YJL

I was doing my thing when Not Ready To Make Nice (2006) came up, which won 3 categories of 49th Grammy Awards in 2007, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

Last time I listened to this song was years ago and I really had forgot about it. Now listening to it without checking out the MV, I still remembered some smearing actions.

Now, as I reading the background of this song and watching the MV again, the symbolic smearing, monochromatic characters, dramatic scenes, and very dark theme, I saw something completely different, but that’s not really what made me to write this SotD.

The lyrics was what touched me after things happened last week, not mad as hell as last week, but nothing left for me to figure out, it’s too late and I just can’t get over with. They say time heals everything, but I’ve given up long time ago.

I don’t know how many of you have watched Star Trek television series, and how many of whom have watched this particular episode, The Inner Light.

The Inner Light from Star Trek The Next Generation on STL Ocarina

I watched this episode many years ago, but I must admit I wasn’t actually drawn into it at first, not until Picard — or Kamin — sitting on the steps and playing this song with his brass Ressikan flute. It’s the music got me back to the story, the second time I watched it, I didn’t miss any bit. If you never watched it, this ending shall shade some light on what this episode would be for you.

It has no battles, no phases or torpedoes, nothing gets your blood pumping, but it’s filled with the inner light. Interesting enough, this episode has become one of my favorite of all Star Trek episodes.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any clips on YouTube, the very close was still frame, so I decided to put a video has only to do with the music. However, if you want to watch a clip, here is one from Lessons, Picard’s duet with Nella Daren at the fourth intersect in Jefferies tube 25. This episode is also my favorite, guess I like watching some inner struggling and pang.

Few days ago, when I was in bed, can’t remember whether I just lied down or woke up in middle of night. Either way, somehow 君が好きだと叫びたい (Kimi ga Suki da to Sakebitai) (1993) by BAAD (1992-1999), a Japanese rock band, SLAM DUNKing into my mind out of nowhere with a nostalgic smell just like going back 20 years in school gym.

Don’t ask me what the song title or lyrics mean, I don’t speak Japanese, but Wikipedia has the translation for it, I Want to Shout ‘I Like You’, and the video also has translations in it. It’s the first opening theme song for Slam Dunk (1993-1995/1996).

It was two decades ago, where was I? Junior high? Anyway, there was quite some Japanese animes on our television channels, and Slam Dunk was one of them. I can’t say I watched all but quite a lot. You know how Japanese animes go, the comical dramatic scene and the sudden seriously stern talking, both can go with shouting, just emphasizing in different aspects.

I wasn’t good at any sports, in fact, pretty bad, but that didn’t stop me watching this anime and I was not the only one. I don’t know if this anime was popular in other places in the world, but it was quite big here at the time. If my memory is correct, some years later, when I was in dorm, some students still watched it.

Don’t you feel somewhat strange, not just Japanese music or drama, it seems many shows either has English title or one or two lines in English in the lyrics, but virtually nothing else is in English. I wonder way.

I first heard The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?) by Alvis, who are Norwegian, via one of DreamHack tournaments, couldn’t remember which one, but you can bet DreamHack always plays the strangest music videos for you at the down time.

If the frame above can’t convince you this music video is bizarre, dunno know what to say…

This song hadn’t been in my mind for some time until I was making a video of cowpy. While trying to think of a good line for the cow to say just moments ago, “What Does The Fox Say?” popped up from nowhere, hence we are having this blog post.

The lyrics do not make any sense at all, and the music video is just weird from the beginning to the end. You understand each word, words form sentences, you still understand, sort of.

But when putting everything together, what the F!@#$ does the fox say?

As of now, it has been wondered for 446,822,334 times, goddammit!

Something in the Water by Brooke Fraser, released on 2010-08-02, that was nearly four years ago and I only first listened to this song @ 2014-04-22T14:09:31Z.

