Week One Hundred and Sixty-Five: TV21 - "Snakes and Ladders" - A Thin Red Line

Some weekends simply cannot get better than the one I just had --- a performance of Dirty Dancing as part of the Dallas Summer Musicals followed by a trip out to the Arlington Convention Center to browse through the Half Price Books $2 clearance sale.

Speaking of that sale, check out the treasure that I scored in the "Coffee Table" section:

That's right, folks, 304 beautifully colored pages and biographies of my favorite bands...EVER! And as if that is not heavenly in itself, check out who graces the back cover:

It is none other than Siouxsie Sioux in all of her majestic glory...best $2 I have spent in quite some time!!!

So speaking of New Wave, I have recently been watching The Carrie Diaries on Netflix. It is supposed to be the precursor to Sex and the City, and while the show is quite painful to sit through, the soundtrack is phenomenal. In some party scene or club scene or whatnot (I wasn't paying much attention), I heard today's song, "Snakes and Ladders", and I stopped in my tracks. I do not recall ever hearing it before, but I love it and wish to share it with all of you, as well! 

And before I leave you today, I had to snicker to myself at the coincidence between the fact that the individual who posted the video on YouTube is named Aidan, and one of Carrie's greatest loves in Sex and the City was also named Aidan...a bit of trivia there for you... Enjoy!!!

We're not happy and we're not sad

We're not crazy but we must be mad

There's snakes at the bottom snakes at the top

and the ladders all shake and the ladders all rock

[twice]

[music break]

We're not happy and we're not sad

We're not crazy but we must be mad

There's snakes at the bottom snakes at the top

and the ladders all shake and the ladders all rock

and everywhere I look I see 

a thousand other fools like me

all crouched down on bended knee

with their eyes shut tight but their hands are free

and everyone is fighting blind

scratching biting wasting time

up to the bottom and down to the top

where snakes and ladders never stop

and no-one asks the question why?

we exist by getting by

and we keep playing this crazy game

where snakes and ladders are all the same

And the man at the top builds his stash

a thin white line of others' cash

but all he sees is blue and green

'cause there are no colours in between

we're the puppets we're the fools

we're the products we're the tools

pick us up knock us down

keep us spinning round and round

but I'm a cynic hypocrite

and I rub my own face in it

and I keep playing this crazy game 

where snakes and ladders are all the same

[chorus x 2]

Week One Hundred and Sixty-Four: Jimmy Eat World - "The Middle" - Bleed American

I will be the first to admit that I was not a huge fan of this song or of the band, Jimmy Eat World, when they both came onto the scene in early 2002. Over the years, this tune somehow seemed to grow on me, and I developed an even greater appreciation for it when I learned that the little girl that I mentor in Big Brothers Big Sisters happens to like it too.

My Little Sis, Angelica, has definitely hit a rough patch in her young life, and she is struggling more than any 15-year-old kid should have to struggle at this point in her short existence. Due to a chain of unfortunate events, she is in between living arrangements at the moment, and I have not been able to have any contact with her in over a week in order to check on her or to see if she has come up with a game plan.

Since we don't have a ton of musical interests in common, aside from The Cure, The Goo Goo Dolls, and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston (don't even ask), I would like to dedicate today's post to Angelica and to send a message to her through the universe to remind her, in the words of Jimmy Eat World, that "it just takes some time; little girl, you're in the middle of the ride; everything, everything will be just fine; everything, everything will be alright, all right..."

Hey, don't write yourself off yet

It's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on

Just try your best

Try everything you can

And don't you worry what they tell themselves

When you're away

It just takes some time

Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride

Everything, everything will be just fine

Everything, everything will be all right, all right

Hey, you know they're all the same

You know you're doing better on your own (On your own)

So don't buy in

Live right now

Yeah, just be yourself

It doesn't matter if it's good enough (Good enough)

For someone else

It just takes some time

Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride

Everything, everything will be just fine

Everything, everything will be all right, all right

It just takes some time

Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride

Everything, everything will be just fine

Everything, everything will be all right, all right

Whoo

Hey, don't write yourself off yet

It's only in your head you feel left out (Feel left out)

Or looked down on

Just do your best (Just do your best)

Do everything you can (Do everything you can)

And don't you worry what their bitter hearts (Bitter hearts)

Are gonna say

It just takes some time

Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride

Everything, everything will be just fine

Everything, everything will be all right, all right

It just takes some time

Little girl, you're in the middle of the ride

Everything, everything will be just fine

Everything, everything will be all right

Week One Hundred and Sixty-Three: Lulu - "I'll Come Running" - One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds: Lost & Found

The first time I ever heard this song was when an ex-boyfriend of mine acquired mp3 versions of all of the songs on the box set called One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds: Lost & Found as a Christmas gift for me.

