G.L.A.M. M.E.T.A.L.

Ohhh hair bands. The 80’s gave us so many wonderful things; leggings, MTV(when it was about music and good), slap bracelets- to name a few. Yet the best thing to come out of the 80’s was the hair bands or glam metal. Glam metal is a derivation of the 1970’s UK Glam Rock which featured large hair, crazy clothes + accessories, and makeup. In the 80’s a glam metal band mixed rock, with pop friendly sounds, and a touch of heavy metal. Whenever I hear one of the classic hair bands songs on the radio I automatically turn the volume way up and rock out. These songs are so good it’s ridiculous; almost as ridiculous as the band member's hair styles. Here are my top 10 hair bands and the songs that I love most from them.

1)   Aerosmith-  For me, Steven Tyler is phenomenal. I love his crazy antics on stage. The fact that his chest ALWAYS needs to be exposed, and his ridiculous crazy eyes and style choices. Aerosmith had become popular already before the 80’s with hits like Dream On, Sweet Emotion, and Walk This Way. Yet two classic songs from the hair band era are still my favorites. The first Dude Looks Like a Lady. I’m sure for many of you this song reminds you of Mrs. Doubtfire. It definitely reminds me of that movie. But this song is amazing on its own. It is so silly and fun and the music is so great, how can you not love it? The second song is probably my favorite Aerosmith song ever, and also my favorite music video because of its ridiculousness- Love In An Elevator (Going Down). This song is LOADED with sexual innuendo, and is blatantly obvious in the music video, which is so great. I love it when Stephen says dowwwnn and modulates his voice, and the sheer ridiculous concept of how getting it on in an elevator would actually make an awesome song.

2)   Poison- Yes, this was when Brett Michael was cool and not because of Rock of Love.  It happens to be that I love Poison songs and tend to turn Poison on whenever I need a pick-me-up.  My two favorites are the clichéd classic Nothin But a Good Time and the earlier hit Talk Dirty To Me.  In both of these songs Poison rocks out like it’s the best time of their lives, their hair shaking back and forth to the tunes (the only plus of huge hair) and like the song implies, their music is nothing but a good time.

3)   Whitesnake- Thanks to big hair and Tawny Kitane these videos heated up MTV. The most classic and best song that Whitesnake produced was definitely Here I Go Again. Yes, its clichéd, but it can’t be beat.  The video is hot, and the song which starts off slow picks up at the chorus so one can rock out to it.

4)   Bon Jovi- How I love thee.. let me count the ways. Jon Bon Jovi is one of my favorite things to come out of NJ (until he recently sold out and started doing crappy country music). Bon Jovi’s early rock tunes are a force to be reckoned with. Their first single Runaway is beyond fabulous and is recognizable by the opening bars of the song (like most bon jovi songs). Hits off of their album “Slippery When Wet” are some of the best songs that came out of the hair band era. Classics from that album are  Wanted Dead or Alive, You Give Love a Bad Name, and Living on a Prayer. But anyone who knows me knows that my favorite Bon Jovi song of all time is Bad Medicine.  I know this may be a controversial choice because it isn’t as classic as the other hits. But what can I say? I dare to be different.

5)   Van Halen- Van Halen was at its best when David Lee Roth was still a part of it. As you all know from my previous post, I do love the song Hot For Teacher.  But, for the purposes of this blog my favorite Van Halen song is Panama. I don’t know if it makes me want to jump or get on a plane to Panama but I can’t get enough of it.

6)   Motley Crue- Oh those crazy, alcoholic, sex driven rockers, famous for producing “ear splitting” music. Yes, this band is definitely responsible for the way Tommy Lee is today. But, they are also responsible for hits like my favorite Girls Girls Girls. I know the video is both dirty and offensive, but it’s still a great song, and I have to appreciate it as such.

7)   Def Leppard- Ok, is it just me or does anyone understand the lyrics to these songs? I can never understand a word they are singing. I think that is why majority of people in American misunderstood the lyrics to their awesome hit Pour Some Sugar On Me and continue to butcher the words while karaoke-ing. My fav Def Leppard song though, is Photograph. I still can’t really understand a word they are saying, but the video is cool and I know the song has the word photograph in it at least once.

