s birthday milestones; when they reached were 13 and they’d reached the teen years or when they were 18 and were allowed their first (legally) alcoholic drink. Getting older seemed such a far away concept, until you became that person who had magically gotten older.

This year has been a year of celebrating 21^st birthdays. Traditionally, this is seen as the coming of age birthday and it originates from the rituals of knighthood – 21 was the age when a boy was deemed to have completed his training and he could become a knight. In Elizabethan times, it was the age in which a boy became a man and was therefore allowed to marry. In current society, it holds little more value than an excuse to get really drunk together and celebrate the life we’d had so far – and if you are an American, then you are legally allowed to drink and enter bars. All these traditions make me think turning 21 is the point where you become an adult and, as an adult, you have to act a lot more responsible. Since I’ve turned 21 all that has changed is my increasing hatred for 18 year olds who drunkenly squeal loudly when I’m trying to have a nice drink out with some friends. And there’s a few things which I’ve learned along the way which I wouldn’t have known a few years back. But otherwise, I don’t really feel like my age is any more than a number, like my shoe size or phone number.  

I chose We Are Young this week for two reasons. Firstly, at one of my friends’ 21^st birthdays this year her brothers pulled out a guitar and sang the song, and all the party goers joined in. It was a nice song choice and I think it summed up 21^st birthdays perfectly – which brings me to point two. For our 21^st birthday night, and, let’s face it, for all our friends’ 21^st birthdays because they are designed to be celebrated with your best mates – we are young and the world is on our side. We are only 21. We have our whole lives to find real jobs, pay off student loans and eat more than baked beans on toast every night because that’s all we can afford right now.

This year I’ve attended some of the best parties, heard amazing life stories about my best mates, and laughed myself until I nearly cried at some fantastic and embarrassing photographs, and been lucky enough to have my own fabulous party with the best people on earth.  Turning 21 is, as I’ve said above, traditionally meant to be about coming of age. But I can’t help but feel young and carefree and, while excited about my unknown future, this is the time where we live in the moment, because we are young.

 

 

 

 

Here's a selection of photos from some of the 21st I've been to this year:

The 21st which inspired this week's song choice

My 21st! The theme was from Luger Boa's album - New Hot Nights

Cupcakes - 21st birthday cake is the best cake ever!

An example of the effort people put in for their birthdays - this one had a marquee and lights!

It's also been a year of cool themes - this was Black and Gold

And there's been some fantastic fun times all year!

 

Every Teardrop is a Waterfall

“I turn the music up, I got my records on
From underneath the rubble sing a rebel song
Don't want to see another generation drop
I'd rather be a comma than a full stop

Maybe I'm in the black, maybe I'm on my knees
Maybe I'm in the gap between the two trapezes
But my heart is beating and my pulses start
Cathedrals in my heart”

Every Teardrop is a Waterfall – Coldplay

Last Saturday night I saw Coldplay live at Mt Smart Stadium. On the way to the show my friend and I were discussing other music acts we’ve seen live. I realised within the past year I’ve been to Vector Arena six times for concerts and numerous gigs at bars for local bands. It seems I am drawn to live acts as much as I’m drawn to chocolate cake with pink icing. I remember a few months ago I had food poisoning and missed Luger Boa, Villainy and Clap Clap Riot playing together and I’m sure I nearly died. Not from food poisoning, but from missing out on seeing these three bands playing together. Therefore, with my history of seeing musicians in the flesh, Coldplay would have to do something spectacular to top the list of live shows. And as Coldplay’s music is often described as slow, sad and slightly mournful, it has hard to see them doing that.

But holy shit Coldplay put on an amazing live show. They turned their slow crooning British songs into hits which got the audience rocking and singing along. They had glowing wristbands, fireworks, confetti, light spinning across the stadium, three stages and the band were full of energy start to finish, from Paradise to Viva La Vida through to Fix You, the slowest song of them all. They ended with Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, the song which is all about turning the music up, something which you know I endorse.

It was easy to get lost amongst all the glamour though, and there was so much glamour at the Coldplay concert. Chris Martin and the band sounded really good live, but they weren’t the most amazing band I’ve ever heard (Dave Grohl takes that award home). I don’t love their songs like I love Keane or Skillet’s music. And I’m certainly not attracted to the lead singer of Coldplay like I’m attracted to Reese Mastin Meatloaf all the members of Hot Chelle Rae. Yet Coldplay were mesmerizing to see live because I wanted to know what was coming next: which song and which sparkly accompaniment flying through the sky. They were seasoned performers who knew how to wow a crowd and make their songs sound as best as possible live.

