Scatterbrain

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Wilson Phillips/Berlin

I HATE

At work, there are many cover versions of superior original songs played throughout the day. Here's "Go Your Own Way" originally by Fleetwood Mac, redone by Wilson Phillips. Like many of the songs I hear throughout the work day, I'm not sure who sings most of the songs I hear. This one came as a surprise because it was a group I had actually heard of. I think back in elementary school either myself or my sister had a Wilson Phillips tape or CD. They play a few of their songs at my present job and I've heard their songs probably all throughout my retail "career" (*shudders*). If you're not familiar with their singing, do yourself a favor and just skip to their parents music, Brian Wilson (father of Wendy and Carnie) of the Beach Boys and Michelle Phillips (mother of Chynna) of the Mamas And Papas.

MTV had a special, or a pilot that never launched called "The 25 Lamest Videos". It starred Denis Leary, Janeane Garafalo, Jon Stewart and Chris Kattan (the only funny thing I think he ever did). I have it taped off of TV, but unfortunately it's not available in it's entirety online. Number 23 on the countdown is Wilson Phillip's "Hold On" which is hilariously torn apart. I recall such lines "Prince Valiant haircut" referring to Chynna Phillips and Carnie Wilson after harshly being called "the fat chick" is said to also have the "best personality". Soo wrong. Speaking of Carnie, have you seen her on "Celebrity Wife Swap"? Her husband was such a jerk. If anybody should "go their own way", it should be her.

Fleetwood Mac's original version of "Go Your Own Way" (released in 1977) is bitingly cruel but ended up being a huge hit song for them. The group consisted of two on again off again couples and a weird drummer. This particular song is about guitarist Lindsay Buckingham and backing vocalist Stevie Nicks' deteriorating relationship. I mean the whole time he's telling her "YOU CAN GO YOUR OWN WAY" or really, "get the fu** outta here!". It's a pretty mean song despite it's upbeat sound. BUT, this is a blog about work songs, so I'm stuck with the neutered Wilson Phillips version which has about as much energy as a coma. It's almost as if they have no clue what they're even singing about. It's devoid of emotion and any sort of understanding of the lyrics. I find this true among many newer artists; it's all vocal acrobatics and absolutely no sense of what they're singing about. It's soulless and meaningless.

Courtesy of http://www.azlyrics.com

"Go Your Own Way"

Loving you

Isn't the right thing to do

How can I ever change things that I feel?

If I could

Baby I'd give you my world

How can I

When you won't take it from me?

You can go your own way

Go your own way

You can call it another lonely day

You can go your own way

Go your own way

Tell me why

Everything turned around

Packing up

Shacking up's all you wanna do

If I could

Baby I'd give you my world

Open up

Everything's waiting for you

You can go your own way

Go your own way

You can call it another lonely day

You can go your own way

Go your own way

I LIKE

"Take My Breath Away" (1986) by Berlin isn't played too often at work, but I get pretty excited when I hear it, saying "yes!" to myself. I like Berlin, although I only have their first record ("Pleasure Victim") with "The Metro", "Sex (I'm A..), etc. This song was written by soundtrack great, Giorgio Moroder and also Tom Whitlock which was used in the film "Top Gun". It even won an Oscar for Best Song that year. My husband Jeffrey and I while traveling across California stopped at some landmark from that film in San Diego. Apparently this song caused a rift in Berlin because it wasn't written by band songwriter, John Crawford and shortly after they split up.

"Take My Breath Away"

Watching every motion

In my foolish lover's game

On this endless ocean

Finally lovers know no shame

Turning and returning

To some secret place inside

Watching in slow motion

As you turn around and say

Take my breath away

Watching I keep waiting

Still anticipating love

Never hesitating

To become the fated ones

Turning and returning

To some secret place to find

Watching in slow motion

As you turn to me and say

My love

Take my breath away

Through the hourglass I saw you

In time you slipped away

When the mirror crashed I called you

And turned to hear you say

If only for today

I am unafraid

Take my breath away

Watching every motion

In this foolish lover's game

Haunted by the notion

Somewhere there's a love in flames

Turning and returning

To some secret place inside

Watching in slow motion

As you turn my way and say

Take my breath away

The Blender Survey

A few days ago, I received an email from SiriusXM to participate in their periodic, "Music Blender Survey." What's that you say? Well, it's a survey that this particular station (which is the station they play at my job), where you can supposedly help "pick the music". They "want to know what you think of the music". I managed to figure out how to sign up for this ability to attempt at picking better music which at the time seemed a bit challenging. I recall on the main website being a slew of strange demographic type questions and an activation code that didn't seem to exist. I think they've made it easier since then. By following this link (which is from Facebook), you might be able to take the quiz.

Basically what the survey consists of are song samples and choices as to what your opinion of them are. I took a bunch of screen shots to show examples of this.

