Archive for September, 2008

Jillsentials: the 1980’s

{ September 25, 2008 @ 7:10 pm } · { jillsentials }
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A note about my jillsentials Country post: during a fit of whining (do I really have to listen to Country was the bit) it was said to me that “all Country is sad songs about how your best friend ran off with your woman and your dog and not worth listening to.” Total cliche, right? But you know what? While that might be true, while country songs might be about best friends running off with women and the family pet, what genre of music doesn’t wax poetic about the same exact subjects?? What genre of music doesn’t have songs about heartbreak, loss, and alcohol?

With that said…on to the 80’s. There was a bevy of 80’s songs to chose from and I tried to stay away from the severely obvious. (Hence the lack of New Order.) There really isn’t much I can say about music from the 80’s…I hardly remember them. The music, though, has stood the test of time, as it were. At least in my book. From the pre-I just realized George Michael is gay days of Wham! to The Motels to Miss Janet being Nasty, they are all songs I truly love. Still. Included, even, is a song that I’ve always considered to be one of the best ever written off an album I put into the same category: Tears for Fears Head Over Heels.

The songs I truly adore, for misc. reasons:

Promises, Promises (Naked Eyes)
Head Over Heels (Tears for Fears)
Suddenly Last Summer (The Motels)
Tenderness (General Public)

Download my 1980’s essentials here and here. (It was so big I had to split it into two.) As always, if you’re so inclined, feel free to share your 1980’s essentials with me. You know I’m always curious!

Jillsentials: Country

{ September 11, 2008 @ 12:11 am } · { jillsentials, playlist }
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Firstly. I think I’m so clever inventing the word “jillsentials”.

Secondly. I am making a set of mixes from every genre of music…songs I personally need in my collection. They’re also songs I think you should hear at least once, even if you don’t like that particular areas of music.

I am a firm believer that you should be willing, as a music listener/lover, to listen to everything at least once. You can’t say you don’t like it if you don’t try.

About my relationship with Country: It isn’t my favorite genre of music. Nor do I like it very much. But I do appreciate it for what it is. I like Country for one big reason: the sing-along quality it holds. Oh. And because you can do some pretty nifty fun dancing type things to Country…like the Two Step. (Which I haven’t done in a very long time but can in fact do.)

My sing-alongs in this mix:

-Folsom Prison Blues
-Tonight’s the Heartache’s On Me (The Dixie Chicks)
-There’s a Tear In My Beer (Hank Williams Jr.)
-Jolene (Dolly Parton)
-Pretty Paper (Willie Nelson) (Let it be known, the version on this mix is simply AWESOME)
-San Antonio Rose (Bob Wills)
-Does My Ring Hurt Your Finger? (Charley Pride) (Let it be known: this is probably my most favorite sing along song ever)

Even if you don’t like Country, at least give it a listen one time through. You never know, it might surprise you. And download it here.

You Say Hurricane, I say Hurri-CAN

{ September 3, 2008 @ 6:36 pm } · { playlist }
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Hurrican…it’s a lame joke on my part. There is an element of truth to it: Hurricanes can do many marvelous things. They can flood, they can destroy, they can drop the temp from 115 to 80 like it’s nobody’s business.

Water water everywhere lately, especially in the Hurricane zone. Norman, Oklahoma flooded a bit and I wondered how various friends and family were. New Orleans was in threat mode and this story pissed me off to no end. Seriously, what a slap in the face to the people of New Orleans that would have been had that happened. What a slap in the face that would have been to people like me, who love New Orleans, have fond childhood memories of it, and have done quite a bit to help rebuild it when the government didn’t seem concerned with it.

I like it when it rains. I like the smell. The way the sky looks. The way the water sounds. It’s relaxing. It’s calming and when it rains for days on end, I’m happy. I like the gloom and doom of grey skies and the roll of thunder that disrupts everything.

Give me a rainy day any day and give me these, my rainy day song companions.