Fall Out Boy

There isn't a single song by Fall Out Boy that I don't love.  It's not that common for me to love all of the songs on an album, but every song on both "Save Rock and Roll" (Fall Out Boy's first album) and "American Beauty/American Psycho" (their second album) is perfection.  I think their most well known songs are "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark", "Centuries", and "Immortals" (this song was in Disney's movie Big Hero 6).

I can't put all of my favorite Fall Out Boy songs here, since that would be all of them.  So I'll just put two.

"Centuries"

"Just One Yesterday"

If I had to pick just one favorite song by Fall Out Boy, it would be "Just One Yesterday".  I fell in love with it the first time I listened to it, and I've been addicted to it ever since.

"Stupid in Love" and "Eyes, Nose, Lips"

Currently, my favorite K pop songs are "Stupid in Love" by Mad Clown and Suya, and "Eyes, Nose, Lips" by Taeyang.

Both are beautiful songs.  From my understanding, "Stupid in Love" is basically about a broken relationship between two people.  The boy accuses the girl of various things, and the girl always responds with "that's not what I mean," or "nan ani aniya" (I'm not sure how accurate that translation is).

I really like Mad Clown's voice.  His lines are sharp and fast-paced.

"Stupid in Love"

I love this performance of "Eyes, Nose, Lips"

"Eyes, Nose, Lips" is a song I fell in love with the first time I listened to it.  Taeyang has a really beautiful voice and a lot of talent.

Update

So.

A lot has happened in my life lately.  For one, I am finally done with high school.  I graduated this week, and so did all of my friends.  It was a little depressing, actually, because I know I may never see some of them again.  Of course I'll keep in touch with my closest friends, but I may never see some of them in person again, which saddens me.  I don't know if I should feel happy that I'm no longer a high schooler or horrified that time has gone by so quickly.

Anyway.

The night before my last day of high school was the worst all-nighter of my entire high school experience, no, scratch that, of my life.  I was so stressed out about my exams I had what I think was an anxiety attack or nervous breakdown.  Or both.  I'm not really sure if there's a difference.  But whatever.  After the last day of school it felt like all the stress of high school over the years came toppling down on me and I was completely exhausted.  I was basically like:

So I'm glad that's all over with.  However, I will miss my film class.  Film was the class I enjoyed most, not only in my senior year, but in all four years of high school.  I enjoyed writing every essay we were assigned to write, especially the last one.  For our last essay, we were assigned to write about our favorite film and why we connected to it personally.  I chose to write about Frozen.  Best.  Essay.  Ever.  I thought such essays were only assigned in dreams.  My only complaint was that we were required to write only two to three pages.  I had to restrain myself from blabbering on and on, since I had a lot to say.  Part of me wanted to talk about Kristoff, Anna, and Hans, but I decided to keep it mostly focused on Elsa's character, since I related to her the most.

Another class I enjoyed a lot was Art.  I think this was my favorite project out of all the ones I did, even though I ran out of time to do the background:

Drawn with pastel

In other news, I adopted two cats from a cat shelter.   One is a boy named Pirate.  I decided not to change his name, since it had a nice ring to it and I had gotten so used to attaching that name to him.  He had gotten skin cancer from being a street cat and being exposed to too much sun on a daily basis.  The cancer spread around one of his eyes, so it had to be taken out, as well as one of his ears.  The vet said nothing more could be done, and she wasn't sure how much longer he has to live.  He is bursting with personality, though, and is one of the most loving animals I've ever befriended.  I'm not looking forward to when I'll have to say goodbye, but I think giving him the chance to experience life outside the shelter before he goes is worth it.  He's not too fond of my rough collies, though.  It's kind of funny, my dogs seem eager to befriend my cats, but my cats simply ignore them by turning their back, and act completely indifferent when they're not hissing them.  At least, Pirate's like that.  The other cat I adopted, Esmeralda, is very inexperienced.  She's much shyer than Pirate - Pirate adapted very quickly, in fact he settled in on the first day.  Esmeralda was in the shelter for a long time.  I think this may be why she is so fearful of everything, because she doesn't know what to expect.  She's warming up to me, though.  She also went up to one of my dogs and kind of booped him on the nose.  I named her Esmeralda because of her green eyes (she reminded me of the Disney character from The Hunchback of Notre Dame, since she has green eyes too).  I got a picture of Pirate on his first day out of the shelter, and I would have gotten one of Esmeralda too, but she was pretty camera shy.

