Obsessed with this song at the moment - We Are Young, Fun.
I heard it on Glee and it was nice... in that nice electronic, perfect, over the top, Glee kind of way, but I really wanted to listen to the original.
Anyways, I searched it up on YouTube in another one of my familiar crazy searches.
I get these sometimes when I get some weird feeling and just have to listen to a song.
For example, a while back one day, I really wanted to dance for some reason. Shakira (surprise, surprise) came to mind... I couldn't do anything else at all without shaking my lying hips to her at least once. Hmmm, how do I describe this? It's philosophical time!
It's like when you realise that the music isn't one thing. It's everything.
We all live in the music, despite what you might think.
At school I once heard that a famous mathematician said that numbers were everywhere.
My English teacher once said that though we might not consider it, English is everywhere as well. I have considered this, given that we speak the language everyday.
Following this theory, a French or Japanese teacher might think exactly the same.
A beloved History teacher once reminded my class that history is everything, and the evidence is in anything from before the present. Anything you've done - even a minute ago - is history.
Well, maybe it's true, and we just don't notice it unless we really tune our hearts to the passion. Somewhere along the way, you recognise it everywhere.
What I see is the music.
There it is.
I'm telling you all now that music is also everywhere.
I don't care if you don't notice it straight away. Maybe you'll notice anything is everything one day, too.

Another one of my biggest inspirations is the legendary composer, Joe Hisaishi-san.
If you don't know him, look him up. Seriously. He's incredible, and I love him.
I got to know him through his partnership with the  director, Hayao Miyazaki-san, who is equally as awesome.
I've posted a composition of his, before, called "Sixth Stop" from the movie, Spirited Away. It is among my top ten favourites of his, and I'd like to show you some of the others here!

This is called "The Boy Who Drank Stars" from the movie, Howl's Moving Castle.
There are absolutely no words that can describe it.
Listen, and cry.

I bet you think you can't dance to a classical song. Well, think again. This is called "A Town with an Ocean View" from the movie, Kiki's Delivery Service.

An absolute classic of his would have to be "Summer".
It's hard to contain the unexplainable energy that this song gives you.
This is a song that can plaster a goofy grin on my face wherever and whenever I hear it. Please, thank me later.

That's all I have to share with you today from Hisaishi-san, but there will be more, I'm sure.
Now, I know you'll all be wanting more after hearing these songs, so don't hesitate to look for the movies:  Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea.
I can recommend them all for you, and safely guarantee their epic soundtracks!
Enjoy!

There's a few new songs to post, so let's start with some more of my favourite 80s singer - you guessed it - Suzanne Vega.
She is just so amazing, I love to sing all of her songs.
Here's two of my favourites at the moment-

Slightly intense, effortlessly captivating - with a beat that anyone could dance to - Suzanne and her band are brilliant at making something deep and different.
I really like the lyrics to this song, too - they're like poetry.

Solitude stands by the window
She turns her head as I walk in the room
I can see by her eyes she's been waiting
Standing in the slant of the late afternoon

And she turns to me with her hand extended
Her palm is split with a flower with a flame

Here's another that I like to identify with - you understand just by the name of the song, don't you?

Nobody can deny it - she's got style.
I think that she is very inspiring - instead of conforming - making her music similar to others at the time (a trait very common in the music industry nowadays), she does the opposite.
Rather, her producer told her to make it as "alive and spontaneous as possible".
This is what I like about Suzanne - it's her difference which makes her popular.


(quotation from Retrospective- the best of Suzanne Vega introduction by Lenny Kaye 2003)

Sitting in a boiling hot car with my dad's radio turned up on classic hits... this is the start of summer~



Okay, imagine- you've just had a terrible break-up. You realise now that he was a vain jerk and now you want to get him out of your system. It's the 80s, so of course you write a song. It's perfect. Plus, it's a cute and fun song.

This is the best music to make you smile.

bass update no. 1

This is a song that I really want to start learning on the bass guitar!
I know I'm just a begginer, but I just want hurry up and get going already!
I'm just going to start with the songs that I really like, then I can move up to learn the trickier techniques, and get as good as I can.

