Talking Meme: Top 5 Songs of 2014
Jan. 13th, 2015 10:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mithenPrince0froses asked me for some favorite songs! I have to preface this by saying that my taste in music is both omnivorous and terrible--give me something simple and cheery and I'm happy. And I had to pick a way to narrow down a bit, so I decided to go with "5 Songs that I loved or that meant a lot to me in 2014."
1. DJ Earworm, "Do What You Wanna Do"
DJ Earworm makes mashups of popular music, and at the end of each year he makes a new song that's comprised of the hits of the previous year. I was particularly fond of 2014's, because it manages to mash up the tunes, the videos, AND the words to create an entirely new thing with its own message.
Do what you wanna do
You can do what you wanna do
It's all inside of you
Amen, amen
I can't stop, won't stop moving
Don't speak the language
Music don't need explaining
I know that in the morning now
It's gonna be alright
And I keep grooving
Do I have to tell you this music
Is beautiful too
All I really need to understand is
I'll be alright
2. Rosie Golan, "Everything is Brilliant"
From Top 40 to alt-folk, this was one of the songs that became associated for me with Thorin and Bilbo this year. Even before I saw the last movie, I heard this as Thorin's last words to Bilbo, but I had no idea how appropriate the lyrics would end up being:
Standing on the highest cliff
Praying that the sun won't set
So don't you let go of my hand
everything is brilliant
And nothing hurts.
The refrain of the song is "Everything is brilliant, and nothing hurts," and in the final iteration the refrain breaks off in the middle with an agonizing sense of finality that breaks my heart.
3. Lewis Watson, "Into the Wild"
A second alt-folk entry--I clearly have a soft spot for acoustics with fragile vocals--this one the anthem for "Clarity of Purpose" in 2014. The happy-ending version Thorin/Bilbo song.
Step out into the wild,
There's a beautiful storm in your eyes,
We're perfectly intertwined
And if it's quite alright,
You could be my way of life.
4. Sakanaction, "Native Dancer"
Sakanaction is one of my favorite Japanese bands and I always listen to a lot of them, but "Native Dancer" makes the list because last year it was the first Japanese song I ever managed to deliver even half-well in karaoke (the people I performed it with might disagree, but I made it all the way through, which is frankly a first!) That meant I had to listen to it a lot this year while practicing--fortunately it's a good enough tune that I never got tired of it.
5. CFO$, "Worlds Apart"
OK, this is clearly objectively not a GOOD song, but it's the theme song for my favorite wrestler and it ALWAYS makes me smile, so I figure that counts for a lot. Sami Zayn had a long story arc this year about never giving up and always staying focused without selling out your ideals, and when feeling low I would listen to it on a loop (there's a 30-minute version of it on YouTube, so maybe I'm not the only one?). The video also serves as a decent introduction to actual human sunbeam Sami Zayn (his fans will make that an official epithet for him someday!).
I saw someone comment snarkily about this song, "You know what this theme communicates to me? The wrestler that comes out to this song is someone I can trounce." Well, you know what it communicates to me, Snarky Smark? "Go ahead and underestimate me because I come out to upbeat music; that'll make it easier for me to beat you." So pfffft.
1. DJ Earworm, "Do What You Wanna Do"
DJ Earworm makes mashups of popular music, and at the end of each year he makes a new song that's comprised of the hits of the previous year. I was particularly fond of 2014's, because it manages to mash up the tunes, the videos, AND the words to create an entirely new thing with its own message.
Do what you wanna do
You can do what you wanna do
It's all inside of you
Amen, amen
I can't stop, won't stop moving
Don't speak the language
Music don't need explaining
I know that in the morning now
It's gonna be alright
And I keep grooving
Do I have to tell you this music
Is beautiful too
All I really need to understand is
I'll be alright
2. Rosie Golan, "Everything is Brilliant"
From Top 40 to alt-folk, this was one of the songs that became associated for me with Thorin and Bilbo this year. Even before I saw the last movie, I heard this as Thorin's last words to Bilbo, but I had no idea how appropriate the lyrics would end up being:
Standing on the highest cliff
Praying that the sun won't set
So don't you let go of my hand
everything is brilliant
And nothing hurts.
The refrain of the song is "Everything is brilliant, and nothing hurts," and in the final iteration the refrain breaks off in the middle with an agonizing sense of finality that breaks my heart.
3. Lewis Watson, "Into the Wild"
A second alt-folk entry--I clearly have a soft spot for acoustics with fragile vocals--this one the anthem for "Clarity of Purpose" in 2014. The happy-ending version Thorin/Bilbo song.
Step out into the wild,
There's a beautiful storm in your eyes,
We're perfectly intertwined
And if it's quite alright,
You could be my way of life.
4. Sakanaction, "Native Dancer"
Sakanaction is one of my favorite Japanese bands and I always listen to a lot of them, but "Native Dancer" makes the list because last year it was the first Japanese song I ever managed to deliver even half-well in karaoke (the people I performed it with might disagree, but I made it all the way through, which is frankly a first!) That meant I had to listen to it a lot this year while practicing--fortunately it's a good enough tune that I never got tired of it.
5. CFO$, "Worlds Apart"
OK, this is clearly objectively not a GOOD song, but it's the theme song for my favorite wrestler and it ALWAYS makes me smile, so I figure that counts for a lot. Sami Zayn had a long story arc this year about never giving up and always staying focused without selling out your ideals, and when feeling low I would listen to it on a loop (there's a 30-minute version of it on YouTube, so maybe I'm not the only one?). The video also serves as a decent introduction to actual human sunbeam Sami Zayn (his fans will make that an official epithet for him someday!).
I saw someone comment snarkily about this song, "You know what this theme communicates to me? The wrestler that comes out to this song is someone I can trounce." Well, you know what it communicates to me, Snarky Smark? "Go ahead and underestimate me because I come out to upbeat music; that'll make it easier for me to beat you." So pfffft.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-01-13 09:36 pm (UTC)I'm now trying to imagine your karaoke performance of that song now that I've heard it. I'm sure you were awesome!
I'm trying to pick apart which songs are in that mashup, because I only know some of them and while I noticed they used the music video for Animals I think they might have used bits of a different Maroon 5 song so I'm a little confused (and if they did use Animals, well done to them, because I can't imagine pulling a positive message out of that song XD).
I am holding back from listening to the middle two for a bit because I am not ready for Feels. And there will be Feels.
(no subject)
Date: 2015-01-19 12:00 pm (UTC)I learned to barely-tolerate karaoke last year, yay! Or at least not break down in tears when I try it. Which is a triumph for me...
If Animals is in there somewhere it's pretty well-buried, isn't it? Which is fine with me, it's one of the few songs last year that I've tried to train my Internet radio to avoid because the lyrics are...pretty squicky. @_@