Never being one to toot my own horn, but for the past 3 years I've been riding my bike 15 to 20 miles a day. Sadly, from late October to early March I'm stuck doing so inside which is incredibly boring (even if I do get to watch TV or DVDs). Well today was a big happy, as I got in my first outdoor ride of the year (I have a strict 70 degree or higher rule and it was pushing 80 today here in Maryland). So what the hell does this have to do with musical guilty pleasures? Plenty.
Like many who ride outdoors, I do so with headphones on. Instead of the usual pump up music most guys look to for workouts (metal/punk/rock), I prefer to ride with a contemporary country and pop soundtrack. And yes, you guessed it there is plenty of Robyn on my playlist (see, I tied it all together...eventually). While none of her songs played on today's 18-mile ride (TOOT, TOOT), her high energy tunes get my crazy legs pedaling a little bit faster every time. Here's one such song.
14 March 2012
13 March 2012
13 March 2012 - Walter Murphy - A Fifth of Beethoven / Robin Thicke - When I Get You Alone
I was a kid in the late 70's. So, everywhere I turned, there was disco. Saturday Night Fever was exploding, and even I, in my young years, knew it. And my favorite song of all, the young music geek that I was, was Walter Murphy's take on Beethoven's 5th Symphony. So, so, so cool!
This video is from the TV show Midnight Special. On the recording, for the movie Saturday Night Fever, Walter Murphy played all the instruments himself, but he could not do that live.
Of course, this song, a timeless classic, did not need lyrics. At least, I didn't think it did. Fast forward about thirty years. Alan Thicke's kid proves to the world that he has a really solid, soulful voice by adding lyrics to a sampled version of this disco classic. And it worked - it really did. It was just a different song. I promised you that we would bring Robin Thicke back on this blog, so, without further ado......
I always knew that Alan Thicke's last name was good for something....
This video is from the TV show Midnight Special. On the recording, for the movie Saturday Night Fever, Walter Murphy played all the instruments himself, but he could not do that live.
Of course, this song, a timeless classic, did not need lyrics. At least, I didn't think it did. Fast forward about thirty years. Alan Thicke's kid proves to the world that he has a really solid, soulful voice by adding lyrics to a sampled version of this disco classic. And it worked - it really did. It was just a different song. I promised you that we would bring Robin Thicke back on this blog, so, without further ado......
I always knew that Alan Thicke's last name was good for something....
12 March 2012
12 March 2012 - Britney Spears - ...Baby One More Time
Everyone, please join me in wishing my Wicked Guilty Pleasures co-conspirator a very Happy Birthday! My present to you Tony old friend (and by old I'm referring to how long we've been friends, and well, you're also old) is of course a video featuring a SMOKING HOT 18 year old Britney Spears dancing in a schoolgirl outfit. Totally appropriate!
11 March 2012
11 March 2012 - Jonathan Coulton - Curl / Code Monkey
So, two weeks ago, we posted the Non-Guilty Pleasure to celebrate the end of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Canadian women's national curling championships.
Today, the Tim Hortons Brier, the Canadian men's national curling championship, comes to an exciting conclusion. Glenn Howard, from Ontario, the curler with the most Brier matches of all time (his brother Russ is 2nd), takes on Kevin Koe, the 2010 Brier and world champion, from Alberta. If you care, I predict a Howard victory, as I have all season.
But we're not a curling blog (I do have one of those), but a music blog. And so, today, I highlight the 2nd greatest song ever written about curling. Mr. Coulton - an American, by the way - has four times embarked on Thing-A-Week projects, where he writes and records a different song every week. You probably know his song "Code Monkey", which has been a viral hit and was part of Thing-A-Week Three.
Thing-A-Week Two was released in November 2006. Track 7 was this gem:
Yes, I know, this is a fan-made video. It's still pretty fantastic. Not only do you get the 2nd best song ever written about curling, you get Colbert curling!
