Rock and Roll

“Buy me a drink, sing me a song, take me as I come ’cause I can’t stay long,”

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ Leave a comment

 

Tom Petty ONE OF HIS ROADIES LIVED NEXT DOOR [when he was in town]

This past Monday night, one of my absolute favorite rock and rollers passed away. That was a rough day overall, with news of the Las Vegas shooting, then having inconsistent reports on the status of one of, if not the most, beloved American rocker. I overheard coworkers say he had died,  and I kept on working, trying not to cry at my desk. Then on the way home, I heard 3 of his songs in a row, and in between them a DJ announced that Tom Petty had passed away, “confirmed by multiple sources”. Adding that made me question it; usually, they just say it without any such confirmation, these people usually know what they’re proclaiming. I kept looking online and could only confirm that he went into cardiac arrest and was being treated but then was taken off of life support. My mom told me they considered him to be brain-dead; I cried in the car on the way to dinner. I didn’t believe he was gone until his official accounts on various social media outlets (Facebook and Twitter) announced it so later that evening.

Tom Petty may have physically left the world, but his music will remain embedded in the hearts and souls of so many people, myself included. I grew up with his music, I’ve loved him my whole life, whether it’s been with The Heartbreakers, among other legends in the Traveling Wilburys, solo, or with Stevie Nicks (of Fleetwood Mac). He was also one of those rare, mystical gems who could not release a bad song if he tried. You probably know his biggest hits; I don’t know anyone that doesn’t. But here are few of my personal favorites:

“Oh my my, oh hell yes, honey put on that party dress. Buy me a drink, sing me a song, take me as I come ’cause I can’t stay long”

 

“Well let’s get to the point, let’s roll another joint, turn the radio loud,”

 

 

“She’s gonna listen to her heart, it’s gonna tell her what to do. She might need a lot of loving but she don’t need you.”

 

“I’ll be the boy in the corduroy pants, you’ll be the girl at the high school dance. Run with me, wherever I go. Just play dumb, whatever you know.”

 

“It’s alright if you love me, it’s alright if you don’t. I’m not afraid of you running away honey, I got the feeling you won’t.”

 

“If you don’t feel complete, if I don’t take you all of the way then go, yeah go…but remember: good love is hard to find, good love is hard to fine…you got lucky, babe. You got lucky, babe, when I found you.”

This is literally just a handful, as Tom Petty solo and with the Heartbreakers had so many wonderful songs. You can go through their greatest hits compilations, and albums like Damn the Torpedoes and Wildflowers, and just sit back and enjoy the endless ride of good music. And if you crave more, go to his collaborations with other fantastic artists.

I couldn’t possibly write a tribute worthy enough of the man who wrote the soundtrack of our lives. Whose songs have such emotional depth, songs that have meant so much to me, given me so much comfort over the years, that I can listen to in every kind of mood. I can only express my gratitude by continuing to listen to this music for the rest of my life.

Okay, I can’t resist…here’s a few more of my favorites:

“Somewhere, somehow, somebody must have kicked you around some. Tell me why you want to lay there, revel in your abandon.”

“I know you really wanna tell me goodbye. I know you really want to be your own girl.”

 

“Everybody’s got somebody to lean on, put your body next to mine, and dream on.”

I’ll stop myself, I could go on all night…

Thank you, Tom Petty, for all of this beautiful music. May you rest in peace.

 

Tom petty. Such a babe.

Tom Petty

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Awww

The Traveling Wilburys

Tom Petty, 1978 omg, his jacket and shirt!!

George Harrison and Tom Petty

Tom Petty! :')

Tom Petty..."Well yeah i might have chased a couple women around All it ever got me was down Then there were those that made me feel good But never as good as I'm feeling right now Baby you're the only one that's ever known how To make me wanna live like I wanna live now I said yeah yeah The waiting is the hardest part Every day you get one more yard You take it on faith, you take it to the heart The waiting is the hardest part"

tom petty -

 

 

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“Because I’m falling down, with people standing around. But before I hit the ground, is there time, could I find someone out there to help me?”

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ Leave a comment

Happy Duran Duran Appreciation Day!! I’ve been in an emotional rut lately but my #1 darlings are always here to make me feel better. On this day last year, I highlighted my favorite songs of theirs that I felt were lesser-known by the (severely deprived) non-Duranie general public. This year, I want to share the songs that bring me comfort, that soothe me when the plane of life is having some turbulence.

