Musical Madness

Day 1: Put Your Music Player on Shuffle and Write the First 10 Songs that Play

I thought this would be a great thing to start off the 30 days of getting to know me. You all know I love music, and have gotten a glimpse of some of the songs I love. But like all people, there is way more in my iTunes. So here we go! Remember these are random.

10) Something We Can’t Be by Project 86

I first listened to this song when I won a free CD sampler at this three day music festival I went to. Loved the music and the lyrics. Great song.

9) Just Can’t Wait by the J. Geils Band

So everyone has heard of their song Love Stinks. (In fact I wrote a post on it last year.) That one is unbelievably fantastic, but their other songs are also really good. This one is about how the guy just can’t wait to be with his girlfriend, although other things (her father, work/school, etc) are keeping them apart. It has a great beat to it.

8) Is She Really Going Out With Him? by Joe Jackson

The best song you will ever hear about unrequited love. Ah, this song reminds me so much of my childhood. Not that I grew up in the ’70s, my parents did, but I just loved listening to this song over and over, starting at age 7 to still playing it today.

It written as more of a story then a straight out song. The guy is getting ready for a party, when he sees the girl he is in love with. Only problem is, she’s dating another guy, a real loser. He sings about the event, how much he hates the guy, and how he wishes she was with him. A truly amazing piece. My favorite lyric is, “if looks could kill there is a man who is as good as dead”. Every line is just pure gold and extremely enjoyable. Check it out.

7) Dear God by Avenged Sevenfold

This is my favorite Avenged Sevenfold song off my favorite album. This is the “experimental” album as each song is vastly different from each other and any prior works they has created. Dear God is an extremely sad song about being apart from the one you love and hoping to get back to them. I love it so much, I guarantee there will be a longer post on it in the future.

For more on Avenged Sevenfold, go to Fantastic Fantasies

6)  I’m Thru With Love by Marilyn Monroe (Some Like It Hot! soundtrack)

Marilyn Monroe sings this song in the film Some Like It Hot! For those of you who haven’t seen it, Joe (Tony Curtis) and Jerry (Jack Lemmon) are two out of work muscians. When they unluckily witness the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, they find themselves being hunted down and have to disguise themselves. They had heard earlier that a women’s band going to Florida was in need of the instruments that Joe and Jerry play, the two then deciding the best way to hide out is to dress in drag and join the group. There they meet the very attractive Sugar Kane, Marilyn Monroe. Joe befriends her, and when they arrive in Florida attempts to play not only the part of “Joesephine”, but also pretend to be millionaire and Sugar’s perfect man. Jerry has his own romantic complexities as a rich millionaire, with a weakness for marrying women in show business, is attracted to Jerry’s character “Daphne”. Hilarity ensues.

The song comes at the end of the film when Joe and Jerry discover that the mobsters who are hunting them down, have a yearly retreat at the same hotel. They decide to run off, with Joe’s millionaire character having to break up with Sugar (he doesn’t want to but knows it is better to do that than just drop off the face of the earth and leave Sugar wondering what happened), Sugar is so heartbroken that she sings this song. (Now that isn’t how the movie ends, but I won’t say anymore as I don’t want to ruin the ending.

I love this song as I feel it is something anyone who has suffered from heartbreak can relate to. I almost included it in my songs for getting over a heartbreak series, to read go to If It Means a Lot to You, but had a hard time finding its perfect fit in the series. Even though I couldn’t get it to flow with that group, it still is an amazing song and worth a listen.

For more Marilyn Monroe, go to What a Girl Wants

5) Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now by Starship

I love Jefforson Airplane. And when it became Jefferson Starship after members left, I still loved it. And when more people left and it became Starship I loved it even more.

This song is most famous for being in the film Mannequin, a weird, silly ’80s film in which a man hired to be a window dresser discovers a mannequin who comes alive, but only when the two are alone. It was funny, strange, and has a great performance of James Spader as a nerd.

Anyways, the song is about how these two people have found each other and fallen in love, and with them together; nothing will stop them in whatever they are trying to achieve. I just love the song and music video, Mickey’s face (male lead singer) is so expressive.

For more Starship, go to She’s Still Preoccupied with 1985

4) Highway Star by Deep Purple

So I have already written a post on how much I freakin’ adore this song. Words cannot describe it. (Although I did try). It is one of my favorite songs and a true masterpiece of rock. Everytime I hear those opening bars I go nuts!

To read more of my thoughts, go to Highway Star.

3) Good Lovin’ by The Young Rascals

This is a song that anyone alive during 1966-2000 has heard. It has been in countless commercials, TV shows, movies, etc. It is just a great song with amazing lyrics and an incredible beat that makes you want to dance, shake, twist, and bop along. (I’m telling you that guitar is amazing!)

9) Maniac by Michael Sembello

Ah, this song. Most famous for being in the movie Flashdance. A film about a woman who is a welder by day, stripper by night, but most of all wishes to be a real dancer, a ballerina.

It’s a great song that gets you pumped up (I always listen to it when I work out), and makes you want to mimic her dance moves from the film.

And our last random pick is:

10) Stab My Back by The All-American Rejects

No band can transport me back to the days of my tweendom better than All-American Rejects. They were everywhere and in everything. And I didn’t mind as they were awesome (and still are).

This song is another great that anyone can relate to as it is all about a betrayal from someone we love and trust. (This too almost made it into the Getting Over a Heartbreak series, but also had to be culled). I love, love, love it as I do all their music.

