The Five Songs + Five Characters Tag

Do songs ever remind you of fictional characters?  Do fictional characters ever remind you of songs?  If so, this tag is for you!  If not... read on to see why characters and songs remind me of each other all the time.

Rules:

1.  Pick five songs that you relate to fictional characters somehow.  They can be characters from books, movies, shows, myths, etc.  If you're a writer, they can be your own characters.
2.  Share the songs somehow -- embed them in your post or link to them.
3.  Explain why those songs connect to those characters for you.  Is it lyrics?  The melody?  What?
4.  Tag some friends to play too.

Here are my five!  They're in order of how long I've been associating that song with that character.

#1

"With or Without You" performed by U2

reminds me of Angel (David Boreanaz) from Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I first heard this song my sophomore year in college, which is also when I got introduced to the shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.  The two quickly became connected in my mind.

To be perfectly honest, this reminds me of Angel's stormy relationship with Buffy more than only Angel himself.  But that's all tied up in who Angel is now, who he used to be, and who he's becoming.  Buffy and Angel both suffered a lot for each other, and at each others' hands.  Finally, Angel realized that he feels like he can't live without Buffy, but she will be better off without him, and so he really can't live at her side either.  He leaves... but he's still waiting for her too, just from a distance.  The waiting is painful, but he's willing to endure it.

#2

"Wish You Were Here" performed by the Rednex

reminds me of Sawyer (Josh Holloway) from Lost

I'd known this song for years and years before I started watching Lost.  It's one my husband introduced me to after we got married, and I listened to it a lot while writing my first novel.

It makes me think of Sawyer in a really personal way because when I became a fan of Lost, I got very obsessed with the show, and Sawyer in particular.  I would count the minutes until my two little kids would go to sleep every afternoon so I could watch as much Lost as possible before they woke up.  Whenever I wasn't watching it, I was thinking about it, especially Sawyer, and I would sing this song in my head, about him.  Sawyer liked to project this Southern good-ol'-boy vibe a lot of the time, so the "country man" moniker totally fits him.  And, yeah, I missed him when I wasn't watching Lost.  And sometimes minutes felt like days when I was waiting for my chance to watch the next episode.

(WARNING: THIS SONG HAS THE WORD "h*ll" IN IT REPEATEDLY.)

#3

"Real Love" performed by the Beatles

reminds me of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) in Days of Future Past

The first time I went to see Days of Future Past (2014), this song was on the tape (yes, cassette tape) my husband had in the tape deck of the car I drove to the theater.  I listened to it over and over that summer because it instantly reminded me of that movie and how happy I was for Wolverine at the end of it.  The chorus of "Don't need to be alone/No need to be alone" in particular made me think of him in that film, but also his overall journey over the course of the X-men movies, from total loner to the glue that holds a team/family together, to the guy willing to die to protect others.

#4

"The Sweetheart Tree" by Bobby Darin

reminds me of Jedediah Jones in Dancing and Doughnuts

The first time I heard this song, it gave me images of a very sweet, gentle romance.  It's all about finding the sweetheart you've been waiting for, and it's just a soft, lovely song.  

Well, I wrote a book last year called Dancing and Doughnuts about Jedediah Jones, a drifting cowhand just looking for a temporary job.  He ends up finding love with a girl who's not necessarily looking for love either.  And the imagery of magical trees runs all through that book too, because it's a retelling of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses."  As I wrote that book, I listened to so much of Bobby Darin's music that I ended up dedicating the book to his memory, and I realized during revisions that I'd actually written the sweet, gentle romance that this song always makes me imagine.

#5

"Hurt" performed by Johnny Cash

reminds me of Hamlet in Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

I actually did a whole post about this last year, so I won't delve deeply into it here.  Basically, I was on my way home from seeing the Benedict Cumberbatch version of Hamlet at the theater when I listened to this song, which I have loved ever since Johnny Cash's version was released in the early 2000s, and I was struck by how much the lyrics related to Hamlet.  Hamlet spends a lot of time remembering everything and wishing he didn't, trying to figure out if the pain he feels is helpful or something he wants to end, and pondering what he's become.

