Jukebox XV

I had a goal to be ready for a Triathlon on July 25th. The day has come and gone...the event done. I plan to blog about it soon...but for now, I will just blog the songs I listened to on my last run. I have only been on 4 since the event...probably the heat, or the lack of a goal. Either way, I need to get back out riding and running again...hopefully, this post will provide me with the motivation.

1. What The Deal Boyz II Men

The year is 2000. Boyz II Men are about 4 years past their popularity. Hanssie and I get tickets to see them at some baseball field in Rancho Cucamonga (sidenote: if your concert is in Rancho Cucamonga...you're probably not an "A-lister" anymore). Anyway, a few interesting events happened that night...a.) the opening act was O-Town...I think they were the band from "Making the Band"...I'm not really sure, anyway...they were a completely 'pre-fabricated' band. BIIM in their biography ripped 'pre-fabricated' bands. It was ironic, hilarious, hypocritical...the best part of the night. b.) You go to see Boyz II Men to hear...End of the Road, I'll Make Love to You, and On Bended Knee live. All three of the songs were (I am convinced) made popular by Mike McCrary's incredibly deep vocals - he is the guy who talks on their popular tracks. His vocals literally make the song Ooh Aah. But, I digress...we arrived early...been a Boyz fan since 1992...loved them...went to a bunch of their concerts. The time begins to melt away...I mean it is sunny when we arrived, and now it is dark...the concert was in November I think...and it was getting chilly. We were two hours past the concert starting and we hadn't even seen the opening act, let alone O-Town. Three hours in and we decided to leave. We were pushing 9 or 10pm...not one of the acts had even touched the stage. I was very bummed...anyway, this song was on the CD that was released around the time of that concert. The CD has a Spanish vibe to it...this is my favorite track.

2. Fun Fun Fun The Beach Boys

I spent a lot of time driving the San Bernardino Mountains with my dad as a kid. He owned a construction company and we would drive from job to job. The radio was always on. We were either listening to sports talk radio (no wonder I love sports) or listening to a tape (yes it was a few years ago). The tapes that he had: a.) Alleluia, a compilation of hymns, prayers and testimonies. This was always odd to me, mostly because my dad was never a super spiritual guy. He always wanted us in church, and we kind of regularly went when I was a kid...but I never saw him read his Bible or pray; b.) Alabama, Roll On. To further illustrate my point, when Roll On would come on there is a line that says, "the man upstairs was listening when mama asked him to bring daddy home again"...and I always thought they had some guy in their house who was upstairs. I wasn't used to the phrase 'man upstairs' used in reference to God; c.) The Beach Boys. I don't know the tape, probably a Greatest Hits...but songs that have stuck with me were on it; God Only Knows, When I Grow Up, Don't Worry Baby, California Girls, and Fun Fun Fun...great memories.

3. Come On Get Higher Sugarland

Mac is in love with Sugarland. Well, so am I. The summer of 2008 we spent every day together and we spent most of those days listening to this CD. This song was originally done by Matt Nathanson...I've heard that it is amazing. We have grown bored with music on the radio so we are back to listening to CDs and Mac requests this CD every time. The other day, she was looking through the booklet singing a long with the lyrics...it was amazingly cute.

4. Peaches & Cream 112

During my Boyz II Men phase, I was always on the look out for the next band that would be like them. I was always disappointed. Jodeci was awesome...mostly because of the talent of K-Ci and JoJo...those boys could flat out blow. Their version of Stevie Wonder's Lately was spectacular...I can remember listening to the single over and over and over...might have wore the thing out. Dru Hill was decent but that's it, their biggest song came when Sisqo left the group and was a one hit wonder. Blackstreet was ok too, they had one song that I loved and was my favorite song for a long time - Before I Let You Go. Az Yet was good, but only if they had Babyface writing for them, or if they borrowed songs from Chicago. But, 112 was legit...they were Puff Daddy's (I have no idea what he is called anymore) discovery. They had BIG and Ma$e on their tracks...I liked their first CD a lot. This was the only redeemable song from the second album.

5. November Rain Guns 'N Roses

Stephanie Seymour...enough said!!!

6. In Da Club 50 Cent

7. It Won't Be Like This For Long Darius Rucker

Sappy songs about dads and their daughters get to me. And this is the one that gets to me the most. I am a big fan of Darius...he has a good voice, and his records are really catchy. This song totally reminds me of Mac, and brings up a lot of great memories.

8. Love The Way You Lie Eminem feat. Rihanna

My brother reminds me a lot of Eminem. They both are kind of skinny white kids who probably grew up hanging out with the wrong crowd. They both have a lot of anger...and they both have struggled with addiction. Anyway, this song is exactly how I pictured everyone of my brothers relationships growing.