Song: Down With the King
Artist: Run DMC
Album: Down With the King (1993)
The fact that it's taken so long to get to Joseph Simmons, Darryl McArthur and the late Jason Mizell is ridiculous, considering how constantly I rip on the current state of affair in hip hop and the lack of talent taking up residency sitting at the top of the charts.
While their legacy and importance in the music world becomes less known with every Reality TV show starring Rev. Run or his off-spring or one of their songs gets remixed into a dance track by Jason Nevins, the fact is that hip hop wouldn't be where it is without Run DMC.
Before mash-ups became fad-tastic and rap-rock like Limp Bizkit sold millions, these boys hooked up with Aerosmith for "Walk this Way," forcing themselves into the mainstream. The rest is history.
This song was chosen because it represents the last great track by a legendary group, as the trio's final album Crown Royal failed to produce a memorable hit. Additionally, it features great verses courtesy of Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth (two of my faves) and the song is still absolutely awesome more than 15 years later.
Sorry for being so late...
Rest in Peace JMJ
Friday, November 27, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life: Down With the King
Friday, November 13, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life: Empire State of Mind
Song: Empire State of Mind
Artist: Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys
Album: The Blueprint 3 (2009)
This song is just too damn good to ignore, regardless of the fact that it was only a couple weeks ago that "Run This Town" off the exact same album made an appearance in this section.
Jay-Z becomes the first repeat performer in the Soundtrack, something I have been diligently trying to avoid. Not because it's Jay, but because there are so many talented artists out there with great songs that inspire me and move me that I've never felt the need to double up.
Honestly, I could fill this column with about six or eight artists and feel good about it. Some of you could probably name those six or eight artists if you tried.
All that being said, this song is too much of a monster to not give it the attention it deserves.
Mommy took a bus trip and now she got her bust out,
everybody ride her, just like a bus route,
Hail Mary to the city your a Virgin,
and Jesus can’t save you life starts when the church ends,
came here for school, graduated to the high life,
ball players, rap stars, addicted to the limelight,
MDMA got you feeling like a champion,
the city never sleeps better slip you a Ambien
Seriously - who else is ending a banger with a rhyme about sleep medication that works so perfectly?
This one is an all-time selection for me, Top 5 material.
Hip Hop isn't dead, you just gotta wait for the quality to come out.
Continue reading ...
Friday, November 6, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life: Baba O'Riley
Song: Baba O'Riley
Artist: The Who
Album: Single (1971)
Honestly, if I have to explain why this song is making an appearance on the Soundtrack, you hate music.
Without question, this is one of the most awesome songs ever and the fact that it took me nearly two years to get around to including it is ridiculous.
For the few who have no idea what song I'm talking about, does it help if I mistakenly refer to it as "Teenage Wasteland" as so many often do?
Enjoy the song after the jump... Happy Friday.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life: Breakeven
Song: Breakeven
Artist: The Script
Album: The Script (2008)
In a very mellow, laid-backy kind of mode right now, having finished work and getting ready to make yet another move. As such, my musical focus has shifted to some cooler, more melodic stuff in the last little while and one of my discoveries has been this song by The Script.
Now, it certainly helps that this track comes on at work three times per shift, force-feeding it to my eardrums for continued consumption, but then again, so does the new Nickelback and you don't see me dropping that in here now do you?
I can't lie either - part of my attraction to this song is the sing-ability factor: for me, if I can rock out with a song and not sound horrible singing along with it, I'm automatically going to like it a little more.
Instead of being a slow, melancholic break-up song, there is some tempo to this track despite the lyrics about a relationship ending. It sounds like an Irish Jack Johnson break-up song to me and as I enjoy all of those elements individually (Jack Johnson, Ireland, break-up songs) mixing them together works very well here in my books.
Chances are The Script will fall off the face of my musical Earth once this song fades from my memory, but that is the nature of the beast that is the music industry right now. I can't honestly think of a recent act that has work their way into my regular rotation as of late, because bands and artists just don't make continual great music the way they used to anymore.
