Jenny Lewis - Barking at the Moon

♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫

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

♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫

George Ezra - Budapest

♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫

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

♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫

Jack Johnson - Do You Remember

♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫

A friend once told me that if I liked John Mayer, I would probably also like Jack Johnson. I took their word for it and rented a couple CDs of Jack Johnson from the library. "Do You Remember" was the first song that really caught my attention. It is fairly different from the rest of the songs of In Between Dreams because there is no instrument playing the beat of the song. The guitar is the only thing keeping the tempo. This adds a pure sound to the song, having only voice and guitar. "Do You Remember" also has a country style to it unlike the other songs in the album. I absolutely love those first few notes when the melody begins—they sound so country.

I really appreciate the lyrics of "Do You Remember" because it tells the innocent and sweet story of when a couple fell in love. The whole song is reflecting on the years they spent together and the sometimes problematic, yet humorous experiences they went through. The line that repeats throughout the song is "over ten years have gone by". I think it adds an element of melancholy to the lyrics. Those words indicate that the special bond between them went beyond those simple memories and kept them together for ten years. I heard the song was about Jack Johnson and his wife, but I'm not sure if that's a fact or someone just assumed that based on the lyrics. Whether fictional or based on a true story, it still is a very pleasant, relaxing, and happy song.

I chose "Do You Remember" to be my autumn song choice for this week because of its country vibes and acoustic quality. It also mentions the month of September which is when fall first begins. I can picture listening to this song on a porch facing the falling leaves of autumn, or by a campfire under the cool autumn night skies. I will be adding this to my fall playlist as I did with the others. Enjoy and happy fall once again!

♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫

REMINDER: In honor of the autumn season, I am choosing one song a week that I associate with fall and adding them to the existing Spotify playlist Songs of Autumn (as well as the usual A Song a Day playlist). Below is the link to the fall playlist.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Ih1oLJC1hfq7wCWJObmSz

Relient K - At Least We Made it This Far

♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫

Relient K is one of my favorite artists. They have that perfect Alternative Rock sound that's great to sing and jam to. Most of their albums are pretty similar in style, but the album The Bird and the Bee Sides has a more acoustic style to it with a bigger focus on acoustic guitar and piano instrumentation. If you enjoy the song I chose today, you may like the rest of the album as well. Some other great tracks are "There Was Another Time in My Life", "Up and Up", and "You'll Always Be My Best Friend".

For today, I chose "At Least We Made it This far". It was one of the first songs I heard by Relient K and was probably the song that convinced me to listen to all their albums. This song is really perfect for one of those times in your life where you've worked really hard to accomplish something, but you haven't reached your goal just yet. It's a great reminder that you're almost there, and it will be worth it in the end. The song's upbeat sound and happy melody are very motivating. Another instance where the song lyrics work well is for a road trip. The words mention that despite being tired of the road, at least you've made it this far and the skies have never looked so clear. On some of the road trips I've been on, I've enjoyed listening to this song while looking up through the sunroof of the car and admiring the blue skies. It truly brightens my mood helps keep me excited not just for the destination, but the journey itself. Though I believe the original meaning behind the song has to do with a relationship, I think it can be applied to those situations that I mentioned and be just as great a song!

I relate this song to fall not only because of its acoustic sound, but also because of its road trip vibes. Each season brings a time for vacation, and while fall doesn't have any official breaks in the school calendar, many people like to take a trip anyways. The weather is cooler, the skies are bluer, and the trees are brighter—why wouldn't you want to take a drive!

♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫

REMINDER: In honor of the start of October, this week will be all fall-themed songs. More specifically, I will be choosing songs that I most associate with the season of autumn. These songs will be added to their own Spotify playlist called Songs of Autumn, as well as the pre-existing A Song a Day playlist. Below is the link to the new playlist.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5Ih1oLJC1hfq7wCWJObmSz

Train - Feels Good At First

♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫

I believe Train is most famous for their song "50 Ways to Say Goodbye" and "Drive By". Both of those songs are from the album California 37. The song I chose today is also from that album and is, in my opinion, just as good. Instead of the usual upbeat alternative rock style Train is known for, the song "Feels Good At First" takes a more acoustic route. The gentle strumming of the guitar accompanies the melancholy lyrics perfectly. Besides the song's acoustic sound that I associate with fall, the lyrics also relate to autumn because they describe each season of the year in the two choruses:

Oh, every spring there's a honey bee that stings
So things can change
Oh, every fire get too close and it reminds you
Things can change in love
But it sure feels good at first

Ooh, every autumn colors come, that you've forgotten
So things can change
Ooh every frost some live on and some are lost
So things can change in love
But it sure feels good at first

While the lyrics are a bit sad, as it deals with heartbreak, the melody is very pleasant and it instead cheers me up while I listen. Sometimes I think a chill, mellow song can really make your day by taking your mind off the busyness of life and encouraging you to sit back and take a break. I hope this song does that for you today. Happy fall!

♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫~•~*~•~♫