A Decades Playlist by Jana and Erin: the 1970s

A lot happened in the 70s. Some of it good, some of it bad, some of it in the middle. However, most notable is the fact that this is the decade in which Erin and I were both born! Yay for 70s babies! Granted I have approximately zero memories and I don't think Erin's are that clear but still. WE WERE THERE.

You know what else was there? Great music. The dawn of punk, the dawn of rap, the abomination of disco, the big sounds of arena rock and so much more. In fact, this was the most difficult playlist we've put together because we seriously didn't know where to stop. This is actually our biggest playlist at 39 songs (and that's with leaving off a lot) and we've linked to the whole list at the bottom, with our favorites highlighted below.  Enjoy!

"Closer to the Heart"--Rush. As you all know, this is Jana's favorite band. Picking one song was a challenge but this one was selected specifically because of the poignancy and significance and relevance to the current state of politics in the US. (ex., "And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start. To mold a new reality. Closer to the heart.")

"Dream On"--Aerosmith. There are A LOT of 70s Aerosmith songs that I (Erin) love, but the quintessential song that still gives me goosebumps that still has a powerful message "Dream until your dreams come true" is this one.

"Prelude/Angry Young Man"--Billy Joel. Like Rush and Aerosmith, HOW DO YOU PICK JUST ONE?! Well, you pick one with his incredible piano playing that's also fun to sing along to and one you never, ever tire of hearing.

"Dance the Night Away"--Van Halen. Again, A LOT, because I'm (Erin) a DLR fan over Van Hager fan and this one started my love of "rock music that you can dance to".

"Who Are You?"--The Who. So, it's one of my parents' favorite stories to tell about me (Jana) and how I used to walk around at the age of 3 or 4 singing this song. Specifically, the "who? who?" part, like a fucking owl. Also fun to know is that they say "who the fuck are you" in the song so it's pretty evident where my love of that particular word comes from.

"Crazy on You"--Heart. Heart Those fucking Wilson sisters broke so many glass ceilings proving that women rock just as hard as men (we actually have a whole badass women playlist. The Wilson sisters are on it. Obviously). 

"Bat Out of Hell"--Meatloaf. I (Jana) probably should have picked Paradise by the Dashboard Light because it's one of my all time favorite songs but this one is like the opening line from The Martian. It's unforgettable and makes a statement you never forget. 

"Strutter"--KISS. So many Kiss songs are more well known, but I love this little gem of a song. Fun fact: my Paul Stanley doll was my (Erin) favorite doll as a kid for a while.

"Bohemian Rhapsody"--Queen. Arguably one of the greatest songs ever written. It is still original and unique 40+ years later. Fun fact: It's the only song that was a duplicate from both of our lists. Another fun fact: I (Jana) think of Wayne's World when I hear it. Every. Single. Time.

"Already Gone"--Eagles. I've (Erin) explained the significance before, but I'll say it again - after living in a turbulent relationship, getting married at 19 (with no business doing so), I packed up my white Honda Civic at the age of almost-21 and left that asshole.  When I pulled out of the drive-way, I opened the sunroof, and this song started.  Tears streamed down my face as I sang it at the top of my lungs.  It is "my victory song".

"Horse with No Name"--America. My (Jana) victory song is not from the 70s but here's another embarrassing story about me instead. I called this the camel song for years. No real clue why. Just did. 

"Hot Child in the City"--Nick Gilder. You know how some random memories from childhood are still so vivid?  I (Erin) have a vivid memory of standing on my swing on our backyard swing set singing the song aloud for all the neighbors to hear. (Jana's note: glad to know I wasn't the only weird ass child).

"Good Hearted Woman"--Willie Nelson. He IS Texas to me (Erin)

Okay, so now that you have the highlights, here's the whole list. Let us know what songs from the 70s
you enjoy and we should add!

 

Songs for Life

By now, most of you know of and are possibly participating in Alyssa's "Back to Blogging" link-up.  I've been enjoying what I've been reading, and I've been enjoying the challenge of the prompts. 

Surprisingly, this prompt has/had me stumped:
1. Three (or however many you choose) songs that define your life and why

I love music.  I love live music.  I love listening to music, finding new music, feeling music, reading about music, and talking about music (as evidenced by my monthly playlist posts with Jana as well as other music posts on this blog.)  So, why did this one stump me?  Because I was overwhelmed with all the songs I love and why I love them.  To ask myself what songs "define" my life...well, that's just tough, but a question I've been trying to tackle.

