Thoughts about the Riots...

So we've had three days of riots across England - mostly London-based but spreading to Birmingham and Manchester over the past few days. Things have started to calm down now but that just means people are increasingly casting around for someone to blame and to try, in a largely reactionary way, to suggest ways to deal with the aftermath. I don't have any kind of solution for this particular brand of lunacy but just wanted to get a couple of things off my chest.

Ken Livingstone yesterday referred to the rioters as protestors. Well they're not. I'm sorry but that's the long and the short of it. Protest implies you're protesting against something rather than just stealing plasma TVs and designer clothes "because it's free innit". This whole episode may have begun with a protest (against the shooting by police of Mark Duggan in Tottenham) but it seems clear that this legitimate protest was soon hijacked by those looking for trouble - as per the student protests last Autumn. I'm not saying there aren't serious underlying social issues at work behind this violence but these are long term factors created by decades of social mismanagement by politicians of all stripes. The fervid media attitude towards cuts in public spending combined with a resurgence of global economic problems has made the world feel a less secure place. In my opinion you can't say that an austerity programme less than 9 months old and only marginally more severe than the programme of cuts proposed by the previous government is a genuine factor here. Both the rhetoric and the growing reality of public expenditure cuts is a potential trigger factor but not a root cause.

It has also been suggested that abolition of the Education Maintainance Allowance caused young people to riot. Well in one way that's true. EMA is simply a symptom of a culture of entitlement that can be seen throughout society. When I was a teenager (and it's not that long ago) I had no need of EMA to encourage me to go on to further education - I knew that was what I had to do to improve my chances in life. I had supportive parents and teachers to help me on my way but I knew that to get on in life I had to help myself as well. I got my first job when I was 13 and have been lucky enough not to be out of work since. Very few of my early jobs were glamorous - I was a paper girl then a waitress - but I learnt social skills and earnt my own money long before I had any qualifications to my name. I wasn't unusual - all my friends and classmates had part-time and Saturday jobs. It was just what we did to earn the money for driving lessons, nights out and new clothes. It is tougher to find a job now than it was in 2001 but there are still hundreds of migrant workers doing the jobs that British people won't do. There's a large Polish community in the town I come from many of whom have university level qualifications but are doing relatively menial jobs because they'd rather work than be unemployed. I get the overwhelming sense that for a considerable section of British society they'd rather be unemployed/on benefits than do a job which is more menial.

So what are the answers? Well, I don't have any. My instinctive argument is in favour of a small state and a balanced budget but dogma is no use here. People make a country not politicians - surely the very essence of any kind of big society - and if the policiticians of this country continue to fail her people then things will only get worse. Austerity protects our economy in some ways, preventing massive interest rises on government borrowing and shielding us from some market forces but it makes growth more difficult especially in a time of continued global financial turmoil. If the Eurozone is falling apart and America has its credit rating lowered how can we possibly expect our economy to grow at anything like the pace required? This isn't the government's fault particularly - as a country recovering slowly from recession and with a big burden of debt there's only so much that can be done to improve matters. A fiscal stimulus like a VAT cut may well increase consumer confidence but then again it may not and runs the risk of market disapprobation.

Meanwhile what do we do about social problems? How can we teach kids to aspire to something more than a life on benefits when it's all they and their parents have ever known? How do we encourage children to get an education in order to get a great job when the costs associated with gaining a degree are spiralling and the job market is so challenging? I was lucky - my family all had jobs and my parents encouraged me to try and earn some money of my own. It was just obvious to me that I would have to work for a living and if I worked really hard then one day I would be lucky enough to do a job I really enjoyed. I wholeheartedly believe in a meritocracy but I can see how soul-destroying it must be not to have that vision, not to believe in your own ability to get on in life. To see things getting more expensive and politicians talking about tightening your belts when you and your family couldn't afford the things you needed or wanted even when the UK economy was booming. Perhaps that's why people jumped on the bandwagon of the riots. It's not an apology or an excuse but it's a reason.

So I ask again, how do we solve this? We could ask our politicians to stop becoming entrenched in the dogma that didn't win an election and work together to look at how we can be fiscally responsible and encourage growth. It's not an easy circle to square but surely if MPs stop arguing with one another and start thinking constructively they might just be able to do something productive on our behalf. At the same time we need to look at what we can do with resources other than money to encourage aspiration. If 13 years of a Labour government throwing money at every public service it could think of should have taught us anything it is that social problems can't be solved with investment alone. We need to encourage people to work together within and across communities to help kids realise that they can do anything they want - the only limit is their aspirations. We need to help people who got involved in violence over the past three days put it behind them and use this experience as a catalyst to do something useful.What this situations doesn't need is kneejerk reactions like reducing civil liberties or removing benefit. Yes the actions of those rioting, looting and in some cases killing and injuring people are deplorable but some of the reactions I've seen in the media and on twitter/facebook have been equally so - you don't solve a crisis by suggesting mass murder, you just don't. People convicted over this should feel the full force of the law, no-one should be disputing that, but it is just as important that they receive compassion, help and support to help them realise that there is more to life than a free flatscreen TV and that this country does have more to offer them than violence and poverty.

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Twenty Eight

Day 28: A Song That Makes You Feel Guilty

This is a very strange question - I presume it doesn't refer to guilty pleasures as I've already done that one! So something that makes you physically feel guilty then - interesting concept... To be honest, I don't feel guilty about a whole lot these days - it's been a long time since I've done anything that caused serious guilt. I'm not saying I'm an angel, far from it, but I do tend to behave reasonably well these days - I had my fill of inappropriate relationships a long time back and I've never much been into petty theft, drug taking or anything vaguely illegal. The nearest I get to misbehaving is the odd occasion where I drink too much but even that's increasingly rare these days - I'm getting very boring in my old age evidently!

So what does make me feel guilty? Well in a strange way - music does. I always feel like somewhat of a late starter when it comes to knowing about bands - I own a considerable amount of music and listen to even more but there is so much fabulous music out there that I'm just utterly ignorant about. It's likely I'm being too harsh on myself here - no-one can ever hope to live long enough listen to all the music that's ever been produced for a start! I can let myself off the hook for not knowing about a band but I'm also guilty of glibly saying that I love a band or an artist on the basis of one song and then never bothering to look into anything else they've done. Which sometimes is acceptable - they could only have one good song - but I do feel I should make more of an effort when it comes to knowing about music, if only to not sound like an idiot in the company of more musically geeky people.

She's Lost Control by Joy Division is a fabulous, haunting, brilliant song but the first time I heard it was whilst watching Control - the film about Ian Curtis' life - about two months ago. Even worse, I'd had the DVD sitting on my desk for two years gathering dust. I can now legitimately say I love Joy Division (having listened to their entire back catalogue out of shame) but this song does make me feel guilty for not having done so earlier.

