SONG CHALLENGE (PART TWO)

With quarantine fever brought by COVID-19 lockdowns and the slow return to near-normal, the 30-day Song Challenge is back on Instagram.  Users are invited to list the song as per the prompt for that calendar day. It is quite interesting and entertaining to go through the musical bibliography of our life stories to answer this song challenge. Certainly a great diversion from the worries of this 2020 scourge.

Back in 2018, I did an abbreviated version of the 30-day song challenge: https://jcerrudocreations.blogspot.com/2018/07/musical-challenge.html  Like with my 2018 post, I decided to do a shorter list and added a few things on my own. 

   A song that is funky with swag moves

“Uptown Funk” - Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars

I like (but do not understand) the Michelle Pfeiffer reference; the lyrics are (sorry) atrocious, but the music is delightfully infectious. There is abundant charm, cheekiness, and raucous energy in the song. Bruno Mars can do no wrong with that choreography; his moves confident and graceful. The groovy and retro swag dance moves with the Hooligans on the city streets have inspired “euphoric dancing” whenever or wherever it is played. No wonder this song is such a big hit here and abroad and had topped the Billboard 100 for several weeks.

 

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2.     A song I never get tired of

“Save The Last Dance For Me” -Bruce Springsteen

The song was originally recorded by the Drifters in 1960, with versions later by several artists like Michael Buble, and recently by the REO Brothers. Here with my 80’s crush Bruce Springsteen is the sexiest version of this song.  I sit here with a huge smile on my face as I live vicariously through that woman. I am that woman in this video, totally overwhelmed by the song and the man. It is such a sweet, sweet song and I can just imagine myself self-combusting with happiness if the Boss danced with me, sweat and all. I don't know if I would have survived that kiss. Oh my! If it was me, I would have probably thought, "I died and went to heaven."

3.    A song that reminds me of someone I’d rather forget

“That Don't Impress Me Much”- Shania Twain

I like empowered women who are not easily impressed by men who get by on brains, looks, and brawns but are too self-absorbed to provide women with the emotional connection that we all crave. And I have seen a fair share of men like these. I may not be able to pull off a leopard print coat like Shania, but I can be haughty and disdainful with men who mistakenly think they're all that, even if they look like Brad Pitt.

 

4.    A song that I did not expect that I will put on repeat

“Ordinary Song”- Marc Velasco

Marc is a Filipino acoustic/folk-singer who is so unassuming but has totally surprised me with how the song hooked me. It is not really just an ordinary song; it is an earnest, romantic song.  Cannot explain why.

5.    A song I like from the 70s

"Hotel California"- The Eagles

The song lyrics has been misinterpreted in many ways, but I just love the Eagles particularly Glenn Frey and Don Henley, so I don’t care. Maybe it was because my brother played their songs almost non-stop back then in Manila. He used to jam to Eagles songs with his friends. It’s only later when I recognized the exquisite guitar solo between Felder and Walsh which has been the standard by which all guitarists were judged. 

 

6. A song I like that’s a cover by another artist

“All By Myself”- Charice

The song was written by American artist Eric Carmen in 1975 and subsequently covered by the great Celine Dion herself. But it was Charice’s powerful version that gave me goosebumps as she pulled no stops in singing her heart out. She shattered the roof and brought the house down. Charice was poised for superstardom when, out of nowhere, we learned that she transitioned into a man and is now known as Jake Zyrus.  I know he had to do what was best for him and that he is happy with the decision. 

 

7.     A song with a person’s name in the title

“Fernando”- ABBA

"There was something in the air that night, the stars were bright, Fernando.” The song by the Swedish group is a nostalgic toast to old memories. The group seems to have a predilection for persons’ names as titles in their songs like Mamma Mia and Chiquitita.

8.     A song that moves me forward

“Climb”- Miley Cyrus

Long before I got turned off by her gyrations and twerks, Miley performed this country pop song as the lead single off the soundtrack of her movie Hannah Montana. The song is about pursuing your goals no matter how hard the journey, no matter how high and arduous the climb is.

9.   A song I like by an artist no longer living

“I Will Always Love You” - Whitney Houston

Gone too soon.  I know this was originally Dolly Parton’s song but Whitney whipped this song into the stratosphere with a tour-de-force and bombastic performance.

Stephen Holden of the New York Times wrote: “Houston transforms a plaintive country ballad into a towering pop-gospel assertion of lasting devotion to a departing lover. Her voice breaking and tensing, she treats the song as a series of emotional bursts in a steady climb toward a final full-out declamation. Along the way, her virtuosic gospel embellishments enhance the emotion and never seem merely ornamental.”

