30 Day Song Challenge: 2021

Friday, December 31, 2021

My 21 for 2021

I was all over the place in 2021...but I made it through

"I swear you hit me like a vision...I, I, I wasnt expecting...But who am I to tell fate where it's supposed to go?...This is how it starts, lightning strikes the heart, it goes of like a gun, Brighter than the sun..."

from Brighter Than The Sun by Colbie Caillat

That sums up where I, through a simple twist of fate, unexpectedly found myself coming into 2021. What followed was a year full of unimagined adventures, wrong turns, weird detours, bad decisions, risks taken, extreme highs, heartbreaking lows, lots of successes , some fails, new beginnings and final endings, a year that turned my world upside down but a.lso woke me up from a limbo that had lasted too many years.

Music always works better than anything I can come up with so I spent some time putting this together. If my 2021 had a soundtrack, this is what I imagine it would be. 21 songs for 2021. It seems right. Happy New Year all!

21 for 2021

"Im coming out of my shell,I never do that..." Let's Go Home Together by Ella Henderson and Tom Grennan	"Can you stay up all night?..." 34+35 by Ariana Grande	"Something must have gone wrong in my brain..." Never Be The Same by Camila Cabello
"What if this is it? What if it's meant to be?" What Ifs by Kane Brown	"We dont know how to talk, but damn we know how to..." Good In Bed by Dua Lipa	"...its got a hold on me now..." Fooled Around And Fell In Love by Miranda Lambert
"When all is said and done... it all fades away but you..." It All Fades Away by Jennifer Nettles and Brandi Carlile	"But it wouldve been fun if you wouldve been the one..." The 1 by Taylor Swift	"You're always just behind each thought across my mind..." Lasting Lover by Sigala and James Arthur
"Gonna feel this in the morning..." Drunk(and I Dont Wanna Go Home) by Elle King and Miranda Lambert	"AYo Big Wave, turn the mic on..." Iko Iko (My Bestie) by Justin Wellington	"You and I had this off and on so long..." One Mississippi by Kane Brown
"Oh I love it when you do it like that..." Shivers by Ed Sheeran	"The chance is we wont make it but I know if we dont take it there's no chance.." Long Shot by Kelly Clarkson	"Looking for sun rays, needing them good days..." Holiday by KSI
"...Rude wuth me, Ride with me, see where this thing goes..." Meant to Be by Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line	"With every broken bone, I swear I lived..." I Lived by One Republic	"Life can get you down so I just numb the way it feels..." Save Myself by Ed Sheeran
"No, I aint happy yet, but Im way less sad..." Way Less Sad by AJR	"...Today, what felt so far away feels a little closer..." A Little Closer by Colton Ryan	"Ive been down this road before..." I Remember Everything by Brandi Carlile

Sunday, August 1, 2021

Day 31- Two for the Road…

Bang! By AJR
https://youtu.be/4THFRpw68oQ

See You Again by Carrie Underwood
https://youtu.be/vTnWFT3DvVA

And… we made it! 30 days, 30 songs or from my perspective, 10 years, 60 days, 60 songs and a whole lot of life experience stuck in the middle. For me, it’s been all about the journey, the people who share and shape it, and through it all, the music that always is there to provide the soundtrack that ties it all together. Thank you for reading along and allowing me to share that with you. Who knows, maybe in another 10 years I’ll come back to this again and see where the road and music have taken me. For now, I’ll leave you with these two and the accompanying lyrics…

“I get up, I get down and I'm jumping around
And the rumpus and ruckus are comfortable now
Been a hell of a ride but I'm thinking it's time to grow
Bang! Bang! Bang!…..

So put your best face on everybody
Pretend you know this song
Everybody come hang (come hang)
Let's go out with a bang
Bang! Bang! Bang!

I'm way too young to lie here forever
I'm way too old to try so whatever come hang (come hang)
Let's go out with a bang
Bang! Bang! Bang!”

And …

“I will see you again,
This is not where it ends
I will carry you with me,
'Till I see you again…”

Saturday, July 31, 2021

Day 30- A Song That Reminds You Of Someone

What ifs by Kane Brown feat Lauren Alaina

https://youtu.be/fM8V1XOI-14

Here on day 30, I have a confession to make. This topic was actually supposed to occur 25 days ago on Day 5, but I couldn’t write it. I tried but every song I could think of kept coming back to the same person and the feelings there were just to raw to express. I tried to just blow it off and make something up, but I also couldn’t do that. I knew this would need to be written, more for me than anything else. So, I cheated a bit and pushed it to the end swapping days 5 and 30, trying to buy the time I needed to sort it all out.

