I haven't heard this one yet, but in 2018 where actual Nazis are nakedly walking the streets of America, one ran for political office on a major party ticket (and saod party leadership, proven assholes who don't give a fuck about ethics shrugged and as I "Oh, gee, see we can't stop him," but neither did they try to stop him using their private corporate brand or did they denounce him), and the President calling open white supremacists "very fine people."
The song "Dreaming of a White Christmas" is unambiguously about SNOW.
But, you know somewhere, a room full of white-skinned special snowflakes is dreaming of a world filled by only other special white snowflakes.
You either like the song, or you don't. Put your personal butthurt aside for a minute and pay attention.
The song has been around for about a hundred years.
The most famous version is from 1959. This is the version we hear most on the radio.
In 1959, the average American had a bigger vocabulary than today. How's that for sad?
Also, in 1959, there is a serious chance that "gentlemen" were indoctrinated with a better set of behaviors than they are today, including "if she really means 'no,' then be a gentleman and back off."
This is 2018, where the reality if that if she really means "No," there is a very real chance he's going to turm aggro and rape her.
The song, as performed, is clearly intended to be fun and flirty. She's an adult trying to play the coy "But, I'm a good girl, and good girls don't just stay over at a guy's house," game, but she clearly wants an excuse to stay over.
The revolution of the last 30 years has turned that bit over, and women are now allowed to say "if I want to stay, I'll stay, and Hell with decorum."
Some men whine that this "strong women" thing has confused them, and now they're all threatened, but that's a tangent.
If you actually listen to the lyrics, then the entire fucking song he is literally saying "I don't care what you want, I wamt you to stay, and I'm going to get my way."
Yes, literally. And that's the part that - in the era of Bill Cosby and Brock Turner - is chaffing people's butts.
The song lyrics haven't changed. The song lyrics have always had this dual aspect of "fun and flirty" and/or "date rape," but 2018 has been a really aggro year, and the year of #MeToo where women and men are coming forward in droves to say "enough!"
So, if you're feeling butthurt that people are butthurt about the song, pull you're head out of your ass.
The song hasn't changed, but the world is a bit more woke, and in a year or two, we'll all be back to just accepting it as part of Christmas.
Artistically, my favorite part is that he tweaks each musical piece and makes it his own. The technical skill is amazing, and his vocal range is extraordinary.
Each song is clearly recognizable as the original, yet some of them are tweaked to Paradise and back.
Someone was also willing to invest a LOT of money in set pieces for him. I mean, individually, he puts on a great show, but the set pieces really boost him from a one-man sound symphony to a one-man show-stealing headliner.
He does a great job sharing the stage with others, too. This makes sense, given he toured with other artists for a couple years, before stomping The Voice Australia.
I've mentioned before how I enjoy a music video with epic overtones, and this one has "epic cheese factor" all over the place. I mean, it's a frickin' soft drink commercial, but it runs three (3) full minutes, stars three of the biggest female rock icons, and is back-dropped against a Roman amphitheater with shout outs to "Gladiator" and pretty much every Roman-Empire film ever made.
It's good clean cheese factor. I mean, the song itself is epic cheese!
In the same category of epic cheese, or maybe epic karma, if I recall correctly, Adam Lambert once said he wanted to be like Freddie Mercury - epic singer if ever there was one.
Funny thing, how "Madam Lambert" would one day be Freddie Mercury :-)
The thing snowballed very quickly, and we started a long and very fruitful association with Adam in which he has become one of us, part of our family. He’s never attempted to be Freddie, and I think that’s what endears him to the fans, apart from the fact that he is an extraordinary singer with an extraordinary presence.
Roger and I have seen literally thousands of singers in our lifetimes including some great ones auditioning for our We Will Rock You show (which, did I mention, ran for 12 solid years in The Dominion Theatre on the Tottenham Court Road in London?) but we’ve never seen or heard anything like Adam. I always think that Freddie, with a wicked smile, would say something like “I hate you, Madam Lambert,” because even Freddie would have been gobsmacked at his range and his ability to reinterpret these songs which the four of us originally created together.
There can be no doubt that Lambert has not attempted to replace Freddie Mercury. Lambert is his own man, a parallel to Mercury. Massively big shoes to fill, but Lambert - like Mercury - is an epic showman, who knows how to bring a crowd into the music, and make sure the audience has FUN.
So, there you go: History, Destiny, Epic Cheese. Happy Monday! :-)
Until recently, I would have sworn that a "Hurdy-Gurdy" was one of those made up noises, like "Razzle Frazzle."
Turns out, the Hurdy-Gurdy is a real thing, and people really play them, and they're kind of cool. I could totally see my DnD bard picking one up :-)
I really like that Patty explains this weird thing. It is clear that quite a bit of serious engineering went into designing the Hurdy-Gurdy. I mean, according to the Wikipedia article, this instrument is over a millennia old!
