With all those new albums I got yesterday, I feel sort of like reviewing them all like I did for The Joshua Tree ...
But I'll save that for later. (I heard your sigh of relief).
I just bought nine new songs! I hear you now, saying, "What?! You got 5 new U2 albums yesterday!! How can you buy nine of their songs today?!" The thing is, none of them are U2 songs! Not technically, anyway. You are saying, "If they aren't U2, then why are you typing about them on this particular blog?!" Because I might be obsessed with iTunes shopping. Not really. But I think this belongs here.
All nine of my new songs appear on my iTunes library when you search for Paul McCartney, but not all of them are Paul McCartney. Am I confusing you greatly? Then I'll just tell you what they are.
Seven are actually Paul McCartney songs. They're songs that my dad has on records, but since our record player is a piece of crap, it's hard for me to listen to them often. They are:
1. "Monkberry Moon Delight" from Ram
2. "Dear Boy" from Ram
3. "Picasso's Last Words (Drink To Me)" from Band On The Run
4. "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty Five" from Band On The Run
5. "Here Today" from Tug Of War
6. "The Pound Is Sinking" from Tug Of War
7. "Wanderlust" from Tug Of War
The other two are NOT U2 songs ... they are Beatles songs sung by Bono! Yay! From the Across The Universe soundtrack.
1. "I Am The Walrus"
2. "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"
I watched Bono's scene from that movie yesterday and then again today because I was showing it to my dad. I like it! It almost makes me want to watch the whole movie again. Almost. Actually, it wasn't a horrible movie. I just prefer the originals of all Beatles songs. Most of the ones in that movie are done very well. Most, not all. There are some that really bugged me. I really liked "I Am The Walrus," even back before I fell in love with Bono. I liked "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" and "With A Little Help From My Friends." I liked pretty much everything that the characters Jude and Max did. I HATED Sadie. And I didn't really care for Prudence, either. Or Lucy, really. Of course, now Dr. Robert is my favorite character. :)
I just went on my other blog and found my post about Across The Universe. Quote of interest from that post: "The appearances of Bono, Joe Cocker, Eddie Izzard, and Salma Hayek were pretty cool." I totally mentioned Bono first. I think I've always had a thing for him.
I think now I will play some online bingo. Then I might go watch a movie, but I don't know. When I was sifting through my blog, looking for that Across The Universe post, I read a bunch of posts from my Steve Carell obsession time. It kind of made me want to watch The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Or Dan In Real Life maybe! I don't know. I'll see how I feel in a little while.
Bye!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
A post
I am having trouble thinking of titles.
Anyway. I basically wanted to tell you that when I left the house this morning, I had 36 U2 songs in my iTunes Library. Now I have 90 U2 songs in my iTunes library. It's amazing!
My best friend and I spent some hours together today. He burned me a U2 live album, Under A Blood Red Sky. Wonderfulness! Then, near the end of our adventures today, we wound up at a Coconuts store, where they had a fantastic deal on used CDs: buy three, get one free. I got All That You Can't Leave Behind, The Unforgettable Fire, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, and Achtung Baby ... all for just over $18. It's all wonderfulness. I am a happy kid.
Anyway. I basically wanted to tell you that when I left the house this morning, I had 36 U2 songs in my iTunes Library. Now I have 90 U2 songs in my iTunes library. It's amazing!
My best friend and I spent some hours together today. He burned me a U2 live album, Under A Blood Red Sky. Wonderfulness! Then, near the end of our adventures today, we wound up at a Coconuts store, where they had a fantastic deal on used CDs: buy three, get one free. I got All That You Can't Leave Behind, The Unforgettable Fire, How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, and Achtung Baby ... all for just over $18. It's all wonderfulness. I am a happy kid.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Update
I haven't posted in a while, so I thought I'd update you on my obsessed state of mind.
My dad says I've been cheating on David Cook with Bono. Sigh. It's just so difficult to maintain an American Idol obsession once the season is over. I know, David won and he's been everywhere on TV lately. But it's mostly morning shows that I sleep through. And I know the videos are online ... but I just have a hard time keeping up. A U2 obsession is just easier to maintain because there's 30 years of material there for me to collect. And I've been reading that wonderful book. I'm almost finished, a fact which is depressing me! It's just SO good! It makes me laugh, it makes me cry. It's just great.
David Cook is breaking records already. He's got something like 17 songs in the Hot 100 singles chart, I think. That's an AMAZING thing. And he's had the number one song on iTunes for the past week. I am very happy! I'd help him keep the high standings on the charts by purchasing more of his music, but I already have all of his songs. Haha. He's releasing an album this fall, which I will either purchase or get for Christmas. I hope I can just buy it - I'm not sure I could wait for Christmas.
I bought three new U2 songs today. I've been trying to hold out to get an actual CD, All That You Can't Leave Behind. But each day I don't have that album, I die a little. Haha. So, to keep myself from expiring, I bought 2 more songs from that album. I bought "Walk On" and "Kite." Now I have 5 of the 11 songs there, so I will buy no more until I get the actual CD. Then I bought the song "Lemon" from the album Zooropa. I didn't have any songs from that album yet, so there's that. Now I believe I have at least one song from each of their studio albums. Here's the rundown:
I have ...
2 songs from Boy
1 song from October
2 songs from War
1 song from The Unforgettable Fire
11 songs from The Joshua Tree (the entire album)
3 songs from Rattle and Hum
3 songs from Achtung Baby
1 song from Zooropa
2 songs from Pop
5 songs from All That You Can't Leave Behind
1 song from How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
1 song from The Saints Are Coming (Live) single
And then I also have 3 songs from The Joshua Tree that I bought before I got the actual CD ... so I have those songs twice each. I need more songs! I don't feel like a true fanatic, only having 1 or 2 or 3 songs from most of their albums. I need to start selling crap on eBay. Then I might get some money to buy some stuff.
Well. I have work to do. Work for which I will be paid no money, just experience. Bye.
My dad says I've been cheating on David Cook with Bono. Sigh. It's just so difficult to maintain an American Idol obsession once the season is over. I know, David won and he's been everywhere on TV lately. But it's mostly morning shows that I sleep through. And I know the videos are online ... but I just have a hard time keeping up. A U2 obsession is just easier to maintain because there's 30 years of material there for me to collect. And I've been reading that wonderful book. I'm almost finished, a fact which is depressing me! It's just SO good! It makes me laugh, it makes me cry. It's just great.
David Cook is breaking records already. He's got something like 17 songs in the Hot 100 singles chart, I think. That's an AMAZING thing. And he's had the number one song on iTunes for the past week. I am very happy! I'd help him keep the high standings on the charts by purchasing more of his music, but I already have all of his songs. Haha. He's releasing an album this fall, which I will either purchase or get for Christmas. I hope I can just buy it - I'm not sure I could wait for Christmas.
I bought three new U2 songs today. I've been trying to hold out to get an actual CD, All That You Can't Leave Behind. But each day I don't have that album, I die a little. Haha. So, to keep myself from expiring, I bought 2 more songs from that album. I bought "Walk On" and "Kite." Now I have 5 of the 11 songs there, so I will buy no more until I get the actual CD. Then I bought the song "Lemon" from the album Zooropa. I didn't have any songs from that album yet, so there's that. Now I believe I have at least one song from each of their studio albums. Here's the rundown:
I have ...
2 songs from Boy
1 song from October
2 songs from War
1 song from The Unforgettable Fire
11 songs from The Joshua Tree (the entire album)
3 songs from Rattle and Hum
3 songs from Achtung Baby
1 song from Zooropa
2 songs from Pop
5 songs from All That You Can't Leave Behind
1 song from How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb
1 song from The Saints Are Coming (Live) single
And then I also have 3 songs from The Joshua Tree that I bought before I got the actual CD ... so I have those songs twice each. I need more songs! I don't feel like a true fanatic, only having 1 or 2 or 3 songs from most of their albums. I need to start selling crap on eBay. Then I might get some money to buy some stuff.
Well. I have work to do. Work for which I will be paid no money, just experience. Bye.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Obsession History
Last night, my two current obsessions sort of aligned in a David Cook performance of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" that has given me chills each time I've watched/listened to it. In fact, all three of David's performances last night gave me chills, for three different reasons. He was amazing last night, and yet he was treated horribly by the 2 male judges.
