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.