My Most-Played 2014 Songs (And 2013 Too!)

I got through my recent project of listening to every song I own. I didn't listen to them all. I skipped some, I listened to others for a minute or two, and when I had multiple remixes of particular songs (hi, Madonna!) I chose the ones I liked best. I really need to do a better job of listening to all of my music on a regular basis instead of the same things over and over. I reset the iTunes play counts to zero and we'll see how I do at that. (By the way, I may end up switching over to Google Play because my iPod Classic is acting a bit nutty and, with Apple discontinuing this device, at some point I may need to start listening to my music on my phone. Great if I have wi-fi, but if not...)

Here are the songs I listened to the most in 2014...and after that, 2013 (because I didn't post one of these last year). Note how there are some songs in both lists, which is why I need to listen with more variety. Also, lots of ties. In other years I'd play some songs another time to break the tie. I didn't bother this time.

2014 Most-Played

1. Meteorite - Mariah Carey
2. Happy - Pharrell Williams
3. Counting Stars - OneRepublic
4. Mmm Yeah - Austin Mahone (feat. Pitbull)
5. Are You What You Want To Be? - Foster The People
6. Swine - Lady Gaga
7(t). Coming of Age - Foster The People
7(t). Timber - Pitbull (feat. Ke$ha)
9(t). Best Friend - Foster The People
9(t). Summertime Sadness (Cedric Gervais Remix) - Lana Del Rey
11(t). Sexxx Dreams - Lady Gaga
11(t). La La La - Naughty Boy (feat. Sam Smith)
13(t). Love Me Again - John Newman
13(t). G.U.Y. - Lady Gaga
15. Fashion! - Lady Gaga
16. Hideaway - Kiesza
17. Team - Lorde
18. Lay Me Down -  Avicii  (feat. Adam Lambert and Nile Rodgers)
19(t). I Need a Dollar (from How to Make It In America) - Aloe Blacc
19(t). F for You - Disclosure (feat. Mary J. Blige)
21. Stay The Night - Zedd (Featuring Hayley Williams Of Paramore)
22. Royals - Lorde
23(t). Sing - Ed Sheeran
23(t). Applause - Lady Gaga
25. Get Lucky - Daft Punk (feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)

2013 Most-Played

1. Get Lucky - Daft Punk (feat. Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers)

2. Your Body (Oxford Hustlers Club mix) - Christina Aguilera

3. Scream & Shout - Will.I.Am (feat. Britney Spears)

4. The Night Out (A-Track Vs. Martin Rework) - Martin Solveig

5. Sweet Nothing - Calvin Harris feat. Florence Welch

6. Summertime Sadness (Cedric Gervais Remix) - Lana Del Rey

7. Applause - Lady Gaga

8. Love You Like A Love Song (Jumpsmokers Club Remix) - Selena Gomez & The Scene

9. Sexxx Dreams - Lady Gaga

10. Pound The Alarm - Nicki Minaj

11. Diane Young - Vampire Weekend

12. Locked Out Of Heaven - Bruno Mars

13. Madonna Has A Kiki - Madonna/Scissor Sisters (mashup)

14. I Need Your Love - Calvin Harris feat. Ellie Goulding

15. All Around The World - Justin Bieber

16. I Love It - Icona Pop (feat. Charli XCX)

17. We Found Love  - Calvin Harris (feat. Rihanna)

18. One (Your Name) - Swedish House Mafia (feat. Pharrell)

19. Let's Go (Radio Edit) - Calvin Harris feat. Ne-Yo

20. Spectrum (Say My Name) (Calvin Harris Extended Mix) - Florence & The Machine

21. Fashion! - Lady Gaga

22. Vocal - Pet Shop Boys

23. Love is a Bourgeois Construct - Pet Shop Boys

24. Don't You Worry Child - Swedish House Mafia (feat. John Martin)

25. Treasure - Bruno Mars

Gaga: Release The Damn Album, Already!

This post from one of the people I follow on Twitter inspired this. He wrote, "I don't think I can wait another 2+ months for the new Gaga album!" My reply: "I don't understand how the music industry functions any more." And I really don't. I used to not only read but subscribe to Billboard magazine (which is odd for someone who doesn't work in the business) during the 1980s and into the 1990s. And as the years went by and new charts were created, and the methodology for compiling the charts, especially the Hot 100, changed, and as the magazine itself evolved, I lost interest in it.