"Confusion in her eyes that says it all.
She's lost control.
And she's clinging to the nearest passer by,
She's lost control.
And she gave away the secrets of her past,
And said I've lost control again,
And a voice that told her when and where to act,
She said I've lost control again"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Twenty Seven

Day 27: A Song You Wish You Could Play

As discussed in the last post I am not a musical person. I can't sing and I can't play any kind of instrument let alone play even one of the songs I love. In a perfect world I would be a singer/songwriter with multi-coloured hair and a wardrobe full of rock star clothes. However, it isn't a perfect world - don't get me wrong, my world is pretty damn awesome - but there are things I will never be able to do and being a musician is one of them. To a certain extent this is my own fault for not taking the time to learn/practice/whatever but it's also just a lack of natural skill!

There are therefore a lot of songs I wish I could play, most songs if I'm truthful. But I've got to choose one and as I'm a guitar chick at heart it has to be an air guitar classic - Sweet Child O'Mine by Guns'n'Roses. This song is a deserved classic and I love dancing to it although as I do a lot of air guitar I undoubtedly look like a complete moron whilst doing so! If by any chance I discover any hitherto untapped musical brilliance this is definitely the first song I'd want to learn to play...

"She's got a smile that it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything
Was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I'd stare too long
I'd probably break down and cry
Sweet child o' mine
Sweet love of mine"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Twenty Six

Day 26: A Song You Can Play on an Instrument

Bahahahaha! This is going to be the shortest blog post in the history of the world. I can't play any instruments, at all. In fact, despite the fact I adore music, I must be one of the least musically talented people in the world. I wasn't allowed to learn the violin or join the choir because I couldn't tell one note from another and I played the recorder ineptly for a few months at primary school - that's the full extent of my musical repetoire! It's a shame because I'd love to be able to play some of the wonderful music that I love but I long ago accepted the fact that I'm musically incapable! 

So the answer to this question is, by default, the only song I have ever been able to play on an instrument - a French nursery rhyme called Frere Jacques on the recorder (the video is not me by the way). And I couldn't play it now to save my life!!

"Frere Jacques,
Frere Jacques,
Dormez vous?
Dormez vous?
Sonnez les matines,
Sonnez les matines.
Ding Ding Dong,
Ding Ding Dong."

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Twenty Five

Day 25: A Song That Makes You Laugh

British music is full of quirky silliness that makes me chuckle - Village Green Preservation Society by the Kinks, anything by Lemon Jelly, the Darkness or Goldie Lookin Chain and so on. As is British culture - from the Goonies to Black Books our comedy is by turns daft, dark, deeply human and utterly hilarious. The apotheosis of all this silliness is, at least as far as I'm concerned, Monty Python. The credit for my love of Monty Python has to go equally to my dad - I remember watching Python sketches with him when I was younger - and friends in my first year at University. I must have watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail about a million times during that year - I can still quote great big chunks of it from memory and it's undoubtedly one of my all-time favourite films. In fact, I slightly judge people who don't like it...

The Pythons were also brilliant at bonkers songs and of all their music there is one song that will always make me laugh out loud - however much of a terrible mood I'm in. My friend Jodie used to play it to me whenever I was having a crisis and although I've become much less melodramatic over the years it still works. So a little bit of laughter for a Tuesday morning - the Galaxy Song!

"The universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding
In all of the directions it can whizz
As fast as it can go, at the speed of light, you know,
Twelve million miles a minute, and that's the fastest speed there is.
So remember, when you're feeling very small and insecure,
How amazingly unlikely is your birth,
And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space,
'Cause there's bugger all down here on Earth."

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Twenty Four

Day 24: A Song You Want To Play At Your Funeral

A somewhat depressing question this one and one that it's quite hard for me to think about. It's only about a month since my Nana's funeral and the feeling of complete unreality as we walked into the church behind her coffin is as tangible to me now as it was then. There must have been music playing and I know we sang hymns but I honestly couldn't tell you what any of it was. I don't remember what music played at my Uncle's funeral either for that matter or at any other funeral I've been to. So in the face of death does music become insignificant to me or do I just choose not to remember it? Poetry seems much more appropriate for funerals to me - so many of the poems I'm most familiar with - Brooke, Sassoon, Owen, Rossetti - are infused with war, loss and grief.

Music is however an important part of my life and I want that reflected at my funeral - even if no-one really listens to it. I don't want anything too upbeat playing - I seriously doubt I'll be happy about dying and I'd like to think that people will be at least a little bit sad that I'm gone! However I'm not having anything dirgelike either - no Smiths or I will haunt the person who chooses the music for the rest of eternity... So instead let's have a bit of classic rock, namely the Rolling Stones. The Stones are undeniably an epic band, love them or loathe them, their music is incredible. After I'd worn out my ears listening to the Beatles at 16 I then moved on to the Rolling Stones fully prepared to dislike them - I'd got it into my head that you couldn't be a fan of both bands I think... That clearly isn't the case - in fact I don't think there's a Rolling Stone song which I don't like! Ruby Tuesday is however one of my favourites and I think it'd be entirely appropriate for saying goodbye. Of course I'm not going anywhere just yet so don't get too melancholy listening to this...

"She would never say where she came from
Yesterday don't matter if it's gone
While the sun is bright
Or in the darkest night
No one knows
She comes and goes

Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I'm gonna miss you...

Don't question why she needs to be so free

She'll tell you it's the only way to be
She just can't be chained
To a life where nothing's gained
And nothing's lost
At such a cost

There's no time to lose, I heard her say
Catch your dreams before they slip away
Dying all the time
Lose your dreams
And you will lose your mind.
Ain't life unkind?

Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday
Who could hang a name on you?
When you change with every new day
Still I'm gonna miss you..."

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Twenty Three

Day 23: A Song That You Want To Play At Your Wedding

Interesting question... I'm not one of those women who's had her entire wedding planned out in her head since the age of five (in the style of Monica from Friends) but I've always assumed I would eventually get married. When I was younger being 25 seemed unimaginably old and, particularly as my mum got married at 23, I couldn't have imagined not being married at my age! Now I'm here though there's still no great rush - finding the right person is much more important. Admittedly, I occasionally have moments when I freak out about not being married, especially as more and more of my friends start heading down that road, but they're few and far between.

If I do ever manage to persuade some poor misguided man to spend the rest of his life with me then all I know is that I want to be surrounded by the people I love and I don't want to spend a billion pounds - something I'm sure my parents will be pleased to hear! Other than that - well, I'll work it out if and when I get there. It's only one day after all - all you need is a pretty dress, lots of cake and even more champagne... Music is important though and, alongside all the old favourites, there are three songs I definitely want to play. Yes I know I'm supposed to only choose one but what the heck, it's my imaginary wedding!