But for now, these three Irish boys with the catchy break-up song are on the top of my charts and rocking the Soundtrack of My Life.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life: Oh Sweet Nuthin'
Song: Oh Sweet Nuthin'
Artist: The Velvet Underground
Album: Loaded (1970)
No, I'm not going to regale you with a diatribe about how awesome The Velvet Underground or Lou Reed in particular are, were or always will be. They're a great band, but not my everyday cup of tea.
This song, however... absolutely timeless.
My first introduction to it was actually through a good friend, a dude named Stu Reed who used to deliver this classic at coffee houses and open mic nights when we were in university, often mixing in member of our group as the people to say a word for. The number of times I've had the shoes taken right off my feet is actually somewhat staggering.
It also helps that this track is featured in High Fidelity and on the very excellent soundtrack for said movie; it might be the best overall soundtrack put together, offering diversity of styles and paces of music, just as you would expect from a movie about a book about a record store owner.
But the thing with this song is that it's one of those sneaky songs; it fades out of memory for extended periods of time, until I hear it again randomly and remember just how much I love the mellow sadness of this song.
It popped up in the highly recommended Away We Go last weekend and I've known for the six days since that you'd be hearing it here today.
Hope you like it.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life: Drive
Song: Drive
Artist: Incubus
Album: Make Yourself (1999)
Not sure how I've neglected this song and this band for this long.
Sidebar: that's a lot of this'es...
Without question, I'm one of those people who flocked to Incubus after hearing "Drive" for the first time. More correctly, I saw the video and loved it, downloaded the song and still enjoyed it after multiple listens and subsequently searched all of Barrie for the Make Yourself album.
In one of those fortunate break situations life occasionally throw our way type moments, I was "forced" to buy the double disc version which came with a four track, acoustic album of four of the big songs from the record. I suggest you find it if you like Incubus.
Anyway, this song was right up my alley and remains there to this day. Acoustic elements, tight musicianship, great vocals by Brandon Boyd... what more do you need in a chill out song?
Since then, I've been into Incubus, liking them even more when they replaced departed bassist Dirk Lance with my man Ben Kenney of The Roots.
Maybe "Megalomaniac" will show up on this playlist somewhere down the road...
Friday, September 18, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life: Run This Town
Song: Run This Town
Artist: Jay-Z feat. Rihanna and Kanye West
Album: The Blueprint 3
The Roc is in the building... put your diamonds in the sky and just enjoy the brilliance.
These three are so iconic individually that I don't even feel the need to get into details about the brilliance that comes from combining the three.
Just pop it in and listen to the masters on the mic and Ms. Rihanna doing her catchy chorus thing like she always does.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life: Get Right
Song: Get Right
Artist: Jennifer Lopez ft. Fabolous
Album: Rebirth (2005)
I really don't care how many of you laugh at Jennifer Lopez making an appearance in the Soundtrack of My Life.
G'head, listen to the song.
Then try to walk around all day without that crazy horn sample blaring in your head all day, or without remembering the beat and getting a little extra swagger in your step. If you're in the car, you knock you're going to be head-bobbing to this all day long...
Just like the title of the album, which, technically speaking, this exact track isn't on - the remix was just a single, the original minus Fab was on the album - this track was a renewal of my love of Jennifer Lopez after what felt like an eternity of being sick of her.
For a while there, everything sounded too similar; they were all danceable tracks with a hip hop cameo and while this one is no different, it's different. Youknowwhatimsayin?
This is light years away from "My Love Don't Cost a Thing" and "Jenny from the Block" and that is a very good thing. That song and that whole Bennifer thing nearly killed this woman for me and everyone else.
That would have been a shame because as much as she sucks at being married (so far so good with Marc Anthony), she is one hell of an entertainer and the dance breaks in this video are dynamite. Yeah, I said it... dynamite. Don't pretend you don't like a good dance number. Ain't nothing wrong with it.
Crazy story behind this song that maybe only I find interesting:
Usher originally recorded it as "Ride" with the intention of using it on his 2004 album Confessions, but it didn't make the cut.