But things were simpler back then: a record company released the first single from an artist's upcoming album. Then, within a few weeks or so, the album itself would arrive, followed by subsequent singles from that album until it was time for a new album, or perhaps a single from a motion picture soundtrack. (Of course, the number of singles would depend on the popularity of the artist and album.) The advent of music videos tweaked the process a little.

But the modern process is unreal. Singles sales pretty much died until the mp3 format rejuvenated it. Now, I don't know if there's such a thing as a single release unless it's digital. The only CD-singles I ever see are for dance mixes. The only vinyl records I ever see are full-length albums, because there's a segment of the music buyer that prefers the sound of vinyl to digital sounds. And the newfound popularity of buying individual songs seems to have caused people to lose interest in buying full albums, except for certain acts or albums that manage to sell big.

The digital format seems to lend itself to leaks of unreleased songs, which is part of the problem. Let's get back to Lady Gaga.

My iTunes Shuffle Baker's Dozen 2-22-13

Haven't made one of these posts in a while, so here it is. I have a complaint, though: the new iTunes is not great. Specific to this post, I can't find an icon to begin a shuffle right away when I open iTunes. If I click the Play button it begins with the first song in my library. In order to begin with a random song, I have to go to the Menu bar and click Control - Shuffle - Turn On Shuffle. Three steps instead of one. Really stupid.

Payphone - Maroon 5
Vibes - Inner City
Exhale (Shoop Shoop) - Whitney Houston
Season of the Witch - Lou Rawls
System - Seal
Don't Release Me (Wyclef Jean Remix) - Gloria Estefan
Somebody Told Me - The Killers
Why Can't We Live Together - Sade
Another Night - Aretha Franklin
Nothing Fails (Nevins Mix) - Madonna
50 Candles - Boyz II Men
Jupiter (Edit) (From The Planets) - Andre Previn; London Symphony Orchestra
The Captain - Kasey Chambers

My 2012 In Music

Last year at this time I was lamenting the lack of new music (as in, new in 2011 or new to me) added to my iTunes library. I figured that 2012 would be better since I had gone back to work. Since May I've been out of work but at least I got some unemployment out of it. So, indeed, my 2012 acquisitions are up. (A note, which is mainly for my own reference: the figures below include a couple of CDs I got during 2012 but only got around to adding to my iTunes tonight, so I need to remember for next year's wrapup not to include them again.)

I added 567 tracks to my collection by my count (it's a complicated story but I may be off by one or two because of duplicates), compared to 271 last year. Christmas music comprised 26 of those 567 songs. There were a lot of downloads of individual songs, as well as the first song in my next project - converting my vinyl collection to mp3 format. I have maybe a few dozen 45s and many more 12-inch dance remixes, probably in the hundreds. I'm so excited about this.

Beyond that, I got some free downloaded samplers and mixtapes (which is such an odd term to use for mp3 downloads, but...):

Will Sheridan – G.I.A.N.T. Sampler
DJ ShyBoy presents the RuPaul Mixtape (RuPaul songs mashed up with other songs)
DJ Jazzy Jeff and Mick Boogie – Summertime 2: The Mixtape
DJ Jazzy Jeff and Mick Boogie – Summertime 3: The Mixtape
Dangerous Muse – Red
Slaves to the Rhythm – Pride 2011 Sampler

And then there were the albums that were released prior to 2012:

Kelly Clarkson – Stronger
Discovery – LP
Ricky Martin – Ricky Martin
David Guetta – Nothing But The Beat
Jody Watley – Midnight Lounge
Paul McCartney – All The Best
Donna Summer – She Works Hard For The Money
Elton John – Rocket Man - Number Ones
Steely Dan – The Definitive Collection
The Gap Band – The 12” Collection and More
Nona Hendryx – Nona (as I mentioned here, the first full-length album I transferred from vinyl to mp3)
Katy Perry – Teenage Dream-The Complete Confection (this is the re-released version with bonus tracks -- the original was out in 2010 so I don't feel right counting it as a 2012 album)

In 2011 I got only four albums that were actually

The Sun Sets On Manhattan

I'm going to try and get caught up on posting my photo albums from my various trips. This slideshow has most of the photos from my trip to New York City at the end of July. (I posted pics from my visit to the 9/11 Memorial separately, you may recall.)