Almost three month late, after binned this entry, now I dug it out and dusted it off while enjoying it in the background as I writing this blog post. Here is the quote-unquote “originally raw note” (doing the air quotes):

• there is something in the water - 2014-04-22T14:09:31Z
   ◦ basetrade tv Starship Trooper Ultimate Edition
     - 2014-04-22T14:10:22Z
   ◦ no Protoss - 2014-04-22T14:10:27Z
   ◦ http://youtu.be/u5C-YHSy3Fw - 2014-04-22T15:25:45Z
   ◦ http://youtu.be/f0pMgzYUEwA - 2014-04-22T15:28:25Z

As I reading my original notes—if you could honestly call it that—I was wondering the “no Protoss,” then I recalled Starship Troopers Ultimate Edition, a show match perhaps, was one ain’t allowed Protoss race to play. I believe it’s just for fun.

I recently also watched another, the players have to play opponent’s race, Kappa StarLeague (Match 9), happened to tune in for the last map, after 10 minutes of in-game time, finally realized Bomber and Crank were playing off-races. Didn’t actually listen to the casting, but I felt strange when the names and situations didn’t match.

Many songs I got to listen to and enjoy were from watching tournaments. Recently, I started to watch “Counter Strike: Global Offensive” streams. I used to think how on Earth they could cast games for FPS games like CS:GO, but it turned out, they could and I wasn’t confused.

If you ain’t in water and in Oklahoma, from a YouTube channel I was subscribed to: Remember, “there’s always SOMETHING to DISCOVER IN OKLAHOMA!”; and I hope you don’t find that something is a big shark with scarily sharp teeth!

As for me, there is Something in the Bin.

It’s almost five months since last SotD. Friends Like You by Meaghan Smith, from latest Have A Heart album, which was released on April 22, 2014.

Once again, I never heard of her name or songs before. The song was played during the break of 2014 GSL Season 2 Code S Ro16 Group A after the Loser’s Match between Classic v. soO. She is a Canadian singer-songwriter. This song seems to be recorded in late 2012 according to the Facebook post, but only released just a month ago. She said in another post:

I’m gonna start giving you sneak peeks into my songs… One new song is about someone who pretended to be my friend, but really wasn’t. “…”

I like the lyrics, they are quite funny to listen. But when I tried to find out the song’s name, I kept finding unrelated results until I finally used the right keywords “it’s an art form #BFF forgery,” which is the funniest part in my mind:

Never know which face I’m gonna see

You got at least two maybe three

It’s an art form

#BFF Forgery

You’re genuinely great at being fake

And I’m a hopeless optimist

You know there are libraries for face detection, I wonder if they have a feature to detect faking faces and give warning like “Warning: #FAKEBFF” in automatic tweets.

And I learned a new word: “frenemy.” This song also teaches us in frienemy relationship, there are a few things you don’t do:

1. Hold it back,
2. Think about peace and love, and
3. All that other crap.

Ever since I started watching America’s Heartland, the theme song is so familiar every time the new episode starts. The show’s website has a page about the singer Michael Martin Murphey and a clip of the theme song, you can also watch it (different version) on Vimeo.

Watch on Vimeo

The complete song presents a broader perspective than the short and modified version in the opening theme:

You can see it in the eyes of every woman and man

In America’s Heartland living close to the land

There’s a love for the country

And a pride in the brand

In America’s Heartland living close to the land

It’s about the people who are working hard on the land, both men and women. I also like this part:

There’s something that the people know

Who make things live and make things grow

Deeper than the words of any sage

That unless you’ve touched this earth,

Planted seeds, or given birth

The human heart can never come of age.

It’s basically saying about the connection to the land. We all live on a land, one way or another, unless you are a astronauts who station on the ISS. Whoever you are, farmer or the President, you have to live on a land. But there is difference, farmer knows how the earth breathes, they have connection to the land.

These days, we have lost the touch, living on a land we have known nothing about for entire life. You don’t need to be a farmer or someone growing own food, you only need to touch the earth to have the bond.

It’s not about losing in modern life, but the heart.

2013 is coming to an end unless the world beats it first.

If you have some unfinished tasks have to be done before 2014, you only get a few days left and time is really running out and soon. Tick tock.

A song from a decade ago, Time Is Running OUt (2003) by Muse, and I’m still not sure what message of this music video is trying to convey. Anti-war? According to Wikipedia:

It is partially based on Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.