Lopez later scooped it, changing very little and had some success with it.
As good as Confessions was, imagine how massive it would have been with this on there too, because you know Usher would have killed it.
Anyway, enjoy the track and you're lying if you don't think it's infectious...
Friday, August 28, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life
Song: Remember the Name
Artist: Fort Minor
Album: The Rising Tied (2005)
Welcome to my new theme song.
While Mike Shinoda & Co. might be talking about breaking into the music business, the formula put forth in the chorus is applicable across all arts and passions, including my struggle to get from blogging to the big time.
The breakdown is eerily apt:
10% Luck
20% Skill
15% Concentrated Power of Will
5% Pleasure
50% Pain
-------------------------------------
100% Reason to Remember the Name
Leading off with luck makes sense, as the greatest talent in the world could never be found without that one lucky break, talent be damned.
You have to have skill, but it makes up a lot less of the equation than you think, because once you get to a certain level, everyone has skill.
That next 15% is what gets me out of bed in the morning, even though I'm still tired. It's what has me sitting at the computer all day, despite the fact that another long night on the bar is quickly approaching. It's why even when I feel like doing nothing more than laying on the couch and relaxing, I hammer through another article.
Yes, I love what I do, but it's still work. The sheer enjoyment goes away quickly, after the honeymoon phase of any new project passes. Then it's work and something I have to do, regardless of how much I like what I'm writing about.
You think the pain has too great a percentage?
Open countless emails telling you, "Thanks, but no thanks."
Have interviews fall through and paychecks for published work never materialize.
Pour hours on end into a project, only to see the money disappear and the opportunity follow suit shortly thereafter.
Get in a fight with your loved ones because you're spending too much time with what you love instead of who you love.
Or enjoy the fact that some of them barely ever check out your work.
The pain is legit, and so is this song.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life
Song: Misery Business
Artist: Paramore
Album: Riot! (2007)
No, I'm not suddenly shifting gears and becoming a massive Christian rock fan.
I don't even overly like Paramore and their brand of pop-punk with a funky-haired chick on the mic. And no, I didn't become a fan because their song "Decode" was the lead single from *sigh* Twilight...
I'm boycotting Twilight...
Nope, this is a one and done for me with Paramore and it's all Guitar Hero World Tour's fault. That's where I got hooked on this track, just like I have with "Rooftops" by Lostprophets and "Re-eductation" by Rise Against.
That being said, this song is damn catchy and easy to like. I mean really, who doesn't like a song with a good sing-along portion?
As always, I challenge you to listen to the song (see below) and try not to have it stuck in your head all day without it being dangerously annoying... I dare you.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life
Song: Triumph
Artist: Wu-Tang Clan
Album: Wu-Tang Forever (1997)
If you've ever wanted a shining example of what great hip hop is supposed to sound like, go out and get this track.
Nine talented MCs drop verses on a six minute song with no chorus. Sounds weird, I know, but with super-producer The RZA in control the whole time, this song was a monster that played on mixtape after mixtape during the summer of '97.
What made Wu-Tang so tremendous was the diversity of the lineup and songs like this showcased the varied skills and style of each member.
Under the radar members like Inspectah Deck (verse one), U-God (verse four) and Masta Killa (verse seven) all rip their contributions and force you to pay attention, while the more well-known soldiers like Method Man, Raekwon and Ghostface all deliver the goods you've long expected from them.
Particularly Raekwon, what with the "sickenin' / guaranteed made'em jump like Rod Strickland" and all.
It's news that a follow-up to his solo debut Only Built for Cuban Linx is finally set to be released after nearly four years of speculation that thinking about The Wu-Tang Clan again.
Now I'm going to have to make a homemade Classic Masters album of Wu-Tang goodness.
Track One? Yep... this one.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life
Song: Everything is Everything
Artist: Lauryn Hill a.k.a. L-Boogie
Album: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
This is what hip hop needs to sound like.
