It’s the first day of a brand new year and that means that it’s time for a new song of the day. And what better choice could there be than Neil Patrick Harris singing Brand New Day from Joss Whedon’s Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog.
By the way, Dr. Horrible was right. The keys to shiny new Australia are the perfect way to unlock a girl’s heart…
My latest review was one where I mention my surprise at just how good Disney’s latest animated film really turned out. It was a surprise born out of seeing the House that Mickey built returning back to it’s fairy tale roots. A return which first began with 2010’s Tangled and now continues with their latest, Frozen.
Close to everyone who has seen Frozen have fallen in love with the film and with many of the characters in the film. Like all past classic Disney animated films, Frozen also succeeds in having some great musical numbers. Frozen doesn’t just have strong characters, storytelling and musical numbers, but it has some great singing performances to round everything into what looks like a classic in the making.
Disney Animation has been kind enough to provide, for free, one of the biggest highlights of the film and what I consider my favorite singing performance in a cast full of them. Idinia Menzel as Elsa didn’t just hold her own in the acting department, but also knocks it out of the park with her power ballad “Let It Go”. Her voice just has a power all their own which brings the character of Elsa to life. The emotions she shows throughout this number just grows and grows as her character grows gradually from the unsure Elsa and into the sassy and confident queen inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s character from his fairy tale, The Snow Queen.
Best to just watch and listen to Idina Menzel just sing her heart out.
Let It Go
The snow glows white on the mountain night
Not a footprint to be seen
A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I’m the Queen
The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside
Couldn’t keep it in, heaven knows I tried
Don’t let them in, don’t let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know
Well now they know
Let it go, let it go
Can’t hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door
I don’t care
What they’re going to say
Let the storm rage on, the cold never bothered me anyway
It’s funny how some distance
Makes everything seem small
And the fears that once controlled me
Can’t get to me at all
It’s time to see what I can do
To test the limits and break through
No right, no wrong, no rules for me
I’m free
Let it go, let it go
I am one with the wind and sky
Let it go, let it go
You’ll never see me cry
Here I stand
And here I stay
Let the storm rage on
My power flurries through the air and to the ground
My soul is spiraling in frozen fractals all around
My one thought crystalizes like an icy blast
I’m never going back,
The past is in the past
Let it go, let it go
When I’ll rise like the break of dawn
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone
Here I stand in the light of day
Let the storm rage on,
The cold never bothered me anyway
The temperature started to drop on Thursday night. Since Friday, it hasn’t gotten above freezing and all the roads are covered in ice. I’ve been stuck inside for three days now.
But things are getting better because this morning, I woke up and one of my favorite movies was on Comedy Central. Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story always makes me happy. I watched it, I laughed, and I forgot about the weather. Today’s song of the day is my favorite song from Walk Hard, “Let’s Duet.”
What’s more Christmas than some good old cheer song about fighting love from the creators of South Park.
Let’s Fighting Love
I have a wonderful penis
There is hairs on my balls
Is that the sound of a baby monkey?
No! Ninjas are here!
Hey hey let’s go! Getting in a fight!
The important thing is to protect my balls!
I am badass, so let’s fighting
Let’s fighting love!
Let’s fighting love!
This song is a little stupid
It doesn’t make any sense
English is all fucked up
But that’s ok, we do it all the time!
Hey hey let’s go! Getting in a fight!
The important thing is to protect my balls!
I am badass, so let’s fighting
Let’s fighting love!
Let’s fighting love!
Much as with yesterday’s song of the day, there’s no great or secret reason why I selected Scream & Shout. It’s a fun song and great to dance to and what more can you really ask?
When I’m at work, I’m always tempted to answer the phone with, “It’s Lisa, bitch.”
I could offer up a lot of reasons why Sleigh Bells’ Crown On The Ground is today’s song of the week.
I could say that it’s because the Holiday Season is upon us and what better time to feature a song performed by Sleigh Bells.
I could also point out that this song is prominently featured in The Bling Ring.
But, ultimately, the main and most important reason is that I just happen to like the song.
Today is the date that will forever become a date of remembrance for me and my family.
My father, Fernando Sandoc, passed away after losing his battle with cancer. He’s been a huge influence in my taste in music. I remember listening to him when I was younger singing songs by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin to The Beatles, Tom Jones, The Temptations right up to The Eagles and Elvis Presley. His was an eclectic taste in music, but one that I didn’t appreciate at a young age.
Yet, as I grew older I began to listening to the very same bands and singers and really become fans of them as well. It was one of many ways he and I bonded throughout the years. This was especially true as I grew into adulthood.
One song which always stood out for me was of the Sammy Davis, Jr. song “Ive Gotta Be Me”.
I remember him singing this song with as much enthusiasm and vigor as Sammy himself. It became a sort of anthem (in addition to Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” which was another favorite of his and mine) as if he tried to live his life just how the lyrics spelled them out. I can’t say whether he succeeded or not, but he definitely lived his life “his way” and remained to being true to himself.