Pirate on his first day out of the shelter

Pirate's eyes are huge and golden-colored.  He makes me think of Edward Elric from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.  I mean, his eyes even have a similar shape:

I've been watching a lot of Anime.  It's all my friend's fault.  I think the first Anime I watched may have been Shingeki no Kyojin/Attack on Titan, but really, it all started when she suggested I watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (which is now my favorite Anime).  So I guess it's her fault I've developed a crush on Roy Mustang.

Every time I see Roy in an episode...

It might seem weird to crush on a fictional character, but hey, I'm already weird anyways.  My friend even drew a mini Roy for me as a birthday present.

Well, now that I think about it, my interest in Anime really began when I watched the sequel series to Avatar:  The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra.  Now I've seen so many, like Ouran High School Host Club, Attack on Titan, Fairy Tail, Kimi ni Todoke, and others.  I've also been watching more Studio Ghibli movies, like Grave of the Fireflies, which is a very sad film about World War II, and Howl's Moving Castle, which I love to bits.

I'm really thankful to my friend for showing me the world of Anime, because now I know more about Japanese culture, which I hadn't known very much about before.  She's also been teaching me some Japanese - she even taught me how to pronounce the first few lines of my favorite opening theme song from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, which is a really beautiful song.  It's called "Again", by Yui.

And then here's an English cover of Again that I like:

I made another one of my friends watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood after I finished watching it, because it was so good.  Now we both ship Edwin (Ed x Winry) and Royai (Roy x Riza).

One of my favorite Edwin moments:  "It's your hands, they
weren't meant to kill.  They're meant to give life.  That's why."

One of my favorite Royai moments:  "I've done it again, I've hurt you."

Well, that's what's been going on with me.  I plan to post much more consistently now that school's over.  I haven't been writing much in general, which worries me.  I hope to catch up this summer by spending much more time updating my stories and as I said, posting more on my blog.

Celebrate Musicals Week - Comparing the Past to the Present

There are many differences between The Phantom of the Opera (2004), and the original Broadway musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber.  One of the differences between the two that is especially noticeable, is how the main characters are portrayed.  I am going to compare the Phantom and Christine of the 2004 adaptation to the Phantom and Christine of the original musical from 1986.

Gerard Butler vs. Michael Crawford

Gerard Butler.

I like Gerard Butler, I really do.  He seems like a very nice person, and he is definitely a talented actor.  However, even his awesome Scottish-ness can't make him a good Phantom.  In fact, it hurts him rather than helps him - at some moments in the 2004 movie I can hear a hint of his Scottish accent, which is weird, since The Phantom of the Opera takes place in Paris, France.  But then, the original musical from 1986 was British (Andrew Lloyd Webber is English, and most or all of the original cast were British as well), so none of it makes sense anyway.  In the movie, Madame Giry has an over-the-top French accent, while a lot of the other people in the cast have a British accent, which only makes it all more confusing.

Some prefer Gerard Butler's singing to Michael Crawford's, because his voice has a darker and deeper quality.  Gerard Butler can sing well, but his singing style is not meant for the role of the Phantom.  Being in a band does not provide the kind of experience needed to play a major role in Musical Theatre.    The Phantom is supposed to be the angel of music, and Christine Daae's teacher.  The decision to cast Gerard Butler was made by marketers and producers to draw in the masses, rather than being driven by the artistic vision.  The role of the Phantom requires a breadth of soul and depth of human experience, that is lost on such young and pampered actors as Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum.  Michael Crawford betters Gerard in this respect, because he brings a certain maturity to the role.

