Music Is A Religion - Part 3

So, I now it's been a while, and I'm sorry. I had originally thought that my wee little "Favourite Songs" list-y thing would NOT take this long.

But it has.

Oh well. 

So, without further ado, let's get it rolling shall we? The last time we were here, I had already given you three of my favourite songs. Music has been saving my ass lately and I have been just all in love with Kings of Leon and The Tea Party all over again - but more about those two gems later on. If I happen to forget, remind me will you? 

Right then.

4. The Pretenders - I'll Stand By You

First of all ... I've never really watched the video before. I've always loved this song. It came to me when I was in high school and for some reason it just resounded with me. I can be fiercely loyaly and protective of people close to me - even when some people don't deserve, some would say. But, it is what it is. Friends have always been important to me but I have ... on occasion ... left some of them without explanation and out of the blue, or gradually let them fade out of my life. 

But this video ... what. the actual. fuck.

WHAT THE HELL?! Judas?! REALLY? A biker Judas?! Show me one biker who trades in rare coins - SHOW ME ONE! And just who the hell did this rough and tough biker sell out?! And what the fuck is SHE doing, playing the role of Mary Magdalene - the woman who washed Jesus' feet?! This video makes no sense. It's beyond weird. I'm confused. I dunno .. Judas may have loved somebody I s'pose.

This video almost makes me wanna take the song off my list ... don't judge me folks. Well, okay - maybe a little bit. I'm actually judging myself here a bit. But I think I'm more disappointed in The Pretenders in that THIS was the video concept that everyone agreed on! How did that round table discussion go?! How many shitty video ideas did you shoot down so that THIS preachy fuckin' monstrosity was the one that made everybody go "YES!!! YES! That is the video I wanna make!"

What. The. Fuck.

5. Garbage - You Look So Fine

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have a soft spot for Garbage. Again, it goes back to those Sunday afternoon drives with my big brother. His influence on my musical taste is incredible. When he moved out, I took some of our favourite tapes out of the car and kept them. 

Yes. Tapes. Casette tapes. Back in the day, we didn't have fancy iPods or iPhones to sync with out car to play music. No. We had to actually go to the store and buy albums! And we had to buy the WHOLE album - you couldn't just walk in to HMV back then and be like "Yeah, I really love Garbage and I heard the new album is great but I only want to buy just one song from it." They'd have looked at you like you were fuckin' nuts. Fast forward in to the present day and now we're all spoiled. 

Oh kids ... there's so many things about bein' a kid of the 1980s that was so awesome that you're all going to miss. But I digress.

I had this casette in my car when I learned to drive and I would listen to it over and over and over again and to this day I have no idea how I didn't wear out the tape ribbon. And when I was in particularly difficult and stubborn, petulant and angsty teenage mood, this one was on repeat. I had it down to a science of just how long I had to press the rewind button on the tape deck to get back to the beginning of the song. And as much as I would NEVER go back and repeat my youth, I will miss those days of casette tape decks and driving around in my first car thinking I was the cat's ass with music blaring, trying to impress the cool kids.

Not much has changed in all these years. I still drive around with music blaring, hoping that somebody in the near vicinity thinks I'm cool - which, if you've been paying attention kids, is a clear indicator that you are NOT cool, at least not in the widely accepted vernacular anyway. I'm sure I'm cool - just not in the obvious ways. I'm weird. And odd. And sometimes weird and odd can be pretty fucking cool.

6. Kings of Leon - Closer

I'm sorry, but I have a raging hard-on for these guys. I know they're not to everybody's taste - especially if you go on a giant marathon and listen to them nonstop for days, maybe even weeks! These guys are on my Concert Bucket List. 

From the first time I heard this song, I fell in love with it. It's the song I immediately go to when a friend is going through heart break and you need something that kind've put to words how you're feeling. I usually pair it with Cold Desert because really, both of them together are the perfect little pill to get you crying to such an extent that you're just fuckin' exhausted afterwards and you're basically too tired to give a shit about why you were all emotionally fucked up anyway.

It works for me. And then, the next day it's another marathon of listening to them again but I'm usually in much better spirits and I'm swaying around my entire apartment listening to them and singin' along. There's just nothing these guys can't do that doesn't speak to me on some level - whether it's the lyrics the have, or the sound of the album, or an experience I can marry it to, or a person it reminds me of ... 

These guys fit in my life.

I was originally introduced to them by a girl I used to know. I fuckin' adored this woman and for a lot of years she was like a big sister to me. Then, as life so often does, it gave me a kick in the teeth and this particular person isn't in my life anymore. That part sucks. But I'm grateful that she was, because I found them through her ... even if I did loose them for a little while. They're back now. These southern boys are usually blastin' from my condo at any given time of the day or night (depending on what day of the week it is), I'm usually in some stage of being dressed (or not) and I'm never more happier than when I am listening to them and singing at the top of my lungs right along with them.