Lyric I Like

he walks away/the sun goes down/he takes the day

–Amy Winehouse, Tears Dry On Their Own

Cynthia’s Christmas Mix

From a CD I’m making for my 2-year-old nephew. As you can see, I like ‘em happy and bouncy:

Mariah Carey – All I Want for Christmas
Jackson Five – Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Eartha Kitt – Santa Baby
Paul McCartney – Wonderful Christmas Time
Brenda Lee – Rockin Around the Christmas Tree
Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas
Chuck Berry – Run Rudolph
Bobby Helms – Jingle Bell Rock
Elton John – Step Into Christmas
Dean Martin – Let It Snow
Bruce Springsteen – Santa Claus Is Comin to Town

Also on the CD because it’s his favorite but not one of my favorites:

Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas?

Not on the CD but one of my favorites not appropriate for two-year-olds:

The Pogues – Fairytale of New York (thanks Dave for introducing me)

It was christmas eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, wont see another one
And then he sang a song
The rare old mountain dew
I turned my face away
And dreamed about youGot on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
Ive got a feeling
This years for me and you
So happy christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true 

Theyve got cars big as bars
Theyve got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
Its no place for the old
When you first took my hand
On a cold christmas eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me

You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of new york city
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging,
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night

The boys of the nypd choir
Were singing galway bay
And the bells were ringing out
For christmas day

Youre a bum
Youre a punk
Youre an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy christmas your arse
I pray God its our last

I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Cant make it all alone
Ive built my dreams around you

I Tried To Expand My Musical Tastes

-

In an effort to be more hip and relevant I downloaded some new electronic music but unfortunately I FUCKING HATE IT. I heard good things about Ladytron and Metric but they are so fucking boring and annoying I will never listen to these songs again. Luckily I got them for super-cheap at the possibly illegal Russian mafia MP3 site allofmp3.com.

But I did also discover Feist, which I absolutely adore, and Phoenix, the band of Sofia Coppola’s baby’s French father, and I semi-like it. I like the new, not so crazy about the old. The new is more rockin’ than the old, and less electronic so that explains it.

Also I absolutely adore Stereo Total, I can’t stop listening to them. Much more sense of humor than the aforementioned bores. So I don’t totally hate all electronic music.

I Agree With the Catholics

-

“It’s an obvious misappropriation of a Christian image. But we’re not surprised. This is Madonna. It’s pathetic. Nothing new.” –Kiera McCaffrey, spokeswoman for the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

“She has become irrelevant in her desire to be provocative. She’s a caricature. What do you expect?” –The Rev. Robert Carr of St. Benedict’s Church in Somerville, Mass

via perez

Gnarles Barkley

-

Yes, it’s as good as everyone is saying it is … CAUTION: the song starts automatically when you hit that page, so turn your sound down if you’re at work.

It Ain�t Me, Babe

-

I’ve finally stopped playing Sam Cooke’s “That’s Where It’s At” constantly, and have found a replacement. This Dylan song always gets me. I had forgotten about it until I watched Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon cover it in Walk the Line. Now I’ve downloaded several versions from iTunes and can’t get it out of my head:

Go ‘way from my window,
Leave at your own chosen speed.
I’m not the one you want, babe,
I’m not the one you need.
You say you’re lookin’ for someone
Never weak but always strong,
To protect you an’ defend you
Whether you are right or wrong,
Someone to open each and every door,
But it ain’t me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain’t me, babe,
It ain’t me you’re lookin’ for, babe.

Go lightly from the ledge, babe,
Go lightly on the ground.
I’m not the one you want, babe,
I will only let you down.
You say you’re lookin’ for someone
Who will promise never to part,
Someone to close his eyes for you,
Someone to close his heart,
Someone who will die for you an’ more,
But it ain’t me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain’t me, babe,
It ain’t me you’re lookin’ for, babe.

Go melt back into the night, babe,
Everything inside is made of stone.
There’s nothing in here moving
An’ anyway I’m not alone.
You say you’re looking for someone
Who’ll pick you up each time you fall,
To gather flowers constantly
An’ to come each time you call,
A lover for your life an’ nothing more,
But it ain’t me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain’t me, babe,
It ain’t me you’re lookin’ for, babe.

The original Dylan version is best, but the Johnny Cash-June Carter version is great for the humor factor. Johnny was clearly loaded and slurring his words when he dragged her out onstage to sing with him.

Have Sex With Your iPod

-

I know many of you are so in love with your iPods that you have been secretly wishing there were a way to have sex with them…voila!

via Duff

So much for writing only about film. And it’s not like I haven’t been seeing any. Capote, thumbs up. 2046, thumbs down.

Maybe The Best Song Ever Recorded:

-

Sam Cooke’s “That’s Where It’s At”. Go download it from iTunes.

Listen Listen

I mentioned the other day that I am now obsessively listening to Feist, and like all my obsessions, I want to pass them on to others. So listen here and I dare you not to get hooked. Especially “Mushaboom”. And “Let It Die.” Ok all of them.

I Tried To Expand My Musical Tastes

In an effort to be more hip and relevant I downloaded some new electronic music but unfortunately I FUCKING HATE IT. I heard good things about Ladytron and Metric but they are so fucking boring and annoying I will never listen to these songs again. Luckily I got them for super-cheap at the possibly illegal Russian mafia MP3 site allofmp3.com.

But I did also discover Feist, which I absolutely adore, and Phoenix, the band of Sofia Coppola’s baby’s French father, and I semi-like it. I like the new, not so crazy about the old. The new is more rockin’ than the old, and less electronic so that explains it.

