Let Your Body Go With The Flow

What to do in a day you're practically sleeping in front of the teacher?

Today my cigarettes finished by noon and I had no time to buy a new pack before levaing to college, so as my nicotine craving grew along the afternoon I had to do something to calm my disturbed spirits: I ate. So instead of having cancer now I'm fat.

But all these craps: the sleep, the cig desire, the food, they just ended being part of one more day in my routine. As the weekend approaches I get all excited about going to cool places and doing fun stuff that my daily life often seems miles away even for myself. Let me see if I can explain better: sometimes it feels like I sleep throughout the week to just wake up on the Friday night.

At the end of last night however I had my first piece of stress concerned to school. As dawn slowly and unwantedly rose at the other side of the window I realized the paper I had to hand in the afternoon wasn't quite ready yet. I tuned myself to the always helpful and cute Rufus [seriously, Go Or Go Ahead aches sometimes] and quickly finished the thing that was inicially neglected for a whole day wasted online [not exactly because two lovely and uncommented posts were written] and a whole night with Bridget Jones [a whole BJ raving coming later this week]. I went to bed after 5am, so on Monday I was nobody.

However today was a fun day. No deep philosophical epiphanies but little fun in an environment I usually take for granted. When I got home I didn't feel the usual bone-tired I always do and despite the sleep I was okay. Got me thinking of how simple it is to actually study when I want to; maybe I'll be trying a little harder to do it.

And to finish the random thoughts of the night I again got me daydreaming about the one person who will make me feel and behave like this:

Yeah Mr. Right you suck ass badly!! Where the fuck are you? I wanna dance on the streets like Björk!

Begosteodioparvida!!!

[Song: Vogue - Madonna]

Taurus Top 5

We're on the month of Aries. I don't have to say it's my favorite month because I happen to be an Aries, so I won't discourse much on it.

In Kabbalah it's said that the first twelve days of Aries are like preambles for all the other months of the year; it's like they're the first fields where we'll settle our battles, like the recognition of territory. Kabbalist Isaac Luria created a guide to the first twelve days of Aries, each day corresponding to a sign from the zodiac. Yesterday, the 22nd, was Taurus day and we were supposed to “avoid being comfortable” by “listening to others, embracing discomfort, actively sharing with others, avoiding complacency.” My soundtrack for such a day [that started with a stressing walk to the bank and was adorned by a sleepy class and internet troubles] might not have much to do with the essence of Taurus day, but these songs helped get through the day by sometimes reconnecting me to the good part of things, in other words, the Light.

5. “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas” by Judy Garland

I closed the day with a screening of one of my favorite musicals, Meet Me In St. Louis. This lullaby-esque holiday song has a so obvious sorrowful tone that it often hides the sweet optimism contained in the lines. The marvelous and magically beautiful Judy Garland, as Miss Esther Smith, sing about living the moment and enjoying the happiness of Christmas, forgetting the troubles of life that will surely melt away in the future.

4. “Peach Trees” by Rufus Wainwright

It’s amazing how this song sounds fresh to me even when I’ve listened to it a million times. Wainwright performs it with an ailment and emotion that the sad lyrics become somewhat soothing after a while. It’s a song that not only grows on you but also grows itself, feeling like a giant wave that is to crash on a shore of resignation. The lines “’cause I’m so tired of waiting in restaurants/reading the critics and comics alone” [that happen to be some of my favorite lines ever written] ends in a delusional and magic meeting with James Dean. For a stressed and heartbroken person they bring nothing but hope.

3. “Like A Virgin” by Madonna

What’s to say about a song that goes: “I was beat, incomplete/I’d been had/I was sad and blue/but you made me feel/yeah you made me feel shiny and new/like a virgin/touched for the very first time”? I guess it’s enough said.

