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The greatest artist of all time has his Birthday today, which is a great excuse to promote one of his songs to a Song of the Day…well, all of his songs are ‘Song of the Day’ worthy, so ‘excuses’ are not needed. It should be obvious, the artist is Prince, and for today I picked ‘Nothing Compares 2 U‘. Once again he wrote  a brilliant song, made famous by Sinead O’Connor.

The true meaning of this song might surprise you, not many are aware of it…

As Prince is somewhat anti-internet (understatement ), an album version of the song performed by His Royal Badness cannot be found online, yet I believe that the clip below is a perfect ‘second-best’; Prince on stage together with Candy Dulfer (When I want sax, I call Candy )…Njoy y’all!

I noticed that most of my Song of the Day posts are done on a Saturday, I guess that the weekend spirit makes me rock eh? (I rock a lot lately as in the past period in essence every day is a weekend day haha ).

Todays Song of the Day is one that always, *always*, puts a smile on my face and makes me happy and wanna do the ‘funny-moves-dance’!   I am sure that everyone knows this one; Paolo Conte with Via Con Me…my invite to you to smile and daaaance your funniest moves!!

A fresh layer of snow this morning makes walking in the forest an exciting experience; it is *o-so* quiet, I love it! That, and a specific mood today, got me thinking of one of Alan Parsons Project‘s best songs (evah! )…todays Song of the Day is ‘Silence and I‘ from the ‘Eye in the Sky‘ album (known for the image of the Eye of Horus on the cover, a symbol for protection I have been wearing the past three years).

The song is a brilliant mix of ‘silence’ performed via cryptic lyrics in a slow tempo, and an uptempo interlude which is the pure contract of ‘silence’…what *is* silence really?

Listen to the whole song and feel the balance…

…and before you realise it, the first two months of 2013 are past us…it is amaaazing how fast the days go when you’re without a job hehe Time is an interesting phenomenon (all made up by us, human beings ) and thinking of it brings me to a fantastic Prince song (I felt like a Song of the Day today ). This one (once again) proofs what an outstanding songwriter Prince really is; yessss, my Song of the Day is Sign ‘O’ The Times!

It is the lead single off Prince‘s album of the same name from 1987…oof, that is 26 years ago uhhh no comment!

Oh well, what can I say…enjoy y’all!!

The hotel has background music playing in the courtyard, nice although the playlist is never changing and seems to be exactly 24 hours which means that I hear the exact same songs at the exact same time of day…everyday! Arrgghhh, repetition is so not my thing!

Every morning at breakfast though I hear a particular song that I really like…my Song of the Day!

Please enjoy Alan Parsons Project with ‘The Turn of a Friendly Card (part 1)‘.

The song uses gambling as a metaphor for life; some people are waiting for the turn of a friendly card to make their lives change for the better. They are unhappy in the process of waiting yet don’t realize that they are their own master of their life…

Well, I’d rather take matters in my own hand, turn the cards myself and discover that though some cards are more friendly than others, all have something to learn in them!

Nice last sentence while I am enjoying my retreat in the sun:

“But a pilgrim must follow in search of a shrine
As he enters inside the cathedral…”

Wow, it has been over two months since my last Song of the Day (pretty amazing for a music lover! ), so it is about time…

…time for: Damian Rice with ‘The Blower’s Daughter‘! The song continues to amaze and creates a magical flow and atmosphere (in Xmas terms; let it flow, let it flow, let it flow ).

The lyrics for this song can be interpreted in many ways (obsession and love of his life out of reach, though the ‘true meaning’ is here). For me it is mainly the music and of course THE sentence: ‘and so it is’…indeed, it IS!

Enjoy!

Ha, a rainy Saturday afternoon calls for a Prince song! (any moment really calls for that, but hey )

Soooo many songs to choose from, yet hardly any to find on YouTube because of Prince’s averse against everything internet…

Still, I found one (and wonder for how long it will be available…)

The lyrics in this song just roll soooo smooth, yet address a big not so smooth issue which shapes the world around us; money, poverty, and greed: today’s Song of the Day: Prince with Money Don’t Matter 2 Night!

I never get enough of Prince…I love it!

On this day there can be only one song that qualifies for the Song of the Day…

On October 5 1962 four guys from Liverpool released their first single, Love me Do. These guys would later be known as the Fab Four…yeah, todays Song of the Day is a song by one of the most influential bands in history, The Beatles!