Now here I am at Day 30 and I have written and rewritten this so many times that at one point, I almost made this the 29 Day Song Challenge. Eventually I managed to get it down but it was very lengthy and after doing so, decided it’s not something I wanted to share. Instead, I will keep that long version for my own use and go with the “less is more” philosophy here. So here goes…

7 months of trying to answer the questions posed in the chorus of this song, with a person I never saw coming, changed my life and reminded me that yes, there is also love in the world. What are the questions? Here ya go

“ What if I was made for you

And you were made for me
What if this is it
What if it's meant to be
What if I ain't one of them
Fools just Playin' some game
What if I just pulled you close
What if I leaned in
And the stars line up
And it's our last first kiss
What if one of these days baby
I'd go and change your name
What if
I loved all these what ifs away”

Saturday, May 15, 2021

Day Five- Your Favorite Song This Time Last Year

Day Thirty- Your Favorite Song This Time Last Year

You’ll Be In My Heart- Disney Sing-A-Long

https://youtu.be/N-Yf8SzQ00A

This time last year we were all in unfamiliar territory. The quarantines for Covid has all locked in our homes, social distancing became the new norm, and none of us really had any idea what was coming next. Having just moved to Kentucky the previous fall and into my new home in December, I spent the months of quarantine on my own. It is funny, thinking back on the one day a week I would leave the house to get food or cigarettes, or maybe treat myself to carry out, I would shower and shave and pick out decent outfit just for these rare outings. My phone was my social life line to stay connected with family five hours away.

The quarantine wasn’t much different from normal life really as I’ve been on my own for several years now. Even the lack of work, life had prepared me for as I had been laid off for seven months in 2019. But as the months dragged on, even I started bouncing off the walls and my antisocial soul started missing real life interaction.

Mother’s Day rolled around and of course, there was no get togethers, but Disney aired a special Sing-A-Long for the holiday, and for an hour, various artists sang favorite Disney songs from their homes, or in prepared Zoom presentations, and some of the stars from Disney on Broadway put together this one. I don’t know if it was my mood, my isolation, or just the fact that it was that good, but it immediately took its place as a favorite performance. I watched it hundreds of times, I shared it with friends and family who were struggling with the quarantine, and when loneliness would occasionally set in and I was homesick for my life in Ohio, it served as a home remedy. And a year later, it still has efficacy in that capacity.

Day Twenty Nine- A Song From Your Childhood

Amazing Grace by Pentatonix

https://youtu.be/Obp-9BEZe1c

My earliest childhood memories of music were the hymns and gospel songs I heard and sang going to church growing up. That is likely where my appreciation of music took root and henceforth flourished. While my library of genres has expanded exponentially over the years, there is still a corner reserved for those old favorites, and every once in a while, old becomes new again. Case in point is this rendition of a timeless hymn. I already loved Pentatonix but they outdid themselves on this one.

Day Twenty Eight-A Song That Makes You Feel Guilty

The Love I Meant To Say- Jeremy Jordan from Smash

https://youtu.be/y-snZiq_Lpw

As I have been working through this challenge, there have been a couple of the days entries that I have completely dreaded. One I skipped entirely on it’s day and pushed it to back and then there is this one. They just cut deeper into my being, and it’s been hard to find an angle to come at them with that will not completely expose the raw nerves these topics scrape across. With only 3 entries left I ran out of maneuvering room so here we are.

I mentioned early on that I do everything I can to live in a way that I end each day knowing I did all I can do and not have any regrets. Well, some days that’s just not enough, and I am left wondering did I do enough, say enough, show enough, because if I had would things be any different? I still screw it up sometimes and other times it’s out of my hands, but the questions still remain, and I wish I had one just one more chance to make it right. You don’t always get that. It sucks.

I had to go back to the well of Smash on this one. Since I make it a point to avoid opening myself up to regret, I don’t have a guilt playlist so I had to dig for something appropriate to the day and sentiment. This seemed to fit best.

Day Twenty Seven- A Favorite Live Performance Or Event

Everybody Hurts - P!nk and Kelly Clarkson at the 2017 AMA’s

https://youtu.be/LPw7SI2dxmk

I had several favorites in mind for this one, but since I hadn’t had a chance to use either of these ladies yet, I decided it was the right time. To say they nailed this would be an understatement.