2. “Vibrate” by Rufus Wainwright

“My phone’s on vibrate for you”. Waiting, anticipation, suspense. These things alone are enough to make an Aries stressed, not because of others but because we still wait. If you read my latest posts you’ll notice my mind and heart have been waiting for the next best thing to happen. I know I should not expect the Universe to always give me what I wish - I’m working on that – but this song translates a lot of this kind of depressing feeling that has been hanging on me for a while. The Britney Spears mention in the lyrics is very witty and I’m sure the melody is inspired, if not totally sampled, by Bach.

1. “On The Radio” by Regina Spektor

This song goes about human behavior, of how we live our days trying to make it right, connecting one fact or thrill to the other - sometimes losing ourselves in the process – but always companied by memory. On Aries day [the 21st] we were supposed to “remember the past to avoid repeating mistakes” and though in the rapid pace and careless life of ours we do repeat craps we are always aware of them. Spektor’s song juxtaposes actions getting a kind of stream of consciousness/life rhythm: “no, this is how it works/you pear inside yourself/you take the things you like/and try to love the things you took/and then you take that love you made/and stick it into some/someone else’s heart/pumping someone else’s blood/and walking arm in arm/you hope it don’t get harmed/but even if it does/you’d just do it all again”.

Christmas Song

"My phone's on vibrate for you

Electroclash is karioke too

I try to dance Britney Spears

I guess I'm getting on in years

My phone's on vibrate for you

G-d knows what all these new drugs do

I guess to have no more fears

But still I always end up in tears

My phone's on vibrate for you

But still I never ever feel from you

Pinocchio's now a boy

Who wants to turn back into a toy

So call me

Call me in the morning

Call me in the night

So call me

Call me anytime you like

My phone's on vibrate for you

For you"

"Vibrate" by Rufus Wainwright

Yeah, pretty sad but isn't Christmas sad? It's funny though because the supposed savior was born on this day but still there's such a feeling of nostalgia and gloominess in it. His parents were running away from an evil marahaja [I could not help it ho] who killed a lot of other kids in the hope to actually kill him, then in Bethlehem they were ditched from every place where they could possibly stay and Maria ended having her baby in a stable. Fine, they got incense, mirra and GOLD for the baby later, but talk about sad story!!

Then comes Rufus's Vibrate which is a piece of Classic-esque music that sounds so aching and deeply heartfelt for itself but when he adds those raspery and enchanting voice with those beautiful lyrics about waiting and longering, how not to think of Christmas with all the longering and scent of hope in the air mixed with turkey and panetone? There we go living our trivial lives filled with Britney Spearses and drugs while we still wait for salvation forgetting that maybe it lies on those very little things we do in a daily basis.

So everybody, I wish you all happy Holidays and that little "boring" constant soul-searching I always wish for people. That in the year to come we all become more thoughtful to life's simple signs.

Much Light and love to everyone.

Edit: If you please scroll down you will find my lovely Songs Of 2006 List. The ho has posted his last night and is even more great and diversified than this one below. AND yes, feel free to do yours yourselves, it's a great way of revisiting the year.

[Song: duuuh!]

PS: I'm positng this now because I'll be PCless again.

The Songs Of 2006

[Note: I'm setting an official date to my annual list - the last Thursday before Christmas. Why? Who the hell cares...]

In the second half of the year all I could think about was this list. I was both excited and apprehensive to do it, especially because 2006 was a crappy year in music. Practically nothing good was released on Pop music, having some major disappointments that made me cling to the oldies or other music styles such as Jazz and Dance. 2006 was the affirmation of Kylie as my G-d, Madonna spoiled us with two live masterpieces and the mainstream come-back of an artist that I love dearly. No more rambling, let’s get to it.

- Top 10

10. "Stars Are Blind" by Paris Hilton

I always loved Hilton, she’s one of those quirky and eccentric things on celebrity world that you simply can’t ignore, even if it’s for her shallowness; this year she released her music debut album. When “Stars” hit my ears I instantly loved it! It’s cute, fun and catchy; who cares if she can’t sing and has computer made up voice? She’s fun dude!

