Showing posts with label Nina Simone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nina Simone. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 03, 2026

Emma's favourite songs, 2026.

Hi readers! I know, it’s been an embarrassingly long time since I last blogged. I was hoping that I’d have more time to spare, following qualification, to work on my blog. But in reality, being a qualified actuary just meant an increase in responsibility at work, so the time that I'd previously spent studying for FIA exams, was instead swallowed up with longer working hours, meaning that my poor blog got neglected.

I'm currently on maternity leave, and for the first time in forever, I've found a tiny sliver of time to myself. In between feeding and changing my newborn bubba (who is all kinds of adorable!), I now have a bit of spare time to turn back to my favourite creative outlet: writing.

To kick off my foray back into blogging, I bring you, my 100 favourite songs list! Whether it contains some genius wordplay or sensational vocal performance, was employed to iconic effect in a film or TV scene, it being one that I love singing at karaoke, or it hitting some emotional beats that really speak to me, each of these songs carries a special place in my heart.


Thursday, June 30, 2016

Emma's Favourite Songs, 2016.

Influences: Taylor Swift breakup songs, Quentin Tarantino movies, songs covered in Glee, tracks frequently used in Sky Sports football montages and basically anything I can turn my swag on conduct terrible karaoke to.



1. Homecoming (Kanye West ft. Chris Martin)
2. Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield)
3. Alison (Elvis Costello)
4. What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction)
5. Rocky Raccoon (The Beatles)
6. Hallelujah (Rufus Wainwright)
7. Sinnerman (Nina Simone)
8. I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor Swift)
9. Sexy! No No No… (Girls Aloud)
10. Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie (Joanna Newsom)
11. Off to the Races (Lana del Rey)
12. Fancy (Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX)
13. November Has Come (Gorillaz)
14. Samson (Regina Spektor)
15. Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits)
16. Stuck in the Middle with You (Stealers Wheel)
17. Run this Town (Rihanna, Jay-Z and Kanye West)
18. Power (Kanye West)
19. Untouchable (Girls Aloud)
20. This is What Makes Us Girls (Lana del Rey)
21. Paper Planes (M.I.A.)
22. Talk Show Host (Radiohead)
23. Lullaby (Dixie Chicks)
24. All These Things that I've Done (The Killers)
25. Angie Baby (Helen Reddy)

26. 22 (Taylor Swift)
27. Wild Boys (Duran Duran)
28. Love the Way You Lie Part II (Rihanna ft. Eminem)
29. Head over Heels (Tears for Fears)
30. Boys Don't Cry (The Cure)
31. Problem (Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea)
32. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy (Queen)
33. We Are Never Getting Back Together (Taylor Swift)
34. Glory Box (Portishead)
35. Empire State of Mind: Broken Down (Alicia Keys)
36. How Do You Like Me Now? (The Heavy)
37. 2am (The Saturdays)
38. Adia (Sarah McLachlan)
39. Tiny Dancer (Elton John)
40. Baba O'Riley (The Who)
41. Wildwood Flower (June Carter Cash)
42. The Loving Kind (Girls Aloud)
43. California Dreamin' (The Mamas and the Papas)
44. Cat People (Putting Out Fire) (David Bowie)
45. Chelsea Dagger (The Fratellis)
46. My Father's Gun (Elton John)
47. What I Go to School for (Busted)
48. Bang Bang (Jessie J ft. Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj)
49. When She Loved Me (Sarah McLachlan)
50. Royals (Lorde)

51. Cell Block Tango (Chicago OST)
52. Hey Jude (The Beatles)
53. Brandy Alexander (Feist)
54. Don't Stop Believin' (Journey)
55. Defying Gravity (Idina Menzel)
56. SueƱos (Diego Torres)
57. Love Affair (Regina Spektor)
58. Video Games (Lana del Rey)
59. I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea (Elvis Costello)
60. Dragon Queen (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
61. Under Pressure (Queen ft. David Bowie)
62. Brown Eyes (Lady Gaga)
63. See You Again (Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth)
64. It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference (Todd Rundgren)
65. Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
66. Underneath Your Clothes (Shakira)
67. Blank Space (Taylor Swift)
68. Travelin' Soldier (Dixie Chicks)
69. Numb Encore (Jay Z ft. Linkin Park)
70. Lovely Head (Goldfrapp)
71. Bad Girls (M.I.A.)
72. Fucking Problems (A$AP Rocky ft. 2 Chainz, Drake & Kendrick Lamar)
73. I Wish I Knew How it Feels to Be Free (Nina Simone)
74. Shout (Tears for Fears)
75. Good For You (Selena Gomez ft. A$AP Rocky)

