And Maybe He Sings Off Key

So, apparently I'm an idiot. I have believed my whole life that Whitney Houston (may she rest in peace) sang Let's Hear it for the Boy. But she didn't. Deniece Williams did. Why did I not know this? Who the hell is Deniece Williams? Why does she spell her name like that? Well, what I do know is that this song is stuck in my head because yesterday I finally broke down and watched the remake of Footloose. I had my doubts that anyone besides Kevin Bacon could truly encompass and express the myriad complexities of Ren MacCormack's psyche, but I was very pleasantly surprised that it totally rocked. All of the cheese of the original with better dancing. And you still get Kenny Loggins in there. AND the Let's Hear it for the Boy montage is still one of the best scenes in the movie. Hey, Willard really can dance! Heh. Willard.

I guess this video is ringing a few bells. The little kid, the nerd on the piano, the fire baton twirler at the end (what 80's dance party video is complete without one of those!)...and hey, if all football players had moves like these I'd probably watch more football. But since we all know the likelihood of  a pirouetting offensive line-up, I'll just stick to watching movie musicals. Go team.

Hold Your Head Up, Keep Your Head Up

I have not a clue where today's earworm came from, but that one lyric was echoing in my head as I opened my eyes this morning. Maybe it was just because I was forcing myself to get up out of my nice, cozy bed where I found myself snuggling with my son's stuffed penguin (Mr. Teeter, to be precise.) Maybe Annie Lennox was in my dream and I just don't remember. Either way, the Eurythmics Sweet Dreams has been playing away ever since.

But enough about me, let's talk about Annie Lennox. Actually, let's just talk about Annie Lennox's official website. It's called The House of Me (ick) and gives us lucky fans a glimpse into every Annie-esque nook and cranny of her cyber-home. There are rooms like the Attic (where you can view all her awards, discs, and seemingly every outfit she's ever worn ever?), the Library (photos, discography, lyrics, biography), even the Basement (where you'll be greeted by a giant sand-filled hour glass that seems to be ticking down to something very important.) I have no idea what happens here in the Basement because I am SO bored watching this sand fall. Maybe you guys can figure it out. There's also kind of a jungle theme going on down here. And a butterfly that keeps flitting about. WTF is this?!? Like seriously, am I the only one who thinks this is totally bizarre and extremely narcissistic? How presumptuous to assume that I'm going to spend any real amount of time looking at all this crap, Annie! Hmmm...but I appear to be doing just that. So maybe she's on to something. I just spent a good 4 minutes looking at the photo gallery. I've been hoodwinked! This is the picture hanging in the Main Hallway, especially for your enjoyment. So, enjoy.

I'd Bang it all Day

The Breeder's Last Splash was one of the very first CDs I ever purchased (the other being Drive Like Jehu's Yank Crime), and I love rediscovering this band every once in a while. This morning I woke up to Divine Hammer and it's putting me in a super good mood! BANG BANG! Anyway, the Deal sisters. They be crazy. Apparently Kelley Deal has a book called Bags That Rock: Knitting on the Road with Kelley Deal. Knitting helped her kick her heroin addiction. Never heard that one before, but, if you say so, Kelley!

True story: Once Hubby and I were on an airplane from Dublin to Glasgow with the Breeders. When we all debarked we had to ride this little shuttle to the airport terminal and Hubby finally worked up enough courage to say "hey, Kim." The response: "I'm Kelley." Oops. Anyway, after a somewhat awkward conversation following his blunder it was determined that we were totally missing their shows in both cities and that was the end of that. Ah well. No backstage rock star moment for us in the emerald isle. I did however get a picture of the back of their heads as they got on the plane. Neat. I later got a picture of the back of Jack Black's head as he was leaving a castle where they were filming Gulliver's Travels, so clearly it was an eventful trip across the pond.

Another interesting fact: This video was directed by Spike Jonze. Get into it.

Have You Heard the Rumors?

OK, so I think I know where Adele's Rumor Has It came from this morning. I did actually hear the song yesterday, but the version that's stuck in my head is the one they performed on Smash several weeks ago. And since I watched Smash last night, and I am currently in a fairly serious relationship with this program (I mean, it's a TV show about making musicals, people! C'MON!!!) that's the one that stuck.