09. "Music Sounds Better With You" by Stardust

I’m not much of a clubber, but I LOVE club music. “Music Sounds Better With You” has a strong and poignant identity that makes you dance and happy whenever you listen to it. During my last days in Marilia I listened to it repeatedly… there was even a weekend it was played from Friday to Monday non-stop!

08. "Every Time We Say Good Bye" by Ella Fitzgerald

Everyone knows my love for Cole Porter and Ella. This song is just beautiful and uhg, that Ella woman knew how to make us cry with her voice.

07. "Me Pregunto" by Belanova

Thanks to the ho I know Belanova and this was my walk-song during most of the first semester. Besides, there's a cute naivité and freshness to Denisse's voice you can't help falling in love.

06. "Aganjú" by Bebel Gilberto

In my search and desire for music to fill the lack of decent new stuff I found out Bebel Gilberto, a Brazilian like me that I ignored for a long time. Bebel does electronic bossa like no one will ever do. Her voice is sweet, calm and brings light and smiles no matter how sad the lyrics are. "Aganjú" is a huge song in a minimalist disguise: everything works both together and separated and boy how it hooks in you! One can’t not love that percussion.

05. "Peach Trees" by Rufus Wainwright

Every year I catch myself asking the same question about some artists: “how could I have lived so long without this one?” Rufus Wainwright came into my life for good after obsessing with Prime’s soundtrack. However, “Peach Trees” isn’t just a love song, it’s the perfect description of a part of Lucas for the last seven months at least. Besides, Rufus is a genius and a hottie.

04. "Lightning Strikes Twice" by Saint Etienne

The last entry of the year is so damn powerful that surpassed many contenders and made it easily to my top 5. I apologize for the ho for not paying attention to Etienne when he told me to, now I just can’t get enough. “Lightning” is a piece of indie dance music with haunting bass and darkish lyrics sweetened up by Sarah Cracknell’s vocals that make everything beyond lovely. Hosie, this is our macumba song.

Bronze: "Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland

Sometimes I wonder if this was recorded by PCD I would have loved it so much; but, I know those strippers would never have the word “chivalry” in a song. However, it’s not only that that makes me love “Promiscuous”, it’s not only its sass and infectious beats, the gorgeous chorus and the genius production. You know I’m a sucker for reinventions and Nelly Furtado did her come back with classy and stylish sexiness: she talked about sex but maintaining her usual clever lexicon, she showed skin but if you check out photo shoots you will not find Britney Spears and the best part, she made the return to her hip hop roots delightful and listenable: there are not a million “featurings” and she gave a couture and retro feeling to every little song of her album. It’s chic, hip and above everything fun.

Top 5:

1. Promiscuous [featuring Timbaland]

2. Maneater

3. What I Wanted

4. Let My Hair Down
5. No Hay Igual

Silver: "Erotica/You Thrill Me" by Madonna

One of my funniest memories of this song is that the day it leaked, on the verge of The Confessions Tour, I gave a little look at the online people on my MSN and 70% of them were playing it. It became a fever!! Not only the Madgers but even the normal people loved it and obsessed about it. And it’s perfectly understandable; anyway, who knows Madonna’s Erotica knows this remix is a cumming what's the word… reinvention! The new synths and beats are completely different from the original plus Madonna uses the original and previously discarded “You Thrill Me” that happens to be Erotica’s demo version [for the sinners that didn’t know that]. Erotica that originally is a dark and haunting song became lightful and cheerful with a new and exciting sex-appeal: instead of decadent dominatrix, kinky and horny girl. And you know what I think about those kinky and horny!

Top 5:

1. Erotica/You Thrill Me

2. Get Together

3. Forbidden Love

4. Jump
5. Your Honesty

Gold: "Dangerous Game" by Kylie Minogue

If you run through this year’s posts you will find Kylie Minogue in most of them, especially “Dangerous Game”. I won’t talk again about the dramatic performance and context this song belongs and actually there’s not much to be said about it, the lyrics are pretty obvious and the melody is as aching as her performance. But the reasons I chose this to be this year’s gold go beyond my personal impressions of it; anyone who loves music and has a good ear must recognize this song’s power. The instrumentation is full and real, no fake/synth strings, yes poignant percussion and yes cinematic production! “Dangerous Game” is and will forever be a classic to me for those reasons.