But first…let’s appreciate their beauty for a moment, because this also comforts me:

duran duran minus andy

czech duran duran picture

my fave duran duran picture

laughing duran duran

At first, I was in love with Simon Le Bon (the singer, for you noobs out there):

live aid Simon Le Bon

But it didn’t take long for me to fall harder for the bassist, John Taylor:

John Taylor being beautiful in stripes

John Taylor

Love John Taylor's red hair

John Taylor...you know you're my favorite of my favorites.

And they’ve always been extra beautiful together:

John Taylor and Simon Le Bon being perfect

Duran Duran. Simon and John...love!!!

Okay…back to the music! Obviously that’s the most important thing.

In no particular order, here the Duran Duran songs that comfort me when I need it:

What Happens Tomorrow- when I was a teenager, it felt like the opening lyrics were meant for me; “child, don’t you worry. It’s enough you’re growing up in such a hurry. Brings you down, the news they sell ya, to put in your mind good old mandkind is a failure”.  Now, I cling on to “you’ve got to believe it’ll be alright in the end, you’ve got to believe it’ll be alright again”.

 

Come Undone- you can feel the 90’s seeping out of this one but I love it. But anyway…”now we’ll try to stay blind to the hope and fear outside. Hey child, stay wilder than the wind and blow me in to cry…who do you need? Who do you love? When you’ve come undone”. Also, there’s moment in this music video where John Taylor mouths the lyrics “hey child” and I always felt like he was speaking to me. Alas, I’ve been hopelessly in love with him since I was 13…it’s not my fault.

 

Box Full of Honey- this wasn’t a major single, just a track off of Red Carpet Massacre that I love. And this is more just light and pleasant rather than touching on troubles in life, so it comforts me in that way. It feels feathery in it’s acoustic tone. Also I just enjoy these lyrics: “what I thought a pretty tune, was howling at the moon, to keep me company this evening”.

 

Falling Down- also from Red Carpet Massacre but this was indeed released as a single. It even features Justin Timberlake! “Because I’m falling down, with people standing around. But before I hit the ground, is there time, could I find, someone to help me?” I relate too strongly to this right now. But anyway, it’s a gorgeous song.

 

Leave a Light On- from the album after Red Carpet Massacre, All You Need is Now. It’s just so mellow and relaxing. “I know, I swear, If you leave a light on for me, I’ll come back,”.

 

Lonely In Your Nightmare- we’re going way back here to their second album, my favorite, Rio. Not a massive hit (at least here in the US), but that entire album is perfection, so in my eyes it is. “Because you’re lonely in your nightmare let me in. Because there’s heat beneath your winter, let me in”

 

Ordinary World- I almost forgot one of their most beautiful songs! Back to the 90’s on this one. “No, I won’t cry for yesterday; there’s an ordinary world somehow I’ll have to find. And as I try to make my way through the ordinary world, I will learn to survive.”

 

Well there you have it, folks; those are my top 7 comforting Duran Duran songs (in no particular order). I would love to hear what your Duran Duran comfort songs are, please comment (this goes for everyone, from fellow hardcore Duranies to casual listeners)!

But wait…. because it’s Duran Duran Appreciation Day, I also have to share my all time favorite song of theirs in general as well (disclaimer: the band is not in the music video, it’s kinda devastating. But just close your eyes and listen!):

 

Again….HAPPY DURAN DURAN APPRECIATION DAY!!!

my actual fave of Duran Duran

“If I could stick my pen in my heart, spill it all over the stage,”

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ Leave a comment

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I wish I could taken home this beautiful poster depicting some of my favorite lyrics from one of my absolute favorite songs from one of my most beloved favorite bands. I was finally able to see my darling Rolling Stones’ exhibit in Chicago, “Exhitbitionism”, just a day before my birthday and during its’ final month here. It has been here since April, but I have been wanting to go since it was in London last year; I’ve already lamented about not being able to attend then. Alas, I was so excited to finally stand among the giant tongues and see what the exhibit had to offer! It’s now gone, it was only here April through July, and I had been asking people and aching to go see it pretty much every weekend, so finally my boyfriend went with me the day before my birthday as part of my birthday celebration/present (even though turning 25 hardly felt like something worth celebrating). He even paid for this extra feature where we walked around with a mp3 player that had members of the band read the exhibit’s content along with extra tidbits of interviews.