Day Twenty Six- A Favorite Song From A Movie Or Musical

A Million Dreams - from The Greatest Showman

https://youtu.be/pSQk-4fddDI

I had so many options here that it was tough to narrow it down to one pick. I have so many soundtracks from Broadway to Disney to Movies in my library because most of them tell a story I enjoy listening to them and watching the story in my head. It’s a good way to pass a chunk of time but not be idle in front of the television. My brain is like a toddler, unless I keep it occupied, there is no telling what mischief it will get into.

I finally narrowed my list to The Greatest Showman, but even then the options were plentiful. The whole soundtrack is great, and for whatever reason, almost every song holds some special meaning to me. That actually ruled out several of them (Rewrite the Stars, Never Enough, From Now On) because somethings are just best left treasured in the heart. Instead I went with A Million Dreams. In many ways I suppose I am a dreamer, so not only does the song suit me, but it also makes it a perfect pick for today.

Day Twenty Five- A Song That Makes You Laugh

Loser Like Me - Glee Cast

https://youtu.be/PdpDKZ3s4b8

Go ahead and judge me, I can take it, but yes I was a big fan of the TV show Glee. Yes, sometimes the storylines were hokey, yes, several of the characters got REALLY annoying, but throughout its 7 season run, the musical performances stayed pretty top notch and sometimes a cover on Glee would lead me to the real artists that before then had not crossed my radar. To this day, those artists, and yes some of the covers, I still enjoy regular listening to in many of my playlists.

But where Glee really nailed it, was in the episodes where they had original music. The first episode they attempted this, was aptly named “Original Song” and aired in March of 2011. There were actually two original songs in the episode, but this one was an immediate favorite. The title might be a little deceptive, because it is really happy little song that still to this day makes me smile, sometimes laugh, and if I momentarily forget that I can’t dance, I might even dance a little. It is a perfect fit for this day’s entry, especially when they sing “ I’ll see you when you wash my car!”. So go ahead and judge me for choosing a song from Glee, but deep down I know “You wanna be, you wanna be, a loser like me!”

Day Twenty Four- A Song You Want Played At Your Funeral

Dare You by Hardwell

https://youtu.be/clRjbYa4UWQ

This one seems weird to me. I actually don’t thinks it’s going to matter to me what music is played at my funeral. I’m not going to be there to hear it.

But seriously, funerals are not really for the dead guy. The funeral is for the living. If I was going to pick a song as one last message for those that came to hear it, this one is as good as any, with the message being “Life is for living! Grab it now before you end up like the guy in the box!”

Day Twenty Three- A Song You want To Play At Your Wedding

I Believe My Heart by Duncan James and Keedie

https://youtu.be/fHKMlRYAOL0

Not too long ago, I was looking for something different to listen to at work. It wasn’t a high energy night, I was more on auto pilot and really just looking for something to fill the silence as I made my way through the evening. I settled a fairly comprehensive anthology of Andrew Lloyd Webber music spanning his vast catalog of musicals. It was several hours worth of music, most of it familiar territory so it suited my needs just right. I did not even make it to the chorus on this song before I had to stop what I was doing and retrieve my phone to see what it was. It was a song I had never heard from a musical, called The Woman In White, that I did not even know existed. I guess the territory wasn’t as familiar as I thought.

Were I to contemplate another wedding,, I could see using this song. We’d probably ride down the aisle on unicorns too. Hey, if you are gonna dream, you might as well dream big.

Day Twenty Two- A Song You Listen To When Sad

Play On by Carrie Underwood

https://youtu.be/wuIpxphSnSA

No one really likes being sad. It’s not fun, it’s uncomfortable, and most of the time it’s very lonely. Sometimes it can be paralyzing and overwhelming, but it always helps me to remember that sadness is the necessary flip side of the coin to happiness. How can you truly measure the true heights that happiness can bring without some sort of counterpoint to compare it to? One does not exist without the other, and the depths make the highs all the more sweeter.

When those times come my way, I have learned just to sit with them a while. They are often therapeutic and times to stop and recenter your self. It’s OK to be sad just do not make it your permanent residence. That’s where this song comes in with gentle encouragement not to quit and to keep moving forward. Maybe that is simplistic. I’ll take that, because I’m a pretty simple guy. And who the hell said everything was supposed to be complicated anyway?

