Ticket To the Moon
by Electric Light Orchestra
"And the tears I cry might turn into the rain
That gently falls upon your window"

I always confuse ELO with The Alan Parsons Project because I got into them at around the same time, on a holiday to Falmouth. This song is really pretty. It's from their concept album which also featured the song Here is the News which was kind of funny. I'm not sure if it was meant to be funny though.

I love the lyrics to this song. They're very pretty...

Listen to it here
And have a nice day!

Travellin' Through
by Dolly Parton
"I'm a puzzle, I must work out where all my pieces fit"

I saw an interview with Dolly Parton on TV recently and was really struck by her. I always felt that she'd been made out to be a really shallow figure in the press. And true, she's not exactly Einstein but she's got such a lot of heart. And it's one of the things that really comes accross in the music she sings. She's got all that American spirit that's so overwhelming without all the dodgy prejudice that usually seems to come with it.

I really love this song because it's got a real message of acceptance and being happy in who you are.

My blogs here are getting quite spread out... hopefully once we've finished this assignment, the pressure will be off a bit and normal service will resume :)

Listen to it here
And have a nice day!

Nothing Else Matters
by Metallica
"Forever trusting who we are
And nothing else matters"

I have no idea when or why I got into this song. But as far as I am aware, it is actually the only song by Metallica that I remember listening to. I quite like his voice. It fits really well with the style of song and the sound of the instruments. The style and sound kind of reminds me of a heavy REM, hehe.

This was a very lazy post, I know. But in my defence, I'm not wearing socks. Is that enough defence?

By the way, I adore the instrumental bridge.

Listen to it here
And have a nice day!

Hot One
from Velvet Goldmine
"And you're the grand one
But darling, I'm a mess"

Okay, yes. More Velvet Goldmine songs. I can't help it! I am just head-over-heels in love with this film. It's the most beautiful thing since the Garden of Eden. True. I'm not sure what to say about this song because whatever I say is tainted with incredible bias because I always see Jonathan Rhys Meyers kissing Ewan McGreggor when I hear it.

Listen to it here
And have a nice day!

Here Comes Your Man
by The Pixies
"Take me away to nowhere plains"

I started listening to The Pixies again lately after digging one of their albums out of my collection. I love how they have two distinct styles to their name - one of them being quite heavy, and the other being very upbeat and light. This song is one of the latter. It's very bouncy and beautiful.

Listen to it here
And have a nice day!

The Exact Colour
by Pure Reason Revolution
"You've seen the exact colour of my blood"

Um, I've been getting really lazy with this blog but here goes with a post! This is one of the few songs that I actually have on my computer. I took them all off of here a long time ago and now and then I copy some back on. So I have some Martha Wainwright, some 90s dance music, the Rocknrolla soundtrack and then some random songs like this one. I have never heard anything else by them so I won't pretend to have this depth of knowledge or background to offer.

But. I like how this is one of those songs where vocals aren't really necessary because the music is so fantastic underneath. Much like a lot of Radiohead songs. Having said that, the beauty is that it means that the vocals bring in this extra layer, this extra depth which make the song as a whole all the more delicious. Therefore, it doesn't really matter what the vocals are saying so you tend to find that these kind of lyrics make no sense but are just filled with gorgeous words strung together.

REM and Placebo were always a little like that too. Anyway. Enough rambling :)

Listen to it here
And have a nice day!

Big Sur
by The Thrills
"So much for the street lights
They're never gonna guide you home"

This is one of those songs that encapsulates the memory of a summer for me, and an old boyfriend. He really loved The Thrills at the time and recommended them to me. And now I recommend them to you!

Listen to it here!
Then you may thank me profusely.

Sunburn
by Muse
"No one ever dared to break these endless lies"

I was thinking today about how much I miss Muse. Showbiz was always my favourite album so I thought I'd pick a track off of that one. I love the passion and the intensity that Muse create. There is a real drama to their songs :)

Listen to it here!
Then you may thank me profusely.

Blowin' In The Wind
by Bob Dylan
"How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?"

I don't have an awful lot to say today. I'm incredibly sleepy and so all I will say is that I am feeling a little over-emotional, so I thought I'd pick a song that overwhelms me. This song is beautiful... very gentle but it makes an impact all the same.

Listen to it here!
Then you may thank me profusely.

My Sweet Prince
by Placebo
"Me and the dragon can chase all the pain away"

Another Placebo song, I know. But I just can't help it. I was listening to Without You I'm Nothing today which is probably my favourite album because it has this track on it as well as my absolute favourite Every Me Every You. I remember when I first watched Cruel Intentions (which opens with Every Me Every You) and I instantly adored that film for that song being in it. At the time I was a huge Placebo fan and so anything Placebo related was automatically deemed heavenly. Which is why I started listening to The Eels and The Pixies.

But less about that song and more about this one. I love the simplicity and the sadness in this song. It's gorgeous how desperately depressing this song is. I read an interview with Brian once and he said that this song is about his addiction and infatuation with drugs. Although another thing I heard was that a female friend of his wrote the chorus lyrics on the mirror in lipstick before leaving. Which would be "My sweet prince; you are the one".

But I think this is the kind of song that you can let speak for itself really. It means so many different things to me!

Listen to it here!
Then you may thank me profusely.

Sirius/ Eye in the Sky
by The Alan Parsons Project
"I aint gonna live anymore believing some of the lies
While all of the signs are deceiving"

This is actually the first two songs from the EP together. The first leads into the second so it's nice to hear them together. I bought a copy on a holiday to Falmouth a few years ago. Thinking of it in parts, I adore the dramatic sound of Sirius as opposed to the kind of mundane sound of Eye in the Sky which is kind of dwindling. But both sides of it are equally pleasant.

Listen to it here!
Then you may thank me profusely.

Runaround Sue
by Dion
"I should have known it from the very start
This girl will leave me with a broken heart"

Another oldie! I absolutely love music like this. This has a Runaway-esque feel to it, in that it's a really lively upbeat song in the music, but the lyrics are actually quite sad. You don't really get that anymore.

Listen to it here!
Then you may thank me profusely.

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
by The Hollies
"If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one another"

I recently started a new job and they have a CD at the shop which occaisionally gets played, and when it does, it is always a pleasure to hear it. There are some fantastic songs on it and one of them is this one. It's a real classic and as soon as I hear that whining harmonica, I want to sway! The lyrics to this one are really beautiful too... very heartfelt and touching.

Listen to it here!
Then you may thank me profusely.

The Day Before You Came
by ABBA
"It's funny but I had no sense of living without aim
The day before you came"

This song makes me a little teary, because it puts this incredible importance on the person in question (although cancer has been suggested by some fans?) , and how this mundane and structured life is just turned upside-down. I love the idea of the vast change that this turning point has on the character. I think also, I find the song quite intense because the vocals are so impressive. I think ABBA have always had that quality - the vocals were always a real tribute to their talent.

Either way, this is definitely my favourite ABBA track, perhaps because it has a lot of depth and raw emotion in it. God knows that happy music is a beautiful thing but I can't help being attracted to the more melancholy side of music.

I hope you enjoy the song - and also, that you enjoy the student video. It's not very well shot but you've still got to love student videos!

Listen to it here!
Then you may thank me profusely.