He and those he called his closest friends were lived to be their very own Rat Pack.
So, I shall be forever grateful for having such a loving, understanding father and a great friend and mentor who will remain eternal as I take up the mantle he has finally set down to rest.
I’ve Gotta Be Me
Whether I’m right or whether I’m wrong
Whether I find a place in this world or never belong
I gotta be me, I’ve gotta be me
What else can I be but what I am
I want to live, not merely survive
And I won’t give up this dream
Of life that keeps me alive
I gotta be me, I gotta be me
The dream that I see makes me what I am
That far-away prize, a world of success
Is waiting for me if I heed the call
I won’t settle down, won’t settle for less
As long as there’s a chance that I can have it all
I’ll go it alone, that’s how it must be
I can’t be right for somebody else
If I’m not right for me
I gotta be free, I’ve gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I’ve gotta be me
I’ll go it alone, that’s how it must be
I can’t be right for somebody else
If I’m not right for me
I gotta be free, I just gotta be free
Daring to try, to do it or die
I gotta be me
In continuing the horror detox from this past month we bring to you one of the more fun film music from this past summer’s slew of blockbusters. The latest “Song of the Day” comes courtesy of Brian Tyler’s score for Shane Black’s Iron Man 3.
The first two Iron Man films had their score composed by Ramin Djawadi and John Debney, respectively. The first score was considered one of the finer efforts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film scores. Djawadi brought a much needed fun tone to set-up the wise-ass persona of billionaire, playboy genius Tony Stark. It also had a very metal and hard rock component to it’s sound that put into the forefront that this was Iron Man.
The second film’s score by John Debney wasn’t as well-received by fans and critics alike. Which just goes to show just how much of a misfire the middle film in the trilogy was. It tried to build on what Djawadi did in the first score, but ended up becoming just a derivative version that brought nothing new to the Tony Stark series.
Now this third film brings a new film composer in Brian Tyler who has had some experience in scoring big-budget spectacles and he doesn’t disappoint with his new take on the Iron Man score. While this third score doesn’t bring back any recognizable leitmotifs from Djawadi’s score it does bring in a new sound that’s more reminiscent of 60’s action spy thrillers like the Connery and Moore Bond films. It actually evokes quite a heavy, fun 60’s psychedelic tone. This is best heard in the film’s main end titles credit sequence which brings an animated look back at the trilogy and it’s many characters.
“Can You Dig It” is just a very fun song and it brings much hope that Brian Tyler being assigned to do the film score for Thor: The Dark World will do for that series what he did to finish off the Iron Man trilogy.
Who said a song from a horror film had to be horrific. Some songs just attaches it’s hooks into you and won’t let go and one such song that one wouldn’t associate with the horror film genre just does that with the latest “Song of the Day”.
In 2006, a little horror-comedy film came out directed by James Gunn called Slither. There’s a repeating gag in the film that both highlights the film’s horror and comedy. It’s scored by a classic Air Supply ballad by the title of “Every Woman In the World”. It’s the love song of Grant Grant (played Merle Dixon himself, Michael Rooker) and his loyal and faithful wife, Starla (played with earnestness by Elizabeth Banks). It comes on whenever the two share a tender moment even when things get thick and slithery.
Every time this song plays on the radio now I can’t help but think back to Slither.
Every Woman In the World
Overnight scenes dinner and wine
Saturday girls
I was never in love, never had the time
In my hustle and hurried world
Laughing my self to sleep, waking up lonely
I need someone to hold me, oh
It’s such a crazy home town
It can drag you down
Till you run out of dreams
So you party all night to the music and lights
But you don’t know what happiness means
I was dancing in the dark with strangers
No love around me
When suddenly you found me, oh
(Chorus) Girl, you’re every woman in the world to me
You’re my fantasy, you’re my reality
Girl, you’re every woman in the world to me
You’re everything I need, you’re everything to me
Oh girl
Everything good, everything fine
That’s what you are
So put your hand in mine and together we’ll climb
As high as the highest star
I’m living the lifetime in every minute
That we’re together
And I’m staying right here forever, oh
(Chorus) Girl, you’re every woman in the world to me
You’re my fantasy, you’re my reality
Girl, you’re every woman in the world to me
You’re everything I need, you’re everything to me
Oh girl (5x)
The previous “Song of the Day” was Polymorphia and comes courtesy of one Krzystof Penderecki. Why stop a good thing and go with someone else for the latest one when Penderecki continues to bring in the horror.
“Kanon For Orchestra and Tape” was also used in William Friedkin’s The Exorcist and one could tell just from listening to it that it fit perfectly. Like Polymorphia, this particular piece uses the string section to help create that encroaching dread and horror while adding some nontraditional sounds to keep the listener off-balance.
Just listening to this piece one could be made to believe that there is a Hell and the Devil’s just waiting to get out and play.
Through the Shattered Lens 