What a coincidence that the letter "F" in the A to Z Challenge would fall on a Friday! I'd bet anything that if you polled people, Friday would win as the overall favorite day of the week. The end of a long work week, the beginning of the weekend, pay day...there are so many things about Friday that I love!
Over the years, there have been many songs paying tribute to Friday, and I'd like to take this opportunity to share some of them with you.
Now I'm more of a pop music fan than anything else, so most of these songs fall within that realm, though there are plenty of other tunes in other genres that celebrate this greatest of days like Bowling for Soup's "Friday," Steely Dan's "Black Friday," David Bowie's "Friday on My Mind," and many others.
First up is Katy Perry's hysterically funny video for her song "T.G.I.F." Follow along as braced-mouth Katy awakens from one of the craziest of Friday nights ever...
Next up is one that anyone who was around in 1988 will remember. It's a funky anthem that pays tribute to the best of Fridays: pay day! When I was younger, Friday was always a pay day and I'd be that "party hunter," looking to celebrate virtually every week. Ah, the memories!
Click play and relive Johnny Kemp's "Just Got Paid":
Don't try and test me cause you'll get a reaction
Another drink and I'm ready for action
I don't know who you you think you are
But getting people scared won't get you very far
The next one is one many of you may not know. It's by sassy British singer/songwriter Lily Allen. Lily has a knack for telling wonderful and engaging stories with her songs and this one is among my favorites. The song is a little bit ska, a little raggae, and it's got a lot of brash, just the way I like it. Unfortunately there's no video for this one, but please take a listen...
Here's a sweet one from the good old days of new wave music. The Cure was one of the most popular new wave bands of the 80's, and this was their least new wavy tune! Sweet, though!
(Note - For some reason, the copyright owners of this tune don't seem to want this song heard on websites other than YouTube. The audio in this particular video is slightly, ever so slightly different.)
Finally we have a song that coined the popular phrase "T.G.I.F." It's from a disco-themed movie of the same name (which just happened to star disco queen Donna Summer!) and it was recorded by a group called Love and Kisses. It's a big disco song and you can watch excerpts from the film in the video below...
Well, that's all she wrote for today! Happy Friday everyone!
Today's song is from Brit singer Lily Allen, who recently gave birth to her first child, a baby girl, on Friday. I was introduced to Lily a little later on after she had already sprung her career and I love virtually every song on her two albums, 2006's "Alright, Still" and 2009's "It's Not Me, It's You."
This one is one of my favorites. There's the static noise of a needle on a record in the background which gives the song an old feel and the music is kind of retro, as well. The song is about a young girl who'd had a love affair with an older, married man that turned out to be an unexpected constant person in her life. The vocals are as sweet as the music and the song is just splendid!
He Wasn't There
He wasn't there when I needed him No, he was never around His reputation was preceding him And he was out on the town It didn't matter if he let me down I didn't care about the lies Now all I knew was that he loved me very much He was my hero in disguise
I'm so pleased I never gave up on him Oh well you wouldn't believe some of the things that he did And everyone said you have to give him some time And I'm glad that I gave it to him cause now everything's fine
Now you see I never thought you'd be a constant person in my life And I don't think that you would be if you'd have stayed with your ex-wife I know you wouldn't but there is no need No need to apologise Because I know you'll always love me very much You are my hero in disguise
I'm so pleased I never gave up on him Find More lyrics at www.sweetslyrics.com Oh well you wouldn't believe some of the things that he did And everyone said you have to give him some time And I'm glad that I gave it to him cause now everything's fine
You might have thought you didn't teach me much But you taught me right from wrong And it was when you didn't keep in touch Well it taught me to be strong And just in case you ever thought I would I wouldn't change you for the world Because I know you'll always love me very much I'll always be you're little girl
I'm so pleased I never gave up on him Oh well you wouldn't believe some of the things that he did And everyone said you have to give him some time And I'm glad that I gave it to him cause now everything's fine
Happy Sunday everyone! Even though I despise Sunday evening (it comes way too quickly!), I love Sunday mornings. A nice breakfast, the Sunday paper, and a day ahead full of promise! I got off to a late start this morning, but for good reason. Last night was Dougie Meyer’s birthday celebration at Splash and I had one of the best times ever…
Dougie Meyer’s Birthday
“Who is Dougie Meyer?”, you may ask. Well, I don’t know him personally, but he’s one of the main promoters at Splash and from what I can see on Facebook, he’s a pretty cool and popular guy. Anyway, yesterday was his 30th birthday and Splash pulled out all the stops to make it a big celebration. For the first time ever since I’ve been going there, I felt as if I was at the fictitious Club Babylon from “Queer as Folk.” The place was bedecked in balloons galore and special lighting effects and it was jam packed.
