Songs to Live By

Happy Birthday America!

2010-07-04T14:58:00.001-07:00

Yet Another Stream of Consiousness

2010-06-22T15:56:00.000-07:00

For some reason this song has been in my head ever since I woke up this morning.

So I looked it up on YouTube... Which is always bad for me because then I just can't stop myself... This came next...

Then...

then this...

and then...

next...

I mean REALLY! It's a wonder I can think at all! Which reminds me of...

" Love,Reign O'er Me" The Who

2009-03-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

I love this freakin' song...

" Your Precious Love" by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell

2009-03-27T09:07:00.000-07:00

I heard this song on the way to work today and now it's stuck in my head.

" Knockin Boots " by Candyman

2009-03-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

I have no idea what made me think of this song, but it's the jam!

" Free Ride " by The Edgar Winter Group

2009-02-23T16:14:00.000-08:00

I love this song... If you happen to hear this song during the course of your day, watch out... there is a party on the horizon. A damn good party too! The funny thing about this song is that in addition to making me want to do something crazy, it also reminds me of Amy and the Sterling Stars....LMAO! I have a feeling that Edgar Winter would want nothing to do with the Sterling Star Stage Show, but what the hell?! HA! Enjoy

" Should I Stay Or Should I Go " The Clash

2009-02-19T13:07:00.000-08:00

This is just one of those songs that you can't help but jam to when you hear it. I don't personally know anyone who doesn't like it. I'm sure now that I've written that I'll be blasted with emails from people who hate this song. Oh well.. Who cares? I like it and this is my blog dammit! If you like it, you should stay, If not...GO!

" Black Betty " by Ram Jam

2009-02-08T12:18:00.000-08:00

OK! If I was a stripper, this would be the song that I would strip to. I'm sure you're thinking... what? that's not a good stripper song. Well maybe not, but it would be MY stripper song. I mean logically, it makes just as much sense as me actually being a stripper. Right?

" Paralyzer " by Finger Eleven

2009-02-08T12:08:00.000-08:00

I really liked this song the first time I heard it. I think it's the beat. You should probably bang the steering wheel of your car while listening to this. I really don't like the video, so if I were you I wouldn't bother paying attention to it. It's stupid!

" Me and Little Andy " by Dolly Parton

2009-02-07T09:13:00.001-08:00

After seeing the results of my saddest song poll, I guessed that most people have not heard " Me and Little Andy." I do refer to " Another Lonely Day " as the saddest song ever, but seriously.... Get the tissue out for this one.

" Mercy " by Duffy

2009-02-07T09:07:00.000-08:00

Just because I like it.

Another stream of consciousness

2009-01-25T14:37:00.000-08:00

Let's start with " Xanadu " by Olivia Newton John

which instantly reminds me of Monte (HA!) which makes me think of " FM " by Steely Dan

Steely Dan always makes me think of riding in the truck with my dad, which makes me think of " Big City " by Merle Haggard

which makes me think of " Meet Me in Montana " by Dan Seals and Marie Osmond

which makes me think of sitting in Terra's driveway and listening to old country, which makes me think of " Lesson in Leaving " by Dottie West

which reminds me of hanging out at Kayla and Kristen's apartment in Baytown which reminds me of the saddest song ever... " Another Lonely Day " by Ben Harper

which reminds me of " Because I Got High " by Afroman

which makes me laugh because it could remind me of a lot of things, but the first thing that comes to mind is Merv's house which always makes me thing of " Closer " by Nine Inch Nails

which makes me think of Jon Bon Jovi (don't ask) which obviously makes me think of " Wanted Dead or Alive " by Bon Jovi

It's amazing I can think at all...

" Brother Loves Travelling Salvation Show " by Neil Diamond

2009-01-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

The thing I like most about this song is that I can see it unfold like a movie. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone but me, but I know what I mean. Some songs I like because I enjoy the melody, some I like because I appreciate the lyrics, but this song I like because of the image it creates. Whatever... I even sound crazy to me.

" Return To Me " by Dean Martin

2009-01-15T16:32:00.000-08:00

This song has been stuck in my head all day.

" Off The Wall " by Michael Jackson

2009-01-12T09:48:00.000-08:00

I heard this song the other night at a wedding reception and it made me happy. I hadn't heard it in a long time, and now I can't get it out of my head. It's really hard to beat old school Michael Jackson. I suggest that you get down to this.