Day Twenty One- A Song You Listen To When Happy

What A Man Gotta Do by The Jonas Brothers

https://youtu.be/XejVB_fba04

Several of my regular songs that would fit this category have already appeared over the last 3 weeks. I didn’t want to duplicate any songs so I am using this as an excuse to share a recent addition to my library that has made me smile every one of the probably close to 100 times I’ve either played it or watched the video. It gets into your brain very quickly and then you are stuck.

Did I mention the video? Well, you just have to watch it and if you are of a certain age it will take you no time to figure out the three classic movies they tapped for a very fun and nostalgic vision for this song. It’s absolutely genius and perfect!

Just don’t blame me if it gets stuck on repeat in your head.

Day Eighteeb-A Song That You Listen To When Angry

Day Eighteen -A Song That You Listen To When Angry

Mama’s Broken Heart by Miranda Lambert

https://youtu.be/7yg05svXp98

There is an odd thing about my personality that surprises people. I very rarely do angry. I can do annoyed, and frustrated, but actual anger is not something I spend much time on. Some people do it well, but not me. I get tongue tied, if I can speak at all, and it’s just sad to observe. I have often been told I’d be better off if I just allowed myself to get angry from time to time and did a little kicking and screaming, but instead, I usually do the opposite and get quiet, breathe, count to 10 (sometimes a few times) and wrestle my brain and emotions back into calm submission and begin working on some kind of resolution. I guess that’s why on one of the personality tests, I fell very solidly into the Peacemaker type.. There are worse things, but it does exasperate some people.

This song is also part of tool box to get my head together because it makes me laugh. Since I’m not good at anger anyway, I might as well laugh, so I turn it up and belt it out a few times. It usually works and I get get back to business as usual.

Day Nineteen- A Song From A Favorite Album

Hold On by Wilson Phillips

https://youtu.be/uIbXvaE39wM

I got a little bogged down on this one. I’m this age of Apple Music and YouTube it’s rare for me to ever listen to a whole album. When I was trying to come up with a song for this entry, in my head I imagined a favorite album as one you could play and enjoy every song from beginning to end. I didn’t want to use any albums from musicals because listening to those from start to finish are really like listening to a story being told instead of a a random sampling of that artist grouped in a set for public consumption. I didn’t want to use a greatest hits collection because that’s cheating. Those are already tried and proven songs grouped in a set. Yes, I know, I way overthought this one, and in doing so made me go way back to the days of cassettes and long car trips.

I landed on Wilson Phillips first album because it satisfied the crazy criteria I came up with. I know I wore out at least 2 and maybe 3 cassettes of this album back then before switching to a cd. Even today several of the songs get regular play in my collection. I guess it works.

Day Seventeen- A Song You Wish You Heard On The Radio

Day Eighteen- A Song You Wish You Heard On The Radio

Lasting Lover by Sigala and James Arthur

https://youtu.be/T_rWZgOFfvQ

Again I should mention, to be fair, I do not listen to regular radio often so I might be wrong here. This song might actually get airplay but I have never heard it here in BG. That’s too bad, because it’s a great road tune. I will be honest, when I first heard it and listened to the lyrics, I was definitely a hard NO on this one but the music definitely gets under your skin. Now it’s moved up to song number three on my main playlist. That’s the one I listen to you daily when I am just waking up and picking up speed, or showering for work, or at work and need that extra boost of energy. In other words, on my own personal radio station, it gets heavy airplay, so I guess it doesn’t matter if it’s on the radio.

Day Sixteen- A Song That You Hear Often On The Radio

Levitating- Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby

https://youtu.be/TUVcZfQe-Kw

For the record, I do not spend a lot of time listening to the radio. About the only time I do is if I am in somebody else’s car, or in that brief instant between when I get in the car and plug my phone in. Having said that, in those rare moments it’s always nice to hear a familiar song and this one’s kind of fun.

I had not really paid that much attention to Dua Lipa in the past, but recently I downloaded her new album and found several songs that I really liked, including this one so when I do run into it on the radio, I am happy to let it play out before switching back to my own reliable library.

Day Twenty- A Song That You Used To Love But Now Hate

Someone Like You by Adele

https://youtu.be/hLQl3WQQoQ0

I do admit, there were a few years there that I really loved the sad melancholy melodrama of this song. Probably too many years actually. I really love Adele and can’t wait to hear what she does next, but when I hear this song now I seriously want to reach through the speakers and across the miles and just shake her and say…

DONT DO IT! IT’S A TRICK!!!!