Thus, Coldplay takes the award for the most amazing show I’ve ever seen. Not the best live band or best songs performed, but a spectacular music and lights show which left me buzzing for hours.

Every You Every Me

“Sucker love is known to swing.
Prone to cling and waste these things.
Pucker up for heavens sake.
There's never been so much at stake.

I serve my head up on a plate.
It's only comfort, calling late.
Cuz there's nothing else to do,
Every me and every you.
Every me and every you”

Every you every me – Placebo

Now that I’ve finished up with University I’ve got a fair bit of spare time, and I start to lose track of days. Hence, it’s 9pm and I only just realised it’s Thursday and I’ve got to upload a blog. I got distracted for a few hours earlier because I was watching The X Factor USA, but then I realised this week’s theme gives me a sweet blog topic. It’s movies week on The X Factor and on Musical Musings.

Every movie it accompanied by a theme song, or so it seems. From songs written especially for the movie to a song which was a hit then became an even bigger hit when it accompanied a block buster film, you can generally name a film and think of the song which goes with it. The X Factor contestants are pulling out the big names this week – Eye of the Tiger and Iris, and even a version of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. These tunes add the surrounding sound and make a moment all the better; how bad would all the Armageddon scenes be if they weren’t accompanied by Steven Tyler’s crooning. Okay, maybe not bad, but you have to admit I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing adds a good amount of drama.

Placebo’s Every You Every Me is one of my favourite movie songs. It sets up such a great introduction to Cruel Intentions, by sounding a bit seductive and a bit dangerous. It sets up the whole movie perfectly, as Kathryn and Sebastian enter a bet with a few naughty outcomes, accompanied by a not so innocent Cecile and Annette. It’s a great movie and comes complete with a ridiculously hot Sarah Michelle Gellar and a rather attractive Ryan Phillippe. Nice.

The X Factor movie hits has finished up for the night and they’ve celebrated the best songs in films. I’m looking forward to bringing this topic up at the next social event I have with the mates (this isn’t a lame topic, is it?). I bet someone will mention every Linkin Park song ever in every Transformers movie ever. 

Top of the World

“There is only one wish on my mind
When this day is through I hope that I will find
That tomorrow will be just the same for you and me
All I need will be mine if you are here

I'm on the top of the world lookin' down on creation
And the only explanation I can find
Is the love that I've found ever since you've been around
Your love's put me at the top of the world”

Top of the World – The Carpenters

This is blog number four of six on the topic of my favourite songs.See my other four favourite songs here, here, and here. 

It is common knowledge that us girls like to dream about our wedding days since we’re about five. We think up the perfect dress and cake, what flowers we would have and how our guests would be placed. We argue with each other about where to have the wedding; someone usually says the beach and someone else will say a church. We dream about the perfect guy: our prince, knight in shining armour, movie star, exceedingly rich, handsome husband to be. Or just someone who will take good care of us.

Me, being me, have a few vague things in mind about all of the above, but of course, have the song for my first dance picked out. Sorry future hubby, it’s going to be The Carpenters. None of this cliché soppy heart wrenching I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing by Aerosmith stuff, I want it to be a bit more upbeat but still sweet,  so this hit song by The Carpenters is what it going to be. Don’t worry future husband (who, might I add, I have no idea will be), you might still get to pick out what cufflinks you’ll wear on our big, currently imaginary, day.

I really like this song because it is nothing more than simply a happy tune. There’s no hidden agenda to it like most love songs you hear. There’s no creepy stalker undertone like in Every Breath You Take and no allusions that the love you have has left you like in I Will Always Love You. Yet, it isn’t the ridiculously cutesy love song which makes you gag whenever you hear it because it is too damn lovely. No, the lovely Karen Carpenter just puts the message out for us to hear: her love is, quite simply, putting her on the top of the world.

While we’re on the subject of Karen Carpenter, I must add this quick note. If there was one musician I wish hadn’t died too young, it would be Karen. I would have loved to see her sing during my lifetime because she was amazing and I think she’s one those sad stories where a musician who had much more to give the music world died too young. 

