Knitting the Blues

Ten on TuesdayAcademy Award Version

I don't know. Ten Thoughts on This Year's Oscar Show. I didn't see a single movie this year and while I watched some of the ceremony I was largely underwhelmed by the whole thing. BUT! You know if there is music involved I can find something to like about it.

Ten of my favorite Academy Award winning songs. Or nominated. Or the ones that I could find YouTube videos to post....

1. Great song for a Working Girl....
    
   
   Let The River Run
2. I was unrecognizeable to myself....
   
    
   
   Streets of Philadelphia
3. Or blow me a kiss! And that's lucky, too!
   
    
   
   Chim Chim Cheree.
4. When I was just a little girl
   I asked my mother what will I be
   Will I be pretty will I be rich
   Here's what she said to me
   
    
   
   Que Sera Sera. This was one of my FAVORITE songs when I was little.
5. Love... Look at the two of us..
   
    
   
   For All We Know. This is not the version from the movie, but the more well known version by the Carpenters. I LOVED The Carpenters.
   These last two have similar themes.
6. Not "Welcome to Fantasy Island!"
   
    
   
   I do love this song, it has been done so well by a few artists. Watch to the end, the roles get reversed, it's kinda cute.
7. I know, I KNOW! Predictable, but I only like it when I see the dance sequence...
   
    
   
   I've Had The Time Of My Life.
8. This one? Just because wouldn't every girl want to have someone sing to them just like this...
   
    
   
   I'm Easy
9. ...hear my heart burst again...
   
    
   
   Skyfall
10. For one so small, you seem so strong....
    
     
    
    You'll Be In My Heart. This was, up until two days ago, my song with Erin. She let me know that it wasn't, for her own reasons, that for her and she thought it was hysterical that I called her every time I heard it. I'll have to come up with a new song now....
11. Maybe this song can be the new Erin song!
    
     
    
    We Belong Together
12. Or maybe this one!
    
     
    
    If I Didn't Have You
13. While it isn't an award winner, maybe it should be this one, since 1. I'm on a Randy Newman kick and 2. well.... it should be obvious.
    
     
    
    Ahahahahaha! Just kidding!

Fourteen. This list does not even come close and doesn't even cover the songs that I thought should have won and didn't. Maybe that can be a list. Or maybe I'll just make one later this week....

I was going to spare you this one, but I really love it.

 

Ten On TuesdayThe I Feel Edition

Except, maaaaaaybe I couldn't stop at Ten. I may have a problem. Ten on Tuesday brought to us by Carole Knits.

1. I Feel Good!
    
   
   I knew that I would...
2. I Feel A Sin Coming On
    
   
   I got a buzz in my brain....(nothing out of the normal there....)
3. I Feel Love
    
   
   Oooooooh, it's so good, it's so good, it's so good, it's so good, it's SOOO good...
4. Man! I feel like a woman
    
   
   Best thing about being a woman is the perogative to have a little fun and...uh uh oh!
5. Lord Almighty, I Feel My Temperature Rising...
    
   
   A hunk-a hunk-a Burning Love
6. I Feel Your Spirit
    
   
   Time to rein in all the naughty of the beginning of my list.....
7. I Feel Lucky
    
   
   The stars are stacked against you girl, go back to bed!
8. I Feel Pretty
    
   What Mirror, where!?
   
   
   
9. I Feel Fine
    
   
   There's Something in the Way She Moves.....
10. I Feel It In My Fingers, I Feel It In My Toes
     
    
    Love Is All Around Me, and so the feeling grows....
11. I Feel Fine (the Beatles Feel Fine, too)
     
    
    I'm so glad that she's my little girl.....
12. I Feel the Earth Move
     
    
    Ooooh Baby, when I see your face, mellow as the month of May....
13. I Feel Fantastic!
     
    
    All I know is work is easy when you don't stress out about deadlines
    All I know is I take my medicine I always take my medicine
14. I Feel Pretty-Bonus
     
15. I Feel It In My Fingers.... (another bonus courtesy of Billy Mack)
    WARNING! LANGUAGE!! (It is Billy Mack)
     
    
    Solid Gold Sh*t.

Thirteen. Alright, ANOTHER Bonus. I feel Dizzzzaaaay!
 

And this, I mean. These boys must have a great sense of humor....
 

Easy Like Sunday MorningChris Botti

2012. Spending the day with wool, tea and lame made for tv Christmas movies. Merry, merry!

Nearly Wordless Wednesday.Dave Brubeck December 6, 1920-December 5, 2012

The jazz world lost a legend today, but I hope that in heaven there will be a wonderful jam and that among the audience will be my Dad, a huge fan and jazz enthusiast.

2012. Brubeck's Christmas Album is on my iPhone, it is a good one. Check it out.

Ten On TuesdayChristmas Albums!

I will never have enough, and can't narrow it down to ten favorites, but I'll put up the ones that have been getting early play.