More recently, this tune was played on Little Steven's Underground Garage, on Channel 21 on Sirius, as I was flipping through the stations the other day.

Just today, I was listening to my Girl Groups Radio station on Pandora, and it was played yet again.

Therefore, it appeared to me that the universe was begging me to make a post about this song.  Sadly, I don't know anything about Lulu or about the song itself, so I will have to resort to Wikipedia for assistance:


"Something to Shout About was the title of Lulu's first UK LP, released on the Decca Records label in 1965. Most of the songs are recorded in an R&B, early rock and roll style that complemented her mature and raspy voice. It was released when she was just seventeen. The album contained Lulu's debut hit 'Shout', which reached #7 in the UK Singles Chart.

Jimmy Page played guitar on some of the tracks, including 'I'll Come Running Over' and 'Surprise, Surprise'. 'Here Comes the Night' was recorded in 1964 by Them and would later be covered by David Bowie on his 1973 album Pin Ups. The album was produced by Peter Sullivan and 'directed' by Mike Leander and Reg Guest.

The album was reissued on CD in 1989 by London Records."

Interestingly enough, the Wiki article and most other sources refer to the song as "I'll Come Running Over", but the box set has it listed as "I'll Come Running"; so that is how I have listed it for purposes of my blog. I'll also include a cute little YouTube video of her cover of "Surprise, Surprise" by The Rolling Stones.

 Oh yeah, now I'm sorry baby
I didn't mean to make you cry
Somehow I know that you still love me
And no, I'll never tell a lie

You know that if you need me
All you gotta do
Is pick up your phone and call me
I'll come running, oooh
I'll come running, oooh
Yes, I'll come running over
Well, I'll come running over
Yes, I'll come running over
And I'll give my love to you

Now come on, honey, think it over
Don't let your foolish pride end it
If I have broken your heart, baby
Then give me one more chance to mend it

Well, you know that if you need me
All you gotta do
Is pick up your phone and call me
I'll come running, oooh
I'll come running, oooh
I'll come running over
Yes, I'll come running over
Every day
In the midnight hour
When you need my loving
When you want it bad
When you're hankering, baby
When you're feeling sad
Yeah, every night

Week One Hundred and Sixty-Two: Martin L. Gore - "In a Manner of Speaking" - Counterfeit E.P.

I have had an incredibly lazy weekend, to which I feel we are all entitled on occasion. I have done absolutely nothing, with the exception of some reading, journaling, and listening to music, of course. I heard this one on Pandora yesterday. However, it wasn't Martin Gore's version; it was the version by Nouvelle Vague (a French cover band whose name actually means New Wave). 

Interestingly enough, I thought Nouvelle Vague was covering Martin Gore; however, after a little bit of Wiki research, I came to discover that both Martin Gore and Nouvelle Vague are actually covering a band called Tuxedomoon. In fact, Martin Gore's entire E.P. is cover songs. I have owned that E.P. since the late-90s and have never even realized that until today, but it definitely explains the chosen name, Counterfeit, right?!?! It's nice to know that I can still learn something new even on a lazy weekend. 

I will include Nouvelle Vague's version of "In a Manner of Speaking," as well as another one off the Counterfeit E.P. called "Compulsion," which I now know is originally by Joe Crow.

In a manner of speaking, I just want to say
That I could never forget the way
You told me everything
By saying nothing
In a manner of speaking, I don't understand
How love in silence becomes reprimand
But the way I feel about you is beyond words
Oh, give me the words
Give me the words
That tell me nothing
Oh, give me the words
Give me the words
That tell me everything
In a manner of speaking, semantics won't do
In this life that we live, we only make do
And the way that we feel might have to be sacrificed
So in a manner of speaking,
I just want to say
That like you, I should find a way
To tell you everything
By saying nothing
Oh, give me the words
Give me the words
That tell me nothing
Oh, give me the words
Give me the words
Give me the words
Give me the words
Give me the words