New holiday flicks come out every year, and you could say there's an endless supply of them...but honestly, who can change the channel when there's a Christmas movie marathon underway? With 9 days left before Christmas, here are 20 Sweet's top 10 (I didn't want to have to let in stragglers like "Fred Claus" or "Christmas with the Kranks") Christmas movies...it'll be a tight movie-watching schedule but you can squeeze 'em in. Enjoy.
1. Love Actually (2003)
2. A Christmas Story (1983)
3. It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
4. The Santa Clause (1994)
5. Home Alone (1990)
6. Elf (2003)
7. Scrooged (1988)
8. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
9. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
10. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
Showing posts with label 20 Sweet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 20 Sweet. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
20 (minus 10) Sweet: Christmas Movies
Thursday, December 10, 2009
20 Sweet: Christmas Songs
Some people go to malls or coffee shops the day after Thanksgiving and scoff at the Christmas wreaths, Christmas lights, and Santa Claus decorations that seemed to pop up overnight. Perhaps this commercialization is a little over-the-top, and maybe they should just wait until December at least, but there’s one thing I love about the whole deal.
Christmas music—it’s suddenly everywhere. Sure, some of the tunes you hear are a little rough – formerly hot boy bands trying to get a hit on the charts by any means necessary, or overly modernized, butchered versions of classics – but I still love it. Here are some of those guilty-pleasure Christmas favorites…enjoy, and feel free to post your own song suggestions.
1. Christmas Song – Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds
2. Santa Baby – Eartha Kitt
3. 2000 Miles – The Pretenders
4. Merry Christmas Baby – Otis Redding
5. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town – Bruce Springsteen
6. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer – Jack Johnson
7. River – Joni Mitchell
8. Christmas Time is Here – Vince Guaraldi Trio
9. The Christians and the Pagans –Dar Williams
10. Little Saint Nick – The Beach Boys
11. Christmas is All Around – “Billy Mack” (from Love Actually)
12. Las Christmas – Jimmy Eat World
13. Wonderful Christmastime – Paul McCartney
14. Winter Wonderland – Jason Mraz
15. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
16. All I Want for Christmas is You – Mariah Carey
17. Frosty the Snowman – Fiona Apple
18. Feliz Navidad – José Feliciano
19. Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow – Dean Martin
20. Happy Xmas (War is Over) – John Lennon
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
20 Sweet: Food Songs
In honor of Thanksgiving, this week’s 20 Sweet is all about the food. Feel free to post additional song suggestions, and have a great few days off!
1. “Strawberry Fields Forever” – The Beatles
2. “Meat Grinder” – MF Doom
3. “Food Chain” – Eric Hutchinson
4. “American Pie” – Don McLean
5. “Banana Pancakes” – Jack Johnson
6. “...And Carrot Rope” – Pavement
7. “Cookie Jar (fear. The-Dream)” – Gym Class Heroes
8. “Raw Sugar” – Metric
9. “Sex and Candy” – Marcy Playground
10. “Ice Cream Girl” – Wale
11. “Cheeseburger in Paradise” – Jimmy Buffett
12. “Mango Pickle Downriver” – M.I.A.
13. “Corona and Lime” – Shwayze
14. “Mustard Seed Celebration” – Panacea
15. “Cherry Oh Baby” – UB40
16. “The Lemon Song” – Led Zeppelin
17. “Candy Floss” – Wilco
18. “Tupelo Honey” – Van Morrison
19. “Candy Everybody Wants” – 10,000 Maniacs
20. “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” - Spoon
Thursday, November 19, 2009
20 Sweet: Cover Songs (Volume II)
Last year, 20 Sweet told you about some great covers, or songs in which one artist interprets the work of another.
But 20 wasn’t enough…so to help quench the eternal cover-thirst that I know some of us most definitely have, here are 20 more. Enjoy, and feel free to post other covers the Princeton world would be better off knowing!