76. She (Elvis Costello)
77. Vincent (Don McLean)
78. As Long as You Love Me (Justin Bieber ft. Big Sean)
79. Golden Slumbers (K.D. Lang)
80. Lullaby (The Cure)
81. Picture to Burn (Taylor Swift)
82. All Along the Watchtower (Devlin ft. Ed Sheeran)
83. Ay Vamos (J. Balvin)
84. Waka Waka (Shakira)
85. Pennies in my Pocket (Emilio Estefan)
86. Wonderwall (Oasis)
87. Airplanes part 2 (B.o.B, Hayley Williams & Eminem)
88. The River (Joni Mitchell)
89. Hey Mama (Kanye West)
90. 6 Inch (Beyonce ft. The Weeknd)
91. O Saya (A.R. Rahman ft. M.I.A)
92. Baby (Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris)
93. Take a Bow (Rihanna)
94. Work (Kelly Rowland)
95. Ignition (Remix) (R. Kelly)
96. Notorious (Duran Duran)
97. Call the Shots (Girls Aloud)
98. Shake it Off (Taylor Swift)
99. Let Me Love You (Ariana Grande ft. Lil’ Wayne)
100. White Horse (Taylor Swift)

Wednesday, July 01, 2015

Emsy's Favourite Songs, 2k15 edition

It starts with Kanye West, ends with Kanye West, and has everything from Taylor Swift, One Direction and Nina Simone in the middle.