1. Bad Touch - The Bloodhound Gang

I started singing this in Andy's kitchen the other day whilst trying to decide what to choose for this post. It's silly and utterly inappropriate but it'll make my life if I get to dance to this song in a wedding dress! 

2. How Do I Live Without You - LeeAnn Rimes

Now for something completely different... When I was 12 my brother and two of my cousins got married within about 4 months of one another and I remember declaring that this would be the song I had my first dance to when I got married. Being older, wiser and slightly better educated musically this is no longer the case however I would quite like to hear this song at some point during the day - in honour of my 12 year old self. 

3. Unintended - Muse

I've been trying to shoehorn Muse into one of these posts for a while now - after seeing them in Manchester last year they'll always be one of my favourite bands. I love a bit of guitar rock and over-the-top showmanship! The only disappointing thing about seeing them live was that they didn't play Unintended which is a real shame because it's a beautiful song about how falling in love doesn't always go to plan. I can't work out whether that's fitting or just weird for a wedding but who cares!

"You could be my unintended
Choice to live my life extended
You could be the one I'll always love
You could be the one who listens to my deepest inquisitions
You could be the one I'll always love

I'll be there as soon as I can
But I'm busy mending broken pieces of the life I had before   

First there was the one who challenged 

All my dreams and all my balance 

She could never be as good as you

You could be my unintended
Choice to live my life extended
You should be the one I'll always love

I'll be there as soon as I can
But I'm busy mending broken pieces of the life I had before
I'll be there as soon as I can
But I'm busy mending broken pieces of the life I had before
Before you"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Twenty-Two

Day 22: A Song That You Listen To When You're Sad

Ok, despite what I said in the last post, this is the easiest question to answer! There was only ever one band I was going to choose for this, primarily because their music is the definition of melancholy - Bon Iver. Anyone who deals with a break-up by locking themselves in a cabin in Wisconsin and writing an album called "For Emma, Forever Ago" is going to write some spell-bindingly sad music. The timing of this album also chimes quite well with my life - it was released at a time when I really needed to listen to a lot of sad music and it's an album I come back to whenever I feel down. There's also a song written for one of the Twilight films called Roslyn which is in the same vein. If you haven't heard this album I really would recommend you give it a listen. However probably my favourite song is Skinny Love - it makes my heart ache just listening to the words. Given that today is Monday and that I feel ill it's also quite appropriately depressing...

"Come on skinny love just last the year
Pour a little salt we were never here
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer

I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Right in the moment this order's tall

And I told you to be patient
And I told you to be fine
And I told you to be balanced
And I told you to be kind
And in the morning I'll be with you
But it will be a different kind
And I'll be holding all the tickets
And you'll be owning all the fines"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Twenty-One

Day 21: A Song That You Listen To When You're Happy

This is in some ways the easiest question to answer - I'm quite a happy person most of the time really. I may moan occasionally and I'm quite good at feeling sorry for myself but generally I'd describe myself as an optimist! And an over-enthusiastic user of exclamation marks... Mind you I've not got much to be unhappy about - I've got a job I love (most of the time), fabulous friends scattered all over the place and a massive, crazy family whom I love very much. In many ways the past couple of years have been the best of my life - I got out of a relationship that wasn't doing me much good towards the end of 2008 and  whilst at the time I was heartbroken it also gave me the impetus to really change my life, make new friends, do new things and so on. I've also spent a lot of time listening to different types of music - mostly recommended by my wonderful twitter family - and going to completely random gigs. So the past few years have been what a dodgy reality tv show would probably call a "journey" - whatever, it's been lots of fun. 

However this post is about songs you listen to when you're happy so enough of my self-indulgent waffling... Despite a fair bit of sadness the past couple of months have been among the happiest in my life - if that isn't a complete paradox! There's one person I have to thank for that - and I also have to thank him for introducing me to this band because they're amazing. The first time I heard this album I literally started bouncing around the kitchen! So currently my happy place is Spaceship by Alice in Videoland. I'm off to dance about the kitchen, kiss my boyfriend and enjoy the weekend - see you later alligators! 

"Wanna take a ride on my motor bike,
Wanna take a trip in, my space ship,
Wanna take a ride on my motor bike,
Wanna take a trip in, my space ship,

On the way to the moon, in a giant balloon,
Better hurry up, we're steering back to earth soon,
Want to know what I think, is you painted with pink,
A mean imagination and a shit load of ink,
I'm not gonna lie, I really like to get high,
Everything is possible, the limit's the sky,
I'm not gonna lie, I really like to get high,
Everything is possible, the limit's the sky

Wanna, wanna,
Wanna take a ride on my motor bike,
Wanna take a trip in, my space ship,
Wanna take a ride on my motor bike,
Wanna take a trip in, my space ship,
Wanna take a trip in, my space ship,
Wanna take a trip in, my space ship"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Twenty

Day 20: A Song That You Listen To When You're Angry

Interestingly yesterday's song would probably have worked just as well for today's post - I do quite like to listen to Slipknot loudly whilst driving fast when I'm raging at the world! However choosing a metal song for this question strikes me as somewhat of a cliche so I'm going to go in completely the other direction... The Dixie Chicks aren't exactly the sort of band you'd associate with unbridled rage but Not Ready To Make Nice is a song they wrote in response to the criticism they received from the US media after stating publicly they disagreed with the Iraq War. I've never heard a song so full of pure anger which makes it the perfect song for listening to when I'm really cross about something. Not just upset or pissed off but genuinely filled with blood boiling rage. It doesn't happen all that often but when I feel that way this song suits me perfectly. 

"Forgive, sounds good
Forget, I’m not sure I could
They say time heals everything
But I’m still waiting

I’m through with doubt
There’s nothing left for me to figure out
I’ve paid a price
And I’ll keep paying

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

I know you said
Can’t you just get over it
It turned my whole world around
And I kind of like it

I made my bed and I sleep like a baby
With no regrets and I don’t mind sayin’
It’s a sad sad story when a mother will teach her
Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger
And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they’d write me a letter
Sayin’ that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should
What it is you think I should

Forgive, sounds good
Forget, I’m not sure I could
They say time heals everything
But I’m still waiting"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Nineteen

Day 19: A Song From Your Favourite Album

This is a more sensible question! And a much easier one to answer... I've got quite a short attention span with music sometimes - I tend to download random tracks, listen to songs on a whim, put my entire music collection on shuffle etc etc. In short I am seldom to be found listening to albums from beginning to end and appreciating the musical concept (or whatever) behind them... I'm also a great one for buying greatest hits albums as an easy way of getting the flavour of a band without donating my body to science in order to afford their entire backcatalogue. Essentially, I'm a fickle, lazy cheapskate most of the time when it comes to music. 