There is another event that make October 5 a special date:

Last year, the world lost one of the most influential technology visionaries of all time, Steve Jobs, passed away.

There are some links between the two; well, The Beatles founded Apple Corps Ltd (informally known as Apple) a multimedia corporation mostly known for its record label, Apple Records. Steve Jobs was known to be a huge fan of The Beatles and he used The Beatles as his model for business: “They were four guys that kept each other’s negative tendencies in check; they balanced each other. And the total was greater than the sum of the parts. Great things in business are never done by one person, they are done by a team of people.”

OK, back to the music; swing along on ‘Love me Do’!

And as bonus clip for today, check out the official Apple tribute to Steve Jobs, which is shown when you browse to apple.com today:

Oh, and for us geeks; the first official version of the Linux kernel, version 0.02, was released on October 5 1991, w00t! ;)

Today’s Song of the Day is one that has touched my heart from the very first time I heard it: Kate Bush with The Man with the Child in His Eyes. Kate’s fragile and amazing voice, the piano, strings and lyrics. Yeah, I always cherish the child inside of me…(which is even more so after I became father of an angel child!).

Though the lyrics of the song can be interpreted in various ways, I like to stick to what Kate herself said about it in 1979:

“It’s something that I feel about men generally. That a lot of men have got a child inside them, you know I think they are more or less just grown up kids. And that it’s a very good quality, it’s really good, because a lot of women go out and get far too responsible. And it’s really nice to keep that delight in wonderful things that children have. And that’s what I was trying to say.”

A lazy Saturday evening, chatting online with friends, a glass of red wine, the idea of reading a book and Van Morrison on the background…it is weekend and I am aware that ‘Van the Man’ did not appear without reason, he sang And the Healing Has Begun and I couldn’t agree more…

It is one of the central songs in Morrison’s career and one of the central principles in life; the healing begins, every moment…now, Now and NOW! A perfect Song of the Day on this beautiful Saturday evening…

It is berry season; that means loads of blueberries, strawberries, currants, blackberries and…raspberries! From berries to a Song of the Day is an easy step as Prince (who else) never fails to deliver!

Indeed, ‘Raspberry Beret‘ by Prince and The Revolution is todays Song of the Day…this song has the gift to make me happy and cheerful every time I hear it…so: smile, laugh, be happy and DANCE y’all!!

The month of July has past, and I want to share the song that I played over and over during July 2012; LMFOA with ‘Sexy and I Know It‘ is todays Song of the Day! This track gives me a kick, not so much as if the song describes me (although it does ), but mostly as the song has a fantastic rhythm and is pumping loads of energy through the speakers, I like it!

Funny video too, check this tutorial if you want to try and make your own Box Man!

Wiggle wiggle wiggle y’all!!

Whenever we are working with a team on a big proposal, we select a ‘project’ song for motivation and increased spirit when our minds get tired. Earlier choices included Sak Noel with ‘Loca People‘ as working on these kind of proposals often means working ‘all day…all night’…WTF!

The song chosen this time is Foster The People with ‘Pumped Up Kicks‘; an upbeat tune that puts us right back in writing mode!

(unlike  the ‘All day, All night…WTF‘ in ‘Loca People‘, the lyrics of this particular song are not so much contributing; a kid being bullied and losing his mind…)

Interesting side note; Mark Foster who wrote the song, played all of the instruments on the song himself (thinking that he was just recording a demo) and used Apple’s Logic Pro software to arrange and edit the song. This demo ultimately became the version of the song that Foster The People released. Check out the article that Apple put up.

It is Monday, a new week in a fresh month just started and this Song of the Day brings balance to my rocky life! Indeed, work is hectic and life is changing…

Close your eyes with me and enjoy the soft and sweetness of Patrick Watson with ‘Je te laisserai des mots‘…goosebumps, beautiful, eh??

(for those who don’t speak french, the translation can be found below, underneath the YouTube clip!)

I’ll leave words under your door
Under the singing moon
Near the place where your feet pass
Hidden amongst winter holes
And when you find yourself alone for an instant
 

Kiss me
Whenever you want
Kiss me
Whenever you want
Kiss me
Whenever you want

Since the summer is apparently hiding somewhere far away , we have to do with a sweet summer tune to get into the mood. Have a listen (and look ) to Sébastien Tellier with ‘Look’ (from his Sexuality album, hmm).

I love this tune, SO relaxing! Unlike most hot summer night tunes though, you shouldn’t close your eyes with this one…that clip, those…uhhh legs, oof! Hehe

Question of the day; who has been modeling for this clip??