Time to tag a few friends!  I hereby tap the following bloggers on the shoulder to see if they want to play:

DKoren at Sidewalk Crossings

Eva at Coffee, Classics, and Craziness

Heidi at Along the Brandywine

Katie at I'm Charles Baker Harris (And I Can Read)

Play if you want to!  And hey, if you're reading this and want to do this tag, but I didn't name you, go ahead and consider yourself tagged!

Morning Mix -- Part 3

Time for the final installment of shiny, happy music on my go-to morning CD.  (Part 1 is here and part 2 is here.)  It's morning right now, and the last couple songs are left on it while one of my children dawdles over breakfast.  Perfect time to finish this series!

Today we get to start with one of my absolute favorite western themes, another by Elmer Bernstein.  It's the main theme from The Sons of Katie Elder, which also happens to be my favorite John Wayne movie ever and my favorite western set in the American west.  Oh, how I love this song!



And then, more Bobby Darin :-)  My seven-year-old really loves this song right now too, which I'm very pleased about.  This is Bobby's rendition of "Don't Rain on My Parade," which is originally from the musical Funny Girl.



Next up is "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers.  This song brings back two sets of memories for me.  First, of watching my very first Johnny Depp movie ever, Benny and Joon, which opens with this song.  I watched that at a slumber party in high school, and by the end was a firm Johnny Depp fan.  The second memory is of college and this brilliant band called The Divers.  Two of the band's members are professors at the college.  Because my school was beyond cool.  Anyway, sometimes they performed this song during their concerts, along with all their own original music, so I have a wonderful memory of standing in the college theater with all my dear friends, singing along with The Divers to this song.



And then the theme song from the old western-meets-sci-fi show The Wild, Wild West.  Carissa recently did an article in Femnista about how TWWW is basically steampunk, and she's right, it totally is.  Anyway, the opening credits are super fun, and so is the song.



Next comes another classic TV show theme, this time from The Monkees.  My mom used to sing this to us for no apparent reason.  Now I do the same to my kids :-D



And then one last Bobby Darin song.  This is the title song from a really wacky, quirky movie called Goodbye, Charlie.  Bobby doesn't sing it for the movie, alas, but I love his version the mostest.  Very snappy and snarky.



One last Elmer Bernstein theme for a western!  This time for The Magnificent Seven, which I consider to be the best western ever.  Happy dance!



(I wanted to link to this vid instead, but it basically gives away the entire movie, so I decided that was not a great idea.)

This is one song that I've decided I should have left off.  It's "One Day More," my favorite song from Les Miserables, but it's not quite cheerful enough to match the others.  However, I'm including it in the post for the sake of completeness :-)  And besides, Hugh Jackman.



The last song on the CD is the finale cue from The Lone Ranger (2013).  This song makes me happy No Matter What.  I simply cannot listen to it and not be cheered up!  (Well, okay, if something truly tragic happens, it probably wouldn't work, but for ordinary blues and annoyances and even PMS, totally works.)  It takes the familiar "William Tell" theme that the old TV show and radio show used for their theme song and then just elaborates on them.  Kind of a "Variations on a Theme by Rossini," if you will.  Ten minutes of ecstasy, really.  My absolute favorite part kicks in at 7:03 when the theme returns off-cadence and minor, and then these trumpets come in with a love song to the Old West.  That part makes me ache with joy.



And that's all, folks!  All 22 songs I listen to just about every day right now :-)

Morning Mix -- Part 2

Here they are!  More of the songs on the upbeat, rousing, happy-making CD I start most days with.  (Part 1 is here.)

First up is a song that probably makes a lot of people's "kickstart your day" lists:  "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.  I grew up watching the Rocky movies with my dad and still love them, so this song makes me both sentimental and juiced up.