I arrived on Sunday afternoon and, after checking into my hotel (Comfort Inn on the Upper West Side -- I got a nice rate but it wasn't so great -- refer to the first picture in the slideshow) I went for a walk and discovered a street festival on Columbus Avenue. After I had a margarita and a huge burrito for dinner (not planned, but it started to rain and the place was right there) I took the subway to Brooklyn, and walked around the riverfront park, eventually arriving at the Brooklyn Heights Promenade. Then I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan. Some of the pics I took during this time of the skyline are among my favorites of all the pictures I've ever taken.

My iTunes Shuffle Baker's Dozen 7-11-12

In honor of the free 7-11 Slurpees...not really...


Falling - Cathy Dennis
Advice for the Young at Heart - Tears For Fears
One Night In Bangkok - Murray Head
99.9 F° - Suzanne Vega
Pump Up The Volume (U.S. Remix) - M/A/R/R/S
She Runs Away - Duncan Sheik
What's New Pussycat? - Tom Jones
Heal the Pain - George Michael
Jackie's strength - Tori Amos
Congo - Genesis
Gimme More (Oakenfold Remix) - Britney Spears
Into the Hollywood Groove (The Passengerz Mix) - Madonna feat. Missy Elliot
The Brothers Cup - Red Hot Chili Peppers

My iTunes Shuffle Baker's Dozen 4-5-12

Sure, it's an easy way to post content. Why not?

Let Me Be The One - Five Star
I Thought It Took A Little Time - Diana Ross
Rhythm Of The Night - Valeria
Is That You Mo-Dean? - The B-52’s
Viking - Los Lobos
Waiting For The End - Linkin Park
Cosmic - Kylie Minogue
Running Back To You - Vanessa Williams
The Party Song - Slave featuring Steve Arrington
Ode To Billy Joe - Bobbie Gentry
White Heat - Madonna
Never Miss The Water - Chaka Khan
Hello And Goodbye - Madonna, Andrea Corr, Jonathan Pryce

My iTunes Shuffle Baker's Dozen - The Madonna Edition

Partly in honor of the release of Madonna's new album MDNA, partly in the hopes that I would somehow get the CD I pre-ordered from Amazon earlier than scheduled (I didn't), I did an all-Madonna, all-day shuffle at work today. Clearly iTunes has a sense of humor, not only playing two completely different songs that share the same title but playing them back-to-back. Lots of remixes and album cuts, and only two hits in their original versions.

Die Another Day
White Heat
Forbidden Love (from "Bedtime Stories")
Forbidden Love (from "Confessions on a Dance Floor")
Take A Bow
Bad Girl (extended version)
Goodbye To Innocence
American Pie (Richard “Humpty” Vission Radio Mix)
Frozen (Stereo MC’s Remix)
Erotica (Kenlou B-boy Mix)
Music (HQ2 Club Mix)
Amazing
Like A Prayer (12” Dance Mix)

Gay-Friendly "Dancin'"

This article was in the CityPaper a few weeks ago, but it's just now that I'm getting around to pointing out a neat thing in it. Thanks, procrastination!

Back in the 1980s "Dancin' On Air" was a hit show on Channel 17 (WPHL), airing live every weekday afternoon. I never really got to watch it much because I was at work, but now and then I got to see it. It spun off a national broadcast as well, "Dance Party USA."

Think of it as an updated "American Bandstand," with kids dancing to the latest music and occasional appearances by performers lip-syncing their hits (one of those was Madonna, before she became a star -- that CityPaper article tells an amusing Madonna story, by the way). One of those kids was Kelly Ripa. I think she's done a thing or two in the entertainment industry...anyway, in the last year, capitalizing on the 30th anniversary of the show's debut, WPHL aired a few "Dancin'" specials, rebroadcasting old episodes as well as clip shows packaged with interviews with some of those kids (but not Kelly Ripa), now well into their 40s at the least.

Those specials got surprisingly strong ratings, so the station and the show's producers are bringing it back, with a few twists. It's no longer going to be broadcast live, nor will it be shown every weekday. Instead, it will air on Saturday mornings beginning March 31. The article states they'll mix in music from the show's era with today's hits. And producer Mike Nise mentioned out one other key difference:

"Audiences are more tolerant than ever, and if there are gay couples, we'll show that, too."

