As I said yesterday, I do not listen to music that makes me feel sad or angry. I really just don’t see the point. I was almost going to just go with the predictable choice of Mad World as I couldn’t think of anything else. But luckily for me, I remembered this song:
30 Days of Music – Day 4 = Revolution by John Butler Trio
I love John Butler Trio. I can’t say I’m a fan of a lot of Aussie bands, and while I’m generally not into this style of music, I really love JBT a lot. The lyrics and the people in the film clip make me quite feel sad, though it’s a song about a revolution so I’m probably also meant to feel inspired in the end. All I know is, I like the song despite the fact it isn’t the upbeat, happy-go-lucky stuff I usually listen to.
About Ruby
My name is Cara (but you can call me Ruby) and I like the colour pink, swearing, fist shaking, daggy dancing and 90s RnB music. Often all at once. I live in Brisbane which is always warm and is famous for its zombies.
I am the type of person who listens to music to make me happy. I don’t listen to angry music, or any kind of music that could potentially make me feel worse than I already do. I like to sing along, dance a little, and feel joyous afterwards. As such today’s challenge is a tough one! Of all of the songs that make me happy when I hear them, I think I will go with the silliest one of all:
Day 2 – A Song that makes you happy = Piercing by Die Ärzte
Die Ärzte are my favourite band. I have loved them since I was 15 when some friends came back from their exchange trip to Germany with their CD “13″ and some other amazing merch. No two songs of theirs sound alike, and while they call themselves punk rock, they’ve played just about every genre and sub-genre you can possibly imagine. I find it hard being a fan of theirs in Australia as they’re really only famous (and I mean ridiculously so) in Germany and some surrounding countries, and being one of about four fans of a band in a whole country is a bit depressing. Still, I have three tattoos dedicated to them and still feel a whole lot of joy when I hear their music.
This song is pretty straight forward, it’s about a guy whose girlfriend convinces him to get his penis pierced which later gets infected. The line “This thing was made for lovin’, Du sollst es nicht versklaven” which means “This thing was made for loving, so you must not enslave it” was my favourite line ever and I used it on everything from my email signature to my LJ title (which I’ve kept, as a matter of fact).
There will plenty of other appearances by Die Ärzte in this challenge, don’t you worry!
I had a bit of trouble with this one until this song popped into my head:
Day 2 - Your least favourite Song = Big Yellow taxi by Counting Crows
OH MY GOD. I hate this band and this AWFUL song so much. I’d rather listen to a million bad pop songs until my ears bleed and my brain explodes before I’ll listen to this song in full. The lead singer creeps me out with his douchey dreadlocks and weird, dopey eyes. The stupid OOH BOP BOP bits. The try-hard set-in-NY film clip. Oh god, I’m getting so angry about it all, I have to stop!
Meanwhile their other song which I also loathe just about as much is Accidentally in Love with that retarded rabbit with the douchey dreadlocks. UGH D:
Anyone who reads my blog knows I love music. I love almost every kind of music and I love to share my musical discoveries with anyone who will listen. Because I have been in a little bit of a rut with my blog (I’ve been blaming my busy new job, but it’s been five weeks now, it’s starting to become a fairly flimsy excuse) I decided I would do that meme everyone seems to be doing on Facebook – 30 days of Music. Don’t worry though, I will continue with my rants, fashion watching and what-not. But this will hopefully get me back into the swing of posting more AND help you discover new and worldy music (since 60% of what I listen to is German).
Day 1 – Your favourite Song = Jein by Fettes Brot
Fettes Brot are my second favourite music group (if you don’t know who my favourite one is, you mustn’t know me very well, in which case all will be revealed soon). They’re a German hop hop group from Hamburg who I discovered years ago during my obsession with all German music. When I think of hip hop, it’s their music I think of. It’s melodic and while they are rappers, it’s easy to listen to (something I can;’t say for a lot of Aussie hip hop, unfortunately). “Jein” is a mix of the words Ja and Nein (Yes and No) and it’s about making trying to make a choice between something fun vs being sensible (ie. cheating on a girlfriend, sleeping with your best mate’s sister and ditching your gf to go to a party). But I mostly love it because I think it’s sexy as hell. Just ignore the terrible film clip…
Oh and I just discovered they released a live version last year. Nowhere near as wonderful as the original, but still very good. The clip is 1000x better at the very least!
