The Music of Boobburgh

The Music of Boobburgh

By Kathy Reschini Sweeney

If you know me personally, or have followed my blogs over the years, you already know this - music is very important to me.

I don't sing or play an instrument, but I do have cousins who have degrees and are paid musicians, so it may be that the genes are somewhere in there and, if I win the lottery and have nothing but time, I could take lessons and turn out to be the next Adele.  Without the hair.  I have had long hair and it's a pain in the ass.  Like so many things, a young woman's game.

Any way, today, while I wait for the phone to ring, I am putting together a list of great songs.  No real theme - just songs I love.  And I want to know your favorite songs.

For example, one of the most relaxing songs I love is "Everything About You" - by Alan Silvestri from the soundtrack of "What Women Want".

One of my favorite Gospel songs is "Favorite Song of All" by the Brooklyn Tablernacle Choir.

A great love song is "After  All" by Al Jarreau.

Want to dance?  Try Earth, Wind and Fire's "September" or the classic "Twist and Shout" - I like the Isley Brothers, but the cover by 'Otis Day and the Nights' on the "Animal House" soundtrack is good too.

For lullabies, it's hard to beat Kenny Loggins, unless you have "Lullaby" - sung in magnificent harmony by Josh Groban and Ladysmith Black Mambazo.

Jazz?  George Benson, from right here in Pittsburgh, has some amazing stuff.  If "Broadway" doesn't get your toes tapping, you need to have a full neuro screening done.

Then there are the songs from musicals.  "Seasons of Love" from Rent is almost always a good choice, as are the classics from "Oklahoma", "My Fair Lady", "The Sound of Music" and "Camelot".

Okay, enough from me.  Let's make the best mixed tape of all time - what are your favorites?

 

Comments

[Ramona]

Have you seen the video clip of President Obama doing his Al Green imitation?

My current favorites: "Video Games" by Lana Del Rey and Adele's "Someone Like You."

But, honey, if you mention Earth, Wind and Fire, you have to go with "Boogie Wonderland." Best. Dance. Song. Ever.

[William]

Says it all, right here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edwsf-8F3sI&ob=av2n

[Kaye Barley]

Kathy, I may not be posting every day, but I AM thinking of you every day. just so you know.

You make me laugh, and you make me cry and I love you to bits.

oTAY - Favorite songs.

This could be a very long list!

Music is how I remember my life.

My first favorite song as a very little girl was the one my mom and dad and I would sing in the car on road trips.

"Playmate, come out and play with me . . ."

Remember it?!

Motown - anything and everything.

Ditto Willie Nelson

Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" (Really!)

Carley Simon & James Taylor doing "Mockingbird"

My theme song - Tom Petty's "Stand me up at the gates of hell; I won't back down."

K.D. Lang's version of "Hallelujah"

Streisand's "Grandma's Hands"

Judy Collins' "Salt of the Earth"

Sugarland's "Stay"

Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn & Tammy Wynette's "Wings of a Dove"

Eric Clapton & Pavarotti singing "Holy Mother" together (kills me)

Dinah Shore's "Blues in the Night"

okay - that's enough for now. Someone else's turn. This is fun!

[m]

"Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra is a favorite of mine I keep going back to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLfylx7cMdE

"Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End," are three tracks that are clearly intended to be a single song - the last song on the last Beatles album. It's where we get that "in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7dNIN2NIO4

And "Cyclops Rock" by They Might Be Giants. They're not the Beatles, but they're still one of my favorites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jHT_SxaMvY

For musical songs, everyone who has ever been in a bad mood should listen to "Wig in a Box," from the Hedwig and the Angry Inch soundtrack. It's like Prozac.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kySwhkpY4I

[Elaine A. Judge]

Our favorite song right now is:

"Happy Days Are Here Again."

[Buff]

Very nice relaxing mix you got going there Ms. Sweeney. What are you gonna play when it's time to crank it up and let it rip?

I am thinking no Boobburgh loud list would be complete with out a little Ah! Leah! by Donny Iris.

[Susan A.]

Let the River Run - by Carly Simon. Nothing quite like belting this in the car with my Momma

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT6qkKMOq4Q&feature=fvst

Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons. Excellent group, excellent song, even more excellent a capella

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh_bTkyJV5s

Folsum Prison Blues(Live) - Johnny Cash. The man in black. love.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vetc1u_Y-E&feature=related

We Are Young ft. Janelle Monae - Fun. It's my song of the moment and I cannot stop listening to it. The best version is the acoustic one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQLGhPHzxjc

Piano Concerto 2, First Movement - Shostakovich. NO list would ever be complete without the favorite piece I've ever played.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTSr2oz15Xk

[Maryann Mercer]

Well, I've gotta start with Sister Sledge and "We are Family"
Mary Chapin Carpenter's "Down at the Twist and Shout"
Beausoleil's "Bayou Boogie"
Amandas Shaw's "Little Black Dog"
ABBA's "Dancing Queen"
Barry Manilow "Could It Be Magic"
Pachobel's "Canon in D"
Debussey's "Clair de Lune"
Doctor John's "Iko Iko"
Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" or "We Are the Champions"
Ottmar Liebert's "Barcelona"
REO Speedwagon's "Ridin' the Storm Out"

You could get a box set of mix tapes out of all these suggestions, I bet!
Hang in there Kathy. The news will be good and we can all happy dance!(and then take a nap) :o)

[Tom]

I think you may want a few different versions of 'Nessun Dorma' from Puccini's 'Turandot.' At its end, Calaf sings, "I will win! I will win!"