Not necessarily a female MC delivering brilliance the way Lauryn did here, but well-written, well-produced music with intelligent lyrics instead of pedestrian rhymes over manufactured beats or bastardized samples of quality songs turned into oral sex opuses.
Yeah, I said it. Flo Rida's "Right Round" is horrible, regardless of how much it makes you wanna dance.
Back on topic, this album was one of the best of the last 25 years, a brilliant collection of creative and intelligent thoughts with original beats and musical, all accompanied by a delicate voice that could hit the high notes and flip rhymes without missing a step.
For me, this track was the epitome of everything incredible about Lauryn Hill and this album. The combination of her singing and rhyming paired together with a sonically-appealing melody featuring some unknown cat named John Legend on piano just clicked instantly for me.
Though the first single "Doo Woop (That Thing)" was the bigger commercial success, reaching #1 on the Billboard charts, this song received the greater critical acclaim. Lyrics like this are why:L. Boogie spars with stars and constellations
Then came down for a little conversation
Adjacent to the king, fear no human being
Roll with cherubims to Nassau Coliseum
Now hear this mixture
Where hip hop meets scripture
Develop a negative into a positive picture
This was supposed to be here coming out party, announcing herself as a beautiful voice for a generation heading into the new millennium.
Instead, it stands as a one-off testament to her talents, as Lauryn all but disappeared, leading to her placement on The Rundown a couple weeks back.
Regardless of all the crazy rumors that circulated back in the day or how aloof and unhinged L-Boogie comes across these days, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is a classic that anyone who enjoys great music should have.
And if you just want one track, this is the one.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life
Song: Second Chance
Artist: Shinedown
Album: The Sound of Madness (2008)
Hearing this song actually made my day today. I'm not even joking.
Work looked like it was going to be complete crap and then this came on the radio and things got better. Work was still fairly craptacular, but at least I had Shinedown.
What makes this song even better to me is that it's about taking chances and following your dreams; breaking away from the image and dreams your parents hold out for you and realizing that the most important thing in the world is living your life for you, because in the end, you're the one who has to be happy.
Honestly, I wish I could have figured that out a long, long time ago. I wouldn't have spent thousands of dollars earning a Psych degree with an HR minor from Waterloo or spending nearly five years twiddling my thumbs at the casino.
I would have followed the love of English and writing that was in my heart coming out of high school and taken a journalism degree or an English Lit degree and gotten on this path that I am on a long time ago.
The good thing is that I am here now and things are slowly falling into place.
And whenever I get frustrated or negative about it, there is Shinedown.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life
Song: Stay
Artist: SafetySuit
Album: Life Left to Go (2008)
Totally addicted to this song right now.
It plays routinely on XM Radio in the bar and I've learned all the words just from listening to it. I know that makes me sound like a bit of a geek, but let's face it, we all knew I was a bit of a geek already.
These guys are a perfect indictment of everything that is horribly wrong with the current state of music, because I guarantee there loads of people who have never heard of SafetySuit - I hadn't before this song - and they are actually pretty damn awesome, yet we get bombarded by Britney and the pop sluts, Auto-tuner hip hop and 47,000 Nickelback songs.
Seriously, this is what great rock music is supposed to sound like Mr. Kroeger, not the junk you boys from Hanna have been putting out as of late. Have a listen and go record something I want to hear.
Along with Kings of Leon, OAR and Shinedown's latest, these guys have made me almost stop listening to hip hop altogether right now. Note - I said almost. Old School classics still bump with regularity, but not much new stuff... that's just how it goes.
Anyway, have a listen and I guarantee you'll be hooked just like I was.
Happy Weekend, Fuckers!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life
Song: Billie Jean
Artist: Michael Jackson
Album: Thriller (1982)
We lost a truly gifted and troubled soul yesterday with the passing of Michael Jackson.
While his life during the last 15 years had become a media spectacle and littered with allegations and inappropriate actions, there is no denying that at his peak, Michael Jackson was without question the greatest entertainer on the planet.
Thriller is still the greatest album ever made and while I single out Billie Jean, there are four or five other tracks on this record that could have easily made the cut.