I didn’t take too many pictures inside the actual exhibit, because some things were behind glass which gave a bad glare in photos or I feared getting too close and getting kicked out. Like, when I saw the guitar that Keith Richards recorded Gimme Shelter on, one of the best songs this world has ever known, I got chills and I almost cried. But there was so much glare. But anyway, here are the pictures I did take:

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Everyone is licking each other and I love it.

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I so badly want this tiger poster for my own.

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Now this black coat…this coat is special to me. I almost cried in its’ presence, and I so badly wanted to touch it, but there was an exhibit worker standing right behind me. It means so much to me because back in 2013 when I saw them live for the first (and so far only) time, Mick Jagger came out wearing this coat during Sympathy for the Devil, which over my older years has become one of my favorites. And I was already in love with Mick Jagger, but it was seriously one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen in my life; watching him majestically walk the stage, the coat blowing behind him, the words coming out of him like hypnotic lava.

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I was also excited to finally wear this dress I had ordered from Forever21 maybe two or three years ago; I had been waiting for the perfect occasion and it had at last arrived. And the dress itself is actually just a Stones tank cut up with a mesh skirt, so I had to wear a black mini skirt underneath it. I like that it came that way, though; it forced me to make it my own. Maybe some girls would rock it with leggings, or another lightweight maxi skirt. I just wish there were more rock and roll dresses like this or any rock and roll dresses at all. I have Star Wars and Disney dresses, but I would only be complete with rock and roll dresses; yellow submarines, Who targets, more Rolling Stones mouths, just give me anything rock and roll!! But anyway, this is what the dress looks like on the hanger:

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It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with the Rolling Stones logo and try to acquire as much merchandise as I can with it on there; the comforter and pillows on my bed, patches, necklaces, and of course dozens of t-shirts. The gift shop at the end of the exhibit had such beautiful and unique apparel, including various jean and leather jackets by Tommy Hilfiger that were quite expensive. I’ll have you some day, Rolling Stones leather jacket…but for now, I simply added to my t-shirt collection:

Overall, I adored the experience and I loved finally taking pictures with the statues, but that doesn’t mean I will settle for that; I NEED THOSE IN MY HOME SOMEDAY!

But thank you, my darling Rolling Stones, for giving me all of this music and art. I adore you all.

rolling stones in front of exhibit

“I can still remember how that music used to make me smile,”

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ Leave a comment

“And I knew if I had my chance, that I could make those people dance, and maybe they’d be happy for a while. But February Made Me Shiver, with every paper I delivered. Bad news on the doorstep, I couldn’t take one more step. I can’t remember if I cried when I read about his widowed bride, but something touched me deep inside, the Day the Music Died.”

 

February 3rd, 1959 was that day. That tragic day that the world lost a rock and roll pioneer, and two who were just starting their careers; another ground-breaking young rocker, and DJ who had just churned out a novelty hit. If you’re not into rock and roll or are otherwise still confused, I’m talking about Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson. Holly was only 22, Valens merely 17, and Richardson was 29. I wrote a lot about them last year, about how Buddy Holly and the Crickets’ music was the soundtrack to my childhood, and how I got more into Richie Valens when I was a little older and felt so connected to this young man of Mexican heritage; I am also of Mexican descent and it was lovely to learn about this Mexican rock star who, like me, wasn’t fluent in Spanish but still proud of his heritage. He made the white kids dance to La Bamba, and I love him forever for it. Unfortunately, though, to have any sort of acceptance or success, they made him whiten up his last name, Valenzuela, to Valens because America was super white, largely racist, and very segregated at this time. (Sadly, it seems as though lately this country is trying to revert back to such a time…but man, one sad thing at a time…). Oh, and the Big Bopper! Chantilly Lace is quite a fun song. He had literally just starting putting out his own songs, unfortunately the world will never know  what else he could have brought us. I feel that sting of what never was even more when thinking about Holly and Valens, though. Buddy was already quite a successful singer and songwriter, had many hits already. Richie had a handful of big hits as well, but his career had only started in 1958 and again, the poor boy was only 17 when he died. I truly believed they would have brought us so many more beautiful songs if they hadn’t died tragically in that plane crash. But their short rocking time on this Earth influenced all of rock and roll to come. The Beatles all loved Buddy Holly and the Crickets; in fact, that band name inspired their own insect name. They’ve done covers of Buddy’s songs along with so many other artists. And Richie Valens?! You wouldn’t have the mind-blowing guitarist that is Jimmy Page if it wasn’t for Richie Valens, or Carlos Santana, among many others who have cited the sweet, baby-face Mexican-American singer.