Give it a Million

“We've always waited for the day
And we feel the same way to
Understand it all for you
It getting closer day by day

Give it a million that's what we say
Don't stop, don't stop today
Stick to the top and we’ll meet you half way
Don't stop don't stop
Oh it's getting harder not to say we’re running away”

Give it a Million – The Make Believe

When I was about sixteen I thought I had my career sorted: I wanted to be a journalist. After graduating from high school I started the Bachelor of Communication Studies at AUT with the high hopes of writing for some fancy magazine. A quarter of the way through my second year I threw down a newspaper in hatred and decided right then journalism was not for me. Instead of embarking on the journalism major I went for radio with high hopes of becoming a star radio host.

That was all more than a year ago, and this time next week I will have sat my last exam for university (hopefully) and I’ll be in the big badass world. But I decided I can’t move forward without taking a quick look back at the year that’s been in the radio major, and that’s what this blog is dedicated to. It was a year of hanging out with the same thirty or so people and complaining bitterly about assignments. I ripped survey results to shreds (not literally, though there were times I really, really wanted to), sought up a budget for a radio station, wrote an entire radio journalism bulletin by myself (I decided radio journalism is okay) and burned through dozens of CDs with ads and music reviews and interviews on them.

I got the chance to be a host of our AUT radio station Static and this was an absolute highlight for me. Spinning yarns on the every week airwaves with The Sunday Panel, various other co-host or just by myself was heaps of fun. And with this came the music choice: I made it my mission to make sure every show I was in had sweet beats, and I soon realised what sweeter beats then the ones grown in our backyard.

This year, it’s been an absolute delight discovering and re-discovering local talent. I heard and subsequently saw live bands such as Clap Clap Riot, Black River Drive and Villainy, made friends with up and coming musicians like Will Frost, and immersed myself into the local pop scene with talent like The Make Believe. I also made sure to keep our history loud, by playing acts such as Crowded House, Split Enz, The Mutton Birds, and more recently separated bands such as The D4 and Steriogram. It’s been a year of giving it a million to New Zealand music.

All puns aside, I’ve really enjoyed the year at Static, and I want to end it with one of the most upbeat and funky songs I’ve heard this year. The Make Believe gives us this song with a positive message and to me, that’s the best way to go out of university: by giving everything a million because today’s the day. 

How to Touch a Girl

“Bring me some flowers
Conversation for hours
To see if we really connect
And baby if we do
Ooh I'll be givin all my love to you
Ohh

Do you know how to touch a girl?
If you want me so much
First I have to know
Are you thoughtful and kind?
Do you care what's on my mind?
Or am I just for show?
You'll go far in this world
If you know how to touch a girl”

How to Touch a Girl – JoJo

If you have to Google it, you probably shouldn't be doing it.

In saying that, JoJo’s is not about physically touching a girl, but it certainly gets your attention. What it really is about is a girl liking a boy but she wants him to shower her in gifts and pay her full attention and then will she decide if she will love him / let him “touch her”.

This song was released in 2006, in a time of advanced technology like the iPod and a female Prime Minister of New Zealand, and yet it makes me think about the aged old woman / man situation chivalry in society. When we look around we see these strong female figures and have witnessed feminist rebellion throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s and yet, we still go weak at the knees for a bunch of flowers. What this seems to me is a battle of politics versus personal lives. As much women love to think they are empowered by themselves, their peers and their role models to make a change for females, the odd gift from a man is rather nice.

And I like what JoJo talks about in her chorus – “touching a girl” is also about being kind and thoughtful and much more than a prop on your arm. To me, this is sheer politeness which should come from both sexes. It’s nice to head out with either a guy or a group of girlfriends and hear a “how are things going at uni / work / family home etc” and follow up on the things which aren’t quite going right for you. I think this shows support which should come from anybody involved in your life. Leading on from the politeness, this song also makes me think about the age old chivalry – is it still considered polite and socially correct to let a girl go through a door first or offer a lady your seat on the train (if she’s pregnant there’s no question – get your butt off the seat!)

So what really is “touching” a girl and can you really go far in the world if you do it? Is it finding the balance of letting a girl shine by herself while you stand beside her and if you do she’ll make it worth your while? Probably, and this is where you shouldn’t go around introducing your woman as an aunty to act like a skux to your bro mates at your party (on the Gold Coast).

I’m musing here, as it’s what I do best, and the conclusion I come to is being nice and polite can get you far in this world - both with the opposite sex, and with anyone else you may encounter. 

