Charlie Bit Me

This next blog is for pure sport. Recently I have come across the “Charlie bit me” video on youtube, and I have decided that it has merited a blog post for its serious life lessons. ( I am perfectly aware that I am a noob for not finding this sooner..)

This is the original video:



& this is the remix that will be my song choice:


I know what you’re thinking… “That is the most adorable/hilarious/life altering video of my life,” and you can thank me later for this exposure. What you’re not thinking about is the serious life skills you can acquire from watching this piece of art. At times we all stick our fingers in people’s mouth, even when we know that it’s going to hurt (unfortunately for us it’s not always as cute). We stay up too late, we exchange writing blogs for playing rock band, and sometimes we even engage in activities with the wrong people, but even though we understand the consequences we still take the risk? Is it for the humor? It is absolutely hilarious to fall into a hot tub, but is worth the bruises/hangover we have in the morning? For Charlie, he has learned early on that sometimes you don’t stick your finger into someone’s mouth, because while you suffer, people laugh.. even when it’s still hurting!!

Kill

Life has the funniest ways of repeating itself. The song I’d like to write about today is the same song I felt so connected to in my sophomore year of high school, “Kill” by Jimmy Eat World, and I find it ironic that I have reverted to the same old lyrics for comfort.

The song to me represents a dying love that Is so impossible to let go of that is literally kills the person holding on. The posing thought and lyric that strikes me the most is “I need answers for what all the waiting I’ve done means.” I think that this initial thought of “why?” is the ball and chain to this relationship. It has always seemed to me that the reason I hold on to people, is because I don’t always understand the reasoning behind the demise. I’m not sure how people can just let go of what meant so much to them, so I fight. I fight for reconcile at the most, and reason at the very least. This fighter (Christina Aguilera hip thrust allowed) in me is what seems to annoy people the most. I’ve been screamed at and cursed at, because I can’t seem to let up so easily, but I can’t help it.. I refuse to let up, when someone has taken a piece of me.

“I can't help it baby, this is who I am.
Sorry, but I can't just go turn off how I feel.
You kill me, you build me up, but just to watch me break.
I know what I should do, but I just can't walk away.”

I know the healthy thing to do is to walk away. If someone needs a break from me, then they deserve it… I guess it’s just the egotistical, selfish, little girl in me that thinks that if they just stayed I could make it all better.

Two Birds

So, I have decided that to face the ongoing change in my life I must face it head on. It has been said that “If you don’t create change, change will create you,” and personally.. I’m ready to have a new control over my life.

The song I’d like to introduce is Regina Spektor’s “Two Birds.” Many would argue that Ms. Spektor’s newest cd is somewhat of a sellout compared to her previous creations, but I still think it has a lot of merit. This song in particular seems to observe a couple of birds, who are too scared to try things on their own. One bird wants to explore, while the other puts on a façade promising to adventure out with him in a little while.. I feel that in the past I’ve been there. I have always based a part of my life on this sort of root, or “other bird,” instead of letting go and flying off by myself.

Recently I have been abandoned by my bird, and instead of flying away from the situation.. I have glued myself to the wire waiting for some glimmer of hope that my bird will return… (I have too much faith in people.) Now that I have realized that there is no hope for that friendship I want to do what I should have done a few months ago, embrace change.

Blood Pt. 2

So surprisingly I’ve had a really good mellow night tonight, so I plan on side tracking from the “cry me a river/emotionally challenged” blogs I’ve been writing. I don’t know how long this mood will last, but I’m going to run with it and introduce you to one of the most amazing mixes of the year- “Blood pt. 2,” by Buck 65.

I previously mentioned the album Dark Was the Night, when I wrote about the Pornographer’s cover of “Hey Snow White,” but to refresh your memory it is an amazing compilation of songs that was created to raise money and awareness for HIV and Aids. The song I’m talking about today is a remix/continuation of Sufjan Steven’s song “You are the Blood,” which is also a Castanets cover. Buck 65 is an absolute genius for creating this sound, which improves an already banging song.