The Phantom is supposed to be capable of sounding like an angel, and sounding like a demon.  I think of him more as an angel living in hell, or someone whose soul has become corrupt and disfigured because of the mistreatment they have suffered.  He is an angel corrupted by his Faustian zeal.  Like in the British film, The Red Shoes (1948), by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, the Phantom's artistic ambitions have a demonic quality.  In Romanticism, people strive to reach for the sublime.  In The Red Shoes, the ballet dancer strives for perfection in her art form.  She becomes possessed by the spirit of her art, and must sacrifice to achieve artistic perfection.

The Phantom should have a hypnotic and angelic voice, like in the song "The Music of the Night", in order for Christine to be deceived by him, and to fall under his spell.  In "The Music of the Night", the Phantom wants Christine to be blind to his disfigurement, because he wants her to fall in love with his soul, not his body.  He wants her to "learn to see, to find the man behind the monster".

"Close your eyes for your eyes will only tell the truth 

And the truth isn't what you want to see 

In the dark it is easy to pretend 

That the truth is what it ought to be..."

Michael Crawford.

The important theme of appearance versus reality in The Phantom of the Opera, and the concept it contains of a many layered reality of subterranean depths and soaring artistic heights, is completely lost on these two young and inexperienced actors.  Butler's and Rossum's characters are too superficial, more Romeo and Juliet than the Phantom and Christine, but its more than that.  The society that finds this empty headed, clean cut, pretty-boy quality appealing has remade this story in its own image.  

Gerard Butler's Phantom is less versatile than Michael Crawford's.  He just doesn't seem as convincing to me as Michael Crawford's Phantom.  If Gerard Butler's Phantom showed up in my mirror, I would be less compelled to follow him to his lair.  His singing voice is uni-dimensional, while Michael Crawford's is far more developed, and in my opinion, much more Phantom-like.

Physically, Gerard and Michael's Phantoms differ from each other, as well.  When the facial disfigurement of Michael's Phantom is revealed, it is more distinct and dramatic, and actually has an effect on the audience.  Gerard's Phantom, on the other hand, has a sunburn on one side of his face instead.  That takes so, so, so much away from the story.  One wonders why Christine chooses Raoul over him in the end anyway, if his disfigurement is so minor, and after all he is the more handsome of the two.  Well, we all know that Christine is not so shallow as all that, but wouldn't the story have been far different if the Phantom had not been disfigured?  There wouldn't be a story if he wasn't.  He would never have become a murderous Phantom; he would just be Erik.  Everything meaningful about The Phantom of the Opera has been dissolved and stripped away from this production.  It has been eviscerated.

This all brings me to something I have observed in our society - we are pretty-ifying everything.  The vampires of folklore were dark and frightening:

Dracula.

...but now they look like models...

Edward Cullen.

Look at what's happened to the Phantom.  Once he was visibly frightening, like Lon Chaney's Phantom from the 1925 horror film, based on Leroux's novel.  His Phantom was so frightening, that during the unmasking scene, many of the women in the audience fainted.

Lon Chaney as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera (1925).

Now, the Phantom looks like this...

Gerard Butler as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera (2004).

...and Gerard Butler is a very handsome guy.  That's the problem.  The Phantom is not supposed to be a very handsome guy, even with the mask on.  Michael Crawford is a very handsome guy too, but when he is unmasked, he actually looks deformed, while Gerard's Phantom doesn't really have a deformity at all.  I find that this strongly and obviously contradicts one of the messages that can be taken away from the story - that we are beautiful if our soul remains untarnished, even if we are tarnished physically on the outside.

Emmy Rossum vs. Sarah Brightman

Sarah Brightman.

I think that people over-react when they go on about how scary Sarah Brightman's eyes are, or that she doesn't blink enough, or that she can't act or emote feelings, blah blah blah.

Okay, I'll try to put it more lightly...let's just say, I strongly disagree with the idea that Sarah Brightman does not make a good Christine Daae.

