Anti-Top 40: Blog One

I have been a bit indecisive about posting this blog because I wasn't sure if I should but eh, what the hell. There's nothing illegal with posting youtube videos in your blogs. I think it's called free-use or something like that. I wanted to post a blog about some of my favourite songs that are NOT in the mainstream and NOT exactly in the Top 40. In the cases where they ARE in the Top 40, i'll mention it as an honorable mention. Honorable because most of the top 40, in my opinion is not honorable. It's deplorable. So much of today's top 40 all sounds the same. Sex, sex, sex. If you're gonna talk about sex, do it differently! If I hear another song about sex where i find myself thinking of another song about sex because of some sort of similarity, i'll have to explode! (LoL) I can write better things while i'm on the can! (...can't believe I just said that.)

I don't know if i'm a dying breed or if i'm just too damn picky. Maybe both, maybe just picky...well, I know i'm picky but ... nevermind. Moving on (LoL).

1.) Beth Hart "L.A. Song."
The first song I would like to include is a song by someone I have never heard of before. Well, I have now, but I found her somehow on youtube one night when I was utterly bored. Her song seemed logical and those lyrics! Damn! An actual storyline! Her name is Beth Hart and her song is called 'LA Song.' I love how she really gets into her piano playing and her passion for music just resonates from her. She may not be popular because when she sings her tonsils seem to move a lot, but I like her voice because it's different and she's still in melody and still in tune. If i'm not mistaken, it seems like this is her song, meaning she wrote about a part of her life. I love songs like this! This is what I call music! Oh yeah, SHE'S ACTUALLY SINGING LIVE! I would LOVE to go to one of her shows...I totally just typed shoes instead of shows. Wow. I really want me a pair of vegan shoes, that's probably why I said this (LoL). Anyway, i'd give this song tumultuous applause if I could.

2.) Melanie C "Better Alone"Sometimes I hear a song that just literally catches me off guard. I have some poems that I write to describe a feeling in detail with what I feel are killer lines, but don't hear many songs that have killer explanations. When I say 'killer' it's an expression. Killer also means 'shocking' or 'dead on,' ... oh dear, another expression to explain. 'dead on' means 'right on.' ... don't make me go there ...

Anyway, Melanie C was Sporty Spice in the very successful British group called 'Spice Girls.' They all went solo and i've heard a lot of their music, only two of which make this list. For the Spice Girls, their oomph was killer rhymes. Lines that rhymed like crazy, kind of like Hilary Duff's old music. The Girl's solo careers weren't as successful as some would thin since their group was successful, but when I heard Melanie B's songs, the lyrics are not exactly anything to gasp at in happy shock. Geri Halliwell's music is okay. Emma Bunton's music is just too cute. She'll always have that Baby Spice appeal, I think. Her smile is so full of life and bouncy. And then there's Victoria Beckham, whom i'll talk about later. Melanie C stands out as a solo artist above the other girls because of her passion and strong vocals. What I like about a lot of her songs is that they are not about sex! At least not all of them. I admit, i've written two songs about sex, but the majority of my poems are actually of substance, i'd think. Mel's passion in this song 'Better Alone,' truly encompases how a woman feels when a relationship she loved so much ends. I take off my hat in respect!


3.) Tom Milson "Indigo."
This song is pretty popular on youtube, but as far as I know, it hasn't made it across the ocean from the UK except through youtube. I wouldn't go as far as saying that Tom needs to be knighted by Her Majesty the Queen, but as far as lyrics go, this song is truly a landmark for him. Along with being educational on a lot of colors that most people don't always recognize because they're terrified of how society has genderized pink as a girls color (I might vomit!), the lyrics are truly beautiful. I actually had a tear at the beautiful sentiment in these lyrics. Loving someone making all colors go Indigo for them. Gawd! I wish i'd thought of that! He is on his 3rd album, I believe, and i'm hoping to get a copy of his first one soon. Not sure if they'll send overseas though, but here's hoping because he has two versions of this song. The original on his sophmore album, then a redone version on his third. I may be wrong on which album the new version is from though. This song often gets stuck in my head while taking a walk because of how catchy it is and the lyrics. I'm not fawning, really (LoL), but i'll end his part by posting both versions of this song.