Well done, "Dancin' On Air."

My 2011 In Music

And now that we've moved into 2012, here's a look back at what I downloaded in 2011 -- some of it purchased, some of it, ummm, not -- and what ended up as the 25 most-played songs of my iTunes library.

There are only 271 new tracks in my iTunes since the beginning of 2011. That's down from 317 in 2010. Only 19 were Christmas songs, though, compared to 73 a year earlier. So if you take the holiday songs out of the mix, my musical acquisitions increased. However, a lot of those were downloads of individual songs. Part of the total also comes from a few artists I discovered through various means (such as Twitter or Facebook) who made albums available for free download:

Childish Gambino (a.k.a. Donald Glover) - EP (he's funny on "Community" but he has definite skills in the hip-hop arena; he now has a full-length album out, but I haven't bought it yet)
Loco - No Shade (Mixtape)
Simon Curtis - 8Bit Heart
DISCO PUSHER - Now You Know How The Story Ends (also a mixtape)

Then there were the records released before 2011...

Kings of Leon - Only By The Night
Brandon Flowers - Flamingo
Mika - The Boy Who Knew Too Much
Cee Lo Green - The Lady Killer
RuPaul - Champion
various artists - Christmas Remixed-Holiday Classics Re-Grooved (my only "new" Christmas album)

So that leaves just four albums I got that were actually released in 2011:

Too Long For Twitter: Stand Back, Philadelphia...

...because you oughta know whatcha gonna get in me: just a little touch of star quality!

Yep, the Evita song "Buenos Aires" is stuck in my head this morning. (The classic Patti LuPone Broadway original, that is, not the Madonna movie version or that "Glee" thing the other night.) And this, on a little more than 3 hours' sleep after having a rather tough week. This could be an interesting day.

Speaking of star quality, my friend Kurt was fantastic last night in his featured role in the Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus holiday concert, "Nutcracker: A Tale of Sugar Plum Fairies." There are two more shows, this afternoon and tonight. Go see it.

I hope to see a movie today, and if so, tell you about it more promptly than I did with the ones I saw recently.

For now, I leave you with this: Justin Timberlake's musical comeback hit has already been written for him...

MixBlog 7-27-11: Eagles, Phils, Softball, Etc.

Just a few quick things, since I'm sitting here listening non-stop to a playlist comprised of 70 of Madonna's most famous songs...

Eagles: Now that the lockout is over, putting together the team has begun. Kevin Kolb has finally been traded -- to Arizona for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round draft pick in 2012. In other words, for more than they got from Washington for Donovan McNabb (who's now going to Minnesota). And rumor has it that Vince Young might come in to back up Michael Vick at quarterback.  But of all the players who are leaving, the one I think they'll regret losing is kicker David Akers, who's signed with San Francisco. The kicker the Eagles drafted, Alex Henery, might be great someday, but if he starts off poorly he'll cost them some games. By the way, individual game tickets go on sale Tuesday at 10 am. (It's so weird to have that happen in August instead of June.)

Phillies: Just lost two in a row to the Giants in the teams' first meeting since the 2010 NL Championship Series. It's the first time the Phils have lost a series since mid-June and the first time they've lost two in a row since early June. Granted, neither Roy Halladay nor Cliff Lee started in this series, but the fact that the offense was nonexistent the last two nights again emphasizes this team's Achilles heel and portends what could happen in October. Memo to GM Ruben Amaro: Go get Hunter Pence from Houston. Now. Whatever it takes.

Softball: Time goes by so fast. We have just one game left in the season (we're 7-8, so a win would put us right at .500), so you have just one chance to surprise me by showing up. Sunday, 9 am at Dairy Fields #2 in Fairmount Park. Followed by the league's All-Star game. (I'm not in that one.)

Etc.: Still -- still -- need to post about July 4th, plus the long day in East Rutherford while my friend Kurt auditioned for "The Voice." Plus more comics stuff. And I went to see the final Harry Potter movie. Did I like it? You'll find out...hopefully sooner rather than later. Oh, and I really want to head down to Wildwood or somewhere else along the shore. Deep fried Oreos are calling me...