10A song that breaks my heart

"Tears in Heaven"- Eric Clapton

This is a most tragic song about Eric Clapton’s 4 y/o son who fell to his death from a 53^rd-floor window. The anguish and profound sadness in the song breaks my heart every time I hear it. 

11A song by an artist whose voice I love

“Iingatan Ka” (Taking Care of You) by Carol Banawa

In the late 1990s, I was obsessed with Carol’s voice. She had that airy, melodious golden voice that just rendered the song a sweet, poignant homage to mothers. This song is a grateful daughter's promise to the woman who gave her life; that she will always take care of and watch over her mother. She left Philippine showbiz in 2003 to migrate to the United States to start a family. Now, I like her even more because she is a nurse like me.

12A song I like that’s a cover of another band

“In My Life” | The Beatles- cover by the REO Brothers

Here’s my new obsession, the REO brothers. They’re a band of 4 Filipino brothers (sometimes five) who have astounded professional musicians all over the world with their musical instrumentations and tight vocal harmonies. They are a versatile group who can switch from the Beatles to the Bee Gees, Beachboys, Cliff Richard, Hollies, Critters, Dave Clark 5, the Turtles, Earth Wind and Fire, Eagles, Simon and Garfunkel,  etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. "In My Life" evokes remembrance of people and places in life, with the lead vocalist Raymart sounding Lennon-ish. I discovered them during this COVID-era, and I am pleasantly surprised that these young men can actually do much more than the Beatles.

13A song from a favorite musical

“On My Own” (Les Misérables)- Lea Salonga

Lea is a famous Filipina singer and actress who conquered Broadway as “Miss Saigon” and later sang the voices of Disney princesses Jasmine and Mulan. She even managed to star as Eponine and Fantine in Les Miserables. She transcended the color barrier on stage and became the first Asian Eponine. She is hands down, the best Eponine. The song is about unrequited love for Marius, and Lea infused the song with such emotions with her crystalline voice. What did Marius see in Cosette anyway?

In the rain the pavement shines like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness the trees are full of starlight
And all I see is him and me forever and forever

 SONG CHALLENGE PART ONE:

Song Challenge, Part 1

 

Song Challenge

I could not keep up with or commit to the 30-day Song Challenge so I settled for 15 songs (16 if you count The Carlton). So, here's my 15-songs-in-one-day challenge.




1. A song that reminds you of yourself: 

“Stronger”- Kelly Clarkson

This is a song of empowerment, of surviving through all the trials in our lives. It's a reaffirmation that we just have to carry on, no matter what. I believe that even when life's challenges seem to be weighing me down, all I have to do is look around the many blessings that came from up above. I just pick myself up, dry my tears, with head held high. I am so worth it, so just have to keep fighting, for my own survival and for those who believe in me. I am strong, I am woman, I am a child of God.






2. A song that you remember from your childhood: 

“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”- Julie Andrews

I am dating myself. This was my first movie experience and it was magical. Julie Andrews was a wonderful Mary Poppins in this 1964 Disney musical. “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” is a 34-letter mouthful that just means "something to say when you have nothing to say". I was a young child who was enamored (for life) with movie musicals. I went around the house singing the song until my mother finally told me to stop with my incessant bragging of my mastery of the word. She told me that I was even singing the song in my sleep.

A bigger challenge is: Can you spell the word?






3. A song that makes you want to fall in love:

“And I love You So”- Perry Como

“And I Love You So” was written and first released by Don McLean in 1970 for his Tapestry album. Perry Como recorded the song which reached No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. No surprise there, the song achieved No. 1 status on the Easy Listening chart. Perry Como's voice warms the heart and promises all those wonderful feelings, and evokes memories of those sweet moments of tenderness. The song (and the voice) can make you fall in love, even if you have sworn off it.






4. A song by a band that you wish were still together:

 “Take It Easy”-  Eagles

Well, they're still kind of together, with Glenn Frey's son replacing his father in the band after Glenn passed away. The song was written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey. Rolling Stone’s Bud Scoppa wrote that Take it Easy" was "simply the best sounding rock single to come out so far this year (1972)”. The song is catchy, danceable, calming, and such a feel good song. So much so that I envisioned myself standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona on a flatbed truck flirting with Jackson Browne or Glenn Frey look-alikes (when they were much younger).