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I think I did this last year, but I’ll do it again….here are my favorites of theirs:

P.S. ….even though I kinda hated this movie called True Romance, there is one fun scene where this song is actually kinda sexy.

Actually, I’m super fond of La Bamba as well, but this one is also super fun.

This is truly my favorite Buddy Holly song…I’ve always found it so soothing.

…..okay fine, here’s another favorite of mine:

Woulda look at that; another one got in here somehow!

Okay, that’s the last one, I swear; it’s just that….this song needs to be danced to as often as possible.

Rock in peace, my darlings. You are forever young and will never be forgotten.

“Long live rock! I need it every night”

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ Leave a comment

So do I, my darling Who. But I need my Disney animated classics, too; right now, I’m watching 101 Dalmatians because I haven’t in a while and I’ve been craving it. Truly, I need both. Seldom do the two ever cross paths, but lately they do on graphic tees…

Who-De-Lally Women's Baseball Tee

This take on my beloved 4th favorite band, the Who, and their classic logo and mixing it with Robin Hood is just delightful. My favorite part is “THE WHO-DE-LALLY TOUR ’73”, which is combining the two even further by referencing the classic song “Oo De Lally”. You can get this shirt and a few other rockin’ ones  from Whosits & Whatsits. What else, you ask?! Well let’s take a gander…

Next up, we have an AC/DC and Hercules mash-up; note the “HIGHWAY TO HADES”

Highway to Hades Tank

And then this Ramones and Snow White and the Sevens Dwarfs mash-up:

7DWARFS Ladies Muscle Tee

7DWARFS Ladies Muscle Tee

They’re all so clever, cute, and hilarious. I think it’s a small, independent shop, so you won’t be seeing these at Macy’s or anything like that. But it’s fun to buy from small businesses like this; there’s much less of a chance that you will run into someone wearing the same shirt as you this way, since it’s relatively lesser-known.

Of course, at least one major chain store has also had the sense to combine Disney with rock and roll, and of course that’s Hot Topic.

Like this awesome, “metal” style Sleeping Beauty shirt:

And this icy-rock Alice shirt where she looks moody af:

And my favorite, but so far it’s only in mens/unisex sizes…I like more fitted and less…straight-down-shaped tees? It’s hard to describe. But whatever, I still love this faded Little Mermaid tee:

Oh, and the font style is obviously inspired by Def Leppard. Look at my own Def Leppard tee:

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And then there’s this epic one of the Beast:

I knew instantly when I saw that it was Ozzy Osbourne-inspired! I dug through my dad’s closet full of vinyl records to find proof (he doesn’t mind; what’s his is mine when it comes to music):

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Well done, Hot Topic! But…I want more!! Also, it would be awesome if they weren’t all in black. I love black, but when it comes to “band tees”, it just reminds me of my wardrobe in middle school…literally just black band shirts that didn’t fit me well because they were mens’ shirts. I like having shirts in all different colors and cuts now that actually flatter me! But, I will still buy these shirts; I can cut them up in all different ways that I have seen on Pinterest!

But wait…it doesn’t stop there!!

This is their only rock and roll Star Wars one, but I hope they make more!!

But wait….this is relevant. Look at this beautiful mash-up of Rogue One’s Jyn Erso and the late David Bowie:

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It’s by my favorite small business, BeepBoopBeepClothing, who are actually temporarily only at TeePublic at the moment.  ROGUE ONE SPOILERS…”Stardust” is Galen Erso’s sweet nickname for his daughter Jyn. And Jyn is seen here with an Aladdin Sane look as an ode to David Bowie. And “Stardust”…obviously that’s referencing his album Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

In conclusion, rock and roll is the greatest thing ever and is beautiful when blended with other things I love dearly. Does this mean that rock and roll and Disney should collide in more than just clothing?! Perhaps! After all, Lilo & Stitch had a lovely Elvis Presley soundtrack. Princess Elena of Avalor is darling with her musical story-telling:

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I am definitely excited for the next Disney Pixar film, Coco, a Dia De Los Muertos tale about a young boy who wants to be a musician despite the disapproval of his family (I know, so far it has the exact same premise as the Book of Life, BUT I WILL WAIT UNTIL I SEE IT AND GIVE IT A CHANCE TO BE DIFFERENT AND BETTER…).

