30 Day Song Challenge – Day 11: A Song From Your Favorite Band

I have too many favorite bands although earlier this year I was asked to name my favorite band I went with the Beatles. I’ve always thought this to be one of their crowning achievements so here you go…

The Beatles – A Day in the Life

30 Day Song Challenge – Day 9: A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep

It’s funny…I listen to music all the time, but I usually don’t go out of my way to specifically listen to music to make me sleep so today’s is a little more difficult than some of the previous installments. Having said that, Nick’s a mellow fellow and this tune seemed to fit the bill.

Nick Drake – Day Is Done

30 Day Song Challenge – Day 9: A Song That You Can Dance To

Anyone that knows me is painfully aware I carry a few left feet in various pockets. Having said that, I won’t be shy in occasion; I just might need a little “help” to get things a cookin’. Anyway…Moby’s seminal 1999 album, Play, came out at the tail end of my college experience and this is one of those songs that always get me going.

Moby - Bodyrock

30 Day Song Challenge – Day 8: A Song That You Know All The Words To

Okay 30 Day Song Challenge…I know all the words to a good healthy chunk of the music I listen to so I’m not entirely sure how to pick exactly…so in this case I went with a song that just popped into my head from one of my favorite albums. So here you go…

Camera Obscura – Honey In The Sun

Oh and by the by, it still is amazing to me that a band like Camera Obscura is still relatively obscure(a) when I’m pretty sure Tracyanne Campbell has written some of the best pop songs of the past 10 years but what do I know?

30 Day Song Challenge – Day 7: A Song That Reminds You of a Certain Event

Hey gang. Sorry about skipping yesterday but this holiday celebrating the resurrection of the Lord came up. Anyway, today’s song is pretty much a bounce off of that holiday. I’m asked to come up with a song about a certain event. Does the Transfiguration count? If yes, then here’s my song for day 7…

Sufjan Stevens – The Transfiguration

And as a side note I’ve wanted my church to do this song for Transfiguration Sunday for years. One of these days I’ll ask…

30 Day Song Challenge – Day 6: A Song That Reminds You of Somewhere

This song reminds me of my first semester in the dorm room I shared with some fellows who turned into some wonderful friends after graduating at Concordia when many…MANY…nights started off with this song. It’s not a lifestyle I’m ever going to pick up again…but what a semester! This started off so many conversations, games, thoughts on life, sing-alongs, and the like.

Billy Joel – Piano Man

Oh and btw…LOOK AT THAT MUSTACHE!!!

30 Day Song Challenge – Day 5: A Song That Reminds You Of Someone

It’s funny the things you remember about people, places, and times. In this instance I was struck with remembrances of days when I was at the tail end of college and first few years in the working world. One of the albums that I hold with me from those times was the second Ben Folds Five album, Whatever and Ever, Amen. Back then, one my roommates was my friends James and we used to sing along to a bunch of the songs from this album in our revelry and Kate was one of them. So I’m reminded of James and all the great times spent singing along to music.

Ben Folds Five - Kate

30 Day Song Challenge – Day 4: A Song That Makes You Sad

If I had to guess, I’d say that 99% of the submissions for day 4 of this challenge deal with love lost. Thank God I now have love found again, but for awhile this was one of those songs that just pierced my heart. But how can it not when you hear Brian sing “Break my heeeeaaarrrt…” and I’d say we’ve all been there at one point in life.

Caroline, No – The Beach Boys

30 Day Song Challenge – Day 3: A Song That Makes You Happy

Now I could pick any number of songs that make me happy but when I thought of this one, I was immediately reminded of the particular performance below. This gang of musicians is a free spirited and happy go-lucky lot anyway but this song and performance just brings home the happy.

Edward Sharp and the Magnetic Zeroes - Janglin

30 Day Song Challenge – Day 2: Your Least Favorite Song

Okay so maybe this isn’t my least favorite song, but it is right now. I’m doing work for some friends right now on their dissertations and we usually do so at a local Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. They tend to run the same exact playlist…all the time…so we’re constantly being assaulted by the same songs over and over. Now I don’t know what it is about this tune, which I believe was Natalie Merchant’s first single as a solo artist, but I *do* know I want to punch Natalie in the face every time the drum part kicks the song off. In related news, I’m not a violent man. I can only take so much.

Natalie Merchant - Carnival

30 Day Song Challenge-- Day 1: Your Favorite Song

Hey everybody. So my friend Katie just started taking the “30 Day Song Challenge” on Facebook and it seemed so in my wheelhouse I felt I had no other choice but to partake. Here’s the quick breakdown. Basically for 30 days I am to find to a song that fits some criteria and share the video. It’s pretty simple, a good way to think about music, and I get to be ever *more* pushy about music I love. It’s a win freaking win!! Here goes…

Day #1: Your Favorite Song

Ok, I have too many songs to have a favorite but here’s what I did. I opened my iTunes library, saw what songs had the highest play count and selected the one that seemed the most “favorite-ish” to me. Here’s the winner:

Laura Marling – Cross Your Fingers / Crawled Out of Sea

I’ve listened to this song roughly 29,863 times in the past year. It’s ultimately about unexpected redemption and that’s hitting home to me right now so it seems appropriate.