  1. Homecoming (Kanye West ft. Chris Martin)
  2. Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield)
  3. Alison (Elvis Costello)
  4. What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction)
  5. Rocky Raccoon (The Beatles)
  6. Hallelujah (Rufus Wainwright)
  7. Sinnerman (Nina Simone)
  8. I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor Swift)
  9. Sexy! No No No… (Girls Aloud)
  10. Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie (Joanna Newsom)
  11. Off to the Races (Lana del Rey)
  12. Fancy (Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX)
  13. November Has Come (Gorillaz)
  14. Samson (Regina Spektor)
  15. Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits)
  16. Run this Town (Rihanna, Jay-Z and Kanye West)
  17. Power (Kanye West)
  18. Untouchable (Girls Aloud)
  19. This is What Makes Us Girls (Lana del Rey)
  20. Paper Planes (M.I.A.)
  21. Talk Show Host (Radiohead)
  22. Lullaby (Dixie Chicks)
  23. All These Things that I've Done (The Killers)
  24. Angie Baby (Helen Reddy)
  25. 22 (Taylor Swift)
  26. Wild Boys (Duran Duran)
  27. Love the Way You Lie Part II (Rihanna ft. Eminem)
  28. Head over Heels (Tears for Fears)
  29. Boys Don't Cry (The Cure)
  30. One Thing (One Direction)
  31. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy (Queen)
  32. Let it Go (Idina Menzel)
  33. Problem (Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea)
  34. Glory Box (Portishead)
  35. Hey Stephen (Taylor Swift)
  36. Empire State of Mind: Broken Down (Alicia Keys)
  37. 2am (The Saturdays)
  38. Adia (Sarah McLachlan)
  39. Tiny Dancer (Elton John)
  40. Baba O'Riley (The Who)
  41. Wildwood Flower (June Carter Cash)
  42. The Loving Kind (Girls Aloud)
  43. California Dreamin' (The Mamas and the Papas)
  44. Chelsea Dagger (The Fratellis)
  45. My Father's Gun (Elton John)
  46. Riding in Cars with Boys (Lana del Rey)
  47. Seasons of Love (Idina Menzel)
  48. When She Loved Me (Sarah McLachlan)
  49. Royals (Lorde)
  50. Hey Jude (The Beatles)
  51. Brandy Alexander (Feist)
  52. Don't Stop Believin' (Journey)
  53. Defying Gravity (Idina Menzel)
  54. Love Affair (Regina Spektor)
  55. Video Games (Lana del Rey)
  56. I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea (Elvis Costello)
  57. Dragon Queen (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
  58. Under Pressure (Queen ft. David Bowie)
  59. Brown Eyes (Lady Gaga)
  60. It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference (Todd Rundgren)
  61. Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
  62. Underneath Your Clothes (Shakira)
  63. Beneath Your Beautiful (Labrinth ft. Emile Sande)
  64. Breathe (Taylor Swift)
  65. Travelin' Soldier (Dixie Chicks)
  66. Numb Encore (Jay Z ft. Linkin Park)
  67. Lovely Head (Goldfrapp)
  68. I Wish I Knew How it Feels to Be Free (Nina Simone)
  69. Shout (Tears for Fears)
  70. She (Elvis Costello)
  71. Vincent (Don McLean)
  72. Golden Slumbers (K.D. Lang)
  73. Lullaby (The Cure)
  74. Love will Tear us Apart (Joy Division)
  75. All Along the Watchtower (Devlin ft. Ed Sheeran)
  76. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles)
  77. Pennies in my Pocket (Emilio Estefan)
  78. Jackson (Johnny and June Carter Cash)
  79. Wonderwall (Oasis)
  80. Airplanes part 2 (B.o.B, Hayley Williams & Eminem)
  81. The Killing Moon (Echo and the Bunnymen)
  82. The River (Joni Mitchell)
  83. Chasing Cars (Snow Patrol)
  84. Hey Mama (Kanye West)
  85. Braille (Regina Spektor)
  86. Back to Black (Amy Winehouse)
  87. O Saya (A.R. Rahman ft. M.I.A)
  88. Baby (Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris)
  89. Chillin' (WALE ft. Lady Gaga)
  90. Take a Bow (Rihanna)
  91. About the Boy (Little Mix)
  92. Work (Kelly Rowland)
  93. Ignition (Remix) (R. Kelly)
  94. Breathe Me (Sia)
  95. Strict Machine (Goldfrapp)
  96. Notorious (Duran Duran)
  97. Too Young (Phoenix)
  98. Call the Shots (Girls Aloud)
  99. Shake it Off (Taylor Swift)
  100. Gold Digger (Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx)


Monday, August 06, 2012

To prove I’m right, I put it in a song.

Every August, Bung lists her top 100 or so songs, every year, there’s some good, some bad, some ugly (mostly ugly). Every year, she remains staunchly faithful to her Kanyes, her Rihannas and her Nina Simones, whilst bunging in some new tunes she’s become with over the past year (this year’s: One Direction & Lana, obviously). Every year, the people reading the list shake the head and think “oh dearrrrr.” And repeat.


1. Homecoming (Kanye West ft. Chris Martin)
2. Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield)
3. Angie Baby (Helen Reddy)
4. Rocky Raccoon (The Beatles)
5. Hallelujah (Rufus Wainwright)
6. Alison (Elvis Costello)
7. Sinnerman (Nina Simone)
8. What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction)
9. Sexy! No No No… (Girls Aloud)
10. Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie (Joanna Newsom)
11. Paper Planes (M.I.A.)
12. Off to the Races (Lana del Rey)
13. November Has Come (Gorillaz)
14. Samson (Regina Spektor)
15. Adia (Sarah McLachlan)
16. Run this Town (Rihanna, Jay-Z and Kanye West)
17. Power (Kanye West)
18. Untouchable (Girls Aloud)
19. This is What Makes Us Girls (Lana del Rey)
20. Talk Show Host (Radiohead)
21. Lullaby (Dixie Chicks)
22. All These Things that I've Done (The Killers)
23. Charmaine (Plan B)
24. Love the Way You Lie Part II (Rihanna ft. Eminem)
25. Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits)