Next is another western movie theme.  My best friend introduced me to this song because she says it makes her think of me :-)  I really love Elmer Bernstein's scores, and this one is no exception.  I've never seen The Scalphunters, but I definitely dig this song!



Continuing the whole western thing, we have Bobby Darin singing the title song from the ultra-amusing western Cat Ballou.  This song never fails to crack me up :-D



And here's a song that makes me think of my mom, to balance out the one that makes me think of my dad.  My mom used to sing this while washing dishes.  During my freshman year of college, this was also my theme song :-)



Here's a song that makes me think of high school:  "Tuxedo Junction" by the Glenn Miller Orchestra.  I used to listen to a great compilation of big band classics while doing my schoolwork -- ahh, the joys of being homeschooled!



After that comes another song from Branches Band, and this time I can share it with you!  It's a sweet rendition of one of my favorite hymns, "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty."



And I'll end out this post with another tune I can't help but dance to.  I listened to a LOT of Oldies in high school, college, and the early years of our marriage, before we moved to Connecticut and couldn't find a good Oldies radio station.  This one is catchy and bouncy and makes me feel completely groovy.



One more post on this coming in a day or two!

Morning Mix -- Part 1

Last month, I made myself a new CD to listen to in the mornings while I make breakfast.  I love to listen to music while I cook (and pretty much any time at all, but especially while I cook), and I'd been cycling through a bunch of CDs that had bouncy, upbeat tracks, but I'd spend time every morning walking over to the CD player to skip to a cheerful song.  And then I decided that was ridiculous, and I should just put all those songs on one CD!

Sometimes it takes me an insanely long time to realize obvious things.

So anyway, I have been loving my new "morning mix," and I decided today I would try to share it with you!  Only not all 22 songs at once.  I thought I'd break this up into 3 or 4 posts, and find all the songs on YouTube when possible, and then you could bounce around to cheerful music too :-)

Or raise your eyebrows and look askance at my musical taste.  It happens.  I'm used to it.

The very first song is called "How Great" and performed by this Christian group called Branches Band, which sang at our church a few months ago.  I bought four of their albums, I liked them so much!  Alas, this song isn't available on YouTube, but you can check out their website here and their YouTube channel here.  It's a bouncy, praise-ful song that involves a ukelele, and I really wish I could share it with you.

The second song is the theme from a movie called Bandolero! written by Jerry Goldsmith.  I love whistling, I love westerns, so yeah, makin' me happy.



Next is Bobby Darin's classic rendition of "Mack the Knife."  You knew Bobby would be here, right?  This is my absolute favorite song he sang, so here it has to be.



Then we have this peppy remix of a little-known Elvis song, "A Little Less Conversation."  I love songs with complicated, difficult lyrics, which this has in spades.  Also, this song makes me dance.  Perfect for draggy mornings, as long as I remember to put my coffee cup down before I start to dance.



Up next is one of my favorite Piano Guys songs:  "What Makes You Beautiful."  I have come up with secret lyrics to this, known only to me, and so trite and silly that if I told them to you, you would probably stop following my blog.  But anyway, it's a bouncy, happy song.



Last one for today is "Good to Go" by John Corbett.  I don't remember anymore how I found this song, but it was back in Wisconsin.  I think I stumbled on his album at the library or something.  Anyway, although it's got a few Roman Catholic overtones I mildly object to, I love the message of being thankful for your life.

In Concert!

I'm so excited!  The Piano Guys are going on tour!!  And they're going to be here in Northern Virginia in October!!!  And so I think we probably will actually go to see them in concert!!!!

