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I have been a big fan of Green Day for a long time. Of their entire discography, the Warning CD is my least favorite. "Castaway" appears on this disc.
The song is one of their more 'pop' songs and it sounds like they wrote it because some studio exec thought it would sound 'cool.' So we end up with a rather bland tune. Even the semi-catchy parts of the song come across as bored. There is very little energy here and, unfortunately, that feeling takes up most of the album.
I have been debating how to handle the music reviews for the site. On one hand, the previous format was handy and had some pretty good information. On the other hand, it was tedious and boring. So, for now, I'm just going to write about songs. They may contain a lot of hard information or they may contain nothing but my personal feelings. You'll still learn about songs you may have never heard before, which is the whole point of talking about them.
First up is Utada Hikaru's "Colors." This was her only single released in 2003. The B-side of the single, "Simple and Clean," may have been more famous than the A-side since it was the theme song for a couple of the Kingdom Hearts video games. "Colors" wasn't put on an album until the 2006 release of Ultra Blue.
The song itself starts out fairly laid-back. In the beginning, the lyrics flow like a lazy river. They pick up a little at the chorus, which is the best part of the song. The background instruments are unusual enough to catch your ear but not too strange that they turn you off. As a whole, it sounds a lot like "Simple and Clean" with a few slight differences. It's not surprising that the single was so popular.
Last year, I enjoyedForgotten Riddles: The Mayan Princess. While I want to call Forgotten Riddles: The Moonlight Sonatas a sequel, it doesn't quite fit since there isn't a combining story arc. The basic game play is the same but with a completely different storyline. Like last time, you have to solve riddles in order to find many of the objects. Some of the riddles are very easy and some of them require a bit more thought. Either way, I still find this an ingenious way of spicing up the hidden object genre. I also find myself looking forward to the next incarnation of the game. They've tackled Mayan history and music - what will be next?
This was on the radio the other day. I forgot what a cool song it is!
Artist: Prince (OK, he was the symbol at the time)Album: The Gold Experience Release date: 9/26/95 Video link: on MySpace TV
Lyrics: Could U be the most beautiful girl in the world? It's plain 2 see U're the reason that God made a girl When the day turns into the last day of all time I can say I hope U are in these arms of mine And when the night falls before that day I will cry I will cry tears of joy cuz after U all one can do is die, oh
Could U be the most beautiful girl in the world? Could U be? It's plain 2 see U're the reason that God made a girl Oh, yes U are
How can I get through days when I can't get through hours? I can try but when I do I see U and I'm devoured, oh yes Who'd allow, who'd allow a face 2 be soft as a flower? Oh I could bow (bow down) and feel proud in the light of this power Oh yes, oh
Could U be (could U be) the most beautiful girl in the world? Could U be? It's plain 2 see U're the reason that God made a girl Oh, yes U are
And if the stars ever fell one by one from the sky I know Mars could not be, uh, 2 far behind Cuz baby, this kind of beauty has got no reason 2 ever be shy Cuz honey, this kind of beauty is the kind that comes from inside
Could U be (could U be) the most beautiful girl in the world? So beautiful, beautiful It's plain 2 see (plain 2 see) U're the reason that God made a girl
Oh yeah! (Oh, yes U are) Girl (Could U be?) U must be ... oh yeah! (Could U be?) U're the reason ... oh yeah (Could) {x3} About the song: I don't think Prince has ever failed me. He is an amazing artist, no matter what he wants to call himself. I think any girl would love to have this song played for them. There really isn't anything else I can say about it. An amazingly romantic song despite the almost-completely falsetto voice it is sung in.
Because my husband loves this song:
I know I've been missing out on a lot of Japanese entertainment news but I saw this yesterday and I knew I had to talk about it. On August 8, actress/singer Chieko Kawabe filed for marriage with television producer Masato Ochi. Now, this normally wouldn't be a big deal. However, Kawabe is 21 and Ochi is double her age at 42. My jaw dropped at this news. I've watched Kawabe when she was Sailor Mercury in the Sailor Moon stage musicals; I watched her when she was Naru in the live action Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon drama; I enjoy her music immensely and have been awaiting more from her. And now she married a man twice her age. Well, I still wish her happiness and I hope that there isn't something (read: pregnancy) that forced her into the marriage.
