May Week 2: Soul, Soundtrack, New-Age, and K-Pop

Here is week 2 of May! Enjoy the tunes and photographs.

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Monday: Kiss from a Rose - Seal

This song is so beautiful and mysterious 🥀

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Tuesday: This is Where I Belong - Bryan Adams

One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite movies

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Wednesday: The Dreamcatcher - Ron Allen

My best memories with today's song involve Disney's Wilderness Lodge Resort and all the stars in the sky. I was introduced to the album "Secrets of the Dreamcatcher" at the Disney resort and I absolutely fell in love with the soundtrack. After purchasing it, I found myself playing it every cold winter night when the skies were clear and I could see every star. 

Because of those fond memories, I needed a matching photograph of the time of evening when the stars appear, as well as the type of scenery surrounding the Wilderness Lodge. The image I chose was taken when I visited Yosemite National Park. The sun had just set and the sky could be seen glowing brilliant colors through the trees. It was enchanting! I couldn't have found a better match for the enchanting flutes of Ron Allen's "The Dreamcatcher".

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Thursday: Answer : Love Myself - BTS

I'm very grateful for a band that feels so strongly about empowering the community. I hope that their campaign Love Myself is able reach all those who listen to BTS's music and help make the world a better place 💜

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Sunday: Mama - J-Hope

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers of the world! ♥️ Whether you speak Korean or read the translation, the lyrics of this song are truly touching. I thought it would be an appropriate choice for today's song of the day because of the theme. It's an extremely catchy song and definitely worth listening to for the meaning as well as the rhythm!

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May Week 1: Electronic, Pop, Instrumental, and Musical

Hello readers! I am so sorry for leaving for so long. If you read my announcement from last year, you know that my format has changed. However, that doesn't explain why I stopped posting altogether. It is a lot more difficult posting so frequently than I expected. I do still enjoy creating these images with these songs so much! I just don't always feel motivated to do so because I need the right inspiration for it. I also can't be too busy with real-world stuff. Therefore, I think the best thing I can do is to simply create pictures whenever I'm inspired, for however long the inspiration lasts. So for now, hope you enjoy this time of inspiration. Thanks to everyone who visits my blog! Please enjoy the following summary of this week's posts! I made sure to include the YouTube player for each one in case you haven't had the chance to hear these songs before (or in case you just wanna jam out to them as you usually do). Happy listening!

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Wednesday: Angels - Owl City

One of the most awe-inspiring trips in my life was when I visited Kennedy Space Center for the first time. Since then, I've had this newfound love for all the galaxies and planets and stars in the universe. I definitely believe astronauts have a wondrous view of our galaxy from up there...

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Thursday: Somewhere Only We Know - Keane

Special thanks to a friend for creating this image 😊

midnyghtmadnes.tumblr.com

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Friday: Lost in the Wild - Jerry Goldsmith

The main theme from "The Edge" is one of the most captivating musical scores. The melody reflects both the beauty and the danger of the great Alaskan wilderness. Jerry Goldsmith did a wonderful job creating the ideal ambiance for this 1997 thriller.

The photograph I chose to complement today's song choice was taken in Alaska. While on a trip to that beautiful state, I found myself in awe of the vast, untouched landscape. Playing "Lost in the Wild" while surrounded by all this truly enhanced the experience. I highly suggest listening to this track the next time you find yourself immersed in the beauty of nature.

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Saturday: Luke and Leia - John Williams

Shout out to all my fellow Star Wars fans out there! May the 4th be with you!

And also a shout-out to one of the greatest composers of all time, John Williams: Thank you for creating the most wonderful soundtracks for all these classic movies! Hope I will be able to attend a concert of yours one day!

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Sunday: Rainbow Connection - The Muppets

Who doesn't love this classic Muppets tune!

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DJ Earworm - Blame It on the Pop

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I remember when this song first came out I was completely mind-blown. It was all the best hits from the year 2009 mashed into one epic dance song. I didn't think you could mix so many songs and make it still blend smoothly and flow perfectly. Yet this artist, DJ Earworm, managed to pull it off. At the time it was first released, it went viral where I lived. I heard everyone playing it at every event and in every situation. I wasn't sure how many other people had found the song as well until today. When I looked up the video, I saw that the view count was at 50 million. That's amazing! I'm glad this DJ got the attention he deserved.