This goes one for all these songs:

Best Day Of My Life - American Authors
Roar - Katy Perry
Uptown Funk - Bruno Mars
Story Of My Life - One Direction
I'm Not The Only One - Sam Smith
Let Her Go - Passenger
Rude - Magic
Just Give Me A Reason - Pink + Nate Ruess (see post 1)
Brave - Sarah Bareilles
Superheroes - The Script
Headphones - Matt Nathanson
All About That Bass - Meghan Trainor
Come To Me - Goo Goo Dolls
Counting Stars - One Republic
Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran
Try - Colbie Caillat
Angel In Blue Jeans - Train
Maps - Maroon 5
Stay With Me - Sam Smith
Daylight - Maroon 5
Jealous - Nick Jonas
Carry On - Fun.
Me And My Broken Heart - Rixton
Drive By - Train
The First - Villains
Demons - Imagine Dragons
Bartenders - Lady Antebellum
All Of Me - John Legend
Try - Pink
I Won't Give Up - Jason Mraz
Cool Kids - Echosmith
True Love - Pink
Say Something - A Great Big World
Am I Wrong - Nico And Vinz
Shake It Off - Taylor Swift
A Sky Full Of Stars - Coldplay
Night Changes - One Direction
I Choose You - Sara Bareilles

With the exception of just a couple, these are the songs that are repeated over throughout one of my 8 hours work days. Over time, I've noticed very little changes to the songs that they pick for this survey. Although, this past one did have a couple of newer ones, but still consisted of a few pesky songs that for some reason will not go away. Is this modern day payola? Are these songs' companies, labels, etc paying for these songs to be aired constantly? It just doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense. Do that many people actually like these terrible songs? Well, there's no accounting for taste among the general public. Even in this day and age where your own personal choices are so much more in reach than ever. You can listen past the radio format to find bands that you may have never heard otherwise. When I was younger, I had my older brother's interests to take as an influence on my own likes and dislikes when it came to music, movies etc. We listened to college radio, had pen pals mixtapes, independent magazines, etc. The internet just makes so much of the legwork in this almost nonexistent and much more accessible. So because of this, it boggles my mind as to why people still buy into garbage music such as what they play on "The Blend". BUT, there are a few folks out there who have a similar opinion to mine as to redundancy of this station.

"The Blend"'s poor Facebook sap sometimes chimes in on the comments:

While others make some interesting songs requests:

Also in the survey, there are a few "fill in the blank" type questions. Here are some of my answers:

In conclusion, I'm pretty certain the "become a music blender" program doesn't really change a whole lot. If you want to sign up for it, this is the link from their main website. If that doesn't work, try the Facebook one towards the top of this post.

Lady Gaga

"I HATE"

I had no idea this was Lady Gaga (AKA Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta) until I looked it up. It's hard to discern every detail in a song when broadcast from the ceiling, high up, especially when you're as short as I am. This always sounded like either a lost song by Swedish pop group, Ace Of Base or just someone heavily influenced by them. Incidentally, the co-author of this song, RedOne is also from Sweden so there's that connection. I think I had an Ace Of Base "cassingle" when I was in elementary school. Maybe "The Sign"?

I love that episode of "Full House" when Stephanie forms a band called Girl Talk and they horribly cover "The Sign". Their musicianship is awful because they spend all their time getting their outfits just right instead of actually practicing. haha.

Lady Gaga is a hot topic at the moment, although I think it's water cooler appeal has worn off since it's been over a week since the Oscars. She sang a medley of "Sound Of Music" songs and everyone was "blown away" by her vocal abilities, tattoos and all.

I swear people are blindsided by the stupidest things, such as tattoos which are hugely popular. She definitely can sing, which is great to see in mainstream pop artists of now which seem to be all charade, auto-tune and no talent. "Alejandro" grates on my nerves, actually I think all of Gaga's music is just not something I'd be interested in (to put it kindly). She parades around in the strangest outfits which is great. I think she's more artistic spectacle than anything.

Meat anyone?

I find this true among many pop stars of today; they're alright if put them on "mute". Many are great eye candy where crazy outfits are concerned. This is also true of extremely irritating Katy Perry. I'd defintely take Gaga over Perry any day though. I think Gaga would be a blast to hang out with, while Katy seems like a stick in the mud. Funny enough, an indirect critisim of the "Alejandro" video was made by Perry saying, “Using blasphemy as entertainment is as cheap as a comedian telling a fart joke,”. Surrree, whatever Katy.

Lastly, let's mention that elephant in the room; the music video. It clocks in at over 8 minutes long, yet I think the song is maybe 4-6 minutes long. I've never seen the film, "The Night Porter", but somehow I'm guessing if it had the gloss over pop treatment it might look something like this.