8)    Guns N Roses- Axel + Slash = a rock combo designed by the Gods. For me anything off of their album “Appetite For Destruction” is rock gold. My favorites are: Sweet Child O Mine for its sheer beauty, and awesome guitar solo.  Welcome to the Jungle for the craziness of the song and the awesome way Axel says “na na na na na na na knees,”and Paradise City for the mere fact that this song doesn’t need a lot of substance to make it so awesome and such a song to rock out to.

9)   Twisted Sister-  With their crazy makeup and ridiculously permed hair I had to include them on this list. My favorite song is their 80’s rock anthem We’re Not Gonna Take It. If you watch the video, it is completely unbelievable and bizarre but you can’t take away from a song so great.

10)  KISS- I know technically that KISS isn’t a typical glam metal/ hair band, but they have majority of the same hair band qualities: aka big hair, lots of chicks and rock fans, weird bizarre makeup, and GREAT rock songs. My favorite of their hits are Detroit Rock City, which is instantly recognizable and one of their biggest crowd pleasers. Rock N Roll All Night another clichéd classic, but a classic nonetheless that makes me want to jump up and down, and Shout It Out Loud another song that is loud, proud and not afraid to be crazy.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention other great hair band tunes 1) The 80’s rock anthem Rock You Like A Hurricane by the German band The Scorpions and 2) Shake Me by the utterly ridiculously named band Cinderella. What are your favorite glam metal songs?

Classic!

Yesterday I had a strong urge to listen to the song Moon River popularized by the film Breakfast at Tiffany's. I’m not sure what brought on the urge, although I feel as if it were playing on a TV show that I had seen recently, and then it made its way to the forefront of my brain and screamed out for me to listen to it again. One thing I love about classics is how easy these songs were. First of all, there was no cussing, no real talk about sex (innuendo aside) and just pure beautiful melodies that stay classic forever.

My favorite classic singer is Frank Sinatra. Frankie had a long career, but my favorite songs of his are those he sang when he was baby-faced and bright eyed and just getting into the biz. It’s really hard for me to choose one favorite, so indulge me while I discuss my two favorite Frankie songs. The first is I’ve Got a Crush on You. When I first heard this song, and Frankie’s smooth as honey voice, I melted just a little bit. I totally understood the screaming and crazy fans, because I most likely would have been all over that. His voice is so beyond amazing in this song that it’s so easy to forget that he isn’t the best looking guy in town, and more or less would be someone you would pass up at first glance.  My second favorite Frank Sinatra song is I Wont Dance. You can ask my freshman year roommate (Jenn) how many times I listened to that while studying. It was ridiculous. I don’t know what it is about this song specifically. The words are silly- “For Heaven Rest Us, I’m not Asbestos,” but the song is still great. It makes me want to dance, and sway to the soft ballroom melody.

The 30’s was the time of Irving Berlin and George Gershwin, so I had to mention them in my classics list. My Berlin favorite is Cheek to Cheek (Heaven). I had heard this song and known it throughout my childhood. One of my favorite memories of this song is watching Danny Kaye dance with Miss Piggy while they sing and dance to the song on the Muppet Show. It wasn’t until I saw the movie Top Hat that I really understood what this song was about. Top Hat is a Fred (Astaire) and Ginger (Rogers) movie, set in the 30’s, and features art deco in all its glory. The pair dance cheek to cheek as Fred sings. Now Fred doesn’t really have a great voice. It is pleasant but not great by any standards, yet his voice rings true on this song. My favorite Gershwin song is They Cant Take That Away From Me which again was popularized in another Fred and Ginger movie Shall We Dance. You see here how Fred doesn’t need dancing to win over his lady love. Instead this song moves Ginger to tears, as it should.

Now, I can’t talk about the classics without mentioning Cab Calloway. His song Minnie the Moocher is my favorite scat song. Forget about the lyrics of the song for one moment (I mean what does he mean by hoochie coocher?), Cab is able to take the end of this song and turn it into an amazing scat-riff. As you all know, I love The Blues Brothers and Cab performs this song in the movie to amazing results, so much that the Blues Brothers aren’t really sure how to follow up such an amazing performer.