Or maybe

Go full on Cher in Moonstruck, slap her in the face and say SNAP OUT OF IT!!!!!

Or maybe that’s just what I say to myself lol. Anyway, as beautifully sad as the song is, and I do love a sad song, but this one is now a hard pass for me.

Day Fifteen- A Song That Describes You

That’s Life by Megan Hilty and Katherine McPhee

https://youtu.be/RJwN61RUbfg

I have identified myself in lots of songs through the years. It is usually situational based on what is going on in my life at a given moment. I believe there is a song for everything and I usually find them at the moment I need them most. But this category isn’t a “song you identify with”, it is a “a song that describes you”. That’s a little more specific and definitely tougher. It is also situational based on the person you are at that moment in time.

Case in point, 10 years ago I was definitely a different man. The song I chose then was from Glee, whose music is still on heavy rotation on my own personal radio station, and was called Get It Right. Get It Right was the first actual original song Glee attempted and it was amazing! It was/is a beautiful ballad about trying, failing miserably and then gathering the strength to try again (and again) until you finally get it right. That’s the song I thought best described me! Damn I was hard on myself back then.

Thank goodness I’ve lightened up over the intervening years. Oh, I still get it wrong often enough, but I finally figured out that it is not the end of the world. That’s just a part of life. Get back up, dust yourself off and keep going. That’s Life!

Here…The song says it much better than I do.

That's life, that's what people say
You're riding high in April,
Shot down in May
But I know I'm gonna change their tune
When I'm back, back on top in June

Mmmm, that's life, funny as it may seem
Some people get their kicks
Steppin' on a dream
But I just can't let them get me down, no, no
'Cause this big old world keeps spinnin' around

I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate,
A poet, a pawn and a queen

I've been up and down and over and out
And, oh, the drama I've seen

Each time I find myself flat on my face

I pick myself up and get back in the race

That’s Life

Yep… that’s me in a nutshell.

Day Fourteen- A Song That No One Would Expect You To Love

Drunk (and I Don’t Wanna Go Home)

By Elle King and Miranda Lambert

https://youtu.be/CS9zbWLiI0o

I seriously cannot get enough of this song. At work, In the car, in the shower, pretty much anywhere I turn it up way to loud and just jam to it. The video is hilarious! It’s just pure fun! Elle King and Miranda Lambert are awesome together!

I do really like Miranda Lambert, and the fact that she can sing heartbreak, anger, loneliness, and just plain country party seamlessly without missing a beat is incredible. And then the fact she has songs like this where she just has fun and you can tell she doesn’t take herself too seriously makes her one of those artists I would just love to meet.

Then there’s Elle King who is all about fun and her unique voice is unmatched. Also pure talent who doesn’t take herself too seriously. It was hilarious to see her on the Kelly Clarkson show, 7 months pregnant and belting out this tune…. Drunk and I don’t wanna go home! I just shook my head laughing. Priceless!

Day Thirteen- A Song That Is A Guilty Pleasure

ANY Pitch Perfect movie finale!!

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=RDpTEmpZ79jeo

https://youtu.be/Jya89rNw8QM

https://youtu.be/1jcJ7Rgsh9Y

I have done pretty well so far only picking one song for each category so on this one you’re just gonna have to give me a break. I am really REALLY big fan of the Pitch Perfect movies! I know when the first one came out, it looked interesting, but I was doubtful it was anything major. It looked like just a movie to add to the rainy day list. Ha! I totally misjudged that. Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, and Rebel Wilson (not to mention the fact I was introduced a geeky Ben Platt for the first time)along with the rest of the bunch were just so much fun to watch, and the music was so addictively catchy that I found myself rewinding parts over and over again to the point that I thought I was going to wear the DVD out. And then I was surprised that they did not only one sequel but TWO!

I am a sucker for a good mash up and these movies had plenty of them. Also, although I’m not so good at it anymore, I used to have the choreography down to the first finale pretty darn well so it was singing AND dancing!

These days, the cover of Freedom ‘90 from the third film is my running favorite. It’s on that Morning Playlist I mentioned and looks to be there a while, but they are all regular stops for me on YouTube when I’m looking for fun, comfort tunes, or just feel like moving the coffee table out of the way for my own personal dance party.