It's My Life by Bon Jovi - My love for Bon Jovi began in 1984, and it never waned, but it was solidified and stamped into my personal history with the 2000 release of "It's My Life".  It bridged hair band '80s rockers with an updated, polished, new millennium band.  It bridged generations of fans; some discovered this band for the first time with this song.  It bridged teenage Erin with adult Erin; I was 11 years old when I first set sight and heard the sounds of Bon Jovi, and I was 27 when this song hit the airwaves.  The simplicity of the statement "It's my life, it's now or never, I ain't gonna live forever" is strong and powerful for me.

Just a Girl by No Doubt - It was 1995, and I was 22 years old when this song was released.  Already, I'd experienced a serious relationship with a very controlling man who wanted to mold me and fit me into his definition of what I should look like, how I should think, and what I should be when I grew up.  That very year, I was ending that relationship with this person.  No Doubt exploded onto my scene, and I was instantly in awe of Gwen.  Gwen's tongue-in-cheek lyrics of "I'm just a girl, little ol' me" and singing "I've had it up to here" was my jam.  It's exactly what I needed to hear at the time. It's still my jam.  And, I'm still in awe of Gwen.  She is creative and ambitious.  She is a girly-girl who hangs with the guys.   She is open, honest, and vulnerable (through her lyrics), but she is not scared to be strong and in-your-face. All of these traits are lovely little traits for "just a girl."

Slide by Goo Goo Dolls - Okay.  You may think this is a weird choice.  Basically, the song is about wanting "to wake up where you are".  I choose to believe it's a love song of sort.  So, why is this a song that defines my life?  Well, I have loved and still love all things Goo Goo Dolls.  But, it's this lyric: "What you feel is what you are and what you are is beautiful" that gets me every.single.time.  It has served as a reminder to me at those times that I am feeling really, really ugly (both physically and emotionally) to strive to FEEL beautiful, so I can BE beautiful.  Again, I don't just focus on the physicality that the world "beautiful" can signify.  I focus on the beauty within as well.  Even more so.  How much does this lyric mean to me?  Enough to get it tattooed on me permanently.

Scars by Papa Roach - This one.  This one I've sung at the top of my lungs through tears more times that I can count.  It is a song that embodies what I love about live music: people of all ages, all backgrounds, all ethnicities, religions, genders, identities, coming together to sing a song while squished together, swaying together, sweating together, hands and voices raised, because I've been in many Papa Roach live show pits experiencing this.  I can relate to every.single.word of this song, but this is significant for me: "I can't help you fix yourself, but at least I can say I tried, I'm sorry but I gotta move on with my own life."  Eventually, I realized after spending so many years thinking I needed to "fix" someone else, what I really needed to do was focus on my own self-worth, well-being, and happiness.

Take Tomorrow (One Day at a Time) by Butch Walker - If you've read any of my posts talking about music, chances are you've heard that there's this musician named Butch Walker that I love.  I mean it.  I love this man.  This is from the album that made me fall in love with this man (yes, I was a fan before this album, but this album is when I fell in love.)  This song closes the album and the sentiment is one that speaks to me to this day.  "Give me all your fear, throw it all away, think of all the good things, no matter what they say, we'll take tomorrow, baby, yeah, one day at a time."

Worth mentioning:  Any song by Willie Nelson.  I am instantly taken to Texas when I hear Willie Nelson.  I think of my dad.  I think of road trips.  I think of Lone Star and Shiner Bock beer.  I think of honky tonks.  I think of bluebonnets.  I think of a man that is a legend and an icon who is unconventional and unapologetically himself.  He isn't the best looking.  Not at all.  He isn't the best singer.  Nope.  But, he is Willie, and he embodies Texas.

Linking with Alyssa:

List #16 - Lyrics

On the train, listening to my ipod which I regularly keep on shuffle so whatever plays next is a surprise.  Today, it's serving up some good ones, so I've grabbed some lyrics to share:

1.
We were the kings and queens of promise

We were the victims of ourselves

Maybe the children of a lesser God

Between Heaven and Hell

30 Seconds to Mars "Kings and Queens" written by Jared Leto

photo from band's facebook

2.
I will not bow

I will not break

I will shut the world away

Breaking Benjamin "I Will Not Bow" written by Jasen Rauch

Photo from band's facebook

3.
Say you want to stay, you want me to

Say you'll never die, you'll always haunt me

I want to know I belong to you

Say you'll haunt me

Stone Sour "Say You'll Haunt Me" written by Josh Rand, Roy Mayorga, James Root, Corey Taylor, Shawn Economaki

Photo from band's facebook

4.
Do what you wanna do

Go out and seek your truth

When I'm down and blue

Rather be me than you

Alice In Chains "Heaven Beside You" written by Jerry Cantrell

Photo credit - Two guys in this photo are dead from drug overdoses - Drugs are bad, kids.