And, since I teased you earlier, here is the video for his biggest hit as well. I am not a code monkey, but this is a pretty fun song for all of us in IT.
Today, the Tim Hortons Brier, the Canadian men's national curling championship, comes to an exciting conclusion. Glenn Howard, from Ontario, the curler with the most Brier matches of all time (his brother Russ is 2nd), takes on Kevin Koe, the 2010 Brier and world champion, from Alberta. If you care, I predict a Howard victory, as I have all season.
But we're not a curling blog (I do have one of those), but a music blog. And so, today, I highlight the 2nd greatest song ever written about curling. Mr. Coulton - an American, by the way - has four times embarked on Thing-A-Week projects, where he writes and records a different song every week. You probably know his song "Code Monkey", which has been a viral hit and was part of Thing-A-Week Three.
Thing-A-Week Two was released in November 2006. Track 7 was this gem:
Yes, I know, this is a fan-made video. It's still pretty fantastic. Not only do you get the 2nd best song ever written about curling, you get Colbert curling!
And, since I teased you earlier, here is the video for his biggest hit as well. I am not a code monkey, but this is a pretty fun song for all of us in IT.
10 March 2012
10 March 2012 - Starland Vocal Band - Afternoon Delight
Over the past 50 years, only three artists that have won the Best New Artist Grammy have gone on to win Song, Record, or Album of the Year, ever. It's seen as something of a curse.
The Starland Vocal Band, 1977 winners of that award, are not included in those three artists. Perhaps the filthiest song ever to propel any artist to a Grammy.... and everyone thought it was a happy-go-lucky feel-good song of the summer of 1976. So there is no dispute, it is a song about having sex in the afternoon, as opposed to waiting until after sunset.
Even though they never won another Grammy - or had another hit - this song was so huge, it still makes appearances in pop culture. Take this scene, from the end credits of the movie Good Will Hunting.
The song also appeared in the closing credits.
As huge as it is, the song also played into a storyline on the television show Glee. One of the Gleeks thought that Afternoon Delight was a dessert. Well, I guess.....
All in all, a very influential song. Not bad for a curse.
Oh, and to answer your question, Natalie Cole, Norah Jones, and, this year, Adele. Now you know.
The Starland Vocal Band, 1977 winners of that award, are not included in those three artists. Perhaps the filthiest song ever to propel any artist to a Grammy.... and everyone thought it was a happy-go-lucky feel-good song of the summer of 1976. So there is no dispute, it is a song about having sex in the afternoon, as opposed to waiting until after sunset.
Even though they never won another Grammy - or had another hit - this song was so huge, it still makes appearances in pop culture. Take this scene, from the end credits of the movie Good Will Hunting.
The song also appeared in the closing credits.
As huge as it is, the song also played into a storyline on the television show Glee. One of the Gleeks thought that Afternoon Delight was a dessert. Well, I guess.....
All in all, a very influential song. Not bad for a curse.
Oh, and to answer your question, Natalie Cole, Norah Jones, and, this year, Adele. Now you know.
09 March 2012
9 March 2012 - Britny Fox - Girlschool
It's Hair Metal Friday. Does it get any more hair metally than Britny Fox? I think not. Have a rockin' weekend everyone!
8 March 2012 - Positive K - I Got A Man
Perhaps one of the best known call-and-answer hip-hop jams of the early 90's.... except not really. This song, +K's only hit, was born out of a duet he did with MC Lyte, called "I'm Not Havin' It." That was good - this is better.
So who was the unknown female artist paired up with Positive K? Well, it was not the woman appearing in the video. In fact, thanks to the magic of pitch changing technology, Positive K sang the female portion of this tune as well.
That's right. He was calling and answering with himself. It's still really entertaining.
So who was the unknown female artist paired up with Positive K? Well, it was not the woman appearing in the video. In fact, thanks to the magic of pitch changing technology, Positive K sang the female portion of this tune as well.
That's right. He was calling and answering with himself. It's still really entertaining.
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