Jenny Lewis - Barking at the Moon

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I'm not a huge fan of the movie Bolt, but I definitely did enjoy watching it. My absolute favorite scene was when Bolt and Mittens are traveling across the country and Bolt is experiencing what it's like to be a normal dog. In this sequence, the song "Barking at the Moon" plays in the background. As they move from place to place, the scenes show famous American landmarks and use a roadmap as a transition to show where they were and where they are headed. For the viewer, it is almost as if they have taken a road trip with the two characters. It's a classic example of the phrase "focus on the journey, not the destination". Seeing the characters enjoy their time hopping from city to city made me wish they could keep journeying forever. The song is also so enjoyable, I wanted it to play longer in the movie.

"Barking at the Moon" isn't just a song for Bolt; it matches in any situation where friends or family are spending time together and enjoying the journey of life. I personally love it for my family road trips or for the season of fall. When autumn comes around, the cool weather inspires me and my family to head outdoors and visit the park, go for a hike, or have a picnic. And if we can all get off time from work or school, we'll take a road trip. That is why I chose the song "Barking at the Moon" to be this week's autumn song. As always, you'll find it on my autumn playlist on Spotify. Have a wonderful day and happy autumn once again!

Get the song of the day: https://amzn.to/2R1d3jy
Get the soundtrack: https://amzn.to/2PK44mR
Get the movie Bolt: https://amzn.to/2R6tlb7

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Hikaru Utada - Hikari KINGDOM Orchestra Instrumental Version

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Be prepared to be blown away by today's song choice. If you've noticed, today's genre is video game, but don't let that deceive you. This instrumental piece may be from a Play Station game, but it is quite the masterpiece. The first few notes start the song with a gentle, magical tone. Yet in a matter of seconds, the orchestra sound grows and it becomes a complex epic melody. Whether you relate this song to the game or not, it is still an inspiring piece that brings emotions of joy and hope, with a tinge of melancholy.

As I've mentioned before (in my first post), I feel very strongly about the significance of instrumental and classical music. People underestimate the power of instruments. An orchestra can easily evoke any emotion in the emotional spectrum simply with a change of key, tone, rhythm, note, or instrument. This track from the Kingdom Hearts soundtrack is one of the many examples of how instrumental music can be so moving. In fact, almost the entire soundtrack has that same quality. I highly recommend you give it a chance.

The composition of this song was a result of two talented people: Kaoru Wada (who arranged it) and Hikaru Utada. Hikaru Utada created the original song from which this track got its theme from. The original song is called "Hikari" and contains lyrics in Japanese. Another version that was created is a remix with English lyrics called "Simple and Clean". I recommend listening to those two versions as well. They may not be as beautiful from an artistic perspective, but they are still very catchy and fun from a musical perspective.

I know this is a music blog, but I'd like to also add my thoughts about the video game Kingdom Hearts. I have several family members and friends who are big fans of the franchise. I myself am also a fan. And while I am not the best at playing video games, I really enjoy playing this one and following the storyline of the series. It has a lot more depth to it than you would think and contains many beautiful, philosophical thoughts and quotes. My favorite quote is the one I chose to include in the image for today. If you're a Disney fan, this is also a great game because you get to interact with all your favorite characters and visit the places of all your favorite movies. If you own a game console (or are willing to purchase one), I think you should consider giving Kindom Hearts a try. It's a wonderful experience for the whole family. And so you know, I am not saying this just to try and convince you to buy it. I genuinely do love this game and wish to keep supporting it because I really want Disney to keep the series going.

I hope you enjoy hearing this surprisingly beautiful video game instrumental piece. May the melody motivate you today in work, school, or anywhere you listen to it. Have a wonderful day!

Purchase Today's Song: https://amzn.to/2q3fXJi
Full Kingdom Hearts Series Game Link: https://amzn.to/2Cu1v4r <-- (includes all games for a much better price)
First Kingdom Hearts Game Link: https://amzn.to/2CV8ogk

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Celtic Woman - Dúlamán

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When I was in high school, I met a girl who came from an Irish background. I had never met anyone with family from Ireland before, so I loved hearing all the stories she told me about her family's culture and the traditions they had. She explained to me that the language originating from Ireland is called Gaelic (pronounced 'gay-lik'). Then she taught me my first Gaelic word: dúlamán. It means seaweed. It seems very random, I know, but she chose that word because while she was telling me about Gaelic, she also introduced me to the music of Ireland: Celtic music (pronounced either 'keltic' or 'seltic', but most Irish people say 'keltic' including my Irish friend). She showed me a song titled "Dúlamán", and it's the song I chose to share with you today. Since it was my first introduction to Celtic music and Gaelic, I thought it made sense for it to be your first as well (that is if you haven't already listened to Celtic music before).

"Dúlamán" as a song is a very fun, yet beautiful composition with obvious Celtic rhythm and instruments. The artist that sings this song is Celtic Woman. They are a very famous group of women known for their Celtic music sung in Gaelic, English, and several other languages. They are extremely talented and can sometimes be seen on TV performing on stage with an orchestra. I posted a lyric video with a translation for you to hear the song and know what it means, but I highly recommend looking up their concerts and watching them perform live. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. Today, I hope you enjoy listening to "Dúlamán" and hearing the wonderful talent of Celtic Woman.