5.
Even when you're all alone

Even when it's not your home

I smell the blood of an australian

Try to understand me if you can

Eskimo Joe "Foreign Land" written by Stephen Parkin

Photo from band's facebook

6.
The feelings I once felt are now dead and gone

I've waited here for you for so very long 

Black Label Society "Stillborn" written by Zachary P. Wylde

Photo from band's facebook

7.
I just can't wake up on the floor

Like a thousand times before

Knowing that forever won't be

P!nk "Mean" written by Jonathan S. Davis, Alecia Moore, Butch Walker, Billy Mann

Photo credit

8.
I won't stop running

I'm only getting closer

To getting off the ground this time

The sky is calling, the wind is at my shoulders

Won't let this chance pass me by

Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators "Bent to Fly" written by Saul Hudson and Myles Kennedy

Photo from Slash's facebook

9.
You make me wanna die

I'll never be good enough

You make me wanna die

And everything you love will burn up in the light

Every time I look inside your eyes

You make me wanna die

The Pretty Reckless "Make Me Wanna Die" written by Kato Khandwala, Taylor Momsen, Ben Phillips

Photo credit

10.
And this is how it looks when I am standing on the edge

And this is how I break apart when I finally hit the ground

And this is how it hurts when I pretend I don't feel any pain

And this is how I disappear when I throw myself away

Red "Breathe Into Me" written by Jason Mcarthur, Robert Douglas Graves, Jasen Rauch, Anthony Armstrong

Photo from band's facebook

11.
Runnin wild and lookin pretty

Nick Gilder "Hot Child in the City" written by Nick Gilder and James McCulloch

Photo credit

12.
With open hearts, despite the stakes

We take a chance on our mistakes

A brand new day, we will embrace

An open wound that heals with grace

All the fears that we will face

In this time, and in this place

When you can say, and I can say

We loved with every step we take, I'll be ok

Nothing More "I'll Be OK" written by Daniel Oliver, Jonathan Taylor Hawkins, Mark Anthony Vollelunga

Photo from band's facebook

13.
 I know you'll look away while I'm crying
I know you'll wear that bow with a smile
Everything I gave you, it was wasted
Love further down, adore that denial
AFI "Heart Stops" written by Davey Havok and Jade Puget

Photo from band's facebook

14.
 Something so familiar drawn from this blank page
Every line from my hand takes me back to what I can't erase
Bon Jovi "Pictures of You" written by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, John M. Shanks

Photo from band's facebook

15.
This song is a work of lyrical genius, so you get the whole song.  The song is a story that you need it in its entirety to truly feel the emotion of the story.  Seriously.  If you do not know this song, watch this video, and read these lyrics.  So, so good.

And it starts
Sometime around midnight
Or at least that's when you lose yourself
For a minute or two

As you stand
Under the bar lights
And the band plays some song about forgetting yourself for a while
And the piano's this melancholy soundtrack to her smile
And that white dress she's wearing, you haven't seen her
For a while

But you know
That she's watching
She's laughing, she's turning
She's holding her tonic like a cross
The room suddenly spinning, she walks up and asks how you are
So you can smell her perfume
You can see her lying naked in your arms

And so there's a change
In your emotions
And all of these memories come rushing like feral waves to your mind
Of the curl of your bodies, like two perfect circles entwined
And you feel hopeless, and homeless, and lost in the haze of the wine

And she leaves
With someone you don't know
But she makes sure you saw her, she looks right at you and bolts
As she walks out the door
Your blood boiling, your stomach in ropes
And then your friends say "What is it? You look like you've seen a ghost."

And you walk
Under the streetlights
And you're too drunk to notice that everyone's staring at you
You don't care what you look like
The world is falling around you

You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her

You know that she'll break you in two

The Airborne Toxic Event "Sometime Around Midnight" written by Mikel Jollet

List #9 - Shuffle '13

With so many annual recaps of the top news stories, top albums, highest grossing movies of 2013, I thought I'd have my own recap.  My ipod is on shuffle 98% of the time.  I just go with whatever song the ipod universe decides I should hear (although, I admit to skipping a song every now and then).  I've looked at what songs have played the most in my music collection during the past year.  As much as I think I have varied tastes in music, this list pretty much shows that I'm a rock chick through and through...
Here's my top 15 most played songs from 2013:

