Friday Fallout: My Take on This Week’s Funky Messes

Posted on December 19, 2010 by Barbara McDowell

Maybe I should call this week’s edition “Sunday Sizzle.”

Media Stalking of Aretha Franklin – A pox on the house of any media pundits out there hunting to pay for stolen medical records or even pre-writing her obituary.  Their mutterings have already started as they look for more “family leaks” into Ms. Aretha’s current health crisis.  She did a recent interview with Jet magazine and, while stating she is feeling better and focusing on doing what she needs to do for herself, refused to confirm the reports that she has pancreatic cancer.  Given the low survival stats on that type of cancer over the long-term, if that is in fact her ailment, I don’t blame her for the silence.  If it is not, I still don’t blame her. 

Nothing in this life is promised to any of us, but the end of it.  That is not to put a negative spin on the beauty of what life is—rather it is a basic fact.  No one gets a prize for fulfilling our curiosity on their suffering.  Feeding our frenzy won’t buy the Queen of Soul any extra hours, minutes or seconds.  She mentioned in the interview that the doctors are okay with her doing whatever she feels up to, and that she’d like to catch a show in the next few weeks.  I wish her many blessings as she heals from surgery and hope she thoroughly enjoys that show.  As a fan, I don’t need to know the details to be able to send well-wishes her way.  Much respect to her for her choice of privacy.

Michael Vick Wanting a Pet Dog – Poor former dog fighter Michael Vick said that he would love to have another pet in the house as a “big step” for himself “in the rehabilitation process.”  Dude, really?  He also babbled something about wishing his daughter wasn’t missing out on having a dog because of his past actions.  One might wonder about his treatment of kids and other humans after his past demonstrations of immense cruelty and torture of animals, but I digress.  Vick’s wishes are so absurd that they made CNN’s RidicuList.  Wicked funny!  And I HEART Anderson Cooper.

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Music Monday: I’ve Got a Thing for Completing Lists

Posted on December 13, 2010 by Barbara McDowell

A little bit ago, Melissa wrote a post about a music meme she was going to start following.

My itchy fingers immediately twitched on the keyboard and surfed over to YouTube to get started.  I decided to wait because I was in the midst of the 30-Days of Writing challenge.  I think a good way to tackle this list will be to incorporate the points into my music Monday postings rather than looking to do a music post every day.  Here is the full list in case anyone else wants to play along:

1. Your favorite song
2: A song that makes you cry.
3: A song that makes you dance.
4: Your favorite male singer.
5: Your favorite female singer.
6: Your favorite band.
7: One band/singer you’re ashamed to admit you like.
8: One band/singer whose popularity you will never understand.
9: A song that reminds you of an ex.
10: A song that reminds you of your father.
11: A song that reminds you of your mother.
12: A song that makes you want to have sex.
13: A song you sing in the shower.
14: A song from the year you were born.
15: A song you liked in high school.
16: The first song in your mp3 folder.
17: The last song in your mp3 folder.
18: An instrumental song you like.
19: Your favorite love song.
20: Your favorite breakup song.
21: A song that makes you want to break stuff.
22: Your favorite song from a movie.
23: Your favorite duet.
24: Your favorite cover song.
25: Your favorite song from 2010 (so far)
26: Your favorite music video.
27: One song in your mp3 folder you’re pretty sure no one else has.
28: One song that needs to never be played again.
29: One song that gives you the creeps.
30: A song you’d like played at your funeral.

 1.     Your Favorite Song

I’ll start off by balking at the first item for favorite song.  How would I even begin to select that one?  I can’t use the measurement of listening to it again and again, since any of the songs on my lifetime theme songs (LTS), all-time jams or all-time slow jams playlists would meet that qualification.  There are so many songs where I feel the songwriter and performer (if different) reached a point of synchronicity and bliss.  Examples?  Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy” and “Purple Rain.”  Michael Jackson’s “Human Nature” and “Wanna Be Starting Something.”  Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.”  Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want to Be.”  John Mayer’s “Only Heart.”  Aaliyah’s “More Than a Woman.”  The Fifth Dimension’s “Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In.”  Guns and Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle.”  And those are just a selection from my LTS list.  Yeah, no way I can pick just one. 

Do any of you have a song (or a couple) that are faves above the rest?

2.     A Song That Makes You Cry

I have several of these as well.  For me they are songs that touch me because of their bare honesty of emotion and lyrics speaking of survival and hope no matter what.  An example would be the end of “Let the Sun Shine In” with the gospel feel and pleads to “open up your heart” that makes me choke up every time. 

In honor of the season, I’m going to go with the gospel song “Father, Can You Hear Me.”  By the time the lyrics get to “we will say yes,” I’m moved.  Here is a rendition I located by Life Line Gospel Choir.

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