1. “High and Dry” – Jamie Cullum (Radiohead cover)
2. “Free Fallin’” – John Mayer (Tom Petty cover)
3. “Sleepyhead” – Run Toto Run (Passion Pit cover)
4. “Thriller” – Imogen Heap (Michael Jackson cover)
5. “Three Little Birds” – Tracy Chapman (Bob Marley cover)
6. “Womanizer” – Lily Allen (Britney Spears cover)
7. “Sexual Healing” – Ben Harper (Marvin Gaye cover)
8. “Heartbeats” – Jose Gonzalez (The Knife cover)
9. “Valerie” – James Morrison (The Zutons cover)
10. “I Want You Back” – Discovery (Jackson 5 cover)
11. “My Girls” – :Kinema: (Animal Collective cover)
12. “Digital Love” – Alphabeat (Daft Punk cover)
13. “Dancing with Myself” – Nouvelle Vague (Billy Idol cover)
14. “I Will Follow You into the Dark” – Amy Millan (Death Cab for Cutie cover)
15. “Stillness is the Move” – Solange (Dirty Projectors cover)
16. “Superstition” – Estelle (Stevie Wonder cover)
17. “Time to Pretend” – Little Boots (MGMT cover)
18. “Under the Bridge” – Gym Class Heroes (Red Hot Chili Peppers cover)
19. “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” – Crystal Antlers (Bob Dylan cover)
20. “Whatever You Like” – Anya Marina (T.I. cover)
Most of these songs are available for listening via Youtube or various music blogs.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
20 Sweet: Mashups
Since so many mashups are being produced these days -- from incredibly catchy ones, to ones that literally hurt your ears -- it’s tough to know which ones are actually worth listening to. We thought we’d give you…well, a mashup of our favorite mashups. This list contains a variety of different types of mashups, from ones that just use two songs, to ones that use over 30 songs, to ones that sample a single song and place original vocals over it. We'd love to hear of your favorite mashups too, so feel free to post your own suggestions. Enjoy!
1. “Bounce That” – Girl Talk
2. “I F***ing Bleed Purple and Gold” – Super Mash Bros.
3. “All My Scrubs” – The Hood Internet (TLC vs. Led Zeppelin)
4. “Heart to Heart” – Milkman
5. “No Taylor No Scar” – Norwegian Recycling
6. “City is Mine vs. Brick” – Mother Earth Remixes (Jay-Z vs. Ben Folds)
7. “Sexual High” – Go Home Productions (Marvin Gaye vs. Radiohead)
8. “30’s 40’s and Funny Stories” – Jonathan Meyers ‘12
9. “Here’s the Thing” – Girl Talk
10. “The Pachelbel Mashup” – Norwegian Recylcing
11. “Club Love” – 99allins (Taylor Swift vs. Usher)
12. “Superbowl Jesus” – The Hood Internet (Kanye West vs. Wilco)
13. “Party and Bullshit in the U.S.A.” – Hathbanger (Miley Cyrus vs. Notorious B.I.G.)
14. “Riding Solo” – Jason Derulo (features “Bittersweet Symphony” by the Verve)
15. “Dirt Off Your Shoulders vs. Beverly Hills” – Mother Earth Remixes (Jay-Z vs. Weezer)
16. “Fresher Than” – Jonathan Meyers
17. “Good Morning” – Chamillionaire (features “Free Fallin’” by Tom Petty)
18. “@LaurenConrad Get Us On the Hills!” – Super Mash Bros.
19. “Circle of Fifths” – Milkman
20. “Play Your Part (Part 1)” – Girl Talk
Special thanks to Becca Lee ’12 for her song contributions. Most of these mashups can be heard on Youtube.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
20 Sweet: Spooky Songs
Have yourself a spooky little Princetoween!
1. “Walking with a Ghost” – Tegan and Sara
2. “Witch” – The Bird and the Bee
3. “Highway to Hell” – AC/DC
4. “The Ghost of You Lingers” – Spoon
5. “Werewolves of London” – Warren Zevon
6. “Hunting for Witches” – Bloc Party
7. “Hell is Chrome” – Wilco
8. “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” – Blue Oyster Cult
9. “Bandwitch” – Broken Social Scene
10. “Spooky” – Imogen Heap
11. “Hell is Around the Corner” – Tricky
12. “Scared” – Albert Hammond Jr.