You'd better listen to every.single.track! that I have included here. My lame and limping laptop won't play any youtube videos, which doesn't matter anyway because the sound went with the keyboard. I spent much time between iTunes (which I can't hear and kept crashing), my iPod (which is so small that I couldn't see anything and doesn't show all the info fast enough-scroll, scroll, scroll), my iPhone, Pete's iPad (where I would search for the video so that I could hear it) and my laptop (where I would search again so that I could cut and paste the code into my post) that if you all just skim this post and not listen to anything it will have been all a waste. So you WILL! LISTEN!

I really did try to keep it entertaining and left off some of my real faves in case they drive some of you crazy. You know, The Ray Conniff Singers (I LOVE THEM) and Johnny Mathis and one of my very favorites, Bing Crosby White Christmas. All throw backs to childhood Christmases that really bring the spirit in. I spared you those. (I know you really like them, though, deep down. Where it counts.)

1. The Manhattan Transfer The Christmas Album. My favorite. Hands down. This video is a pretty good sampling of the entire album. You'll want it after you listen.
   
2. How the Grinch Stole Christmas movie soundtrack. This song is one of my favorites (ignore the really lame video).
   
3. Eddie Higgins Trio. This is from Christmas Songs II, which I love equally as well as the first album.
   
4. The Ramsey Lewis Trio Sounds of Christmas. We wore the grooves out on this one, it was played often in our home when I was a wee child.
   
   
   
5. Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful Christmas.
   
6. Jane Monheit The Season.
   
7. Ella Wishes You A Swingin' Christmas. This is one of my favorite versions of this song and BONUS on the Rod Stewart album, they duet on this one. FABulous!


8. Yo-Yo Ma Songs of Joy and Peace. This one always makes my favorites list. This song is on my 'holiday running playlist". Yes. I have one of those.


So is this next song, but only if I want to run a lot faster. If you only listen to one song on this list, make it this one. You'll see why it makes a great running list tune.

9. Appalachian Christmas, Mark O'Connor and more.
   
   
10. A Winter's Solstice V. This is one of my absolute favorites for Christmas Eve or any quiet night leading up to Christmas.
    

2012. This doesn't even include any classical, like Rene Fleming's album or Rutter. I have so many Christmas albums. So! Many! Listen early, listen often is my motto starting Thanksgiving day.

Easy Like Sunday MorningRod Stewart Does Christmas

Rod Stewart's Merry Christmas, Baby is the first new holiday album to land on my iPod this season, and I'll have to admit, I was very skeptical when I purchased it. But, I got it for a song (no pun intended, but it works anyway, doesn't it?) so I figured it was worth a listen. I put it on yesterday while Pete and I were hanging out at home and I love it! LOVE it. There are collaborations with fabulous artists and Stewart's voice just seems all velvety and warm and filled me with holiday spirit.

2012. And that jacket? SWOON!

Easy Like Sunday MorningEddie Higgins TrioYes, it is Christmas MusicTake It Or Leave It

The great thing about Pandora is that I am introduced to so many artists that I might not be anywhere else in my life, the bad thing is I find a gem and need to get everything ever recorded by said gem. This was the case a few years ago when the Eddie Higgins Trio version of Sleigh Ride popped up. I immediately ordered that album and found there was another Christmas album recorded by them, but it was only available from Asian distributors. I managed to get it from one of them on ebay. They are amond my favorite holiday albums and I have a long Christmas season to listen to them!

Unfortunately Sleigh Ride doesn't appear to be available on YouTube. This is well worth listening to instead!

 

2012. Thirty. I KNOW! I'm a couple, few, some days behind on NaBloPoMo! My plan is to make it up by the end of the week and date the posts accordingly. It could happen....

Easy Like Sunday MorningAlison KraussOr Music to Loll Around To

You're welcome, Carole!

2012. Twenty. Go PATS!!

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Whoever came up with that phrase didn't live in a Catholic church-going home. The only easy Sundays we had occurred if we attended Saturday evening mass the day before. And then came home to hotdogs and baked beans. My mother did this thing with hotdogs that is so disgusting, but my mouth waters everytime I think of it. She would heat the hotdog (I suppose she did that first, but maybe not), slice it down the middle and fill it with Velveeta, then put it in a roll and pop it in the oven so the roll would toast a little and the cheese would melt all over it.

Anyway, there I go straight off the topic of Sunday morning being easy. I think we strive to make our Sundays easy when we can and we all have music we like to add to it. Mine is varied, but today, since I couldn't find the song by this group I wanted to share, I'll share this one.

 

 

While searching I found this video. I love this song.

 

 

This was the song I was looking for, but by New York Voices. Either way, I have fond memories of this song as a kid.

 

2012. Thirteen. I can dig it, dig it, dig it, you can dig it, dig it, we can dig it, dig it, dig it! Oh let's dig it! Can you dig it, baby!?

A Random Wednesday With More Than It's Fair Share of MusicDay Thirty-seven

Some random thoughts that came to me over the day. Or days. Or this minute. Some with explanation, some not.

Actually, there may only be a thought or two.