One of my favorite classics is Baby Its Cold Outside. This winter classic is a great duet that has been made and remade many many times. My favorite version of the song is sung by Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer who recorded this song for the film Neptune’s Daughter. This is one of those songs where you are curious about sexual innuendo. In no way is it spelled out, but the woman character wants to leave, and the man character definitely wants her to stay. For what? We can never be sure. It is still an amazing song that has the ability to transport you to an earlier time, like all classics should.

The last song that I would like to discuss is Unforgettable by Nat King Cole. I had thought about using this song in my wedding procession, that is how beautiful and wonderful this song is. Initially the ultimate sweet as honey voice went to Frank Sinatra, then I heard Nat sing this song and that all changed. He has the ability to make every person feel as if they are unforgettable. It is so beautifully melodic and well sang that I am hard-pressed to find anyone who feels differently about this song. Even the most oldies-haters have to like it because of its sheer simple beauty.

What are your favorite classics?

I can hear the bells.....

In honor of my besty Betsy’s recent engagement to her long time BF Ben, I’d like to post about my 5 favorite songs with the word wedding or marriage. CONGRATS GUYS!!!

1)    Billy Idol’s White Wedding- I’m not really sure how this song is a wedding song. It is dark, grungy and gothic, but the words tell me something different. Billy sings “It’s a nice day for a white wedding,” and this could be plausible. It has been said that this song was written about Billy’s unease and distress at his sister being pregnant and getting married to a man he didn’t like. Billy has refuted these claims, but the lyrics say something different. “Hey little sister what have you done,” is the first line of this song. This suggests to me that the song is in fact written about Billy’s sister and is so punk angry (like Billy himself) because of his feelings towards his sisters nuptials.

2)    The Fifth Dimension- Wedding Bell Blues (Marry Me Bill)- This song originally written and recorded by Laura Nyro was remade by the Fifth Demension a few years later, and it became one of their top hits. It is about a woman who wants her lover Bill to commit to her and marry her. Every time I hear this song I always scream “Biiiiiilllllll”, to myself. I heard her yearning and desire to be married; I mean, how many women feel like that? I’m assuming this song was so successful not just because of the awesome melody, but also because many people could relate to it. Interesting fact. At the time The Fifth Dimension recorded this song one of their members was engaged to another member named Bill, and they hadn’t set the date for their wedding.

3)   The Muppets- Somebody’s Getting Married- I love the Muppets, and specifically the movie Muppets Take Manhattan. This song takes place right before Miss Piggy and Kermit are supposed to be married at the end of their show (and features a cameo by sesame street members). It turns out Miss Piggy hires a real minister and marries the two of them, which is good since they are soul mates.  I love this song because not only does it feel like the Muppets to me, but it also feels very Broadway.

4)   Frank Sinatra- Love and Marriage- No, my love for this song is not only due to the fact that it was the theme song to Married with Children. Rather, it is because I love Frank Sinatra, and love and marriage should obviously go together. Although love and marriage probably shouldn’t go together like a horse and carriage where one is carrying all the weight in the relationship.

5)   The Dixie Chicks- White Trash Wedding- I’m not usually a country music fan, but this song is much more bluegrass than country which makes it all the more bearable. It doesn’t have a lot of substance lyrically: “I shouldn’t be wearing white and you can’t afford no ring” makes up most of the substance, but the music is so great, you just want to go to a jamboree. 

Two close calls are the songs Marry the Man Today from the Broadway musical Guys and Dolls, and I Can Hear the Bells from the Broadway musical Hairspray. So congrats again Betsy and Ben! So happy for you both! 


Post your favorite wedding songs below!