13. “Haunting 56th Street” – Push to Talk
14. “Zombie” – The Cranberries
15. “Soul Auctioneer” – Death in Vegas
16. “Devil in Me” – 22-20s
17. “Beetlejuice” – Charles Hamilton
18. “Monster Hospital” – Metric
19. “The Funeral” – Band of Horses
20. “One Foot in the Grave” – Pernice Brothers
Special thanks to Alice Suh ’12 for her song contributions. Feel free to post other Halloween song suggestions...
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
20 Sweet: Pre-Midterm Songs
The week before midterms is not a time to panic, but rather a time to occasionally think academic thoughts so that midterms won’t bang you over the head quite as hard as they usually do.
So for this week, we give you some songs that will help you at least listen to academic-sounding music as you carry on with what may be those not-so-academic activities.
Come Monday, after a week of these subliminally schoolish songs, you’ll be oh-so-ready to go.
1. “ABC’s” – K’naan
2. “My Favourite Book” – Stars
3. “Learnalilgivinanlovin’” – Gotye
4. “Mathematics” – Mos Def
5. “Shakespeare in the Dark” – Jess Turner (Jess is a sophomore here -- Princeton's own resident singer-songwriter)
6. “Science vs. Romance” – Rilo Kiley
7. “Wrapped Up in Books” – Belle & Sebastian
8. “Charm School” – Bishop Allen
9. “Pressed in a Book” – The Shins
10. “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” – Lauryn Hill
11. “Learning to Fly” – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
12. “Books Written for Girls” – Camera Obscura
13. “Teach Your Children” – Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young
14. “C + F” – Sam Prekop
15. “Concrete Schoolyard” – Jurassic 5
16. “My Mathematical Mind” – Spoon
17. “B + A” – The Beta Band
18. “A Strange Education” – The Cinematics
19. “Open Book” – Gnarls Barkley
20. “ABC” – Jackson 5
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
20 Sweet: Autumn Tunes
As much as we try to deny it by wearing flip-flops and “forgetting” to bring a coat everywhere we go, fall’s here. So we may as well embrace some fall songs...Happy listening, and feel free to post song suggestions.
1. “Sometimes in the Fall” – Phoenix
2. “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There is a Season)" – The Byrds
3. “Halloween” – Matt Pond PA
4. “Autumn Sweater” – Yo La Tengo
5. “Pumpkin Soup” – Kate Nash
6. “Is This the Fall?” – Carbon Leaf
7. “Cold Hands (Warm Heart)” – Brendan Benson
8. “Changes” – David Bowie
9. “Gone Till November” – Wyclef Jean
10. “Harvest Moon” – Neil Young
11. “Autumn Fallin’” –Jaymay
12. “Colorful” – Rocco DeLuca and the Burden
13. “The Little Acorn” – Fruit Bats
14. “Love You in the Fall” – Paul Westerberg
15. “Cappuccino” – The Knux
16. “Cosy in the Rocket” – Psapp
17. “Autumn Leaves” – Nat King Cole
18. “Undone (The Sweater Song)” – Weezer
19. “Pink Moon” – Nick Drake
20. “ Wind in the Trees” – Laura Zax
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
20 Sweet: Numerical Songs
Enjoy this musical number crunching…your song suggestions are more than welcome, as always!