To take my mind off the stressful results show that's looming several hours ahead, I'm gonna give you a run down of all my major MUSIC obsessions: what they were, when they were, how they came about, and what sorts of crazy things I did while under the influence of whatever it was at the time. Why just music? It's hard for me to think of when all my actor and TV show obsessions happen because they all overlap the music obsessions, which were really more major. So, in there with all these music obsessions were obsessions with Al Pacino, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, Jim Carrey, Edward Norton, Steve Carell, Mindfreak/Criss Angel, Lost, and The Office.
I'm going to start off by explaining something. By contemplating all my past and present obsessions, I think I've realized why I get so obsessed with things. It's because I know that, eventually, I'll probably somewhat "get over" whatever it is with which I am obsessed. At the time of an obsession, I truly believe that I will always be obsessed with whatever it is. That isn't fact. So I just enjoy my obsessions to the extreme while I have them because I never know when a new one will strike. I have a guilt problem, okay?!
Alright. I'll do this in chronological order.
What: The Beatles
When: 1998 - ????
How: My dad was a Beatle freak growing up - still is, sort of - and his Beatles fandom rubbed off on me. He'd always tried to get me to listen to them, but it wasn't until he taught me their song "For No One" on piano that I felt the need for my own Beatles CDs. I got my first one, Revolver, for Easter when I was 9 years old. Now I have ... a lot of Beatles CDs. I don't know when, exactly, this obsession stopped. It was one of my less extreme obsessions, so it's hard to put an end date on it. That said, it was most certainly an obsession.
What: Country music
When: Nov. 2004 - Oct. 2005
How: My dad, again. He was trying to help me become more open-minded by forcing me to listen to one style of music, country, that I had absolutely shunned without really giving it a chance. Turns out some of it isn't so bad. Yes, this obsession lasted almost a year. And I got really annoying during it. On my livejournal, I started using the word "y'all" a lot. Sure, I use that in normal conversation quite a bit (being from Alabama, how could I not?). But it's just really awkward to go out of your way to use it on a blog. During this obsession, I listened to the radio, alternating between the 3 main country stations we get around here. My dad bought me Keith Urban's Golden Road album. Then Christmas arrived and I got some more country CDs: Horse Of A Different Color by Big & Rich, Be Here by Keith Urban, and When The Sun Goes Down by Kenny Chesney. My TV was also permanently set on GAC. I'm not nearly as crazy about country music now as I was then, but I'm grateful that I became more open-minded because of this obsession. I still love my main 5 or 6 country artists, I'm just not as INSANE as I used to be. Y'all.
What: Queen
When: Oct. 2005 - May. 2006
How: I'd always really liked Bohemian Rhapsody, and when I seriously thought about it, I had memories of Queen songs going way back into my childhood. I'd always heard Queen, but I'd never really listened. Then, a mini-obsession happened earlier in 2005: Constantine Maroulis. My first American Idol love performed Bohemian Rhapsody on the show to rave reviews. I started listening to classic rock radio stations, trying desperately to hear that song. I heard a few other Queen songs during this quest, but no Bohemian Rhapsody. I mentioned to my dad that I wanted a Queen greatest hits album, so what did Dad do? He brought me 2 Queen greatest hits albums from the store-room of used CDs (he works on jukeboxes, so he gets free used CDs). I listened to them endlessly. Then I collected 3 more Queen albums - Dad brought me A Kind of Magic, I bought The Miracle at a used CD store, and a good friend of mine gave me A Night At The Opera for Christmas. The obsession was HUGE by Christmas, but my parents already had bought all my presents, so that didn't help my obsession. My birthday came a month and a half later, and almost all I got that year was Queen-related. The money I got for my birthday was spent on more Queen CDs. My mom surprised me by buying me a Queen poster for no reason, and then I started collecting Queen pictures off the internet to complete what I now call my Queen shrine - a gallery of Queen on the wall in my room. On April 1, 2006 I started painting the nails on my left hand black to honor Freddie Mercury. I don't know if this obsession necessarily flat out ended in May of 2006, because it was a pretty extreme obsession. But the next one started in May, so that's what I'm going with. Oh, by the way - I only lack ONE Queen CD before I have all of their studio albums. So close!!
What: Red Hot Chili Peppers
When: May 2006 - Fall 2006
How: Dani California was released in April or May of 2006. Whenever it happened, the video was on HEAVY rotation. And I decided I LOVED it. So I asked my dad (he always seems to be so helpful in these obsessions) if he had any RHCP CDs. He happened to have a used copy of Californication in his car, so he let me have it. That happened on the day we were leaving for a weekend at the lake. I listened to Californication all weekend. Later in May, I purchased their new double album, Stadium Arcadium. I was officially in love. I had always sort of liked the Chili Peppers anyway - my brother was a fan, and when I was younger I used to listen to a lot of his music with him. So I knew all of the hits. Anyway, that was the summer of the Chili Peppers. I collected CDs and books all summer - somehow convincing my parents to spend a good deal of our vacation money on my Chili Pepper obsession while we were in Tennessee. I used a black Sharpie to draw a RHCP tattoo on my wrist to match the one Anthony Kiedis and John Frusciante have (they might all have one like that ... I can't remember). Anyway. I would maintain that tattoo, darkening it when it started to fade. That was pretty extreme. At least I didn't get a real tattoo! My mom would have killed me. I can't remember exactly when this obsession stopped. My next one started in Fall of 2006, so that'll have to do.
What: Morrissey/The Smiths
When: Fall 2006 (Octoberish?) - February 2007, May 2007 - September 2007
How: We got a new computer. On this new computer, we were able to have iTunes. My brother put a bunch of his music on the iTunes library. That included all his Morrissey and Smiths CDs. I'd heard my brother talking about Morrissey and The Smiths, but I'd never heard them before. So I decided to give them a listen. I fell in love with Morrissey's voice immediately. I borrowed my brother's Morrissey concert DVD. It was amazing - he is one captivating man. On that DVD was a documentary about slaughterhouses and how horribly animals are treated. I became a vegetarian for a while, but I've scaled back to just a non-beef/pork eater. I haven't eaten beef since I watched that documentary way back in October of 2006. I've eaten very little pork since then - Mom force-fed me ham on Easter of 2007. Sheesh. I should have stood up to her and just had cereal or something! Anyway. My eating habits were the most extreme thing about this obsession. I really just listened to Morrissey and Smiths music nonstop to feed this obsession. It took a brief hiatus for my next obsession, but came back for the summer (in which I saw Morrissey in concert!! July 19th!!) and lasted till the next obsession took hold. (Hey - my dad had nothing to do with this obsession! Crazy!)
What: Blake Lewis
When: February 2007 - May 2007, July 2007, December 2007
How: American Idol. Blake was the first Idol contestant to be considered one of my full-fledged obsessions. With my new iTunes library, I was able to download all his performances for myself and listen to them over and over and over, nonstop. I also got all his videos to put on the iPod I got for Christmas of 2006. With all the voting and Idol-y goodness from February-May of 2007, Blake consumed my life. After the finale, it was difficult to find Blake-ness to feed my obsession, so I went back into my Morrissey obsession. Then, on July 12 I got to see Blake (and 9 of his Idol friends) in concert, so I listened to Blake a good deal during the time leading up to the concert. He was AMAZING in concert, by the way. My obsession resurfaced a bit when Blake released his debut album, Audio Day Dream, in December of last year, and I listened to little else for a pretty long while. But it was still difficult to maintain this obsession without Blake on TV twice every week ... and with the public's refusal to acknowledge the awesomeness of ADD.
What: Michael Jackson
When: August 2007 - November 2007
How: On a whim, I bought Michael Jackson's greatest hits album. I'd always liked the Thriller album, so I figured I would like this. I ended up listening to little else for 3 and a half months. I bought the DVD that went with the greatest hits album, the one with all the music videos. I watched a bunch of videos on Youtube. It was a short obsession, but I was definitely obsessed.
