Not in Nottingham

Perhaps it says something about me that one my favorite songs from any Disney movie is the rather downbeat, almost depressing, Not in Nottingham from Robin Hood. When I was growing up we watched Robin Hood a lot. It was one of my favorite movies and Robin Hood, that fox, was one of my first crushes. And Roger Miller's sad, hauntingly beautiful version of Not in Nottingham was the one song I would sing from the movie. 

There are certain songs that just hit you the right way and stick with you through life. Almost thirty years after hearing that song for the first time, I'm still looking for a copy I can call my own. Disney has only once, to my knowledge, released the song in a physical form. It was part of the record soundtrack. Sadly, that record is one of the few that I can't find in my parent's house. We have the cover, but not the record. It's not on iTunes or Spotify or Pandora or LastFM. I'm not surprised that Disney would prefer to focus on the more upbeat songs from its movies but there is just something wonderful about that song. 

I'm clearly not the only one who loves the song. When I go looking for it, I find all sorts of covers of the song. Los Lobos did a version. Benjamin Baker did a version. I just found a version by Mumford and Sons. If you google Not in Nottingham, you'll find hundreds of covers with a couple versions of the original mixed in. But nothing that I can put on my iPod to hum along to later. So I'll keep looking. And hopefully find that old record. I'll wear out the needle listening to that song but it will be worth it. "Every town, has its ups and downs..." 

For those of you who've never seen Robin Hood or heard the song, check out the original here. And the Mumford and Sons version isn't too bad. 

Songs of the Week

Over the last three days, I've listened to The National's "Sea of Love" at least two dozen times. In fact I'm listening to it right now, on repeat. That and "Demons", also by The National.

I have a tendency to become infatuated with songs. Two weeks ago I listened to "Nomenclature" by Andrew Bird until I was humming it in my sleep. I simply could not get enough of the song. This week, I've moved my affection to The National. I was introduced to the band years ago after watching this rather enjoyable animation using their song "Slow Show". Using YouTube I listened to most of their music then. And then this week, I became obsessed.

I was re-listening to "Sea of Love" and happened to notice that the Dessner brothers (the guitarists) look a bit like a friend of mine. So of course I had to look for more videos. And that reminded me of "Demons". Now I can't stop listening. I bought a bunch of The National's song but these are the one one repeat.

Eventually I'll get tired of them. Or a new song will come along. But until then, repeat is my best friend. And these songs just keep getting better with each listen.

Regina Spektor

The first time I heard Regina Spektor, I was listening to Pandora. The song On the Radio came on and I was at first unsure of what to make of the lyrics. She does talk about driving hearses through screaming crowds. But then I was fascinated. Even with the sometimes gothic themes, the upbeat melody, odd lyrics, and sweet voice made me fall in love with the song. I went home and bought it that day. And listened to it over and over and over until I'm sure Jeff was sick of it.

The next day I set up a Regina Spektor Pandora station. And found myself in love with every song of hers that they played. The Russian born artist writes some of the most interesting lyrics I've ever heard but it's her voice that really pulls me in. The first time we watched Prince Caspian (the second Chronicles of Narnia film) and her song played at the end, I knew her voice right away. It is such a beautiful voice. It's delicate and pure. And more than anything, it is unique. I bought The Call shortly after.

But I still can't get away from the lyrics. I wish I had written the words to The Calculation. They are offbeat in the best possible way. The song and video for Fidelity makes me laugh and smile every time I see it. It's an odd video (not as strange as Nine Crimes by Damien Rice but close), but I love the ending. A feel good video. I just recently watched the video for Better, a song I've loved since I first heard it, and was just as enchanted with the video.

It's not often that I find a songwriter who produces song after song that I love. Most of the time I find one or two songs from other artists that are just okay. I haven't heard a single Regina Spektor song that I haven't adored. Now I'm just waiting for her to come to town so I can see her live. Until then I'll have to make due with my always growing iTunes collection of her work and the videos she puts up on YouTube. Take a listen. I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

[All video links are to the official videos with the exception of The Calculation.]

Ear Worms

I've had a song stuck in my head since May. It's actually starting to drive me crazy. When I start to sing anything, it's always this song. I can't even think of a different one. And I sing all the time. I mean all the time. I sing in the shower. I sing while I'm doing dishes. I sing as I walk down the street. I even sing at work. I'm sure I drive my coworkers insane. Not loud. Just singing under my breath. And for the last month it's been this one song. So in an attempt to rid myself of it, I'm posting it here. Nothing else is working. It's a great song but...really...a month!

Damn you Joe Purdy for writing such fantastic lyrics!

Joe Purdy's The Pretenders (the link is just set to the album. You'll have to select the song.

Songs about Toast and Butter Jesus

I'm going to steal a post idea from my friend Salt who writes a very enjoyable blog about whatever argument happens to end up in his head. Today he wrote an interesting post about religion and the belief that things happen as a punishment. He was referencing the gigantic Styrofoam Jesus that was recently struck by lightning and burned to the ground. But I'm not going to talk about that.

Instead I'm more interested in the singer he mentioned. A while ago Jeff got me hooked on the morning show Bob and Tom. I loved the comedians they brought in, some of their batter between the group, and I particularly liked the musicians. They introduced me to people like Paul and Storm, Rodney Carrington, Stephen Lynch, and Heywood Banks. Sometimes the humor got a bit crude (this show is not for the young ones) but it almost always made me laugh. I haven't been listening to the show recently but I still listen to the music.

So where to these two paragraphs combine? With Heywood Banks, a parody songwriter. Heywood wrote a hilarious song about the giant Jesus sculpture called "Big Butter Jesus" since it has a bit of a buttery looking color to it. With descriptors like "unsalted Jesus", "Promise Jesus", "sweet cream Jesus", and the ever perfect "Oleo Lord", this song is blasphemous and downright hilarious. And this is just one of his songs.