The title track changed the way people looked at music videos, becoming the first mini-movie and introducing a zombie-filled, highly-choreographed dance routine into the minds of millions.
Beat It ... enough said. Say, Say, Say with Paul McCartney, Pretty Young Thing, Human Nature, You Wanna Be Startin' Something... just awesome.
For all the jokes that have and will be made about him, it's pretty clear that there was something seriously wrong with Michael Jackson, probably in more ways than one and that is a shame.
The man had more musical talent than all the little pop sluts running around today combined and his loss needs to me treated as such - a loss, not the punchline to a string of bad jokes.
Rest in Peace, Michael.
You are and always will be The King of Pop.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life
Song: Grindin'
Artist: Clipse
Album: Lord Willin' (2001)
Easily the best single word description of what it is I'm out here doing everyday trying to make a living...
Grindin'.
In the film Rounders, they described a grinders as a guy who never goes after the big play; instead, he makes money where he can and as he needs. It's not about hitting it rich, it's about paying bills. That's me and that's this song.
Now, Malice and Pusha T certainly aren't talking about serving drinks to drunk golfers or hammering away on as many websites as possible trying to make a living, but the meaning is still the same - we do what we do because we have to.
What makes my connection and love of this song even stronger are some of the lyrical gems that get delivered, whether they continue to reiterate the main reason behind the grind (My grind's 'bout family, never been about fame), paying respect to forgotten basketball legends (The jewels is flirtin', be damned if I'm hurtin', legend in two games like I'm Pee Wee Kirkland) or providing the best description of my personality that I didn't come up with (cocky something that I just can't help).
Clipse kind of went AWOL for a while after this album; arguments with their record label let to a life on the mixtape circuit and eventual change in scenery. Regardless of their lesser profile and failure to fully follow up on the success of this album, Grindin' has been a mixtape staple in my collection from the get-go and will continue to be.
Now if you'll excuse me, I got more work to do.
"I'm just grindin' man, y'all never mind me..."
Friday, June 12, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life
Song: Never Too Late
Artist: Three Days Grace
Album: One-X (2006)
I absolutely love Three Days Grace and don't care what anyone thinks about that.
A good portion of that love comes from frontman Adam Gontier's openness about his struggles with addiction prior to recording and releasing this album. While so many musicians and actors and "celebrities" flippantly dismiss their problems and have repeated trips to rehab, by all accounts Gontier has remained sober following his stint for addiction of OxyContin. What made me like him and the band even more was their tour of rehab facilities following his recovery and the release of this album.
Musically, this song has a lot of the things I look for in a great rock track. I'm a sucker for an alternating soft verse / hard chorus setup, the acoustic guitar elements throughout never hurt and lyrically it's a winner too.
Sure, it's about suicidal thoughts and feelings of hopelessness, but at one point or another, those thoughts have run through all our heads. We've all felt like things couldn't possibly get worse and it's okay to admit that.
What I like is that this song acknowledges that life often fails to turn out the way we expect - shit happens, things suck, "this world will never be what I expected" - but there is always time to change things and make it better. I'm not ashamed to admit I understand that feeling and sentiment completely, as well as being at a point know where things are better.
Music is a connectivity thing to me - you like what you relate to and what you connect with - and I connect with this song and this band... and not just because they're Canadian either.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life
Song: Firecracker
Artist: Ryan Adams
Album: Gold (2001)
Dude is a little off his rocker and that's okay by me. In fact, it might be the reason Ryan Adams is such a talented musician and someone I really like listening to. Sometimes brilliance comes from the crazy fuckers.
I got into this album off the strength of the debut single, "New York, New York," a real catchy, ode to how awesome NYC has always been. Hearing that tune and reading a great review of the album in Blender sent me across the street to Music World to get this disc. "New York, New York" bats lead-off, but it's the two hole song Firecracker that still plays in heavy rotation on the computer and makes an appearance here today.
