Time for a little introspection here, fellow MOGgers. Since we're all so open these days (and isn't it great, by the way?) I thought I'd pose a hard question. At least, it was a hard one for me. I don't have any guidelines in mind on this, but here's the thought: is there a song out there that sums you up? Maybe you as a person, or one aspect of you? Or in some way touches a deep chord of who you perceive yourself to be? It doesn't have to have lyrics, it could sum up who you are musically, but it still has to be YOU.
Keeping those questions in mind, I set out to try and find the song I thought might fit the bill for me. A lot of tunes to go through, but really it came out to be an easy choice.
I'm not much of a lyric guy, but there are some songs out there that resonate with me on a lyrical level, and this is one of them. I've posted the lyrics below the video. At first glance, they might not look like much, but you have to understand a little history of the band to really understand what they're saying. See, if you're not aware of them, King's X started life as an atypical Christian rock band. Atypical, because they decided to go through the secular music market rather than the Christian scene. If they had gone through the latter, things might be very different for them today. However, at first it seemed like things were going to go their way. They had a rather sizable hit in the song "It's Love" from their third album, a lot of airtime and MTV exposure, and even toured with some huge names. Then, nothing more. They kept putting out great albums, but other than a small but rabidly devoted fanbase few people kept listening. (And I do mean a rabid fanbase, by the way. And they deserve it. Their music is consistently stellar).
After their fourth and fifth albums, though, things got darker. A rather nasty split with their long-time friend and manager steered their music to some nasty places. Doug Pinnick, the bass player and frontman of the group, publicly renounced his Christian faith and came out as a homosexual. As you can imagine, many of their fans were not amused. Some stopped listening all together, others remained very skeptical. I honestly have no desire to get into that aspect of it here, as that's not the point I'm trying to make, but I'm sure some of you will have something to say about that.
The band is still together, having just released an excellent album this year. Through it all they've managed to stay true to themselves and each other. This song, "Believe" seems to give some insight into Doug's thoughts on the risk he took, alienating his friends, family, and fans and stepping out on his own. (I've never read that that's what they're about, but that's what's always made sense to me).
The reason I consider this a theme song for me, of sorts, has to do with change. Now, I haven't made as considerable a change as Doug did, but who I am today is very, very different than who I was 15 or even 10 years ago. Things change, you know? And it's terrifying on some levels for me. But at some point I got tired of worrying about what other people thought, worrying about what other people wanted from me. My views and beliefs on many things changed, and it's still nerve-wracking to wonder if I've made the right decisions about some things. Have I gone too far? could I go back if I wanted to? Can I stay tru eto myself, even when confronting those who knew me before?
Plus, this song has an excellent groove.
If your back is pinned against the wall
And the stress is killing you,
And the cross you carry on your back
Makes it hard for you to move
In yourself believe, it's all right
In yourself believe, you're all right
If you ran away to loose your soul
And you're scared to death you're wrong,
If you're past the point of turning back
And your innocence is gone
In yourself believe, it's all right
In yourself believe, it's all right
If it's something that you can't forget
That somebody did to you
If you've had your fill of being down
Then there's nothing left to prove,
In yourself believe, it's all right
In yourself believe, you're all right
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this one is easy, how about a little van halen!
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Nice, I like that groove. I was not familiar at all with the backstory of Kings X, and I applaud the bass players courage in coming out.
Change,, it comes to all. Consciousness makes it strange to consider, but if you really think about it, there is literally nothing about your body that is the same as it was 15 years ago. Your mind creates the illusion you are the same person. And it's a bit scary to consider how one changes over time, the decisions you make that maybe you shouldn't have, the paths taken and not taken. Your courage in speaking matters.
My theme song? Easy,,, Rudie Can't Fail,, The Clash (I know thats a shock, and that I owe you a Clash CD for Xmas, my fellow educator friend...)
Cheers!
~rSXhHgdnLfw.mp3~
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dang, the mp3 didn't post...
@rawk,, thats just wrong, man! jeez i used to love that video!
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Kevin, I just busted my ass laughing. Nice one.
Chris, again, one I've never heard. Although that's par for the course. Took the liberty of looking up the lyrics, and I have to say they were a might confounding. Any backstory to it?
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ah, I think they were just kinda messing with the whole ska revival, and relished singing about drinking beer all day. I like it b/c its upbeat and I like the title, cos I don't ever want to fail. I am unable to retain a gloomy mood when I hear it. It was either this or Frank Sinatra singing Night and Day.
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Wow. So much to comment on here Chuck. first of all, before I go further, I give you the full credit for what seems to be happening at MOG right now with all the posts and getting personal and stuff. You started it my man, so thanks.