After read the page, it started to make a little sense, not in reality, but in that film’s plot. Still, I don’t think the song has much to do with the film because of the timing of release. It’s been more than a decade after Cold War and it’s the time when US and UK began involving new wars.

One thing it’s definitely right, time is running out for whatever the thing you care about.

“SotD” stands for “Song of the Day“, is now moved onto bits since Blogger is pretty much broken on searching for APIv3-posted posts and I don’t use labels for almost a year.

It’s actually a good thing, because the posts for SotD usually don’t have much to talk about, just something What I’m Listening To.

So, this post is just a quick notice. By the way, if you are somewhat weirdly wanting to subscribe to SotD, quick tip for you for WordPress blog, appending feed/ to a URL can get you a feed.

A cover song of Nine Inch Nails song (1995), released in 2002, just before Johnny Cash passed away in 2003.

I sometimes heard this song from commercials, I couldn’t remember what the ads were, but you could guess they were not something happy products.

Once again, another song played by GSL, like Roar or Wasting All These Tears, Any Other Way by We the Kings is as good as them.

I had listened to this song plenty of times in July since Any Other Way released in June. GSL had been playing probably at least once every broadcasting. However, it hasn’t been played recently.

Performed by We the Kings, same story, never heard of them before. Nice band name, by the way. Pretty sure you would agree with me, the most memorable part of lyrics is

Gasoline pumping through my veins

Dancing on top of the flames

I will never go down any other way

Any other way

This part has painted a vivid and dramatic picture in my mind whenever I read it, which probably not the real story behind this song. I searched for backstory of this song, wanted to find out how the lyrics were written, but I couldn’t find any.

Twist a bit, interpret differently, I can hear me singing this song to myself, well, the life. Life is a strange thing, and harsh in a way. Sometimes, you get nothing to do like living in paradise; but all of sudden, a ton load of things come altogether at once, suffocating you like horrible nightmares.

Would I Find You There?

If you haven’t seen Song for Marion (2013), watch the trailer and then the film first. It’s a great film to enjoy and not boring at all. You need to watch the film first to feel the song performed by Terence Stamp as Arthur.

But let’s talk about the film title in the USA first, not sex. We all know the phrase “lose in translation” and we also know some films have been titled with translations that just don’t do the films justice. The American’s title “Unfinished Song” is a great example of lost in translation.

If you have watched the film, you know that title is just not right. It’s like the jury delivering a verdict, a dead, toneless, emotionless verdict. There is nothing in that translation, it’s just plainly stating. Song for Marion on the other hand may seem so as well, but if you have only watched the trailer, you can feel something from that title.

American’s title is the only one took away the feeling from the original title. But wait! The original title is English. So, how on Earth could you even translate from British English to American English and result in a worse title? Why at first place were you trying to translate?

Maybe the person think he or she could title it better than original one? Unfortunately, it’s like the age-old question: Do you like the original or remake better? Frankly, Unfinished Song sounds like a movie featuring Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Jason Statham. With some odd twist about a song of secret.

Back to the song. Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel) is originally by Billy Joel in 1993, which I like also. However, with the story, I must favor Arthur’s version more.

In the film, the OAP’z has their first public performance at a park, Marion (Vanessa Redgrave) sings True Colours of Eva Cassidy. A year ago, I wrote about Time after Time by Eva Cassidy and mentioned the song in the end of post. I was thinking which song I should feature in this SotD, I decided to pick Lullaby.

I really like Arthur, not his originally exposed personality, but how he becomes as the story goes. You watch him slowly interacting and sharing of himself more with other people, and finally building up the courage to perform in front of many audiences.

What do I have to do to get us through to the competition?

I’m prepared to do anything.

Like Roar, I heard Wasting All These Tears (2013) during interim in (WCS) GSL, which seems to play songs that fit to my tastes. The singer, Cassadee Pope, is the winner of The Voice, a reality singing competition show. “Reality” and “competition” are two worst words can be in a television show in my opinion, but people love the combination , so I’ve never watched that kind of show and never heard of her before.