I haven't posted here much about them, I don't think.  Silly me!  Cowboy discovered them a couple of years ago when he was searching YouTube for a video to amuse the kids.  We've been devoted fans ever since -- we have two of their albums and have bought a bunch of their mp3s from their store too.  Their name is a little misleading -- most of their stuff is done by one piano guy (Jon Schmidt) and one cello guy (Steven Sharp Nelson).  Some of the songs are one or the other of them, but most are both together.  They write their own arrangements, often pairing a pop song with a classical one.  They do a fair number of movie themes too.  Here's their Lord of the Rings medley:



Did I mention their videos?  Their amazing, how-did-they-get-a-grand-piano-there videos?  The above medley is not entirely representative of their style, as it's pretty much a straight medley, not a jazzed-up or bounced-up or rocked-out version of the music.  This video is more like their usual style:



That happens to be my kids' favorite song ever, thanks to that video :-)  Please, go visit their YouTube channel if you like this kind of music -- you will not be disappointed!

Okay, I just have to share one more video, just because I've been on such a Les Miserables kick lately.  Here's their version of "Bring Him Home," another fairly straight-forward piece:

"Skyfall" (2012) -- Initial Thoughts

When I got in the car to go see "Skyfall" this morning, Adele's theme song for it was playing on the car radio.  An auspicious sign, eh?  I'd really never heard it all the way through, and I quite liked it.  I haven't really jumped on the Adele bandwagon, but if anything would tempt me to, it would be this song.  (Watch the official video here.)  It harkens back to the great Bond movie themes, the ones you can belt to the rafters like "Nobody Does it Better," yet also reminds me a lot of the songs for GoldenEye and Casino Royale.   Quite the heady mix, and it got me very much ready for a sweet, adrenaline-laced ride.  I hoped I wouldn't be disappointed like I was last time around.

And I wasn't.

:-D

Skyfall is not as sleek and insouciant as Casino Royale.  However, it is also not as clunky and glitchy as Quantum of Solace.  It is cheekier than both of the previous Daniel Craig outings, but also more heartfelt.  Stop reading right here if you don't want spoilage, because I am going to spoil a whole lot of stuff, and if you haven't seen this yet and really want to, you are gonna be mad at yourself if you read the rest of this post.  Trust me, just close the browser tab and come back once you've visited the theater.

Okay, you've been duly warned.

Linger here and gaze at your own peril.  You could drown in those eyes.

Let's begin with the opening sequence, shall we?  This one is jam-packed, with a car chase, a motorcycle chase, and a good, old-fashioned fist-fight on top of a train.  Which goes on to involve an excavator -- I kept thinking how I can't wait for Dano to be old enough to watch movies like this, because he would love the whole excavator part (if it wasn't for all the shooting going on during it, I'd show him that part just cuz it'd probably make him laugh in glee).  But this opening sequence deviates in one very important way from all other 007 movies (at least, the ones I've seen), making it very clear that this movie is going some different places.  James Bond does not win.

In fact, he doesn't even come close to winning, though through no fault of his own.  He gets shot by his own teammate, thus raising the question of just who we -- and he -- can trust.

But, obviously, he can't have actually died only ten minutes or so into the movie.  When he returns, he's haggard, he's haunted, and above all, he's not entirely sure he's up to this job anymore.  In other words, he's quite delicious.

Look who needs a hug!

M tries her best to bolster his (and her) confidence, a new Q arms him (and delivers my favorite line of the movie:  "Were you expecting an exploding pen?  Because we don't really go in for those anymore."  I laughed and laughed), and dear James gets sent off to Shanghai after the guy who killed off another agent at the beginning of the movie and stole, well, basically the equivalent of the NOC list from Mission:  Impossible (1996), but hey, new MacGuffins are hard to find these days.

I knew, from reading reviews of this movie, and interviews with various people involved, that they were bringing back some of the quips and bon mots that had mostly been missing from the last two movies.  I was expecting to laugh, and I did, quite a few times.  I was not expecting, however, that I would cry.  I don't think I have ever cried during a James Bond movie.  But I cried at the end of Skyfall.  Because M dies, cradled by Bond in a sort of reverse Pieta that was hauntingly filmed and achingly well acted.