I had gone with my friend Paul, who I occasionally take with me when I go to the club. Anyway, I was supposed to pick him up at 9:30, but things went awry a little before that and for awhile there I thought the night was doomed from the start.
I actually left my house on time, in plenty of time to be at Paul’s house by 9:30, but then it happened. I had only been about five miles from home when I suddenly saw a sea of red lights ahead of me. I slowed down at first, but soon came to a dead stop. It was one of those traffic jams that are a nightmare. For the better part of an hour I inched forward ever so slowly as I was stuck in between exits and could do nothing but wait it out.
I texted Paul to say I was going to be late, and then I turned to my phone out of boredom. To make that excruciating time go by I started writing song lyrics to my status on Facebook out of not knowing what else to do. I was listening to Lily Allen and posted this:
“Get out of my face, just leave me alone, and no you can’t have my number, cause I lost my phone.”
Hehe, my friend Jorge had been online and he mistook it for something entirely different. He asked what was wrong. Well, I literally laughed out loud and in my temporary insanity I started furiously writing more one-liners from songs. I quoted Madonna and Britney, Michael Jackson and even “Ricky Don’t Lose That Number.” I was very giddy from that, and thank goodness because it took my mind off of standing still for so long.
More Bad Signs
I finally got to Paul’s around 10:30, an hour after I was supposed to pick him up. It didn’t take long for something else to go wrong, as Paul realized he had forgotten something after we had already been on the road about five minutes. We had to go back to his house and by the time we were finally headed to Splash, about 45 minutes to an hour away, it was already 10:45. It wouldn’t be so bad, except that midnight is the witching hour at the club, when the admission doubles from $10 to $20, and neither one of us wanted to pay 20 bucks to get in.
I drove as quickly as I could, and luckily there wasn’t too much traffic until we hit the city, of course. Those damned taxicabs! I like to think of them as cockroaches, infesting the city streets and blocking people’s way at seemingly every turn. The cabs were all over the place last night, and there were a couple of close calls between the Midtown Tunnel and the club.
Then there was the parking. Usually I have no trouble finding a space, either on the same block as Splash or the next one up, but of course with the clock ticking, a space became really hard to find. I dropped Paul off in front of the club and I drove on, eventually finding a spot a long ways away. A couple of minutes later I almost had yet a third fall walking from the car down to Splash as I inadvertently stepped on a plastic bag and slipped. I pirouetted not to fall, much to the amusement of passersby, but I did not fall, thankfully and took it as a reminder to watch where I stepped.
I would’ve thought that all of these things were a bad omen of how the night was going to go, but in fact just the opposite happened.
As I said earlier, Splash was hopping last night and I was feeling it. I thought I looked good in my gray Hugo Boss slacks and black t-shirt and so my confidence was flying high. Though Paul and I usually go our separate ways when we hit the club, we stuck together a lot last night. There was a guest deejay who played the kind of house music that I like, with frequent hard-driving dance sequences in between short lulls, for catching breaths, lol.
We danced and flitted about, separating here and there, but at the one time when I needed him most, Mr. Paul couldn’t help me like he was supposed to. Oh, he tried, but eventually gave up on trying to save me from this dude who I’d danced with a few weeks back.
The guy was tall, about 6’3”, and Brazilian from what I remember. Paul and I had been dancing downstairs and the dude had been right near us. He immediately came up behind me and started to grope. At first I was just dancing with him, but then he whispered in my ear that he had come to Splash just to look for me. I only smiled and kept dancing and then he became a little forceful, grabbing my shoulders and trying to kiss my neck. I looked to Paul, who took my queue and came right up on me to ward off the fiery Brazilian. After getting no reaction from the guy, and them some attention from another dude, Paul left me to my own devices and that’s when the guy started to try and bite me on my neck. Yes, I said bite! I had to take matters into my own hands and pushed him off of me, giving him a big, loud “NO”, and went back upstairs alone.
Paul
Paul and I have had an up and down relationship since we first met sometime last year. He’s a lot younger than me, and he reminds me of me when I was his age, only maybe I was a little more tame. At first, I wasn’t so sure if he’d be around for any length of time in my life, but the more I hang out with him, the more I like him. He’s definitely a party dude and can get a little off the wall sometimes, especially for someone my age, but he’s got a good head on his shoulders that I think many people don’t see and for whatever reason we get along really well.