1. “If 6 Was 9” – Jimi Hendrix
2. “Dinner at Eight in the Suburbs” – All-Time Quarterback
3. “12:51” – The Strokes
4. “Three Little Birds” – Bob Marley and the Wailers
5. “40’” – Franz Ferdinand
6. “One Love” – Nas
7. “1979” – Smashing Pumpkins
8. “54-46 That's My Number” – Toots and the Maytals
9. “Earthquake of ‘73” – Fruit Bats
10. “One More Night” – Stars
11. “11h30” – Danger
12. “25 or 6 to 4” – Chicago
13. “Two Way Monologue” – Sondre Lerche
14. “The Crane Wife 3” – The Decemberists
15. "1976" – RJD2
16. “1234” – Feist
17. “21st Century Life” – Sam Sparro
18. “867-5309 / Jenny” – Tommy Tutone
19. “One More Time” – Daft Punk
20. “Edge of Seventeen” – Stevie Nicks
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
20 Sweet: Springy Jams
You wake up to stripes of sunlight shining through the slits in your blinds. You pull them open, waking up your roommate…but she doesn’t mind! It’s a beautiful day! Time to brush your teeth, get dressed, get outside, and savor the day.
What music could possibly put you in the right mood to enjoy the weather, the green grass, and the perfect-smelling dogwoods? …Well, here ya go:
1. “Glory Days” – Just Jack
2. “Solsbury Hill” – Peter Gabriel
3. “Let Me Go” – Cake
4. “Everyday People” – Sly and the Family Stone
5. “How Bizarre” – OMC
6. “Mo Money Mo Problems” (feat Mase and Puff Daddy) – The Notorious B.I.G.
7. “Reelin’ in the Years” – Steely Dan
8. “Love Generation” (feat. Gary "Nesta" Pine) – Bob Sinclair
9. “Semi-Charmed Life” – Third Eye Blind
10. “Here Comes the Sun” – The Beatles
11. “Rough Gem” – Islands
12. “Sweetest Thing” – U2
13. “You’re My Best Friend” – Queen
14. “Island in the Sun” – Weezer
15. “American Girl” – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
16. “LDN” – Lily Allen
17. “Catch My Disease” – Ben Lee
18. “The Laws Have Changed” - The New Pornographers
19. “You Get What You Give” – New Radicals
20. “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” – Baz Luhrmann
Post what you’d listen to in the comments section, as always. Enjoy!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
20 Sweet: Nature Songs
Happy day after Earth Day! In case you feel like you didn’t squeeze in enough planet Earth celebration yesterday, this week’s 20 Sweet is all about nature songs. And next time the beautiful weather/trees/flowers come up in small talk, you can spice things up by rattling off some earthy song titles….Enjoy, and post your own song suggestions!
1. “Mr. Blue Sky” – Electric Light Orchestra
2. “One Sweet World” – Dave Matthews Band
3. “Take Me To The River” – Talking Heads
4. “Coast to Coast” – Elliott Smith
5. “The Garden” – Cut Chemist
6. “Leaves That Are Green” – Simon & Garfunkel
7. “King of Carrot Flowers Part I” – Neutral Milk Hotel
8. “River” – Joni Mitchell
9. “Between Earth and Sky” – Panacea
10. “Grass” – Animal Collective
11. “Walking on the Moon” – The Police
12. “7/4 (Shoreline)” – Broken Social Scene
13. “Black Water” – Doobie Brothers
14. “Seaside” – The Kooks
15. “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” – Marvin Gaye
16. “Many Moons” – Janelle Monae
17. “Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games” – Of Montreal
18. “I Control the Wind” – Snakes Say Hisss!
19. “Waterfalls” – TLC
20. “Hearts of Oak” – Ted Leo/Pharmacists
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
20 Sweet: Animal Songs
It's not even three months into the new presidency, but one of President Obama’s most important victory speech promises has already been fulfilled: the White House has a new first puppy.
While I do feel a tinge of jealousy towards Sasha and Malia given that my only pets growing up were fish, I also think that “Bo,” the Obamas’ new pooch, should be honored somehow. That's why this week's 20 Sweet celebrates the animals in our lives.
Feel free to add song suggestions as always! This one's for you, Bo.