Some songs stick with you for years and years. Living Colour‘s Love Rears Its Ugly Head is such a song; from the first time I heard this song, it ‘came in’ and never left.

Great riffs, interesting lyrics and an amazing voice make a fantastic song: Njoy!

A splendid summer day in Norway (>30C) calls for a summer Song of the Day…and even though this one was not a ‘real’ summer song when it was released, it definitely has that summer vibe to it: Deee-Lite with ‘Groove Is in the Heart‘

Oh man, those summer outdoor house parties, dancing the night away and coming home in bright sunlight and still full of energy…yeah, that 90′s vibe is gonna come back this summer!

As I am leaving for Africa tomorrow, my Song of the Day cannot come as a surprise: here is Toto with ‘Africa‘!

*Everybody* knows this song, so please sing along…I will however not sing the line: ‘I bless the rains down in Africa’ hehe…oh well, I just checked the weather forecast for Mozambique; sun, sun, sun (and some more sun!! ), so no worries!

Today’s Song of the Day is matching the period of my life…well, it is actually matching any period of anybody’s life, coz change is unavoidable in life, and even more so in 2012, the year of change!

Good’old David Bowie wrote it beautifully in ‘Changes‘…Time may change me, But I can’t trace time…

Almost all Prince songs qualify as a Song of the Day, and with his HUGE discography I can fill the blog with his songs for the coming 10 years orso! (no worries, I am not gonna do that! ).

Today I picked the song Morning Papers, one of his best ballads!! …and, just listen to this line in the song, I *love* it: ”If he poured his heart into a glass and offered it like wine, she could drink and be back in time for the morning papers”…you’re an absolute hero if you can write this!

TGIF y’all! I realize it is more a Thank God for you than for me, as weekdays are very similar to weekend days during my father-son week!

Still, the weekend has begun and that calls for a Song of the Day, ha! So c’mon and move along, this is Us3 with ’Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)‘…great times those early 90′s!

Haha, this Song of the Day was to be expected now that I am daddy, and today is the day to play it as I am having ’father-son week, The Sequel’!  Ten days quality time with Misha, until next week Sunday, what else can a father wish for?

I do know that George Michael‘s ’Father Figure‘ is not about a father and his child, but still…it is beautiful, so fragile…I LOVE this song! (and much more appropriate than ‘No Son of Mine’ from Genesis! )

No words can describe the fragile yet intense energy in this song: Angus & Julia Stone with ‘Draw Your Swords‘, one of my all-time favorites!

Headphones on, eyes closed…allow it to come in; a lovely combination of acoustic guitar with piano and the words just flowing into the melody.

Their website has a note telling us that Angus & Julia are working on their solo projects at the moment and won’t be touring together soon, so I have to wait a little to see them live. (until then we’ll have to do with their YouTube channel, filled with 16 beauties!)

With blue skies and temperatures well above average for this time of year, it is summer-tunes week on my Spotify and iTunes!

Beats International with ‘Dub Be Good To Me‘ in particular has been playing over and over; it brings back great memories from the early 90′s…and the song *still* gives me a great vibe!

Did you know that Beats International was formed by Norman Cook a.k.a. Fatboy Slim? I saw him some years back at Pohoda festival in Slovakia, he’s still groovin’!

Sunglasses on y’all!

I already loved the original version of ‘I Follow Rivers‘ as recorded by Lykke Li (YouTube clip here), but what the Belgian band Triggerfinger did with it is truly amazing: SO fragile, SO honest and SO vulnerable.

There are many ways to interpret the song (find some interesting viewpoints in the comments of the song lyrics here), I suggest you listen and decide for yourself: “what is it that this song tells and means to ME!”

A pure love song as well as a song about life…symbolic for life as you (choose to) live it: you are wading through the river of life, water flowing around you, you feel the current and you realize: it is MY choice to go with or fight against it. You might want to go somewhere else than where the river intends to take you, hold on to a branch perhaps, avoid to change your safe environment, yet you feel the water moving around you, whispering what your direction is, though there are various currents that bring you exactly were you need to be, it is your choice…the awareness that it doesn’t really matter in the end, as you will end up in the same sea anyway, and at the same time; you know that you are in the river to experience it to the fullest, the experience of *your* river-flow and choice of current defines and gives meaning to your life…and in this life, you will go through it, follow the river all the way to the sea, the sea which is filled with love.

Enjoy life…peace…LOVE!