This isn't true all the time however - particularly when I really like a band I'll buy a proper album and listen to it from start to finish like I'm a serious music lover. There are always a few albums that live in my car for this very reason - currently I have Black Holes and Revelations by Muse, Riot by Paramore, Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots by The Flaming Lips and Dirt by Kids in Glass Houses. But the one album I always keep in there is All Hope Is Gone by Slipknot. I've always quite liked Slipknot - I think the first time I heard them was when I was about 14 and one of the boys I did a paper round with played me their first album on his walkman. I honestly expected to hate it, everything I'd heard about the band suggested they were really dark and scary but I was surprised to find I actually really liked the music. They're undoubtedly heavy metal but I like the fact that they're melodic as well - metal bands that literally just scream really annoy me. All Hope Is Gone is the first Slipknot album I ever got around to buying and I loved pretty much every track on it from the first play which is rare. My favourite track is probably Dead Memories - although Snuff comes a close second - I love the combination of slightly wistful moments with really angry guitars. If you don't have this album you should go and buy it, it's brilliant.

"Sitting in the dark, I can't forget.
Even now, I realize the time I'll never get
Another story of the bitter pills of fate
I can't go back again
I can't go back again
But you asked me to love you, and I did.
Traded my emotions for a contract to commit
And when I got away, I only got so far
The other me is dead
I hear his voice inside my head
And we were never alive
And we won't be born again
But I'll never survive

With dead memories in my heart
Dead memories in my heart
Dead memories in my heart"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Eighteen

Day 18: A Song You Wish You Heard On The Radio

What a strange question. As per the last post I'm not a big radio person at the moment - it's good for driving and waking up but that's about it. I used to find Radio One a reasonable source of "new music" but unless you like autotuned rubbish then it doesn't even do that any more. If I was serious about wanting to hear obscure things on the radio then I'd probably have bought a digital radio and become a Six Music groupie by now - but I'm not that organised! However, it's pretty hard not to listen to the music you like as long as you have a computer and an internet connection!

However it is easy to forget about music you love - particularly when the song in question was released in 2002. In 2002 I was very busy being 17 - essentially fretting about my appearance, lack of boyfriend and whether I'd ever get into university/move away from home/do anything with my life. As I was blonde, very thin and reasonably bright that level of angst was utterly uncalled for but I suppose I wasn't to know that! I also was perpetually broke - all the money I managed to earn was spent on partying or driving lessons - so I could never afford to buy any music, even when I really loved a song. That was the case with this particular song - I heard it on the radio about three times in 2002, adored it and then didn't hear it again until about two months ago when the lovely Mr Cowley reminded me of its brilliance. I promptly acquired the album for about three quid and listened to it on repeat for several weeks... So yes, if I ran a radio station one of the songs I'd play a lot would be Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots by the Flaming Lips - probably followed by Nice Weather for Ducks by Lemon Jelly if you're at all interested!

"Her name is Yoshimi
she's a black belt in karate
working for the city
she has to discipline her body

'Cause she knows that
it's demanding
to defeat those evil machines
I know she can beat them

Oh Yoshimi, they don't believe me
but you won't let those robots eat me
Yoshimi, they don't believe me
but you won't let those robots defeat me"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Seventeen

Day 17: A Song That You Hear Often On The Radio

To be honest I don't listen to the radio all that much these days - for which I mostly blame last.fm and Spotify. I used to be a massive Radio One fan, particularly when I was in sixth form and then university. Jo Whiley used to do a great mid-morning show which I adored back in the days when I didn't have to work 9 -5. Sadly, Radio One appears to play exclusively terrible music and employ rubbish DJs these days so I've  abandoned it completely. This may be a sign of old age but also reflects the fact that my music taste is a lot different these days - the whole point of Radio One is to play mainstream stuff I guess. My current listening habits tend to be dictated by whatever people have recommended to me this week rather than by what's in the top 40. Actually, I have no idea what is in the top 40 - I think the last time I listened to a chart show was about 2001... 

So my radio listening is a bit limited - when I gave in and realised I was too old and fussy for Radio One I defected to a mixture of Radio Four (primarily for morning political gossip) and Kerrang which, despite the surfeit of irksome adverts, generally plays enough rock to keep me happy. Of these two stations only one actually plays any music which narrows the field down somewhat! Kerrang can be somewhat repetitive, particularly with less modern music and therefore virtually the only AC/DC song they play is Highway to Hell. I lose count of the times I've got seriously funny looks from strangers at traffic lights for singing along to this song at the top of my voice - I may hear it a lot but it's still an awesome tune!

"No stop signs
Speed limit
Nobody's gonna slow me down
Like a wheel
Gonna spin it
Nobody's gonna mess me 'round

Hey Satan
Paid my dues
Playin' in a rockin' band
Hey momma
Look at me
I'm on my way to the Promised Land, wooh

I'm on the highway to hell
Highway to hell
I'm on the highway to hell
Highway to hell"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Sixteen

Day 16: A Song That You Used To Love But Now Hate

Goodness, I thought after yesterday's question things might get easier. Apparently not so much! I get bored of songs quite easily but I very rarely start hating them. I've resorted to a bit of statistical cheating on this one to be completely honest and have just chosen a song that I used to play so much that it's still near the top of my iTunes most played list despite the fact that I haven't listened to it for about two years. I don't hate this song especially but I struggle to enjoy it anymore. This is partially because I played it to death and partially because I associate it with several periods of particular emotional trauma - nothing like loading your music collection up with repressed angst! However I have grown to rather hate the artist who sings it - when I first heard of him he was a supporting act at a gig in York in about 2003 and he was really good, better than the band we'd actually gone to see. He then became famous, his songs got completely overplayed and whenever I see him being interviewed he's a complete prat. Also, the lyrics are a bit rubbish when you really listen to them...

So here you go - in my best 80's DJ stylee - here's a little bit of James Blunt with Goodbye My Lover. Try not to let it enrage you...

"Did I disappoint you or let you down?
Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?
'Cause I saw the end before we'd begun,
Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won.
So I took what's mine by eternal right.
Took your soul out into the night.
It may be over but it won't stop there,
I am here for you if you'd only care.
You touched my heart you touched my soul.
You changed my life and all my goals.
And love is blind and that I knew when,
My heart was blinded by you.
I've kissed your lips and held your hand.
Shared your dreams and shared your bed.
I know you well, I know your smell.
I've been addicted to you.