Although, however much I love Sarah Brightman, I will admit that I prefer Sierra Boggess's performance of "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again".  Sierra didn't just perform that song, she felt it.  Just look at the tears in her eyes after she has performed the song.  She put so much feeling into it, that I was impacted emotionally.  I could feel her pain, and the emotion that mounted up during the song.  I always feel a sense of emotional fulfillment after listening to it, like I could let go and allow myself to feel sad, and grieve with Christine, despite not experiencing what she has experienced.  She forced me to feel empathy.

As I stated in my previous post, Sarah Brightman's Christine embodies the dark Romanticism of the Gothic genre.  The Phantom of the Opera is very much a Romantic story.  Not in the romantic way, with a little r, although The Phantom of the Opera has romance too.  I mean Romantic, with a big R, as in the Romantic Era, or the Romantic Philosophy of Byron and the other Romantic poets (John Keats, William Wordsworth, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and William Blake), the Brontës, and Mary Shelley, and the Romantic music of Ludwig van Beethoven and Robert Schumann, etc., etc..  People of the present day seem to shy away from anything real, dramatic, or Romanticized.  We've replaced the vampires of old folklore with a model, and Lon Chaney's Phantom with Gerard Butler's.  We are down-playing everything, and as a result, characters and stories have become more stale, and are limited to the constraints of what we're comfortable with.

Emmy Rossum.

I like many of the portrayals of Christine Daae that other women have to offer - Sarah Brightman's portrayal is not the only one I like.  But the other Christine Daae's are all very different from hers.

Take Emmy Rossum's Christine.  Emmy Rossum can act well enough, but her Christine is very bland and forgettable.  There's no soul in her performance - she only presents to the audience what she feels she is expected to present, and nothing more.  She can show emotion, but I never feel like she's really feeling it.  She never really becomes Christine.  I'm always aware that she is acting.

The 2004 adaptation sterilized the story of The Phantom of the Opera to the point that its meaning was removed.  It was too timid to keep to the intrinsic artistic vision of the original story, and instead conformed to the usual generic formula in film making today.  We should allow art to reveal, not manipulate it to hide and suppress.  When compared to the original musical, the movie is superficial and reduces the story to something cheap and shallow.  This process of evisceration is common in today's culture.  In The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), for example, one of the most significant happenings in history is reduced to a cheap titillating tale, a tale which ignores all the mysterious and wondrous aspects of the true story of Anne Boleyn, and her pivotal and captivating role in the struggle for religious and social reformation in England, that had been going on since Wycliffe and the Peasants' Revolt.  Why does our society strive to cover up the meaningful with the meaningless, the significant with the insignificant?

Celebrate Musicals Week - Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman

When I was fourteen, I became obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera.  It all began when I saw the 2004 movie with Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum at a store, and decided to get it.  I had seen it once before when I was ten years old, with my cousins during a visit to Ireland.  One of my cousins, who was my age, loved the movie.  At that time, I couldn't understand what she saw in it.  Years later, my feelings toward the musical completely turned around.  After watching the 2004 movie for the first time again in years, I fell in love with the music, characters, the dark themes, and the Gothic story.  I could not understand why I had not liked it before.

My fourteen-year-old-self dived into the world created by the musical and I quickly became a "phan".  After seeing the movie a few more times and enthusiastically researching about it and finding out all about it, I introduced myself to the original Broadway musical from 1986.  I had thought the movie was good, but when I learned of the actual musical, I realized how faded and inferior the movie was in comparison.  Michael Crawford was the original Phantom in the 1980's, when big Broadway musicals became hits, such as Cats and Les Miserables.  Although my list of favorite Phantoms grew, Michael Crawford was always my absolute favorite, and still is.

To me, his Phantom is the best Phantom, and Sarah Brightman's Christine is the best Christine.  Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman became two of my favorite singers of all time.  When I saw this video of him accepting an award for his performance as the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera, I was so happy, because he deserved it so much.