Day Twelve- A Song From A Band/Artist You Hate

Up by Cardi B

https://youtu.be/mOUK-PPKtpk

Fine… maybe I’m just old or lane or whatever but Cardi B is like the Kardashians of music. I honestly just can’t with either of them. If there is musical value, I just can’t get to it due to the offensive lyrics. Yes, I know… I probably need to lighten up but, with her, I just can’t get past it. My apologies for my limited nature. I didn’t even think I could find one I could post but thank goodness YouTube has clean versions. I’m still gonna recommend you just trust me and move on to tomorrow. Just sayin

Day Eleven- A Song From Your Favorite Band

Not Today- Imagine Dragons

https://youtu.be/6tz1_znrbmc

Full disclosure, I am not loving this one. I simply do not have a single favorite artist or band. My library is borderline schizophrenic and ranges from Disney to Broadway to Country to Dance and from the 70’s up to now. Honestly I could spend a week on this topic alone and still feel I left somebody out. I can’t do that so I made an executive decision and narrowed this down to just bands, slightly more manageable.

I usually try to think broadly doing this but sometimes current events and topics collide and that determines my decision. So today I bypass 10,000 Maniacs, Matchbox Twenty, One Republic (who I already used once) and landed on Imagine Dragons who is a relatively new favorite and the song is one I’ve been leaning on lately.

I like Imagine Dragon’s range and sometimes they hit me with a song that hits so close to home it’s eerie. This is one of those. It’s an end of the day song, when things are not going so well. You aren’t looking for a magic perfect instant fix, only that things be just a tiny bit easier and show some glimmer of hope. Sadly, some days that just doesn’t happen… Not today anyway but there is always tomorrow. It’s kinda sad but it’s also kinda hopeful. It’s funny how those things are often intertwined. Anyway… great song.

Day Ten- A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep

Somewhere in Time Soundtrack by John Barry

https://youtu.be/paU0yFZ-l3E

I am managing at least a little consistency between my first run through this challenge and this current one. That’s to be expected since I am reviewing a lifetime catalog for each topic. This one remains unchanged. The soundtrack and the movie remain favorites. I have a Pandora station tuned to Somewhere in Time radio and when my brain is to wired to fall asleep, I pull it up and let the music take over.

I’m just a factory worker, but I find John Barry’s work here to be a timeless masterpiece of tranquility. Furthermore, this has led me to some of his other works that I also tune into when I need to calm my brain. Since I used the same music from 10 years ago, let me add a bonus.. it’s also a soundtrack, also John Barry, also still a favorite movie and very much worth the listen

Out of Africa Sountrack by John Barry

https://youtu.be/sABE697BDMY

Day Nine-A Song That You Can Dance To

If I Could Turn Back Time (Almighty Mix) - Cher

https://youtu.be/Zb5vh9AbOeg

I do not profess to be a good dancer. I am neither graceful nor limber on the dance floor but do my best to cover these deficiencies with enthusiasm, especially when the right songs hit. I’m pretty sure this has always been the case, but this didn’t stop me from spending many a Saturday night of my early years at the club wading into the crowd, carving out a spot and dancing til the lights came on. Good times!

Those nights are long gone, and not days, most of my dancing is on the inside, but there are still a few songs that will drag me off the sidelines and transport me back to those good old days. This is one of them. The irony of the title is not lost on me, but if anyone can turn back time, I guess Cher would be the expert.

Day Eight- A Song That You Know All The Words To

7 Things - Miley Cyrus

https://youtu.be/Hr0Wv5DJhuk

Technically I know the words to all my music (thanks to Google, YouTube and Apple Music) but I think this category means a song I can manage to spit all the words out to without the notes in front of me. That narrows the list considerably, but this is the 30 day song “challenge” so I’ll narrow it farther.

There are some people who have the uncanny ability to manage all the words to those songs that cram 2000 words into 3 minutes and frankly I find these folks to be savant like. My brain is just not up to that level of agility. This song crams 60 words into 15 seconds and it took me weeks to master it, but I was determined and now if I fuel my brow and concentrate real hard, I can do it… most days. I’ll leave Billy Joel and Eminem to the masters and just be proud of my little Hannah Montana accomplishment lol.

Day Seven - A Song That Reminds You Of A Certain Event

The Way You Look Tonight by Tony Bennett

https://youtu.be/Mx3SPsH9AMQ

Definitely an easy one and a no brainer!