Goodbye my lover.
Goodbye my friend.
You have been the one.
You have been the one for me"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Fifteen

Day 15: A Song That Describes You

Seriously? Seriously?! A song that describes me. Well I have absolutely no idea about that one. I tend to get ridiculously self-deprecating when describing myself therefore I'm seriously tempted to just pick Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen and have done with it! However I've taken the rest of this challenge reasonably seriously so I'm going to at least make the effort to pick something sensible...

Where to start? Well, my middle name is taken from The Beatles song Michelle but as that's a) not my name, b) a love song and c) half in French I'm not sure it says much about me personally... Someone once told me that I made them think of the Nine Inch Nails song Closer as well but I'm really not going to dwell on that. In desperation I did a little twitter poll which amused my family for an entire evening without getting us very far - however their suggestions are listed below for amusement value:

• Loser - Beck (thanks to my big brother for this one)
• She's So Lovely - Stevie Wonder (a much nicer suggestion from my dad)
• Girls Just Wanna Have Fun - Cindi Lauper
• Sweet Child O'Mine - Guns'n'Roses 
• Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves - Aretha Franklin

The song I've chosen is however a totally different song - it's called  I Hope You Dance by a country singer called LeeAnn Womack. It's somewhat of a family anthem - my mum played it to me when I was about 15 and said that it was the advice she'd give me for living life. I think I probably scoffed in typical teenage style but then I listened to the words.  It doesn't so much describe me as describe the attitude I try to have, particularly when faced with things that put me outside my comfort zone - I'm sure I don't always succeed but I do try. Taking a chance on  anything can be really difficult but if I hadn't taken so many leaps of faith, particularly over the past four years, my life would be immeasurably poorer. So go crazy, do something that makes you a little bit scared and don't forget to dance - you'll feel better for it, I always do!

"I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Fourteen

Day Fourteen: A Song No-One Would Expect You To Love

This question is tricky - anyone who's ever met me will know my music taste is quite eclectic. I'll listen to anything once, I'll go to any kind of gig and I do make a geniune effort to widen my listening habits. So I'm not sure anyone would be particularly surprised whatever I said I was listening to - the last three bands I've seen live have been Thin Lizzy, Beardyman and Breed 77, the last three albums I've listened to have been by Slipknot, Alice in Videoland and The Smiths. I'll admit I don't listen to much classical music but I do quite like Ravel, Holst and Rachmaninov. Dance music irritates me but I will shake my thang to it if the occasion calls for such activity, Drum'n'bass is good for running to and I have a secret love for the occasional bit of country music. I can't think of a genre of music that I can't tolerate at least one song/artist from. So what to choose?

I'm not particularly religious - I was brought up as a member of the Church in Wales although we were never the sort of family that went to church every Sunday. Faith was important to my Nana in a way that it doesn't often seem to be to people of my generation or even my parent's generation - the church is much less a central part of people's communities these days. My own beliefs (or lack of) aside that seems strange given how vital religion has been in shaping our country - even today, when we live in a comparatively secular society, religious beliefs and prejudices have a big impact on people's lives. A lot of rhythym of our lives is set by the Christian calendar - Lent, Easter, Christmas - even though the religious aspect is often lost. I do however make an effort to go to church at Christmas despite my general religious ambivalence and it's now a family tradition that me, my mum and my sister go to midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Every year my dad says he'll join us but never does, we're usually late and there is always a drunk person in the church either singing at the wrong time or crying hysterically... Despite all of this there is always something a little bit magical about church on Christmas Eve - plus it's the only time of year I can go to church and know all the words to the hymns.

Today's song is one of my favourite carols - although technically it's an advent song  drawing as it does on verses from the book of Isaiah. I've chosen the version sung by Aled Jones as it's quite traditional although I also quite like the Belle and Sebastian version... 

"O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel 

Shall come to thee, O Israel"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Thirteen

Day Thirteen: A Song That Is A Guilty Pleasure

This question made me laugh out loud - as hard as I try to expand my musical horizons a lot of my music collection is made up of guilty pleasures! do like to listen to a lot of rubbish music - it ranges from 80's cheese to 90's dance to Lady Gaga. And although I say rubbish I don't mean it - in my opinion there's actually a lot of room in the world for bouncy, happy mainstream pop. For example, my friend Ness wrote a brilliant post yesterday about S-Club 7's Reach - a song which I defy anyone not to sing and dance along to, however much of a hipster they think they are! 

This leads into a more important theme actually and one of the most useful things I discovered when I went to uni was that being "cool" didn't matter anymore. I've never been that sort of girl anyway - at secondary school I sported braces and a haircut which made me look like a boy... Even when I lost the braces and discovered a decent hairdresser I never particularly fit in. Then I went to Durham and fitting in ceased to matter - being myself was just fine! Dancing to S-Club 7 one night and Metallica the next night was perfectly acceptable along with dressing like the abominable snowman, getting over-excited about castles and not doing sport. 

Being an adult (supposedly) and living in the real world isn't the same - people are ridiculously judgemental about other people's appearances, taste in music or political views but I do find it a lot easier not to care these days. The benefits of a liberal education perhaps? Or just that I am lucky enough to still have a lot of people in my life who are good enough to love me the way I am - and who will still talk to me when I admit to still liking Britney Spears. Perhaps that's appropriate actually - Britney is a prime example of the damage that our image-obsessed society can cause however I can't help but like her music. So have a little bit of Stronger as my guilty pleasure du jour...

"You might think that
I won't make it on my own
But now I'm

Stronger than yesterday
Now it's nothing but my way
My loneliness ain't killing me no more
I am stronger

Than I ever thought
That I could be, baby"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Twelve

Day Twelve: A Song From A Band You Hate

Aha! This is probably the easiest question on the list and it provides me with an opportunity for a rant. Brilliant! Unlike most people I know I have spent a lot of my life disliking The Smiths - they are one of those bands that a lot of people talk about like they' re the second coming and, whilst I quite like their music, I've never quite got it.  Maybe it's because misery isn't my default setting, maybe it's because I quite like Margaret Thatcher, maybe it's because I'm contrary - who knows?! Personally, I think Morrisey is an arrogant, pretentious moron - for a start who waves a bloody bunch of flowers about on stage, really?! Johnny Marr's not much better - trying to dictate who can and can't like his music like someone died and made him king of the flaming world. Just because NME thinks you're God doesn't mean you actually are. 

Having said all about a million times and at varying levels of loudness - just don't ask me about Morrisey when I'm drunk, for the sake of your eardrums - I increasingly find myself liking their music. I primarily blame the film 500 Days of Summer which has left me with a desire to steal Zooey Deschanel's hair and a sneaky fondness for listening to The Smiths. So here you go - have a little bit of How Soon Is Now from the band I love to hate...