Most of his songs are just silly. He has a decent voice and that with his bizarre lyrics make these songs enjoyable. His song "Iowa" is a regular favorite of mine. Any song about the state that occasionally bursts in with "What's that smell?" is good in my book. I laugh so hard I cry when I listen to "You Can Be Mean to Me (The Revenge Song)". And you really have to watch his song "Toast" on video. Heywood sings while accompanying himself on...well...a toaster. Bob and Tom's favorite seemed to be "A Trauma to the Groin" which is enjoyable but not quite as good as "Wiper Blades".

Heywood is actually Stuart Mitchell, and he has a style all his own. I've seen pictures of him with long straight hair and a pair of nerd glasses, but I've also seen pictures with him looking like Colonel Sanders. There both funny looks but but his image is only a small part of the act. It's the music that fascinated me. His music just makes me crack up laughing. If you're not easily offended (and have a good sense of humor) he's well worth a listen. Fun stuff.

Thanks for the idea, Salt. Hope it's okay that I "borrowed".

Silly Songs Stuck in my Head

I'm prone to getting songs stuck in my head. A single phrase, or even just a couple of words, will plant a song that I can't shake for hours. It can be so bad that just hearing the word Why will stick Joe Purdy's song "Why Do I" in my head for the rest of the day. I wander around singing one or two phrases from the song before realizing that I'm doing it. If you ask Jeff, you'll find out that I'm constantly humming or singing something.

So this week I have two silly songs stuck in my head that I felt I had to share. The first is a new song that I just found yesterday. But it's catchy and so much fun that I keep singing it. I was looking at a picture on Bing.com and found a link on wanting to be a Canadian. The link led directly to the song "Canadian, Please" by Julia Bentley and Andrew Gunadie. The song has a bouncy beat and a silly rhyme and makes me incredibly happy. The video has the singers dressed a Canadian mounties splashing around in a stream. It even has closed captioning so you don't miss a single phrase. Well worth a watch. Downright hilarious stuff.

The other song is from Phineas and Ferb. I'm sure it surprises you that a cartoon offers a catchy funny tune but P&F are known for them. Each episode has an original song and many of them are perfect songs to stick in your head. The one I've been singing lately is Perry the Platypus's theme song. It starts out with "He's a semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal of action...." And it just gets sillier from there. I've even got Jeff singing along on this one. I'd link just the song but the video is well worth it as well.

Two silly songs to make your day a little brighter. Or to get stuck in your head. Goodness knows I can't get them out of mine.

Joe Purdy

I hate to admit this but if it wasn't for the TV, I would never have found Joe Purdy's music. As a selp-published artist he's been relying on word of mouth and so far that hadn't reached me yet. What did reach me was a rather silly Kia Spectra commercial with a fun little upbeat song to go along with it.

I bought the song off iTunes but never really looked farther into Joe's music. I'm not sure why that is though. The song from the commercial, "Can't Get it Right Today" quickly became one of my favorite songs. I was surprised to find out that it was not the silly, ditty that I expected and was instead a very moving song. This is a beautifully sad song that somehow made me happy and sad at the same time. It hit me deeply, and I found myself singing it constantly. I've always loved folk music and this was some of the best I've ever heard. So why I didn't go find more of his music, I will never know.

One afternoon while sitting listening to Pandora.com, a song called "Whiskey and Fish" came on. I tapped my feet and bounced along to the song and then immediately clicked over to see who did the song. Joe Purdy again. And then I saw the new Dawn advertisement with his soulful "Wash Away". And I went out looking for the rest. Joe by the way is no stranger to music for television. Wash Away became a theme song for the series Lost, and Greys Anatomy has used some of his stuff. But since I've never seen a single episode of either, it took me two commercials and Pandora to spark me.

Joe has published 10 albums in the last 8 years. All self-published and all amazingly good. I read in an interview that he only expected to live to 27 and wanted to make sure he had 10 albums produced by then. His self-publishing has the downside of not offering a ton of marketing but also gives him a lot freedom with both writing and releasing his music. He gives people the chance to listen to all of his songs on his website and you can buy them directly from him or link to iTunes or Amazon. As I've gotten money to spend on music I've been buying up his albums. And so far have not found one that I didn't love. It took me a long time to find Joe but he has quickly become my favorite singer/songwriter. It's kind of sad to say that it took the television for me to find a new singer, but I'm willing to admit it, if it helps me get the word out about his fantastic music.

The Times They Are A-Changin

I'm incredibly susceptible to song suggestion. I am constantly getting songs stuck in my head, normally because I have heard a part of it. You mention even part of a lyric and hours later I find myself still singing the song. Hum a couple bars and I'll find myself whistling the same tune. My family is also susceptible and some of us make it a game to get songs stuck in each other heads. My sisters fiance loves to whistle a couple bars of "The Hustle" just to piss the rest of us off. My brothers and sisters have been known to call each other, sing a line, and hang up. It's a sick game.

So this morning I have to wonder why I have Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin" in my head. I know I didn't hear the song. Jeff hates Bob Dylan and refuses to have his voice in the house. (to note, its the voice that Jeff hates, not the songwriting) But driving in to work I'm singing the song at the top of my lungs. A coworker caught me humming and asked the song. Of course it was the same. It'll be stuck there probably until I go to bed tonight.

Now I'm not superstitious but the first thing I saw when I got to work this morning was a soaring eagle. It rose from behind my office building and I stood (in the negative temperatures) and watched it until it disappeared. We have the occasional eagle downtown but this was the closest one I had seen. And today it seemed like a sign. That, mixed with Bob Dylan, seems to signify to me that some change is coming. And I have to admit I'm really excited.