It’s a song I like, but this post is going to have a detour. There is a fan clips video on her YouTube account, go watch it and see if you have same thought as I while watching it.

One keyword: V.V.S.

What I noticed was there are 8 clips were shot in vertical mode, out of total 14 clips. Yes, I watched twice, just to count how many were. For some unknown and bizarre reason, the difference between vertical clips and horizontal clips caught my eyes instead of those fans were saying.

It reminded me of Vertical Video Syndrome, a PSA video from little more than a year ago, as the syndrome was finally being identified. If YouTube showed 4 vertical videos at once, 8 / 4 = 2, time and bandwidth saved! Frankly, I don’t care how people shoot their videos, H or V is fine with me.

Back to the song, this is kind of sad:

I try to find you at the bottom of the bottle

Lying down on the bathroom floor

At least it’s not “lying down in a dark street at middle of night like a dead corpse, and smell like someone just peed on themselves.” Bathroom floor is much better, you can crawl into shower stall and turn on the water to clean up yourself without much effort required, not like I have ever experienced of that. Really, I swear on my dog’s life.

My favorite lyrics:

‘Cause you didn’t give a damn about me.

Don’t know many songs use explicit words, not like it is rare, just that kind of songs usually get no attentions from me.

Cups (Pitch Perfect’s When I’m Gone) (2011) by Anna Kendrick, is a cover of the original song Cups (You’re Gonna Miss Me) (2009) by Lulu and the Lampshades, which is a rendition of Miss Me When I’m Gone (1937) by J. E. Mainer’s Mountaineers and You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone (1938) by (Charlie) Monroe’s Boys, according to Wikipedia.

Confused? Well, just enjoy Anna Kendrick’s music video version.

Never had watched Pitch Perfect or any of her television shows or films, but I did know she is also a singer after I stumbled across her Wikipedia page, though never heard of any singing of hers until Cups.

Once again, a YouTube recommendation popped up, but I wasn’t sure this was a good one when the video just started, although I like baking part at the beginning. When she started playing the cup I thought this wouldn’t be like that world record freaking awesome cup stacking video, would it? That would be so weird for a music video.

The music video turned out quite interesting when I realized that’s some beats from playing the cup and clapping. That chef can drum, and that guy at 3‘12” is hilarious when he couldn’t get the cup out at the first try.

Because of this music video, though it has nothing to do with the story of Pitch Perfect, I watched the film and I like it. It’s not like the usual films that you would hate the antagonists to the bones, in fact, I don’t really feel the film has one. Of course, it has, just very weak. I’d describe it’s a film of positivity. Certainly, it has the element of romance, you know the boy meets the girls, and they get together in the end after some silly arguments. Which I really don’t like films or television shows have that. Like antagonist in this film, that part isn’t the focus, or should I say that I simply ignored and concentrated on the music.

Did she really sing “You’re gonna miss my taco?”

Haven’t done Song of the Day for months, just got a recommended video, Thank You Very Much (2013) by Margaret Ashton, because I watched a prank video. I was wondering why a prank video triggered a music video, but it did make sense after I watched it.

The recommended video was actually a duplicate of the official upload, because the official video has age restriction and YouTube account required, and that’s why I put up the warning in the beginning of this this post, but I really think it’s more like 15+.

I decided to put this song on SotD solely because of the music video. It’s too hilarious and has twists. The first ten seconds, you may think that daughter’s clothes are fine. Yes, it’s exposing, her nails are painted black. But we all have seen worse. At least her hair wasn’t dyed in rainbow colors. Then, suddenly, it totally blew out of my mind when the camera turned to the parents and I burst into laughters.

“Just don’t embarrass us”

Although it’s funny, but the scene of her dad wrestling with someone by the pool was sort of gross. Because someone’s willy knocks off her cup and I didn’t think that’s a fake penis. Eee…yuck. Also, the Wee playing scene, couch, I meant Wii playing scene, which was gross and totally bogus. No man can have a penis that big! ;-)

But I love the family photo scene, because that bare pussy are so cute and it’s not mosaic’d, did you see the wrinkles? It’s so adorable, so is the baby! Who doesn’t like the alien-like Sphynx kittens, right?