Michael Crawford

One of the reasons Michael Crawford is my favorite, is because his Phantom is the most Phantom-like.  I love his hypnotic voice, which captured both the angelic and demonic sides to the Phantom.  His voice is eerie, haunting, and seems to float effortlessly when he sings.  He expresses so much in his voice and with his body, even with his hands.  When I watch him perform as the Phantom, I feel as though I can understand the Phantom on an emotional and psychological level.  His portrayal is very powerful because he puts so much feeling into it, and he encompasses everything that the Phantom is.  He shows the Phantom's dark, mysterious, and elusive side, while also revealing his fragile and vulnerable nature.  He is both destructive and gentle, full of hate for the world that has always mistreated him, and full of love for Christine.  Whenever I hear Michael Crawford sing the part of the Phantom, I hear the pain and torment in his voice.

I have always viewed the Phantom's half-mask as very symbolic, because it shows that he is half dark, half light.  He is torn between the two sides of himself.  This quote from "Stranger Than You Dreamt It" expresses this a lot.

"Can you even dare to look, or bear to think of me 

This loathsome gargoyle 

Who burns in hell, but secretly yearns for heaven  

Secretly, secretly... 

Oh Christine... 

Fear can turn to love 

You'll learn to see, to find the man behind the monster 

This repulsive carcass 

Who seems a beast but secretly dreams of beauty

Secretly, secretly..."

When I was fifteen, my dad introduced me to "Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em", a British comedy show from the 1970's that starred Michael Crawford.  Yes, Michael Crawford is a comedian too.  And did I mention he was also once an acrobat?  That's a lot of talent.  Needless to say, I am a very big fan of his.

Sarah Brightman

Some people dislike Sarah Brightman's voice, which is perfectly fine, since everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I completely disagree that she is the worst Christine, as some people say.  I think her voice sounded perfect for the role, which is no surprise since Andrew Lloyd Webber wrote the music to fit her voice and show off her vocal abilities - the part was literally made for her, for goodness sake.  Sadly, Sarah Brightman damaged her voice, so she is no longer able to sing quite as well as she could when she was younger.

This is the music video for the song "The Phantom of the Opera", with Sarah Brightman and the Rock singer Steve Harley, before Michael Crawford was cast as the Phantom.  As a warning, it's very 1980's, but that's why I like it.  I'm glad Michael Crawford was chosen to play the Phantom instead, but I don't intend to bash Steve Harley at all.  People are far too hard on him.  As a rock singer, his singing style is of course very different.

I feel that Sarah Brightman really understood the Romantic aspect of The Phantom of the Opera.  Sarah Brightman's Christine seems to come from a story of the Romantic Era, and she embodies the dark atmosphere that was at the core of Gaston Leroux's Gothic novel.

Many think that Sarah Brightman's eyes are too wide in the video below, or that she lacks expression or the ability to emote, but I disagree.  In "The Music of the Night", Christine is supposed to be in a sort of trance; she is mesmerized by the Phantom, put under his spell.

Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman set the standard for other people who would later play the Phantom and Christine, and without them, there's a good chance we wouldn't have as great a show as we do now.  Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman were a part of The Phantom of the Opera's beginnings, and made it the great success it was.

Although Crawford and Brightman are my favorite Phantom and Christine, I don't really view them as the Phantom or the Christine.  That implies that no one else can be the Phantom or Christine, and that their portrayals were the only good ones, or that they own the roles of Erik and Christine.  Yes, it is my opinion that they are the best Phantom and Christine, but that doesn't mean their portrayals were the only good ones.  There are so many other interpretations and portrayals to appreciate.  It is your decision how to view the story, and you will know whose portrayal of the characters has had the most impact on you.

Celebrate Musicals Week - Tag

I have decided to participate in Celebrate Musicals Week, the blog party Miss Dashwood is hosting at Yet Another Period Drama Blog!  Go here if you want to participate, too, and would like to know the details.  The blog party is starting off with a tag, so here are my answers to the tag questions.

1)  What musical did you pick to "spotlight" this week and why?

I chose to spotlight The Phantom of the Opera.  I was already planning to write about it, so I thought Celebrate Musicals Week was a great opportunity to do so.

2)  How did you discover the musical you picked (hereinafter referred to as "your musical")?

I was ten years old when I was introduced to The Phantom of the Opera.  I watched the 2004 movie with my cousins during my visit with my relatives in Ireland.  My cousins loved watching movies, so we ended up watching a lot of movies together, and the 2004 adaptation of Phantom was one of them.