I thought I would share the song I am currently obsessed with. I caught the end of the clip on Video Hits the other morning which I instantly thought was a wannabe Black Eyed Peas (and we all know what I think of them). But the one thing that did stroke me, in all of the thirty seconds I heard/saw was that they were probably a whole lot better than BEP but I quickly pushed them out of my mind. Later that very day however, my sister comes to visit and starts talking about this song she posted on my Facebook, the exact same song as it turns out. She’s telling me it reminds her of House Play and their infamous dance-off scene so I get her to show me it but due to the internet being slow as a wet week I don’t really get to watch it properly except for the part where they’re all shuffling which I admit looks pretty neat.
Then yesterday I decided to watch it properly and without interruption. Yep, you’d better believe I’m obsessed with it! Before I go into vivid detail about why I love it, you should probably watch it first:
Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO
So after I had a big ol’ whinge about loathing that Black Eyed Peas song and clip “I’mma Rock Right Now” or whatever the hell that claptrap was called, why do I like a song that at first glance appears like a total rip off? Well for one thing, the song doesn’t change 86 times, nor does the clip ljump around liek it’s on fast forward. These guys wake up 28 days after their song is released and everyone is constantly shuffling which I must admit, it about as scary as a world taken over by zombies. Then they start shuffling and there’s an epic group dance scene (where they do indeed do the Funky Charleston briefly). There are some amazing dance moves like the guy who flips off his elbow and I will be perfectly honest, I think the fashion is fantastic. I am not ashamed of my love of over-the-top sci-fi-esque 80s fashion they’re wearing and wish I could get away with wearing some of that stuff (ain’t no way in hell anyone will ever see my ass in a pair of zebra print leggings).
I also love the fact it’s all about having a good time, dancing and nothing much else. Oh and there is such a wide variety of people in the clip. Basically if you can shuffle dance then you’re in, even if you’re not a waif or especially easy on the eye. I also like the fact it’s made a dance style (ie the Melbourne Shuffle) which I always disliked but upon seeing it done so well, I wish I could do it too. I guess if the people I’ve seen do it were in big groups instead of by their drunken selves, I might have appreciated it more! It’s also really neat to see the behind the scenes for the clip. I never thought such a simple dance moved needed to be choreographed so thoroughly. Oh and check out the choreographer Hokuto Konish, boy is fine as hell and check out that awesome hair!
Unfortunately the other songs by LMFAO aren’t quite as awesome, “I’m in Miami Trick” got overplayed to death (I actually learned a hip hop dance to it well before it became popular so I feel a certain smugness about it). Then there’s “La La La” which ain’t too bad but instantly reminded me of Lisa Frank.
I have so many fond memories of Lisa Frank stickers and backpacks in high school. WHY did I throw it all out???
So that’s my music discovery for the week. Stay tuned for when my sister and I manage to learn the dance and end up youtubing it after too much wine/sugar!
OK so we all know about Rebecca Black and her unfortunate song Friday. I am actually of the opinion it’s not that bad, I mean it is pretty crap but it definitely is not the worst song someone has sung and posted on Youtube in all seriousness. In fact if she got a few singing lessons and wrote her own songs (I’m 100% sure a 13 year old could write better lyrics than the dick who wrote Friday) she wouldn’t be that bad.
So in defence of an innocent teenager who is the laughing stock of the enture internet, I would like to present to you all, the worst music videos on the internet as picked by me:
Treasure by Namata
This is, in my opinion, one of the greatest things to ever get uploaded to Youtube. It is so bad it’s AMAZING! The only bad thing about it, in my opinion, is how it can stay stuck in my head for days after listening to it just once. I really hope this guy gets a record deal one day. And that he never stops dancing like that because it is mesmerising.