Artist: MadonnaAlbum: The Immaculate Collection Release date: 2/27/91 Video link: Via YouTube
Lyrics: I'm talking, I'm talking I believe in the power of love I'm singing, I'm singing I believe that you can rescue me
With you I'm not a little girl, with you I'm not a man When all the hurt inside of me comes out, you understand You see that I'm ferocious, you see that I am weak You see that I am silly, and pretentious and a freak
But I don't feel too strange for you Don't know exactly what you do I think when love is pure you try To understand the reasons why And I prefer this mystery It cancels out my misery And gives me hope that there could be A person that loves me
Chorus:
Rescue me [rescue me, it's hard to believe] Your love has given me hope Rescue me [rescue me, it's hard to believe] I'm drowning, baby throw out your rope
With you I'm not a fascist, can't play you like a toy And when I need to dominate, you're not my little boy You see that I am hungry for a life of understanding And you forgive my angry little heart when she's demanding You bring me to my knees while I'm scratching out the eyes Of a world I want to conquer, and deliver, and despise And right while I am kneeling there I suddenly begin to care And understand that there could be A person that loves me
(chorus)
Love is understanding It's hard to believe life can be so demanding I'm sending out an S.O.S. Stop me from drowning baby I'll do the rest
Rescue me (echo) Your love has given me hope [your love has given me hope] Rescue me (echo) I'm drowning, baby throw out your rope [baby throw out your rope] (repeat)
Ooh ahh, ooh ahh, love is understanding Ooh ahh, ooh ahh, love is understanding
Love is understanding It's hard to believe life can be so demanding I'm sending out an S.O.S. Rescue me, rescue me
It's not my business to decide How good you are for me How valuable you are And what the world can see Only that you try to understand me And have the courage to love me for me
(Background vocals, continuously for remainder of song:) [I believe in the power, I believe you can rescue me]
I believe [I believe in the power] I believe that you can rescue me (repeat)
I'm singing I believe I believe that you can rescue me I'm singing, I'm singing, I'm singing I believe that you can rescue me
I'm talking, I'm talking I believe in the power of love (repeat)
I'm singing, I'm singing, I believe I believe that you can rescue me
Hey hey, hey hey R.E.S.C.U.E. me Only you can rescue me Hey hey, hey... [I believe you can rescue me] [I believe in the power] [I believe you can rescue me] About the song: I think this is the first song that features Madonna speaking instead of talking or whispering. The music video for it features footage from her Who's That Girl tour, which was about 4 years prior to the release of the album. Originally Madonna didn't want this song released as a single. However, some radio stations played it anyway and it reached the top 5 in airplay. The single wasn't released until the song was already popular.
Despite the spoken verses, the song is still a pretty decent dance song. It brings back memories of the early days of Madonna when she was really popular in dance clubs. Yet it still has the feeling of Vogue, where it's an updated feel of the 80s dance club music.
Artist: Everclear
Members: Art Alexakis (vocals, guitar), Greg Eklund (drums), Craig Montoya (bass, vocals)
Album: So Much for the Afterglow
Release date: 10/7/97
Video link: Via YouTube
Lyrics: Father of mine Tell me where have you been You know I just closed my eyes My whole world disappeared Father of mine Take me Back to the day When I was still your golden boy Back before you went away
I remember blue skies Walking the block I loved it when you held me high I loved to hear you talk You would take me to the movie You would take me to the beach You would take me to a place inside That is so hard to reach
Father of mine Tell me where did you go You had the world inside your hand But you did not seem to know Father of mine Tell me what do you see When you look Back at your wasted life And you don't see me
I was ten years old Doing all that I could It wasn't easy for me To be a scared white boy In a black neighborhood Sometimes you would send me a birthday card With a five dollar bill I never understood you then And I guess I never will
Daddy gave me a name My dad he gave me a name Then he walked away Daddy gave me a name Then he walked away My daddy gave me a name
Daddy gave me a name Daddy gave me a name Then he walked away Daddy gave me a name Then he walked away My daddy gave me a name
Father of mine Tell me where have you been I just closed my eyes And the world disappeared Father of mine Tell me how do you sleep With the children you abandoned And the wife I saw you beat
I will never be safe I will never be sane I will always be weird inside I will always be lame Now I'm a grown man With a child of my own And I swear I'm not going to let her know All the pain I have known
Daddy gave me a name Then he walked away My dad gave me a name Then he walked away My daddy gave me a name Then he walked away My daddy gave me a name Then he walked away Then he walked away Then he walked away About the song: I always cry when this song plays. It's an autobiographical song about Art's father abandoning the family when Art was a boy. While I know that deadbeat dads aren't uncommon, I think the part that always tugs at my heartstrings is the "Now I'm a grown man/With a child of my own/And I swear I'm not going to let her know/All the pain I have known" verse. It's wonderful to hear someone breaking the vicious circle that usually happens when someone who has a crappy childhood becomes a parent. Even though this is a sad and depressing song, that last verse does give you hope for the future.
While I normally post a YouTube video for Favorite Friday, this one is just too good to pass up. Joss Whedon created a mini-series that is currently playing on the internet. I believe it is also available for purchase on iTunes. Believe me, it is worth every penny to buy it. http://www.drhorrible.com/
Watch it. Love it.