My iTunes Shuffle Baker's Dozen 3-1-11

Welcome to March! In exactly one month the Phillies open the 2011 regular season. And about three weeks after that I begin the Final Countdown to Five-Oh. But let's not think about that depressing concept, shall we? Instead, while you wait for me to get to work writing about the movies I've seen in the last week, let's see what iTunes shuffled into my ears today...

Who Makes You Feel - Dido
That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore - The Smiths
Let's Stay Together - Al Green
Why Don't We Live Together - Pet Shop Boys
I Want You - Cee Lo Green
Left Outside Alone - Anastacia
Brian Wilson - Barenaked Ladies
King Without A Crown - ABC
Where Life Begins - Madonna
Lovin' You - Tony Toni Tone
Confusion - New Order
He's A Dream - Shandi
Slave Song - Sade

New Madonna...I Mean, Gaga Anthem

There's been so much hype for Lady Gaga's new song "Born This Way," which finally hit the airwaves today. Inevitably, what always follows hype is backlash. From what I've been reading on Twitter and Facebook, there's a fair amount of it. It's mostly about how the song seems to be a copy of another song. Twitter's trending topics for Philadelphia (at left) point out the problem. Neither Gaga nor her song are top trends, but look who's there...

Having listened to the song a couple of times now, "Born This Way" is fairly blatant in its resemblance to "Express Yourself." I do like it, though. (Probably helps that I love Madonna's song.) I could grow to love it. But here's what I see as the problem: Gaga is trying too hard.

Suddenly it seems to be in vogue (hey, another Madonna reference) to write a song and declare in advance that it's an "anthem," particularly for the gay community. Recently we've had Katy Perry's "Firework" and Ke$ha's "We R Who We R" and Pink's "Raise Your Glass" and now "Born This Way." Am I forgetting any? These are all fine songs (well, except the Ke$ha one) by artists who have at least some talent (well, except Ke$ha). However, I think the best anthems are organic. They come by their status naturally, not by design.

I liked Gaga almost from the time of her first hit song, and really began to love her when I saw her speak at the National Equality March in Washington, DC in 2009 (see video below, in case you've forgotten), especially when she screamed at President Obama, "Are you listening?" And since then she's been one of the most outspoken and strongest celebrity advocates for LGBT issues. So, naturally, I should love her new song. I probably will at some point. I don't see it as a failure by any  means.

I just hope the rest of her new album isn't full of "anthems."

For Blog Post 667...

I decided I shouldn't be stuck on 666 posts for very long. So, since that last post featured songs in my iTunes with "devil" in the title, let's reverse course. Here are all the songs (not including Christmas music) with "angel" in the title...and one video following the list...

Angel - Dave Matthews Band
Angel - Eurythmics
Angel (Choir Version) - Eurythmics
Angel (Live) - Eurythmics
Angel - Gavin Friday
Angel (7" Mix) - Gavin Friday
Angel - Luscious Jackson
Angel - Madonna
Angel (Extended Dance Mix) - Madonna
Angel - Massive Attack
Angel - Sarah McLachlan
Angel (Radio Edit) - Jam & Spoon
An Angel Cries - Aretha Franklin
Angel Eyes - Lime
Angel Of Harlem - U2
Angel of Mine - Monica
Angel On My Shoulder (EDX's Belo Horizonte at Night Remix) - Kaskade With Tamra
An Angel Went Up In Flames - Gasband
Angels - Tori Amos
Angels And Demons - The Tourists
Angels Don't Fall In Love - The Bangles
Angels On The Balcony - Blondie
Blue Angel - Roy Orbison
Desert Angel - Stevie Nicks
Evil Angel - Rufus Wainwright
Fallen Angel (Perfecto Mix) - Traci Lords
Hear The Angels / C'mon - Da Juice
I'm No Angel - Dido
I've Got An Angel - Eurythmics
If God Will Send His Angels - U2
Looking For An Angel - Kylie Minogue
Sleeping With An Angel - Real McCoy
Talking To My Angel - Melissa Etheridge
There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) - Eurythmics
There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) (Live) - Eurythmics
Touched By An Angel - Gloria Estefan

One of my absolute favorite songs, one of the strangest videos: Eurythmics' "There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)" -- enjoy!

For Blog Post 666...