Give It To Me by Madonna (feat Pharrell)
Bad songs and music videos aren’t just for the realm of the pathetic wannabe popstar, here we have a stunning example of how one of the most famous popstars of all times paired with one of the best urban producers can get it so wrong. The song itself makes me want to scrape my ears off with a soup spoon, let alone the eye-raping video. Good lord Madonna, they’re called pants, try wearing them for a change now that you’re 50 years old.
No Way No Way by Vanilla
How about this little treasure from the late 90s. Anything that samples Mah Nà Mah Nà that isn’t aimed specifically at kids has got to be bad and this is just about the worst. Actually, it’s been voted the worst music video a number of times. Check out those outfits… I was sure that sort of stuff went out of fashion in 1993 but clearly Essex is a good five years behind everything ever.
Je Suis Une Dolly by Dolly Rockers
Well I don’t even know where to begin with this little treasure, also a talentless British girl group. Sometimes Pommy accents make songs sound brilliant, but most of the time they make a song sound like complete arse. Uneducated, chavish arse. And look at how wacky they are, dancing on the tube! I find it amusing how 60% of the reaction shots are of people looking appalled, the rest of pervy men taking photos on their phones. Which incidently, appears to be how this clip was filmed. Oh and look, they actually got a budget and remade the same clip with a new song.
Party Like a Millionaire by The Millionaires
Want to know something really sad? Ke$ha wasn’t the first one who started trash-pop. Oh no, these young ladies were around before she got her big break with Tik Tok and before she ruined my eyes/eardrums with We R Who We R (seriously, that is not a song, it is autotune over the sound of a garbage truck with bad product placement scattered everywhere). I can’t even comprehend this song, I mean, what did their parents think when they heard the first line? As much as I hate Ke$ha, at least she keeps the tight-pussies and hard-dick lyrics to herself. Meanwhile, if you’d like to make yourself feel smart and extremely articulate, take a look at their Millionaires Dictionary video. Good god.
Bearforce1 by Bearforce1
OK so I’ve focused on the ladies way too much. How about something that is aimed so specifically at a certain target audience, it pretty much alienates about 99.9% of the entire world. I personally don’t think it’s that bad, in fact for a gay bear dance song, it’s probably the top of it’s game. Also, their pastel shirts and white pants are just adorable. But if you’re hoping to make your straight, male friends uncomfortable, this clip will do the trick.
Imma Be Rocking That Body by Black Eyed Peas
This clip just proves that no matter how much money you pour into a music video, the shittiness of the song still radiates through. Seriously, can someone explain to me what the hell is going on here? And then try and explain how the Black Eyed Peas became this bad? I don’t even think it’s Fergie’s fault any more, they’re all responsible for turning the group so shit. Someone needs to confiscate their SFX mic and explain to them songs don’t need to change style 7 times to keep the youth of today interested.
Because I could probably keep adding to this list forever, I will leave it with this hilarious version of Friday. Gang Fight!
So if you’re one of those Rebecca Black haters, please just think about what Simon Cowell said about her and her song:
He advised Black not to “listen to anyone over the age of 18. I’m being deadly serious. Whatever she’s done has worked. Whether you like her or not, she’s the most talked-about artist in America right now. Nobody over the age of 18 should understand her or like her. So she should just do it her way.”
Bad music videos ain’t anything new, there are millions out there far worse than anything a 13 year old Californian girl could ever hope to create. Instead of hatin’, celebrate how she is just adding to the list of hilarious awful tings we will all reminisce about when we’re old folks.
I’ve always loved Nate Dogg since I got my Hit Machine 13 CD as a kid which had Regulateon it (that’s basically how I becamse a fan of a lot of music, through compilations CDs in the mid-late 90s). I’m a big fan of melodic hip hop and always loved the element he’d bring into rap tracks with that silky smooth voice.
I don’t have much else to say so I will leave you with a few of my favourite tracks involving Nate Dee Oh Double Gee.
