Confessions, Death, and the Animal Kingdom

The saddest thing about music is that sometimes people are embarrassed to admit that they like certain artists or songs because they're afraid of how they're going to be perceived. It's terrible to have to hide your music identity in fear of ridicule. If a certain artist or genre of music speaks to you then you should be proud of that. There is nothing to hide, that's the beauty of music. It's so unfortunate that not everyone can feel this way. The relationship that you build with the music you listen to is so important, it's always there for you no matter what. You know that in times of need you can turn on a song by your favorite artist and things suddenly don't seem as bad. It all goes back to that Bob Marley lyric, "one good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain".

Here at A Year Of Shuffling I want to encourage you to not be afraid to admit you like certain types of music. Hitting shuffle everyday for a year is like reading passages from my music journal with you guys. It's very personal, and at times embarrassing. The more I shuffle and the more I write the less embarrassed I'm becoming though. Yes of course there are some things on my ipod that I wouldn't openly come out and say are on there (*cough* Glee *cough*). I understand that not everything on my ipod is a gem, but it's all there for a reason. At some point in life that song or album meant something to me. I shouldn't be afraid to admit that, and at times yes it's fun to make fun of yourself for it. If One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest taught me nothing else, it's you got to be able to laugh.

So with that in mind I think it's time I made a music confession. I love American Idol. There I said it. I've kind of hidden the fact that I love this show and download my favorite performances. There have even been occasions where I have voted in hopes of keeping my favorite around (looking at you David Cook and you Haley Reinhart). The reason I bring this up is because last night was the American Idol Finale and I geeked out for it. The show was fantastic! I couldn't help it people. I just had so much fun watching it and laughing at the different guest spots and song choices (it also reminded me how incredible Tom Jones's Deliah is). It just brought a season, that I enjoyed tremendously, full circle. I'm actually more excited about the people who didn't win. There was a large amount of talent on the show this year (Casey Abrams, Paul McDonald, and of course Haley Reinhart) that I look forward to keeping track of and the release of their eventual albums.

So why confess to this? I'm not sure. Maybe it's to let you know at some point something I downloaded from American Idol will come across the shuffle journey. Or more importantly I think I've made my peace with the fact that I'm a fan of the show. I feel open enough to admit that yes I love American Idol. If I can admit to that, what's keeping you from admitting to your enormous Michael Bolton collection?

Today's song has nothing to do with American Idol, as a matter of fact it put me right smack in the middle of the 90's. As soon as Say Hello 2 Heaven started playing I wanted a flannel shirt and maybe some long hair to toss around whilst head banging. (Note To Readers: When I was in 8th grade I did try growing my hair out long, the results were terrible. I have naturally curly hair that just whipped up behind my ears and always looked greasy. Not a good luck for me). I just love the feel to 90's music. It feels like opening the door to home.



Temple of the Dog is the mating of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam (literally it's members from both bands) who are most known for their song Hunger Strike (incredible). They were formed as a tribute to the lead singer of Mother Love Bone, Andrew Wood. Now while Hunger Strike uses Eddie Vedder predominately to feed off of Chris Cornell he only appears on two other tracks and both in the back up variety. So this is primarily a Chris Cornell vocal album.

Here's the thing, I may not be the biggest Soundgarden fan in the world but I think Chris Cornell has the greatest voice in rock'n roll right now (I wonder if he would be in the argument with Mercury and Plant?). I can't believe how amazing it is, just the range that he has blows my mind. Whether it be solo, with Soundgarden or with Audioslave (who were pretty good for that first album and then the released the same album two more times).  I don't know this song very well but as soon as it started to play I just knew that it was a Chris Cornell song. It just had that tone to it. For those of you who need further proof on the awesome vocal power of Chris Cornell please listen to When I'm Down, off his first solo album. Sweet Jesus this song is amazing.

I'm pretty sure that this song is specifically about Andrew Wood and dealing with his death. Death songs are tough because they usually capture the most emotion but tend to be difficult to listen to. All that emotion wears you out, and usually leaves a melancholy after taste. It's just a topic that tends to be bittersweet, especially in this case when the person who passed died of a heroin overdose. Drug overdose seem to go hand in hand with rock music, but it doesn't make them any less tragic. Especially when there's so much talent wasted. I think Say Hello 2 Heaven covers that, but I think it covers the topic of sudden loss more.  

I never wanted /To write these words down for you /With the pages of phrases /Of things we'll never do/So I blow out the candle, and /I put you to bed/Since you can't say to me /Now how the dogs broke your bone /There's just one thing left to be said /Say hello to heaven

When I got home from work I played Say Hello 2 Heaven again, and this lead me into putting on a playlist with a more "up" feeling while I started to make dinner (actually truth be told this playlist did involve a lot of American Idol music). As I was dancing and singing about I looked over at Hudson the Cat and started wondering... how do animals perceive music? Hudson didn't look offended with what was being played (I believe it was the Killing Moon) he just had this very content face on. So I started wondering what do our pets hear when we start blasting our favorite music? Is it like fish in a fish bowl when we tap against it, just this thunder like noise? Or do they actually hear the melody and the feed off the vibrations? 'Cause I really don't think animals get the meaning of the lyrics (unless it's Stray Cat Strut, all cats understand the lyrics of that).

I had this sheep dog growing up, Misty, who was a beast of a dog. She didn't like anyone except my sister and I. She looked out for the two of us and treated us very kindly, except when she was eating the weapons to my He-Man toys. We could ride her like a horse or pull on her ears and she would never get mad at us, but if my mother or father tried to pet her or something she would turn on them like that. It was weird. Any way Misty actually had a favorite song. Whenever my Dad would play Billy Joel's Captain Jack, Misty would sing along with the chorus. Of course by sing I mean bark because if my parents had discovered a dog that could actually sing I believe I'd be writing this post on my yacht. I find things like this to be really interesting. How did Misty understand that it was the chorus? What was the que that set her off barking? Why doesn't Hudson the Cat like Billy Joel in the same way? I don't know. These are things that just fascinate me.

I played Say Hello 2 Heaven for Hudson and he just seemed not to notice. He didn't start rocking out (running around the apartment) he also didn't find it boring (he didn't leave the room), he just thought it was there. Maybe I should make one of my ambitions for A Year of Shuffling to find out what Hudson's favorite band is. Hmmmm the idea of this project has peaked my interest (Shea thinks his favorite song is the theme from the Office but I'm not entirely sold on this). Something to keep track of.

classical music face

(Random Shea Interjection: I hope I never have to give a giraffe a neck massage.)