26. Head over Heels (Tears for Fears)
27. Boys Don't Cry (The Cure)
28. One Thing (One Direction)
29. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy (Queen)
30. Defying Gravity (Idina Menzel)
31. Work (Kelly Rowland)
32. Glory Box (Portishead)
33. Hey Stephen (Taylor Swift)
34. Empire State of Mind: Broken Down (Alicia Keys)
35. 2am (The Saturdays)
36. Fix Up Look Sharp (Dizzee Rascal)
37. Tiny Dancer (Elton John)
38. Baba O'Riley (The Who)
39. Wildwood Flower (June Carter Cash)
40. My Love (Sia)
41. The Loving Kind (Girls Aloud)
42. California Dreamin' (The Mamas and the Papas)
43. Chelsea Dagger (The Fratellis)
44. My Father's Gun (Elton John)
45. Riding in Cars with Boys (Lana del Rey)
46. Seasons of Love (Idina Menzel)
47. What’s My Name? (Rihanna ft Drake)
48. Hey Jude (The Beatles)
49. Brandy Alexander (Feist)
50. Don't Stop Believin' (Journey)

51. Love Affair (Regina Spektor)
52. Video Games (Lana del Rey)
53. I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea (Elvis Costello)
54. Dragon Queen (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
55. Under Pressure (Queen ft David Bowie)
56. Brown Eyes (Lady Gaga)
57. It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference (Todd Rundgren)
58. Clothes Off! (Gym Class Heroes)
59. Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
60. Underneath Your Clothes (Shakira)
61. Breathe (Taylor Swift)
62. Travelin' Soldier (Dixie Chicks)
63. Jesus Walks (Kanye West)
64. Numb Encore (Jay Z ft. Linkin Park)
65. Lovely Head (Goldfrapp)
66. I Wish I Knew How it Feels to Be Free (Nina Simone)
67. Shout (Tears for Fears)
68. She (Elvis Costello)
69. Rio (Duran Duran)
70. Vincent (Don McLean)
71. Love will Tear us Apart (Joy Division)
72. Lullaby (The Cure)
73. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles)
74. Sunshowers (M.I.A.)
75. Pennies in my Pocket (Emilio Estefan)

76. Jackson (Johnny and June Carter Cash)
77. Wonderwall (Oasis)
78. Stand Up (One Direction)
79. Airplanes part 2 (B.o.B, Hayley Williams & Eminem)
80. The Killing Moon (Echo and the Bunnymen)
81. Momentum (Aimee Mann)
82. The River (Joni Mitchell)
83. Golden Slumbers (K.D. Lang)
84. Hey Mama (Kanye West)
85. Braille (Regina Spektor)
86. Back to Black (Amy Winehouse)
87. O Saya (A.R. Rahman ft. M.I.A)
88. Baby (Justin Bieber ft Ludacris)
89. Work it (Missy Elliot)
90. Chillin' (WALE ft Lady Gaga)
91. Take a Bow (Rihanna)
92. Lean on Me (Bill Withers)
93. Ignition (Remix) (R. Kelly)
94. Machine Gun (Portishead)
95. Strict Machine (Goldfrapp)
96. Notorious (Duran Duran)
97. Too Young (Phoenix)
98. No More (3LW)
99. Call the Shots (Girls Aloud)
100. She Said (Plan B)

Sunday, October 17, 2010

X Factor, 2010: Live Show 2.

