Tag Archives: Song of the Day

Song of the Day: Endless Love (by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross)

Posted on by Arleigh

Lisa Marie’s latest post about the film Love Story and her reaction to it got me thinking that I haven’t put up an R&B ballad as “Song of the Day” for quite awhile now. Well, just as the day is close to coming to an end to start a new one I’ve chosen to continue the theme began by the previous post and picked the R&B ballad, “Endless Love”.

“Endless Love” is a ballad duet sung by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross. These two of the biggest R&B stars of the 70’s and early 80’s. Their star and singing power truly shines in this duet of the love theme for the very maudlin, cheesy and almost-grindhouse romantic film of the same name starring Brooke Shields, Martin Hewitt and a young James Spader. The film itself is quite forgettable if one was looking for something in the same vein as Love Story, but for those looking for a very twisted look at true love then Endless Love is the flick for you.

The film might not have been popular with critics, but the theme definitely resonated with the public and critics. It has been voted by Billboard as the greatest song duet of all-time. It’s become a staple with wedding planners since it came out to be played during wedding receptions. It got a modern cover duet by Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey in 1994.

There’s not much to say about this song other than watch the video and just listen to the song and it’s lyrics. Even the most coldhearted bastard out there may just melt a bit as they listen to this song.

Endless Love

My love,
There’s only you in my life.
The only thing that’s right.

My first love,
You’re every breath that I take.
You’re every step I make.

And I
(I-I-I-I-I)
I want to share,
All my love with you.
No one else will do.

And your eyes,
Your eyes, your eyes,
They tell me how much you care.
Ooh yes, you will always be,
My endless love

Two hearts,
Two hearts that beat as one.
Our lives have just begun.

Forever,
(Ohhhhhh)
I’ll hold you close in my arms.
I can’t resist your charms.

And love,
Oh, love,
I’ll be a fool, for you.
I’m sure,
You know I don’t mind.
Oh, you know I don’t mind.

‘Cause you,
You mean the world to me.
Oh, I know,
I know,
I’ve found in you,
My endless love.

Oooh, love,
Oh, love,
I’ll be that fool, for you.
I’m sure,
You know I don’t mind.
Oh you know,
I don’t mind.

And, YES!
You’ll be the only one.
‘Cause no one can deny,
This love I have inside,
And I’ll give it all to you.
My love,
My love, my love,
My Endless Love!

Song of the Day: You Know My Name from Casino Royale (by Chris Cornell)

Posted on by Arleigh

So, I’m at home flipping channels when I saw that Casino Royale was about to start on one channel I kept going back to. Inspiration hit like a JSOW from high above and I decided to pick this Bond reboot’s title theme as the latest “Song of the Day”.

“You Know My Name” is the latest song of the day and one played and sung by one of my favorite rock vocalists ever in Chris Cornell. Anyone who has even listened to 90’s hard rock and alternative rock has to know who Chris Cornell is. He’s the longtime frontman for the alternative rock band Suoundgarden and then later on for the supergroup Audioslave. With “You Know My Name” he has joined a very exclusive club of Bond film intro singers. Not to mention an even more rarefied group of male singers who have sung the intro songs to Bond films. I could only remember and name three who have and they were Tom Jones doing the one for Thunderball, Paul McCartney for Live And Let Die and the Euro band Duran Duran for A View To A Kill.

Cornell sings the hell out of this song and I like the fact that the song’s title doesn’t match the film’s. “You Know My Name” sounds better than “Casino Royale” and the lyrics, as written by Chris Cornell (w/ some minor help from film composer David Arnold), really matches the grittier and more aggressive personality of the film and it’s main character of James Bond. I will say that this song is definitely better than most of the Pierce Brosnan Bond film intro songs which ranged from the great one sung by Shirley Manson and her band Garbage for the forgetful The World Is Not Enough right up to the very awful one by Madonna for Die Another Day.

The official music video created for the song also does a great job of paralleling the job of James Bond as a spy and Cornell as a rock star as being similar in some ways. Just one listen to this song and it’ll be stuck in one’s head for the rest of the day.

You Know My Name

If you take a life do you know what you’ll give?
Odds are, you won’t like what it is
When the storm arrives, would you be seen with me?
By the merciless eyes of deceit?

I’ve seen angels fall from blinding heights
But you yourself are nothing so divine
Just next in line

Arm yourself because no-one else here will save you
The odds will betray you
And I will replace you
You can’t deny the prize it may never fulfill you
It longs to kill you
Are you willing to die?

The coldest blood runs through my veins
You know my name

If you come inside things will not be the same
When you return to the night
And if you think you’ve won
You never saw me change
The game that we all been playing

I’ve seen diamonds cut through harder men
Than you yourself
But if you must pretend
You may meet your end

Arm yourself because no-one else here will save you
The odds will betray you
And I will replace you
You can’t deny the prize it may never fulfill you
It longs to kill you
Are you willing to die?