Whispers in the Dark

“No
You'll never be alone
When darkness comes you know I'm never far
Hear the whispers in the dark
Whispers in the dark

You feel so lonely and ragged
You lay here broken and naked
My love is
Just waiting
To clothe you in crimson roses”

Whispers in the Dark - Skillet 

This one time (a very long time ago) I was trolling through people’s Bebo accounts like a normal fourteen year old did back in the mind 2000’s. If you were lucky enough to have a Bebo account, you’ll remember being able to make a huge list of all your favourite music artists. Much like I scroll through Twitter these days, I used to look through people’s Bebo lists to find new bands. And that is how I came across Skillet.

I listened to Whispers in the Dark first and I didn’t hear much more than a generic rock song, one which I already had in my music library. Then, a few weeks later when I was in some hormonal fourteen year old bad mood I came back across the same song. And that’s when I really listened to the song. I listened and searched up the lyrics and realised what Skillet were doing. Whispers in the Dark is a song which has a dark and moody tone, but the lyrics shine with positivity. It was something new to me and I thought it was amazing.

Skillet soon became my favourite band and it’s because they just get it. They get silly teenage issues which seem so big to a young fourteen year old and they get the big picture that life isn’t always that easy growing up. They get people want a song which has positive themes but they don’t want it sugar coated from pop artists all the time. Skillet’s songs, from The Last Night to Awake and Alive feel much more realistic than a pretty girl singing about loving life to a back up track.

I believe Skillet’s positivity comes from a hybrid of being both a rock band and from a Christian background. I’m not personally a practising Christian or involved with any other religion, but I love the messages Christianity in particular can teach us and I think this world can benefit from the positivity of these messages. And occasionally I enjoy the songs from worship bands like Hillsong United, but I like Skillet because their messages aren’t thrown at me. It’s like they are there if you want it and want to take it on board, much like all advice we are given should be. Skillet makes you feel like someone else gets how you feel and is there to accompany you. I remember seeing Skillet live about a year and a half ago and the crowd were wild in unison as Skillet told us their message and shared with us they got how we felt. And these feelings music give you is, my blog readers, the reason I write this on here every week and share it with you. 

Hollaback Girl

“Uh huh, this is my shit
All the girls stomp your feet like this

A few times I've been around that track
So it's not just gonna happen like that
Because I ain't no hollaback girl
I ain't no hollaback girl”

Hollaback Girl – Gwen Stefani

Imagine fronting a hugely successful 1990’s rock band with a number of hit singles. Imagine being the it music girl for a number of years. But then, your band splits up and you launch into your solo career with earnest because you could become the next big female musician. And then - you release this song “I ain't no Hollaback girl”

I wouldn't go as far as to say this song ruined Gwen Stefani’s career, but it came pretty close. You might say you love it and it’s real cool and what not, but in comparison to her other songs, it was the bottom of the heap. Gwen, along with No Doubt, bought out songs such as Just A Girl, Don’t Speak and It’s My Life, which in my opinion were absolute gems. Don’t Speak peaked at number one in charts in America, United Kingdom and Australia. In early 2004 No Doubt went on a hiatus and Gwen Stefani, the cool chick she was, embarked on a solo career. She came out with the funky song What You Waiting For?  which is about the fear of releasing an album.

Followed by ... Hollaback Girl

What a disaster. Personally, I don’t like the song and I don’t like that it’s Gwen Stefani. I get that’s a big middle finger to Courtney Love, who said Stefani was little more than a cheerleader. But did Gwen really need to rise to a jab by Courtney Love? And if Gwen did think she needed to make a comeback, I wish she’d done it in a way which was a bit cleverer. A bit more lyrical wisdom instead of spelling out bananas, and less running around like a cheerleader, more empowering what Gwen Stefani really is – a successful mother and business woman. I sincerely hope No Doubt’s recent comeback is going to show a lot more musical gloriousness than Hollaback Girl did.]

I suppose musicians want to take risks and change things up as their career goes on, even if they do run the risk of ruining their career. Or it could go the other way, and a musician could make a song so out of the way, like Gwen did, it becomes popular. After all, Hollaback Girl got more than one million downloads and was one of the biggest hits of 2005. I call it bizarre, but few hundred thousand fans out there must have thought it was a chance to tell the world they ain't no hollaback girl.