You said "Since we're all so open these days (and isn't it great, by the way?)" It IS great, and interesting too when you consider that just a few short days ago some of us were whining about "what happened to MOG?" What's interesting is that I think we were all drying up trying to come up with interesting things to talk about music wise. Then we all started talking about our personal lives, and suddenly there's this influx of excitement and participation. Because we were missing community, it makes sense that it took a willingness to become more than icons in order to break the icejam.
Dharmachris, love your comments about change and how our minds give us the illusion that we're still the same. I got the full dose of that reality not that long ago when I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realized how age had finally caught me. It was scary, but I'm slowly getting used to the fact that I will undergo the same physical process everyone does. But to be honest, I think it's a gift to fool ourslves into the false perception of being changeless. I like thinking young, even if my body gives me away.
When I went through my nasty divorce (wife ran off with my best friend) I turned to drugs. LSD, Pot, Mescaline, Speed, and just about anything I could get my hands on. I seemed to think my mission was to prove to all that I really didn't give a s**t. During that time, my brother-in-law, who remained a good friend, found a picture of a person's head. Just the head. Racing through black outer space with the most horrifying look on its face and the mouth wide open in a scream. It was a disturbing picture, and my bro-in-law said it reminded him of me. That was a sobering moment. It didn't turn me around right then, but it contributed.
With that in mind, I latched onto the Foo Fighters "Times Like These" when it came out. I changed in many ways that this song only begins to describe. But I like the tune, and it's appropriate.
I am a one way motorway
I'm the one that drives away then follows you back home
I am a street light shining
I'm a wild light blinding bright burning off alone
It's times like these you learn to live again
It's times like these you give and give again
It's times like these you learn to love again
It's times like these time and time again
I am a new day rising
I'm a brand new sky to hang the stars upon tonight
I am a little divided
Do I stay or run away and leave it all behind?
It's times like these you learn to live again
It's times like these you give and give again
It's times like these you learn to love again
It's times like these time and time again
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John, I love that song. Foo Fighters is one of those bands that keep cranking out stuff I like to hear. i'm sorry about what you had to go through to get there. While I haven't gone through anything like that, I do believe that stuff like that ultimately helps to make us who we are.
Change seems to be a recurring theme these days. I see it most in my kids. My oldest is now 6, and every day I look at her I realize she's growing up so fast, changing every day. And then, of course, that means I am too (not growing up so much as growing older).
While I'd like to take credit for what's going on so far, I can't. Everyone else has stepped up to the plate as well, great posts, great comments . . . it's been a little like old times! Now, I just hope it lasts.
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Coincidentally enough, I've been obsessed lately with "Times Like These," either the Foos' original or the grand cover of the song by Glen Campbell. But that wouldn't be the one emblematic tune for me. In fact, keying in on just one song would be nigh on impossible. With that in mind, I'd say that Bryan Ferry's "Another Time, Another Place" and many of his classics with Roxy Music - such as "Street Life" - are pretty fair road maps to my soul.
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GAAAAAH! My head wants to explode so bad over this question, you don't even know! I know for a fact that, the moment I choose one song, I'll think of ten more that are so much better, but here goes ...
This song has everything that I think embodies the Dale experience: noise, a big beautiful melody, swooning romanticism in few words.
And in a big shocker, it's not MBV, but it's close.
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Nice one Chuck. As a seniors in high school, we were each asked to write our favorite song on a bio sheet. The yearbook staff decided to put the under our names, and there between the "Free Ride"s, "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet"s, and "I Want to Make it With You"s - is Todd Rundgren "A Dream Goes on Forever" under my pic. That song spent so many years defining me, I don't think I could change. It's not so very different, in subject, from yours:
A million old soldiers will fade away
But a dream goes on forever
I'm left standing here, I've got nothing to say
All is silent within my dream
A thousand true loves will live and die
But a dream lives on forever
The days and the years will go streaking by
But the time has stopped in my dream
We all have our everyday hopes and fears
And you'll find no exception in me
But that doesn't get me through a sea of tears
Over life's biggest tragedy
You're so long ago and so far away
But my dream lives on forever
I guess I believe that I'll see you one day
For without it there is no dream
You're so far away and so long ago
But my dream goes on forever
And how much I loved you you'll never know
'Til you join me within my dream
Does he sing to an ideal love or to God? Does it matter?
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i had one but it no longer applies so i'll take a rain check on the question. that said, i loved learning about yours. i also wasn't aware of the King's X back story. a pretty amazing read, Chuck.
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30 seconds?!? What a rip-off!
There ... much better. :)
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Excellent post! Loved reading everybody's choices!
Off the top of my head ('cause if I start digging deeper I'll give myself a stroke!), I'll go with:
Word by word, I think ;)
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Nice one!