1. “Crabbuckit” – k-os
2. “Flying Horses” – Dispatch
3. “I’m a Cuckoo” – Belle & Sebastian
4. “I Was Born (A Unicorn)" – The Unicorns
5. “Atomic Dog” – George Clinton
6. “Window Bird” – Stars
7. “Ants Marching” – Dave Matthews Band
8. “Sheep Go To Heaven” – Cake
9. “The Rabbit, The Bat, and The Reindeer” – Dr. Dog
10. “The Lovecats” – The Cure
11. “Hummingbird” – Wilco
12. “La Gallina” – Ozomatli
13. “Sea Lion Woman” – Feist
14. “The Suite for Beaver Part 1” – People Under the Stairs
15. “Barracuda” – Heart
16. “Bird Flu” – M.I.A.
17. “Animal Bar” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
18. “Portions for Foxes” – Rilo Kiley
19. “Eye of the Tiger” – Survivor
20. “The Wolf” – Miniature Tigers
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
20 Sweet: Piano-Heavy Songs
Aside from the meal brunch and a warm towel straight out the dryer, nothing really beats a song with an intense piano section. You listen and you can just imagine someone banging on the keys like the world’s about to end.
So to sustain you until Saturday when you grab brunch, and until who knows when you do your laundry, this week’s 20 Sweet is all about the piano.
Enjoy, and feel welcome to leave comments with your own favorites as always!
1. “Falling” – Ben Kweller
2. “We Used to Vacation” – Cold War Kids
3. “Tiny Dancer” – Elton John
4. “Outside Villanova” – Eric Hutchinson
5. “Life on Mars?” – David Bowie
6. “Theologians” – Wilco
7. “Misread” – Kings of Convenience
8. “Fountain of Sorrow” – Jackson Browne
9. “Time” – Ben Folds
10. “O’ Sailor” – Fiona Apple
11. “Bend & Break” – Keane
12. “Samson” – Regina Spektor
13. “Mr. Pitiful” – Matt Costa
14. “My Only Offer” – Mates of State
15. “Pyramid Song” – Radiohead
16. “The Way It Is” – Bruce Hornsby & The Range
17. “Hometown Glory” – Adele
18. “The Way We Get By” – Spoon
19. “The Scientist” – Coldplay
20. “My Baby Just Cares for Me” – Nina Simone
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
20 Sweet: Place Songs
After doing months of intense stay-up-all-night research, I have come to the conclusion that the topical distribution on the standard album is as follows, in my very scientific, incomprehensible analysis of the data:
-a few songs about relationships
-a token unrequited love song here and there
-a handful of songs with clichés like “outside looking in” or “here without you”
-a song whose meaning only the band can understand
And finally...most albums contain:
-at least one song about a specific city, country, or region that means something to the artist, whether it is his or her home, or just somewhere that he or she thinks is pretty darn cool
Without further ado, here are some fun Place Songs.
Feel free to post ones I missed! Or even write your own...
1. “Amsterdam” – Guster
2. “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight” – The Postal Service
3. “Carolina in My Mind” – James Taylor
4. “Los Angeles” – The Rosewood Thieves
5. “The Only Living Boy in New York” – Simon & Garfunkel
6. “Chicago” – Sufjan Stevens
7. “El Salvador” –Athlete
8. “Soweto (feat. Goapele)” – Hieroglyphics
9. “Blue Ridge Laughing” – Carbon Leaf
10. “Kashmir” – Led Zeppelin
11. “Omaha” – Counting Crows
12. “In Cairo” – Hot Hot Heat
13. “Midnight Train to Georgia” – Gladys Knight & The Pips
14. “To Zion” – Lauryn Hill
15. “Pangea” – Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
16. “California Dreamin’” – The Mamas and the Papas
17. “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” – Vampire Weekend
18. “New Hampshire” – Matt Pond PA
19. “Born in the U.S.A.” – Bruce Springsteen
20. “Australia” – The Shins
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
20 Sweet: Cover Songs
Everyone has fallen victim to that one deadly joke. It goes like this:
Person A: (casually singing slightly off-key version of “Don’t Stop Believin’”)
Person B: Hey, who sings that?
Person A: Journey!
Person B: Cool, well, let’s keep it that way.
Sound familiar? Even though Person B may disagree with me, I happen to love hearing how people interpret the songs of other musicians. So if you’re that Person A, I say: keep singing.