What: Green Day
When: November 2007 - February 2008
How: I'd had the American Idiot album since my birthday in February of last year, and I'd listened to it several times, but with all the other obsessions of that time ... you know. Anyway, one day I decided to listen to something other than Michael Jackson on the way to school. I picked the American Idiot album. It was almost Thanksgiving by that time. I listened to nothing else while we were in Mississippi for Thanksgiving. All I listened to in the car and during any free time I had away from the family during all the Thanksgiving stuff was that American Idiot album. I started listening to the Dookie album as well, and then my brother gave me his copy of Nimrod. It was just a Green Day love fest for a few months. I still love them, and I'm happy to see they've got new music (even if they're masquerading under another name). I need to get that album. I am REALLY ready for the next true Green Day studio album. REALLY.
What: David Cook
When: February 2008 - present
How: He wasn't my absolute favorite American Idol season 7-er from the get go. When I first saw it, I thought his audition was one of the few good ones they actually showed. It wasn't until he performed "Happy Together" that he became my second favorite (behind Michael Johns). After "Hello," he and Johns were basically tied for my favorite. I was in love with both of those guys (still am). Then David performed "Eleanor Rigby" (which, coincidentally, just came on my iTunes, which has all my 42 of my Cookie songs playing on random). That's when he became my absolute favorite. And then I just became consumed with David. I think if Michael had lasted longer than he did (which he DEFINITELY should have), I might have been OBSESSED with him as well. Tonight's the finale of season 7. I really hope Cookie wins. And I really hope I don't have as hard a time maintaining this obsession post-Idol as I did with Blake ...
What: U2
When: April 2008 - present
How: I'd always heard U2, I'd just never listened. But I'd always sort of wanted to listen. It wasn't until I got some iTunes giftcards that I got a real chance. I bought 9 songs in one spree, 5 of which were U2 songs. Those are the ones that went on heavy rotation on my iTunes and iPod. Then I just kept buying more U2 music on iTunes. Then I bought that U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle DVD (which I watched TWICE IN A ROW last night while voting 4 straight hours for David Cook - talk about 2 extreme obsessions). Then I bought an actual U2 CD, The Joshua Tree. Then I got that awesome U2 book, U2 By U2. And I am completely obsessed. I watch Youtube videos, look at pictures, read my book, watch my DVD, listen to all 33 U2 songs that I now have, and try desperately to figure out ways to get more money to buy more actual U2 CDs so I can feel more like a true fan. I need more than 33 songs!!! I think this is going to be the summer of U2. I'm just fully enjoying this U2 love fest while I can. I have a feeling it will last a while, though ...
Well. That's that. Hope it enlightened you?
To take my mind off the stressful results show that's looming several hours ahead, I'm gonna give you a run down of all my major MUSIC obsessions: what they were, when they were, how they came about, and what sorts of crazy things I did while under the influence of whatever it was at the time. Why just music? It's hard for me to think of when all my actor and TV show obsessions happen because they all overlap the music obsessions, which were really more major. So, in there with all these music obsessions were obsessions with Al Pacino, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, Jim Carrey, Edward Norton, Steve Carell, Mindfreak/Criss Angel, Lost, and The Office.
I'm going to start off by explaining something. By contemplating all my past and present obsessions, I think I've realized why I get so obsessed with things. It's because I know that, eventually, I'll probably somewhat "get over" whatever it is with which I am obsessed. At the time of an obsession, I truly believe that I will always be obsessed with whatever it is. That isn't fact. So I just enjoy my obsessions to the extreme while I have them because I never know when a new one will strike. I have a guilt problem, okay?!
Alright. I'll do this in chronological order.
What: The Beatles
When: 1998 - ????
How: My dad was a Beatle freak growing up - still is, sort of - and his Beatles fandom rubbed off on me. He'd always tried to get me to listen to them, but it wasn't until he taught me their song "For No One" on piano that I felt the need for my own Beatles CDs. I got my first one, Revolver, for Easter when I was 9 years old. Now I have ... a lot of Beatles CDs. I don't know when, exactly, this obsession stopped. It was one of my less extreme obsessions, so it's hard to put an end date on it. That said, it was most certainly an obsession.
What: Country music
When: Nov. 2004 - Oct. 2005
How: My dad, again. He was trying to help me become more open-minded by forcing me to listen to one style of music, country, that I had absolutely shunned without really giving it a chance. Turns out some of it isn't so bad. Yes, this obsession lasted almost a year. And I got really annoying during it. On my livejournal, I started using the word "y'all" a lot. Sure, I use that in normal conversation quite a bit (being from Alabama, how could I not?). But it's just really awkward to go out of your way to use it on a blog. During this obsession, I listened to the radio, alternating between the 3 main country stations we get around here. My dad bought me Keith Urban's Golden Road album. Then Christmas arrived and I got some more country CDs: Horse Of A Different Color by Big & Rich, Be Here by Keith Urban, and When The Sun Goes Down by Kenny Chesney. My TV was also permanently set on GAC. I'm not nearly as crazy about country music now as I was then, but I'm grateful that I became more open-minded because of this obsession. I still love my main 5 or 6 country artists, I'm just not as INSANE as I used to be. Y'all.
What: Queen
When: Oct. 2005 - May. 2006
How: I'd always really liked Bohemian Rhapsody, and when I seriously thought about it, I had memories of Queen songs going way back into my childhood. I'd always heard Queen, but I'd never really listened. Then, a mini-obsession happened earlier in 2005: Constantine Maroulis. My first American Idol love performed Bohemian Rhapsody on the show to rave reviews. I started listening to classic rock radio stations, trying desperately to hear that song. I heard a few other Queen songs during this quest, but no Bohemian Rhapsody. I mentioned to my dad that I wanted a Queen greatest hits album, so what did Dad do? He brought me 2 Queen greatest hits albums from the store-room of used CDs (he works on jukeboxes, so he gets free used CDs). I listened to them endlessly. Then I collected 3 more Queen albums - Dad brought me A Kind of Magic, I bought The Miracle at a used CD store, and a good friend of mine gave me A Night At The Opera for Christmas. The obsession was HUGE by Christmas, but my parents already had bought all my presents, so that didn't help my obsession. My birthday came a month and a half later, and almost all I got that year was Queen-related. The money I got for my birthday was spent on more Queen CDs. My mom surprised me by buying me a Queen poster for no reason, and then I started collecting Queen pictures off the internet to complete what I now call my Queen shrine - a gallery of Queen on the wall in my room. On April 1, 2006 I started painting the nails on my left hand black to honor Freddie Mercury. I don't know if this obsession necessarily flat out ended in May of 2006, because it was a pretty extreme obsession. But the next one started in May, so that's what I'm going with. Oh, by the way - I only lack ONE Queen CD before I have all of their studio albums. So close!!
What: Red Hot Chili Peppers
When: May 2006 - Fall 2006
How: Dani California was released in April or May of 2006. Whenever it happened, the video was on HEAVY rotation. And I decided I LOVED it. So I asked my dad (he always seems to be so helpful in these obsessions) if he had any RHCP CDs. He happened to have a used copy of Californication in his car, so he let me have it. That happened on the day we were leaving for a weekend at the lake. I listened to Californication all weekend. Later in May, I purchased their new double album, Stadium Arcadium. I was officially in love. I had always sort of liked the Chili Peppers anyway - my brother was a fan, and when I was younger I used to listen to a lot of his music with him. So I knew all of the hits. Anyway, that was the summer of the Chili Peppers. I collected CDs and books all summer - somehow convincing my parents to spend a good deal of our vacation money on my Chili Pepper obsession while we were in Tennessee. I used a black Sharpie to draw a RHCP tattoo on my wrist to match the one Anthony Kiedis and John Frusciante have (they might all have one like that ... I can't remember). Anyway. I would maintain that tattoo, darkening it when it started to fade. That was pretty extreme. At least I didn't get a real tattoo! My mom would have killed me. I can't remember exactly when this obsession stopped. My next one started in Fall of 2006, so that'll have to do.