" Take A Walk On The Wild Side " by Lou Reed

2009-01-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

I don't even know where to start with this song. I loved it the first time I heard it and I've loved it ever since. I have taken a lot of walks on the wild side and this song is sort of a soundtrack to some of them. It reminds of my late teens and early twenties. A time in my life which I look at with relief that I am no longer there and a longing for just one more walk.

" Polk Salad Annie " by Elvis Presley

2009-01-08T13:40:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELVIS!

I LOVE this song.

" Auld Lang Syne " by Glenn Miller

2008-12-31T16:18:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Stream of Conciousness

2008-12-30T08:56:00.000-08:00

I am going to try something. As I mentioned, I'm a little crazy. I'm sure other people do this too, but when I hear a song, it immediately makes me think of something which usually makes me think of another song. So, I am going to try a little experiment and post the results. The last song I posted was " Moonlight Feels Right " by Starbuck which made me think of Donnie which made me think of ...

"Sylvia's Mother " by Dr. Hook

which reminds me of Galveston.. There was a juke box at a place called the KonTiki that Donnie and I used to go to that had Dr. Hook on it. That reminds me of Chris because I went with Chris to the KonTiki the first time I met Donnie. Chris makes me think of...

" Heart of Glass " by Blondie

which makes me think of dancing in Brian's apartment in Baytown. Dancing in Brian's apartment makes me think of Amy and I being invisible and dancing to ...

" My Sharona " by The Knack

dancing with Amy makes me think of Graham Central Station and dancing to ...

" It Takes Two " by Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock

which reminds me of my old roomate Pete (who never danced) jumping up at a party and dancing when this song came on...

" The Humpty Dance " by Digital Underground

thinking of Pete reminds me of the time that he and Dustin and I laid on the futon at our apartment in Austin listening to...

" Fast Car " by Tracy Chapman

which immediately reminds me of when this song first came out... I was in Louisiana at my cousin Tara's house and we were watching the video... which reminds me of my cousin singing this song...

" One Day At A Time " by Christy Lane

which makes me think of riding in a limo in Austin and listening to this song...

" Jesus is Just Alright " by The Doobie Brothers

Anyway, I could go on and on... Welcome to my world..it's no wonder I'm crazy! ;-)

" Moonlight Feels Right " by Starbuck

2008-12-30T08:51:00.000-08:00

After my last post I started thinking of songs about moonlight...(because I'm crazy) Anyway, I absolutely love this song and everytime I hear it I think of driving to New Orleans with Donnie and Linda. That was a crazy trip.

I suggest highway driving while listening to this one. Enjoy the marimba solo in the middle of the song.

" Dancing in the Moonlight " by King Harvest

2008-12-30T08:44:00.000-08:00

I heard this song recently on my cousin Elizabeth's blog. The version she has is by a different artist, but this is the version I remember. I always liked this song. Even though I don't ever remember actually listening to it at the farm, it always makes me think of the farm. ?? Probably because that would be the place I would most likely have been dancing in the moonlight.

" Wonderful Christmas Time " by Paul McCartney

2008-12-23T16:12:00.000-08:00

" The Chanukah Song " by Adam Sandler

2008-12-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

Just Because

" White Christmas " by Bing Crosby

2008-12-22T09:58:00.000-08:00

For Donna

" Please Come Home For Christmas " by The Eagles

2008-12-22T09:46:00.000-08:00

One of my favorites.

" All I Want For Christmas Is You " by Mariah Carey

2008-12-22T09:39:00.000-08:00

Ever since I confessed about Amy Grant, I feel the need to confess more. I love this song. I am NOT a Mariah Carey fan, but I really do like this song. Her version is the best. It always reminds me of by friend Donnie.(He IS a Mariah Carey fan)

" Grown Up Christmas List " by Michael Buble

2008-12-22T09:31:00.000-08:00

I generally prefer traditional Christmas songs, but this is such a beautiful song with such a beautiful message that I couldn't resist. This song has been done by tons of people, and I almost used the Amy Grant version but the video was even too cheesy for me. (I secretly love Amy Grant..shh don't tell anyone, it could totally ruin my image) Anyway, in my opinion you can't really go wrong with Buble. Enjoy!

