100 Favorite Songs: 41-45

Poppy rock.

41. “I Want You to Want Me” – Cheap Trick (1977)

Apparently it took a live album recorded in Japan for this song to become a big hit, but its addictiveness finally caught on in the States. And let's be honest, how many of us know it because of 10 Things I Hate About You? The TV show*?


How does the guitarist with the hat's outfit not look dated?

42. “Life in a Northern Town” – The Dream Academy (1985)

Hey! A song from the 80s! What can I say, I'm a sucker for vaguely tribal chant-singing. And apparently the oboe.


Who is the woman that introduces the band?

43. “Celebrate Me Home” – Kenny Loggins (1976)**

It really shouldn't shock anyone that I love cheesy pop music. Especially when it's blue-eyed soul. I must warn you that a lot of this performance is a sax attack of the late 80s/early 90s kind.

OMG scatting.

44. “If Only” – The Kooks (2006)

Much like Boston, The Kooks' songs all sound like variations of the same awesome piece of music. That's not a complaint so much as a nod to beautiful consistently. "If Only" as a 2 minute representation of this glorious trend.


So British.

45. “Killer Queen” – Queen (1974)

This song is so opera and so fun to sing.

To my sister: how do you feel about Freddie in this get-up?

Can you grope a microphone stand?

*Which it actually love, despite first impressions. Give it to episode 3.

**I think American Idol uses this song in their results episodes. I choose to ignore that that show exists, so this choice is totally legit.

The Audacity of Rock: Part 16

Singing with the accent.

Shocker: I love British accents. It just makes anything sound funnier and/or more delightful and/or more condescending. Did I mention hot? Anyway, what's even more awesome than someone speaking with a British accent is someone singing with one.

"Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter" by Herman's Hermits (1965)

Apparently the band didn't really like this song/Peter Noone was forced to emphasize his accent/it was a pretty common song in Britain/this was aimed for a specifically American audience and never released as a single in Britain (via/via). However, this does not decrease my love of this song. It's been a favorite since I was kid who regularly listened to the oldies station. Anyway, I find it completely charming, and seriously, look at Pete's smile right before the 2 minute mark.



"Sway" by The Kooks (2008)

At least half the reason I love this band is because of their accents. The way they regularly replace a /t/ with a /ʔ/* is so urban and lovely.



Questions to ponder:
1. Why do people lose their accents when they sing?
2. Is an American accent really the best one to sing in?
3. Which accents are the hottest?

*That's a glottal stop, for those of you not nerdy enough to have IPA symbols memorized.

Medley of the Day: Recent obsessions edition

A combination of actually having to do homework/take tests/doing a grad school interview/being lazy/watching a kind of terrible but not Full House* terrible Korean drama has led me to be a terrible blogger. But lucky for you, I made another one of my sweet medleys.



1) "Peace Like a River" by Paul Simon--I have a love-meh relationship with Mr. Simon. Love him in Simon and Garfunkel, and "You Can Call Me Al" will always be my favorite song to do aerobics to. But at least have the time he's just rambling with nondescript melodies. "Peace Like a River" is one of those rambling melodies, but the guitar work is so earthy and the "aaaaa" that starts every verse is so catchy, I'm just addicted.

2) "Gap" by The Kooks--The more I listen to The Kooks the more I realize they are pop-rock perfection. They have hooky melodies with just enough enough grit to feel cool. Also, singing with British accents and breaking voice. In this song, the first time Luke Pritchard sings "Please don't go!" is an example of those awesome vocals.

3) "Kicking the Heart Out" by Rogue Wave--This is from 4 or 5 years ago, but I just discovered how much I love them. They're mellow without being pansies or boring**. This song is mellowly aggressive (go with it). Favorite part "If music is my lover/then you are just a tease." Go ahead and sing that part out loud. It's fun.

*I don't care if Rain is in it.
*Iron & Wine/Death Cab, I'm looking at you.