What: Morrissey/The Smiths
When: Fall 2006 (Octoberish?) - February 2007, May 2007 - September 2007
How: We got a new computer. On this new computer, we were able to have iTunes. My brother put a bunch of his music on the iTunes library. That included all his Morrissey and Smiths CDs. I'd heard my brother talking about Morrissey and The Smiths, but I'd never heard them before. So I decided to give them a listen. I fell in love with Morrissey's voice immediately. I borrowed my brother's Morrissey concert DVD. It was amazing - he is one captivating man. On that DVD was a documentary about slaughterhouses and how horribly animals are treated. I became a vegetarian for a while, but I've scaled back to just a non-beef/pork eater. I haven't eaten beef since I watched that documentary way back in October of 2006. I've eaten very little pork since then - Mom force-fed me ham on Easter of 2007. Sheesh. I should have stood up to her and just had cereal or something! Anyway. My eating habits were the most extreme thing about this obsession. I really just listened to Morrissey and Smiths music nonstop to feed this obsession. It took a brief hiatus for my next obsession, but came back for the summer (in which I saw Morrissey in concert!! July 19th!!) and lasted till the next obsession took hold. (Hey - my dad had nothing to do with this obsession! Crazy!)
What: Blake Lewis
When: February 2007 - May 2007, July 2007, December 2007
How: American Idol. Blake was the first Idol contestant to be considered one of my full-fledged obsessions. With my new iTunes library, I was able to download all his performances for myself and listen to them over and over and over, nonstop. I also got all his videos to put on the iPod I got for Christmas of 2006. With all the voting and Idol-y goodness from February-May of 2007, Blake consumed my life. After the finale, it was difficult to find Blake-ness to feed my obsession, so I went back into my Morrissey obsession. Then, on July 12 I got to see Blake (and 9 of his Idol friends) in concert, so I listened to Blake a good deal during the time leading up to the concert. He was AMAZING in concert, by the way. My obsession resurfaced a bit when Blake released his debut album, Audio Day Dream, in December of last year, and I listened to little else for a pretty long while. But it was still difficult to maintain this obsession without Blake on TV twice every week ... and with the public's refusal to acknowledge the awesomeness of ADD.
What: Michael Jackson
When: August 2007 - November 2007
How: On a whim, I bought Michael Jackson's greatest hits album. I'd always liked the Thriller album, so I figured I would like this. I ended up listening to little else for 3 and a half months. I bought the DVD that went with the greatest hits album, the one with all the music videos. I watched a bunch of videos on Youtube. It was a short obsession, but I was definitely obsessed.
What: Green Day
When: November 2007 - February 2008
How: I'd had the American Idiot album since my birthday in February of last year, and I'd listened to it several times, but with all the other obsessions of that time ... you know. Anyway, one day I decided to listen to something other than Michael Jackson on the way to school. I picked the American Idiot album. It was almost Thanksgiving by that time. I listened to nothing else while we were in Mississippi for Thanksgiving. All I listened to in the car and during any free time I had away from the family during all the Thanksgiving stuff was that American Idiot album. I started listening to the Dookie album as well, and then my brother gave me his copy of Nimrod. It was just a Green Day love fest for a few months. I still love them, and I'm happy to see they've got new music (even if they're masquerading under another name). I need to get that album. I am REALLY ready for the next true Green Day studio album. REALLY.
What: David Cook
When: February 2008 - present
How: He wasn't my absolute favorite American Idol season 7-er from the get go. When I first saw it, I thought his audition was one of the few good ones they actually showed. It wasn't until he performed "Happy Together" that he became my second favorite (behind Michael Johns). After "Hello," he and Johns were basically tied for my favorite. I was in love with both of those guys (still am). Then David performed "Eleanor Rigby" (which, coincidentally, just came on my iTunes, which has all my 42 of my Cookie songs playing on random). That's when he became my absolute favorite. And then I just became consumed with David. I think if Michael had lasted longer than he did (which he DEFINITELY should have), I might have been OBSESSED with him as well. Tonight's the finale of season 7. I really hope Cookie wins. And I really hope I don't have as hard a time maintaining this obsession post-Idol as I did with Blake ...
What: U2
When: April 2008 - present
How: I'd always heard U2, I'd just never listened. But I'd always sort of wanted to listen. It wasn't until I got some iTunes giftcards that I got a real chance. I bought 9 songs in one spree, 5 of which were U2 songs. Those are the ones that went on heavy rotation on my iTunes and iPod. Then I just kept buying more U2 music on iTunes. Then I bought that U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle DVD (which I watched TWICE IN A ROW last night while voting 4 straight hours for David Cook - talk about 2 extreme obsessions). Then I bought an actual U2 CD, The Joshua Tree. Then I got that awesome U2 book, U2 By U2. And I am completely obsessed. I watch Youtube videos, look at pictures, read my book, watch my DVD, listen to all 33 U2 songs that I now have, and try desperately to figure out ways to get more money to buy more actual U2 CDs so I can feel more like a true fan. I need more than 33 songs!!! I think this is going to be the summer of U2. I'm just fully enjoying this U2 love fest while I can. I have a feeling it will last a while, though ...
Well. That's that. Hope it enlightened you?
Monday, May 19, 2008
Is this too good to be true?!
Did I really just read an American Idol spoiler that says David Cook is singing U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" tomorrow night on the final performance episode of season 7? Seriously?! Should I just die of happiness right now or wait for it to happen tomorrow night? I think I'll wait. Wow. I'm afraid this is too good to be true.
I don't know whether I want Cookie to totally reinvent the song or if I want him to stay pretty true to the original ... because that's a pretty amazing song ... but Cookie reinvents things so well ... but I don't think that song needs reinventing ... but maybe Cookie has a certain way he wants to do the song that would blow us all away ... but really, I think any way he does the song will blow us away because he's talented enough to just sing it straight and be amazing ... oh dear ... I'm so excited.
Now, if only he performed something with U2 on Wednesday's grand finale results show ...
Keep dreaming, right? I'll settle for just the song. Tomorrow evening!
A MELDING OF MY TWO OBSESSIONS! I think I might cry.
(Tears of joy, of course).
I will update you on my mental and physical health after the show tomorrow.
I don't know whether I want Cookie to totally reinvent the song or if I want him to stay pretty true to the original ... because that's a pretty amazing song ... but Cookie reinvents things so well ... but I don't think that song needs reinventing ... but maybe Cookie has a certain way he wants to do the song that would blow us all away ... but really, I think any way he does the song will blow us away because he's talented enough to just sing it straight and be amazing ... oh dear ... I'm so excited.
Now, if only he performed something with U2 on Wednesday's grand finale results show ...
Keep dreaming, right? I'll settle for just the song. Tomorrow evening!
A MELDING OF MY TWO OBSESSIONS! I think I might cry.
(Tears of joy, of course).
I will update you on my mental and physical health after the show tomorrow.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon
The title of this post not only describes perfectly what it is I am doing, but it's also the title of a Queen song. I used to be overly obsessed with Queen. That "phase" may be over, but I still consider Queen - tied with The Beatles - as my favorite band. I used to consider the Red Hot Chili Peppers tied as my favorite as well ... and I still LOVE them, don't get me wrong. I just think that I'm not entirely crazy about their very early material, where it was pretty explicit and also included a lot of rapping ... I do consider Anthony Kiedis my favorite rapper, I just haven't listened to the early RHCP albums as much as I've listened to everything they've done from about 1991 till the present. I could also include 1989 in that, I think. Basically, everything they've done since John Frusciante joined the band, including the stuff they did with Dave Navarro. There's no doubt that Hillel Slovak had major contributions to the band's sound - he was a big influence on John Frusciante, afterall. I just think that the stuff they did once Fru joined the band has been ... better, musically. I mean, they started focusing more on melodies and harmonies and all the little details that have made them as amazing and awesome as they are today. Get what I mean? So they're pretty close behind The Beatles and Queen as far as my ranking for favorite music goes.
There was an article on the People Magazine website about Bono's birthday party last weekend. The headline was something like, "Brad Pitt helps Bono celebrate his 48th birthday in Monaco" and there was a picture of Brad Pitt included with the article. And Pitt was mentioned a total of 2 times in the article, which was otherwise about the very nice birthday celebration Bono's wife had arranged for him. So I was a little miffed about that article. Well. The Cannes Film Festival is/was going on this past week, and Bono was there Friday, I believe. People Magazine's website actually had a picture of him from the festival. Aren't you proud of them? I was too. MSNBC's website had the same picture. I was very happy!