Megan’s Wedding… Father/Daughter dance… enough said. (further description would be insufficient and redundant)

Day Six- A Song That Reminds You Of Somewhere

You Will Be Found - Jennifer Nettles (from Dear Evan Hansen)

https://youtu.be/6ojYs0T2hKw

Songs are a lot like people. Somehow the right one always appears in your life at the exact moment you need them or in some cases are ready for them. I am not sure what cosmic administrator handles all that scheduling but whoever it is has uncanny skills!

A few years ago I was working on Freedom Valley Campgrounds 10th Anniversary Follies. It was a big and important event and I wanted the show to be our best ever. A celebration of everything Michael and Jeff (the owners) had achieved over the decade. I never thought they really REALLY appreciated the community they had built and how much it meant to all of us that benefited from their hard work.

Enter this song… it said everything I couldn’t put into words myself. The camp truly is the “place that you don’t have to feel alone. And every time you call out, you’re a little less alone.” Long story short, I combined the song with 10 years of picture and MAGIC. Of all the things I’ve presented for the Follies, this was my proudest and came out as close to my imagining as humanly possible. And Michael and Jeff finally saw through our eyes, how much their hard work had actually built.

The song for me will now be forever tied to that place, and though I’ve moved south, I can go back to that “home” anytime… or return in my mind by way of YouTube.

https://youtu.be/GWxMdKnUan8

Day Four - A Song That Makes You Sad

A Better Place To Be by Harry Chapin

https://youtu.be/MNz9MhrzDfo

I am going to bet but this is probably the oldest song that I will end up using during this challenge. Harry Chapin was a very popular humanitarian singer/songwriter from the 70’s who my brother Michael introduced me to somewhere in the 80’s. Michael had moved to Florida, and this was one of the cassettes that he listened to regularly on his long drives back and forth for visits. When I started making road trips of my own, I quickly understood why. Chapin was a storyteller, and each song was an tale, sometimes funny, sometimes sad but always engrossing.

This one, for me, always leaned toward sad and over the years, as my life experiences accumulated, my comprehension of the depth of that sadness has just multiplied. There are three characters in this tale, and I have spent time as each of them over the years, and furthermore as I observe the world around me, I see that I am not alone in this. Recently I read a description of my zodiac sign (no I don’t usually pay attention to that but this was uncanny in its accurate description of me) which said among other things, “…It is no surprise that your purpose is to feel and to show sympathy. You know how dark and empty loneliness and desolation can feel…”. Maybe that’s why this song hits me like it does, it’s just a built in response. I don’t know about all that. It’s more likely that Chapin and was just a very perceptive observer of the human condition, and in this song, his observations just match my own perceptions and experiences. Whichever, it is a song I always come back to and remains one of my all time favorites.

Friday, May 14, 2021

Day Three - A Song That Makes You Happy

Day Three- A Song That Makes You Happy

Can’t Stop The Feeling by Justin Timberlake

https://youtu.be/VUdeIFQtDYU

This one was pretty easy for me. I have so many great memories attached to this song, that every time it plays I cannot help but smile. It is one song that always makes me forget that I am a terrible dancer, and draws me straight to the dance floor. And if I’m lucky enough to have my friend Martin around when this song drops, well, it’s just safer to clear a path for us ands let goofy take its course. The song, the memories and the dancing are just priceless joy!

Thursday, May 13, 2021

Day Two- Your Least Favorite Song

Wobble by V.I.C.

https://youtu.be/fE_64SdD27w

I spent some years working/hobbying as a DJ at Freedom Valley Campground in Ohio. I use the term DJ loosely, because most nights I was more of a glorified jukebox versus a full-blown DJ, but it was always fun. Fortunately my musical library was as diverse as the crowd at the campground so it was not unusual for a two or three hour set to flow from Country to disco to 80s to Disney to current hits with even a few Show Tunes thrown in just for fun. As a DJ you can never please everybody, so my philosophy was, “if you don’t like what’s playing now, wait about 15 minutes, and it will change“. I just did my best to develop a seamless flow from genre to the next, and slowly build the energy through out the evening.

It never failed that just as I was reaching a good solid rhythm and groove in the set that someone would arrive and request a song that just did not fit and knocked the whole energy out of whack. Usually it was a line dance of some sort and most of the time it was this tune which just would just not go away. I won’t say I hate the song because usually it did bring some folks to the floor, but I just didn’t get it. It’s silly and nonsensical, never flowed into the set so instead it just crashed into whatever rhythm I had built up to, and honestly the dance requires physical rhythm that is just not a tool I have in my box, so it wasn’t one I loved. I played it anyway, but I will admit, if it never comes through my speakers again, I’d definitely be ok with that. (My apologies to those that love it…. Wobble On!