There's an oddball mix of nazis, sex and religion, with Gaga and her barely dressed dudes in tow. Remember the Spice Girls video, "Say You'll Be There"? That was based on "Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill!".

Also, almost forgot to mention, did you know that some clothing fixtures are shaped like swastikas? If look at a diagram of what they call a "four way" or a "quad", which is a four armed clothing rack, you can see it's nazi symbol resemblance looking at them from above.

Lyrics to "Alejando"

Courtesy of AZLyrics.com

"Alejandro"

I know that we are young

And I know that you may love me

But I just can't be with you like this anymore

Alejandro

She's got both hands

In her pocket

And she won't look at you (won't look at you)

She hides true love

En su bolsillo

She's got a halo around her finger

Around you

You know that I love you boy

Hot like Mexico

Rejoice

At this point I've gotta choose

Nothing to lose

Don't call my name

Alejandro

I'm not your babe

Fernando

Don't wanna kiss

Don't wanna touch

Just smoke my cigarette, hush

Don't call my name

Roberto

Alejandro

Ale-Alejandro

Stop

Please, just let me go

Alejandro

Just let me go

She's not broken

She's just a baby

But her boyfriend's like her dad

Just like a dad

And all those flames that

Burned before him

Now he's gotta firefight

Gotta cool the bad

You know that I love you boy

Hot like Mexico

Rejoice

At this point I've gotta choose

Nothing to lose

Don't call my name

Alejandro

I'm not your babe

Fernando

Don't wanna kiss

Don't wanna touch

Just smoke my cigarette, hush

Don't call my name

Roberto

Alejandro

Ale-Alejandro

Don't bother me

Al-e-jan-dro

Don't call my name

Bye Fernando

I'm not your babe

Alejandro

Don't wanna kiss

Don't wanna touch

Fernando

Don't call my name

Alejandro

I'm not your babe

Fernando

Don't wanna kiss

Don't wanna touch

Just smoke my cigarette, hush

Don't call my name

Roberto

[2x]

Alejandro

Ale-Alejandro

[Simultaneously - 2x]

Don't call my name Alejandro

Alejandro

I'm not your babe Ale-Alejandro

Fernando

Don't wanna kiss Alejandro

Don't wanna touch Alejandro

Just smoke my cigarette and hush

Don't call my name Ale-Alejandro

Roberto

Alejandro

Ale-Alejandro

[Simultaneously]

Don't call my name Alejandro

Alejandro

I'm not your babe Ale-Alejandro

Fernando

Don't wanna kiss Alejandro

Don't wanna touch Alejandro

Just smoke my cigarette and hush

Don't call my name Ale-Alejandro

Roberto

[6x]

Alejandro

Ale-Alejandro

[Simultaneously]

Don't call my name Alejandro

Alejandro

I'm not your babe Ale-Alejandro

Fernando

Don't wanna kiss Alejandro

Don't wanna touch Alejandro

Just smoke my cigarette and hush

Don't call my name Ale-Alejandro

Roberto

Alejandro

Friday, July 8, 2016

TV Pictures - No One Would Tell

"Pushing My Buttons" - Breaking Away

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 7/30/11, 10:03 AM
Pushing My Buttons

"Breaking Away" has been one of my favorite movies since middle school. It's very real and believable. I had a crush on Jackie Earle Haley for years after seeing him portray "Moocher". Apparently he reprised the role on the tv series version of the movie which I've never seen.

I'm selling this button on eBay for the time being. If you are interested in it, send me a message. Hopefully soon we're going to be adding my buttons to our online store called Kick Bright Zine Shop.

I've been making buttons since 2002 and have been collecting a little before that. I just wanted to display my favorite bands and movies without having to wear a print shirt. I definitely don't have anything against those, I just have so few that fit me well. I've never been a big basic t-shirt fan.

This blog will be about my making, collecting and selling of buttons.

I already have another blog here called "Netflix Retrieving Screen". Check it out!

"Re-Scorn: The Re-scoring Of Television and Films" testing the waters/The Wonder Years

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 9/24/14, 10:51 AM Pacific Daylight Time

I don't know if there's already a site dedicated to this sort of thing. There's whosampled.com which traces the millions of songs that have appeared in other songs, sampled. That's a great website, but I haven't noticed one yet that examined the soundtracks of film and television in their original glory and sometimes bizarre re-scoring.

What is re-scoring? It's when the original score or music is replaced in a tv show or film due to money and music rights issues, among many other reasons. It can really damage a mood that was originally intended by the filmmakers.

For example, upon watching TV, there's a repeating infomercial for the long awaited "The Wonder Years" series. I've heard that it was released overseas, but not here in America where it was made. The music rights have held it back because there is a massive soundtrack of 1960s songs that they may not have written in a contract considering the DVD releases, or even possibly syndication. The thing is, you don't know how a show will turn out, if it'll succeed or not, so these details aren't always worked out, especially with older series and films. That's my guess anyway, I'm not an expert, just a nerd that notices this stuff. haha.