I Got Love
Shake That – Eminem feat. Nate Dogg (one of my all time favourites)
Did you think you were going to get away with me not mentioning Lady Gaga or her new single? HA! I was almost last for work this morning as I stumbled upon it as I was doing my breakfast-and-facebook thang and chose to watch it instead of leaving on time.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about the song when it came out, but as expected it has grown on me and I really like it now. I can’t say I love it yet but I know I will, just like I did with Poker Face (I thought it was terrible and sounded just like Just Dance but bow thoroughly enjoy screeching it loudly at inopportune times). I was delighted by her performance of it at the Grammy’s and so was very excited about the video. Like with the song, it took me a few tries to make a decision and yeah, I love it. It’s a bit crazy and I admit I do not get a lot of the symbolism and stuff, but it’s weird, dark and quirky which is fine by me. I LOVE the skeletons in suits, I want to do that for Halloween this year! I also couldn’t get over Gaga’s body – oh my lord. If I had an arse half that good I;d never wear pants either! And her stomach. Goodness me. Let’s just say I worked extra hard at gym tonight after watching that video a few times!
The downfall with the clip though, is her dancing. She is not a dancer and even though I’m sure she practices a lot, she never will be. I cracked up at the 5:53 point when she’s spazz dancing for no apparent reason. I just think she should worry less about having elaborate dance routines in her clips when it’s just not her forte. She’s a singer and a performer, so let’s leave the dancing to those who need it to pep up their otherwise boring-as-hell film clips!
I accidentally stumbled upon an unknown treasure trove of music the other day. It all started with this song Cotton candy by Amanda Lepore:
At first I was all “What the hell is this and who is that woman with the massive boobs and lips” but then I looked her up and was fascinated by her story (this interview is great, she explains what surgeries she’s had to go from a man to this Jessica Rabbit/Marylin Monroe lookalike). The song itself is so damn catch, even if she’s not exactly a very good singer. The clip is also amazing, I would have a clip almost exactly like this if I could! The colours and the style, oh my!
From there I discovered Cazwell who is a white, gay rapper from new York who is close friends with Amanda Lepore (she’s in most of his clips as well). I love the fact he raps about being gay and has some of the sexiest men in his clips. As a red-blooded woman there’s nothiong much better than good looking men with amazing bodies dancing and writhing around in a music video. It’s pretty much the complete opposite of the standard rap music video and I love it. This one is my favourite:
His other songs are great too, especially I Seen Beyonce at Burger King and if you want to see some good lookin’ men in next to no clothing then you must check out Ice Cream Truck. Apparently Lafayette played one of his songs in an episode of True Blood which makes me love his music even more (and also True Blood for working Cazwell in). I aim to buy his album “Watch My Mouth” ASAP!
From there I finally checked out Raquel Reed’s music videos:
I hate to admit it, but I’ve been a closet fan of hers for years. I used to try and hate her because I hate efagz like Audrey Kithing and Hannah Beth but it looks like Raquel Reed has some talent and let’s face it, her style is amazing and super cute. Oh to be that slim and wear what she wears! So the song itself is pretty cool though the distortion in the music kind of overwhelms her singing. from what I can tell from her 2nd single Do It Dirty she’s actually a decent singer. But the thing I love the most is the film clip. Ahhh how much do I love her style and colour choices. Shame her other song The fast Lane is such utter balls. Hopefully she will break away from the efagz mold and get better and better.
This is some bold new territory for me. You see, I have never really been a fan of Christina Aguilera’s music. I never minded her that much, it was more that damn warbling she did in her songs that infuriated me. I kind of liked her feisty attitude and the fact she didn’t seem to give damn. But her music mostly drove me nuts. I hated her pin up phase, it was way to cutesy and clean-cut. To me the real XTINA is Dirrty. Man that is a great song and an amazing film clip.
So I was pretty ashamed at myself for now checking her song “Not Myself Tonight” out sooner. In fact I’d only heard a cover version of it in one of my gym classes and had no idea who it was actually by. I am really impressed by it, she’s back to being her sexual self and it’s a really sexy clip. I know at first it seems a bit Lady Gaga-ish at first but more than anything it reminds me more of one of the sexiest film clips of all times “Human Nature” by Madonna.
I was shocked to realise I barely even noticed her warbling, which is usually all I can hear in her songs. It’s about time she showed off the rest of her voice instead of just relying on that damn 90s white female singer cliche. Well done Christina, you’ve gone back to what you’re good at and you look absolutely amazing doing it!
Photo from