Cancon Thursday - War On The East Coast

Well we made it to the last day of February.

That was a slog huh?? And that snow last night didn't really make me jump for joy.  In fact, it made me a bit nuts.  I had two people (two different incidents) walk in front of my vehicle and was almost creamed by a guy making a left turn while I was going straight (I had the right of way but he didn't seem to be bothered by that).  Ordinarily those things aren't a big deal. Yesterday however, it was really cold and it was snowing while this was happening.  The cold roads plus winds plus quickly accumulating snow made for tricky conditions.  I was a very happy kid when I finally got home.

So today, the sun is shining, the roads are plowed... it's still cold but it's manageable and spring is around the corner.

Yay!

...and it's Thursday so I'm going to share a Canadian tune with you lovely folks.  The song I'm sharing with you today has been stuck in my head for a couple of days.  Not sure why but it has.  It's a pretty good earworm, as earworms go, maybe you'll get it stuck in your head too.  There are literally thousands of songs which are worse than this one for sticking in your head...

So, yeah, the song.  It's the second single from The New Pornographers fantastic 2014 album, Brill Bruisers. That's right kids, I'm sharing the video for War On The East Coast with you today.  Hope you enjoy it as much as I do and if you get it stuck in your head, well, first of all, you're welcome and second...let me know, promise?  thanks!! xo

Way Back Wednesday - Mad About You

The other day, I was talking to a friend of mine about the song I'm going to share with you today.  As you know, on Wednesday's, I like to share an older song, one either that I really like or that has some special significance for me.

Back in the 1980's, videos were a big deal.  Sometimes, the video could draw you into a song that you didn't really care about, that perhaps wasn't particularly good, because the visuals were so stunning.  For today's song, I wouldn't say that the visuals were particularly stunning (although the singer, Belinda Carlisle, looked gorgeous).  What I always liked (and still do) about this video was her hair. The song was okay but the hair was amazing.

At the time of it's release, this song was a big hit in Canada and the video was in heavy rotation on the "nation's music station."  It was impossible to avoid.  I had huge hair envy.  Every time I stumbled across the video, I stopped and marveled at her hair.  Of course, she had hair dressers working on every time the camera stopped rolling but I didn't care, I wanted that hair.  For sure it was possible to have hair that looked that good in real life, right?

I tried, goodness knows I tried.  I had thick light brown / dark blonde hair at the time.  It was cut in a bob and I loved me some big hoop earrings (still do) but I could never get my hair to move like hers did.  Perhaps if I had invested in a wind machine I may have come close but alas, I didn't.

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm sharing the video for "Mad About You" today.  Interesting tidbit about this song, it was one of the very first songs which was released as a cd single (this was 1986, cd's weren't really a thing yet).

Give yourself a big Belinda style hug and enjoy this dance on the beach down memory lane.  Happy hump day kids xo

Because It's Tuesday - week of February 26

Well, it's the last Tuesday of the month.

I'll be so glad to say goodbye to February, you have NO idea!!  Why does the shortest month always feel like the it's the longest?  gah...

So, it's Tuesday, that means I'm sharing a cover with you lovely people.

It would probably be hard to find a band who's songs have been covered more often than the Beatles.  Some of the covers are great and some are meh.  The Beatles cover I'm sharing today sits somewhere in the middle.  I like it but it's very true to the original with the exception that it's performed by some very talented young women, the Donnas.

That's right kids, today I'm sharing "Drive My Car" by the Donnas with you. You may recall back in 2005, a compilation was released called "This Bird Has Flown:  A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul."  In addition to the Donnas, Dar Williams, Ben Lee, Low and Ted Leo (and others) recorded tunes from Rubber Soul.  It's a fun compilation... Hard to believe that Rubber Soul will be 55 years old next year but it will be.  Yikes.

Hope you enjoy the Donnas xo

Not Guilty Just Pleasure - Let The Mystery Be

Iris DeMent.  She's a gem.  I could listen to her sing the phone book, seriously.  Iris, if you're reading this, record yourself singing some of the phone book and I will listen to it, I'll share it here.  Her voice is just fantastic.

So, as today is not guilty just pleasure day, I'm sharing a favourite song of mine.  I've always loved the lyrics to "Let The Mystery Be."  Today, as I write this, my heart is so heavy from receiving some sad news that the mother of a good friend of mine passed away last night.

Her mother was quite elderly and had been ill for a while but it's always such a shock whenever some passes away.  It's so final. You'll never ever get to see their smile or hear their voice again and you'll miss them forever and ever.  I think particularly when you lose your mother (and thankfully I have no personal reference for this) you feel untethered.  The person who (if you're lucky) nurtured you, gave you life, loved you unconditionally, protected you and accepted you, was your greatest cheerleader and biggest fan is no longer there. My heart breaks for them, I wish I could take away the sorrow that she and her siblings are experiencing right now.  As I know from my own personal experience with grief, you never really get over a loss like this but you do get through it, somehow.

So, on that note, I'm going to share Iris DeMent and "Let The Mystery Be" with you today.  If your mum is still around, track her down this weekend and give her a big hug xo

Everybody's wonderin' what and where they they all came from
Everybody's worryin' 'bout where they're gonna go
When the whole thing's done
But no one knows for certain
And so it's all the same to me
I think I'll just let the mystery be

Cancon Thursday - A Love Song

Because It's Thursday, I'm sharing a Canadian song with you today.

Today's song is a duet by two of the most beautiful voices to ever sing in Canada or any country, Anne Murray and kd lang.  I believe that the first time that they performed this song together was in 1993 as part of a Juno Awards tribute to our Snowbird songstress, Anne Murray.  There are clips of that performance on YouTube and I'd encourage you to check them out.  The quality is very poor but it's pretty adorable to see a very young kd lang in her overalls singing her heart out with Anne Murray. "A Love Song" was originally recorded in 1973 by Loggins and Messina but Anne's 1974 release of it was a BIG hit in Canada and the US. 

In 2007, Anne released a collection of songs called "Duets: Friends and Legends."  It featured Anne singing with folks like Dusty Springfield, Jann Arden, Emmylou Harris, Carole King, Shelby Lynn and, of course, kd lang.  Today I'm sharing that 2007 version of their duet for "A Love Song."

Enjoy xo