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I recently applied to the Amazon Affiliate program so I can now provide links for purchasing the song of the day! It's a great way to support the blog and most importantly, support the artist that created the amazing music you enjoy so much. So please consider purchasing today's song or any song you're interested in by clicking the link at the end of each post. Thank you in advance for your support and have a wonderful day!

Purchase today's song (or another song you liked): https://amzn.to/2NPp0H1

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Toto - Africa

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I think everyone who has heard the song "Africa" can agree that it is a classic. The lyrics, the vocals, and the rhythm are timeless. The composition of the song is just perfect in every way. The opening drums are so recognizable and follow the theme of the title with an African sound. I find the words to be very special, as they tell the story of a man torn between the lover that is his heart, and the continent that is his soul. The man chooses his lover, and in return has to give up a big part of who he is. The entire song is basically a lament for the place he holds so dear to him. One of my favorite lines in the song is when the man in the story describes how he stops an elder on his way in hopes of hearing some words of wisdom to help him with his situation. To his surprise, the old man replies, "hurry boy, she's waiting there for you". Instead of ancient advice, he heard what he least wanted to hear: it's time to go, your new life awaits.

Though the song has melancholy lyrics, the African rhythm keeps you happy to sing along and enjoy the pleasant melody. If this is the first time you've heard this song, congratulations. Now you'll recognize it next time it plays in a movie, on the radio, or in a store. And most importantly, you'll have the pleasure of knowing a classic tune from the 1980's.

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This is unrelated to the song of the day, but I just wanted to talk about my Instagram account for a second. I recently read the terms of the platform and came to the realization that I was not following the rules like I was supposed to. I found out that on Instagram, you are not allowed to post pictures unless they 100% original and copyright-free (Blogger has the same rule, hence why I've never used images before). Therefore, I deleted all my content to avoid any problems. But I don't want to stop posting, because I know a lot of my readers use social media to keep up with my posts. So to solve this problem, I've decided to use photographs I have taken over the years from the many places I've traveled to and pair them with each song of the day. And since I am creating them for my Instagram, I will also be posting them on my blog each day. So please enjoy this image I photographed and edited myself to match today's song choice. Thank you for those who have followed my blog thus far and I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. I wish you all the best and hope you have a wonderful day.

Purchase today's song: https://amzn.to/2S0gXuu

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George Ezra - Budapest

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I should start off by saying: I know absolutely nothing about this artist. In fact, this is probably the first post I'm doing for an artist I don't have several songs of. I actually found this song when I was listening to an online radio. The catchy rhythm of the guitar caught my attention, and when George Ezra began to sing I just had to listen to the rest of the song. Ezra's voice is very unique and very soothing. One thing I do find funny about his singing, however, is that I cannot understand what he's saying at all. I do not think I am the only one though, because when I've shown this song to friends and family, they couldn't figure out the lyrics either. But just because it is difficult to distinguish each word he is saying, doesn't mean it takes away from the song. In fact, it makes it more interesting if you take it as a challenge to learn the lyrics. If you're like me though, you rather just google the lyrics and be singing along as soon as possible. It is a great song to sing to with the chorus having high and low notes so close together.

In general, for the lyric challenge and catchy rhythm and note changes, it is a fun song to add to your music collection if you haven't already. I should probably check out George Ezra's music in the future, but something tells me his other songs might not be like "Budapest". I'm using Coldplay as a reference here, because I know if I liked "Viva La Vida", I wouldn't have much luck finding other Coldplay music like it (I love all Coldplay music, but know that they can't be judged by "Viva La Vida" because that is just one song out of many and not all their songs sound like that). Regardless, I will still check out Ezra's music in case I end up liking it in the end. For now, I'll keep listening to Budapest and I hope that you will give it a chance as well. If you're a George Ezra fan and can recommend some good songs of his, feel free to leave a comment below. It would be very much appreciated!

Purchase today's song: https://amzn.to/2RZKZ1q

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Celine Dion - To Love You More

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Celine Dion is loved by people all over the world for her spectacular voice and outstanding talent. The Canadian singer has multiple songs that have made it to the top of the charts for a week or longer. Some of her most famous ones include "The Power of Love", "It's All Coming Back to Me Now", "Because You Loved Me", and "My Heart Will Go On". Composed by movie composer James Horner, "My Heart Will Go On" is probably most well-known by movie fanatics because it was featured in James Cameron's Titanic.

My song choice for today, "To Love You More" is from the same album as the songs I mentioned above. That album, All the Way... A Decade of Song, is a mix of her greatest hits along with several new tracks. It is a wonderful compilation of Dion's best, both old and new, and I would recommend it to anyone discovering her music for the first time. While I do love all the tracks on the album, I had to pick this one to share for two reasons. One, it is not as famous as the others, and like I've said before I like to give my readers new music by familiar artists to add to their song libraries. Second, the instrumentation is absolutely beautiful. I love the strings in this song and especially love the opening violin melody. Add Celine Dion's incredible vocals to those instruments and you have an enchanting masterpiece of a song. I hope you enjoy listening to one of my favorite Celine Dion songs today.

Purchase today's song: https://amzn.to/2yMNb3A

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