4.) Mindy Smith "What Went Wrong"
I was looking for a specific Mindy song because I lost her cd's (:[..) and I forgot which song had the killer lyrics, so I went to her website. This song started playing and the lyrics just captured me. Is it bad to love a song and its lyrics the first time listening to it? Now, i'm of Jewish faith so I can't really listen to her song "Come to Jesus" anymore, and her newer song about the Saviour, but I really like her tease way of singing. It's not the kind of voice that leaves you feeling like you expected more, it's not over done either. It's one of those voices that you can't really describe. Her style is somewhat country with a mix of blues which just makes it completely brilliant for me.I just saw now that she is on her fourth album. I have strayed to long from her music and I hope you enjoy her music too. :) Her song is called "What Went Wrong." What I think is cool is that there's a line in the song where she says 'Stupid Love.', and that's the name of her album. It's cool when a singer chooses a random line within a song and makes it the title of their album. You may have noticed that Alanis Morisette did that with her album 'Jagged Little Pill.' It took me awhile to find the words 'jagged little pill' in her song 'You Learn,' but it was kinda fun waiting to hear those words. I'll talk about her later too. I hope you like Mindy's new song too. :)


5.) Victoria Beckham "A Mind Of Its Own."
I'm a sucker for Victoria because I have always thought she was so mysterious with her simple stare when she was with the Spice Girls. She's a beautiful woman and I can't say that showing it off is exactly a bad thing. It's nice that not all of her songs during her solo career were about sex. Come to think about it, most of her songs weren't. I have YET to get a copy of her cd though. Everytime i've tried to get it, something went wrong (LoL). My friend in the UK says she bought out the last reaming copies and put them in storage .. I think i've just realized that he was joking. O Bugger! She has been famous for lip syncing but a lot of singers do nowadays. So has Britney Spears a lot. It's nice to hear her actually sing from time to time, but I digress. The times I tried to get her cd include Ebay. A guy in Quebec either never sent it or changed his mind after he got my money. He was nice enough to refund my money IN FULL! So i'm thankful for that. I remember giving him a nice note about how reasonable and understanding he was about the fact that I didn't receive it and something went wrong in the post ... I like to think that something just went wrong in the post because it would be negative to think he purposely didn't send it. Another time, the guy on ebay had his account deleted and he got off with my money. Ebay ended up refunding me. Third time's the charm? Should I try again? This time through ebay? (LoL)

Along with her music, I just respect her so much as a person. Her fashion truly makes me understand why she's a Fashion Icon. Sometimes I hear that someone is a Fashion Icon and I'm thinking, "What? How??" I admit it's unique that some of her dresses have a completely visible zipper, but that's fricken Genius! My gran used to ask me to zip her up, well, from like the upper back to her neck, and it was so hard to find the zipper. I saw that and thought, "Gawd! I wish i'd thought of that!" Her sunglasses are also truly awesome! She has a pink pair that she put on her facebook page for her dVb line (which stands for David Victoria Beckham "dVb", notice how the d looks like a backwards b? Genius! LoL). Here's the link to the sunglasses I want.


http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=58646228683&set=a.450898138683.247921.8400033683



Phew! I Totally just almost lost this post! I X'd out!! *Screams* Anyway, i've gone way off track, but I just wanted to say that it's not just her music that I respect. This is by far by favourite song by her. "A Mind Of Its Own." It's logical. Sensible as she says (LoLz).


6.) Raven-Symone "What's Real?
Raven-Symone is a somewhat known celebrity because of her show 'That's So Raven,' on the Disney Channel, but her cd with the same name as her song, "This Is My Time," sold a modest 19,000 copies. Only sad, because the music is so good. This song is one of those that hits right to the core and has the same meaning as the song by Kris Allen that is later in this list. This one tells a story of a mother who is more concerned about fame and material things than her family. Then the song goes on to say that what's real is how you feel and the beauty in your soul, also those you love. When she says 'the time you take to check in,' that line means checking in on those you love and seeing how they are doing. Well, of course this song wouldn't have been considered as a single because it has too profound of a message for the top 40. I hope that changes one day. Sex is great, but it's not the most important thing in life!! I also love the feel of this song. Bluesy.