The first time you may listen to the song it comes off as kind of eerie and cult like. You become so immersed in this ever present bass line and hear a mix of lyrics that don’t quite make sense. In fact, the reason why I like this song so much is because I don’t necessarily “get it.” He throws in everything (including the kitchen sink), and leaves you with an unexplainable bitter sweet taste in your mouth. Even listening to the juxtaposed blunt and smooth lyrics again today almost makes me feel like I’m invading this guy’s Joyce like stream of conscience, yet I can still acquire my own personal experiences.

When I listen to this song I think of good times in unhealthy relationships. The song is somewhat bitter, but it also feels like it’s not lingering on the bad. He mentions memories of hot summer days of sex and lemonade with someone he obviously cares about, but sees the bad in (the woman’s legs felt like silk, yet her bites were like fire ants). His last stanza that leads into Sufjan’s lyrics really seems to sum up the good and bad:

“Making out in photo booths
A lovely Saturday night alone
Full of films and baking pies
Not cotton swabs and bloody lies
I'll pay you back in plastic eyes

You are the blood
Flowing through my fingers
All through the soil
Through those trees”

The memories he holds of her seem to be tainted by some sort of resentment for “cotton swabs and bloody lies,” yet the girl still seems to run through his vains.

I've been Loving you too Long..

So ever since I watched Cadillac Records this weekend I haven’t been able to put down my 40’s, 50’s, and 60’s music. I usually get on these weird retro kicks, because you can’t deny that music from these eras is generally better than most of the stuff you hear on the radio today, but today I’m going to do my blog on Cat Power’s cover of “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long.” This songs was originally written by Otis Redding in 1965, and has been covered by everyone from the Rolling Stones to Ike and Tina Turner (who added a little sex scene to the mix). Its lyrics are undeniably powerful, and I think that Cat Power adds a very subtle kind of sound to the song that makes her cover unique.

Cat Power is known for covering songs with a minimalist style and sultry vocals, and this song is no different. It is funny to compare it to the more extravagant versions of the song, particularly Tina Turner’s. Now I’m obviously not going to trash Tina Turner, because when I think of this song she is the only artists that usually come to mind, but Cat Power takes a different approach to this song. Turner’s voice definitely provides a sort of anguish to the lyrics (and a literal orgasm), while Cat Power displays a sort of complacent tone towards the man she loves.

I personally love this song for the place it holds in my day to day life. I think we all have people in our lives that have wronged us, but we can’t let go, because of all the times that our life has been so wonderful with this specific person. We cover the wrongdoings and the pain by making the love a habit, but too much of anything is always going to be bad. We make the same excuses over and over again that an alcoholic would make for not giving up his Evan William’s whiskey, and like an alcoholic we don’t realize the potential harm that we cause ourselves every time we allow ourselves to be used up by a cold lover or friend. It is important to realize that people and love changes, and that admitting that change to yourself is the first step to a long road of recovery.

"There were times and your love is growing cold.
My love is growing stronger as our affair grows old.
I've been loving you a little too long, long,
I don't want to stop now."

100 Knives

Lately I have been obsessed with the artist Mirah. Her lyrics are painfully truthful, and her sound appeals to my weird alternative ear making her the perfect artist for me to talk about. I’ll start off by using her song “100 Knives,” but I’ll probably end up discussing more of her songs because they correlate perfectly to life right now.

People hurt. At this point in time I’m dealing with an extraordinary amount of change (which as you can see I handle poorly), and I’m struggling with the knives coming my way lately. It amazes me how easy it is for the people you care about the most to walk away screaming zingers, and it surprises me even more at how much we miss those people once they’ve left. I know that I’ve discussed this issue previously, but it hasn’t left my mind yet.

Words and actions have a way of cutting you deeper than any knife I’ve ever come across, and I would like for the “sticks and stones” writer to reevaluate his words.

The Ballad of Love and Hate

I know you’re probably sick of the Avett brothers, but today I feel like discussing “The Ballad of Love and Hate.” This song holds a special place in my heart for a very mean little boy, who has some serious growing up to do.