Which brings me to the subject of Sam Mendes, who directed this.  I've seen two of his previous movies, American Beauty (1999) and Road to Perdition (2002).  I didn't care much for the former, but the latter is one of my favorite neo-noir movies, and it made me hope a great deal that Skyfall was not going to have the crummy camera-work and wonky pacing of Quantum of Solace.  Again, I did not hope in vain.

Remind me again why you drove me to the middle of nowhere, Bond.

I have to think that the dead guy in the bathroom at the beginning of this is a nod to the way Daniel Craig's character died in Road to Perdition, and it made me grin.  Also, the last part of the movie, where James Bond and M go on the run, just them and a car, reminded me a great deal of the father and son on the lam in Road, only with the "son" driving and protecting and planning.  Even the ending, with them confronting their pursuers in a house miles from anywhere, had echoes of Road.

Okay, anyway, Skyfall has lots of great nods and winks to the classic 007 movies, from the Aston Martin with the ejector seat and machine guns, to a bunch of Komodo Dragons circling around under a walkway, very like those sharks from Thunderball (1965).  It also as the creepiest 007 movie bad guy since... um... since Christopher Lee in The Man with the Golden Gun (1974).  (And that's saying a lot, since we all know Christopher Lee = Ultra Creepy.  When he wants to be.)  Javier Bardem's Silva is creeeeeeeepy, and I don't mean just cuz he hits on Bond in the creepiest way he can manage, or because he can take out his top teeth.  He exudes creeeeeeepiness and is scary in the that-guy's-brain-is-a-bag-full-of-cats way you can't figure what he'll do next.

Only a crazy person would wear that shirt, amiright?

Actually, speaking of Loki, they put Silva in a glass prison cell that had me instantly thinking of the cage on the helicarrier where Nick Fury stashed Loki.  And also of Magneto's plastic prison in X-Men and X-2.  Hmm.

Anyway, by the end of the movie, we have a new Q, a new M, and a new Moneypenny.  But the same Bond.  Whew, cuz I like the way Daniel Craig fills Bond's tuxedo (literally and figuratively), and I'm not in any hurry to see him replaced.

Oh, and also, is Albert Finney ever anything less than delightful?  I can't believe how many UK acting heavyweights are in this movie!  Finney, Dame Judi Dench, and Ralph Feinnes... I kept expecting to see Ian McKellen pop up somewhere.  Guess I have to wait for next month for my Gandalf fix, though.

One last note -- kudos to the filmmakers for staying classy and not letting this devolve into soft porn.  All (all!) the love scenes faded to black at appropriate moments.

In sum, is this my new favorite 007 movie?  No.  I still love GoldenEye and Casino Royale best.  But I look forward to seeing this again.  (From Redbox or something, Cowboy -- stop panicking!)

Early Christmas for Me

I got an early Christmas present in the mail this weekend:  two Christmas albums by the Piano Guys musicians, Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson.  Because Cowboy doesn't like listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving (he says he's keeping me honest, or some such fiddle-faddle), I only listened to one song from each of them when they arrived, to make sure they're not defective.  You can buy these as CDs or mp3 albums here on their website.

Here's the song I listened to off Steven Sharp Nelson's album, just in case you're in a clandestine Christmas mood too:



"The Carol of the Bells" has been one of my absolute favorite Christmas songs since I was eleven.  It's featured in the McGee & Me movie 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas, which I first saw at my best friend Christy's birthday party, and which is still my favorite McGee & Me movie.  It's originally a Ukrainian song, and I got to sing it in Ukraine with my future in-laws when Cowboy and I spent Christmas there when we were dating :-D

I also got a wristband, which turns out to be a fabulous teething toy!

So to celebrate Bobby Darin's birthday today, I was going to link to a whole bunch of videos on YouTube like usual, but I found one that just blows the others out of the water for me, so I'm only posting it. Here's Bobby Darin singing "Sweet Caroline," my favorite Neil Diamond song.



