Music Is...Carly Simon

Get it - I chose the CD format but, of course you do you :)

Ok, I chose Carly Simon for the main fact that I love her single "You're So Vain". 

I'm gonna get southern here and say that Carly did her thang' on this one. As you can see, this song is featured on her album No Secrets. Not trying to sound like a school teacher, but vain means lacking in value or irreverent. In this case, you could also add egotistical. I love the arrangement for the intro. I think it's a synthesizer that creates that bubbly, gurgling sound. The first words she says are, "Son of a gun", and then as the beat drops the lyrics go, "You walked into the party, like you were walking onto a yacht. Your hat strategically dipped below one eye your scarf it was apricot. You had one eye in the mirror as you watched yourself gavotte...". I find the intro and those lyrics are a match made in heaven because to me it symbolizes this man having such an underlying yet flashy arrogance that he just can't hide it as it bubbles forth. That line "I had some dreams there were clouds in my coffee, clouds in my coffee and..." has been decoded and left to many an interpretation. I take it to mean that something obstructed her "view" in terms of where she was in her life, but who knows. 

Janet Jackson also sampled from this in her single "Son Of A Gun" off her album All For You. As with Carly, there was much speculation as to whom she was speaking of, who knows. There's a lot of symbolism and metaphors in this song. Only Carly Simon knew who she was and wasn't talking about. This song is kind of an anthem for some women, something they can relate to. Regardless of the target this song will always get an A+ from me. 

Music Is...My Cleaning Up The House Music

This may be my favorite post of all.

My cleaning up the house music is pretty extensive and sort of just happened on its own. First of all let me mention that my mom has always said to me that there wouldn't be "new school" without the "old school". I heard that so many times that it got to the point were I could tell when she was getting ready to say it. I willingly and gladly admit that she is so right, to me anyway. When I was little there was such a variety of music she played, particularly from the 80's and before, that I became "music blind" so to speak. What I loved more than anything was listening to them on her record player which she still has. I'm telling you, the sound of a record player is something that cant be mimicked, either its the real thing or its not. 

Nowadays when it comes time to clean up the house, she always knows exactly what to play. Straightening up was when I became most familiar with a huge assortment of music. I can remember being about 7 or 8 years old, before I switched elementary schools, and seeing this album with five heads on it, black people, and the word "5ive". At that age I, wasn't too good at reading so I didn't know that the name above read Jackson. I know she would've had a fit if I touched it. Anyway, she always plays somethin that gets me more inclined to make sure things get done. 

The list includes artists such as: (trust me, this doesn't event scratch the surface)

• Aretha Franklin
• Natalie Cole
• Phill Collins
• Whitney Houston
• Barry White
• Barry Manaloe 
• Tony! Toni! Toné!
• Mint Condition 
• Mary J. Blige
• Temptations
• James Brown
• Carly Simon
• Fleetwood Mac
• Dixy Chicks
• Alan Jackson
• Randy Travis
• The Pointer Sisters 
• Love Unlimited Orchestra
• AC DC
• Stevie Wonder
• Gladys Knight and The Pips 
• Elton John.....

The list goes on and on truly. 

The songs from these artists just create a homey feeling for me. They create memories that I doubt I'll ever forget. Earlier I said my cleaning up the house music was extensive, and that it is. If you don't know by now, I can't leave you without something to listen to. Here's some and I stress SOME of what the "Clean Up Woman" listens to: