Another winner from Weird Al — “Foils”
This one spoofs the boring, but hypnotic, “Royals,” by Lorde, a dingbat conspiracy-theorist 16-year-old from New Zealand:
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Must See Video: “Weird Al” Yankovic’s brilliant, erudite parody, “Word Crimes”
This may be the most witty, knowledgeable, erudite, delightful song parody Weird Al, or anybody for that matter, has ever done: (Just FYI, here’s the Blurred Lines video he parodies.)
Continue readingJust Because Music: Waltz in Swing Time
The headlines are so depressing I’m shying away from processing everything enough to write about it. I’m hoping that a little Fred and Ginger will fortify me:
Continue readingBoogie-Woogie that’ll knock your socks off
In St. Pancras International Train Station in London, Henri Herbert sat down at an open piano. After a few flourishes, somewhat like a speaker first clearing his throat, Herbert went to work — and what he did will knock your socks off. Passers-by at St. Pancras seemed blasé about it,
Continue readingJust Because Music: Oh Honey’s “Be Okay”
You all know that I’m a big believer in counting my blessings (what others call “expressing gratitude”). I don’t think one can be truly happy without doing this on a regular basis. I understand that there are some circumstances in which there are no blessings to count (such as being
Continue readingJust Because Music: Shir Soul’s Bashana Haba’ah
There’ll be peace in the Middle East when the Palestinian’s stop singing about “Death to the Jews” and glorious martyrdom, and start singing this lovely Israeli song. The nice rhyming translation I was taught went like this: In a year from today, We’ll sit on our verandah And we’ll count
Continue readingJust Because Music: Glen Campbell’s “Southern Nights”
I was listening to this song just yesterday . . . and today I read that Glen Campbell, 78, has been moved into an Alzheimer’s care facility. I hope that the memories left to him are pleasant ones.
Continue readingJust Because Music: Plain White T’s “Giving Tree”
Because I’m a procrastinator, I waited until the very last minute to work on a newsletter submission for my local Republican Women’s Federated chapter. Then, once I’d written it, I learned that the word number parameters had changed — 350 words instead of 600. You’ll probably be surprised to learn,
Continue readingI know who Shakira reminds me of
My daughter showed me Shakira’s latest video: Ignoring the oh-so-modern writhing on a bed, the video looked peculiarly familiar, especially when Shakira is wearing that flashy red outfit. I finally figured out why: Some things never change. They just get more glossy. (It’s easy to forget that Charo was (and
Continue readingAs Madison Rising proves, when it comes to performance, good attitude is everything
I’ve been a fan of Madison Rising, a patriotic rock band, for a long time. I don’t necessarily like all their music, because they’re pretty heavy on classic rock guitar playing, but I really like their attitude. The band takes its solid rock chops and applies it to patriotism. Unlike
Continue readingIrving Berlin’s “Puttin’ on the Ritz” — a joyous walk through almost a century of music at home and abroad
My recent post about the best flash mob ever reminded me of a post I did in 2009 about Irving Berlin’s “Puttin’ on the Ritz” a song that lives on and on, around the world. Today seems like a good day to expand upon that post. Irving Berlin composed “Puttin’
Continue readingJust Because Music: Mindy Gledhill’s “Crazy Love”
My daughter introduced me to a charming song from a few years ago. How could I not love a modern song that references Fred and Ginger?
Continue readingJust Because Music: Billy Swan’s “I Can Help”
I’ve always liked this song. The sentiment behind it is so nice, and he sings it as if he means it:
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