Annie over at the excellent Evening Tea Musings tagged me in two blogger tags recently, and they’re both really fun ones. So, this is the first of them: The Music And Me tag.
Rules
(1) Link back to the original (Sophie @ Me and Ink) so she can see your answers and listen to the tunes.
(2) For every prompt you choose to do, name 1-5 songs (you can use Sophie’s graphics).
(3) Have fun and play your music LOUD!
So, as you can see, there are going to be a lot of songs listed below! Still, I hope you enjoy my weird, eclectic taste in music!
Hometown Glory: Songs That Remind You Of Your Home
There are very few songs written about the area that I grew up. I don’t think they’re complimentary either. There’s even a book written about my area called ‘All The Devils Are Here’. So, I’m gonna have to get creative. Around this way, things do pretty much stay the same. Each day is the same if you venture out; you’ll see the same people, hear the same arguments, and so on. So, in a way, Two Story Town by Bon Jovi is pretty much my area summed up.
It’s A Love Story: Your Favourite Songs About Love
Oh, crikey, this is hard. Okay, look. I came out of a near 15 year relationship last September, and honestly, it’s left me a little ‘off’ when it comes to love. If anything, I guess I’m a little guarded now? I do appreciate romance, but I can’t help but feel connected to sadder songs right now, even with that breakup being amicable. So, I give you a recent ballad, Home by The Cruxshadows.
Shut Up And Dance: Songs You Have To Dance To
Now, while I do listen to most things, the majority of my collection is rock and metal. I do listen to some perfectly danceable stuff too though. For example, Norwegian Reggaeton by Nanowar Of Steel. It’s a rock track, sure, but it’s got an edge to it that makes me want to break out my old salsa lessons.
If This Was A Movie: Favourite Songs From Movies/TV/Broadway
This one was really fun, actually. There are so many great tracks in film, tv, and musicals. The first time I heard Rob Evan perform The Confrontation from Jekyll And Hyde, though, I fell in love with it. He’s such a wonderful vocalist, and does a great job with a notoriously difficult song here.
Comfort Crowd: Songs That Make You Feel Calm
This is an odd choice because it’s quite upbeat rather than soothing, but there’s something about it that makes me quite chill. You see, I actually don’t get on with rap music in general. There’s something about this song that really grabbed though. So, this is My Way by Crucifix.
Always Remember Us This Way: Songs That Remind You Of Your Childhood
There are so many! I always remember, when I was a kid, I got into the sitcom The Young Ones. I still enjoy the show now. One thing that stood out though was that they had a band play in the episodes, and some of those became favourites. One of those was this little beauty: Our House by Madness
Let’s Get Down To Business: Songs That Motivate You
I come form an Irish family and, truth be told, I feel more connected to that heritage than I do my birthplace. So when you combine Irish folk sensibilities with punk, you’re onto a winner with me. This is a song that I think has a lot of relevance today, and it talks about the changes that’re taking place in the world. How could you not get motivated by a sincere call to revolution, right? This is Reptiles (We Woke Up) by Flogging Molly
Old Town Road: Songs From The Past That You Love
Now, one of the things I found growing up was that I tended to like a lot of older music compared to my peers. This is a fine example of that because it was released over ten years before my birth. From the iconic David Bowie, this is Starman.
Cry With You: Songs That Make You Cry
This was a really easy one. I’ve been dealing with depression for some time, and this song really sums up how I’ve been feeling at my lowest. Heavy by Linkin Park is a powerful track, made all the more so by the sad loss of Chester Bennington.
I Think I’m In Love: Your latest Musical Obsessions
So, a band I stumbled across recently was The Struts. I loved the old school feel to their sound, and in particular, how similar the vocalist is to Freddie Mercury. In particular, the song Could Have Been Me has become a massive favourite. I’ve always tried to live my life by the rule that, if I want to try something and there’s no good reason not to, I’ll do it. In that respect, I’ll never have to look back on my life and say ‘that could have been me’.
Writer In The Dark: Favourite Lyrics From Songs
There are so many songs that could fit here. In the end, I went with The Last Day by Luke Sital-Singh. Honestly, he’s such a great songwriter, and this whole song is so beautiful. It questions whether, if today was your last day alive, would you want to know? I could easily have put this in the ‘song that makes me cry’ category, too.
Sign Of The Times: Songs In The Charts That You Love
None. Like, literally none. The thing is, it’s not that I dislike modern music. There are plenty of new songs released that I really enjoy, but none of them chart. It ahs been like that since I was teen; most of the stuff I was into was the ‘wrong’ type of a particular genre to chart, at least in most cases. So, instead, I’m gonna pick a recent single. From Sliknot’s vocalist Corey Taylor, this is Black Eyes Blue.
More Than A Memory: Songs You Have Specific Memories Attached To
GET UP by Shinedown was the obvious choice here. For me, it’s a song about hope that reminds me to keep moving forward, even during the hard times. I was lucky enough to see the band live before the pandemic. It was my youngest daughter’s first concert, in fact. That’s a memory I cherish because it was such a fun trip with my child, the band was awesome, and even the late night trip back saw some fun.
Sing To Me Instead: Songs You Have To Sing To
I love pretty much everything by Savatage, but there’s something about Not What You See, the album closing ballad from their concept album, Dead Winter Dead, that makes me want to sing along. I don’t know if it’s the melody, or that it features my favourite vocalist doing big overdubs, but I just can’t help but enjoy it.
I Wasn’t Expecting That: Songs You Didn’t Expect To Love
Dance music is about as hard a sell to be as rap music, if I’m being honest. In both cases, I just don’t connect with the musical style, and often, the lyrics don’t appeal. There are always exceptions though. That being the case, I was pleasantly surprised when I found that I actually quite like the techno superstars known as Scooter. This is their track Jumping All Over The World.
Favourite Record: Albums You Couldn’t Live Without
An album I can’t live without… I’m gonna say Yield by Pearl Jam. For me, it’s the best album the grunge stars put out. The tracks are catchy, the production is great, the song writing is on point, and Eddie Vedder sounds great. So, here’s my favourite track from it, Given To Fly.
Video Games: Favourite Music Videos
I’m going to finish with two for this one. The first is Walking Wounded by The Tea Party. It’s one of the Canadian trios most popular tracks, and the video is full of beautiful imagery. A member of the band actually adopted the kitten you see at the end too.
As a more recent one, I’m picking Voodoo Doll by Lord Of The Lost. This is a very simple video, but I found it quite striking. The concept is really cool, and I thought the band did a great job with it.
Now, there are so many other songs I could have placed in this list. MIYAVI, Gackt, Nightwish, The Levellers, and Kamelot all have some excellent songs, for example. But for now, these are my choices.
In terms of tagging people, I’m not picking any specifically. If you do want to do this one too though, go for it! It’s a lot of fun!
Matt Doyle Media 