Post #701: Morrissey - "The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get" - Vauxhall & I

So as I've probably mentioned a time or two already on this here little blog of mine, I LOVE to read!  My favorite genre of literature is the memoir.  With that said, I recently finished a fantastic memoir by Diablo Cody.  If her name sounds familiar to you, that's because she wrote the ever-so-witty film, Juno.

Her memoir is titled Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper.  At no time did I anticipate finding Morrissey's name in a memoir with a title such as this, but he is there in black-and-white on page 145 under the heading of "The Ten Worst Songs to Strip To".  I suppose Morrissey would be okay with that, even if he only charted at Number 10.  A huge shout out to Vanilla Ice for coming in 4th place!! :)

I've scanned the cover of the memoir for you, as well as the previously mentioned section:  

And although I could most likely name at least 10 other memoirs that I would suggest to you before recommending this one, it still had me laughing out loud from cover to cover, so it's definitely worth the read.

Another one of my favorites from the Vauxhall & I album is "Speedway".  That tune has been running wild through my head all week, so I'm including it for you today, as well.

Until next time...

XOXOXO
Anastasia

The more you ignore me

The closer I get

You're wasting your time

The more you ignore me

The closer I get

You're wasting your time

I will be

In the bar

With my head

On the bar

I am now

A central part

Of your mind's landscape

Whether you care

Or do not

Yeah, I've made up your mind

The more you ignore me

The closer I get

You're wasting your time

The more you ignore me

The closer I get

You're wasting your time

Beware!

I bear more grudges

Than lonely high court judges

When you sleep

I will creep

Into your thoughts

Like a bad debt

That you can't pay

Take the easy way

And give in

Yeah, and let me in

Oh, let me in

Oh let me

Oh, let me in

It's war

It's war

It's war

It's war

It's war

War

War

War

War

Oh, let me in

Ah, the closer I get

Ah, you're asking for it

Ah, the closer I get

Ooh, the closer I

Post #700 - The Cranberries - "Linger" - Everybody Else Is Doing It, Why Can't We?

I don't recall who said this to me, and I also don't remember the exact wording; however, at some point, I know someone said something along the lines of: "Wait until you start losing musicians that you loved when you were younger... it really does something to you..."

Of course, at the time, those words didn't mean much to me because I hadn't lost many musicians that I listened to in my developmental years.  That all changed last Monday with the passing of The Cranberries' lead singer, Dolores O'Riordan.  I was really heartbroken over her passing, especially since she is only six (6) years older than I am.

Her songs were all over the airwaves when I was in high school, and they even made it into one of my favorite films, Empire Records, and one of my favorite TV shows, "My So-Called Life".

According to Rolling Stone magazine, a memorial was held for her in Limerick, Ireland, and fans were able to attend:

"Inside the church, Cranberries songs played quietly as fans entered during the four-hour viewing. A floral tribute – from the singer's Cranberries band mates – next to O'Riordan's coffin was inscribed with an homage to one of the band's biggest hits, 'The song has ended, but the memories linger on.'"

I made a post about The Cranberries when I used to do themed weeks on this blog (Week Ninety-Eight: Luck o' the Irish, to be exact).  In that post, I mentioned one of their lesser known songs called "How" that is often overlooked, but it is so worth a listen; so I'll repost the YouTube video for you.

RIP Dolores and thank you for your beautiful voice and spirit <3

Until next time...

XOXOXO
Anastasia

If you, if you could return

Don't let it burn

Don't let it fade

I'm sure I'm not being rude

But it's just your attitude

It's tearing me apart

It's ruining every day

For me

I swore I would be true

And honey, so did you

So why were you holding her hand?

Is that the way we stand?

Were you lying all the time?

Was it just a game to you?

But I'm in so deep

You know I'm such a fool for you

You've got me wrapped around your finger

Do you have to let it linger?

Do you have to, do you have to, do have to let it linger?

Oh, I thought the world of you

I thought nothing could go wrong

But I was wrong, I was wrong

If you, if you could get by

Trying not to lie

Things wouldn't be so confused

And I wouldn't feel so used

But you always really knew

I just want to be with you

And I'm in so deep

You know I'm such a fool for you

You've got me wrapped around your finger

Do have to let it linger?

Do you have to, do you have to, do have to let it linger?

And I'm in so deep

You know I'm such a fool for you

You've got me wrapped around your finger

Do have to let it linger?

Do you have to, do you have to, do have to let it linger?

You know I'm such a fool for you

You've got me wrapped around your finger

Do have to let it linger?

Do you have to, do you have to, do have to let it linger?

Post #699: Joseph Hellmesberger - "Danse Diabolique"

Happy New Year!!

So for the third year in a row now, I spent my New Year's Eve at the Dallas Symphony.  If you've been following this blog at all, you might recall me mentioning from my previous NYE posts that if you wait long enough (and if it's a single), you can score an amazing seat for a fraction of the cost... and once again, I did just that!  What was at one time a $150.00 seat became mine for $50.00:

The piece that stood out the most for me this year was Hellmeberger's "Danse Diabolique".  The energy that flowed throughout the room was amazing!! Take a listen and then imagine it being played live just a few feet from where you're sitting.  It's impossible not to be moved by the beauty of the sounds:

Going to the Symphony allows me to get out of the house and feel like I did something for NYE, and I still arrive safely home and am able to warm up by the fire by 10:15 pm at the latest.

Another tradition that I decided to start last year was to let my Pandora stations play on shuffle mode to see what song is selected for me as the New Year rolls in.  Last year, it was "Now My Heart Is Full" by Morrissey.  Having Morrissey serenade me at the stroke of midnight did make my heart feel quite full indeed:

This year, as the New Year rolled in, Pandora selected Depeche Mode's "In Your Room", which is so amazingly cool because I had an opportunity to catch Depeche Mode this past September, and to me, the most stand out song during that performance was "In Your Room":

I've already made a post about this song; however, I love reading other peoples' interpretations of lyrics and such, and I found this on songmeanings.com:

"To Martin Gore love, desire and religion are just three different incarnations of one underlying human need, a craving to overcome the profound loneliness of every human being." - licdamic

I was so moved by this statement in relation to this song because I feel like I've spent most of 2017 trying to overcome years of "profound loneliness".  I have such a difficult time connecting to others; it's been that way my entire life.  I used to see it as a curse... but now, I know that it's been nothing but a blessing for me.  

I took ample time this past year to stop looking for whatever it is I need in others and instead befriended myself and really got to know myself. I took a road trip to Tennessee & Virginia alone; I spent my 40th birthday in Galveston alone; I went to multiple concerts alone; I also celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas alone this year... but not once did I ever feel lonely. And as I sat at the Meyerson last night all alone for New Year's Eve, I didn't even feel compelled to pull out my phone to pass the time before the performance because all I really wanted to do was take in the sights and sounds, and it didn't even truly occur to me that I was alone.  So I guess this DM song was a gentle reminder that I'm doing a spectacular job overcoming that profound loneliness that once haunted me...

I hope 2018 brings you lots of peace, joy, prosperity, hope and love... even if... no, no... especially if it's self-love!!!

Until next time...

XOXOXO

Anastasia