Also I absolutely adore Stereo Total, I can’t stop listening to them. Much more sense of humor than the aforementioned bores. So I don’t totally hate all electronic music.

I Agree With the Catholics

“It’s an obvious misappropriation of a Christian image. But we’re not surprised. This is Madonna. It’s pathetic. Nothing new.” –Kiera McCaffrey, spokeswoman for the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights

“She has become irrelevant in her desire to be provocative. She’s a caricature. What do you expect?”  –The Rev. Robert Carr of St. Benedict’s Church in Somerville, Mass

via perez

Gnarles Barkley

Yes, it’s as good as everyone is saying it is … CAUTION: the song starts automatically when you hit that page, so turn your sound down if you’re at work.

It Ain’t Me, Babe

I’ve finally stopped playing Sam Cooke’s “That’s Where It’s At” constantly, and have found a replacement. This Dylan song always gets me. I had forgotten about it until I watched Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon cover it in Walk the Line. Now I’ve downloaded several versions from iTunes and can’t get it out of my head:

Go ‘way from my window,
Leave at your own chosen speed.
I’m not the one you want, babe,
I’m not the one you need.
You say you’re lookin’ for someone
Never weak but always strong,
To protect you an’ defend you
Whether you are right or wrong,
Someone to open each and every door,
But it ain’t me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain’t me, babe,
It ain’t me you’re lookin’ for, babe.

Go lightly from the ledge, babe,
Go lightly on the ground.
I’m not the one you want, babe,
I will only let you down.
You say you’re lookin’ for someone
Who will promise never to part,
Someone to close his eyes for you,
Someone to close his heart,
Someone who will die for you an’ more,
But it ain’t me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain’t me, babe,
It ain’t me you’re lookin’ for, babe.

Go melt back into the night, babe,
Everything inside is made of stone.
There’s nothing in here moving
An’ anyway I’m not alone.
You say you’re looking for someone
Who’ll pick you up each time you fall,
To gather flowers constantly
An’ to come each time you call,
A lover for your life an’ nothing more,
But it ain’t me, babe,
No, no, no, it ain’t me, babe,
It ain’t me you’re lookin’ for, babe.

The original Dylan version is best, but the Johnny Cash-June Carter version is great for the humor factor. Johnny was clearly loaded and slurring his words when he dragged her out onstage to sing with him.

Have Sex With Your iPod

I know many of you are so in love with your iPods that you have been secretly wishing there were a way to have sex with them…voila!

via Duff

So much for writing only about film. And it’s not like I haven’t been seeing any. Capote, thumbs up. 2046, thumbs down.

Maybe The Best Song Ever Recorded:

Sam Cooke’s “That’s Where It’s At”. Go download it from iTunes.

Technical Problems My Ass

I desperately need to hear the Sam Cooke song “Little Girl” right now
but iTunes is claiming technical problems and not letting me download
it damnit. Lotsa money they’ve been losing the past half hour…

Pac-Man With Lemmy

I received this notice
about Motorhead playing in town, and thought I’d share the story of my
personal run-in with Lemmy of Motorhead in Los Angeles. It was about
… 8 years ago I guess, and I was visiting a friend. She took me to
the mother of all hair-band bars, The Rainbow. It was pretty empty and
I was pretty tipsy so I sat down at a Pac-Man table and watched the
sleazy-dressed girls on the dancefloor. A while later a guy sits down
at my Pac-Man table. It’s Lemmy. He holds up two quarters and motions
to me, and I nod. He puts the quarters in, and we begin to play a game
of Pac-Man. Silently. When the game’s over, he holds up another two
quarters and we play again. Silently. I looked up at one point while I
was playing and saw he was considering me. Silently. My friend came
over after awhile and sat next to me. Some guy came over to Lemmy and
whispered in his ear, Lemmy pointed to some sleazily-dressed chick on
the dancefloor, and his henchman went over to talk to her. He then
left, with sleazily-dressed chick in tow. Gross. I guess I wasn’t
sleazy-looking enough for Lemmy, but good enough to play Pac-Man with.
Story of my life.

Groove Doctor

I think Jamiroquai must be some kind of shaman putting some kind of mojo in his music because not only did he make me dance in the office the other day, I listened to it this morning and left the house bouncing and have been doing so all day. Anyone who needs a cure for the blahs should listen to Jamiroquai’s “Virtual Insanity” and I defy you to not be bouncing on air afterward. And during. Of course, if I keep listening to it this much it will lose its effect in a couple of days.

Music For Sale

I bought a Bright Eyes CD. What the hell was I thinking? What a bunch
of whiney crap. And moronically juvenile lyrics. Some of the musical
arrangements were very cool though. Anyone want to buy it off me? $2 or
best offer.

I also bought Modest Mouse, which I liked much more. Though I was
thinking at first “Wow, these guys are like nothing I’ve ever heard
before…oh except that sounds kind of like Mudhoney…and that’s sort
of Flaming Lips-ish…” I still like it though.

My Own iTunes

Since reading the iTunes
flirting story I decided it was time I downloaded iTunes. So I did. Now
every day at work I listen to the shared libraries of strangers. I have no idea
who they are or where they are (other than somewhere in my building) but I can
definitely understand the urge to flirt with someone based on their music
collection. It’s like an encoded narrative of that person’s personality, and
it’s even more exciting when you don’t know who the person is. These people use
codenames too, so that makes it even more mysterious. (Unless someone really is
named “Fiery” and “Incognito”.) But I don’t think iTunes
library flirting is really appropriate for the workplace, so I won’t be sending
messages via library titles.