I managed to miss most of the music from the 1990s and the first decade of the 21st Century.  Don’t ask me how.  I just did.  So I also  managed to miss Ricky Martin entirely.  Here’s how I learned about him, and one of his songs:

The other day, my husband and I watched the movie The Eagle (which started off okay and then jumped the shark so badly, I walked out on it).  As yet another part of my two decade pop culture amnesia, I had no idea who the star, Channing Tatum, was.  I looked him up and learned that he got his big break in Ricky Martin’s She Bangs video.

The next step was to find out who Ricky Martin is.  I learned that he’s a former Menudo singer (even I’d heard of that group), who developed a massively popular solo career singing Latino pop fusion songs.  I like Latino pop (great for dancing), so I checked out She Bangs.  I saw neither hide nor hair of Tatum when I watched the video, but I decided that I really liked the song.

Here’s the video.  It’s a very vulgar video, with women whose hips are so loose they look as if they’re going to disintegrate in the middle, kind of like a paper clip bent once too often.  But for those of us who like to dance (that would be me), it’s a fun song:

(If you’d like to see a less salacious version, please enjoy William Hung doing his version for American Idol.)

Believe it or not, I’m still working my way up to a matched set here. Considering how much I liked the song, it occurred to me that I might want to try a Zumba class. I understand that it’s aerobics to Latino pop music. I’d probably like it, but I have to admit that it seems too ordinary for this martial artist. Fortunately, America’s First Sergeant has a much better idea for mixing Zumba and martial arts.

And lastly, this is not quite part of the match, but related enough to belong here (it is about music and dancing, after all): The Mellow Jihadi riffs off of the vulgarity that the slightly loopy, paranoid, and hypocritical MIA managed to slip in the Superbowl half-time show.

This song hit big not long before I went to law school.  Unsurprisingly, it was very popular with the student body:

Click here to view the embedded video.

One of the things that impresses me is that Browne’s live version is as good as the studio version.  Most singers aren’t that good.

Some time ago, I don’t know when, I posted on this blog John Parr’s St. Elmo’s Fire, a song I’ve always liked.  (For those of us who were young in the 80s, the music magic never dies.)

As a Tim Tebow admirer, I’m therefore very pleased to present John Parr’s tribute to Tim Tebow.  (Yes, it really is John Parr.)  Oh, yeah!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hat tip:  Hot Air, which found it at TimTeblog

I totally don’t get the video, which goes from boring to creepy, and then back to boring again, but I kind of like the song.  It’s a bit clunky, but quite cheerful:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’ve spent a lot of time in the car with the children, which means a lot of time listening to their music.  I’ve grown quite fond of this one:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I have to admit to  finding very amusing how young and dorky these boys look, considering that they’ve had the top song on the pop charts for at least a week now.  The last time I thought boys that skinny were charming was, I think, back in 1974.

I’m at the point in my life where I prefer my bands a little more mature.

It’s not Christmas at the Bookworm Room unless I post my absolute favorite Christmas carol.  I know I’m a couple of days early with this, but it’s such a lovely song, sung so beautifully, that I couldn’t wait to share it with you again:

Click here to view the embedded video.

I’m still feeling bad about the fact that my knowledge of things military is so pathetic that I managed to call America’s First Sergeant by a rank he hasn’t seen since 1999. It was nice, therefore, to hear Louis Jordan’s G.I. Jive today (about the Army admittedly), and to get reminded that these nuances have always been a bit confusing for the uninitiated:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A couple of weeks ago, I brought to your attention a rock group called Madison Rising.  It has the distinction of playing classic guitar rock, with conservative, pro-American lyrics.  (Sadly, my 14 year old daughter still prefers LMFAO, but there’s only so much one can do as a mother.)

A conservative cartoonist caught one of Madison Rising’s concerts, and came out with this great cartoon, which manages to capture, in very few words, the generational divide between old hipsters and (thank God) some of the new ones:

That’s right.  Kid’s today:

Click here to view the embedded video.

P.S.  Did I mention that Dave Bray, the lead singer looks a lot like Keanu Reeves?  That may not mean anything to you, but it certainly does to me.

It’s a great video if it satisfies you at a visual, auditory and intellectual level.  Madison Rising has achieved that with “Honk If Want Peace,” a song that vividly illustrates the vast disconnect between Leftist “peace” activists and their violent, destructive, nihilistic activities:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The lyrics are clear (which I like in a song), but here they are if you want them:

Summer’s on the campus
Not a lot to do
The smog hangs low and the boredoms grow
Among the jaded youth

Idle hands breed righteous plans
They miss the anarchy
‘Let’s find a way to rule today
and fix society’

‘The war machine must stop
Life can’t go on this way’
We’ll scream of greed and all our needs
We know just what to say

Chorus:
Honk if you want peace
Honk if you care
Honk if you’re human
And you’re aware
Honk if you want peace
Honk if you care
Honk if you’re human
If you’re aware

A little house in the corner of the city
A young father just had another scare
His little girl had more trouble breathing
But help came in time and now she’s fine, running on the stairs

She leans back, says, ‘dad I love you’
Her mother walks the doctor to his car
‘Don’t wait next time,’ he told her
‘Remember that the hospital’s not too far’

‘The war machine must stop
Life can’t go on this way’
We’ll scream of greed and all our needs
We know just what to say:

Chorus

A mother’s scream, the father races over
His little girl sprawled helplessly
He lifts her up upon his shoulder
And they run frantically

They’re in the car, it won’t be far
Their angel they can save
But as they turn the corner
She’s destined for the grave

Jeering mobs and tie-dyed slobs
People lying in the street
Whistles, drums and megaphones
Everyone repeat:

Chorus

Honk if you dare
Honk if you dare
Honk if you dare
Honk if you dare

Jeering mobs and tie-dyed slobs
People lying in the street
Whistles, drums and megaphones
Everyone repeat

You can learn more about the band here.  I think you’ll like what you see (and hear).