The theme this week was Musical Heroes, which was clearly left quite open to interpretation (quite when Kelly Clarkson is accepted as a musical hero is beyond me, but yeah). Cheryl left the fake tan bottle alone and instead died her hair red, a look which she worked very well indeed. As with last week, my thoughts on the performances: -
1) Storm Lee – his singing sounded flat and the dancing on the stage was also quite lame. Overall, I didn’t buy it, and it amuses me greatly that he likened himself to Bono. Delusion never fails to entertain me. 3/10
2) TreyC Cohen – I like her. She’s bubbly and confident, without being intrusively so. Her song choice – Purple Rain by Prince was mighty brave choice, but I enjoyed her rendition of it. 7/10
3) Paige Richardson – the dancing on the stage was a bit random, and he started stutteringly, but it definitely picked up. He sang Some People Want it All by Alicia Keys and on the whole, nailed the powerful bits. 7.5/10
4) One Direction – these were the little termites that picked the song My Life Would Suck Without You by Kelly Clarkson, but, frankly, my life does suck, with them. When Malik tried to do the falsetto bit? OH DEAR. Crap, once again. 1/10
5) Cher Lloyd – lol, noes 2/10
6) John Adeleye – I love his voice 8/10
7) Diva Fever – I thought they were cute and entertaining at the start, but the novelty is wearing very very thin now. The backing singers outsang them, and that’s never a good thing. 3/10
8) Rebecca Ferguson – Now, Nina Simone’s Feelin’ Good is one of my favourite songs, so I am very wary and critical when someone takes on such a big song. But Liverpool-born Rebecca Ferguson totally did it justice. Her voice is sensational, and her dress matched her lipstick, and, whilst she still clearly has a bit of an inferiority complex, that should soon be fixed as she goes from strength to strength on the show. 9/10
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9) Aiden Grimshaw – his performance just wasn’t that good, and he did himself no favours when he sulked on-screen when the judges gave their harsh (but honest) assessment of his tepid performance. He’s got the diva attitude, but not the talent. 3/10
10) Wagner – I agree with what Danii said, which was that, in all honesty, I wasn’t totally sure what he was saying at times when he was singing. And his presence just doesn’t interest me in the least. A gimmick act, and the sooner he jogs on, the better. 2/10
11) Katie Waissel – well, well, well. I’d been ice cold to this girl for her (admittedly awful) rendition of Queen’s We Are the Champions last week, but this week, she just focussed on her singing, and it proved to be a surprisingly moving and powerful performance of Etta James’ I’d Rather Go Blind. 7.5/10
12) Bell-Amie – nothing about this performance impressed me, from the wannabe Girls Aloud eye make-up, to the random strutting about and the hair-tossing. What I will say for them, though, is that it’s good they picked a song that didn’t test their vocal range as much; that way, they didn’t expose how weak their voices are. 2/10
13) Mary Byrne – yet another vocally strong performance, I guess. 6/10
14) Matt Cardle – oh, it was beautiful!!! I’m not sure whether Bruno Mars really counts as musical hero just yet, but his rendition of You’re Amazing Just the Way You Are was sung with such panache that it made me forget the technicalities and just wish there was a boy who’d play this song for me. He’s keeping the flag flying for Essex lads, which is saying something as I really got duped good and proper by one yesterday. Haha. 9/10
So, a couple of performances I really rated!! Not too shabby.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Bung's Playlist for the week.

... And why they've been tickling my aural senses.

Tambourine - Eve
Rather than revising diligently like I'm meant to be, I've been watching all the episodes of season three of Skins instead. Tambourine was played in episode 2, where on Cook's birthday, he gatecrashes a "classy" boat-party. Tambourine plays as Effy dances sultrily and Freddie watches, pining for her. Awesome song with a great beat, despite "Shake your tambourine and catch yourself a whistle" being repeated quite a few times and there not being any real meaning. Just embrace the catchy and dance along.
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Good Girls Go Bad - Cobra Starship ft. Leighton Meester
Cobra Starship are responsible for many of my guilty pleasure listens (Hollaback Boy, Billie Jean), but this one actually has a semblance of sounding like a song. It could very well be the song that Gossip Girl's Chuck Bass lives his life by, so, how apt that they've gotten Leighton Meester, star of Gossip Girl and my number 1 girl crush to duet with. And together, they are sugar, spice and all things nice. Simple, addictive fun, with the potential to be the Summer song of 2009.

Dragon Queen - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

My mouth you're touching
Your mouth is running
No loving for nothing
Nobody knock my body out


Strange, sexy, surreal.

Beautiful - Eminem
It seems awfully out of character for Eminem to release a song with this title, but he has done, and it's my favourite song from an otherwise disappointing Relapse. Personally, I feel it's one of Eminem's more accessible songs, and his most humane by far. The rapping is perfect and the chorus just ebbs melancholy, a combination last achieved by Kanye West and Chris Martin on... you've got it, Homecoming.