This song is so cool and... well - it's just cool.
If you didn't know, The White Stripes is a band with only two members in it - a brother, who plays guitar and sings, and a sister, who rocks those drums. It's a pretty epic song, if you ask me.
Well, that's my first bass update for you.
Have a nice sleepy Sunday!

xoxo
Rosie

Now it's time for some real fun music. So recently, all I've been thinking about is French. Sometimes I even think in French. So I thought - if I think French as much as I think music, why not both? (and... cue Jane - quick to start singing Hannah Montana's Best of Both Worlds)

ZAZ - Je Veux... Isn't it great? It's so cute and fun and carefree. It just makes you feel good.
So the lyrics go something like this in english...

Give me a suite aty the Ritz hotel? I don't want it.
Chanel's jewellery? I don't want it.
A limo? What would I do with it?
Offer me staff? I don't want it!
A mansion? Not for me.
The Eiffel Tower? What would I do with it?

I want love, joy, good spirit
It's not your money that will make me happy
I want to die with my hand on my heart
Let's go together, discover our freedom
Forget all your prejudice, welcome to my reality.

I'm fed up with your good manners, they're too much for me.
I eat with my hands, I'm like that.
I speak loud and direct, excuse me!
Let's end the hypocisy - I'm out.
I'm tired of your talking back
Look at me, I'm not even mad at you - that's who I am.


Already craving more cultural goodness? Well check these amazing guys out. They're called the Porkka Playboys.

So bad that it's good... brilliant, even.
It's just a bunch of German guys in a small car covering the ever-epic "Bohemian Rhapsody", but in the end, it's so amazing that you just have to grin and sing along!
This is another feel-good video that could turn anyone's day around.

It's People's Day!
Now, I promised myself that it would be a completely maths-filled day, but after getting back from Melbourne late last night, all I want is some really good music to make me happy.
Well - this is how I am going to continue this blog - properly - by introducing you to the music that really inspires me everyday!

This is one of the many songs I fantasise about singing in front of a cheering crowd one day... haaaa, as if. But isn't it amazing?
Suzanne Vega is simply cool. She's a genius song-writer - not just because all of her songs are catchy, but because each and every one of them mean something.
That one is definitely my favourite at the moment, but here's just one other that you must listen to -

I've chosen the cheapy lyrics version so that you can actually see the story - it's sad, but very good. Enjoy!

love,
Rosie xoxo

Quick - what do you get when you shove an rowdy teenager together with a couple of fed-up parents?
-- a resolution! Yeah, it's true - they were so sick of me complaining that they decided it wasn't worth the effort and gave in!
Well, they were really disappointed, but I was just ready to have a dance party! I called Jane right away!

Now this is cool of course because of the dancing. I mean, just the nerve of that guy makes you want to get up and dance with him!
You've got to understand - 1989 was a time when dancing was the only way to be cool. Coming up with this dance move must have been the best 15 minutes of fame ever.
My favourite line is: "It was the freshest move I've ever seen - like he was floating on air!"

Happy dancing!
xox Rosie

So - I'm sorry, things got busy after that last post and I didn't have time to continue so I'll try to fit in as many as I can tonight and maybe tomorrow night.

The next stage of the drama is of course rebellion - Well of course! I'm a teenager!
So I turned to the queen of rebellion - Joan Jett.
She's always been Jane's idol, and I grew up rocking the air guitar to all of her hits as well, so it's only expected that I cranked my speakers to full volume every morning to dance the anger out - and get a message across.

Isn't she the coolest?
Joan Jett will always have a place in my heart.

xoxo Rosie

As the saga continues...
A while after I realised why I was feeling sad, I decided to comfort myself with the best kind of "teen-y-get-lost" songs - Simple Plan.
Sure, I got kind of used to crying along to this song and just being pathetic in general, but luckily, I got over it. Here's so advice for current or future miserly teenagers- cry dramatically if you're sad, but recover dramatically because you want to get over it. You really do.
So anyway, for that first stage here's the perfect song for you.