3)  If you had to pick three favorite songs from your musical, which ones would they be?

I love so many songs from Phantom, but I think my three favorites would be "The Phantom of the Opera", "The Music of the Night", and "Think of Me".

4)  What's your least favorite song from your musical?

Maybe "Prima Donna".  I always skip it when I'm listening to Phantom songs.  In the 2004 movie, I can't stand Andre and Firmin's singing.  They don't really sing, especially Ciarán Hinds, who plays Firmin - they kind of talk-sing.  Talk-singing grates on my nerves.  I prefer the song Prima Donna to whenever Andre and Firmin sing by far, but if I had to choose a specific song I disliked, I think it would be Prima Donna.

5)  Who are your favorite characters (choose up to three)?

Christine, the Phantom (also known as Erik), and Madame Giry are my favorite characters.  I have heard that some people dislike Christine, but I think she is a well developed character.  Erik is a very interesting and complex character, which I love.  Madame Giry is mysterious and I like her personality.  She seems like a smart person who knows what she's doing.

6)  Which versions of your musical have you seen/listened to, and which is your favorite?

The first version of this musical that I ever knew, was the 2004 movie, which I watched when I was ten years old.  When I was fourteen, I rediscovered the movie and loved it.  Then, I discovered the original broadway version with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman, and fell in love with that.  I now prefer the version with Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman to the 2004 movie.  I thought the movie was good, but when I discovered the original musical, it seemed faded in comparison.  Since then I have listened to other versions, with John Owen-Jones and Gina Beck, for example.  When I was fifteen, I discovered The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall, and I absolutely loved it.

7)  Is this your favorite musical of all time?  If not, what is?

Yes, even more than Les Mis, which is in second place.  I love The Phantom of the Opera for the gothic story, complex characters, dark themes, strong emotions, and the beautiful sets, costumes, and music.  It is definitely my favorite musical of all time.

8)  Which cast album/musical soundtrack in your collection do you listen to the most?

The original Broadway version of Phantom with Michael Crawford, and the 10th Anniversary Concert of Les Mis.  I don't like the 25th Anniversary (cough Nick Jonas cough cough) of Les Mis as much as the 10th Anniversary.

9)  What is your favorite costume from your musical?

That's a hard question!  There are so many amazing costumes in Phantom.  Well, I really like the dress and hooded cape Christine wears during her song, "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again".

Sierra Boggess as Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera at The Royal Albert Hall.

10)  If you could change anything about your musical, what would you change?

I wouldn't want to change anything, since it's Andrew Lloyd Webber's work of art, not mine.  I want it to be exactly as Andrew Lloyd Webber intended it to be.  Then, on the other hand, I think the song "Prima Donna" could be taken out, though it isn't that bad of a song, really.  I just don't see how it's necessary.

11)  Which role(s) would you most like to play in any musical, if you had the opportunity to do so on stage?

I would like to play Fantine or Eponine in Les Mis, or Christine in Phantom...that is, if I could sing really really really well...

12)  If you could choose one performer to play any part in your musical, who would you choose and which part would you have them play?

Perhaps Sutton Foster as Christine Daaé?  I don't think the role is suited for her, but Sutton has a beautiful voice and I'm curious as to what she would do with the part.  I'm a big fan of Sutton Foster, so it would be cool to see her play a major role in my favorite musical.

13)  Do you consider yourself a musical theatre fan in general or do you just like a few musicals?

I am a musical theatre fan, without a doubt!

14)  Are you tired of the word "musical" yet?

Never!

15)  Turn your music playing device on shuffle (or utilize Pandora if you don't have one) and tell us the names of the first three show tunes that come up-- no cheating!  How do these rank on your favorites/most-listened-to list?

 - "Memory" from Cats.  I'm not a big fan of Cats, but I love this song very much.
 - "Agony" from Into the Woods.  This is a memorable song from Into the Woods, and absolutely hilarious.
 - "More to the Story" from Shrek the Musical.  "More to the Story" is one of my favorite songs from this musical, along with "I Know It's Today".