I really need some money. I really really really want to buy U2's "All That You Can't Leave Behind" album, the actual CD. There are 2 songs from that album on the Slane Castle concert DVD that I REALLY want (that I don't already have, because I have most of the songs on that DVD), but I don't want to buy them on iTunes because then I'd have most of that album, and then if I bought the CD I'd already have most of the songs and I don't really want that. Do you understand? But I REALLY want that album. And I have a total of five dollars. Actually, I might have a few more than that, if I count the money in my piggy bank ... yes, I actually have a piggy bank. Anyway. If I can ever sell my cousin's Batman stuff on eBay, I would get half the money from that. But did you know it costs 15 cents per item you list on eBay? I didn't know that either. I discussed a solution with my parents this afternoon. We should open a bank account in my name to attach to my PayPal account. Then we can deposit about $50 to take care of the eBay fees. Once the Batman stuff starts selling (if it does, and I really hope it does), we can transfer the PayPal account money to the bank account. Then I can withdraw my cousin's half of the Batman money to give to him and use a debit card to spend whatever money I have in the account. Then I can buy my CD. It will take a long time, though, so I guess that's something I have to look forward to. I would also like the buy the Making of The Joshua Tree DVD ... that would be wonderful. That's another $10 I don't have yet. And then I want every other U2 album there ever was. Even the one I saw on some countdown of "Bad Albums by Good Bands" because you never know if you will like something until you hear it. And I already have 2 songs off the U2 album that was on that list, and I pretty much am in love with both of them. So take that, whoever made that list. You don't know anything.
You should never trust other people's opinions and you should always try things out for yourself. I'd read in several places that Queen's "Hot Space" album wasn't very good, but I bought it anyway and I love it. Al Pacino's new movie, "88 Minutes," has gotten HORRIBLE reviews, but I'm gonna see it anyway ... when it comes out on DVD. Because I could absolutely love it. Like Jake Gyllenhaal's film "Bubble Boy." A bunch of reviews said it was just silly or even stupid. But I watched it and I think it's pretty freaking hilarious. So never trust other people's opinions. You can value opinions and take them into consideration when choosing something or whatever, but don't just trust that someone is right about something. You could always have different feelings.
The American Idol finale is this week. I'm sort of bittersweet about this. After this week, I will no longer be able to see David Cook on TV twice every week. Sure, if he wins he will be on several magazine covers and probably on several talk shows or whatever. And then there's the concert all the way in August. But it's just not going to be the same. I'm starting to get nervous about this finale. That Archuleta kid is gonna be some tough competition. I really really really want Cook to win. And he actually has a chance. This is the first time since season 2 that we truly don't know who's gonna win (at least that's what I've read, although I thought the season 5 finale was pretty intense). I just really want David Cook to win. He really wants to win. I don't know of any true David Cook fan who says it will be better for him not to win so he'll have more "creative control" over his album. There are some news reports that mention that, and there's some non-Cook fans on forums who have mentioned that. But all the true David Cook fans REALLY want him to win. I think the production company won't try to change his sound for his first album. They already think he's the most marketable contestant this season. So I don't think there will be any "creative control" problems if he wins. It's gonna be an intense finale. And I have to vote for 4 hours Tuesday night, which will be very intense. Wow.
Okay, this post is long enough. Bye!
There was an article on the People Magazine website about Bono's birthday party last weekend. The headline was something like, "Brad Pitt helps Bono celebrate his 48th birthday in Monaco" and there was a picture of Brad Pitt included with the article. And Pitt was mentioned a total of 2 times in the article, which was otherwise about the very nice birthday celebration Bono's wife had arranged for him. So I was a little miffed about that article. Well. The Cannes Film Festival is/was going on this past week, and Bono was there Friday, I believe. People Magazine's website actually had a picture of him from the festival. Aren't you proud of them? I was too. MSNBC's website had the same picture. I was very happy!
I really need some money. I really really really want to buy U2's "All That You Can't Leave Behind" album, the actual CD. There are 2 songs from that album on the Slane Castle concert DVD that I REALLY want (that I don't already have, because I have most of the songs on that DVD), but I don't want to buy them on iTunes because then I'd have most of that album, and then if I bought the CD I'd already have most of the songs and I don't really want that. Do you understand? But I REALLY want that album. And I have a total of five dollars. Actually, I might have a few more than that, if I count the money in my piggy bank ... yes, I actually have a piggy bank. Anyway. If I can ever sell my cousin's Batman stuff on eBay, I would get half the money from that. But did you know it costs 15 cents per item you list on eBay? I didn't know that either. I discussed a solution with my parents this afternoon. We should open a bank account in my name to attach to my PayPal account. Then we can deposit about $50 to take care of the eBay fees. Once the Batman stuff starts selling (if it does, and I really hope it does), we can transfer the PayPal account money to the bank account. Then I can withdraw my cousin's half of the Batman money to give to him and use a debit card to spend whatever money I have in the account. Then I can buy my CD. It will take a long time, though, so I guess that's something I have to look forward to. I would also like the buy the Making of The Joshua Tree DVD ... that would be wonderful. That's another $10 I don't have yet. And then I want every other U2 album there ever was. Even the one I saw on some countdown of "Bad Albums by Good Bands" because you never know if you will like something until you hear it. And I already have 2 songs off the U2 album that was on that list, and I pretty much am in love with both of them. So take that, whoever made that list. You don't know anything.
You should never trust other people's opinions and you should always try things out for yourself. I'd read in several places that Queen's "Hot Space" album wasn't very good, but I bought it anyway and I love it. Al Pacino's new movie, "88 Minutes," has gotten HORRIBLE reviews, but I'm gonna see it anyway ... when it comes out on DVD. Because I could absolutely love it. Like Jake Gyllenhaal's film "Bubble Boy." A bunch of reviews said it was just silly or even stupid. But I watched it and I think it's pretty freaking hilarious. So never trust other people's opinions. You can value opinions and take them into consideration when choosing something or whatever, but don't just trust that someone is right about something. You could always have different feelings.
The American Idol finale is this week. I'm sort of bittersweet about this. After this week, I will no longer be able to see David Cook on TV twice every week. Sure, if he wins he will be on several magazine covers and probably on several talk shows or whatever. And then there's the concert all the way in August. But it's just not going to be the same. I'm starting to get nervous about this finale. That Archuleta kid is gonna be some tough competition. I really really really want Cook to win. And he actually has a chance. This is the first time since season 2 that we truly don't know who's gonna win (at least that's what I've read, although I thought the season 5 finale was pretty intense). I just really want David Cook to win. He really wants to win. I don't know of any true David Cook fan who says it will be better for him not to win so he'll have more "creative control" over his album. There are some news reports that mention that, and there's some non-Cook fans on forums who have mentioned that. But all the true David Cook fans REALLY want him to win. I think the production company won't try to change his sound for his first album. They already think he's the most marketable contestant this season. So I don't think there will be any "creative control" problems if he wins. It's gonna be an intense finale. And I have to vote for 4 hours Tuesday night, which will be very intense. Wow.
Okay, this post is long enough. Bye!
Friday, May 16, 2008
UPS gives me U2
UPS was right on time! Yay yay yay yay! Look at this.
I tried to get a picture of myself with the book, as solid proof that it is, indeed, mine ... but that photoshoot didn't turn out so well. This photo shows the book sitting in the chair which is currently occupied by me. That'll have to be close enough. I've already looked at all the pictures. I figured I could do that so that they won't really distract me as much when I'm trying to read the book later. I am ready to learn so much! It's wonderful!
Tonight I actually have plans - with real people that I've actually met! So, since I'll have to get ready for those plans soon, I'm gonna go from here now. Just wanted to post that celebratory post I told you about before. I've got my book! Yay!
Bye!
I tried to get a picture of myself with the book, as solid proof that it is, indeed, mine ... but that photoshoot didn't turn out so well. This photo shows the book sitting in the chair which is currently occupied by me. That'll have to be close enough. I've already looked at all the pictures. I figured I could do that so that they won't really distract me as much when I'm trying to read the book later. I am ready to learn so much! It's wonderful!
