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Wild And Sweet The Words Repeat: Merry Christmas.
Here's a Christmas carol you don't hear too often, based on an 1864 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow lamenting the state of the country during the Civil War.
Let's Be Like Children This Christmastime: Modern Love
The modern Christmas song is a tough thing to pull off.
For years my dad and I have joked that all we need to do to strike it rich in this life is somehow write the next hit Christmas carol, one that will be covered by generations to come, and then live easy forevermore on the royalties.
And Wonder If You Are Watching Snowflakes Too: A Tearjerker Christmas
By night I am deeply embroiled in an intensive cultural-criticism training program (eating microwave popcorn by myself and watching cable television) but my day job is about children.
Just One Psychological Drama After Another: Wild!
It will most likely come as no surprise that I'm a person who can get really melancholy and self-pitying and just terrible. (Have I ever hidden how much I truly love Morrissey?)
If I Had To Do The Same Again I Would My Friend: "Fernando"
As I've mentioned before, I often have to force myself to turn outward.
But I Can't Stop Trying I Can't Give Up Hope: Don't Put This On Your Mix CD
When it comes to romance, the older I get the more I find myself turning into a fascist.
I Know I'll Often Stop And Think About Them: Songs for Thanksgiving
I used to not like this song. The implication that One True Love should somehow supersede a person's entire previous life ruffled my feathers, although I appreciated the beautifully simple and distinctive drum line and the sweetness of those notes at the beginning.
Well I'm Sorry I Don't Pray That Way: No, This Version Wins
"Tainted Love" is by FAR my favorite song to sing in the shower, so I was delighted to come across this lesser-known original version of it. Before clicking, I thought to myself,
"Great! I will do a Version v. Version of this because what's better than listening to 'Tainted Love'? Listening to 'Tainted Love' five times in a row!!!!!!!"
I Know They Don't Sound The Way I Planned Them To Be: TK TK
A few months ago, around when I moved into my new place, I got on a real kick for self-improvement. Now I drink water with lemon in it (according to the highly reputable text Alkalize or Die! by Dr. Theodore Baroody, this is all I need to become immortal) and I try not to talk unless I have something interesting to say.
Don't You Know Me I'm Your Native Son: "City of New Orleans"
What I think a lot of people don't realize about being American is that part of being American is feeling kind of weird about it.
You Always Wanted A Lover I Only Wanted A Job: "What Have I Done To Deserve This?"
Okay so there's a lot of pretending that goes on in my life. I think it's a natural consequence of a) living alone and b) an overactive brain.
You May Never Fall In Love With Me But It Don't Matter: "Midnight Flower"
I usually steer clear of posting songs or theme-ing posts to holidays just because I feel that's establishing what could only be called a dangerous precedent,
but this song struck me as something good for Halloween and I'm trying to put my finger on why.
And I Understand Your Feelings Girl I Really Do: "Get Out Now"
There's two kinds of hobbies in this life: the ones that exist outside your head, and the ones that don't.
One of my personal favorites of the latter genre is "pretending my life is a movie and I am the music director".
Longing To Sail On: "All Through The Years"
This is a really great song and I recommend that you listen to it ASAP.
The song: Erasure, "All Through The Years"; 1994
The moment: 1:25
Yrs,
AW
Let's Make The Most Of the Night Like We're Gonna: Fight or Flight
If you've turned on a TV or the radio in the past three months, you've heard these songs.
My argument is essentially, not to put too fine a point on it, that these two songs represent Everything That Is Wrong With Everything in the Year 2012.
(in a metaphysical sense.)
Here we go.
*
I'm Always Running Behind The Times: "Just Like This Train"
I really love October (who doesn't) but I find that it can sometimes really exacerbate what I'll call my Chronic Existential Pain Syndrome.
Like most chronic things, it's low level most of the time and then occasionally flares up, usually in the form of thoughts like so:
Oh Make No Mistake My Friend All Of This Will End So Sing It Now: "Sing Your Life"
The things you love most are the things you return to again and again.
Hence the concept of the dog-eared page. Or buying DVDs in an age when it's just as easy not to. The desire to own and mark what you know you will want to see again.
The things I return to are usually things I hardly realize I am returning to, because they never feel old, they just feel good.
You Got Back To My Name In Your Little Black Book: Version v. Version
Friends, it's that time again.
For that unanswerable question: who sung it best?
THIS TIME, a special twist because all of the artists featured here have ALSO been previously featured on In Bed With Amy Wilson. Because I love them all. A conundrum is before us.
The song? Only the one everybody should have in the back pocket of their emotional register:
Wish You Could Touch Me With The Colors Of Your Life: "Invisible"
As I've hopefully made clear, I'm really into things that seem kind of bright and upbeat but in fact are DARK and TWISTED and MORBID. The contrast is just really zesty to me.
It's Not That The Problem Lies Anywhere In There: "Please Forgive My Heart"
I really like doing radio, as evidenced by the fact that for the last four months I have been willing to drag my carcass out of my burrow between the hours of 3am and 6am to do it.
There are a lot of things that are addictive and magical and wonderful about the radio, and I've done a lot of thinking about them recently. Here are two:
