Wild by Jessie J

I can't wait for Jessie J's second album to be released.  There is a music video for her new song, "Wild".  I love Wild.  It has a beat one could dance to and it's very catchy, especially the part where Jessie sings "Wild, wild, wi - ohohohohohohoh wild, wild, wi - ohohohohohohoh"!  One day in June my family drove to a beach, and Wild happened to be stuck in my head.  I had memorized the lyrics nearly from beginning to end, so I sang it during the entire car ride.  It drove my brother nuts.

Anyway, here is the music video.  I like the sharp contrasts created by the use of black and white.

Some like the song with the exception of the rapping parts.  I would like the rapping far better if the lyrics were less lazy and actually made sense.  They also don't really seem to have anything to do with the rest of the song, which makes me wonder why they were included.  I prefer Dizzee's lines to Big Sean's.  I actually kind of like Dizzee's part.  Big Sean's lines make absolutely no sense at all.  Jessie's lyrics are fine.  I suppose overall, it would have been better to have left out Big Sean and Dizzee.

Here's a section of Big Sean's lyrics (the lyrics are highlighted in orange and my comments are highlighted in green), as an example of how irrelevant they are:

Today I woke up feeling like the mayor Random.

I spent 'bout an hour looking in the mirror Vain.

As I should, as much as I've been through  Feeling sorry for himself.

It's a wonder I look this d**n good  Vain again.

I'll probably make it out [of] any situation that you try to put me into  This is actually one of the main themes in Jessie's music.

If I swim with the piranhas it's guaranteed that Imma probably have a fish dinner Random, vain, and irrelevant.

So those are pretty much my thoughts on one of Jessie J's more recent songs.  Once again, I can't wait for her second album to come out!

This Is What Makes Us Girls, My Heart is Broken, and Million Dollar Man

"This is What Makes Us Girls" and "Million Dollar Man" are definitely on my long list of favorite songs by Lana Del Rey.  I find the lyrics of both songs to be very interesting.  They also are very catchy and tend to get stuck in my head.

"Million Dollar Man":

My favorite part of "Million Dollar Man" are these two lines:  "Look like a million dollar man, so why is my heart broke?"  I love how Lana played with the word broke.  It means broke as in without money, while being a play on the word broken as in "my heart is broken."  Speaking of which, "My Heart Is Broken" by Evanescence is another great song...

The music video for "My Heart Is Broken" is one of my favorite Evanescence music videos.  The whole thing is visually appealing and full of lights, mystery, imagination, and radiant cold colors.  Amy Lee has two really cool dresses in this video, as well.  The first one she's shown in is very pretty, but the second one is just so cool.  It kind of reminds me of the illustrations in Dr. Seuss books ( I think that may mostly be because of the sleeves).  The best part is when she plays her intricate piano solo in the Dr. Seuss-esque dress.

Anyway, back to Lana Del Rey.  Here is "This Is What Makes Us Girls":

Some may disagree, but I think there is a lot of truth in what Lana is saying in this song.  For me, the best lines are:

There she was, my new best friend

High heels in her hands

Swaying in the wind

Then she starts to cry

Mascara running down her little Bambi eyes

'Lana how I hate those guys'

This is what makes us girls

We all look for heaven and we put love first

Something that we'd die for

It's our curse

Don't cry about it

Don't cry about it

This is what makes us girls

We don't stick together 'cause we put love first

Don't cry about him

Don't cry about him

It's all gonna happen

I think that in this song, Lana is commenting on how a lot of girls put loving boys above having solidarity with other girls.  I don't think she's promoting that, she's just observing it, and I have observed this too.  In my view girls should stick together far more.  I'm not saying all girls are like that, but from my observation, this is an occurrence and a reality, however unfortunate.

I also love this part:

The prettiest in crowd that you had ever seen

Ribbons in our hair and our eyes gleamed green

Those two lines (especially the second line) strike me as very beautiful and poetic-sounding every time I listen to this song.

Officially a Fan of Lana Del Rey

I am officially a fan of the singer and song-writer Lana Del Rey.  She is simply awesome.  And so so so so so so so so cool.  Definitely a fan.  I felt like sharing some songs by her, so here they all are.  I am obsessed with her music - it's like nearly all of her songs are playing in my head at once.  They've been stuck in my head for a while now.  Lana's lyrics are very personal, yet even so I can feel the emotions she feels and can understand what she's talking about in whatever song I'm listening to.  Many of her songs have an eerie and haunting melody, which I love.

1)  "Young and Beautiful"

This is a haunting, bitter sweet, and tragically beautiful song, and my favorite song that was on The Great Gatsby (2013) soundtrack (which was one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard, by the way).  A song about losing one's youth and beauty.  My mom cried the first time she listened to this song - that's how beautiful and sad it is.  I thought it seemed to raise the question of whether or not Jay Gatsby really loved Daisy.  Did he only love her outward beauty?  Did he only see her as something to attain in order to become part of the upper class?  Was it merely the idea of her that he loved?  One of the best songs ever and definitely a favorite of mine.

Some more gorgeous songs by Lana Del Rey:

2)  "Dark Paradise"

A very nice song by Lana Del Rey, with a beautiful title.

3)  "Summertime Sadness"

Very interesting, poetic, and unique title.  It makes one wonder why sadness would be associated with summer.  One of my favorite songs by Lana Del Rey.

4)  "Born to Die"

About the cycle of living and dying, great lyrics as usual and once again, an awesome title.  The titles of her songs rarely lack punch and intrigue.  Catchy song (well, all of her songs are catchy...) and a pretty well-known one - one of her most popular songs.

5)  "National Anthem"

This is the music video for her song "National Anthem".  Lana Del Rey is quoted as saying that this is the "most beautiful thing" she's ever done.  The video starts with Lana reenacting Marilyn Monroe's performance of "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" from the year 1962.  Throughout all of Lana's music, there is a constant theme of American history and culture.  She's also been called the "Vintage Queen", although I can't remember where I've heard this.  Nonetheless, I agree with the title.  To me, Lana Del Rey seems very interested in times past, particularly the 1950's and 1960's.