One World

“We could have been a world 
We could have been one 
We could have been everybody trying to get along 
We could have been a world 
We could have been one 
We could have been everybody drawn together

You could have been listening, you could have been here 
You could have been giving and you could have cared”

One World – The Feelers

Yesterday I was scrolling the Twitter feed and came across a photo which was taken at JB Hi Fi. It was of an album by The Feelers and captioned “They’re NZ’s Nickelback!” I’m not quite sure whether this was meant to be a compliment or not but it got me thinking about the way we look at our Kiwi bands.

Whenever a new band comes out they’re often compared to overseas act. Jamie McDell is New Zealand’s Taylor Swift. The Make Believe is New Zealand’s answer to Blink 182. Clap Clap Riot have been compared to The Kinks and The Hives. I’m at odds over whether this is a bad thing or not. On one hand, it’s nice to know New Zealand have the talent to be compared with such bad acts. On the other hand, why must New Zealanders be something which already exists in music industry?

Although I’m no musician, I’m going to take a guess and say it would depend what musician you are compared to which makes the difference. I don’t think The Feelers will be feeling particularly pleased with JB Hi Fi comparing them to Nickelback given Nickelback’s reputation in music. But being compared to Taylor Swift, one of the biggest female recording artists at the moment? That must be a cool feeling and a sweet compliment. But are Kiwi musicians stuck in this rut of being constantly compared to someone overseas?

Maybe it has to do with the domination of American and British music. It seems they just get there first. Or is it these artists who are being compared with are success and for the New Zealand musician who just wants to succeed they should embody what is the trend overseas? And, if that’s the case, then can New Zealand musicians be better than their international comparisons? I muse over this and throw out these questions because we are happy to celebrate New Zealand culture and music. But if we walk around saying The Feelers are the Kiwi Nickelback, then we are really just celebrating Nickelback’s music. Are you fine with that? 

Don't Stop Believing

“Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on

Don't stop believing
Hold on to that feeling
Streetlight people”

Don’t Stop Believing – Glee Cast*

*Okay, so this song is not originally by Glee Cast at all, but with the return of the hit show to our television screens this week I thought I would dedicate a blog to the music show which has helped shape a generation, and Don’t Stop Believing is the song which became iconic for Glee in the pilot episode.

For those not so familiar with Glee the general concept is an Ohio high school “Glee Club” (singing and dancing group), called New Directions, are practising for sectionals / regionals / nationals for 20-odd episodes. All the while, the characters dealing with typical teenage issues like puberty and who is the most popular in the school, and everyone in the Glee Club slowly works their way through relationships with each other. It all sounds a bit drab and dull and oh so petty – and it would be, if it wasn’t for the music.

What I love about Glee is the variety of music in every episode. And, while the covers aren’t always the best, they are still pretty decent and I do love a solo song turned into a chorus of gleeful teenagers. From Lady Gaga to Keane to AC/DC to Les Miserables, Glee has done it, and they’ve done it nearly 12 million viewers.

In my opinion, the key to Glee’s musical success comes from the unprejudiced way they approach the songs. It seems not one artist is given special preference over another, and you hardly ever hear the cast talk down about a song. The characters take every song to heart and perform the music like they believe in the song. The show is a positivity overload and everyone in the Glee Club, to the extent which is possible in high school cliques, support and believes in one another. This was seen from the very first episode, where a somewhat terrible group practised and performed Journey’s hit song and found they could be quite good. And so, with all the belief in the world, New Directions trotted through three seasons and just came back on screens last night for number four.

Love it, hate it, or simply don’t have time for it, Glee is the future of music television. It’s a money making machine and it draws viewers like the plague. And it’s also one of the few ways we see the impact of music on television and see how music makes people believe. 

Just in case you are a purist, I will also include a copy of the original song by Journey 

What You Want

“Do what you what you want, you don’t have to lay your life down
(it isn’t over)
Do what you what you want till you find what you’re looking for
(got to remember who you really are)
But every hour slipping by screams that I have failed you

Hello, hello remember me?
I’m everything you can’t control
Somewhere beyond the pain there must be a way to believe”

What You Want – Evanescence

This song has a very important message in it: you should forget what others say and forget those thoughts which haunt you and do what you want until you succeed, because you can overcome your doubt and negativity. If you want more on these kinds of musings, check out my blogs I Will Not Bow and We Weren’t Born To Follow. These are dedicated to inspiring you to meet your dreams without tripping over on your way to the top. You see, there is another very important aspect of Evanescence which I want to touch upon here and What You Want also happens to sum this up perfectly.