Top 5:

1. Dangerous Game

2. Put Yourself In My Place

3. Drunk

4. Some Kind Of Bliss

5. Breathe

- The Showbitch Awards – Top 3 [Here are the live tracks that made me cum-the-most this year.]

1. "Live To Tell" by Madonna at The Confessions Tour – mirror-ed cross… that’s all!

2. "The Crying Game [Ballads Section]" by Kylie Minogue at KylieFever Tour – classic look + cinematic drama + roses! The best medley of all times.

3. "Hand On Your Heart" by Kylie Minogue at The Showgirl Tour – folies + hands + “woo woo woo’s”!!

- The “Simpson Sisters” Award – Top 3 [“hate them, love the song”]

1. "The Beat Of My Heart" by Hilary Duff – this one is mainly Jose’s fault [June 27’s post]! But this song redeems Duff from all her disposable career.

2. "A Public Affair" by Jessica Simpson – I still don't like Jessica but dude this song is adorable! Besides she pays homage to Madge twice: first on the 80’s sonority, the song sounding like Holiday, then on the Sorry-esque video, roller-skates are the new deal!

3. "Deja Vu" by Beyoncé featuring Jay-Z – this song is simply infectious; it’s not as amazing as Crazy In Love but boy it’s fun! Its soul/R&B retro feeling made me more Beyoncé friendly in spite of her hype.

- The Like A Virgin Award – Top 5 [not necessarily new artists, but new addictions of mine]

1. "Moi… Lolita" by Alizeé – ha! This is HUGE, I absolutely love this song! First it’s a mega dancefloor/pop tune that clings to your head and body and there you go… then there’s Alizeé’s raspery voice and the sexy language! French rocks my socks!

2. "Heartbeat" by Annie – Annie is amazing simply because she’s fun. Her voice is almost inexistent, her lyrics are okay, but her music is beyond cool. Manage to keep yourself stopped while listening to "Heartbeat" and I’ll burry you.

3. "Alala" by Cansei De Ser Sexy – my wannabe song. It’s sassy, funny and dancey; me loves quirky indie pop!

4. "Where Does The Good Go" by Tegan and Sara – I know little about these two [I don’t even know if Tegan is a boy or a girl], but I know I adore this song. It’s been on a Grey’s Anatomy episode and is my break up song [blame Gustavo].

5. "A Perfect Sonnet" by Bright Eyes – I got into this band because of a guy [yes, I have no personality!]. Conor Oberst’s vocals in here are bad and out of tune but he gives great performance to the song’s lyrics, that happens to be one of the most heartbreaking and perfect descriptions of love deception.

Honorable Mentions
"Tout Les Garçons Et Les Filles" by Françoise Hardy – français est ma romance langue!
"The Man That Got Away" by Judy Garland – addicted to it for more than a year, did you really think it wouldn’t be here?
"Este Corazón" by RBD – fine, judge me as you please but I love this. [Uhg, I even did a corny rhyme!]
"Message Personnel" by Isabelle Rupert – Françoise Hardy plus genius performance by a genius actor; Rupert gave the sadness and douleur that not even the song’s author could.

"Set The Fire To The Third Bar" by Snow Patrol featuring Martha Wainwright - A lovely ghost gave it to me and I instantly fell in love with it. A last and on-the-moment addition because my stupid memory forgot how I liked this... ironic.

"All Good Things (Come To An End)" by Nelly Furtado – “Well the dogs were barking at a new moon, whistling a new tune, hoping it would come soon. And the sun was wondering if it should stay away for a day til the feeling went away. And the sky was falling on the clouds were dropping and the rain forgot how to bring salvation; the dogs were barking at the new moon, whistling a new tune hoping it would come soon so that they could die”… enough said.

The Songs Of 2005