1.  Breaking Inside - Shinedown

 

2. Say You'll Haunt Me - Stone Sour

 

3. Leader of the Broken Hearts - Papa Roach

(I'm surprised this wasn't #1)

 4.  Tonight - Seether

 

5. Feels So Numb - Rob Zombie

 6. You're a Lie - Slash featuring Myles Kennedy

 7. Passenger - Powderfinger 

(highly successful Aussie band that I discovered when I moved here; I have no idea why they didn't break internationally)

8. Because We Can - Bon Jovi

 9.  Lonely Boy - The Black Keys 

(goodness gracious, I love this video)

 

10. Demon Speeding - Rob Zombie

11. The Hand That Feels - Nine Inch Nails

 12. Everything - Buckcherry

 13. What About Now - Bon Jovi

 14. - Lost In You - Three Days Grace

 

15 - Lies of the Beautiful People - Sixx A.M.

List # 7 - Mixtape of My Life (so far)

I'm turning 40 in nineteen days.  Yikes.  I'm having a lot of thoughts, a lot of emotions, and a lot nostalgia surrounding this birthday.  So, I've created a list...I'm calling it the "Mixtape of My Life".

I had to make some rules for myself in order to create such a list.  I used Billboard's Top 100 Singles for each year.  On Billboard's actual website, they call it the "Hot 100" (I think), and they only have about ten years listed.  According to other websites, they've been keeping such a list since the '50's, so I used other websites too (mostly, wikipedia...sad, I know).  I'm not quite sure how the "Top 100" or "Hot 100" was created throughout the years (I'm sure I could have done some more research to find out, but I didn't), but it seems to be the industry standard to look to Billboard's list for the popularity of music singles.  I haven't always been one who was a fan of only the "popular" stuff (such as the songs that are going to be on Billboard's Hot 100), so there's several artists/bands that are not respresented.  The "Mixtape" is definitely an imperfect reflection of "My Life".  Anyways........ Here's how I came up with the list..........

I looked at the "Top 100" list for each year of my life: 1973 to 2012 (obviously, 2013 year end charts aren't listed yet).  My initial rule was that I'd select TWO songs from EACH year, then add in 20 others from whatever years I wanted in order to create my own "Top 100" songs of my life.  That was my initial rule, but I changed it because there were actually a couple of years when music was crap, and I couldn't even choose two songs out of a hundred for this fun little experiment of mine (hello, 1997 & 1998).  Another rule I made for myself was no band/artist could have two songs in the same year.  Lastly, I told myself if the song is not in my current music library, or if I couldn't remember owning the song prior, then it didn't make the cut.  For each of these, I can remember the LP or 45 or cassette or CD or digital download (a select few weren't "mine", but my mom's, dad's, or brother's).

So...without further ado...here's the "Mixtape of My Life":  I make no apologies for some of my choices.  I realize music critics and fans alike might consider some of my selections as "crap" too.  So be it.  This is my list.  Yes, there's a lot of Bon Jovi and power ballads.  Again, this is my list.  Songs are listed by year, rank from Billboard's Top 100 for that year, song title, and artist.  Enjoy :)