It’s funny, but I’ve kind of become a watchful guardian of his when we go out, keeping an eye on him from afar to make sure no trouble comes his way, and other times all I can really do is let him do his own thing, which is cool by me. It’s not often I have a friend to go clubbing with like that, someone who I can go with and do my own thing, yet have there when I need it. So to him I say thanks for the fun last night and let’s do it again soon! You’re cool and fun no matter what people say about you, lol. (Joking, of course!)
Well that’s all she wrote for this Sunday. It’s a little chilly outside, but I’m heading out there to get some much-needed things done, then heading to mom's for some of her delicious beef stew. Yum! Enjoy everyone!
Here's a clip of that Lily Allen song I quoted last night. It's called "Friday Night" and it's great stuff!
Today's "Song of the Day" is in honor of its singer, Lily Allen, who got married yesterday to longtime beau Sam Cooper. In addition, the couple announced at the wedding breakfast that Lily is expecting her first child. You can read all about the nuptuals here.
I've posted some of Lily's songs here before, and this is the very first song of hers I ever knew. It's typical Lily Allen stuff: very pleasant-sounding music with light-hearted melodies and a very adult theme, sort of like a lullaby with bad words. It's what I love about her! So check out Lily Allen's 'Smile' and have a great day!
I love Lily Allen! She has a knack for putting modern, silly spins to more traditional sounding music. This one has a country sound to it, and unless you listen to it carefully, you would think it's a simple sounding, fun tune, but if you take a look at the words you'll see that it is actually kinda dirty. 'It's Not Fair' that her man is sooo good in so many ways except one! Take a listen...
It's Not Fair
Oh he treats me with respect he says he loves me all the time he calls me fifteen times a day he likes to make sure that I'm fine
You know I've never met a man who's made me feel quite so secure he's not like all them other boys they're all so dumb and immature
There's just one thing that's getting in the way when we go up to bed you're just no good it's such a shame
I look into your eyes I want to get to know you and then you make this noise and it's apparent it's all over
It's not fair and I think you're really mean I think you're really mean I think you're really mean
Oh, you're supposed to care don't you never make me scream you never make me scream
Oh, it's not fair and it's really not ok it's really not ok it's really not ok
Oh, you're supposed to care but all you do is take yeah all you do is take
Oh I lie here in the wet patch in the middle of the bed I'm feeling pretty damn hard done by I spent ages giving head
Then I remember all the nice things that you've ever said to me maybe I'm just overreacting maybe you're the one for me
There's just one thing that's getting in the way when we go up to bed you're just no good it's such a shame
I look into your eyes I want to get to know you and then you make this noise and it's apparent it's all over
It's not fair and I think you're really mean I think you're really mean I think you're really mean
Oh, you're supposed to care don't you never make me scream you never make me scream
Oh, it's not fair and it's really not ok it's really not ok it's really not ok
Oh, you're supposed to care but all you do is take yeah all you do is take
There's just one thing that's getting in the way when we go up to bed you're just no good it's such a shame
I look into your eyes I want to get to know you and then you make this noise and it's apparent it's all over
It's not fair and I think you're really mean I think you're really mean I think you're really mean
Oh, you're supposed to care don't you never make me scream you never make me scream
Oh, it's not fair and it's really not ok it's really not ok it's really not ok
Oh, you're supposed to care but all you do is take yeah all you do is take
Today's "Song of the Day" is by one of my favorite singers in recent months. I first heard of Lilly Allen when she put out her biggest US hit, "Smile" a few years back, and never really thought much about her until I heard this one. My boss at the flower shop introduced it to me and I loved it the very first time I heard it. I've since become a big Lilly Allen fan.
The song was written as a goodbye message to our former President, George W.Bush, and of course I found it entirely appropriate. I especially like the song's message of acceptance of gays, too! In fact, the video I'm sharing here was put together by a gay rights group in either England or Australia (I'm not really sure). It's called the "big fat gay collaboration" and it's amusing to watch.
Another brilliant aspect of the song is its contrasts. Of course, the chorus is vulgar, but the music is, like so many other Allen songs, very sunshiney and light. It's also fun, I will admit, to be able to sing those words in this way, especially when you're thinking of someone in particular you'd just love to say it to! So, if you don't know the song, take a listen, and if you do, simply relive it!