5. A song that you think that everybody should listen to: 

"Akin Ka Na Lang"- Morisette Amon

A song and a singer that needs to be heard. Asia's Phoenix Diva Morissette, a Filipina singer, performed “Akin Ka Na Lang (Please Just Be Mine)" in a music studio bus and belted out the song effortlessly while sitting down with nary a strain on her face and in her voice. Her flawless vocal registry and unbelievable range inspires the question, "Why is she not a global superstar yet?" And that whistle? As the many reaction videos show, it is just a matter of time that Morisette will take her rightful place on the world stage.






6. A song that has many meanings to you: 

“Have I told You Lately That I love You”- Rod Stewart

At a vulnerable period in my life, as I was driving in my car, this song came up on the Delilah radio show. I started crying for all the lost chances and what it seemed to be a lonely life ahead of me. When I was grieving for my father, the song at first poked at my heart. I sobbed as I asked myself, "Have I told him that I love him?".

I have since recovered and had realized that life goes on, and in fact, has given me much more to be thankful for. The gift of Love comes from all the unexpected places and comes in many forms. I have learned to always tell my loved ones that I love them.






7. A song that makes you think about life: 

“Man in the Mirror”- Michael Jackson

This is a humbling reminder that one has to self-reflect and change within one's self before one can challenge and change the world. The mirror is truthful, and the person must accept the message loud and clear.


I'm starting with the man in the mirror
I'm asking him to change his ways
And no message could have been any clearer
If you want to make the world a better place




8. A Song that's a Classic Favorite:

O Sole Mio: Patrizio Buanne and Amira Willighagen (then 12 years old) 

Opera superstar Patrizio Franco Buanne, a Neapolitan-Austrian singer, was clearly impressed with the young singer when they performed together at a concert held in South Africa in July 2016. Goosebumps! Amira Willighagen won the sixth season of Holland’s Got Talent when she was just 9 years old.






9. A Song That Makes You Sad: 

“Goodbye To Love”- Carpenters

This plaintive song was written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis in 1972. Tony Peluso’s incredible fuzz guitar solo was just amazing. But the words tug at the heartstrings and you can only pray that someday, one can find peace and love in other ways.

So I've made my mind up
I must live my life alone
And though it's not the easy way
I guess I've always known
I'd say goodbye to love






10. A Song That Makes You Happy: 

“Happy”- Pharell Williams

With 265,078,848 views on Youtube, well, I will be ecstatic and deliriously HAPPY as I imagine Pharell is.






11. A song to drive to: 

 “I Want It That Way”- Backstreet Boys

BSB is back on tour. Darn, I missed their Las Vegas residency. Although I have not kept up with them over the years, I just could not help dancing and singing along in my car when this song comes on. Turn up the volume and groove to the music. People may stare and point at the woman (of a certain age) gesticulating inside the car. Nobody has to tell me why their song is such a good release song. Nobody has to tell me why the BSB is the biggest-selling boy band of all time.






12a. A song that makes you want to dance. 

 “Dancing in the Dark”- Bruce Springsteen 

Bruce!!!!!! I was a real fan girl back then, complete with a huge poster of his “Dancing in the Dark” pose. Bruce with the raw, rugged, masculine looks and that raspy voice and awkward dancing. Then he pulled a wide-eyed, short-haired Courtney Cox to the stage where she matched Bruce’s dancing with her unusual dancing moves.




12b. The Carlton Dance: Alfonso Ribeiro copied Courtney’s awesomely awkward moves and Eddie Murphy’s frenetic spirit to gift us with the iconic Carlton dance to Tom Jones’ “It’s Not Unusual.”





13. A Song That Needs to be Played Loud:

 “Don’t Stop Believing”- Journey with Arnel Pineda

In his native Philippines, Arnel performed with his new band and showed everyone that dreams do come true. In a world of cynics, there is poetic justice when success lifts you up beyond imagination.






14. A song you like with a number in the title:

“Two Less Lonely People in the World”-  KZ Tandingan

KZ covered the Air Supply song and used it as official soundtrack for the independent film “Kita Kita” as the Philippine entry for an Asian Film Festival. Something finally went right, indeed.






15. A song that you will sing at a karaoke:

“Jambalaya”- Carpenters

This is an original song by Hank Williams in 1952, the song was re-recorded by the Carpenters. I have sung this at karaoke but only when most people have gone home and I was surrounded by loving friends who did not take offense of me butchering a perfectly beautiful song. They probably just value our friendship too much. Or maybe they just think that I sound like Karen Carpenter.






SONG CHALLENGE, PART TWO: https://jcerrudocreations.blogspot.com/2020/09/song-challenge-part-two.html