For a sense that divinity walks the earth with us, the two tone poems by Vaughn Williams are tough to beat: 'The Lark Ascending' and 'Fantasia On A Theme By Thomas Tallis.' Don't miss his gathering of friends at a feast, either: 'The Serenade To Music,' based on Shakespeare.

Gershwin; yeah, all the big stuff, but try the Three Preludes For Piano (William Bolcom's recording if you have a choice).

On YouTube, look for our pal Jeff Kust. He plays solo (guitar and cuatro) and in duos with his violinist daughter Arcadia Kust.

And your good news just came in over the wire, so I'm headed for the garden to do the Offical Happy Dance!

[Kerry]

Mary Chapin Carpenter: The Moon and Saint Christopher, I Am a Town, and Halley Came To Jackson for poignancy and just beautiful singing. Jubilee is another total fave.

Indigo Girls: Galileo, of course, but The Wood Song is superb with its message of hardship overcome and redemption.

Bonnie Raitt: Home is one of the sweetest homecoming songs EVER. Her versions of Angel of Montgomery, Louise, and Dimming of the Day are beyond awesome.

Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry: the duet version of Defying Gravity - need I say more? :)

[Storyteller Mary]

Okay, I know it's lame, but I mostly listen to classical music. When FM99, which had been St. Louis's classical station MY WHOLE LIFE sold out, I panicked. Public radio added HD channels, so that's my source now. A friend was doing some computer training for the Y here last night, because her computer can't. She liked the classical background so much, found it soothing -- I think I'm going to get her an HD radio as a get-over-surgery (knee replacement) present, take up a collection from her students . . .
Kathy, so glad for your good news that I could almost dance on the ceiling!!

[Diane Russom Harrison]

Oh my! I agree with everyone's picks. Now I have all these tunes swirling through my head. Lovely!

[Laura (in PA)]

I have so many favorite songs, depending on my mood, the day, and many other variables. This morning I heard the Stray Cats' "Rock This Town" on the radio, and danced the whole time. I also love their Stray Cat Strut.

Let's see - recent downloads include The Beatles' Oh! Darling, Smash Mouth's I'm A Believer and All Star, and new albums by Scotty McCreery, Tim McGraw, and Tony Bennett. :)

Kathy, I'm very curious to know how many songs you have in your iTunes.

[Diana in STL]

So many choices
Can't Help Falling in Love Elvis Presley
Crying Roy Orbison & KD Lang
Unchained Melody Rightous Brothers
Make you Feel my Love Adele
The Way you Look at Me Christian Bautista
If you Want me to Kyler Englund
Power of Love Jennifer Rush version
My Sweet Lady John Denver
I Can't Help it if I'm Still in Love... Patsy Cline
Blowin' in the Wind Peter, Paul, & Mary
The First Time Ever I saw your Face Peter, Paul Mary version
Whenever I Call you Friend Melissa Manchester

[Peg]

Alan & Marilyn Bergman's "What are you doing the rest of your life?" sung by Alan Bergman. The best!

Natalie & Nat King Cole singing "Unforgettable"

Etta James singing "At Last"

Aretha Franklin singing "Spanish Harlem"

Larry Graham singing "One in a Million You"

Michael Buble singing "It had better be tonight"

And all the great dance bands of the 30s and 40s: Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, the Dorsey Brothers, etc. - playing things like: In the Mood, One O'Clock Jump, Mood Indigo, Sophisticated Lady, Stomping at the Savoy.....

[gaylin in Vancouver]

I like a whole lot of what is listed here.

For dancing music right now I am listening to some different stuff then I used to, Marilyn Manson's - Tainted Love, Nine Inch Nails - Closer, Finger Eleven - Paralyzer and Pink - So What.

For the quiet side of me, I have a playlist in iTunes called Sooth, top five are Finger Eleven - One Thing, Holly Cole - Take Me Home, Somewhere Over The Rainbow - Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Live - Lightening Crashes and Michelle Branch - The Game of Love.

And when I need cheering up, I have a whole playlist of Disney music.

[Debby]

There are so many wonderful choices out there! I am still a classical girl...but amazed my niece late Friday night by listening to some current eclectic station. LOL!

Love Bach - Fugue No.2 in A flat minor (lead in on my favorite Amy Grant song...Sing Your Praise to the Lord).

Beethoven, Mendelsohn, Wagner (Valkyrie), etc.

O Fortuna by Carl Orff

Of the current stuff? I do enjoy listening to 'Mr. Know-it-all' by Kelly Clarkson (perfect description of my best friends soon-to-be ex).

[Baltimore Jack]

Not too late to join the bandwagon I hope. Jazz: Affirmation (G. Benson), Rap: California Love (Tupac - theme from Bill Maher's show), Pop: Smooth Criminal (M.J.),Rock:Eminence Front (The Who), R&B: Let's Stay Together (Tina's version), Country:Piece o' My Heart (Faith Hill), Folk: All I want (Joni Mitchell) - Let me know if you really are doing a mix CD. All of the songs I've seen are fabulous