I Feel It All - Feist
It's been over a week since the last episode of The Inbetweeners season 2 has aired, and Bung is already feeling withdrawal symptoms. So, to make up for it, I've taken to saying "snatch" and "clunge" in a manner that would do Jay proud, as well as doing goonish things (as if I needed an excuse for that, hah!) In addition to this, I've also been listening to the "theme" from the show, that is, the song who's intro is played repeatedly in the background without them actually playing Feist's singing.
Four Women on One Man - Nina Simone
I had a nap one afternoon and had my iPod sat in the dock, playing away in the background. I woke up to Four Women, and... wow. It's one of the deepest, most poetic songs I've ever heard, as Nina adopts the voice of four different women in four verses, each of them having their own soliloquy. The song demands and displays the need for equality, both gender and racial, as well as the underlying want of freedom in our souls. Majestic.

My Love - The Bird and the Bee
I got into The Bird and the Bee after hearing their song "Fucking Boyfriend" on the Forgetting Sarah Marshall soundtrack and falling in love (the song does get played in the film, but in the background in the nightclub scene so blink and you miss it). The band really know about the many faces of love, and, whilst My Face celebrates the beauty of it for the most part, it also recognises the sadness involved, "sad clown". There is also one line of transcendence in the
song - "I'm not afraid of all the reasons why we shouldn't try", which I just love, love, love.

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Bubbles - Dizzee Rascal
Bung hasn't been clubbing for over two weeks now, and she's missing the not-so-duclet tunes of her homeboy Raskit. As with my two Dizzee Rascal favourites Dance wiv Me and Fix Up Look Sharp, Bubbles is a terrifically cockney song, encompassing what it's like to be a black lad growing up in a crime-ridden area of London. Dizzee loves embracing the minutiae, and in this song he'll tell you how much his trainers cost. It's like the "99 Problems" of the L-D-N.

Mil Besos - Patty Griffin
Another love song to wrap up this eclectic playlist, this one an eligiac Spanish tribute what Bung can only guess was a lost love.
Te he de seguir amando,
te he de seguir besando
hasta volverte loca.
hasta que me devuelvas
el corazn que en besos
yo te deje en la boca...


So they're the nine songs that I've listened to this week obsessively! How about you?

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Because I'm bored, I thought I'd compile my list of...

Bung.

(this was 2007's list).

25. Umbrella (Rihanna)
24. Pennies in my Pocket (Emilio Estefan)
23. The Moneymaker (Rilo Kiley)
22. Glory Box (Portishead)
21. Jackson (Johnny Cash & June Carter Cash)
20. The Lady is a Vamp (Spice Girls)
19. Homecoming (Kanye West)
18. Hey Jude (The Beatles)
17. Seasons of Love (Rent OST)
16. Underneath Your Clothes (Shakira)
15. Don’t Stop Me Now (Queen)
14. All These Things that I’ve Done (The Killers)
13. Brandy Alexander (Feist)
12. Lullaby (Dixie Chicks)
11. November Has Come (Gorillaz)
10. Alison (Elvis Costello)
09. Sinner Man (Nina Simone)
08. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy (Queen)
07. Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits)
06. Adia (Sarah McLachlan)
05. Hallelujah (Rufus Wainwright)
04. Samson (Regina Spektor)

03. Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie (Joanna Newsom)
One of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard. Again, the real meaning of it’s a little obscure, but I love it because it’s so pretty, heart-rending, nostalgic, whimsical and weird. Favourite lines are “Your skin is something that I stir into my tea” and “and you are starry, starry, starry”, which gives me shivers every time I hear it.

02. Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield)
Sexual awakening is the dominant theme in this song, which was played in Pulp Fiction, as Springfield sings the age-old story of a girl becoming a woman (ironically, Girl you’ll Be a Woman Soon by Urge Overkill was also on the PF OST). Lots of my favourite female artists have covered it, including Aretha Franklin, Dolly Parton and Nancy Sinatra, but the original is the definitive. Sexy, soulful and terrific for dancing to whilst getting dressed. And the thought of being seduced by someone you shouldn’t sounds very enticing. “Being good isn’t always easy?” So true.