1. 1973 - (4) - Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye
2. 1973 - (17) - Drift Away - Dobie Gray
3. 1974 - (40) -  The Joker - Steve Miller Band
4. 1974 - (78) - Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me - Elton John
5. 1975 - (1) - Love Will Keep Us Together - Captain and Tenille
6. 1975 - (33) - Sister Golden Hair - America
7. 1976 - (18) - Bohemain Rhapsody - Queen
8. 1976 - (51) - Dream On - Aerosmith
9. 1977 - (68) - Cold As Ice - Foreigner
10. 1977 - (78) - Give a Little Bit - Supertramp
11. 1978 - (13) - You're the One That I Want - Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta
12. 1978 - (22) - Hot Child in the City - Nick Gilder
13. 1978 - (30) - Two Out of Three Ain't Bad - Meatloaf
14. 1979 - (67) - Renegade - Styx
15. 1979 - (74) - I Was Made For Lovin' You - KISS
16. 1979 - (95) - Dance the Night Away - Van Halen
17. 1980 - (4) - Rock With You - Michael Jackson
18. 1980 - (55) - All Out of Love - Air Supply
19. 1980 - (62) - I Can't Tell You Why - The Eagles
20. 1981 - (5) - Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield
21. 1981 - (7) - Kiss On My List - Hall and Oates
22. 1981 - (10) - Keep On Lovin' You - REO Speedwagon
23. 1981 - (88) - Smoky Mountain Rain - Ronnie Milsap
24. 1982 - (22) - Always On My Mind - Willie Nelson
25. 1982 - (48) - Young Turks - Rod Stewart
26. 1982 - (73) - Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
27. 1982 - (90) - Hot in the City - Billy Idol
28. 1982 - (96) - Workin' for the Weekend - Loverboy
29. 1983 - (7) - Maneater - Hall and Oates
30. 1983 - (17) - Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
31. 1983 - (81) - Faithfully - Journey
32. 1983 - (90) - Photograph - Def Leppard
33. 1984 - (1) - When Doves Cry - Prince
34. 1984 - (4) - Footloose - Kenny Loggins
35. 1984 - (57) - Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benetar
36. 1984 - (68) - Cum On Feel the Noize - Quiet Riot
37. 1984 - (99) - Rock Me Tonite - Billy Squier
38. 1985 - (1) - Careless Whisper - Wham
39. 1985 - (26) - Cool It Now - New Edition
40. 1985 - (44) - Never Surrender - Corey Hart
41. 1986 - (30) - You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi
42. 1986 - (62) - Your Love - The Outfield
43. 1987 - (7) - Here I Go Again - Whitesnake
44. 1987 - (10) - Livin' On a Prayer - Bon Jovi
45. 1987 - (15) - With or Without You - U2
46. 1988 - (5) - Sweet Child of Mine - Guns N' Roses
47. 1988 - (11) - One More Try - George Michael
48. 1988 - (19) - Pour Some Sugar On Me - Def Leppard
49. 1988 - (21) - Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson
50. 1988 - (41) - Bad Medicine - Bon Jovi
51. 1988 - (95) - Never Tear Us Apart - INXS
52. 1989 - (3) - Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison
53. 1989 - (15) - Heaven - Warrant
54. 1989 - (68) - Lovesong - The Cure
55. 1989 - (86) - Paradise City - Guns N' Roses
56. 1990 - (55) - U Can't Touch This - MC Hammer
57. 1990 - (67) - Love Song - Tesla
58. 1990 - (72) - I Remember You - Skid Row
59. 1990 - (91) - What It Takes - Aerosmith
60. 1990 - (96) - Without You - Motley Crue
61. 1991 - (78) - Something to Believe In - Poison
62. 1991 - (82) - Silent Lucidity - Queensryche
63. 1992 - (2) - Baby Got Back - Sir Mix A Lot
64. 1992 - (17) - November Rain - Guns N' Roses
65. 1993 - (50) - What's Up - 4 Non Blondes
66. 1993 - (60) - Cryin' - Aerosmith
67. 1994 - (91) - Always - Bon Jovi
68. 1995 - (5) - On Bended Knee - Boys to Men
69. 1995 - (70) - This Ain't a Love Song - Bon Jovi
70. 1996 - (29) - You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette
71. 1996 - (41) - The World I Know - Collective Soul
72. 1996 - (56) - Wonderwall - Oasis
73. 1996 - (68) - Just A Girl - No Doubt
74. 1999 - (10) - Livin' La Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
75. 1999 - (13) - Slide - Goo Goo Dolls
76. 2000 - (9) - Bent - Matchbox Twenty
77. 2001 - (9) - Again - Lenny Kravitz
78. 2001 - (100) - Hemorrhage (In My Hands) - Fuel
79. 2002 - (26) - Wasting My Time - Default
80. 2003 - (4) - Crazy in Love - Beyonce with Jay Z
81. 2003 - (28) - Lose Yourself - Eminem
82. 2004 - (8) - Hey Ya! - Outkast
83. 2004 - (19) - My Immortal - Evanescence
84. 2005 - (4) - Since You Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson
85. 2005 - (16) - Mr. Brightside - The Killers
86. 2005 - (36) - Scars - Papa Roach
87. 2005 - (68) - Best of You - Foo Fighters
88. 2006 - (29) - Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
89. 2007 - (59) - Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
90. 2007 - (69) - Who Knew - P!nk
91. 2008 - (33) - Stop and Stare - OneRepublic
92. 2008 - (44) - Sorry - Buckcherry
93. 2009 - (26) - Second Chance - Shinedown
94. 2009 - (45) - So What - P!nk
95. 2010 - (45) - Whataya Want From Me - Adam Lambert
96. 2010 - (87) - Use Somebody - Kings of Leon
97. 2011 - (24) - Someone Like You - Adele
98. 2012 - (1) - Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye with Kimbra
99. 2012 - (15) - Wide Awake - Katy Perry
100. 2012 - (22) - Everybody Talks - Neon Trees