Sometime last year, with much excitement, "The Wonder Years" was available to watch on Netflix instant streaming. Upon watching it, you can immediately tell that not all the music rights were worked out and thus the show was re-scored with different, pale imitations of the original songs, or replaced with stock music. Like a punch in the face, the opening theme, originally Joe Cocker's cover of The Beatles' "With A Little Help From My Friends" is covered by someone else. Really poorly I might add. I also recall hearing something that was supposed to resemble "Blackbird" by The Beatles, but just sounded like someone mumbling it and trailing off. haha.

I couldn't seem to get the YouTube link to work here for the re-scored cover of the theme (which is also the overseas version I've read), so click HERE!

This is a paragraph from Wikipedia about the soundtrack:

Home video releases[edit]

For many years, The Wonder Years remained unreleased on DVD as official season box sets, allegedly due to music licensing issues.^[33] Because of this issue, The Wonder Years routinely appeared high on the list of TV shows in-demand for a DVD release.^[34]^[35]^[36] Some episodes of the series were included in two official "best-of" DVD sets (The Best of The Wonder Years and The Christmas Wonder Years) without the original music.^[35]^[37] Anchor Bay also released two volumes (four episodes total) on VHS in 1997.^[38]

In a blog update on the Netflix website on March 30, 2011,^[39] and a press release issued the next day,^[40] Netflix stated that they would be addingThe Wonder Years to their instant streaming service. The other three 20th Century Fox series noted as part of the deal were added to the Watch Instantly service by April 2,^[41]^[42]^[43] while The Wonder Years remained unavailable. On October 1, 2011,^[44] 114 full-length episodes of the series were added to Netflix streaming. The clip show from the end of Season 4, which was released on DVD, has not been included.^[45]

On September 26, 2011, it was announced that Amazon Prime's streaming video service would be adding The Wonder Years, describing the series as "available on digital video for the first time",^[46] although Netflix added the series ahead of Amazon's release. All 115 episodes (including the clip show) became available to Prime members starting October 6, 2011.^[47]

On both digital streaming services, portions of the soundtrack have been replaced. The show's opening theme, Joe Cocker's rendition of The Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends," has been replaced on Netflix^[48] and Amazon with the version of the song that played in the UK and other overseas airings. The majority of the show's soundtrack remains unchanged. Songs such as "Light My Fire" by The Doors and "Foxy Lady" by Jimi Hendrix have been replaced by generic sound-alikes with different lyrics.

On February 11, 2014, StarVista/Time-Life announced the upcoming DVD release of the complete series in the second half of the year, noting that they were "painstakingly securing the rights for virtually every song."^[49] On June 11, packaging details for complete set were revealed. The packaging will consist of a miniature school locker featuring a replica yearbook with signatures from cast members, behind-the-scenes photos and classic show memorabilia. Also included are two notebooks similar to those carried by the two lead characters, each featuring detailed episode information, production photos, all 115 episodes plus over 15 hours of bonus features on 26 DVDs. Customized Wonder Years magnets will also be included. October 10th 2014 was the given release date.^[50]

On October 7, 2014, Star Vista will release season 1 on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.^[51]

Here's an entry from Soundtrackseries.com about "The Wonder Years"

Even Winnie Cooper actress Danica McKellar sounded off about the soundtrack rights on her Facebook page.

"Netflix Retrieving Screen" - Intervention

Originally Published: TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2011

This is the first entry in the possibly one the silliest ideas for a "One-Note" type of blog: The dreaded "Netflix Retrieving Screen". In case you're not sure what I'm referring to, this is what occurs when combining slow internet and a Netflix subscription with Instant Streaming on a Nintendo Wii. I do not have cable TV so this is where the majority of my TV watching stems from (besides various DVDs and VHS tapes). While watching one of the many choices through this great function, a show can stall out since it is running on a Wireless Internet connection, thus the "Retrieving" screen shows up. We sometimes refer to these as "commercials". ha.

Anyway, the point is, this blog is a reaction to those minor annoyances and a story that I read about an art exhibit found here. Although the Google Street views are more voyeuristic in nature, it made me question what art really is, but that's an almost rhetorical question since there's no answer. Art can be ridiculous and a game just like everything else. There's the good, bad, popular, unpopular and of course with friends in higher places (the most irritating of all). haha. But of course, there's its great freedom of self-expression, lack of parameters and ultimately open-mindedness.

In conclusion, this blog is mostly just screenshots taken by either my crappy digital camera or camera on my "Free" LG Shine cell phone. Yippee. Oh yeah, and probably the occasional commentary. Enjoy!