Amy Lee is a babe.

Yes, my precious blog readers, I want to bring to your attention how hot the lead singer of Evanescence is. Girl. Crush. Alert.

I love Amy Lee for a variety of reasons, the first of which being her beautifully haunting voice which is rare in the music industry. She’s built herself a huge fan base through her writing, singing and overall style – a weird hybrid of old school glam gothic pop rock which no one but Amy Lee would ever be able to pull off. Furthermore her overall attitude which she portrays through her music is fabulous, whether she is telling us to follow our dreams or kicking her ex, Seether’s Shaun Morgan, to the curb in the song Call Me When You’re Sober. And, who could forget, she’s classically trained in piano making her equal parts talented and gorgeous. Her overall persona makes me believe her when she tells us to do what we want while remembering who we really are. And look at her – she has clearly done what she wants through music and style, and what we know of her personal life, and come out on top. Amy Lee? I idolise her.

Or rather, I idolise the image she portrays. See, I can muse all day long on here about how great she is, but the bottom line is I will probably never get the chance to meet her and see what she is like in real life. And while I’m fairly confident she will be as wonderful as I’ve just described, it is likely I will never know.

A few weeks ago I was listening to the radio and the host suggested idols are someone we know and can be mentored by. I took his point, and since then I’ve started to feel a bit torn about whom I consider idols – from Amy Lee to Sally Pearson to Princess Diana, these are people who inspire me but I can never meet. Even past family members who made achievements but are long gone and I cannot meet, meaning I would technically not be able to idolise their heroics. And if I never meet them, I am just idolising what I’ve read and heard about them and thus being inspired by an image.

It’s a bit tricky and I’m not sure where it leaves me. Sure, I can continue to be inspired by these famous people and take the lessons they publically give, but perhaps not idolise them in the same way I once did.  

 

 

 

Just thought I'd include a picture of Amy Lee so you be reminded of what a babe she is.

 

Feel Inside (and stuff like that)

“Children getting sicker,
Drinking too much bubble mixture, 
They all just wanna be bubbles, 
They all just wanna be bubbles.

There must be something we can do,
To stop these kids from doing spews.

Feel inside,
And stuff like that,
Open up the lids,
Helpa helpa helpa the kids”

Feel Inside (and stuff like that) – Flights of the Conchords and Friends

As with any charity events in which the aim is to raise money for those who need it and are unable to cover the means by themselves, a great charity song with a number of well known artists is needed. There are hundreds of charity songs for many different causes which raise both money and awareness – Stand Up To Cancer, Do They Know It’s Christmas etc.

When it came to Red Nose Day and Comedy for Cure Kids here in New Zealand, a comedy song inevitable. As much as I love a good charity awareness ballad, I don’t think society and the kids themselves needed to be reminded of the sad truth there are hundreds of sick kids in society. Rather, someone smart who was involved with Comedy for Cure Kids made a fantastic choice to continue with the comedy theme and Flight of the Conchords were called to provide the amusement. They could have come up with a funny song off the bat, but they got stuck in and took it a step further.

The Conchords duo – Bret and Jermaine – headed back to school to meet with children and they chatted about what kids thought being sick meant and how they should raise more money. It was your typically fantastic children answers. From the girl who ate bubble mixture because she wanted to turn into a bubble to the boy who said John Key was spending all of New Zealand’s money on furniture, not forgetting school kids were adamant sick children needed juice, pizza and plasma TVs to help make them better.

Bret and Jermaine took these answers and turned them into lyrics, and thus Feel Inside (and stuff like that), was born, and it’s hands down the best charity song I have ever heard. Flight of the Conchords then teamed up with some fantastic Kiwi musicians – Brooke Fraser, Kids of 88, Zowie, Hayley Westenra and Savage to name a few. The result was a song which was funny but still made the point clearly: kids were sick and money was needed. You can buy the song of iTunes if you haven’t already – in my opinion, it’s the best was to open the lid and helpa helpa helpa the kids.  