" Goodnite " by Melody Gardot

2008-12-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

I just recently discovered this girl and she's awesome. She has a very interesting story, if you get a chance you should check out more of her stuff. She was not a musician or singer, and when she was 19 she got hit by a car while she was riding her bike. She had some pretty severe injuries and her doctor told her she should use music as therapy. Voila!... She's only like 24 now... Crazy! She has extreme sensitivity to light and sound due to the accident, which is why she wears the glasses. Anyway, I hope you like it.

" Society's Child " by Janis Ian

2008-12-03T08:05:00.000-08:00

If you've never heard this song, listen. It's a great song that she wrote when she was only 15. I chose this video because she was only 16 in this performance. Janis Ian has quite a few songs that I really like. It was a toss up between this one and "At Seventeen" when I was choosing which one to include. I ended up choosing this one because I think more people need to hear it. Enjoy

" Crazy Train " by Ozzy Osbourne as well as " Crazy Train " by a 6 yr old named Michael

2008-11-29T14:59:00.000-08:00

I was looking for something else and I came across this. I had to include it. I love Ozzy, specifically Ozzy with Black Sabbath and although this is not my favorite song of his, I included it for those of you who are not familiar with the way the song sounds. The kid's pretty good.

" Yes We Can " by Lee Dorsey

2008-11-29T14:45:00.000-08:00

I actually like the Allen Toussaint version better, but I couldn't find it. It's pretty close. Toussaint actually produced this album. I believe he wrote the song as well, but don't quote me on that. I discovered this song a while back, and I immediatly loved it.

" The Thanksgiving Song " by Adam Sandler

2008-11-27T11:41:00.001-08:00

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

" Whatever Happened To Peace On Earth " by Willie Nelson

2008-11-20T10:24:00.000-08:00

OK, so I stole this from JC's blog. It's a great song with a great message. Enjoy!

" I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing " by The New Seekers

2008-11-20T08:46:00.000-08:00

This is a song that I remember very well from my childhood. It was a song that was featured on a Coca Cola commercial. I always liked it, and in keeping with my spread the love theme, I thought I would include it.

" Where Is The Love? " by The Black Eyed Peas

2008-11-18T09:08:00.000-08:00

I think we should all spend a lot more time worrying about what we can do to help people and a lot less time worrying about how we can punish people because they're different. I had a situation with someone recently which brought up a lot of thoughts and feelings for me, thoughts and feelings about what is right and what is wrong. People spend so much of their time and energy justifying their words and behaviors. Negative energy is wasted energy. Spread LOVE even when you don't feel like it. We can make this world a better place.

" Golden Time Of Day " by Maze

2008-11-17T16:53:00.000-08:00

I can actually feel the palm trees sway when I hear this song.

" Ragg Mopp " by The Treniers

2008-11-17T16:48:00.000-08:00

This one is for Grandaddy. I learned it from listening to music with him when I was a kid. I always liked it.

" Feels Like Rain " by John Hiatt

2008-11-15T11:03:00.000-08:00

My girlfriend Karen introduced me to this song. Everytime I hear it I think of her and it makes me love her even more. It's great belly rubbing music.

I think I should add a note to this post. Karen called me and said "I don't know what what belly rubbing music means, but it doesn't sound very appropriate." LOL So for those of you who are not, as Karen would say in the nicest possible way, "backwoods hillbillies" like me, belly rubbing music just means good slow dancing music.

" Put Your Little Foot.." by Hillar Bergman

2008-11-15T09:17:00.000-08:00

Learn the dance.

This song reminds me of New Braunfels and dancing at the Bavarian Village. My mom's side of the family goes to New Braunfels every year in the summer. The Bavarian Village is closed down now, but when I was growing up we would go there and dance. They had a band called Oma and The Oompas. We would have so much fun dancing the polka. I always liked this song and when I hear it, it makes me think of Grandmama. I can picture her dancing to this song and it makes me smile.

" Highwayman " by The Highwaymen

2008-11-15T09:00:00.000-08:00

Just listen to the words. This really is a great song.

Everytime I hear it I think of Monte. We were singing this song and this girl made fun of us which was really funny because she had just done the worst rendition of "Nights in White Satin" that I have ever heard. She was and idiot and she was a fashion tragedy which made it even better. Good Times!

" TNT " by AC/DC

2008-11-13T17:50:00.000-08:00

BECAUSE IT ROCKS!

" Brand New Key " by Melanie

2008-11-10T16:15:00.000-08:00

I suggest rollerskating duh!

