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Pop Rock Nation

Tag: Lady GaGa

  • Let it snow!

    Let it snow!

    As I watch tiny flakes fall from the German sky, I think to myself… “Let it snow!”

    Snow shouldn’t excite me as much as it does. I still can’t help but feel excited when I see it, though, especially since I’ve been living in warm places for the past five years. Not counting Thanksgiving 2014, when my husband Bill and I ran into an aberrant snowstorm that dumped a couple of inches in Virginia, I haven’t really seen much of the stuff in years. Now that we live in Germany again, I’m thinking to myself “Let it snow!” I’ll just sit in the house and snuggle with my dogs… and listen to music, of course. Lots of artists have recorded the song, “Let It Snow”, which usually gets played at Christmas time.


    A classic version by Dean Martin.

    This song isn’t really a Christmas song, though, is it? Do they even mention the big winter holiday at all in this song? I don’t think so. Why shouldn’t we sing it in January or February, when snow may be more likely to fall?


    Michael Buble updates “Let It Snow”, along with some manly sounding backup singers.

    I think it works even better with a woman singer…


    Maybe not Jessica Simpson, though… What the hell is she doing to this song?

    I’m kind of partial to the song, “Baby It’s Cold Outside”. You can have a lot of fun with the suggestive lyrics if you have the right partner. The first time I heard this song, it was sung by James Taylor and Natalie Cole, who sounded fine together but didn’t seem to have much chemistry.


    Lady Gaga sings with Joseph Gordon-Levitt… Do they have chemistry?

    It’s kind of cool that Lady Gaga and Joseph Gordon-Levitt traded roles, but I’m not so sure they pull it off. Hmm, now that I think about it, it’s kind of a creepy song. Basically, one person is trying to talk the other to sticking around for some nookie. A little date rape, perhaps?


    Colbie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw sing… after Colbie hawks her Christmas album.

    And here’s a very cute version of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” by the Hound + the Fox.


    These two have chemistry! So cute, despite the song’s date rape theme.

    Even I get into the act on this one. I recorded this version with a SingSnap member named Outnumbered 321.


    Nobody’s ever sung this to me for real, though. No one I ever dated could sing worth a damn.

    Sadly, since my husband is currently in hot and sunny Chad, I won’t be snuggling with anyone on this snowy day. Bah humbug!

  • Music survey…

    Music survey…

    This morning, I had an interesting experience while taking a music survey…

    And I didn’t take the survey because I write about music. I actually took the survey because I am a member of MySurvey.com, which is a site where members take surveys and earn points that can be traded in for cash or gift cards. I’ve been on MySurvey.com for about ten years and it’s been an interesting experience. Sometimes I test products. Sometimes I watch videos or commercials, then answer questions. Sometimes the surveys are really boring and tedious and sometimes they’re pretty interesting. This morning’s survey was one of the cooler ones.

    The first thing I liked about the music survey was that it was visually very appealing. It used bright colors and graphics, which I found engaging and exciting. I was asked about a variety of popular music artists, everyone from Andrea Boccelli to Lady Gaga. The questions on the survey asked if I had ever heard of them, liked their music, or owned their music. I was asked if I bought CDs, downloaded albums, or listened to “free” music sources like Spotify. I was even asked if I used a peer to peer music service like the old Napster. Next, I listened to fifteen music samples from a variety of different artists– everything from reggae to modern country. I heard a few folks for the first time that I actually really enjoyed. In fact, I found that I liked a lot of the music that was sampled, even though I’ve fallen out of touch with really mainstream pop music. Another part of the survey was about how much of certain types of music I own and whether or not I ripped CDs owned by other people.

    I noticed that the people who made the survey were probably British, based on the language they used and the way they spelled some words. And I noticed that they seemed to be pitching U2 and Lady Gaga…


    As this classic U2 song played during the survey, I realized how awesome and iconic U2 is… But maybe that’s just because I’m old.

    Those two artists got several clips dedicated to them.

    I’m sure the music survey I took this morning is about finding out what people like and what people are willing to buy. For me, it was kind of an interesting discovery process. I kind of wish I had written down the names of a couple of the singers I was introduced to on the music survey, even though they seem like they might be a bit trendy for what I usually like. But then, I don’t pay attention to what’s hot as much as I do to what I like. If I’m somewhere out and about and hear a song I like, I use Shazam to find out what the title is and who’s singing it.

    I don’t often enjoy the surveys I take on MySurvey.com, though I have made some money and scored some freebies doing them, which makes it worthwhile for me. I hope they send me more music surveys, though. This morning’s experience was very intriguing. It makes me realize that I probably ought to turn on the radio more often.

  • Dental ditties…

    Dental ditties…

    This week, my teeth take front and center priority, since I just got a new crown preparation. Check out my dental ditties…

    I’ve had another rough week, despite my resolve to cheer up. Yesterday, I went to the dentist to get another molar prepared for a crown. I was pretty much dreading that appointment, even though it really did need to be done. The anticipation of a dental visit is often worse than the actual appointment. I came through my crown prep just fine, though I was left thinking about songs that have to do with teeth. The first one to pop into my head is this one from Little Shop of Horrors…


    Steve Martin sings about being a dentist.

    Fortunately, I don’t get the impression that my dentist is a sadist. She’s actually pretty good at preventing pain, at least during the procedure. In fact, the most painful part of yesterday was probably the bill, which included a small balance left over from my last dental adventure. Still, given how much people dread visiting the dentist and the fact that it can be very unpleasant, Steve Martin’s turn as a sadistic dentist in Little Shop of Horrors seemed perfect for this post full of dental ditties.

    The next thing I was reminded of was Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, you know, from The Muppets? A few weeks ago, Jim Henson’s son, John, died suddenly on Valentine’s Day. The Muppets have been on my mind since that sad day.


    Dr. Teeth and Electric Mayhem perform Chopin’s Polonaise in A Flat on The Muppet Show.

    This clip from The Muppet Show is proof positive that a person could be exposed to culture while watching The Muppets.

    Naturally, I had to include a song by Spooky Tooth, especially since when I saw my tooth photographed before I got my crown preparation, I was pretty spooked. It had three cracks in it that looked really scary.


    “Waiting For the Wind”

    I’m not sure what the significance of this band’s name is. They were a bit before my time, though I’ve heard plenty of references to their brand of English rock. Spooky Tooth was notable for being one of the few rock bands to implement dual keyboards; that is, they used both piano and organ in their music. I might not have been reminded of their sound as the dentist ground away my tooth yesterday, but they definitely belong on my list of dental ditties.


    Savoy Truffle is a song about needing all your teeth pulled after eating too many sweets.

    My love of sweet stuff is probably why I spent two hours in the chair yesterday. I’m sure it didn’t help that I love sugar and, when I was younger, didn’t take care of my teeth the way I should have.

    I could have just as easily ended up in the chair after an injury. AC/DC cover this nicely with their dental ditty, “Kicked In The Teeth”.


    Ouch!

    I actually did once get kicked in the teeth by a horse. I didn’t think I came away from the experience any worse for wear until a dentist in North Carolina told me she suspected that one of my front teeth was dead. Fortunately, it doesn’t look dead unless you look closely.

    And finally, Lady Gaga’s addition to my dental ditties post…


    “Teeth” certainly is enough to make you want to get up out of the dental chair…

    This song certainly has some “teeth”, doesn’t it? Fortunately, since yesterday, I still have mine. Hopefully I can avoid the dentist’s chair for treatment in the near future.