Depends on the day..On the Funkadelic side:
Some days it's One Nation Under A Groove, others it's Maggot Brain, and others its Biological Speculation.
Of music recorded in the past ten years Chocolate Genius - Half A Man gets pretty close.
But if I had only one I'd go with Terry Callier's Ordinary Joe
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Iggy pop - the passenger
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I would have to go with the song above for my theme song. I included it once in a post about my fear on flying.
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Tori Amos ~ Tear In Your Hand:
all the world just stopped now so you say you don’t wanna stay together anymore let me take a deep breath babe if you need me, me and neil’ll be hangin’ out with the DREAM KING Neil says hi by the way I don’t believe you’re leaving cause me and Charles Manson like the same ice cream I think it’s that girl and I think there’s pieces of me you’ve never seen maybe she’s just pieces of me you’ve never seen well all the world is all I am the black of the blackest ocean and that tear in your hand all the world is DANGLIN’...danglin’… danglin’ for me DARLIN’ you don’t know the power that you have with that tear in your hand tear in your hand maybe I ain’t used to maybes smashing in a cold room cutting my hands up every time I touch you maybe maybe it’s time to wave goodbye now time to wave goodbye now caught a ride with the moon I know I know you well well better than I used to HAZE all clouded up my mind in the DAZE of the why it could’ve never been so you say and I say you know you’re full of wish and your “baby baby baby babies” I tell you there’s pieces of me you’ve never seen maybe she’s just pieces of me you’ve never seen well…
Great post!
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Mimie, I used to be a big Tori fan. Saw her on the "Under The Pink" tour and it was a great concert. To this day, I still think "Pretty Good Year" is a genius song. But I kind of fell away from her after that.
Still, good song.
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I have to say I'm always impressed when any guy says he likes Tori since most boys I know give me a look of disgust whenever I mention her. I haven't liked everything she's done, but Little Earthquakes is one of my fave albums ever.
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Well, she is definitely female-centric (from a stereotypical point of view), but that doesn't mean her music is any less valid.
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Such a great post, Thanks! I am a newbie here on MOG and this kind of post makes it a welcome place to be. I haven't posted much of anything except about the band I promote (which is looking for a Vocalist by the way) just because I don't feel I know enough about music or whatever, quite intimidating if I must say so. I have often felt that it's like going to a wine tasting with a bunch of connosieurs, I get lost, I guess I don't care to analyze it that much...I just drink what I like. But anyway that said I think my song would have to be Depeche Mode ~ Home. Martin L. Gore has always been a kindred spirit and I feel deja vu with so many of his songs, this one just seems to fit me best...well most of the time anyway.
I tried to post the video for it but I don't have some plug-in or whatever...but you can check YouTube if you are interested.
http://www.youtube.com/v/K65PQiFfsrU&;hl=en&fs=1\"" /> ',width:'100',height:'100'" width="100" height="100" align="" />
http://www.youtube.com/v/K65PQiFfsrU&;hl=en&fs=1\"" /> ',width:'100',height:'100'" width="100" height="100" align="" />
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Sagaval, welcome! I have to commend you on not only finding and using MOG, but doing more than just posting about your band--I'll be honest, the fact that you're looking around and building connections here goes a long way (at least in my book), rather than just posting one or two songs from your band and never sticking around. I will have to go check your stuff out.
As far as feeling out of place, I can honestly daresay that most of us MOGgers have, or still do, feel the same way. There are so many people on here that know so much more about music than I ever possibly could, I just post what I know and listen to the rest. this is definitely the place to learn and teach, though. I look forward to talking with you more!
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Hikaru Utada - Sakura Drops
It's hard to say why this is my theme song - it's all to do with how amazing this song first sounded to me when I first heard if after a "music drought". It's now my favourite song of all time. Previously there was no song I could say this about.
I had heard the song Hikaru did for the videogame Kingdom Hearts and had obsessed over that and decided to get her album for Christmas one year. I went into it totally blind - it was a foreign language CD and I had only heard one of her English songs and a much older song of hers in crappy quality a long time before.
So Sakura Drops was the second Japanese song I heard of hers - discounting the first one I heard waaaay back - and I just thought, "This is it! This is what I've been wanting to hear". And because it's my all time favourite I think of it as "my song". I love the melody, the light breathing in the background and the way it kinda changes towards the end. There's also an orchestral version of this song which makes me realise what a great composition it is (though granted there have been a few changes made in this version).
I later bought the DVD containing some of her music videos and couldn't believe it when I saw the music video. I never expected such an artistic video for such an amazing song. Most of the music videos I saw on the telly were pretty generic and samey and I'd never seen a video like this before but had always wondered why people weren't more creative with them.
I wish I could go back and hear it for the first time again!
Great post Groon! I'm not familiar with King's X but it was very interesting to read about their backstory!