Tonight I actually have plans - with real people that I've actually met! So, since I'll have to get ready for those plans soon, I'm gonna go from here now. Just wanted to post that celebratory post I told you about before. I've got my book! Yay!
Bye!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Thursday Boredness
I keep coming back to this blog just to look at those pictures on my last post.
Haha!
Hey, guess what?! David Cook is one of the final 2 contestants on American Idol this season! Yay! I really want him to win. I mean, seriously. You don't even know how bad I want him to win. You just don't even know!!! Vote for COOK Tuesday night! Vote vote vote!! VOTE!!!
-----------
In the hopes that UPS would deliver my U2 book a day early, I've been peeking out of the windows all day today. Haha. I'm so freaking anxious! I want that book now. I got a new cell phone several months ago, and UPS said it would take 2 or 3 days to get here, but it was here the morning after it was ordered. So ... it could happen again! I'm just too excited and I don't have anything better to do until good TV comes on tonight. Today is going very slow. It's a good thing I slept relatively late today, or else today would have been REALLY slow.
I know what I can do! I had this idea last night. I can go to the iTunes store and buy all the bonus Joshua Tree tracks I didn't get with my copy of the album because I couldn't afford the super special 2 disc edition ... oh, and then I can update my iPod for all my new music and then listen to it and play a video game. That should pass the time. I bought 2 new U2 songs last night: "Staring At The Sun" and "New Years Day." I'm trying to buy songs from albums from which I don't already have many songs, because (eventually) I plan to buy all of U2's albums on actual CDs. I figure buying all those bonus Joshua Tree songs will be the wisest way to spend my iTunes money, since I'd have to buy the whole album that I already have in order to get them on an actual CD. It's logical, right? Anyway. That's what I'm gonna do.
I'll probably have a celebratory post here once I get my book, so look out for that.
Bye!
EDIT: Uh oh. Turns out the "bonus Joshua Tree songs" are actually a 14 track disc 2 ... and I don't know if I want to spend $14 right now ... I might wait till I get another iTunes card for that. Hmm. Well. I guess I'll just go play that video game. Bye!
Haha!
Hey, guess what?! David Cook is one of the final 2 contestants on American Idol this season! Yay! I really want him to win. I mean, seriously. You don't even know how bad I want him to win. You just don't even know!!! Vote for COOK Tuesday night! Vote vote vote!! VOTE!!!
-----------
In the hopes that UPS would deliver my U2 book a day early, I've been peeking out of the windows all day today. Haha. I'm so freaking anxious! I want that book now. I got a new cell phone several months ago, and UPS said it would take 2 or 3 days to get here, but it was here the morning after it was ordered. So ... it could happen again! I'm just too excited and I don't have anything better to do until good TV comes on tonight. Today is going very slow. It's a good thing I slept relatively late today, or else today would have been REALLY slow.
I know what I can do! I had this idea last night. I can go to the iTunes store and buy all the bonus Joshua Tree tracks I didn't get with my copy of the album because I couldn't afford the super special 2 disc edition ... oh, and then I can update my iPod for all my new music and then listen to it and play a video game. That should pass the time. I bought 2 new U2 songs last night: "Staring At The Sun" and "New Years Day." I'm trying to buy songs from albums from which I don't already have many songs, because (eventually) I plan to buy all of U2's albums on actual CDs. I figure buying all those bonus Joshua Tree songs will be the wisest way to spend my iTunes money, since I'd have to buy the whole album that I already have in order to get them on an actual CD. It's logical, right? Anyway. That's what I'm gonna do.
I'll probably have a celebratory post here once I get my book, so look out for that.
Bye!
EDIT: Uh oh. Turns out the "bonus Joshua Tree songs" are actually a 14 track disc 2 ... and I don't know if I want to spend $14 right now ... I might wait till I get another iTunes card for that. Hmm. Well. I guess I'll just go play that video game. Bye!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Jawlines?
I'm noticing jawlines these days. My two current loves have the best:
It's curious ... I've never thought much about jawlines before. I actually noticed Bono's first. Then I noticed David's in my screencaps last night. Wonderful!
I'm odd. I just dedicated a blog post to jawlines.
It's curious ... I've never thought much about jawlines before. I actually noticed Bono's first. Then I noticed David's in my screencaps last night. Wonderful!
I'm odd. I just dedicated a blog post to jawlines.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The Joshua Tree
I used to do "CD Reviews" on my old blog. Really it's just my opinions about songs on CDs that I get. Actually, it's just me gushing about how much I love each song. But I wanna try doing that for U2's "The Joshua Tree" anyway, since it's so wonderful. Gosh, I love this new blog. I feel so free!
WARNING: This post contains extreme fangirly-ness and music-freak-ness. Because I've become a fangirly music freak, as opposed to the normal music freak I used to be (yeah, right).
Let us begin, shall we?
1. Where The Streets Have No Name - I like the intro. It's really nice. On the "U2 Go Home" Slane Castle concert DVD from 2001, I LOVE how they transitioned from All I Want Is You to this song. It was genius and it made me stop breathing for a little while. That's how wonderful it was. Interesting fact: my uncle's band played this song with Bono back in the day when U2 happened to go in a bar where my uncle's band was playing. When exactly? I can't remember. But yeah. My uncle's apparently met Bono. And I guess maybe the rest of the band too. I'm very jealous. Sigh. ANYWAY. The song! It's wonderful! I love the bass line, especially near the beginning when it slides up an octave. The guitar is pure Edge - instantly recognizable.
I love all the details of Bono's vocals here. I don't really know what I mean either. Well. Yeah, I mean all the little things he adds between the words and at the ends of phrases and whatnot. There are many textures to his voice in this song. God, I sound like Paula Abdul now ... okay. How about we move to the next song, huh?
2. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - What a voice! I try - I really try - to successfully sing along with this song ... but only about the first verse, first chorus, and half of the second verse work. And then I fail. Miserably. Because only the original can do this well. This music video is actually my favorite U2 music video right now. It's so simple - they're just walking around Vegas. But it makes me happy. Especially the part at the end where Bono gets on the front of that car and looks through the windshield at the (I'm guessing bewildered?) people within. It's a pretty incredible music video, I must say.
3. With Or Without You - I think this is pretty much the perfect song. The lyrics are amazing, yet so simple. The singing: *faints*. The instrumentation: *faints again*. I love the structure of this song (among other things, but I thought I'd quit fainting for a second). I love how it starts out very mellow and ... *faints* ouch. Ahem. And then it builds up ... it's just very nice. There's a performance of this song from 2001 that I found on Youtube ... about which I should stop talking now ... don't want to faint again. Anyway. The reason for my loss of all coherent thoughts about this song is, quite simply, the amazingness of this perfect song. It's become one of my favorite songs of all time. It reduces me to a fainting, rambling mess.
4. Bullet The Blue Sky - Well. I might lose coherent-ness for this one too. I'll try not to. The "U2 Go Home" performance of this one was AMAZING. You'd have to see it to know what I mean (ahem, link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=t4LJFSCgxvk). I love the spotlight action in that video. I also love the speaking part in the song, especially the "one hundred, two hundred" part, in both the original version and that live version. I love the differences between the speaking parts in those two versions. I just generally love the groove of the song. Great rhythms, great guitar riffs. Great great song.
5. Running To Stand Still - Poetry. This song is beautiful. I've just been sitting here listening to it, not typing, for the first half of the song. It's captivating. I can't tear myself away from it to type about it. Absolutely captivating.
6. Red Hill Mining Town - I like how the rhythm changes after the intro. Very cool. And I love the melody! The chorus is amazing. Vocals! Don't make me faint again, Bono. It's just not fair. I've fallen off this chair enough today. He sings with so much passion. I love it. The ending's very nice too.
7. In God's Country - Another one with a very nice melody. And this one has very nice harmonies in the chorus, too! I like the mood of this song ... with the reverb on the vocals and all ... geez. Song after song on this album. They're all so great! That one was too short, though! I was enjoying it so much and then it ended. Well. It's a good thing I own the album so I can listen to it whenever I want.