I never hear this song without thinking about my friend Amy. One time we were at the farm and this song came on. Everyone was just sitting there and we looked over and Amy was singing. She knew every word. Nobody else had even heard it before. It was really funny. I have since come to love the song as well. Probably not as much as Amy, but a lot.

" The Funky Chicken " by Rufus Thomas

2008-11-05T17:27:00.000-08:00

I suggest following the directions and actually doing " The Funky Chicken."

- This song is for Kent. It reminds me of nights in Hotlanta. Kent and I were watching "Wattstax" and doing the funky chicken in his living room. I'm not sure, but I don't think Kent's wife was impressed. This took place only moments before my good friends took me to a place called The Claremont Lounge. I won't describe this place in detail, but if you can imagine a retirement trailer park for overweight women that has been turned into a strip club in the basement of an apartment building then you'll get a pretty good idea of what it was like. The cool thing about this place was the music. We danced until we couldn't breathe, or maybe we couldn't breathe because they only had one window a/c unit to cool the entire place, but either way it was a lot of fun. Thanks Kent & Morgan

" Lowdown " by Boz Scaggs

2008-11-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

This song is just cool...

-I suggest driving around the city at night, with the windows down, arm propped up on the window, with this song blasting... ( Drive Slow ) You will feel so cool. ;-)

" Sway " by Dean Martin

2008-11-04T15:39:00.000-08:00

There are lots of versions of this song, but this is definately my favorite.

I was listening to it in the car the other day and Marissa(who is 4yrs old) was with me. She said, " I know what this song is called." and I said what? She said, "It's called dance with a beautiful girl." I thought that was great.

" Atomic Dog " by George Clinton

2008-11-04T11:20:00.000-08:00

Just get down.

- One time Brian, Monte, and I went to this bar. It was a week night and it wasn't very crowded. "Atomic Dog" came on and we started dancing. We were pretty much the only people on the dance floor and Monte made up a dance that goes with the song. It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen. (It requires you to pretend like you're holding a net and catching a dog while dancing) HA! Good Times!

" What a Difference a Day Made " by Dinah Washington

2008-11-04T08:26:00.000-08:00

What a great song. I just love the sound of Dinah's voice. All of her songs sound better when it's raining

" Bye, Bye Love " by The Cars

2008-11-03T17:41:00.000-08:00

I just love it...

- It always makes me think of my friend LeAnn because she made me a copy of the CD.

" Tutti Frutti " by Little Richard

2008-11-03T14:33:00.000-08:00

You should probably be alone for this one... Put it on, turn it up, and sing it loud... with feeling! It'll make you feel good.

- I usually hear this song when I'm driving either to or from work. It always makes me happy, and I always sing it loud.

" Ain't Gonna Bump No More " by Joe Tex

2008-11-03T10:19:00.000-08:00

This song should be played at the beginning of any party or social gathering. It might not be PC, but it sure is funky.

- We used to play this song at my brother's house everytime we would get together. We would all dance in this tiny little room... it was great. A shout out to Stacey who wants to know... "which one is Joe Tex?"

" Giblet Gravy " by George Benson

2008-11-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

If you're down, this song will bring you back to life.

- My friend Brian and I were driving back from New Orleans and feeling pretty rough. This song came on and healed us.

" Happiness Runs " by Donovan

2008-11-03T09:02:00.000-08:00

Hold hands with your friends, or anyone for that matter, and skip in a circle. Just try it! You also might want to try singing it with different people taking different parts of the song. (Monte and Amy)

-Ahh... Merv's house

" September " by Earth, Wind, and Fire

2008-11-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

I believe that if you happen to hear this song in the course of your day, you should stop whatever you're doing and have a party.

-I actually heard this song on the radio at work once and took it as a sign that I should leave and go bar hopping. Of course, I am now in recovery... but that's neither here nor there. I still think you should stop whatever you're doing and have a party if you hear this song.

" Into the Mystic " by Van Morrison

2008-11-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

I suggest getting in you're car on a sunny day, rolling down the windows, and driving (it's better if you're not in the city) Crank it up.

-Everytime I hear this song I think of Michael and Terra. We went driving out by the bay and listened to this song over and over again. We were trying to figure out what he was saying at one point in the song. ("and the Bonnie boat was won") It was a beautiful sunny day and a great memory.