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Obviously we haven’t seen any footage from this film yet, but either way, I’m excited about all of these guitars we’re getting now!

 

Flashback Friday Album Spotlight: Billy Squier’s Don’t Say No

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ Leave a comment

You probably already know at least one song from this album…it’s called The Stroke. I love it and hate it. It’s catchy and rocking, but lyrically silly and stupid compared to everything he has ever released. I think it’s just tainted for me, though, because it constantly overshadows the rest of his brilliance. I remember one time on VH1, when they still aired programming all about music, they had some sort of countdown of the greatest rock songs ever. The only Billy Squier song that made the cut was the Stroke, and this still bothers me. I mean, it’s not like they air that special anymore, but when they did, how many viewers saw it and immediately disregarded looking into Billy Squier’s whole catalog because of that one song?! That thought hurts my heart. After all, if it’s the only song by him on a list of the supposed greatest rock and roll, if I wasn’t familiar with his music I would just be like “oh, so that’s the best he’s got?” and not be interesting in pursuing his albums. But it’s really not!! It’s not even the best on the album it comes from!!

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“You’re no stranger, you know what I like…”

This whole album is awesome, but here are my highlights:

  • I Need You-it’s romantic and a bit dramatic but it’s not quite a ballad. It’s still rocking and awesome.
  • My Kinda Lover- also romantic and rocking without being your typical ballad. It’s just a sexy rock song. This might be my favorite on the album.
  • In the Dark-also dramatic but less romantic. “Do you need a friend, would you tell no lies? Would you take me in? Are you lonely here in the dark?”
  • You Know What I like- “I fell into your face before I ever knew your name”. Clearly about an encounter with a new lover. I don’t normally enjoy songs about one-night-stands and the like but I love this one. It’s awesome. It’s rocking and sexy, like many other songs on this album.
  • Lonely is the Night- this might be the best song (and yes, My Kinda Lover is still my favorite). “Lonely is the night when you find yourself alone. Your demons come to light, and your mind is not your own”. It’s just epic and belongs in a movie’s soundtrack; your main characters are suddenly stranded in a strange land and they don’t know what to do. All you hear is this song and suddenly you panic and want to party at the same time.

This isn’t even the only Billy Squier album that I own that is amazing, so look forward to another album spotlight to get know him better!!

 

“This is Halloween…in this town we call home, everyone hail to the pumpkin song,”

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ 2 Comments

“LA LA LA LALA LA LA LA LALA LA…..WEEEEE!!!!”

Yes, I adore the Nightmare Before Christmas. And the soundtrack is a delightful time during Halloween, Christmas, and actually, all year-round if you just love this movie and delightful movie scores like I do. But, since we are in the Halloween season, we’ll just focus on that for today.

Are you throwing a Halloween party soon? Are you in need of some festive pumpkin songs? Well you are in luck, because I’m not only going to share the playlist I made for myself and my family to listen to on Halloween three years ago, but also additional songs I have thought of since I made that original CD.

And no, the order doesn’t matter; I always shuffle my playlists anyway.