That leads us to this week’s theme of 20 sweet cover songs…enjoy, and feel free to post your favorites that I missed!
1. “We Can Work It Out” – Stevie Wonder (Beatles cover)
2. "Hey Ya!"– Obadiah Parker (Outkast cover)
3. “God Put a Smile on Your Face” – Mark Ronson feat. the Daptone Horns(Coldplay cover)
4. “Killing Me Softly with His Song” – The Fugees (Roberta Flack cover)
5. "Electric Feel"– Katy Perry (MGMT cover)
6. “Across the Universe” – Rufus Wainwright (Beatles cover)
7. "Naive"– Lily Allen (The Kooks cover)
8. “Doctor My Eyes” – Jackson 5 (Jackson Browne cover)
9. "Black and Gold" – Adele (Sam Sparro cover)
10. “Sweet Child O' Mine” – Taken by the Trees (Guns N’ Roses cover)
11. “I Will Survive” – Cake (Gloria Gaynor cover)
12. "It's Too Late" – James Morrison (Carole King cover)
13. “All Along the Watchtower” – Jimi Hendrix (Bob Dylan cover)
14. “Message in a Bottle” – Matisyahu (Police cover)
15. "One Love" – Jason Mraz (Bob Marley cover)
16. “The Boys of Summer” – The Ataris (Don Henley cover)
17. “Seconds” – Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars (U2 cover)
18. "We Will Become Silhouettes" – The Shins (Postal Service cover)
19. "The Sun Shines Down on Me" – Guster (Daniel Johnston cover)
20. "Let's Get It On" – Jack Black (Marvin Gaye cover)
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
20 Sweet: Focus Songs
It’s midterms week!
Even though freaking out may be your natural reaction to this statement—resist it.
We each have our own unique study techniques and locales, but for the musically dependent like me, it’s nice to have some melodies around while we burn the midnight oil.
Choosing that music can be difficult, though, as I found out while compiling this playlist to help you focus. Study tunes need to be pleasant without being distracting. They need to blend into the background without leaving room for the loud conversations spouting from the table next to you.
Usually it’s good to pick songs without lyrics, or at least songs with low-dose, ignorable, or foreign lyrics (like the Portuguese from Seu Jorge or the Zulu in the Paul Simon number).
Without further ado, I give you 20 Sweet Focus Songs. This list has been tried and tested; I was the guinea pig, and I’m still focusing as we speak...or at least I promise I will when I’m done writing this post. “Happy” studying!
1. “One Day” – RJD2
2. “Rebel Rebel” – Seu Jorge
3. “Loud Pipes” – Ratatat
4. “Your Hand in Mine” – Explosions in the Sky
5. “Was It You?” – Spoon
6. “Jessica” – The Allman Brothers Band
7. “Anthems for a Seventeen-Year-Old Girl” – Broken Social Scene
8. “Low Rider” – War
9. “Hoppípolla” – Sigur Rós
10. “Pretty Little Ditty” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
11. “End of the World Party” – Medeski, Martin & Wood
12. “X&Y” – Coldplay
13. “For the Trees” – Matmos
14. “Custom Concern (Instrumental BBC Radio 1 Session)"– Modest Mouse
15. “Praise You” – Fatboy Slim
16. “Go It Alone” – Beck
17. “Homeless” – Paul Simon
18. “Autumn Sweater” – Yo La Tengo
19. “Keep” – El Ten Eleven
20. “Sister” – Sufjan Stevens
Your focus song suggestions are always welcome and appreciated.
Friday, February 27, 2009
20 Sweet: Rainy Day Songs
On a day with today’s forecast, I suggest not even bothering to search for the umbrella; it probably got lost under the futon months ago.
Instead, I propose a lazy Friday.
Stay inside, put on the sweats, listen to these tunes, kindly ask your roommate to bring you some meals, and soak up the rainy day…without getting wet at all.
Enjoy, and remember that your favorite rainy day music suggestions are always welcome!