Alive

I have found out that on the 23rd of September, Jessie J's second album will be released in Britain, and then released worldwide the next day.  It has been revealed that the title of her new album is "Alive".

Jessie J

As of late, a few songs from her next album have been released, including "It's My Party", "Excuse My Rude", and "Square One", as well as "Wild", which was released in May.  I shared my thoughts on "Wild" here.

I like "It's My Party".  For me, it doesn't rank as high as "Who You Are", "Nobody's Perfect", or "Big White Room", but I like it.  It's catchy and it has an energetic beat that makes me feel like dancing.

"Excuse My Rude" is the second album's "Do It Like a Dude".  Like "Do It Like a Dude", it has an intimidating and empowering feeling.  And unlike "Wild", it has rap that goes well with the rest of the song.  Becky G's rapping is energetic and flows rhythmically.  Jessie J and Becky G's style go well together in this song.  As a result, this is a very catchy and addictive song.

Of course, I can't know for certain, since I have yet to hear all of her new songs, but "Square One" may quite possibly be my favorite from her second album, "Alive".  My favorite part of the lyrics is:  "I don't want to hold hands with a stranger, I don't want to walk when I just learnt how to run."

"Magnetic" is beautiful, haunting, and addictive.  I can't decide which I love more, "Square One" or "Magnetic".  I've heard rumors of "Magnetic" not being on the second album.  I hope this isn't true.  It now ranks among my favorite songs by Jessie J.  "Magnetic" is featured in The Mortal Instruments:  City of Bones, which will be in theaters August 21st.

There's also "Hero", which is a really great song.  "Hero" is featured in the sequel to the superhero movie Kick-Ass, which is now in theaters.  I like "Hero" more than "It's My Party", "Excuse My Rude", and even "Wild".

I prefer the acoustic version of "Wild" to the version that will be on her album.  Jessie J is one of the few musicians I know who sounds better live.  I actually prefer the live acoustic versions of most of her songs.  It shows off her voice, and it just suits some of her songs better.

An acoustic version of "Wild" (not the whole song):

In an interview, Jessie shared that there will be an emotional song on her next album that she will not perform live, as it would be too emotional for her.  I think this song will be the "Who You Are" of her next album.  I was wondering if there would be a more emotional and personal song like "Who You Are", and this song seems to be what I have been hoping for.  It will only feature Jessie's voice and a piano.

Well, for now, until the release of "Alive", I will content myself with listening to her earlier songs as I wait:

"My Shadow":

An amazing live performance of "Who You Are":

A heart-felt live performance of "Who You Are" at a concert in 2012.  She is a musician who sings with her heart and soul, and she gives every performance her all.

And an awesome performance of "Nobody's Perfect" at the same concert:

The hair style Jessie has in this performance is my favorite of her hair styles - it's very 1970's-like.  She reminds me of Julie Christie with this hair style.  I like how Jessie interacts with her audience - she's very down-to-earth and personal with her fans, and a natural at performing.

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!

Doctor Who Tag - Day Three

Favorite theme songs

Doctor Who is filled with amazing music.  Below I have listed my favorite theme songs, number one being my most favorite.

3)  Doomsday

While I was watching Doomsday (the final episode of series two), I wondered why I was beginning to feel emotional, and then I noticed the music in the background.  I realized it was helping to set the mood and build up all the emotion.  The Doomsday theme is beautiful, but sad as well...maybe that was what made it so beautiful.

2)  I Am the Doctor

I feel light-hearted whenever I hear this theme song.  It just fills me with a happy joyous feeling, and I love how up-beat and adventurous-sounding it is.  It fits Matt Smith's Doctor perfectly.

1)  Amy Pond's theme

Every time I listen to Amy's theme a bunch of scenes come to mind all at once, and as a result I feel a lot of emotion.  Especially since the Ponds are gone now.  I miss the Ponds.  You could say I suffer from Post-Pond Depression.  Anyhow, Amy's theme is eerie, beautiful, enchanting, and emotional all at once.

And those are my favorite Doctor Who theme songs!

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.