I have never heard this before, and I am now longing to find it on cd somewhere. He sings it so slow, sweet, tender... and then there's that ending! Mmmmmmmmmmmm.

Happy 73rd birthday, darling Bobby ♥

Man, are there ever a lot of great Silly Songs with Larry that I've never seen! I think this is my favorite of the new ones:

I picked up Bon Jovi's new album, Lost Highway, a couple weeks ago.

I'm disturbed. Miffed. Somewhat disappointed.

Since when is Bon Jovi a country band?!?!?!?! They are supposed to be rock! Pop rock, yes, but I want guitars and percussion and bass, not twangy fiddles. I know that their duet version of "Who Says You Can't Go Home" with country singer Jennifer Nettles on their last album became the first number one single by a rock band on the country charts, but does that warrant making the next album almost entirely country-flavored? What about people like me that aren't particularly country fans and like Bon Jovi for their rockiness? I'm pretty sure their core fan base isn't any more fond of country than I am. Sure, we all bought this album cuz we couldn't tell from the first single ("[You Want to] Make A Memory") that the majority of the songs would be country-influenced (although I had my suspicions, since it features artists like Leann Rimes and Big & Rich on a couple tracks). But are we going to buy the next one? I don't know if I am.

Here's Jon's explanation and defense of how this album sounds. The first two-minute segment is specifically addressing this issue of countrification.

Of all the songs on Lost Highway, "Till We Ain't Strangers Anymore," is actually my favorite so far. Oddly enough, it's probably the most country track, but it's the kind of country I like, sort of old-fashioned-sounding or something. Here's a link -- it's just a slideshow of pics of Jon, but at least you can hear what I mean. I like the way Jon and Leann's voices blend, and I really like the line, "It would be so easy/To live your life with one foot out the door." Also, if you know the songs on Have a Nice Day, you'll recognize a little riff from "Welcome To Wherever You Are" running through this song.

I love the internet! Guess what I found on YouTube: Bobby Darin performances! Here're some of the best ones I've found so far:

"Mack the Knife" -- It's 1959, this song has hit #1, and Bobby is 23 and cute as a baby puppy. When he does the bit about "MacHeath spends just like a sailor" I can't help but giggle like a giddy schoolgirl. Also, he's either an amazing lip-syncher already, or he's singing it live. I think it's live, because it's not the official recording version -- he throws in different little asides.

"Can't Take My Eyes Off You" -- Bobby's in his late 30's and on top of his game.

"Dream Lover" -- Also 1959. He's trying to be serious and earnest, but he keeps cracking up and smirking :-D

"Got My Mojo Workin'" -- Bobby plays both the harmonica and the vibraphone on this one! I'd never heard him sing this song, it's not on any of the cds or LPs I have, so that makes me dig it even more :-)

"Beyond the Sea" -- The joke about Tommy Sands is silly, but him slapping his own wrist is just funny. And then he segues off into bits of other random songs, which gets very fun. Just let it keep on playing, because he ends up imitating a trombone, telling odd jokes, and you get to see why he really was a consummate live entertainer.

Is it just me, or does the lead singer of Hinder really wish he was Steven Tyler of Aerosmith? Honestly, this video for "Lips of an Angel" bugs me, he's so wacked out and weird. But the song is awesome -- it reminds me a lot of the novel I wrote for NaNoWriMo this year. Haven't yet found a 'real' video for the song, this is just them performing and it doesn't sound nearly as good as the version on the radio.

If you're wondering why I'm linking to a bunch of vids lately, well, we got a new monitor and all of a sudden I can see videos so much more clearly! Our old monitor was, well, old... everything was kinda dark and murky. Fitting considering we call our apartment The Crypt and keep vampire hours, but not very good for watching stuff.