Adams roots are called alt-country, but whatever you want to call it, I call it catchy and cool, at least on this album and this song. Same as a lot of tracks that have made it to the Soundtrack over the years, "Firecracker" is a fairly simplistic song; acoustic guitars, harmonica, some drums for a back beat and that's about it. It's easy, but it works really well.
What really hooked me about this song was, well, the hook:
Well everybody wants to go forever
I just wanna burn out hard and bright
I just wanna be your firecracker
And maybe be your baby tonight
I actually used that opening pair as my MSN quote for ages before my mom, thinking I was speaking of my own demise, insisted I change it or never hear from her again. Obviously I changed the message; can't go without talking to Faye...
For me, it's about people who want to hang on well beyond their prime and force things that clearly aren't working and I get that. While everyone else wants to make their 15 minutes last 15 years, how's about I just rock this 15 minutes and we have a little cuddle while we're at it?
Personally, I never want to be that guy who is hanging on for dear life, in anything. I want to have my fun and have my time and move on accordingly. The earrings will come out the minute they look stupid. The wardrobe will change with age. And things like The Shameless Self-Promotion Tour will one day wrap up when this writing thing has run it's course, probably before.
While I'm here and while I'm doing this, I'm going to do it full out. Then one day, I'm going to fade into the background, never to be heard from again.
That's the way it should be, at least in my books. Ryan Adams' too apparently.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life
Song: Rapper's Delight
Artist: Sugarhill Gang
Album: Sugarhill Gang (1979)
I talk a lot in this column about music having become about so much more than just the actual music itself right now, with hip hop coming under the most fire.
Today, I;m taking it back to when it was about nothing but the music and paying tribute to the original hip hop party jam, Rapper's Delight by the legendary Sugarhill Gang.
2009 marks the 30th Anniversary of a song widely considered to be the first universally popular hip hop track, a song with a beat and lyrics so simplistic yet catchy that it's been remade by not only other hip hop acts like Def Squad and Run DMC, but folk-alternative guys like Keller Williams too.
We're all friends here, so I'm going to try and tell you that the lyrics of this song convey some kind of deep meaning; they don't. This is a straight up party song meant to get people on the dance floor and it works as well now as it did back then. And while the lyrics may be lacking the depth of some of today's conscious rappers, everybody knows the start of this song:
I said a hip hop the hippie the hippie
to the hip hip hop, a you don't stop
the rock it to the bang bang boogie say up jumped the boogie
to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat
Even my mom knows those lyrics and she doesn't know the lyrics to anything remotely related to hip hop. I fact, I would wager that she and most of you who aren't hip hop fans could deliver the next line too. Now what you hear is not a test, I'm rapping to the beat.
This song makes the Soundtrack today not just as tribute to the pioneers and out of respect for where the music I love came from, but as a glimpse back to simpler times. I mean, at one point, Big Bank Hank is rhyming about bad mac and cheese, mushy peas and chicken that tastes like wood.
As hokey as that is, I'd take it over bitches, hoes, bling and money any day of the week.
Continue reading ...
Friday, May 22, 2009
Soundtrack of My Life
Song: No Diggity
Artist: Blackstreet feat. Dr. Dre and Queen Pen
Album: Another Level (1996)
As we're rolling into summer, I'm rolling out my all-time favorite summer jam for this week's soundtrack.
To prove I'm not just pulling out an old song and claiming it as my favorite, please reference this Rundown from last year. See what #1 on that list was? No Diggity.
We went crazy for this song when it came out! This was the first song to the first summer where I was old enough to go out driving around on my own and didn't have to be home before 11:00. Everywhere we went, this song was getting played... loud.
The video was epic, with the Lil' Penny inspired puppets and Dr. Dre's intro rap signaling his long-awaited return, not to mention the first and last time we ever heard from Queen Pen.
There was nothing special lyrically about this track, but back in those days, it was all about a nasty beat and this song has it in spades. Tell me you don't recognize this song as soon as it comes on? That piano, that thumping bass, the "Um-huh"... classic.
Just watch the video and try to get this song out of your head. Try it. I dare you.
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