The coldest blood runs through my veins

Try to hide your hand
Forget how to feel
Forget how to feel

Life is gone with just a spin of the wheel
Spin of the wheel

Arm yourself because no-one else here will save you
The odds will betray you
And I will replace you
You can’t deny the prize it may never fulfill you
It longs to kill you
Are you willing to die?

The coldest blood runs through my veins
You know my name
You know my name
You know my name
You know my name
You know my name
You know my name
You know my name
…

Song of the Day: The Golden Path (performed by the Chemical Brothers and Wayne Coyne)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

There’s no big story behind why I have selected this particular song for Song of the Day, beyond the fact that I love the Chemical Brothers and this song — The Golden Path — always brings me a certain amount of peace.  If nothing else, you must see the Chemical Brothers live at least once before you die.

Song of the Day: Asleep from Sucker Punch (by Emily Browning)

Posted on by Arleigh

Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch is still resonating quite strong for me. It doesn’t help that I’ve fallen quite in love with the soundtrack. Last night I chose the first track in the soundtrack as song of the day. That one was sung by the film’s lead, Emily Browning. My next choice for song of the day was also sung by Emily Browning and is the third of three songs she covered for the film.

“Asleep” is the Emily Browning cover of the indie pop classic from indie-rock band The Smiths and their famous front man, Morrissey. I’m not what you would call a big fan of The Smiths or even of Morrissey. I will admit that this song as sung by Emily Browning is quite good and her ethereal voice lends a haunting quality to the music. The song itself marks a major turning point in the film and finally reveals just who the storyteller really is and who the subject of the story truely is.

Whatever may come of Ms. Browning’s acting career I definitely think she has one as a singer. “Asleep” is definite proof of the talent this young actor has not just in front of the camera but in a recording studio.

Asleep
Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
I’m tired and I
I want to go to bed

Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
And then leave me alone
Don’t try to wake me in the morning
‘Cause I will be gone
Don’t feel bad for me
I want you to know
Deep in the cell of my heart
I will feel so glad to go

Sing me to sleep
Sing me to sleep
I don’t want to wake up
On my own anymore

Sing to me
Sing to me
I don’t want to wake up
On my own anymore

Don’t feel bad for me
I want you to know
Deep in the cell of my heart
I really want to go

There is another world
There is a better world
Well, there must be
Well, there must be
Well, there must be
Well, there must be
Well …

Bye bye
Bye bye
Bye …

Song of the Day: Sweet Dream (Are Made of These) (by. Emily Browning)

Posted on by Arleigh

After having just seen Zack Snyder’s latest visual extravaganza with Sucker Punch my next pick for “song of the day” comes courtesy of that film’s eclectic soundtrack. The one song which stood out the most and set the tone of the film for me has to be the one which starts the film: “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These)” covered by the film’s lead, Emily Browning.

“Sweet Dreams” was an instant classic when Eurthymics first unleashed it upon the music world and it continues to do so even after countless bands and artists covering the song. One cover which seems to get the most press has been Marilyn Manson’s version which helped propel the shock rocker into prominence (and helped launch an uncounted number of “goths” to the world). In Sucker Punch the song once again gets covered but this time by Emily Browning. This English actress’ haunting and ethereal rendition of the song with a symphonic rock tempo and melody to match her voice has made this cover of the song my favorite.

This cover opens up the film and almost gives the opening scene a silent film quality as the song plays over a dialogue-free sequence. It also gives the whole proceeding a dream-like quality that helped set the tone of the film. The song pretty much said that what one was about to see may or may not be real. The rest of the film’s soundtrack just got better as the film went forward, but it was the strong beginning with this song that turned a very good soundtrack into a great one.

Song of the Day: In The Air Tonight (by Phil Collins)

Posted on by Arleigh

The latest “song of the day” arrives courtesy of Michael Mann’s Miami Vice. I speak of one of the best rock songs of the 1980’s: Phil Collins’ “In The Air Tonight”.

Phil Collins was already a major star as part of the progressive rock band Genesis. In the early 80’s he finally went out on his own and began a second successful career as a solo artist. His 1981 debut solo album, Face Value, would release it’s first single with what would turn out to be one of the 80’s iconic rock songs with “In The Air Tonight”. The song was originally recorded in 1979, but it was until Collins went solo did it see the light of day and once it made it to the mass public it instantly became a major hit. This song would end up Collins’ biggest hit ever and would be covered by rock bands and sampled by rappers in the decades to come.

Some of the younger generation would recognize this song because of a hilarious scene in the 2009 comedy The Hangover involving Mike Tyson and one of the most famous basslines in rock history. It’s a shame that it would be that scene people would remember since this song is more than just a punchline in a comedy. This song has become an integral part of my growing up during the 80’s and I still listen to it intently decades later…and yes I, too, consider that bassline to start the final chorus as the go-ahead to air drum the sequence in the privacy of my own room or car.

The one cover of this song I like just as much as the original is the hard rock cover done by the band Nonpoint for Michael Mann’s Miami Vice.