Apparently Glee has also covered this one with a Rumor Has It/Someone Like You mash-up, but I don't remember that episode for some reason. Must have had too much wine that night or something. Or maybe I was distracted by Hubby constantly droning on and on about how he hates having to watch this kind of TV show. Poor thing. Anyway, it seems that Reba McEntire also has a song called Rumor Has It, but I don't have a clue what it sounds like. Which is probably a good thing, cause I don't care to have any Reba up in my head tomorrow.

Damn. I totally just jinxed myself, didn't I.

Baby Loves Me

Sweet, sweet Neil Diamond this morning with Cherry Cherry. Not sure if it was the news of his nuptials to his third wife (who just happens to be 30 years his junior...nice one, Neil!) that put him in my head this morning, but regardless of the reason, there he is. Thinking about Neil makes me want to watch the Jazz Singer, which surprisingly (to me anyway since I am a movie-musical-freak-show) I don't think I've actually seen all the way through. Sure is a good thing I work in a library and can check out the 25th anniversary deluxe edition on DVD! Hubby will be so thrilled when I tell him what our Monday movie selection is...We should probaby work up to it by listening to the vinyl edition of the soundtrack we own during cocktail hour. Right?

My Heart is Like a Wheel

Don't even pretend you don't know what day it is. Appropriately I'm back to Wings with Let Me Roll It. I really haven't been listening to an excessive amount of Wings lately, but I do listen to an awful lot of classic rock radio, so I guess that's where Sir Paul is coming from. Yes, radio. Remember that? My car CD player has had some unknown disc stuck in it for about 2 years and it's too old to play an iPod. Therefor, radio.

Unfortunately for all of us this one doesn't seem to have an insane video complete with ground farts (so named by Hubby), full make-up and costumes that have no bearing on the actual song, or random break-dancing mimes (see previous post "And What's Wrong with That?"). But it's a damn catchy tune, so I'm going to have to impose it on all of you for the remainder of the day. Enjoy and you're welcome.

p.s. I know what you'll be doing a little before 4:30 this afternoon.

Head Rush

Heavy Vegetable. Man, was I addicted to this band for a while. I guess in my old age I'd kind of forgotten about all of the various Rob Crow projects temporarily. Actually I guess some of these bands fell by the wayside because I only owned the album on a tape of a tape of a record someone made for me, and I can't play cassettes on anything anymore. (I still can't believe someone actually paid cash money for my old hunk o' junk car.) Anyway, thanks to the Interwebs I can reclaim a little of my youth!...even though "rocking out" now mostly consists of listening to Pandora with headphones and literally rocking in my work chair.

So this morning, we have Head Rush. If anyone reading this happens to be one of the many who used to totally bust me driving around singing at the top of my lungs and playing some wicked air drums on my steering wheel, there's a good chance I was listening to this song. Ah, the 90's...good times. Let's all reminisce, shall we?

Trippin on Sunshine

So I didn't actually wake up with this one, but it's definitely stuck in my head at the moment. Anybody else out there still watch Grey's Anatomy? Did you see the one they turned into a musical and all the characters sang (YES!), because the woman who plays Callie is actually a Tony award-winning Broadway singer?! (Sara Ramirez for her role in Monty Python's Spamalot as The Lady of the Lake in 2005...just in case you were wondering.) Anyway, the episode features the cast singing a bunch of songs that got really popular (and even more annoying) after they aired on Grey's, and one of them was Jesus Jackson's Running on Sunshine. I don't have a clue who Jesus Jackson is and I don't think I've ever heard the real song, but Miss Lady of the Lake is all up in my head with this one today. Prolly cause I snuck to the meeting room at lunch and watched a little mid-day cable...guess what happened to be on?

The best verse in this destined-to-be-a-classic piece of Americana? This one.

Girl you got me acting real crazy
Chasin' tail like some old dog
Uh, I got this rocket in my front left pocket
Ready to explode like a bomb
 

Cockadoodle doodle doo.