Bah. I've been meaning to blog about so many things lately. Like Casino Royale (loved it -- Daniel Craig is an acceptable James Bond) and Superman Returns (it was okay -- but Brandon Routh made James Marsden seem dashing, mysterious, and cavalier....). But instead I'm going to just link to a sunny, light, almost happy Nickelback video! The one for "Photograph", of course ;-)

UPDATE: They yanked the "Photograph" video from YouTube, but here's a cool live version done in some tv studio. It doesn't rock as hard as the regular version, but I like watching them play live too. And I'm finally getting used to Chad Kroeger's shorter hair.

A Nickelback video made me cry! It's the one for their new song, "Far Away", and although you'd think the whole firefighter = hero thing would be getting hackneyed by now, nope, I cried. Just a tiny bit.

Oh, and loved the FX they were using on the stage for the lights behind the band, the way they looked like white starlight fingers reaching out.

I've probably told everyone I know about these, but I just have to link to DocII's amazing Combat! songvids here anyway. She's got them up on YouTube right now:

Saunders ("Ride Across the River" by Dire Straits)

Kirby ("Blaze of Glory" by Jon Bon Jovi from the Young Guns II soundtrack)

Caje ("Born on the Bayou" by Creedence Clearwater Revival)

Doc ("Sound the Bugle" by Bryan Adams)

I think Kirby's is my favorite, then Doc's. Although how can I not love watching the Saunders one, with six minutes of my beloved sergeant sauntering about, looking so delicious he defies description. Part of the reason I like Kirby's best, of course, is because I love the song "Blaze of Glory" and the entire album it's on. In fact, I'm listening to that cd right now ;-)

Half the fun with these is seeing how many scenes I recognize, how many I can say, "Yeah, that's from such-and-such ep." It's not really all that many, mostly because I haven't seen about a third of the eps (oh glorious thought!), and also because a lot of the shots are kind of generic.

I love music videos, how about you? But since we don't have cable anymore, I hadn't been able to see any new ones for ages. Until Cowboy discovered this fantabulous site called Music-Codes, that is. They've got all kinds of music videos there that you can watch for free!!! As long as you have a fast enough connection, of course. Although they don't always work for me--Cowboy can get videos to play every time, but I seem to have some sort of adverse affect on the site and can only get them to work now and then.

Oh, if you double-click on the little screen where the video pops up, it goes full-screen for you.

You can browse through it alphabetically by artist, or else search for particular artists or videos. Or you can just go see MY favorite videos, following the links below :-D

Check out Bobby Darin singing "Beyond the Sea". The ending cracks me up every time. Starting with "I got a oldie you don't even remember," I go totally giggly. Crazy 'bout them low notes!

"It's My Life" and "Everyday" are my two fave Bon Jovi videos, at least so far. I adore the grin Jon does at the end of "Everyday"--if I could figure out a way to screencap that, I would.

I think "If You're Gone" and "Disease" are my favorite Matchbox Twenty videos. "If You're Gone" is also my fave song of theirs...and the video's from back when Rob Thomas had his really cute hair.

"Someday" by Nickelback--I love the song, and the concept behind the video rocks. Oh, and the way Chad Kroeger looks here is how I envision Sirius Black in the Harry Potter books, only Sirius has black hair instead. I really like the video for "Too Bad" too. I always figured that song was autobiographical, but the video really makes that connection clear...and gives me chills every time I watch it.

As for Creed, I've always been partial to "My Own Prison" and "Don't Stop Dancing". The former reminds me of season five of Angel, and I like the setting in the latter. Waaaaah, I just watched "My Own Prison" and got all sad again about them breaking up...no more Creed concerts ever :-(

And my favorite Shakira video is definitely "Objection (Tango)". Cowboy's right--I would totally call in superheroes to help me beat someone up like she does. I like "Underneath Your Clothes" too...and it's so cool that that's her Antonio she's all over in the video.

Then there's the odd video for Hoobastank's song "The Reason". I love the song. And the video is really cool...but it has absolutely nothing to do with the song. Hmm.

Okay, enough linking to music videos for one post. There are others that I really like, so maybe I'll post about them at a later time. Happy watching!