The Music Man

My wife says that I am the main source of music in our relationship, and while I would agree in general, I think that her contributions end up being some of my favorites. You see, I feel like music is the closest thing to a real physical representation of emotion that we have. Thus, the music that really excites us and gets us going opens a little doorway into how we feel and where we are at any given time. The songs that my wife asks me to look up give me a little peek into how she is really feeling and what she is really enjoying. So, while I bring a large quantity of music with some quality mixed in, she has me beat on the quality scale.

On to the playlist!

This playlist is mainly comprised of songs that I heard while on a business trip in Germany. They had a great radio station there called 1 Live which played a great variety of music. Generally speaking, I don’t like the genres that these songs come from that much. I am not a closet Beyonce fan or a closet Rihanna fan, I don’t know any of their other songs, these might be considered some Dirty Little Secrets, but I’m not sure.

First, we’ll start with the Beyonce song, “Halo.” Honestly, I don’t know why I like this song, that’s why I think it might belong in my Dirty Little Secrets category, but I love listening to this song. The beat in the background is catchy and her voice is fantastic. The video below is pretty cheesy, but who cares.

Next, we’ll get the Rihanna song out of the way. Rihanna’s Russian Roulette is the next song. I’d post a video of this one, but the only ones I could find were a little bit risqué and I know this is a family show. This is another song that I don’t really know why I like it. The chorus is pretty great, she really belts out that part. The musical progression in this song is a little weird and the chorus doesn’t follow a “normal” progression, but maybe that adds something to a song like this.

Now, we’re onto stuff that I don’t feel I can put into my Dirty Little Secrets category.

First off, is OneRepublic’s “Secrets”. When their first hit song came out (Apologize) I liked that song, but that song is not even in the same arena as Secrets. Secrets starts out with a great cello part that follows through the whole song. Then half-way through the song, you get the little “rap” section against the melodic background that is an awesome use of percussive singing. I can listen to this song over and over and not get sick of it.

Next up is from a German group called Culcha Candela. The song is called Monsta. Culcha Candela would fall into a genre that I don’t normally listen to, but I can’t get enough of this song. I’d post a video of this, but it is also risqué and my wife would not approve since her family reads this. Look it up on YouTube if you are of the appropriate age. This song is one that my brother and I would crank up on the radio while we were in Germany. Nothing beats driving 120 mph on the Autobahn while listening to Monsta cranked up.

We’ll move on to two songs by Lady GaGa. Yes, I said we were past the Dirty Little Secrets songs, and I was being truthful. I do enjoy these songs and I have what I would consider good reasons. Despite the subject matter of the two songs (sex, drugs, etc) I think they are put together very well. The beat is great, her voice is great and they have little things that make them interesting. The two we’ve been listening to the most are Bad Romance and Poker Face. If you want to see something really amusing, lookup the South Park video where Eric Cartman is singing Poker Face, it is great. That was actually my first introduction to Poker Face. They played it a lot on the radio station in Germany and I really like the song. It’s got a good beat and musically it is fun to listen to. Bad Romance is just a show of Lady GaGa’s voice that I really like. She belts out some parts and while her voice is not perfect, I like some of the raw qualities. Look these up on YouTube as well, the videos with Lady GaGa are all risqué just because she is in them.

The next one is from my wife’s favorite show, Glee. This is one that she got me hooked on. I don’t normally watch the show with her, I have been somewhat anti-TV for the past couple years. I watch a few shows every now and then, but there is nothing “must see” for me. Glee’s cover of Don’t Stop Believin gets the whole family singing in the car anywhere we’re going. It’s great to hear Zizza back in the back belting the song out (which she calls Midnight Train) with her whole heart.

Glee - Don't Stop Believe
Uploaded by Bugabookas. - Classic TV and last night's shows, online.

Last, but not nearly least is another German group called Sportfreunde Stiller. I heard this song only once and jotted down some of the lyrics in my phone’s note taking app. When you haven’t spoken German for nearly 10 years, you sometimes hear the wrong words and so this one was one of the most difficult to track down. I think it might be my favorite from the German trip. The song title means “never let me go.” The reason I like this song is the great mix of instrumentation (I generally am more liking of songs that mix piano, guitar and strings), but I also really like the up tempo feel and the idea of “I’ll never let you go. Never let me go” in the song.

By the way (This is Eva) Zizza sings this one too and as close as I can approximate, her pronunciation is pretty good. (Eva out)

So, these are the main songs we have been listening to for the last little while. Here is a playlist for your listening pleasure. Hopefully you enjoy these songs as much as we do. If you don’t then your musical taste is terrible and you should be ashamed of yourself.

P.S. check out this great cover of the theme from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air by “Neil Young”