Cover Up

The other day I was listening to the radio and heard the original American Pie by Don Mclean and immediately switched the channel. I hope I am not offending anyone when I say that I find that song to be one of the most annoying songs ever made. Not only is it FOREVER long, but it also has only one real chord which makes the song even more boring than it already is. This got me thinking about the Madonna version which is also equal in its generic blandness. Yet, her cover of the song was a major success with the critical and judgmental tweeny American radio listeners. “But why?” I thought to myself. The song was just as boring and repetitive, then, as it is now. Then it hit me. If Rhianna did a cover version of Richard Harris’ Mac Arthur Park (sorry mom but this is one of the weirdest, most trippy, songs of all time) it would be a smash success. Or if Justin Bieber decided to take a stab at America’s Horse With No Name, also one of the most boring songs of all time, it would probably go platinum. So apparently star power is what makes a popular cover, but there are about 100 great covers of songs that aren’t popular and are incredibly fabulous. Here are my all-time less popular favorite covers.

1) Matt Pond Pa’s cover of Champagne Supernova (originally sung by Oasis)
Matt Pond’s Pennsylvania formed band covered this song specifically for the O.C. As you already know I was extremely fond of the O.C. and all it had to offer- musically of course. Yet, this cover brought something new to the table. Oasis’ song as you know is bizarre lyrically yet is extremely exciting to listen to. There are waves in the background but no one knows why, and then there are the melodic voices of the band members. Matt Pond slows down the song a bit and makes it a little more haunting. On the surface they sound the same, but they are vastly different once you listen to the subtle nuances that Matt Pond places within the song that weren’t there before.

2) New Found Glory’s cover of Don’t You Forget About Me (originally sung by Simple Minds)
New Found Glory did an interesting thing. They decided to do punky covers of our favorite screen songs and this happens to be my favorite of their projects. The original Don’t You Forget About Me was made specifically for The Breakfast Club- a movie that defined the 80’s in many ways. So it is no surprise that this punk cover has a very different take on the song. Most covers still resonate the superb quality of the original but update them slightly to appeal to a younger crowd. This cover succeeds in doing just that.

3) Chris Cornell's cover of Billie Jean (originally sung by Michael Jackson)
Chris Cornell the former front man of Soundgarden and Audioslave (two awesome bands) has had quite the solo career. He was nominated for his awesome hard-rock inspired James Bond Theme Song You Know My Name (Casino Royale), and he came out with a cover of this great Michael Jackson song. Chris changed the song completely; he slowed the tempo down and turned it into a stellar rock song. I’m sure when MJ first sang Billie Jean that he couldn’t imagine it being sung in this way. That is what makes this cover so genius. It turns the original on its head and creates something completely new and interesting.


4) David Cook's cover of Always Be My Baby (originally sung by Mariah Carey)
Oh David Cook. Thanks to you American Idol will always be about changing the song in some way and making it your own. Your shining moment on that show for me was your cover of Mariah Carey’s Always Be My Baby. Always Be My Baby is a song I had heard a hundred times but never actually liked until you sang it. You turned what was a frothy pop song into a haunting “stalker anthem” (as Paula called it) and made me believe that you were something great.


5) Ben Folds' cover of Such Great Heights (originally sung by The Postal Service)
Anyone who knows me knows of my immense love for Ben Folds. For me he is musically perfect; he plays the piano, writes his own material, has a unique sound all to himself and can play 3 instruments at once using his feet! So it should come, as no surprise that I love his cover of The Postal Service’s Such Great Heights. Most people would put Iron and Wine’s version popularized by the movie Garden State as the best cover, but I beg to differ. Ben doesn’t stray to far from the synthetic original, but still manages to make it his own because of his expert skill and his odd but familiar voice.

6) Lenny Kravitz's cover of American Woman (originally sung by The Guess Who)
Every time I hear the Guess Who’s version of this song I rock out to it. In my mind there was no one better to cover this song then Lenny Kravitz. Best known for his hit Fly Away and short marriage to Lisa Bonet, Kravitz broke out with this cover of the classic song. It was used in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, but will forever be known to me as a more rocked out version of the classic rock song.