In The Air Tonight

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
And I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord, oh Lord

Well if you told me you were drowning, I would not lend a hand
I’ve seen your face before my friend, but I don’t know if you know who I am
Well I was there and I saw what you did, I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off that grin, I know where you’ve been
It’s all been a pack of lies

And I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
Well I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
Well I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord, oh Lord

Well I remember, I remember, don’t worry, how could I ever forget
It’s the first time, the last time we ever met
But I know the reason why you keep your silence UP, oh no you don’t fool me
Well the hurt doesn’t show, but the pain still grows
It’s no stranger to you and me

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
Well I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
I can feel it in the air tonight, oh Lord, oh lord
Well I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord
And I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
I can feel it in the air tonight, oh lord, oh lord, oh lord
Well I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh lord, oh lord

I can feel it in the air tonight, oh lord, oh lord, oh lord, oh lord
And I’ve been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh lord, oh lord, oh lord
And I can feel it in the air tonight, Oh Lord…
I’ve been waiting for this moment, all my life, Oh Lord, Oh Lord

Song of the Day: Rogue Heart from Dragon Age 2 (by Inon Zur and Aubrey Ashburn)

Posted on by Arleigh

The latest pick for “song of the day” happens to come from a game I just completed playing a first playthrough. The game is BioWare’s latest and the first sequel to their critically-acclaimed fantasy rpg game, Dragon Age: Origins. This time the song is what I would call the “Lelianna’s Song” of Dragon Age 2.

“Rogue Heart” is the song which begins playing once the end credits for Dragon Age 2 begins. The song is once again composed by the same composer who did the music for the first game, Inon Zur. Inon Zur brings back singer Aubrey Ashburn to handle the song. If there was ever a song which I say truly encompassed the relationship of the character I created and played through in the game, Lisamarie Hawke, it would be this song. It’s not just typified the character but the relationship she had with one of the party members that was recruited. The pirate rogue Isabela (the character artwork in the video is Isabela) would be Lisamarie’s companion the moment the two met and would see the game right through to its climactic and ominous ending.

It’s only appropriate that both Lisamarie Hawke and Isabela were rogues thus this song fit them like bodyhugging gear. The game was better than I thought and I would say the same to its accompanying soundtrack and “Rogue Heart” is another example why rpg soundtracks always typified the best of any game soundtracks.

Song of the Day: High Roller (performed by the Crystal Method)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

A few days ago, I used to the song of the day feature to highlight the Crystal Method’s Trip Like I Do.  And in that post, I mentioned that Trip Like I Do makes me drive too fast.  Well, there’s another song off of the Crystal Method’s Vegas CD that I always make it a point to listen to while driving and that is High Roller.  If Trip Like I Do makes me slam down on the accelerator, High Roller makes me slow down and watch the world collapse around me.

(Clicking on the video below will redirect you to YouTube and the acual song.  I apologize for that — usually, I hate elitist, communistic bullshit like that but I really like this song.)

Song of the Day: When Your Mind’s Made UP (performed by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

It’s St. Patrick Day!  Now, I can’t speak for everyone but for me, this is the only holiday that matters.  For one thing, it gives me a convenient excuse to show off some of my Irish Folk Dance moves.  For another, it gives me an excuse to say things like, “I’m just a good Irish girl,” in the closest I can come to an Irish accent.  (Admittedly, that’s not very close.  My own accent tends to be kinda twangy and country.) 

Oh!  And there’s another great thing about St. Patrick’s Day.  It gives me an excuse to wear green and I look really good in green.  Today, I’m green from my eyeshadow to my underwear.

Anyway, with all that mind, it was pretty easy to pick today’s song of the day.  One of my favorite films of 2007 was a wonderfully romantic and charmingly low-key Irish film called Once.  The film’s soundtrack, which I’ve been listening to all day today, is one of my all-time favorites. 

One of my favorite songs on that soundtrack — and my pick for song of the day — is When Your Mind’s Made Up, performed by the film’s stars Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.  As actors, performers, and as a real-life couple (awwwwwww!)*, Hansard and Irglova have this amazing chemistry and it’s on display in the video posted below.

(By the way, can I be like really, really sappy here without everyone rolling their eyes and getting all “Gaggggggg!” on me?  Sometimes, if I’m feeling really sentimental and silly, I think about how Jeff is like Glen Hansard and I’m like Marketa Irglova.  And then I start singing another song from the movie — the Oscar-winning Falling Slowly.  Or at least I sing a version of it because I have a hard time remembering lyrics.)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

——————-

*According to Wikipedia, Hansard and Irglova are apparently no longer a couple. 😦

Song the Day: Trip Like I Do (performed by the Crystal Method)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today’s song of the day is the original version of the Crystal Method’s Trip Like I Do.  I love driving to this song even though it’s been responsible for me getting pulled over a few times for speeding.  (Luckily, I’m a girl and I know how to make myself cry.)  This is also the song that, over the past few hours, has inspired me to leave a dozen or so “Oh my god, this is the best…” messages on my friend Evelyn’s voicemail.