"I am the son
and the heir
Of a shyness that is criminally vulgar
I am the son and heir
Of nothing in particular

You shut your mouth
How can you say
I go about things the wrong way
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does "

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Eleven

Day Eleven: A Song From Your Favourite Band

These questions are getting difficult again - my favourite band?! I don't have a favourite band!  According to last.fm - which scrobbles with my iTunes and therefore counts everything I've listed to since the dawn of the MP3 format - my most listened to artist is Robbie Williams. Which is odd because I don't ever recall listening to him that much. So clearly I'm going to have to put a bit more thought into this! Over the years my favourite bands have been many and varied - for a start I used to be obsessed with Boyzone and had a mahoosive poster of Ronan Keating on my wall for more years than I care to remember... Then it was Linkin Park who used to be brilliant but don't get included on the grounds that their latest album is criminally awful.  After that my favourite band has changed even more frequently than my hair colour! 

I'm inclined to pick a band that I've seen live - some of the gigs I've been to in the past year have been truly amazing. I fulfilled a lifetime ambition by seeing Muse at Old Trafford Cricket Ground last September having wanted to see them for over ten years and seeing Matt Bellamy sing Plug In Baby live was absolutely one of the highlights of my life. Having said that seeing (some of) Thin Lizzy in January this year was also one of the best gigs I've ever been to and I listen to a lot more Thin Lizzy on a day to day basis than I do Muse... But the band I've gone for is actually a completely different band, one I've never seen live (although I am reliably informed they're awesome) - Paramore. Reasons I love this band are multiple: I'd love to have hair the same colour as Hayley Williams,  I own all their albums and I could probably choose a song from their backcatalogue for just about any moment in my life. I wouldn't say they're the most unique or exciting band around but something about their music speaks to my heart whether I'm sad, angry or happy. 

The song I've eventually gone for is The Only Exception which is from Brand New Eyes and, despite the characteristic angst, manages to be a really beautiful love song. Perfect for a sunny Friday afternoon. 

"I've always lived like this
Keeping a comfortable, distance
And up until now
I had sworn to myself that I'm
Content with loneliness
Because none of it was ever worth the risk
Well, You, are, the only exception"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Ten

Day Ten: A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep

Yeah I just don't blog at weekends do I. And I haven't got very much time today so this'll have to be a quick one. Today's question is a bit odd - I'm sure they mean a song that you like to fall asleep too but the wording is strange. No song makes me fall asleep and if it did I'm not sure it'd be worth writing about. I also don't really listen to music when I'm in bed, I'm a big fan of quiet and darkness when I'm trying to sleep to be completely honest. Music also tends to make me think which generally isn't conducive to sleep. Having said that, if I'm going through any kind of particular life trauma I sometimes need music to distract me from my spiralling thoughts - For Emma, Forever Ago by Bon Iver is one of my favourite albums for times of emotional trauma. I also have a chillout playlist on my iPod for times when I can't get my brain to behave but I'm not quite miserable enough for Bon Iver. It's got a lot of random stuff on there - Joni Mitchell, The Miserable Rich, Muse, Buzzcocks... But also a singer I discovered accidentally via iTunes (of all things) a few years ago - Polly Scattergood. She writes really good angsty songs about traumatic relationships and this song (I Am Strong) is my favourite song of hers. It's also a good mantra for getting through heartbreak if you ever need that kind of thing.

"I am strong, I am not weak
I am not in a place where I can talk to you
I am not hot, I am not cold
I am not for sale, I am sold
I built this house, it took quite long
Sticks and stones, I made it strong
I locked it up, I gave you a key
But you didn't come home to me"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Nine

Day Nine: A Song That You Can Dance To

A song that I can dance to? Well, I will dance to almost anything - whether anyone would say that I can dance is questionable. My problem with dancing is much like my problem with music in general - I'm terribly enthusiastic but utterly lacking in skill! I've taken dancing classes a few times - both Welsh folk dancing and ballroom don't you know - but never really got very far. I can normally feign a reasonable waltz providing my partner doesn't mind getting trodden on. I can also generally pull off a carefully structured dance routine - I was a dab hand at the dance to Saturday Night by Whigfield back in the day and I can still just about do the Macarena although I get a touch flustered when I'm at the front. 

Luckily for me the clubs and gigs I normally frequent rarely call for a foxtrot or a rendition of Tragedy so I usually get away with it - there's nothing much that a bit of hip-wiggling, foot shuffling and, if all else fails, some jumping about won't fix. Also, huge doses of over-enthusiasm tend to carry me through - I love to dance and ultimately I don't care that I'm not very good! There are a few songs however that will always get me on the dancefloor - Build Me Up Buttercup by the Foundations is a long standing favourite as is Sweet Child O'Mine by Guns'n'Roses (to which I do a mean air guitar routine). 

There is, however, one song that I will always, always, always dance to - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers. This song reminds me almost exclusively of brilliant nights out - including 2am ceilidhs in Durham, girly nights out in Wrexham, wonderful weddings and last year's utterly bonkers work Christmas party in Reflex. So, if you are ever out with me and this song comes on - well, you know what to expect!

"When I come home(When I come home), well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you
And if I grow-old,(When I grow-old) well I know I'm gonna be
I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you

But I would walk 500 miles
And I would walk 500 more
Just to be the man who walks a thousand miles
To fall down at your door

da da da (da da da)
da da da (da da da)"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Eight

Day Eight: A Song That You Know All The Words To

My first thought upon reading today's question/challenge thing was how do I narrow this down? As I'm a bit musically challenged I tend to remember words better than tunes anyway. Also, all the words?! Will there be some kind of test at the end? Anyway...

When I was 15 I somewhat pretentiously decided to "get into music" as opposed to listening to Now That's What I Call Music compilations for ever more and the first band I turned to was of course The Beatles. I knew Beatles songs of course, it's impossible to avoid them, but my knowledge was limited to When I'm 64 and Yesterday. So I stole the One album from my parents and listened to it on repeat for about six months straight. As a consequence I know a lot of Beatles lyrics off by heart... Everyone waxes lyrical about The Beatles but I always think that's justified - every time I hear a Beatles song I'm struck by how fresh it sounds, despite the fact that these are songs written over half a century ago and still played a lot. I love their lyrics as well - from the breezy poppiness of She Loves You to the aching melancholy of Eleanor Rigby to the psychedelic drug inspired lunacy of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. My all-time favourite Beatles song and the one that I know I know all the words to is Penny Lane.

I can't really explain why - maybe it's all the quirky little anecdotes (I'm a sucker for a daft story) or maybe it's because I can really paint a picture of Penny Lane in my head. Maybe it's just a damn good song!