For more on The All-American Rejects, go to Move Along

So those are my 10 random musical picks. As you can see I have a wide range of musical loves, and believe me, this was just the tip of the iceberg.

For more 30 day challenges, go to 30 Day Challenge: Disney Edition

For more music, go to The Fans and the Furious

Love Makes You Do Crazy Things: Hercules (1997)

Romantic Moment #8

Hercules (1997)

Hercules (1997) is based on the greek myths but given a Disneyian twist. This is one of my favorite Disney films as it is fun, hilarious, and has an awesome collection of songs.

In this story, Zeus and Hera are the parents of Hercules. When he is born they have a huge party, give him lots of gifts, like a pegasus, and have everyone come. Unbeknownst to the happy couple, Zeus’ brother Hades, lord of the Underworld, wants to dethrone him and take over Olympus and the world. He meets with the Fates and discovers that his plans will work out in 18 years as he will be able to release the titans. Only one problem…Hercules. If he fights, game over for Hades. So Hades hatches a plot to poison Hercules and make him mortal. Hades’ minions give Hercules the potion, but fail to give him every last drop, making him mortal but leaving him with super strength. Hercules is found by an old couple who were unable to have children. The couple see him as a gift from the gods and raise him.

Fast forward through the years and Hercules is a teenager. He doesn’t have very many friends and people don’t really like him as he doesn’t know how to control his strength and causes a lot of damage, all on accident. After a truly horrible mishap, Hercules’ parents tell him the truth about how they found him. Hercules travels to Zeus’ Temple in order to ask for guidance and discovers that Zeus is his father! Zeus tells him that he was stolen as a child, made mortal, and cannot return to Olympus until he becomes a “true hero”. Zeus sends him to Philoctetes, a satyr, to train him.

Hercules spends a long time training on Philoctetes’ island. As they are heading to Thebes, to put his training to good use, they make a stop to help out a damsel, Megra or Meg. Meg doesn’t want his help as she feels she isn’t really a damsel in distress.

But Hercules helps her out anyway. After he leaves, we discover that Meg is working with Hades. When Hades finds out that Hercules is alive he makes it his mission to send every kind of creature he can to him in order to utterly destroy Hercules.

After Hades runs out of creatures and as the time is getting close, he decides to try something new. He promises to free Meg from her contract with him, IF she can discover Hercules’ weakness. So Meg goes out with Hercules. Through their time together she discovers that she is starting to have feelings for him, after she said she would never love again.

Hades figures out that Hercules feels the same way about Meg and uses it to his advantage. Hades chains Meg up in order to get Hercules to agree to give up his strength for 24 hours, all the time Hades needs to take over Olympus. Now it’s up to Hercules to figure out how to get his powers back and help save the world.

********Most Romantic Moment********

For me the most romantic moment happens after Hercules has traded his powers. The trade was that as long as Meg is safe, Hercules is super strength free. So Hercules finds himself a mere man while the whole area is in peril from Titans. Hades especially sends a cyclops to ensure that Hercules is taken out. As Hercules trips the cyclops in order to destroy it, the cyclops accidentally knocks over some columns. As one is heading for him, Meg pushes him out of the way and gets hit with it; sacrificing herself for him and breaking his contract with Hades.

Perfect!

Now I know most people who have seen this movie would think that the scene when Hercules offers his life for Meg or refuses Olympus to be with Meg as more romantic, but I disagree. You see both of those actions were perfectly normal and ordinary for Hercules. He was a sweet and really nice guy. Everything he did, he always did for other people, hardly thinking of himself. That’s the type of person he is.

Now with Meg, her sacrifice is HUGE!!! First, we have to back up and tell her story. So she sold her soul to Hades in order to help her boyfriend. Now we don’t know exactly why, as the writers don’t go into it, but for her to sell her soul you know that her boyfriend has something really bad going down. Death, imprisonment, etc. Had to be some hardcore stuff.

So after she sells her soul to save him he dumps her for another woman!

I know what a jerk!

She SOLD HER SOUL!!!!

So after all that she decided she will never love again.

Afterwards she became sarcastic, cold-hearted, and uncaring. Set on doing her own thing, no matter what situation she gets into. She thinks that’s the end of the story. No more love and no more heart, but she’s wrong.

So meets Hercules and he is nothing like she has ever seen. At first she thinks it is all an act and doesn’t trust him, but after encountering him multiple times she starts to like him. And is actually pretty nice to him. She takes him out on Hades’ command and tries to get the dirt on him, but finds nothing. And by the end of it, if she had found out anything she  never would have told Hades anyway.

By the time she realizes the mistake she made, it’s too late. Hades has used her in his plot. Meg tries to warn Hercules, but is unable to. When Hades reveals how she worked for him, Meg knows that it’s over and she has no hope of changing any of it. She could just leave, she could just walk away, but she stays with him because she loves him and cares for him. She willingly lays down her life to save him knowing they had zero future, but doing it anyway because she loves and cares for him.

To start Romance is in the Air: Part III from the beginning, go to I Can See Your Beauty: The Breakfast Club (1985)

For the previous post, go to You Look Beautiful Just the Way You Are: How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)

For more on Hercules, go to Snakes on a Post: Chinese New Year

For more Disney, go to Short But Sweet: Up (2009)

For more of my favorite quotes, go to Shall We Dance?: What Happens in Vegas (2008)

For more on the All-American Rejects, go to I Don’t Wanna Be in Love (Dance Floor Anthem)

For more Boy Meets World, go to Simply Fantastic

For more Home Alone 2, go to 25 More Films of Christmas