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

Day One - Your Favorite Song

Day One- Your Favorite Song

I Lived by One Republic

https://youtu.be/KINfQbfZwik

I said this 10 years ago but I have to repeat it here, it really was a bad idea to begin the challenge with “your favorite song“. Wouldn’t it have been easier to get your feet wet at first with one of the easy ones and then escalate to your “favorite“? At least I was prepared this time, and as I contemplated some of the topics, this one I knew what I wanted.

More than once, this song has been a wake up call for me. It is one of those songs that hits you differently each time you hear it. It can both bring you great joy as you sing it at the top of your lungs in the car when you are facing life head on, no holds barred. It also has the uncanny ability to stop you right in your tracks and sometimes bring you to unbidden tears when you find yourself caught in limbo or not willing to take a risk, say what you feel and go after what you want. Life is way too short for those kinds of regrets. I’ve spent my fair share of time playing the “could have, would have, should have” game and wondering “what if” I have done things differently in the past, and all the while life marches by. Better just to take those lessons from the past, seize life by the tail today and take the leap!

My measuring stick in this song is the line “ The only way you can know is to give all you have”... that’s the line that either makes me smile or cry, and I adjust accordingly. And at the end of the day, I strive to be able to say…

I did it all
I owned every second that this world could give
I saw so many places
The things that I did
Yeah, with every broken bone
I swear I lived

Return of the 30 Day Song Challenge

Here we go again! Welcome back everybody And if this is a first time visit, welcome to you as well. This blog has been around for 10 years, but it has sat idle since 2013. It was first created when the 30 day song challenge was circulating around Facebook. A few of my friends were working their way through the challenge and I found it very interesting. That’s not really surprising, because I have always loved music and it has always played an integral part of my daily life. So in 2011, when one of life‘s curveballs left me with plenty of time on my hands during the week, I jumped into the challenge with both feet. I created this blog to house the daily entries, and worked my way through 30 days of music.

If you are not familiar with the 30 day song challenge, it is exactly what it sounds like. There was a list of 30 topics, and over the course of a month you shared a song that filled that topic for you, sometimes adding a little backstory to help explain the significance and help reveal a little bit about yourself in the process. It was an exercise I thoroughly enjoyed and I was sad when the 30 days ended.

It’s hard to believe that was 10 years ago and the intervening years have been eventful. My road took some unexpected turns as life often provides us, but through it all music remained my constant companion.

I recently revisited some of those former entries, and got the idea in my head that it would be fun to start the challenge anew, and see what I would come up with now that I am 10 years older, a little wiser and definitely more weathered and worn. This comes in a great time because 2021 has been a rebirth of sorts for me, and I have been going through a musical renaissance, among other things. It’s been a joy to discover new music and rediscover old over the past few months. I have no doubt some of that will show up over the next 30 days.

Here are the topics...

day 01 – your favorite song

day 02 – your least favorite song

day 03 – a song that makes you happy

day 04 – a song that makes you sad

day 05 – a song that reminds you of someone

day 06 – a song that reminds you of somewhere

day 07 – a song that reminds you of a certain event

day 08 – a song that you know all the words to

day 09 – a song that you can dance to

day 10 – a song that makes you fall asleep

day 11 – a song from your favorite band

day 12 – a song from a band you hate

day 13 – a song that is a guilty pleasure

day 14 – a song that no one would expect you to love

day 15 – a song that describes you

day 16 – a song that you used to love but now hate

day 17 – a song that you hear often on the radio

day 18 – a song that you wish you heard on the radio

day 19 – a song from your favorite album

day 20 – a song that you listen to when you’re angry

day 21 – a song that you listen to when you’re happy

day 22 – a song that you listen to when you’re sad

day 23 – a song that you want to play at your wedding

day 24 – a song that you want to play at your funeral

day 25 – a song that makes you laugh

day 26 – a favorite song from a movie or musical

day 27 – a favorite song from a live performance

day 28 – a song that makes you feel guilty

day 29 – a song from your childhood

day 30 – your favorite song at this time last year

I think it will be an interesting exercise, and I welcome you to follow along with one disclaimer. Sometimes this can be a snapshot into my head which sometimes can be a very weird place, enter at your own risk… LOL.