01. Rocky Raccoon (The Beatles)
I first heard this back in 2007 when I had my iPod on shuffle, sitting on the train to somewhere. I had uploaded all of The Beatles’ songs, but I hadn’t actually heard some of them before. Rocky Raccoon hit me like a bullet. It tells the story of a young lad who tries to avenge the man who stole his girlfriend. It’s a sad love story with an old western saloon melody and probably has some of the most random lyrics ever, probably containing thousands of layers I’d never thought about, but my my, what a pretty song! I really love it, it’s breathlessly sad, beautifully song but extremely catchy. When I’m extremely emotional, just listening to this song makes me cry.

Monday, August 11, 2008

OTPs.


As you might have noticed, I quite like Brokeback Mountain. As you also may have noticed, I really quite liked the part when Ennis and Jack re-united after four years, and it all came out in that beautiful, sexy, wonderful kiss. It was probably my first viewing of Brokeback Mountain, on January 7th 2006, when I should have been attending orchestra practice in Bromley, but I was really in a cinema, avidly watching the kiss, that piqued my weird (but not uncommon amongst teenage girls) love for manlove. So, I present thee, my three favourite male OTPs.

Jack Twist and Ennis & Mar
Well, naturally. Nothing more about their beauty can be said that hasn’t been said a million times already on this blog, so before I piss anyone off by repeating myself further, just bathe in these gorgeous images from my 6th favourite film of all time:
ā€œBanana

ā€œBanana

ā€œBanana

ā€œBanana

ā€œBanana

John-Paul McQueen & Kieron
Aka the hot resident from Hollyoaks and the priest-become-devoted boyfriend. Pretty much the sole reason I watch Hollyoaks (aside from the much-loved schadenfreude factor), and I just love the idea that a man would change his beliefs entirely to be with the person he loves. There’s something of the Romeo Montague about it.

Robbie Keane & Gareth Bale (DISCLAIMER: UNTRUE!!!)
I’m particularly fond of this pairing as I invented it all myself, beginning with cute young Gareth getting an innocent crush on his Tottenham teammate in part 1 to the two men finally bunging in part 7. Along the way, I do more than my share of Atonement-references, especially in part 5, Robbie's Note, which borrows a plot device from McEwan’s novel (sorry!). Until a few weeks ago Gareth was the same age as me, and as such, I poured a lot of myself into him, something which my friends who’ve read the slash will vouch for. It’s not ever going to be a literary piece of gold (especially as I repeat the fact that Robbie has blue eyes, Gareth has blue eyes, Robbie is Irish and Gareth is Welsh about a million times), not to mention the liberal borrowing from Nina Simone and Feist song lyrics, but I do think it’s good for a laugh in a High School Musical kind of way. Especially when I make Robbie say “Bung it in”, which becomes somewhat of a euphemism by the end.

Friday, November 23, 2007

Song of the week.

Nina Simone's Sinner Man.

Sinnerman where you gunna run to
Sinnerman where you gunna run to
Where you gunna run to
All on that day

Well I run to the rock
Please hide me I run to the rock
Please hide me I run to the rock
Please hide me lord
All on that day

Well the rock cried out
I cant hide you the rock cried out
I cant hide you the rock cried out
I aint gunna hide you god
All on that day

I said rock whats a matter with you rock
Dont you see I need you rock
Dont let down
All on that day

So I run to the river
It was bleedin I run to the sea
It was bleedin I run to the sea
It was bleedin all on that day

So I run to the river it was boilin
I run to the sea it was boilin
I run to the sea it was boilin
All on that day

So I run to the lord
Please help me lord
Dont you see me prayin
Dont you see me down here prayin

But the lord said
Go to the devil
The lord said
Go to the devil
He said go to the devil
All on that day

So I ran to the devil
He was waiting
I ran to the devil he was waiting
I ran to the devil he was waiting
All on that day

Oh yeah

Oh I run to the river
It was boilin I run to the sea
It was boilin I run to the sea
It was boilin all on that day

So I ran to the lord
I said lord hide me
Please hide me
Please help me
All on that day

Said God where were you
When you are old and prayin

Lord lord hear me prayin
Lord lord hear me prayin
Lord lord hear me prayin
All on that day

Sinnerman you oughta be prayin
Oughta be prayin sinnerman
Oughta be prayin all on that day