Thanks to my son watching Dan Zanes videos for about 3 hours straight yesterday morning, I woke up with All Around the Kitchen (Cockadoodle doodle doo) today. I suppose it's an appropriate get up and start the day kind of song, but it tends to make me want to dance around all silly which may not be appropriate behavior for a working Monday. I want to make my arms into trees, wave them in the breeze and wobble my knees, damnit! Our good friend Colin plays drums for Zanes so we've seen them play a couple of times here in Atlanta. Hopefully they'll come back soon so that this time we can show up with our own small human and not be the creepy childless couple sitting in the back of the theatre nursing a hangover from taking Colin out the night before. The disapproving looks of toddlers can really make you feel like an ass. I'm also hoping that the hubby will give me permission to start using product in our son's hair so that he can rock the Dan Zanes look. I really think it would frame his face nicely.

Now, let's dance!

Tell Me, Baby...

The hubby's earworm totally wins this morning. A little Paula Abdul, sans M.C. Skat Kat unfortunately, with Straight Up. Mine was Van Morrison's Into the Mystic, which is way less funny, but equally as random considering the fact that neither of us can remember the last time we heard either of these delightful tunes. Anyway, interesting tidbit about Mystic; according to Wikipedia, (which as a librarian I am wary of trusting because I was told not to by my former professors and I am a very good student and kiss-ass) this is the most popular song for doctors to listen to while operating. They site a survey done by the BBC, and since I believe everything the BBC tells me because I'm a complete anglophile (according to a survey done by hubby), I'll go ahead and accept this as fact. As for ole Skat Kat, this is what Wikipedia has to say about him:

He's a "street philosopher with an alley Kat point of view. He likes to dance, is interested in the ladies, and remains on the smooth tip with an old school rap influence which adds the street to his new school hip hop."
 

This makes a great personal ad for his online dating profile, don't you think? I mean, c'mon, you know you'd get with him. I would.

Set the World on Fire

So, I recently discovered the band Fun, and I may have gone a wee bit overboard with the song We Are Young yesterday by listening to it like 100 times in a row. The hubby was soooo happy with me! Anyway, it is naturally still playing on repeat in my bwainz and it seems impossible to turn it off. So I give up for now. I'll just have to hope something new pops in there by tomorrow. I'm also digging on the video for this one, even though I have no idea who Janelle Monae is, other than the fact that she has cool hair. And nice eyes... Anyway, I'm especially partial to the guy who spews what seems to be milk out of his mouth when he gets his face smacked. Who the hell orders milk in a hipster bar? White Russians are so 1999, dude. You totes deserved that slap.

Take Me by the Hand

I've been listening to a lot of my Otis Redding station on Pandora lately, so it makes sense that this morning's sound bite is Al Green's Here I Am (Come and Take Me). Definitely not my fave Al Green song, but there it is anyway, right before the alarm clock goes off. Reverend Al's Facebook page has over 537,000 likes. That's like, I dunno, way more than me. I can't do the math right now. That's so many likes that Mark Zuckerberg couldn't fit the number in that little box under the cover picture that says how many likes you have so it just says 537k. Pretty impressive, Mr. Green, but you've still got a lot of work to do before you can rival the Boss's like box. HIS says 2.2 m. That's right, Al, M! Don't let it get you down though. You're still cool.

And What's Wrong with That?

And this morning we have Silly Love Songs! But the earworm is a tricksy thing. It keeps alternating between the Wings version and the version covered in Moulin Rouge. Ah, Ewan... Anyway, Paul McCartney "can't explain, the feeling's plain..." yada yada yada. But can anyone, ANYONE, explain this to me? Like any part of it at all? If you can, you win.

Break Free from the Pain

I totally watched the new Wilson Phillips reality show last night, so naturally Hold On would be playing in my head this morning. I never knew that Chynna Phillips was married to Billy Baldwin. Also, she's a total B! The sound and video quality of this show is AWESOME (not), so be sure and waste some time with it.

 

The hubby's contribution this morning: Tammy Wynette's Stand By Your Man. He says this has everything to do with Bobby Petrino.

Breakaway

 

Yep, Kelly Clarkson was belting away this morning. Right in my eardrum. Thanks, girl. I didn't even know the title of this song or who sang until today. At last, my search is over!