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  • Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr.
  • Scooby Doo, Where are You by….okay, I don’t actually know…on my iPod it just says it’s from my Cartoon Network CD and that’s it…
  • I Want Candy by Bow Wow Wow (you could also go with the original version but I like this one)
  • Fire by the Crazy World of Arthur Brown (one of my favorite songs ever…both super 60’s and slightly scary)
  • Season of the Witch by Donovan
  • Hungry like the Wolf by Duran Duran
  • Iron Man by Black Sabbath
  • Love Potion Number Nine by the Searchers (this song includes a gyspy making potions; trust me, it’s relevant)
  • Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones (another one of my favorite songs ever)
  • This is Halloween by Danny Elfman from Nightmare Before Christmas (if you want extra creepy vibes, go with Marilyn Manson’s version. Or both, like I do!)
  • N.I.B. by Black Sabbath (I was jamming so hardcore to this in my car today)
  • Five to One by the Doors (one of my favorites of theirs that I find both sexy and eerie; Jim Morrison is all like “I love my girl, she lookin’ good”, and then there’s this almost tribal kinda chant that I enjoy)
  • Devil Inside by INXS
  • Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down (because what kind of Halloween party is it if there isn’t someone dressed as a superhero?)
  • Voodoo Child by Jimi Hendrix
  • Weird Science by Oingo Boingo (it is the song from modern day 80’s fairytale version of Frankenstein, after all) (fun fact: this is ALSO Danny Elfman 🙂 )
  • Sympathy for the Devil by the Rolling Stones
  • Devils by Say Hi (the only good thing to come out of the disaster that was Scream 4)
  • Bullet with Butterfly Wings by the Smashing Pumpkins (“the world is a vampire…” Also, PUMPKINS)
  • Creatures of the Night by Kiss (quite the underrated 80’s tune)
  • Howlin’ For You by the Black Keys
  • People are Strange by the Doors
  • Fire by Jimi Hendrix (although Jimi is clearly talking about sexuality (which could also work at a Halloween party 😉 ) , also think “fiery pits of Hell”)
  • Thriller by Micheal Jackson (I love this song so much. From Vincent Price, to the lyrics “girl I could feel you more than any ghoul could ever dare try”, to the dance…it’s perfect.)
  • House of the Rising Sun by the Animals (badass 60’s tune that can be creepy in the right setting)
  • Billion Dollar Babies by Alice Cooper
  • Ballad of Dwight Fry by Alice Cooper (perhaps these ones and the ones by Black Sabbath you can take out if there’s tiny children at this party; they might find them a bit too freaky.)
  • Welcome to my Nightmare by Alice Cooper
  • Poison by Alice Cooper
  • Feed My Frankenstein by Alice Cooper (I know, so much Alice Cooper, but the guy’s concerts themselves are horror shows. It would just be wrong not to include a good amount of Alice Cooper. He’s the King of shock rock, of scary rock and roll)
  • Hells Bells by AC/DC (if this isn’t the coolest intro you’ve ever heard, I don’t know if we can be friends)
  • Boris the Spider by the Who (I just love the weird, deep, almost scary voice John Entwhistle does here.)
  • Bark at the Moon by Ozzy Osbourne (optional; not one of my favorites, but of course it’s Halloweeny)
  • Raise the Dead by the Hollywood Vampires (my beloved Alice Cooper strikes again; I’ve talked about this fantastic band before)
  • My Dead Drunk Friends by the Hollywood Vampires (probably my favorite of theirs; “standing all alone here, in a tavern full of ghosts,”)
  • White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane (You know, make that person that’s dressed up as an Alice in Wonderland character feel special. Also, I find this song to be both trippy and intense)
  • In the Evening by Led Zeppelin (this one isn’t super creepy (except perhaps the beginning) or anything, but simply it’s just too cool not to have playing at a party)
  • Pet Cemetery by the Ramones (admittedly not one of my favorites of theirs but it’s pretty decent, and will make people think of the movie and then they’ll be a bit scared)
  • Blood and Roses by the Smithereens
  • Miss Murder by AFI (ahh, brings back such fond memories of the music video with the black bunnies)
  • Helter Skelter by the Beatles (you know I am obsessed with and adore the Beatles, but this song just freaks me out. It’s so rough and aggressive. Plus, there is that sad, forced connection made by the delusional and murderous Charles Manson)
  • Blue Jay Way by the Beatles (sure, this is mostly just trippy, but ever since a dear friend of mine described a nightmare that contained this song, I can’t listen to it as just a psychedelic song. There’s some weird thing about it…like, something is following you and then chasing you)
  • Moving in Stereo by the Cars (sure, a lot of you probably think of this as a sexy song because of Fast Times at Rigdemont High, but I don’t simply because the lyrics say otherwise. It’s kinda suicidal and creepy, really.)
  • Hurdy Gurdy Man by Donovan (I don’t necessarily find this song creepy, but I think its’ general, but beautiful weirdness just make it fun to listen to)
  • A Girl Like You by Edwyn Collins (not really creepy, but just awesome and mysterious, and also the lyrics “you’ve made me acknowledge the Devil in me, I hope to God I’m talking metaphorically”)
  • Evil Woman by Electric Light Orchestra
  • Monster Mash by Bobby Pickett (bet you thought I was going to forget this Halloween classic! You were wrong, I love this song!)