And here's the full length video including the children's answers 

Wandering Eye

“...can't help but spy from my wandering eye
something beginning with the capital cool
capital you, if you could only check my view

we come to do it yeah, yeah

I got the wandering eye
Mmm
I got the wandering eye”

Wandering Eye – Fat Freddy’s Drop

It’s that time of year when all my friends start bugging with the one question I dread. It’s the most difficult question I have ever come across and I wish it didn’t come up every year, because I never know the answer and, to be honest, I just wish someone else would sort it out for me because I’m far too lazy and too busy to think much further ahead than next week. Yes, it’s that question: what are you doing for New Years?

It’s AUGUST!

But no, we have been bombarded with advertisements and line up announcements and *gulp* ticket prices to convince you to spend the night which sees in the new year with their particular show, and, if your (fabulous) friends are like mine, they all have a different idea on what to do.

To be fair, the line ups for these shows look pretty sweet. Last year I headed to Coromandel Gold (incidentally, which I decided to go to in early December and not July), and spent two great nights listening to Fat Freddy’s Drop – quite possible the leading act when it comes to New Zealand New Year festivals and hence the reason I specifically blogged on them - Shapeshifter and Shihad. The Coro Gold line up takes on these same bands this year, along with Sola Rosa, Katchafire and Kora. These Kiwi bands remind me of summer; it’s just a shame Coro Gold tickets have already sold out for 2012 / 2013 and I won’t be able to nab one the month before.  

Then there’s the biggest NZ New Year’s festival, Rhythm and Vines. This is four or so nights camping in Gisbourne. I’ve never been, but heard it’s the grottiest camp ground you could possibly find. However, if you can handle this and drinking from 9am until 5pm, when you’ll head to the music stage and hear artists like Kimbra, Logistics, Ruby Frost and Six 60 until you crawl back into your tent (or someone’s tent) before doing it all again. While this does not quite sound like my cup of tea, I’ve heard it is fantastic. The campground tickets are sold out but there’s still a few just to see the bands if you can find your own accommodation.

Finally, La De Da is on in Martinborough over New Years and has more wicked Kiwi artists like Shapeshifter – who are doing the hard yards at two festivals this year - Concord Dawn and David Dallas, so if you’re down that way for New Years I’d say check this one out. It appears to be the least recognised festival out of the three I mentioned, so you should be in for a not so squashed and not so scummy camp site over New Years.

To be honest, as much as I love music and have been getting excited by these line ups while writing this blog, I doubt I’ll know what I’ll be doing for New Years by December 20.

So stop asking me!

Ps. Hey, Fat Freddy’s Drop, what was with not playing Wandering Eye at Coro Gold last year? I dig this song!

Blue

“Blue his house
With a blue little window
And a blue corvette
And everything is blue for him
And his self
And everybody around
'Cause he ain't got nobody to listen...

I'm blue, da ba de, da ba die ..."

Blue – Eiffel 65

What the fuck are the lyrics to this song?

After 30 odd blogs, I thought it was time to get my critical face on and give you something which I don’t quite agree with. As much as music is challenging and thought provoking and tells stories and brings out emotions, I don’t think there is much point to it if you can’t understand it.

According to trusty Google, the lyrics are da ba de / da ba die / da ba de / da ba die. What does this even mean? And, the further problem I have with this song is for a long time no one really believed these were the lyrics, so versions such as I’m blue / If that was me I would die / I’m in need of a guy / If I was green I would die / I’m gonna beat up a guy / I’m gonna eat up that pie fulfilled my childhood and made me so much more confused.

Apparently this song is about being depressed; that is, feeling blue and lonely all the time. I suppose it can be taken from the angle that no one understands how this guy is feeling (being that depression in itself is hard to understand) so Eiffel 65 came out with a whole lot of garbled words as symbolism. But I think this is a bit of a stretch of analysis into a pop song.

To be fair, and give some credit to Eiffel 65, Blue probably wasn’t designed to be the most symbolic and thought provoking songs. Eiffel 65 were more about experimenting with auto tune and pitch correction, as seen in Blue. And so, I have to admit to myself that not every artist is out to change the world with their lyrics. So maybe it is a bit harsh to call Blue pointless; and instead we should be congratulating Blue on their pioneering auto tune sound which has “helped” many pop artists along the way.  

Unless ... is the point of Blue not to make sense and confuse every listener and this is why it was such a hit because it is always a talking point over what the lyrics are? Tricky, Eiffel 65; you are tricky just like Alanis Morissette with her not so ironic Ironic song.