"The hurdy-gurdy is generally thought to have originated from fiddles in either Europe or the Middle East (e.g., the rebab instrument) some time before the eleventh century A.D.[2] The first recorded reference to fiddles in Europe was in the 9th century by the Persian geographer Ibn Khurradadhbih (d. 911) describing the lira (lūrā) as a typical instrument within the Byzantine Empire."
That is an old design, and very impressive. I mean, I'm sure the design has changed a lot over ten centuries, but the core seems to remain the same - that is, strings, a wheel and keys.
Now, as a historical/political aside for a moment, here in the 21st century, we like to think of Europe and it's descendants (specifically the full-of-itself United States) as the "civilized and industrialized world." But, go back and read that quote above. The use of the fiddle in Europe was recorded by the "savages" of the Middle East. In other words, when the Europeans were still picking their noses and congratulating themselves for being able to shape iron, the Middle East had colleges with scholars who kept records of what the Euro-savages were using to make music.
Speaking of engineering, "The pitches on the organistrum were set according to Pythagorean temperament and the instrument was primarily used in monastic and church settings to accompany choral music." Who does that? Especially in the 9th century?
And here is an example of Patty Gurdy actually playing one. "Sweet Dreams" is a classic song, for a long of reasons, not the least of which is that it has a very recognizable sound.
And, just for comparison, here is the timeless original:
Actually, I find it amusing that the "Who am I to disagree?" line is almost quaint by today's standards where kink is practically vanilla. Ah, the impact of the Internet in mainstreaming the weird.
Okay, I'm actually glad my parents didn't let me what MTV during the 80s. I mean, wow, those were the days when figuring out what a music video could be, right? This is a seriously classic song, but, wow, sooooo cheesy! :-)
The sound holds up well, even 30+ years later, so mega-props to Bonnie Tyler and her team for that!
Like "Rise of the Titans," bitch! I know, that's a totally silly opening, but you don't read this blog on a regular basis expecting anything but whatever the fuck I'm thinking at the moment.
Meanmeanwhile, turns out I covered this song before, but I didn't realize (at the time), that Lacuna Coil had an official vid. Whatever. That previous post was about the vid games featured in the fan splice-up vid, and this post is about the official Lacuna Coil vid. Blah, blah, blah. :-)
The Toto rock band song "Africa" is practically iconic, being one almost everyone recognizes instantly. It's also one almost everyone does a cover of, my current favorite still being Leo Moracchioli feat. Rabea & Hannah (partly because all three of them are such characters).
Well, the Floppotron has a cover of it, too.
What?! You've never heard of the Floppotron?! You have so been missing on out on this epic mega-nerdy creation. I think it ranks up there with Wintergatan's marble machine for epic nerd musicalness.
So, I finally broke down and bought the Lindsey Stirling album "Shatter Me," because it turns out it has the title song (vid below) and two others that I really like - "Roundtable Rival" and "Master of Tides." I'll let you know if I fall in love with any of the other songs on the album.
Because, you know I've got a grrl crush on Lzzy Hale. She's got an amazing voice. And Hell, this song is a mega classic. I mean, Lita Ford still has a powerful voice that has lasted all these years since the did the original with Ozzy.
It's cool to see performers in front of a live audience. They've got a different vibe in concert than they do in scripted vids.
Toto - Africa (metal cover by Leo Moracchioli feat. Rabea & Hannah)
Leo Morcchioli does some fun vids, and has some fun interpretations. The reinterpretation of "Africa" is fun. The second half of the video is fun, too.
I really like Hannah's voice. She has her own channel, and is fun to watch.
We girls always get the worst armor, but she does have the most badass moves in the whole vid, and looks like she has some kind of story, so there's at least that.
As I piece together, this is a fan vid. Besides, tomorrow is Halloween, so something with demons getting their heads blown off seems appropriate :-)
This video makes me happy. I love classical instrumental rock songs. (For example, The Harp Twins.)
I'm torn which amuse me more - the audience reactions, or the performers themselves. It's always funny to see how people react to a heavy metal song (in this case, Rammstein) played on classical instruments.
I think the video shows a splice of multiple performances, possibly some of them with an audience. I think the audience segments are probably also spliced from different performances.
OMG, I remember this song from when I was a kid. Who let this video get made?? The 80s were such a fashion disaster.
The sound is still fun, but I can't listen while watching. It's too funny - it's just too bizarre. And the Pete Burns prancing through - his hair is EPIC, but those moves - I swear this must have been a case of "video killed the music career," right? No way were the 80s ready for that ;-)