Okay, so that’s mostly it…

BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!!

Guys, as I’ve talked about the greatness of Scooby Doo before, and I obviously included the very first/original TV show’s theme song as part of the playlist, I have more Scooby songs for you if you have an open mind and heart…OR, if you’ve seen the glorious Scooby Doo on Zombie Island, please remember these surprisingly rocking soundtrack tunes:

First up: The Ghost Is Here

Saving the best for last:

 

Also, less loved in my heart as Terror Time but still pretty awesome is Hex Girls from Scooby Doo and the Witch’s Ghost:

 

I hope you enjoy my playlist as well as my additional suggestions, and if you have any awesome Halloweeny songs I missed, tell me, I’d love to know!

“Help me if you can, I’m feeling down,”

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ Leave a comment

Do you ever overwhelmed by the weight of life? I do! All the time! When that happens, I goof around and do things like this:

One seemingly mellow afternoon, John and Ringo were strolling when they suddenly ran into a strange obstacle:

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“I’m telling you, John. It’s not mine. I love Keith Moon, but I certainly don’t share his love of instrumental destruction.”

“If you say so, Ringo. But then how do you suppose it got here?”

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“Fellas! I think I know where this came from!”

“Well go on, tell us, Ozzy,” Ringo pleaded.

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“This broken drum set must have been dropped by the monochrome clowns that have been running around over here lately!”

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“Who the hell are you? What are you doing with my drums?!”

“You mean this broken joke of a drum kit?!”

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“How dare you! That’s it, you’re going down!”

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The two leaders and their egos gravitated towards each other. But, something came over the both of them.

“Peter, he’s another drummer,”

“Yeah, Ringo…give Peace a chance,”

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“Man, they’re right,” Peter said, embracing this epiphany that they were destined for friendship.

“I’m sorry I insulted your drum kit, mate.”

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“It’s all good! Let’s drum with our souls!”

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Paul and Ace joined the magic. They wondered where George and Paul were; Ringo informed them that they were on vacation but would surely be sad to be missing this.

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John assured everyone that George and Paul were there in spirit. (Yes, and in the background).

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And they lived happily ever after, as they rocked and rolled all night and partied every day.

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“And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

DISCLAIMER: This story unfortunately does not contain entirely accurate quotes by Ozzy Osbourne, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Peter Criss, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, or Ace Frehley. Yes, sadly, this was all from my own imagination and boredom.

Mugshot Monday #11

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ Leave a comment

This week’s mug is far from your ordinary mug; it’s a mini mug!!

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I acquired this beautiful Beatles mini mug while I was in Disney World earlier this summer. I swear, I don’t intend for all of my mugs to be Disney-related in some way, it just happens! I found it in a little shop in England in the Epcot park! It was in a darling Beatles corner with t-shirts, lunchboxes, puzzles, and other fun things. I did consider that this might not necessarily be a useful purchase, being a mini mug, but that didn’t stop me; I have plenty of mugs I don’t actually use that simply become decor! Also, I could not resist the way Ringo Starr looks here. I love this photo session; I’ve seen other pictures from it and Ringo looks exquisite, sexy, yet still as adorable as always. P.S. yes, I am obsessed with Ringo, he’s my favorite!

The Beatles' final photography session, Tittenhurst Park, 22 August 1969....all I have to say is look at Ringo:

beatles...I may have pinned this before, I'm not sure, but I don't care because look at Ringo.:

God, I love them so much. Anyway, here’s my mini mug next to my Funko Pop! figures Jaylah and Spider-Gwen for scale:

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Speaking of the Beatles, I just watched Ron Howard’s Eight Days A Week Beatles documentary on Hulu and it was amazing!! I saw an advertisement that was all like “you know the Beatles, but not like this,” or something of that vibe, and I thought to myself really, though? And I was delightfully proved wrong! I had no idea that while touring here in the United States, my darlings refused to perform in front of a segregated audience somewhere in the South (of course), and did not do the show until it was agreed that the audience would not be in sections marked by their race. It was a despicable time in America and it warms my heart to know that these men I’ve idolized my whole life took a stand against the huge injustice that was occurring. As a person of color myself (back then anyone that wasn’t white was considered colored, meaning my grandma of Mexican heritage had to use the water fountain and other things labeled for “colored” people), I found this particularly beautiful. Those men just keep giving me more reasons to love them. I will definitely be watching this many times and buy the DVD/blu-ray when it (hopefully) comes out.