Love,
Rosie xoxo

So recently I had one of those lovely teenaged angsty dramas - you know, the type you see in movies while the main character listens to conveniently sympathetic music?
Well, I decided to share a little musical "story" of how I felt and what I listened to.
It might last for a few posts, but it might also make me feel a little bit better, and I hope you enjoy the story anyway.
To start it off, here's some background.
I started to feel sad and lonely when my parents were disappointed in me, and I tried to get this across by discreetly singing this song in my room often. It didn't work.

See you next time for more, I guess.
Love,
Rosie xoxo

Howdy, all.
So a couple of days ago, my dad drove me to school. And we all know what that means - a music lesson, of course!
He knew that I'd been interested in "heavy metal" type music lately and so decided by himself to educate me to the band who pretty much formed the whole genre.
Of course - I am talking about Deep Purple.
And yes, I know you've all tryed to play "Smoke on the Water" on the guitar at least once before. But this is different - their first live album in fact - here you go.

The funny thing is, that back in the day, that was considered good singing!
People loved Deep Purple! Especially the Japanese - they were crazy about Deep Purple, and so when they toured Japan for the first time and came to Osaka, they asked to record the performance, of course.
Deep Purple said "No, we don't make live albums" but they gave in after some pursuading, as long as they could have the rights to the album so that it wouldn't be released outside of Japan.
The country loved it. So when the band got home, they thought, "What the heck?" and asked their company about releasing it.
Again, the company needed some persuading. They thought live albums would never happen, but they gave it a shot and released it.
"Made in Japan", as they called it, sold 1 million copies in two weeks.

Yesterday was Tuesday, and it sucked. I had an early morning and a late night and every minute all I wanted was to go home and sleep.
Anyway, this is a song that helps me to calm down and relax after a hard day. I recommend it to my friend Jane all the time, so here's hoping it'll help you too.

Note how many genres that they pull off in this song!
The piano part at first gives off a jazzy feel, but then when the beat and the bass kick in, it just sets the whole song up for a nice alternative mix.
The vocals are clear and soothing and the lyrics are very well-written.
This whole song makes me feel relaxed.

night night
xoxo Rosie

It's Monday, and while some might be having more of a "Rainy Days and Mondays"-Carpenter-ish kind of day, surprisingly, I was feeling in the mood for dancing!
Listening to the radio after dinner is lots of fun, especially when one of my favourite 80s songs comes on! I got up and danced like no-one was watching (even though my dad walked in on me...) and it made a pretty good Monday.
Here's hoping your Monday was good enough to pass for a start of the week.

p.s. if you're interested to know, they are re-making this epic movie. let's see how they do...

What better way to start a Sunday morning than with a nice, calming number from the amazing Joe Hisaishi?
I have been obsessed with this particular song for a while now.
This guy has so many beautiful compositions - especially those written for movies from Studio Ghibli. I just can't get enough of him!
So here we have "Sixth Station" live in orchestra from the movie Spirited Away.

If you like the sound of this, I also recommend the music from "Nausicaa", "Laputa" & "Howl's Moving Castle".
Have a nice Sunday morning, I'll be sure to post something special up tonight, too.
Rosie xx

Here we have some Fleetwood Mac at its best to kick start the blog.

This is "The Chain" from their album Rumours, when the band was divided and just a little bit crazed - during and after two serious break-ups.
These of course improved the music, and formed this epic song in which all of the members of the band contributed!

You don't have to listen very hard lyrics-wise to understand that it's meant to be a very bitter song ("Damn your love, damn you lies"), but what I love is the driving beat and the strong bass line that make anyone want to dance - it's catchy and fun.

So there we go, signing off for now...
Rosie xx

Hi, I'm Rosie, and this is my blog.

Obviously from the title, I love music and I love cats.

I like so many different styles of music; rock, pop, 70s, 80s, 90s, but I also love to hear something new and interesting.

I have two cats, and though they aren't any typical cats like the rest on the street, they have their own special personalities, and I love that they don't care anyway.

I hope to share some of my musical interests and just generally have fun with this blogging thing. Also, please check out my friend Jane, who suggested this and has great taste in music - her blog is called < Jane - music/media/art >

So - here goes, wish me luck, and have a great weekend!