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