The song chronicles a love affair between two people, who care for each other very much, but are held apart by resentment. For whatever reasons there are, “Hate,” the obvious antagonist in the story, does everything he can to push “Love” out of his life. He drinks, he skulks, and he curses the world for leaving him in such a resentful place, while Love does everything she can to earn some compassion.

A favorite quote of mine is “Those who hate most fervently must have once loved deeply; those who want to deny the world must have once embraced what they now set on fire.” I know from my own experiences that the ones we hold the most against are the ones that we have loved the most. Anger fuels brightest from disappointment, and hurt from being let down time and again. The problem is that most of us lose ourselves in that resentment, and in turn lose precious friendships from mistakes. In this song there is a happy ending, but only because Hate submits himself to Love’s open arms. For the majority of this won’t happen. Whether we have fueled someone to hate us, or left someone out of our own hatred, we refuse to look back on the underlying cause, love, and therefore block it from coming back into our lives.

Tears Dry on Their Own.

So I’m going to try really hard to catch up on my blog in the next few days, but it has been a pretty stressful few weeks (which you have probably noticed from the tone in my last few posts), and on top of everything my iPod was stolen from me by a “friend” of mine this past weekend. Needless to say I’m feeling very antagonized tonight, so I’m pulling out the Amy Winehouse.

The particular song I’m introducing in tonight’s blog is “Tears Dry on Their Own,” which is from Ms. Winehouse’s album Back to Black. Now I am very aware that this artist is a pretty disheveled individual, but that just adds to the experience behind her blunt lyrics. Besides, what artist isn’t messed up? Even Taylor Swift probably has more skeletons in her closet than you could possibly imagine (she’s probably sleeping with Kanye behind all of our backs), but back to the song…

This song is one of the ultimate “pick yourself up and try again” songs (RIP Aaliyah...), and it is ridiculously easy to get into. The lyrics focus on the fact that when someone has left your life and hurt you, you are responsible for picking yourself up. You can regret and hold on to that setting sun, but eventually you will move on and your tears will have to dry on their own.

In the end you're always going to be the one left with yourself. Winehouse accepts that it's her own fault for getting herself into her messed up relationships, but she also takes responsibility for picking herself up in the end.

"He walks away,
The sun goes down,
He takes the day but I'm grown,
And in your way, in this blue shade
My tears dry on their own,

I don't understand,
Why do I stress A man,
When there's so many bigger things at hand,
We could a never had it all,
We had to hit a wall,
So this is inevitable withdrawal,
Even if I stop wanting you,
A Perspective pushes true,
I'll be some next man's other woman soon,

I shouldn't play myself again,
I should just be my own best friend,
Not fuck myself in the head with stupid men."

I have a bone to pick with life, and I think that Feist’s song, “Let it Die,”sums it up pretty well. This song is definitely not something new and up-coming, but this blog isn’t all about that. It’s about my life and the lyrics it connects to.

I would like to pose a question, and it is completely rhetorical, because I’m sure that I’ve heard every answer a million times before. Why do we only remember the good things, when a relationship is lost? When things die.. they have a reason, but why does that reason always go out the window, when it’s late at night, when you’re bored in class (obviously not English), or when you try to listen to your malicious iPod when it’s on shuffle (I have recently come to terms with the fact that my iPod now knows which songs to play to make me cry).

In Feist’s song,” Let it Die,” she simply states that “the hardest part of a broken heart, isn’t the ending so much as the start.” I could not agree more with this statement, because it would be a lot easier to let go of people if you only remembered the way it ended, rather than the giggly and happily way that it started. This thought process can be applied to all relationships. I’m not sure about my readers, but I know that I have a ridiculously hard time letting anyone leave my life, because all I do is think about the good times. In fact, I’ve recently had an ex tell me to “go fuck yourself,” yet even as I sit here I still wish that our friendship wouldn’t end.

So why can’t we take in all the bad things? Why can’t we just let it die? If people are so bad for you, then shouldn’t you have some natural reaction to avoid them? When our bodies are sick they naturally cleanse themselves.., so why can’t our hearts do the same thing?

I’m not sure what the answers are, but until I figure it out this song helps, and hopefully it will help any nostalgic readers as well.