"Penny Lane there is a barber showing photographs
Of every head he's had the pleasure to have known
And all the people that come and go
Stop and say hello

On the corner is a banker with a motorcar
The little children laugh at him behind his back
And the banker never wears a mac
In the pouring rain...
Very strange

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile backIn Penny Lane there is a fireman with an hourglass
And in his pocket is a portrait of the Queen.
He likes to keep his fire engine clean
It's a clean machine

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
Four of fish and finger pies
In summer, meanwhile back

Behind the shelter in the middle of a roundabout
A pretty nurse is selling poppies from a tray
And though she feels as if she's in a play
She is anyway

Penny Lane the barber shaves another customer
We see the banker sitting waiting for a trim
Then the fireman rushes in
From the pouring rain...
Very strange

Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies
I sit, and meanwhile back
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes
There beneath the blue suburban skies...
Penny Lane."

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Seven

Day Seven: A Song That Reminds You of A Certain Event

I wrote something for this post a few days ago and decided that whilst the song was ace the event I was writing about really wasn't. So you may or may not get that post rehashed later on... In the meantime I have thought of both a song and an event that pleases me so on with the show!

One of the things that sometimes surprises people about me is that I'm a big football fan. It doesn't happen so often these days but certainly when I was younger I think it was less common for women to be football supporters. These days I think the sport is much more inclusive, Andy Gray and Richard Keys aside, and some of the most passionate football fans I know are women. I even used to play football when I was at school, even though I was absolutely useless and only ever started one real game. These days I stick purely to watching it, which often ends up with me sitting in bars full of shouty men who are normally supporting the other team and then suffering incredible amounts of stick about my choice of team from most of the men I know. Because I am, of course, a Manchester United fan.

Sadly this means I get accused of being a glory hunter a lot. And a plastic Manc - although as I grew up 45 minutes outside Manchester I'm not sure that's fair! The reason I support MU however has nothing to do with trophies - we're just good, deal with it - it's because they're my Dad's team. Dad started taking me to watch United matches at the pub across the road from the age of about 7 (this was in the days before we had Sky) and I used to have to stand by the door so I didn't inhale too much smoke. This coincided neatly with the end of United's wilderness years so I can only really remember them winning things, particularly the Double in 1994! However, as any United supporter will tell you, winning the Treble in 1999 was just an unbelievable experience. Watching the Champion's League final against Bayern Munich must have been one of the most stressful moments of my life - after Sheringham equalised in the 91st minute I literally couldn't watch the rest of the match. When Solskjaer scored in the 93rd minute to win the game my Dad, my brother and I cheered so loudly that I'm sure it was heard across the other side of Wrexham! A few days later the team returned from Barcelona for a open-top bus ride through Manchester with their three trophies - Dad picked me up from school and we hotfooted it down the M56 to join the crowds on Deansgate.  It was a beautiful June day and the atmosphere was electric, like being at a carnival! The one song that was everywhere was "We Are The Champions" by Queen - for most of my lifetime always a fitting song for Manchester United. Queen also happen to be one of my all-time favourite bands but maybe that's due to over-exposure to this song from an early age...

"We are the champions - my friends
And we'll keep on fighting - till the end 

We are the champions

We are the champions
No time for losers
'Cause we are the champions - of the world"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Six

Day Six: A Song That Reminds You of Somewhere

I'm cheating slightly because this song reminds me of a school trip *to* somewhere rather than the actual place itself. However this is my music challenge and I can cheat if I want to so there!

When I was in Year 10 - so approximately 14 - I, along with a bus load of my classmates, went on a GCSE History trip to Belgium. This was a memorable trip for many reasons: it was my first trip overseas without my parents and one of the most effective ways of demonstrating the futility of war to a bunch of adolescents that I can think of. The First World War cemeteries of Belgium and Northern France are one of the saddest sights I have ever seen and even the coolest kids on the trip cried at headstones dedicated to boys barely older than us who had lied about their ages just to go to war. I've never forgotten the sight of those graveyards and as an outstandingly privileged generation we should never forget the sacrifices that our grandparents and great-grandparents generation made so that we could be free.

However, despite the fact that it was a very emotional trip, we were all still a bunch of silly teenagers who spent their evenings sneaking into one another's rooms and trying to work out how to sneak out of the hotel. We also listened to Belgian MTV a lot which was a mixed blessing because it only played about four songs including Oops I Did It Again by Britney and Freestyler by Bomfunk MCs amongst other hideousness - but luckily it also played All the Small Things by Blink-182. I'm a huge fan of pop-punk, I might even go so far as to say it's my favourite genre of music but when I was 14 I neither knew nor cared - I just loved this song and it still reminds me of that trip to Belgium every time I hear it!

"Late night, come home
Work sucks, I know
She left me roses by the stairs
Surprises let me know she cares

Say it ain't so, I will not go

Turn the lights off, carry me home 

Na na na na na na..."

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Five

I was doing so well and then a weekend got in the way, a fantastic weekend but not one involving much writing... I'm suspecting that this whole thing will probably take me a bit longer than 30 days but I doubt it matters that much.


Day Five: A Song That Reminds You of Someone

Thankfully today's song was much easier to choose than last Friday's... We all associate songs with people don't we - my friend Louise used to get people calling her from clubs at 3am because they were playing "her" song (9 to 5 by Dolly Parton) but over the past couple of months there has been one person on my mind more than most.

Sadly, on Valentine's Day this year my wonderful Nana passed away at the age of 92. Despite the fact that I have spoken or written those words at least a hundred times in the past two weeks it still doesn't seem real - she was the absolute heart of our family and I don't think I can express in words just how much we will all miss her. My childhood was defined by the time I spent with her - Holt, the village in which she lived, is as much home to me as where my parents live. My love for history certainly can be traced to Nana talking to me about the Romans, the Civil War and all the other facets of the history of a tiny village right on the English-Welsh border. When I went to university she wrote to me all the way through my first term, enclosing essentials like stamps and money for chocolate along with fervent wishes that I both keep warm and have fun.

Her legacy is far more however than my childhood memories - she bequeathed to all of us the knowledge of what it means to live life to the full. She went to university and had a long career as a teacher as well as looking after a husband and three children long before modern dilemmas about women "having it all". Family, however, was a vitally important part of her life as were her many friends, some of them acquaintances of over 80 years standing. On the day of her funeral the sun shone and the church was packed with people which was a more than fitting tribute to how wonderful a person she was. She was an intelligent, warm and inspirational woman with a wickedly dry sense of humour and a deep interest in everything happening in the world right until the very end of her life. I can't tell you how proud I am to be Dorothy Leyland's granddaughter, I only know that if I'm half the woman she was I'll count myself lucky.