1. “Two Coins” – Dispatch
2. “Our House” – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
3. “Naked As We Came” – Iron & Wine
4. “Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” – Jamie Cullum (Jeff Buckley cover)
5. “The Rain” – k-os
6. “Sea Green, See Blue” – Jaymay
7. “Lay Lady Lay” – Bob Dylan
8. “Those to Come” – The Shins
9. “In the Air Tonight” – Phil Collins
10. “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
11. “Don’t Leave the Light On Baby” – Belle & Sebastian
12. “Misread” – Kings of Convenience
13. “Turn Your Lights Down Low” – Bob Marley & The Wailers
14. “Hold You In My Arms” – Ray LaMontagne
15. “Secret Garden” – Bruce Springsteen
16. “Skinny Love” – Bon Iver
17. “The Rain Song” – Led Zeppelin
18. “Lover Lay Down” – Dave Matthews Band
19. “After Hours” – Velvet Underground
20. “Fire and Rain” – James Taylor
Edit: Well, looks like we got lucky and the weatherman was wrong about this whole rain thing! Nonetheless, what beats a Lazy Friday? Take one anyways--these songs work on grey/slightly drizzly days too.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
20 Sweet: Songs to Make You Go the Extra Mile...Literally
Most of us know that feeling. You’re on the treadmill (or sidewalk, or elliptical, or bike, or Razor scooter…) and it seems like you just can’t go on. You’re panting. Your calves hurt. Your brain hurts. You’re sweating. You look pretty nasty.
Well, luckily for you, this week’s 20 Sweet will come soaring in right at that moment to save the day. These 20 tunes are guaranteed to help you get through that rough workout. They’ll have your blood pumping in no time, so that you can actually eke out that last mile (or four) that you told yourself you’d get to. After all, 50-degree sunbathing season is right around the corner…
1. “Bounce That” – Girl Talk
2. “Going On” – Gnarls Barkley
3. “Semi-Charmed Life” – Third Eye Blind
4. “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” – Daft Punk
5. “California Love” – 2Pac
6. “Fake Tales of San Francisco” –Arctic Monkeys
7. “W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E.” – Wale
8. “Combat Baby” – Metric
9. “We Are Your Friends” – Justice v. Simian
10. “Green Light (feat. André 3000) – John Legend
11. “Beat Control”- Tilly and the Wall
12. “Perfect Gentleman” – Wyclef Jean
13. “À cause des garcons” – Yelle
14. “Sound of Freedom” – Bob Sinclair
15. “NYC (feat. Nas) – Kevin Rudolf
16. “Junior Kickstart” – The Go! Team
17. “Sandstorm” – New York City Underground
18. “Mind Blow” – Zion I
19. “Music is My Hot, Hot Sex” – CSS
20. “Here I Come (feat. Malik B. & Dice Raw)” – The Roots
As always, your additions to the list are more than welcome in the comments section!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
20 Sweet: Valentunes
Some people have been counting down the hours to Valentines Day since pre-Halloween, stocking up on those sugary hearts that say “Fax me,” or subtly leaving a florist’s phone number face-up in his or her significant other’s trashcan. For these folks, mushy love songs are everywhere, whether being played over grocery store soundsystems or sold on Valentines Day CDs at Starbucks. Another group of people feel only slightly excited for the supposed big day, but are more interested in simply letting their loved ones know how they feel—in a slightly less conventional way than playing “We Belong Together” by Mariah Carey. And then there is the third group left hanging out to dry: those brokenhearted or bitter souls who, if they could choose, would probably just skip straight from the 13th to the 15th. It is for these last two oft-ignored groups that I have created two separate Valentines Day playlists, along with a particularly memorable or unique lyric of choice from each of the songs. I hope that they make for a great 14th, no matter which group you fall into.
Unconventional Love Songs
1. “Everyday is a Holiday (With You)” – Esthero and Sean Lennon
-You're the crescendo to that melody, that melody I love
2. “She Moves in Her Own Way” – The Kooks
-I love her because she moves in her own way / She came to my show just to hear about my day
3. “Parentheses” – The Blow
- If something in the deli aisle makes you cry / Of course I’ll put my arm around you and walk you outside / Through the sliding doors, why would I mind?