7) Joe Cocker's cover of Come Together (originally sung by the Beatles)
Across the Universe is a strange and wonderful movie tribute to the Beatles. There are parts that are brilliant (see I’ve Just Seen a Face), and others that are downright bizarre (see Being for the Benefit Mister Kite). Yet the shining moment in this film for me is Joe Cocker’s version of Come Together.  Joe and his racially indefinable voice soar on this Beatles number. Take it from someone who has Beatles rockband and consistently ends up singing Come Together, it is quite a bizarre and difficult song to sing and Joe really hits the mark. (Also check out the awesome busy business street displayed in the video- it’s really amazing)


8)Keane's cover of Enjoy the Silence (originally sung by Depeche Mode)
Enjoy the Silence is one of Depeche’s most successful singles. Known for their super synthetic pop Depeche didn’t stray far from type on this single. What Keane did was change this 80’s pop song into something much more suitable for the gen-y-ers. Keane, also known for their melodious piano indie-pop, removed all synthetic properties from the original song and let the music really speak for itself in this cover. 

9)Chase Coy’s cover of I Will Follow You Into the Dark (originally sung by Death Cab for Cutie)
Chase Coy is a relative newbie to the music scene, and I must say, I am a little in love. He is adorable, over the age of 18 (so I don’t feel bad about saying that) and he is a singer-songwriter, so what could be bad? He is extremely talented and shines on this ode to Death Cab.  I know no one can match the purely hypnotic melodies that are produced by Ben Gibbard but Chase definitely does this song justice. In fact it even made me tear up a little, just like I did when I heard the original for the first time.



What are your favorite covers?

Baby it’s hot outside…..

As I got into my car this week and was unable to shift gears because my car was so hot it almost burned my hands, I got to thinking about "hot songs". There is not an enormous list that I could think of. I don’t mean all weather songs, or even songs with the word heat (like a personal favorite- Glenn Fray- The Heat is On) but rather songs that use the actual word hot. So in honor of the record breaking heat Id like to talk about my 5 favorite hot songs. 

1) Hot Blooded- Foreigner- While this 80’s rock-bad tune is not as exciting or as melodically interesting as Cold as Ice, it is still amazing. Some people argue that this is their signature song, while others say the power ballad I Want To Know What Love Is takes that title. Whatever it is Hot Blooded remains a classic, risqué song about a guy with a fever for lovin.

2) Hot N Cold- Katy Perry- Yes, I did listen to this song any time I worked out on the elliptical. Yes I loved it WAY more than I Kissed a Girl. And yes, after this, Katy really hasn’t done me wrong (with the exception of her random video for California Gurls-see post). Hot N Cold is such a fun awesome song, that one would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t like it (the previous statement doesn’t include anymore born before 1970).

3) Hot For Teacher- Van Halen- He had it bad, had it bad, had it bad, he was hot for teacher. While this song was super controversial at the time, because of its sexually explicit nature, it was and is still an amazing rock song. The guitar riffs in the song are sick, and incredibly hard to play on guitar hero world tour (not like I'm actually good at guitar hero in general, but this is an extremely difficult one). The video is hilarious and bizarre, and David Lee Roth always does right by me.

4) Too Darn Hot- Cole Porter- from Kiss Me Kate- The older musicals were my mothers favorite musicals. They were the ones where "you could leave the theater singing the tunes," she said. Kiss Me Kate fell into this category. A musical about a show within a show, about an estranged couple who find love again through that show and with a few mobsters in the bunch, this musical was destined for greatness. While I love the song Brush Up Your Shakespeare because of its lyrical master class, my favorite song of this show is Too Darn Hot. It is sung at the beginning of the second act while the stage hands (and dancers) are extremely hot backstage. A large bluesy dance number ensues and it is pure Broadway magic.

5) Hot N Herre- Nelly- I know I mentioned this song in my summer songs post but how could this Nelly hit not make the list? While I loved Country Grammar and Ride Wit Me, Hot N Herre still remains my favorite Nelly song. This is merely because Nelly is so honest and clear about his intentions. There is no game playing, or beating around the bush in this song. It just Nelly's way of saying "I want to see you naked." I mean he says point blank its getting hot in herre, take off all your clothes and there are blatant sexual noises present in the song. Yes it’s strange and sexy, but straight to the point.

What are your favorite hot songs?