8. Trip Through Your Wires - I think this is one of my very favorites on this album. The harmonica is wonderful. Melodies and harmonies are wonderful. It's just a nice song. Honestly, I'm trying to say valuable things about these songs, not just, "I LOVE IT" but ... sometimes I can't be a technical music critic. I just love this song. Why? Because it's wonderful. Deal with it ... *Faints* This album should come with a warning.
9. One Tree Hill - I'm not going to be able to finish this post. Why am I so light-headed and faint-y? I'm thinking it's mostly due to this incredible voice ... but really ... the whole of this music is just Great. It's just genuinely great music. This is another song with a great melody. The instrumentation is great, too. I love the refrain at the end. Very gospel-y. This whole album is sort of gospel-y, right? Very nice. And all the songs have such awesome hooks. I love great songwriting.
10. Exit - Uh oh. This is another captivating one. I can't type for listening. ... ... Yeah. I'm thinking this is one of my favorites on this album too. And it's difficult to pick favorites. It's a very rhythm-driven song. I love it.
11. Mothers Of The Disappeared - This is sort of an odd sounding song. I love it! It's very pretty. I just read up on the story behind this song. It's actually very sad. I need to listen closer to the lyrics. It is sad, but it is very pretty.
This post took me almost 3 hours! Geez! I kept getting sidetracked, and I am ashamed. But I finished. Now I'm gonna start the album over. Haha. I love it!!
Oh, and one last thing. It's U2 related, so I can stick it in this post. I got e-mails this morning from Barnes & Noble and UPS saying my book's been shipped! I just checked UPS, and it says my book's on its way. It was in Edison, NJ a couple of hours ago. This is so exciting. If you don't know what book it is, here's a link to it: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?EAN=9780641860799&x=07181305
Okay. That's all. Bye!
WARNING: This post contains extreme fangirly-ness and music-freak-ness. Because I've become a fangirly music freak, as opposed to the normal music freak I used to be (yeah, right).
Let us begin, shall we?
1. Where The Streets Have No Name - I like the intro. It's really nice. On the "U2 Go Home" Slane Castle concert DVD from 2001, I LOVE how they transitioned from All I Want Is You to this song. It was genius and it made me stop breathing for a little while. That's how wonderful it was. Interesting fact: my uncle's band played this song with Bono back in the day when U2 happened to go in a bar where my uncle's band was playing. When exactly? I can't remember. But yeah. My uncle's apparently met Bono. And I guess maybe the rest of the band too. I'm very jealous. Sigh. ANYWAY. The song! It's wonderful! I love the bass line, especially near the beginning when it slides up an octave. The guitar is pure Edge - instantly recognizable.
I love all the details of Bono's vocals here. I don't really know what I mean either. Well. Yeah, I mean all the little things he adds between the words and at the ends of phrases and whatnot. There are many textures to his voice in this song. God, I sound like Paula Abdul now ... okay. How about we move to the next song, huh?
2. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - What a voice! I try - I really try - to successfully sing along with this song ... but only about the first verse, first chorus, and half of the second verse work. And then I fail. Miserably. Because only the original can do this well. This music video is actually my favorite U2 music video right now. It's so simple - they're just walking around Vegas. But it makes me happy. Especially the part at the end where Bono gets on the front of that car and looks through the windshield at the (I'm guessing bewildered?) people within. It's a pretty incredible music video, I must say.
3. With Or Without You - I think this is pretty much the perfect song. The lyrics are amazing, yet so simple. The singing: *faints*. The instrumentation: *faints again*. I love the structure of this song (among other things, but I thought I'd quit fainting for a second). I love how it starts out very mellow and ... *faints* ouch. Ahem. And then it builds up ... it's just very nice. There's a performance of this song from 2001 that I found on Youtube ... about which I should stop talking now ... don't want to faint again. Anyway. The reason for my loss of all coherent thoughts about this song is, quite simply, the amazingness of this perfect song. It's become one of my favorite songs of all time. It reduces me to a fainting, rambling mess.
4. Bullet The Blue Sky - Well. I might lose coherent-ness for this one too. I'll try not to. The "U2 Go Home" performance of this one was AMAZING. You'd have to see it to know what I mean (ahem, link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=t4LJFSCgxvk). I love the spotlight action in that video. I also love the speaking part in the song, especially the "one hundred, two hundred" part, in both the original version and that live version. I love the differences between the speaking parts in those two versions. I just generally love the groove of the song. Great rhythms, great guitar riffs. Great great song.
5. Running To Stand Still - Poetry. This song is beautiful. I've just been sitting here listening to it, not typing, for the first half of the song. It's captivating. I can't tear myself away from it to type about it. Absolutely captivating.
6. Red Hill Mining Town - I like how the rhythm changes after the intro. Very cool. And I love the melody! The chorus is amazing. Vocals! Don't make me faint again, Bono. It's just not fair. I've fallen off this chair enough today. He sings with so much passion. I love it. The ending's very nice too.
7. In God's Country - Another one with a very nice melody. And this one has very nice harmonies in the chorus, too! I like the mood of this song ... with the reverb on the vocals and all ... geez. Song after song on this album. They're all so great! That one was too short, though! I was enjoying it so much and then it ended. Well. It's a good thing I own the album so I can listen to it whenever I want.
8. Trip Through Your Wires - I think this is one of my very favorites on this album. The harmonica is wonderful. Melodies and harmonies are wonderful. It's just a nice song. Honestly, I'm trying to say valuable things about these songs, not just, "I LOVE IT" but ... sometimes I can't be a technical music critic. I just love this song. Why? Because it's wonderful. Deal with it ... *Faints* This album should come with a warning.
9. One Tree Hill - I'm not going to be able to finish this post. Why am I so light-headed and faint-y? I'm thinking it's mostly due to this incredible voice ... but really ... the whole of this music is just Great. It's just genuinely great music. This is another song with a great melody. The instrumentation is great, too. I love the refrain at the end. Very gospel-y. This whole album is sort of gospel-y, right? Very nice. And all the songs have such awesome hooks. I love great songwriting.
10. Exit - Uh oh. This is another captivating one. I can't type for listening. ... ... Yeah. I'm thinking this is one of my favorites on this album too. And it's difficult to pick favorites. It's a very rhythm-driven song. I love it.
11. Mothers Of The Disappeared - This is sort of an odd sounding song. I love it! It's very pretty. I just read up on the story behind this song. It's actually very sad. I need to listen closer to the lyrics. It is sad, but it is very pretty.
This post took me almost 3 hours! Geez! I kept getting sidetracked, and I am ashamed. But I finished. Now I'm gonna start the album over. Haha. I love it!!
Oh, and one last thing. It's U2 related, so I can stick it in this post. I got e-mails this morning from Barnes & Noble and UPS saying my book's been shipped! I just checked UPS, and it says my book's on its way. It was in Edison, NJ a couple of hours ago. This is so exciting. If you don't know what book it is, here's a link to it: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbninquiry.asp?EAN=9780641860799&x=07181305
Okay. That's all. Bye!
Explaining Stuff 2 U
I took this from my other blog to decrease the annoying-ness:
This is going to be a long, rambly entry. You have been warned.
I know I get overly obsessed about stuff. I don't know why. I just do. And then I just can't get enough. But I'm glad I have 2 big obsessions at the present time. When I was only focused on David Cook for a while, I spent too much time going from "Idol" site to "Idol" site to "Idol" site, going crazy when nothing was updated. And when all the new David info would run out for the day, I would have nothing to do. So then I got iTunes gift cards and I decided to buy a bunch of songs. U2, Oasis, Nirvana, Eagles, other random things. And for some reason, U2 stuck.
It really wasn't as sudden an obsession as it seemed. I've kind of had U2 in the back of my mind for a while. I've always sort of liked some of their songs. I'd been hearing their stuff forever, I'd just never really listened. For example, I remember once when I was at the dentist, "Beautiful Day" came on the radio while I was waiting to get a tooth pulled, and it cheered me up. And then a few months ago when there was the "Greatest Grammy Performances Ever" countdown thing on TV that was so exciting because Green Day's performance of "American Idiot" was named the greatest Grammy performance ever, U2's performance of "Beautiful Day" was named one of the best Grammy performances ever and I remember commenting that "That's a REALLY good song." So I'd wanted that song for a while. I bought it, and I also bought a few of their other greatest hits.