• Nineteen is old enough to know better.
• Are people driving like crazed monsters lately?
• I'm not even a slow driver, but if one more person tried to get intimate with my back side with his or her car I may have to take drastic action.
• Then there are the people who cross the street in the dark, while it is raining, without looking, in heavy traffic.
• Sorry, if you get hit I will feel badly for you, but still think you might have gotten what you deserved.
• And this was in the middle of a block that actually had a street light about 50 yards away.
• I didn't see this guy until I was right on top of him.
• No, I didn't hit him.
• It did cross my mind.
• I just occurred to me that this post might be used against me if I accidentally do hit someone.
• I promise, it will be an accident.
• I hope, anyway.
• And you know what really bugs me?
• People in big cars, SUVs, trucks.
• Say you are in a sedan and you are taking a right hand turn onto a road. You pull up to the intersection and have to wait, but in the meantime a big, honking vehicle pulls on your left intending to go straight across or make a left turn. Well. Now you can't see a single thing, and they aren't going anywhere because there is plenty of traffic in the far lane preventing them from turning, but you aren't going anywhere either because even though no traffic seems to be going in the right hand direction, you can't see and won't dare pull out.
• I used to have van and I tried to be aware of that and let the person making that right see and then pull up.
• Driving is stressful.
• I rarely check my blog stats.
• I did earlier this week and saw that I had more hits than usual and found that Margene had linked to me in her post.
• I checked again today and someone must have linked to me again yesterday because I had a BUNCH more hits and I was too late to check my browsing history to find out who it was.
• Was it you?
• I get really irritated when I see an ad for some gorgeously dyed fiber or yarn or ravelry and race to click over to etsy.com or wherever that click takes me only to find out that there is nothing there to buy.
• Then I get really happy that there was nothing there for me to buy.
• Whew!
• Mostly I am irritated, though.
• Back to those hits to my blog.
• No comments.
• Just wondering......
• That's okay, I hardly ever comment on a blog anymore.
• Not that I don't have plenty to say, but if you could see how I type.
• How POORLY I type.
• You might wonder why I write a blog where I have to type.
• I wonder, too.
• I love Mark O'Connor.
• The other day as I was removing music from my iPod to make room for Christmas music I felt sad to temporarily delete his and wondered why he didn't have a Christmas album.
• I've seen him in a small venue acoustic concert and he was fabulous.
• I have this album.
• And this one.
• They are both available to listen to on Spotify.
• This one is not.
• I KNOW IT!!!
• I just discovered it tonight and
• I don't have it.
• Yet.
• It might just make a great birthday present to myself.
• Here is a sample for your enjoyment.
• I love Alison Krauss, too.
• And I love when a new Christmas album mixes traditional Christmas music with not-so-traditional songs.

James Taylor!!!

Here is a Christmasy song from the album with Jane Monheit.

2011. Sixty. $2.41. I have a lot of thoughts. And there are a lot of numbers in my posts. AND! I start sentences with the word and. AND! I know that is a no-no, but I'll be I keep doing it. AND, I probably should have saved some of the music sharing for different days, but I'll bet I can find plenty more.

Ten On Tuesday

I thought this would be fun.  Seems like we've done something like this in the past, but no contest or anything, just for fun.

Ten random lyrics from ten random songs that I heard today while "scanning" on the radio.

1. I knew just what I would do, when I heard your song.
2. Some people
   It's a pity
   They go all their lives and never know
   How to love or to let love go
   But it's alright now
   We'll make it through this somehow
3. And though it's a part of the Lone Star State, people don't seem to care,
   They just keep on lookin' to the East 
4. I'm quiet you know
   You make a first impression
   I've found I'm scared to know
   I'm always on your mind
5. Be yourself and stand your ground, Don't let anybody turn you 'round.
6. Well I had myself a dream the other night, when everything was still.   I dreamed that I saw my girl Suzanne, she was coming around the hill.
7. Dream of better lives, the kind which never hates.  Trapped in the state of imaginary grace.
8. Remember what we've said and done and felt
   About each other
   Oh babe, have mercy
   Don't let the past remind us of what we are not now
   I am not dreaming
9. I can't find, oh the right romantic line
   But see me once and see the way I feel
   Don't discard me just because you think I mean you harm
   But these cuts I have they need love to help them heal
10. Didn't I make  you feel, like you were the only one,
    An' didn't I give you nearly everything that a woman possibly can ?
    Honey, you know I did!
    And each time I tell myself that I, well I think I've had enough,
    But I'm gonna show you, baby, that a woman can be tough.

2010.  Eighteen.  In two+ hours of driving and scanning, I heard a lot of songs.  Do you know how hard it was to come up with any of them, much less TEN!  I kept thinking, "Oh yeah!  I'll definitely remember THAT one."  Right.

YouTube Saturday

This is from my favorite Thanksgiving themed album.  Oh, alright.  As of this posting it is my only Thanksgiving album, but I'll likely get another, I haven't had a new one in years.  This is what plays during our celebration.  Maybe I'll share a selection as the week goes on.

This is also on the recording:

And you know how YouTube is, I got sucked into a linking coma, but this was good. Only sound and a black screen though. With a nice orange border, though. See? I dressed it up for you!

One hundred twenty. Or day TWENTY-ONE! This is awfully mellow of me.  That's why I had to let it pick up a little at the end.  Nothing like some good fiddle playin' to get the blood flowing.