So it is 2 in the morning and I just finished putting together the playlist I would like to write about tonight. I know. I leave everything for the last minute but I had some hardships with this little flashplayer and finally it is how I want it.
Even though I study cinematography the title of my post is entirely true. A few weeks ago you would have found industrial metal and German punk on my iPod but right now the following songs make me tick, feel, breath - keep me alive to be honest.
Christmas is almost here and it is my favourite time of the year so the first song in my playlist is a Christmas track. It is Robert Downey covering a classic by Joni Mitchell. Can you imagine anything more blissful? With his soulful voice and the experience of all the hardships he had in his life, he makes this personal song by Mitchell his very own. You can practically taste the longing. He recorded this piece for an Ally McBeal Christmas album (A Very Ally Christmas), around the time his drug addiction reached its peak. Even if you do not know anything about his biography, he pretty much sums it up in this song. Heartbreaking and beautiful. Of course he also plays the piano. Backing vocals by Vonda Shepard.
The next song is by Elton John, from his real songwriter era. I simply want this song to be about my life. My connection to it is that simple. I want to try my luck in New York, experience every aspect of that city, be a part of it and be able to thank God for the people I find there. The tunes in this song are also timeless, the real genius of Elton shows here, something a lot of us forgot about a long time ago. I first heard it in a favourite movie of mine, 'Almost Famous'. I bought the soundtrack but unfortunately it does not include this song and way back then my English was not so good and the Internet was not this accessible and I stumbled upon it again just now - what a discovery. You may think this song is sad but really it is one of the most life-affirming pieces out there. :)
The next few songs are by a performer I can thank the Reading And Writing Skills lesson for. :) When we had to read a magazine from the American Corner I chose Rolling Stone and a Radiohead article, but on the next page there was this mysterious woman rolling around on a bed with a bulldog, smoking Marlboro Reds and I just had to find out about her. She is Chan (pronounced 'Shawn') Marshall, the woman behind 'Cat Power'. She is my greatest role model right now. I am not going to go into details about her biography because just like with the other two songs, her life is in her music. Just listen to her sometimes suicidal, sometimes easy going but always breathtakingly beautiful voice and riffs and you will get the idea. I included two early and two very new tracks.
I wrote a paragraph about Elliott Smith too, but it is entirely too personal, sorry. So please just listen to him and maybe you will be able to understand what I was going to say.
Even though I study cinematography the title of my post is entirely true. A few weeks ago you would have found industrial metal and German punk on my iPod but right now the following songs make me tick, feel, breath - keep me alive to be honest.
Christmas is almost here and it is my favourite time of the year so the first song in my playlist is a Christmas track. It is Robert Downey covering a classic by Joni Mitchell. Can you imagine anything more blissful? With his soulful voice and the experience of all the hardships he had in his life, he makes this personal song by Mitchell his very own. You can practically taste the longing. He recorded this piece for an Ally McBeal Christmas album (A Very Ally Christmas), around the time his drug addiction reached its peak. Even if you do not know anything about his biography, he pretty much sums it up in this song. Heartbreaking and beautiful. Of course he also plays the piano. Backing vocals by Vonda Shepard.
The next song is by Elton John, from his real songwriter era. I simply want this song to be about my life. My connection to it is that simple. I want to try my luck in New York, experience every aspect of that city, be a part of it and be able to thank God for the people I find there. The tunes in this song are also timeless, the real genius of Elton shows here, something a lot of us forgot about a long time ago. I first heard it in a favourite movie of mine, 'Almost Famous'. I bought the soundtrack but unfortunately it does not include this song and way back then my English was not so good and the Internet was not this accessible and I stumbled upon it again just now - what a discovery. You may think this song is sad but really it is one of the most life-affirming pieces out there. :)
The next few songs are by a performer I can thank the Reading And Writing Skills lesson for. :) When we had to read a magazine from the American Corner I chose Rolling Stone and a Radiohead article, but on the next page there was this mysterious woman rolling around on a bed with a bulldog, smoking Marlboro Reds and I just had to find out about her. She is Chan (pronounced 'Shawn') Marshall, the woman behind 'Cat Power'. She is my greatest role model right now. I am not going to go into details about her biography because just like with the other two songs, her life is in her music. Just listen to her sometimes suicidal, sometimes easy going but always breathtakingly beautiful voice and riffs and you will get the idea. I included two early and two very new tracks.
I wrote a paragraph about Elliott Smith too, but it is entirely too personal, sorry. So please just listen to him and maybe you will be able to understand what I was going to say.
1 comment:
Thank you for these reviews.
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