One of my abiding childhood memories is going to church with Nana and listening to her singing in the choir - and my mum tells me that their house was always full of music when she was growing up. The song that always makes me think of Nana however is Dance the Night Away by the Mavericks. You see, when she was in her 80s she took up line dancing - along with lace-making, German and a hundred other pastimes - we used to joke that her social life was more active than any of ours! When my brother got married in 1998 Nana refused to go to bed until she'd danced to The Mavericks and ever since I've always smiled and thought of her whenever I heard Dance the Night Away.

"Here comes my happiness again
Right back to where it should have been
'Cause now she's gone and I am free
And she can't do a thing to me

I just wanna dance the night away
With senoritas who can sway
Right now tomorrow's lookin' bright
Just like the sunny mornin' light"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Four

Day Four: A Song That Makes You Sad
Today's question is difficult. I listen to a lot of music when I'm sad, arguably more than I do when I'm happy. There are lots of songs that remind me of times in my life when I've been particularly unhappy. But a song that I can put on knowing it'll make me sad? That's a bit more complicated.

At this point I stopped writing and listened to a few of the songs which I could've potentially chosen with fairly mixed results. For example, Dying by Stone Sour - the opening bars and the lyrics are melancholy but then some quite upbeat guitars kick in which lend themselves more to angsty shouting rather than sadness. The Blower's Daughter by Damien Rice is much more of a sad song but it also reminds me of the film Closer which, apart from the opening scene where Natalie Portman and Jude Law are walking towards one another in slow motion, was a huge disappointment to me. I'm tempted by The Cure, The Smiths or Bon Iver as well but, quite apart from the fact I've already chosen one Cure track for this list, I feel like this should be a song that makes me feel sad for a reason not something that's just generally wistful.

With that in mind and on the basis that I can't ramble on about songs that make me feel a bit weepy forever I've gone for Suzanne Vega - Marlene on the Wall. It's probably more of an angsty song than a sad song but every single time I hear the lyrics I remember sitting in my bedroom at midnight wondering how the hell I was ever going to fix the mess I'd managed to land myself in. I was fairly immature and thoughtless, even at the age of 20, and it took a lot to make me grow the hell up. Regardless of my idiocy this is still a beautiful song with wonderfully evocative lyrics but it will always carry a lot of emotional baggage.

"Even if I am in love with you
All this to say, what's it to you?
Observe the blood, the rose tattoo
Of the fingerprints on me from you

Other evidence has shown
That you and I are still alone
We skirt around the danger zone
And don't talk about it later"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Three

Well I'm racing through these aren't I?! Day three already... Today's question is particularly appropriate at the moment because despite grief, illness and the fact that it still isn't spring I am actually very happy at the moment.

Day Three: A Song That Makes You Happy
In light of my simmering euphoria it's difficult to find a song that doesn't make me happy. However there are a few things which are guaranteed to put a smile on my face and the song I've chosen manages to combine both of them! Firstly, as anyone who has ever had the misfortune to be dragged to Reflex by me will know, I have a very soft spot for cheesy 80's music. Spandau Ballet, Wham!, Europe, Journey - just name the song and I can guarantee I'll have screamed and dragged an innocent victim onto the dancefloor as soon as it came on. In fact one of the reasons I love Glee so much is that cover of Don't Stop Believing...

The other genre of music that makes me bounce up and down with joy however is Ska. I knew next to nothing about ska until I went to uni, I think the only ska band I'd ever heard of was Madness and I didn't even know they were a ska band. However, Durham SU used to put on an alternative club night every term which was pretty much the only time you were likely to hear any kind of rock music in a club in Durham. The first time I went I was desperately trying to look cool and was sort of shuffling away to the music trying to work out if I'd put enough eyeliner on when my friend Katie started bouncing up and down to a song I'd never heard before. I think it was Kicking Pigeons by [spunge] but I couldn't swear to that. Anyway that was when I discovered ska and also when I realised that having fun was far more important than looking cool.

Fast-forward seven years (really??) and, whilst I have learnt that not all ska is happy smily music - I live in Coventry these days and so appreciate the grim industrial wasteland invoked by Ghost Town - I still adore a bit of ska-based silliness. I saw Reel Big Fish last Sunday and it was such a fantastic gig - Kerry and I danced like mad things all night! On the basis of that alone I could probably pick any RBF song and go to my happy place but this was their last encore, it was brilliant and, as I said, I'm a true child of the 80's. So here you go - Take on Me by Reel Big Fish! Happy, happy, happy!

"We're talking away
I don't know what
I'm to say I'll say it anyway
Today's another day to find you
Shying away
I'll be coming for your love, OK?

Take on me, take me on"

30 Day Music Challenge: Day Two

Goodness, two posts in two days - let's see how long I can keep this up! I am quite enjoying this music challenge idea although if you're expecting superior critical analysis and musical taste this list probably isn't the one for you... Anyway, here goes:

Day Two: A Song You Hate
This was much easier to choose a song for than yesterday's challenge - although hate is a word I tend not to use that much when I'm talking about music. I'm not particularly a musical snob - I like a bit of Lady GaGa as much as the next person - and generally will listen to anything once. There are genres of music I'm not that fond of - I've never been a dance music girl and I'm not really clever enough to understand classical music - but it's pretty rare that even the autotuned rubbish that Radio 1 seems to play these days actually stirs me to seething hatred. Having said all that I knew which song I would choose for this question almost as soon as I saw the list - Everyday I Love You Less and Less by The Kaiser Chiefs.

It's odd because generally I quite like the Kaiser Chiefs - they write relatively bouncy northern songs and whilst I was at university they were probably one of my favourite bands. I also used to have a small soft spot for Ricky Wilson after seeing him on Shooting Stars. I haven't listened to much of their stuff in years however I do still have Employment on my ipod so occasionally this song will turn up on shuffle at which juncture I'll press skip as fast as I can... On the surface it's not that offensive, just chirpy lyrics about some bird he doesn't fancy anymore, but every time I listen to the words I want to punch the bastard in the face. I'm not sure whether I'm projecting - I was once in a relationship where the guy I was with found it very difficult to hide his contempt for me which automatically puts me on the side of the girl who is being sung about! However I'm sure I disliked the song before that - I simply don't understand why people continue relationships when they're making one another miserable, let alone why you'd write a pop song about it...

"Everyday I love you less and less
I can't believe once you and me did sex
It makes me sick to think of you undressed
Since everyday I love you less and less
And everyday I love you less and less
You're turning into something I detest
And everybody says that your a mess
Since everyday I love you less and less"