This obsession is so similar to my Queen obsession from a few years ago. It's kinda scary. I mean, think about it ... it's a band that's been in the back of my mind for a while. I started off with a few of their greatest hits. I fell in love with the singer's voice, then I fell in love with the singer. Now the snowball effect has begun. Unfortunately, I don't have a birthday coming up to feed my U2 obsession like I had for my Queen obsession. I bought my first actual U2 CD today - an actual physical copy of the album, not digital - "The Joshua Tree." There's a book that I want, too, and I can actually afford it! On Barnes & Noble's website, they've got bargain copies of the hardback edition of "U2 By U2": List price is $60.80, online price is $9.98. I have ten extra dollars, but I don't have a credit card. Hopefully my mom will let me use hers ...
There's something about U2's music ... that just draws me in. You know how sometimes when you get albums by even your most favorite artists and there are some songs you could listen to a million times but then there are some that you kind of zone out during or even skip to get to the ones you could listen to a million times? Maybe you don't. Well. Anyway. I was afraid that when I watched that U2 DVD I have or listened to "The Joshua Tree" I would zone out during the songs I wasn't familiar with. It just doesn't happen with this group. On every Queen album I own, I can think of at least one song that I wouldn't feel too bad skipping (not that there's many ... probably just the one per album). I don't know. The Beatles have songs I wouldn't feel too terribly bad skipping. Red Hot Chili Peppers have quite a few songs I wouldn't feel bad skipping (sorry, RHCP, but some of the earlier stuff is a little much for me - I still love you guys to death). Morrissey, yeah ... a few. Green Day? A few. And it's not that I would feel bad skipping U2 songs, it's just ... I don't feel the need. Maybe I just love all the songs equally. And maybe after the obsession cools down, I'll get in the habit of skipping - this could just be the obsession's influence. I just don't know.
So, basically, I have seen the forecast of the U2 storm, and the outlook is that this will be my most intense obsession with a band since Queen. I started talking really strangely and ... "proper" on my livejournal when I was obsessed with Queen, trying to imitate Freddie. So. If you sense a bit of an Irish dialect around here in the coming weeks ...
or Midwestern American dialect (if there is such a thing) if the David Cook obsession becomes the really influential one ...
then you know why.
I kid, I kid. I promise I won't get any more annoying than I already am.
(OR WILL I? NOW THAT I HAVE THIS NEW SPACE!!)
Anyway, I'm gonna go see if my mom will let me borrow the credit card to buy this insanely discounted book of awesomeness ... because I think I can figure out how to enter the card type and the card number and the expiration date and the security code by myself ... I mean, I figured it out when I paid for the American Idol songwriting competition ... which cost the same as this book and amounted to waaaaaay less than this book will ... I will use this book waaaaaaay more than I will use that song ... . . . . . . . .
UPDATE: Mom let me use her card to get the U2 book! AND she even gave me my $10 back because I'm about to spend all my money on an American Idol concert ticket and she didn't want me to be flat broke! So she bought me a present! And it should be here in only a few days! Finally - something to expect in the mail.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Shriek of excitement)
This is going to be a long, rambly entry. You have been warned.
I know I get overly obsessed about stuff. I don't know why. I just do. And then I just can't get enough. But I'm glad I have 2 big obsessions at the present time. When I was only focused on David Cook for a while, I spent too much time going from "Idol" site to "Idol" site to "Idol" site, going crazy when nothing was updated. And when all the new David info would run out for the day, I would have nothing to do. So then I got iTunes gift cards and I decided to buy a bunch of songs. U2, Oasis, Nirvana, Eagles, other random things. And for some reason, U2 stuck.
It really wasn't as sudden an obsession as it seemed. I've kind of had U2 in the back of my mind for a while. I've always sort of liked some of their songs. I'd been hearing their stuff forever, I'd just never really listened. For example, I remember once when I was at the dentist, "Beautiful Day" came on the radio while I was waiting to get a tooth pulled, and it cheered me up. And then a few months ago when there was the "Greatest Grammy Performances Ever" countdown thing on TV that was so exciting because Green Day's performance of "American Idiot" was named the greatest Grammy performance ever, U2's performance of "Beautiful Day" was named one of the best Grammy performances ever and I remember commenting that "That's a REALLY good song." So I'd wanted that song for a while. I bought it, and I also bought a few of their other greatest hits.
This obsession is so similar to my Queen obsession from a few years ago. It's kinda scary. I mean, think about it ... it's a band that's been in the back of my mind for a while. I started off with a few of their greatest hits. I fell in love with the singer's voice, then I fell in love with the singer. Now the snowball effect has begun. Unfortunately, I don't have a birthday coming up to feed my U2 obsession like I had for my Queen obsession. I bought my first actual U2 CD today - an actual physical copy of the album, not digital - "The Joshua Tree." There's a book that I want, too, and I can actually afford it! On Barnes & Noble's website, they've got bargain copies of the hardback edition of "U2 By U2": List price is $60.80, online price is $9.98. I have ten extra dollars, but I don't have a credit card. Hopefully my mom will let me use hers ...
There's something about U2's music ... that just draws me in. You know how sometimes when you get albums by even your most favorite artists and there are some songs you could listen to a million times but then there are some that you kind of zone out during or even skip to get to the ones you could listen to a million times? Maybe you don't. Well. Anyway. I was afraid that when I watched that U2 DVD I have or listened to "The Joshua Tree" I would zone out during the songs I wasn't familiar with. It just doesn't happen with this group. On every Queen album I own, I can think of at least one song that I wouldn't feel too bad skipping (not that there's many ... probably just the one per album). I don't know. The Beatles have songs I wouldn't feel too terribly bad skipping. Red Hot Chili Peppers have quite a few songs I wouldn't feel bad skipping (sorry, RHCP, but some of the earlier stuff is a little much for me - I still love you guys to death). Morrissey, yeah ... a few. Green Day? A few. And it's not that I would feel bad skipping U2 songs, it's just ... I don't feel the need. Maybe I just love all the songs equally. And maybe after the obsession cools down, I'll get in the habit of skipping - this could just be the obsession's influence. I just don't know.
So, basically, I have seen the forecast of the U2 storm, and the outlook is that this will be my most intense obsession with a band since Queen. I started talking really strangely and ... "proper" on my livejournal when I was obsessed with Queen, trying to imitate Freddie. So. If you sense a bit of an Irish dialect around here in the coming weeks ...
or Midwestern American dialect (if there is such a thing) if the David Cook obsession becomes the really influential one ...
then you know why.
I kid, I kid. I promise I won't get any more annoying than I already am.
(OR WILL I? NOW THAT I HAVE THIS NEW SPACE!!)
Anyway, I'm gonna go see if my mom will let me borrow the credit card to buy this insanely discounted book of awesomeness ... because I think I can figure out how to enter the card type and the card number and the expiration date and the security code by myself ... I mean, I figured it out when I paid for the American Idol songwriting competition ... which cost the same as this book and amounted to waaaaaay less than this book will ... I will use this book waaaaaaay more than I will use that song ... . . . . . . . .
UPDATE: Mom let me use her card to get the U2 book! AND she even gave me my $10 back because I'm about to spend all my money on an American Idol concert ticket and she didn't want me to be flat broke! So she bought me a present! And it should be here in only a few days! Finally - something to expect in the mail.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Shriek of excitement)
Introduction
Hi.
I already have a blog here at mercury23.blogspot.com, but I've noticed that when I am overly obsessed with something/someone like I am now, that blog gets rather annoying. So. I created this space for myself to be as annoying and fangirly and crazy and obsessed as I wanna be. This is my free space.
Just to let you know, my current obsessions are David Cook and U2/Bono. So. Expect lots of that.
I'm gonna go grab my most recent annoying-ness from my other blog and move it here.
Bye.
I already have a blog here at mercury23.blogspot.com, but I've noticed that when I am overly obsessed with something/someone like I am now, that blog gets rather annoying. So. I created this space for myself to be as annoying and fangirly and crazy and obsessed as I wanna be. This is my free space.
Just to let you know, my current obsessions are David Cook and U2/Bono. So. Expect lots of that.
I'm gonna go grab my most recent annoying-ness from my other blog and move it here.
Bye.
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