I was just going to post the video of "Devil Inside" by INXS but decided to expand this a bit. So, in addition, you'll find a live version from a Wembley Stadium concert as well, plus a list of other songs in my iTunes library with "devil" in the title.







Devil's Haircut - Beck
The Devil's Right Hand - Steve Earle
Devil With A Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly - Mitch Ryder
Devil With The Blue Dress - Shorty Long
Devil Wouldn't Recognize You - Madonna
Sympathy For The Devil - The Rolling Stones
Sympathy For The Devil - Sandra Bernhard
(You're The) Devil In Disguise - Elvis Presley

Meanwhile, whether it's because of the Devil or just some generic devil, I still feel stuck in a real rut in many ways. Maybe warmer temperatures will help. By Sunday we may be pushing 50 degrees, and by next Thursday there's a chance of it even getting to 60.

A Little More On My Christmas Music

I just thought it would be fun to share how many versions of various Christmas songs are in my iTunes (out of the total of 468 holiday tracks), and the most notable performers of each...

Angels We Have Heard On High - 6; Aretha Franklin, "Glee" cast
Auld Lang Syne  - 5; Barenaked Ladies, Chris Isaak (and why is New Year's music played on Christmas?)
The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting...) - 8; Nat King Cole (duh), two versions by Ella Fitzgerald
The First Noel - 4; Annie Lennox, David Archuleta (I think these two names back to back form some sort of musical oxymoron)
Frosty the Snowman - 5; the Ronettes, two versions (again) by Ella Fitzgerald
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - 5; Annie Lennox, Rascal Flatts, Barenaked Ladies feat. Sarah McLachlan
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - 6; Pretenders, Kermit the Frog
I'll Be Home For Christmas - 4; Fats Domino, Kristin Chenoweth
Jingle Bells - 8 (if you include "Jingle Bells?" by Barbra Streisand and the medley "Jingle Bells/Jingle Bell Rock" by the Muppets)
Joy To The World - 5; Lee Greenwood, the Supremes
The Little Drummer Boy - 8; two up-tempo versions by Alexander O'Neal and the Salsoul Orchestra
O Holy Night - 7; Neil Sedaka, and a very funky cover by Musiq Soulchild
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - 9; Gene Autry, Meredith Brooks, and only one version by Ella Fitzgerald
Santa Baby - 4; Eartha Kitt, Madonna, Everclear (male vocal, changed lyrics because heaven knows the band had to butch it up) and Miss Piggy
Santa Claus is Coming to Town - 8; the Four Seasons, the Supremes, the Looney Tunes (I own the CD "Have Yourself A Looney Tunes Christmas" -- not the greatest Bugs Bunny & Company work Warner Bros. has put out there, although it's mildly amusing at times)
Silent Night - 13 (this looks like the winner); Wynonna, Mahalia Jackson, the Salsoul Orchestra (non-discofied!)
Sleigh Ride - 9 (including the Kristin Chenoweth/John Pizzarelli duet medley of "Sleigh Ride/Marshmallow World" but not including the Alexander O'Neal song with the same title but different lyrics; I also have a version by the Spice Girls
White Christmas - 7; besides the obvious Bing Crosby, there's Darlene Love, the Supremes...and there goes that Ella Fitzgerald again with two versions...
Winter Wonderland - 6; of course, my favorite is by Eurythmics, though you can't go wrong with Johnny Mathis
We Wish You A Merry Christmas - 4, including Weezer

And with that, I wish you a Merry Christmas as well, if you celebrate it. Or, just follow Krusty the Clown's advice: "So, have a merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, kwazy Kwanzaa, a tip-top Tet, and a solemn, dignified Ramadan. Now a word from MY god: our sponsor!"

My Go-To Christmas Music

Before I get into my main lists, I want to share a new favorite I discovered on Todd Zolecki's Phillies blog at MLB.com. It's "Baseball Glove" by a Canadian country singer-songwriter, Gord Bamford. The lyrics talk about the many things the family wants, but all he wants is a baseball glove -- specifically, "a genuine cowhide Rawlings Pro Special, one autographed by Roy Halladay." Bamford is a Blue Jays fan and it was released last year, before Halladay was traded to the Phils, but it doesn't matter. Click the above link and you can watch the video and find a link to download the song for free.