7.) Krystal Harris "My Religion."
Krystal got her chance to make music through the Backstreet Boys. She knows Kevin very well. I have never sat and listened to her complete cd but I do have it. The title may give you a feeling that this is a religious song, but this song was rejected by Christian radio stations as far as I have heard. The message in the song is that Love turns no one away and that her Religion is love. Not to condemn Christianity, but that is not the message of it. Her musical career wasn't very successful, but I heard something somewhere once that sometimes fate deems that we are only heard once to make a point. Her song hits a very core place within the LBGT Community by siting that Love is supposed to always be there for people. Even if you're gay! If I had anything to do with it, I would suggest this song for the song of the LBGT community.


Honorable Mentions
These are some songs that were very popular or are pretty popular today that win my favor.
Alanis Morisette "You Learn."
I truly like Alanis' voice because of how unique it is. I have to remember this one Idol contestant during my honorable mentions. So glad my friend doesn't feel like i'm copying here. Thanks Nicole! :D! I used to be caught up on whether a song rhymes or not, but with age brought an appreciation for meaning more than whether something rhymes or not. There was this one band, and I can't remember the rest of their name. I feel so bad, but it begins with 'Aqua...' but it's not that wild Aqua band that came out with 'Barbie Girl.' The lead singer of the band i'm thinking about said that a song doesn't have to have a killer hook, so that stuck with me. I took on a whole new perspective for viewing art. Her songs don't always rhyme, but it doesn't have to. My poetry doesn't always exactly either. It's the feeling you create with it that matters. The story. The Meaning. Not whether it rhymes or not (LoL). Her song "You Learn," is such a song that one can listen to and feel better about a mistake they've made because it teaches that we learn in no matter what we do.


Britney Spears "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" "Girl In The Mirror"
I don't really get attached to Celebrities like we all did in childhood, but Britney has always been one of my favourites. Some say they like her because of her body. I admit, I always loved her blond hair, but I like the sound of her music and the meaning with some of the songs. When I heard "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman," I felt a feeling of "OMG! She said what I am feeling!!" Especially at the part about not telling me to shut my eyes (LoL) Growing up, it was always so annoying to hear the words 'COVER YOUR EYES!!' when watching a movie because I was too young to see it...like that ever stopped me heh heh .. oh you didn't read that.I feel like this song touched the lives of so many people, for me, I just mentally changed the lyrics from the female wording to a male wording. A salute this song!

"Girl In The Mirror," didn't really become a popular song because it wasn't a single, nor was it included on a normal cut of her debut album. It was included on international releases as well as one of her single discs. I miss those days where 'hidden tracks' as I called them would appear on singles. Songs that didn't appear on their album. It would be interesting to hear that a song was so good on a single that was an extra song and it somehow became a greatest hit for the singer. The song talks about a girl who is broken hearted girl wanting to be herself.



Kris Allen "The Truth"
Kris Allen is the one I was rooting for the season he won American Idol. I just sensed something great in him, musically. I was right. His first single was talking about loving those you love NOW because you never know when you are going to lose them. The video was a bit simple but I liked it. His new song, I think, talks of not wanting to move on from something. "Honesty is Honestly the hardest thing for me right now." That line is by far one of the most vulnerable, yet honest lines I have ever heard. It's an underrated album even though it made it to #11 on the Billboard charts. I wish it would have gotten closer to one, but being at #11 means he can still make another album. They'd only drop him if he did terribly, I think. The lyrics touch a core of feeling in a way that I strive to, but never completely succeed. I love this song for it's poetic music and not just instrumental music.


Christina Aguilera "Reflection" "Beautiful"
I'm personally still surprised this song was as successful as it was. It has a profound and positive message about being yourself. I always have loved the Disney Movie 'Mulan,' for it's story. A girl, pretends to be something she's not for her father's sake, eventually being acknowledged as herself at the end. I haven't given much away but that is somewhat a spoiler if you haven't seen it. I don't know what else really to say, but I should also include her song 'Beautiful,' along with 'Reflection,' Beautiful touched the lives of many people. Purposely acknowledging that the LBGT community was as beautiful as straight people. Bless her for that!



I hope you have enjoyed this blog and I hope I have introduced you to some new music of quality. :)

Peace <3 Hugs - Andrew