(This is not a 30 day music challenge so much as a 30 month music challenge. We’re only on day eight and I ran out of steam in March. March! Let’s see how long I can resurrect it for…)
I know all the words to lots of songs. I sing along to songs a lot. Mainly in my car, but sometimes around the house. I’m not very good at singing but, like 90% of X Factor auditionees, this doesn’t stop me.
Of them all, PJ Harvey’s ‘Good Fortune’ is my very favourite singalong song. It is three and a half minutes of pure, unbridled joy and celebration of being in love. Plus, it allows me to practically yodel at the top of my voice. And just look at the video! Isn’t Polly Jean blimmin’ gorgeous?!
(I have not added the link to the official video on youtube because they’ve managed to upload it with the wrong aspect ratio. Idiots.)
I don’t think I can stop listening to this song. Gorgeous. I’d been skipping it until today for some reason.
Whilst we’re here, I’m well aware I haven’t completed the 30 day music challenge. I’m not much of a completer-finisher. Let’s call it a hiatus and I’ll finish it some other time.
We’re only on day seven and I’ve already missed two days. I am not very good at this.
Pulp’s F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E. (which is quite difficult to type) reminds me of my first Reading Festival, in 2000. Pulp headlined Saturday night and this song, probably my favourite Pulp song, brings with it distinct memories of being exhausted, drunk, muddy, wet and happy. We were standing next to a man with a badger of the end of a stick and a bunch of people burning plastic on a bonfire, which gave me a headache. I can remember it like it was yesterday.
I tend to link songs to places, more than anything else, so this was a difficult choice.
The first time I visited my dad in New Zealand in 2002, Robbie Williams’s Feel had just been released there and we listened to it in his car a lot. It reminds me of driving round the Otago Harbour road – right alongside the shore – to Dunedin from his old house in Portobello (not only do you get the song but also a photo – just so you can really get as close to the experience as possible, you lucky things). I’m not the world’s biggest Robbie Williams fan but the memory is a very happy one.
Ally has already used this one but I’d thought of it beforehand as well. Honest.
When I Argue I See Shapes by Idlewild reminds me of her. She used to drive me to sixth form college in Eastleigh and we’d smoke and listen to tapes and I’d inflict on her stories of my disastrous love life. We listened to this song a lot – and we’d take it in turns to sing the bits at the end.
The Cinematic Orchestra’s To Build A Home makes me sad. Not because of any association, just because of the piano and the vocals and the general mournfulness.
Holby City went through a phase of playing it over all their sad storylines and it made me cry a lot (not entirely surprising, if you know me). Now Sky Atlantic and Dustin Hoffman are ruining it all over again.
Bearing in mind it references terrorism and the death of Jean Charles de Menezes, it shouldn’t be such a cheerful song. But I can’t think of much that makes me happier than Trains to Brazil by Guillemots and its seize-the-day attitude.
I’m just thankful to be facing the day / ‘Cause days don’t get you far when you’re gone
Is it too early in the challenge to say that I don’t like some of the categories? I mean, there’s loads of really great songs I’d like to share with people (you know, all the floods of people who read my blog) so I’m not sure I should be wasting a day’s blog post on a song I don’t like.
Anyway, my least favourite song is To Be In Love by Masters At Work. It’s not because I think it’s particularly bad, but because I just don’t get it. When my husband and I were at university, we’d spend weekend mornings lounging around in his room in his student house: I would read in bed and he would play some records and he would always play this song. Usually, he’d play the extended mix just to really annoy me.
I just listened to it again just to check I still don’t like it. I still don’t like it.
Ally is doing this 30 day music challenge thing so, although I’m a few days behind, I thought I’d join in. At least it means I’ll have to blog daily, even if it is on the same thing every day…
Day One is your favourite song. So here it is: Powder Blue by Elbow. I know Ally found this one difficult but I didn’t really. There are a lot of songs that I really love, but this has been my favourite song for a long time, largely for three reasons:
The line “I’m proud to be the one you hold, when the shakes begin” – wonderful
The clarinet (I think) at 3:58 ish is just the right note to make your heart ache
Thanks to the generosity and kindness of friends, family and colleagues, I find myself thoroughly spoilt and in receipt of a total of £135 of Amazon vouchers, given as leaving and Christmas gifts. My plan was to treat myself to some online shopping during the few, relaxed days after Christmas but they weren’t as relaxed as I’d hoped and so I have still only spent a few pounds on a couple of e-books, ordered directly from my Kindle.
I must admit that, because I hadn’t expected so much, I’ve been a bit stuck as to what to buy. I have no need or desire for any ‘larger’ purchases, e.g. electronic goods or technology – I have all the technology I want; there are things I know I don’t want, e.g. sat nav; household appliances don’t count because they’re boring (though I would quite like a slow cooker and a new iron); and I wouldn’t buy a smartphone from Amazon. (Granted, my beloved six-year-old 30GB white iPod video could and probably will die at any moment and is likely to need replacing but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.)
So I get the rather exciting opportunity but to buy lots and lots of smaller things… Today, I set about the task of bolstering my wish list and thought I’d share some of the items:
Le Creuset Mug – I adore the traditional Volcano colour of Le Creuset products and have wanted one of these mugs since I saw them in my favourite kitchen shop in Worcester (which, as an aside, is almost identical to a kitchen shop my mum would take me to as a child, each year, to buy a new cake tin in the shape of my age). I am still debating whether or not to take this in as my office mug.
Baking Made Easy – added to my list on the strength of one episode of the new BBC cookery programme. Because a girl can never have too many baking books and because it really does look easy.
Poach Pods – I got a pair of these for Christmas and they are a revelation. Getting two more so that I can poach more eggs at once.
Once Soundtrack – I finally watched Once last night and it was lovely (all the best love stories are unconsummated. See also: Lost in Translation, Brief Encounter). I only recently discovered The Frames thanks to a twitter recommendation but didn’t make the connection. I’m glad I finally did. I really love Glen Hansard’s voice, particularly in this scene:
Elbow’s new album – I guess it’s not cool to like Elbow since they won the Mercury Prize. Well, I still like them. They’re responsible for my all-time favourite song (Powder Blue, but you knew that already) and I walked down the aisle to an Elbow track (the opening bars of Mirrorball).
Natasha Walter’s The New Feminism – I read this as a student specialising in feminism and queer theory, when I was full of optimism about women’s place in the world, and recently enjoyed her follow-up, Living Dolls: The New Sexism. I’m looking forward to re-reading The New Feminism with the benefit of hindsight.