The ending is epic. The only other person was clothed in the party was a guy. That reminds me of the ending of CollegeHumor’s Jeggings series.

“Oh, c’mon!”

Bonus: Wedding Interrupts Lecture (A Cappella Group) University of Michigan by the same prank video uploader.

It can’t be a better timing to share this 33-year-old song, Happy New Year (1980) by ABBA (1972-1982).

During this time of year, people used to talk about the good, the bad, listing what had been done in the previous year, doing reviews, making resolutions or none, and these sorts of things. It’s quite interesting to read blogs doing those, and I can see everyone has its own way to write about it.

An end is also a beginning, a start of something new, trying things you have never dared to do before. For me, as a blogger, not crazy enough like those people, I am only trying blogging with KISS principle and that’s why I don’t embed YouTube video but with only links.

I saw some bloggers were trying to figure out from whether they should continue to blog or not to complicated life situations, while others happily making plans and setting goals for this brand new 2013. Some bloggers have realized that making resolutions are just crossing-the-previous-year-number-and-writing-down-the-new-year-number-on-the-same-list kind of thing, and stopped it. But if you still make some, consider to add some to your resolutions list. Whatever they do, one thing they all love is making a post with a long list of posts.

For some reason, I don’t feel this song was trying to bring happy feeling. Three decades later, we definitely still need to say Happy New Year as you follow what’s going on in our world.

“May we all have our hopes, our will to try.”

I first heard Roar (live) from Coup De Grace (2010) during interim in GSL. Never heard of any songs of Treat before, a Swedish melodic heavy metal band in 80s.

I tried to find out if this song Roar is a new song or not, it seems to be only released from Coup De Grace album in 2010. I guess it’s written after their reunion of 2006.

Anyway, it’s time to pump up the volume.

Ready to roar, ready or not (ready to rock)! Ready to give it all I’ve got!

I own a copy of promo CD of Cyndi Lauper, who originally sings Time After Time in 1984, that’s why I felt so familiar when I heard this song from Holly of True Love. Eva Cassidy‘s cover (Live) is quite different than original, the lyrics are the same, but different in a way when you listen.

One time, I’ve said:

Why some things can touch your heart are always discovered after a death?

My words were spoken in my head while I was reading the Wikipedia about Eva Cassidy (1963-1996), she passed away in 1996. Jonathan Larson (1960-1996), the creators of Rent and Tick, Tick… Boom!, died in the same year. I only got to know his music a few years ago, and that’s why I had such feeling. It seems that we only have the chances to appreciate wonderful things after we lose the people.

And another great song, True Colors.

Seems like a perfect timing for Graduation by Vitamin C, it’s probably the only song I remember about graduation. This song’s been around for 12 years, old but not that old. I think I first listened to it on YouTube, so it’s about five years ago, I guess.

When I was a still a student, always told that time is the easiest period in the life from elementary school to college and one of the most memorable moments, it’s somewhat correct. Student life or anything is nowhere to be said the easiest, they say so because they lose it and were used to the life. It’s like any life transition, you reminisce even you have a hard time.

My last one, I can’t even remember how it went, I believe I was around but didn’t attend the ceremony or just completely skipped. Not really sure, it’s been many years. But I did tell myself: ‘that’s about it.’

Graduation is the beginning of a realization.

Undone, released in 2010, according to Wikipedia, by FFH (also known as Far From Home) was recommended to me by GrooveShark Radio, I immediately like the male singer’s (Jeromy Deibler) voice. Beside the song, I also added some songs of FFH into the playlist as follows:

The following video is a live performance:

(Working for radio station looks like a lot of fun, free live concert…, part of employee benefit, I guess :)

I like this part of lyrics:

The secrets I keep Are tearing me up inside I try to hide and then I wonder why

I wonder why I’m still running when I know there’s no escaping

Come undone, surrender is stronger

By the way, somehow, he reminds me of Fisher Stevens, who plays Chuck Fishman in Early Edition.