The Art of Repetition

Many people wonder what the key to a songs success is. My suggestion is repetition. It always baffles me how a song could be so repetitious and have such little substance, yet still be one of the biggest hits on the radio.

 Back in the 50’s and 60’s repetition ran rampant. The biggest offenders were the Beatles. In their song She Loves You, the Beatles sing “she love you yeah yeah yeah”, a total of 7 times, and the phrase “she loves you” is said a total of thirteen times! In a study on memory that was done, this happened to be the most popular Beatles song since it evokes such great feelings. However, couldn’t it just be because this song is overtly repetitious? In I Want You/She’s So Heavy, literally, the entire song is made up of the phrase “I want you, I want you so bad” and the occasional “it’s driving me mad” and the phrase “She’s so heavy.” There isn’t any other content to that song whatsoever. Not to mention Hey Jude which is 7 minutes long, and 4 minutes of the song are dedicated to the singing of “na na na”’s which is also my favorite part of the song. So why is this my favorite part? Simply because it is repetitious

Bill Withers mastered the art of repetition in his song Ain't No Sunshine. Bill sings “I know" a record 25 times in a row. Every time my mother hears this song, she says “I KNOW YOU KNOW!"  And that's most likely how everyone else listening to the song feels. Yet. it still remains one of the most popular love songs and a highly covered bluesy track.

In the 80's, the Police were the most repetitious in their lyrics. Take for example their hit Every Little Thing She Does is Magic. The last 2 minutes of the song merely repeats the words "Every little thing she does" and "magic." How is that for lazy? Don’t get me wrong I love the police, but surely he could have elaborated a little more. There is very little substance in this song to make me believe that every thing this supposed girl does is magic. No?

The biggest offenders of late are the black eyed peas. In their smash hit I've Got a Feeling the peas sing "Lets do it Lets do it Lets do it Lets do it And do it And do it Let's live it up And do it And do it And do it Do it, do it Lets do it Lets do it Lets do it." I wish these lyrics were a joke, but sadly they are not. Yet, I’ve got a feeling remains probably the top hit of 2009 and everyone’s favorite "pump-up" jam. My husband and I were at the Macabee Tel-Aviv basketball game and a few songs came on over the loudspeaker and the audience had to clap the loudest for the song they wanted. Obviously my vote went to anything by Lady Gaga, but the most claps/excitement went hands down for I’ve Got a Feeling. With their lack of word substance though, one has to wonder if this song did not have a fast and catchy beat would people really like it?

My worst grossly repetitive song of this year is hands down Rhianna's Hard. The first time I heard it I ran home to tell my husband about the chorus, which literally almost every word was "hard." Rhianna sings "That I, I, I, I'm so hard, Ah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so hard. That I, I, I, I'm so hard, Ah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so hard. That I, I, I, I'm so hard, Ah yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm so hard. So hard, so hard, so hard, so hard." Seriously Rhianna, if you had said you were hard once, the adoring public probably would have gotten it. Why bash us over the head with it?

Some other songs that have been super repetitive lately have been Shake It by  Metro Station, Brittney Spear's Womanizer and most of Lady Gaga's songs. What this teaches future song writers is that very little work is necessary for a song to be popular. Rather all a song has to do is repeat many of the same lyrics in order for it to succeed. When I was younger, and even before my time Sesame Street used to have extremely adult-friendly, clever, and expertly written lyrics. With the death of Jim Henson (my idol), Sesame Street obviously changed. But over the years their songs have become so repetitive and grating that many wondered why. I read a long time ago that generations today have become too A.D.D to appreciate the old Sesame Street and the way those songs were written, or, in many cases, the way they parodied older songs. I have to say this definitely applies to pop music today. Sometimes I think about what would happen if Bob Dylan tried to break out into the general music world today and I can only imagine that he would have a small following (like his extremely talented son Jacob) but would not be mainstreamed enough to have any top ten hits. This is due to the fact that his songs are so non- repetitious that our generation wouldn’t know what to make of it (Check out my favorite Tangled Up in Blue). What a shame.

What are the worst repetitive lyrics? Post your thoughts below.