In case you are one of those people who are not part of the 50 million views, now is your chance to see this awesome mashup masterpiece. Since it's been almost ten years since the songs in the mix were released, it's going to be a trip down memory lane as you listen to these past radio hits. I should mention that the song isn't the only thing that is epic. The music video is also well-edited and very entertaining to watch (Disclaimer: I'd say the video has some mild PG-13 content; just a heads-up). However, if you just want to listen to the mix, that's totally fine. You'll have the opportunity to play guess the song and guess the artist as you listen. Enjoy jamming out to "Blame It on the Pop" today!

Sorry, this song isn't for sale on Amazon, so no link today. You're welcome to check on iTunes though!

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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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One Republic - All This Time

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This is the first time I'm posting about a One Republic song, and I guarantee it won't be the last. I love so many of their songs for their upbeat rhythms and emphasis on string instruments and piano. It hurts me to say their newest album, Oh My My, was very disappointing. They seemed to have dropped that unique style and instead turned to more irritating and repetitive pop songs. I'm not sure how well the album sold, but if it did not do very well, I hope it shows the band that the fans still love their original style and are happy to keep hearing it. I know I'll be ready to buy the next album if they go back to their old sound.

While there are many other great songs I could have chosen from One Republic, I specifically picked "All This Time" because it is something I quote very often. There are many moments in my life where I finally figure something out after many years, or I realize I've been doing something wrong for a long time. In situations like that, I find myself saying aloud in frustration "wow, after all this time...". So when I discovered the One Republic song whose chorus begins with "All This Time", I started to realize how often I used that expression. Now whenever I go to use it again, I just end up singing "Alllll thiiissss tiiiiime..." to myself, or just take out my iPod and play the actual song. Those first few chords on the piano set such a solemn tone for the melody, it sometimes makes me laugh at how much more dramatic it makes the moment seem. In a way, I guess it's better to laugh at the dramatic sound; it lessens the severity of my frustration in those circumstances. So thanks One Republic!

I'm the type of person who quotes movies, shows, and music all the time, so it's not unusual for me to quote One Republic like this. But since I pick that song to quote more often than others, I thought that made it post-worthy. And of course, besides being quotable, it's also a really nice song with beautiful instrumentation. So I hope enjoy listening to this song today!

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Redbone - Come and Get Your Love

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I would be lying if I said my blog theme wasn't at all inspired by Guardians of the Galaxy; it definitely was. The Awesome Mix cassette from the Marvel movie represented something pretty awesome: a mix of the best songs of the era. The concept of a mixtape is genius in my opinion. Hence why all my daily song choices are always so varied. So in honor of my inspiration from Guardians of the Galaxy, I picked a song from the soundtrack today.

All of the songs from Awesome Mix Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 are pretty amazing, so it's difficult to pick out just one. To make things easier, I simply chose the iconic song from the scene where Chris Pratt makes his first appearance in the movie. This song is just so perfect to jam to, it's no wonder that Starlord dances his way across the planet he's on, completely ignoring the dangers surrounding him. From the opening beat and the first notes of the guitar to the fading end of the song, you can't help but at least tap your foot or sway your head to the rhythm. "Come and Get Your Love" is definitely a classic. Enjoy jamming out to this song today!

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Christina Perri - The Words

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Whether you're a Christina Perri or a Once Upon a Time fan, this song and video are guaranteed to captivate you. The video opens with a scene of a small cabin surrounded by dark pines and gray skies. The gentle notes of the piano immediately follow this somber visual. In less than a second of time, the mood is set and you are enveloped in this world. Despite its dreary elements, this setting is quite cozy. As Christina Perri sings the opening notes, her dramatic tone further emphasizes the sad atmosphere. It's beautiful and tragic all at the same time. Any video that is able to capture such emotion in such a short time is definitely worth while.

I actually found this song around the time I was watching Once Upon a Time because I had found out that the actor who plays Captain Hook was in the music video. I'm not sure about other fans, but I found it pretty cool to see this actor out of his fairy tale environment and in the real world. I think a few fans also wanted to imagine this song was made for the show. Whatever your thoughts are when watching the video or hearing the song, I hope you enjoy it! I highly suggest listening to it at home on a rainy day or on the road when it's cloudy.

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