Song of the Day: Save The Best For Last (by Vanessa Williams)

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Arleigh

The latest “Song of the Day” continues my romance-theme leading up to Valentine’s Day and this one holds a special place in my heart and memories.

“Save The Best For Last” was part of Vanessa Williams’ debut album, The Comfort Zone, and was released around 1992. This was one of those songs which just resonated with many listeners. It’s a song about how we’re so intent on trying to find that special someone to be with in our lives that we never realize that they’re right in front of us. I think many young people and adults gravitate to this song because it’s speaks to how we make finding love difficult through our own need to find it. The thing about this song is how it speaks of missed opportunities but it also talks about how such things will balance out in the end and we finally realize who’s in front of us throughout all the searching and struggling.

I like to think that this was the song which finally put Vanessa Williams on the path to stardom. The fact that it was a song that many other singers passed over only to have Williams take it on proves just prescient the lyrics of the song were in the end. What others saw as something that didn’t deserve their time was finally taken on by someone who has turned it into their signature song.

Save The Best For Last

Sometimes the snow comes down in June
Sometimes the sun goes ’round the moon
I see the passion in your eyes
Sometimes it’s all a big surprise
‘Cause there was a time when all I did was wish
You’d tell me this was love
It’s not the way I hoped or how I planned
But somehow it’s enough

And now we’re standing face to face
Isn’t this world a crazy place
Just when I thought our chance had passed
You go and save the best for last

All of the nights you came to me
When some silly girl had set you free
You wondered how you’d make it through
I wondered what was wrong with you

‘Cause how could you give your love to someone else
And share your dreams with me
Sometimes the very thing you’re looking for
Is the one thing you can’t see

And now we’re standing face to face
Isn’t this world a crazy place
Just when I thought our chance had passed
You go and save the best for last

Sometimes the very thing you’re looking for
Is the one thing you can’t see

Sometimes the snow comes down in June
Sometimes the sun goes ’round the moon
Just when I thought our chance had passed
You go and save the best for last

You went and saved the best for last

R.I.P. Whitney Houston

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Arleigh

Some sad news has hit the music industry and it’s fans as one of the iconic singers of the 1980’s and 90’s passed away today at the age of 48.

Whitney Houston was one of the major voices of the music scene from the time she came into it with her self-titled debut album in 1985. Her sound was a combination of the R&B, soul and Gospel sound which Motown had popularized during it’s hey day during the 60’s and 70’s, but she also injected a major dose of pop to her singing which allowed her to cross genre boundaries to become a mainstream pop star.

Her success with the mainstream scene would cause her some problems with those who were R&B fans first and foremost. This personal struggle to both acknowledge her R&B roots and also maintain her foot within the mainstream would plague Whitney Houston throughout her career.

In the end, one doesn’t need to be in the camp of either side to acknowledge her vocal talent of which it was staggering. She dominated the Billboard during her reign as pop music’s female answer to Michael Jackson during the 80’s and early 90’s. Sadly, a contentious marriage to another pop star in Bobby Brown during the early 90’s would lead to drug use and subsequently a degradation of the very voice which brought her fame and success.

For me, two songs which would forever cement her star in the constellation of greatest singers of any era would be her cover of the song “The Greatest Love of All” and her powerful rendition of the national anthem, “Star-Spangled Banner”, during Super Bowl XXV. These two songs proves that she was a talent that arrived on the music scene once a generation and who would influence uncounted singers following in her footsteps.

Source: Associated Press

6 Trailers for Valentine’s Day Weekend

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Happy St. Valentine's Day

I’m running a little bit late on getting this Valentine’s weekend edition of Lisa Marie’s Favorite Grindhouse and Exploitation Trailers up and running and for that, I apologize. Last night, around midnight, I found myself at Target waiting for them to start selling the latest Twilight movie…well, let’s just not go into it, okay? Instead, here’s 6 trailers for your Valentine’s weekend.

1) Valentine (2001)

Oh. My. God. This is such a bad movie! Seriously terrible. However, it is Valentine’s Day weekend…

2) My Bloody Valentine (1981)

The original.

3) My Bloody Valentine 3D (2009)

The remake, which is a lot better than Avatar.

4) Emmanuelle (1974)

Valentine’s weekend is all about either celebrating romance or being alone and bitter. I’ve been told that Emmanuelle can be used for both of those purposes. “This movie will be shown only in special theaters.”

5) Emanuelle and the Last Cannibals (1977)

Not surprisingly, Italian director Joe D’Amato put his own individual spin on Emmanuelle (or Emanuelle as he spelled it, in order to get around copyright laws). This is probably one of the more explicit trailers I’ve ever posted so keep that in mind before you watch it.