Alex brought over his uke for me since I’ve been meaning to learn to play. It’s such instant gratification: at any time I’m four chords away from feeling like I have musical prowess! I have a long long way to go to improve my fingering and strumming. Until then, here’s one from Her that James taught me.

In my mind this (as with pretty much most songs) has a 50s jazz swing and is backed by a 21st century pop band. I’d harmonize with Ella Fitzgerald and Justin Timberlake. It all makes perfect sense.

I got carried away while cleaning the kitchen once.

Stuck in my head today.

While this isn’t a new recording, the autotune is a new addition. Sifting through files, I uncovered this snapping cover from a couple of years back. The key limiting roughs out some of the edges of the old phone recording, and it only bleeps out that one ‘have’ (in the original I didn’t quite hit it…), but the effect is so overdone that I actually kinda like it. Missing my snazzy Yeti and dreaming of non-generic sound-editing software.

Improv-ing a edit, of sorts.

I’ve always been a fan of the Seth Macfarlane version of “You’re the Cream in My Coffee.” But for the first time yesterday, I listened to the version by Nat King Cole.

Listen to the way he pronounces “you’re.”

It’s more like “youer” as opposed to the more colloquial “your” pronunciation.

And this changes everything! It’s more poetic: the lyrics are far more assonant and parallelized. If you take another listen, you’ll hear it. And like how performing Shakespeare in the original pronunciation matters, it more accurately reflects the speech patterns of its time (early-ish 1900s). As a contraction for “you are” and written as “you’re,” the natural, phonological drift towards sounding like “your” probably just happened with time. 

Of course, I can’t blame Seth for singing in his own accent. But isn’t it a wonderful surprise to learn something new about something you thought you knew?

As he drove, I sat queuing up songs to play. Although I have broad tastes in music, I have a particular affinity for top forty hits and tweeny pop. And I had a moderate case of what I’ll call ‘Jukebox Syndrome’: a kind of phobia of being in charge of putting on music for others or a crowd of people. I’d get wrapped up in trying to pick the kinds of songs that I’d think listeners would like. Plus, the more people there were, the more likely I would be at a loss for picking just the right songs (it becomes increasingly difficult to appease everyone simultaneously).

So we were sitting in the car, a wave of Jukebox Syndrome was hitting me with full-force, and I was at a loss. I explained this all to him. And my dad turned to me and said “Just play whatever music you like. And if people complain, who cares? You can like whatever music you want, and they can get over it.”

I’m now twenty years old, and I do not think I am above being a One Direction fan. Their profession is entertainment, they are vocally talented, and above all else, they harmonize.

And I’m so excited to be jamming on my brand new mic.

Written a few months ago, but recorded (and courage mustered to share it) a few days ago.

I explained the mashups list to James. I’ll listen to a song and, often inexplicably, a new song enters into my head at just the right time, wedding with the one playing aloud. Like dream journaling, unless I write down the pair immediately after this moment, I’ll lose it.

I’d like to make each mix that’s on the list (my brother and a certain burger-loving cousin of mine even introduced me to an app that serves such a purpose. But, one thing at a time; I’ve barely had time to work through my Photoshop tutorials). Until then, James and I will have to stick to our spontaneous jam sessions.

I can’t get this song out of my head.

And it’s secretly because it reminds me of this.

(Pardon the mistakes… I was just playin’ around)

We stayed up super late making the cover I’d dreamed of ever since at French’s cottage I’d discovered that Kiss the Girl works perfectly with the Cups song rhythm. Our plan is to make covers of Disney songs with new ‘band’ names each time. Keep a look out for the others.