There are so many new Christmas albums now, but in recent years I've only bought a few. These are the albums I bought in the last couple of years that I really enjoy:

Glee Cast - Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album (love the Chris Colfer/Darren Criss version of "Baby, It's Cold Outside")
Annie Lennox - A Christmas Cornucopia (I love what she did, but I kind of wish this had a couple of fun, not so serious/religious-oriented selections, like Eurythmics' "Winter Wonderland," one of my all-time faves)
Kristin Chenoweth - A Lovely Way To Spend Christmas
Barenaked Ladies - Barenaked for the Holidays (their quirky humor shines in a number of songs, especially "An Elf's Lament;" also includes a few Hanukkah songs)
Ella Fitzgerald - Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas

I also found a couple of CDs that had been released previously: "A Classic Cartoon Christmas" and "A Classic Cartoon Christmas, Too." They feature tracks from many classic TV shows (and some that aren't so classic). Between the two, they include "Welcome Christmas" and "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" from "Dr. Seuss' How The Grinch Stole Christmas," songs from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town," Jimmy Durante's "Frosty the Snowman," a couple from the Muppets, and -- most happily -- the "Heat Miser" and "Snow Miser" songs from "The Year Without a Santa Claus." (I really need to edit them into one mp3 so when my music is in shuffle mode, I won't hear one and not the other right away.)

The following are the Christmas CDs I've had the longest, and are still my favorites:

My New Problem With Glee

You may remember that I didn't take to "Glee" at first. I watched for a couple of weeks and then stopped. After the first 13 episodes the show took a break for a few months, then came back in April. Since the second episode upon their return was their much-ballyhooed Madonna episode, I started watching again. I loved "The Power of Madonna," and watched every episode thereafter. Slowly it won me over. This summer Fox ran two repeats on Tuesday nights and I caught up on what I missed.

I'm still watching, but I have a new issue. And it's not the Britney Spears episode, which was annoying in the way it forced Britney and her music into the show so blatantly. It's not that Artie, the kid in the wheelchair, is now on the school's football team -- something even more impossible than the offense lining up with time running out, stopping a play and doing Beyonce's "Single Ladies" dance to distract the opposing defense and score a game-winning TD without getting called for some sort of penalty. (Delay of game, illegal formation, maybe illegal use of the hands?) It's not any of the other implausibilities or improbabilities. I've been able to overlook just about every bit of weirdness. (And I adore Chris Colfer. Love the picture from Rolling Stone...)

But last night it dawned on me that, in light of all the recent events regarding bullying and suicides, I am very uncomfortable seeing the goon football players dousing Glee kids with slushies, yelling menacingly, and worse -- remember, they were about to beat up Kurt in the so-called "Lady Gaga" episode (which only featured two Gaga songs) until Finn and the others arrived -- and no one in authority even tries to do something to stop it. Ever. Maybe it seemed funny in those early episodes when they were throwing kids into Dumpsters. It doesn't seem all that funny now. It's strange that, for all the surreality on the show, bullying is what seems to be the most grounded in reality.

Am I overreacting here or does anyone else feel the same about this?

Return Of My Summer Playlist!

I stumbled upon a link to Billboard.com's compilation of their top 10 songs of summer (using a point system based on heir chart methodology) for every year from 1985 through 2009. Looking through their listings, I decided some additions to my summer playlist (Part 1 here, Part 2 here) are required. (I also am adding others to the list of songs I need to own.)

The following, however, are already in my iTunes library. Some I overlooked the first time around and others I've changed my mind about. I'm sure you will find some of them quite cheesy, but it could've been worse: I still left "MMMBop" off the list. Adding these songs and "Commander" (my song of summer 2010) to my original list, I now have exactly 100 summer songs.

Oh, and here's some pretty summer scenery: Hugh Jackman at the beach...


A View To A Kill - Duran Duran (1985)
Sussudio - Phil Collins (1985)
If You Love Somebody Set Them Free - Sting (1985)
Raspberry Beret - Prince and the Revolution (1985) - I can sing the hell out of this at karaoke.
Papa Don't Preach - Madonna (1986)
Invisible Touch - Genesis (1986)
On My Own - Patti LaBelle & Michael McDonald (1986)
Higher Love - Steve Winwood (1986) - Also a killer karaoke song for me.
Venus - Bananarama (1986)