4. “Caraluna” – Bacilos
-Mientras siga viendo tu cara en la cara de la luna / Mientras siga escuchando tu voz, entre las olas, entre la espuma
-Translation: While I keep on seeing your face in the moon’s face / While I keep on listening to your voice / Between the waves, between the foam
5. “Till Kingdom Come” – Coldplay
- For you I’d wait 'til kingdom come / Until my days, my days are done
6. “The Way I Am” – Ingrid Michaelson
- I'd buy you Rogaine when you start losing all your hair / Sew on patches to all you tear
Continued after the jump!
7. “5 Years” – Noah and the Whale
-Well I feel, oh, pretty happy too / And I’m always pretty happy when I’m just kicking back with you
8. “Oxygen” – Willy Mason
- I wanna be better than oxygen / So you can breathe when you're drowning and weak in the knees
9. “Anna Begins” – Counting Crows
- And every time she sneezes I believe it’s love
10. “My Favourite Book” – Stars
- I know your face / All the ways you move / You come in and I can read you / You’re my favourite book
Songs for the Brokenhearted/Bitter
1. “Woke Up New” – The Mountain Goats
- The first time I made coffee for just myself, I made too much of it / But I drank it all, just cause you hated when I let things go to waste
2. “F**k You” – Lily Allen
- Cause we hate what you do, and we hate your whole crew / So please don’t stay in touch
3. “Nothing Better” –The Postal Service
- Will someone please call a surgeon / Who can crack my ribs and repair this broken heart
4. “Gotta Have You” – The Weepies
-No amount of coffee, no amount of crying, no amount of whiskey, no amount of wine, no no no no no, nothing else will do, I gotta have you
5. “Merry Happy” – Kate Nash
-I can be alone, yeah / I can watch a sunset on my own
6. “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) – Beyoncé
-Cause you had your turn, and now you gonna learn / what it really feels like to miss me
7. “I’m Good, I’m Gone” – Lykke Li
- Well, say it now cause when I'm gone / You'll be calling but I won't be at the phone
8. “Smoke” – Ben Folds
- Leaf by leaf, page by page / Throw this book away / All the sadness, all the rage / Throw this book away
9. “Dry Your Eyes” – The Streets
- Dry your eyes mate / I know it's hard to take but her mind has been made up / There's plenty more fish in the sea
10. “Ain’t Nothin’ You Can Do” –Van Morrison
- When you’ve got a backache / Little rubbin’ will see you through / When you got a heartache / There ain't nothin' you can do
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
20 Sweet: Name Songs
For the first playlist of the “20 Sweet” series (in which we’ll give you a weekly playlist of 20 Sweet…whatever-we’re-in-the-mood-for-themed-songs), let’s begin with Name Songs. These 20 hail from a wide variety of genres, but they all have chosen a specific person to be the star of their lyrics.
Enjoy soaking up these 20 Sweet Name Songs, and feel free to comment if you would like to add to the list...who said there could only be 20?
1. “Valerie” – Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse
2. “Alison” – Elvis Costello
3. “Zak and Sara” – Ben Folds
4. “Cecilia” – Simon & Garfunkel
5. “Son of Sam” –Elliott Smith
6. “Roxanne” – The Police
7. “Prescilla” – Bat for Lashes
8. “Lola” – The Kinks
9. “You Can Call Me Al” – Paul Simon
10. “Jimmy” – M.I.A.
11. “Jesse’s Girl” – Rick Springfield
12. “Camilo” – State Radio
13. “Gyasi Went Home” – Bedouin Soundclash
14. “Gloria” – Van Morrison
15. “Jane Fonda” – Mickey Avalon
16. “Tony the Beat” – The Sounds
17. “Eddie’s Ragga” – Spoon
18. “Come On Eileen” – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
19. “Jack and Dianne” – John Mellencamp
20. “Billie Jean” – Michael Jackson
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