Flashback Friday Album Spotlight: The Who’s A Quick One

~ lovelyritatheseeker ~ Leave a comment

I know, I wrote about a Who album the last time I did this, but I can’t help my love for them and all of their albums! Now this one is another early album for them, maybe about 3 years before Tommy.

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The only song I knew before discovering the album was Boris the Spider, the John Entwhistle-sung creepy little tune about a spider. At least, that’s the only song from this album I’ve heard play on classic rock radio stations over the past 20 years. I didn’t discover the true gems of this album until, of course, I was delving deep into the Who on my own. On this blu-ray I have where they discuss making Tommy, they first discuss how Pete Townshend was told to write a song nearing 10 minutes to fill the rest of this album. Pete, being the perfect musician he is, was simply baffled by this idea, considering popular songs back then were like, maybe a 2 minutes and 50 seconds long at the most. But he had that in mind; the song A Quick One While He’s Away is about 9 minutes long but it consists of different songs all put together to contribute to the same story. Before I bought the album for myself, I had watched two different versions of them performing this song. Then listening to the song on the actual album was another new experience for me, so I would absolutely recommend doing the same and listening to those two performances and then the album version…however, even though I know I’ve watched it several times before, the first one I watched from the Monterey Pop Festival is gone…so now you only get one. It’s still awesome and honestly it’s the better of the two performances. It’s from the Rolling Stones’ Rock and Roll Circus, which is actually pretty much how it sounds. That’s another DVD I recommend but that’s for another time…but right now I will tell you: unless you want to rip your ears off for fun, PLEASE skip the part when Yoko Ono performs by herself…ugh. But anyway, back to my darlings of the hour; this a fantastic performance all around, you can see just how fantastic of a band these guys were back then (with John Entwhistle and Keith Moon still alive). Watch Keith Moon absolutely slay the drums while he pulls himself backwards and honestly if he’s not the greatest drummer you have ever seen, I don’t understand you.

When my boyfriend and I saw the Who last year, they played this song and I went crazy. I adore this song and it makes me so happy, and somehow I did feel like I was the only person in my immediate surroundings that actually knew the song. Here is what the stage looked like when they performed this song:

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Gorgeous…I still get chills when I hear Pete sing “am I back in your arms, away from all harm…it’s like a dream to be with you again, can’t believe that I’m with you again,”. Partially because I imagine him singing this to me, and also I just love his sweet angel voice.

Besides the track where the album gets its’ name from, this album is wonderful to listen to all the way through, but here are my highlights:

  • Run Run Run-opening track on the album that is just fun.
  • I Need You- my favorite part about this one is that it is written and sung by Keith Moon. While a phenomenal drummer, he typically didn’t contribute many lyrics or sang a lot, so this is a lovely gem. Also, I’m pretty sure that each member was forced to contribute whole songs for the album.
  • Heatwave- yes, this is a cover, but I love their version of it. Pretty sure that this was part of simply filling in the album.
  • Doctor, Doctor- now this is another John Entwhistle contribution. While Pete Townshend of course is the primary hitmaker, everyone deserves a lot of credit. This was truly the way bands were back then; everybody contributed something. That’s when a band was truly a band. But anyway, the song… It’s a fun little tune about a paranoid man thinking he has “every sickness there is to be had”. “Doctor, doctor, doctor, make me well, I’ve not got long to go now, I can tell,”.
  • Whiskey Man- yet ANOTHER John Entwhistle song! It’s not as great as the other ones but I enjoy this ode to an imaginary friend.

As I have mentioned earlier, the whole album is worth listening to, but other noteworthy songs on there include their versions of the Batman theme and Barbara Ann. Other originals worth noting are Disguises and So Sad About Us.

Until next time, keep on rocking!!

The Who during the filming of the Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus - December 11,1968: