Tunesday Tuesday: Weeks 12-15

It's music time people! I'm back for another edition of the Tunesday Tuesday link up with The Patchwork Paisley, Drinking the Whole Bottle, Momma Candy and MrsTeeLoveLifeLaughter. I really love coming up with my picks for each week's theme. It always brings back some amazing memories. So a big thank you to all the lovely ladies hosting this link up!

And, of course, it wouldn't be in true Julia fashion if I wasn't doing 4 weeks in one! So here are my picks from week 12-15:

Week 12 Theme:  "Your Booty Shaking Jam"

Bubba Sparxxx "Ms. New Booty"

Okay so this pick is a total guilty pleasure. It's so wrong, but so right. Am I slightly embarrassed that this was the first song to come to mind for this theme? Possibly... But it is hands down, the best song to get you're booty shaking on to... for reals people. This song also has tons of great memories linked to it. I just turned 21 when this song was popular and I spent many nights shaking it on the dance floor to this song with my best girl friends. Sunday nights at Take 20...man oh man! I don't get out much now (okay I never go out), but if I ever hear this song.. watch out world... IT.IS.ON.

Week 13 Theme:  "A song the reminds you of..."
This is another pick that I probably should be ashamed of. I mean, I am a mom now for heaven's sakes! I suppose I need to preface this pick with a disclaimer (for the sake of preventing unwarranted judgement): I do not listen to this kind of music around my son nor do I condone the content/behavior of the song and video. 

Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg "The Next Episode"
So this song reminds me of my best friend in high school, Megan. It came out when we were freshmen in high school and we had just met. As soon as we got over our initial petty dislike of each other, we bonded over our love for Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg and instantly became the best of friends. I honestly can not even begin to write down all of the memories created over this song. It's pretty funny that this totally inappropriate and raunchy song is one of the most meaningful songs of my life. We even came up with our own version of the song to fit our names... M-E-G and J-E-W for life y'all!

Week 14 Theme:  "80s Jam"

 Pat Benatar  "Love is a Battlefield"

This song also reminds me of two of my oldest and dearest friends. So many fun nights riding around with no place to go, blasting some Pat Benatar with the windows down... happy and carefree. I LOVE me some Pat Benatar.. totally 80s and totally amazing!

Week 15 Theme:  "Random 5"

Random 5 is supposed to be the first 5 songs that come up on your playlist when it is shuffled. My list isn't really reflective to what I listen to now. My iTunes playlist hasn't been updated in almost 2 years and I haven't bought any new music since then either. I also don't have very much on there because my computer crashed a couple years ago and I never put all my music back onto my computer. I didn't have the patience to upload dozens upon dozens of CDs. So I never listen to my iTunes music anymore. I only listen to Pandora or watch specific videos through YouTube on the AppleTV. Since having Myles, my music playlist has changed dramatically. However, I know this trip down memory lane should be fun, so enjoy:

 1. Lil Wayne ft. Eminem  "Drop the World"

I'm so glad I did this theme because I didn't realize how many random songs I have on my iTunes that I totally forgot about. This is some classic Eminem and I'm not ashamed to say that I love it! Plus, the video is pretty cool.

2. Cobra Starship  "Good Girls Go Bad"

I completely forgot about this song too! Such a fun pop song to blast in your car during a warm summer night with the top down!

  3. LMFAO  "Party Rock Anthem"

 Already a classic party jam in my book! Thank you LMFAO for tons of super fun songs to rock out to all night long... Oh and of course for the perfect Halloween costume inspiration:

 4. 5ive "When the Lights Go Out"

 

OMG... YES!! 5ive never quite took off like the Backstreet Boys or 'NSync but I still loved them! I even saw them in concert when they opened for 'NSync back in, I want to say, 1998? My friend and I learned the dances to all of their songs by watching (and re-watching) their Disney Channel special. We had signs and everything. Man, I miss the 90s!

 5. Fall Out Boy "Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes"

Love, just love... everything about FOB. FOB was my first real rock concert. I couldn't believe that I loved every second of it; mosh pit and all! Their concerts are ridiculously fun: amazing music and lyrics, super high energy, and some pretty cute faces to look at!

 What songs have the best memories attached to them for you? What's currently on your playlist?

Tunesday Tuesday: Weeks 9-11

 It's music time people! I'm back for another edition of the Tunesday Tuesday link up with The Patchwork Paisley, Drinking the Whole Bottle, Momma Candy and MrsTeeLoveLifeLaughter. In typical Julia fashion, I have missed the last couple of weeks. I was trying to think up my excuse while I am typing this, but darn it, I really don't have one. It was probably either tired or sick... getting old sucks! So anywho, I am going to be tackling three weeks in this one post! Exciting, right?!? Well here goes:

Week 9 Theme:  "Your Car Jam"

Every week, these are so hard for me to pick just one. When I am sitting at my computer writing, I can never think of my choice. It always comes to me at some random time in the middle of the day. I had been thinking about my 'Car Jam' for a couple of days, then I heard JT's "My Love" come on the radio and it instantly came to me:

JT "Summer Love"

He never made a video for this song, so this is a crappy recording of a live version. But man, do I love me some JT! Whenever I hear this song all I can think of is riding around in a convertible during the summer time, with all my best girl friends, just singing our hearts out! Perfect summer time car jam!

Ridin' in the drop top with the top down
Saw you switchin' lanes girl
Pull up to the red light, lookin' right
Come here, let me get your name girl
Tell me where you from, what you do, what you like
Let me pick your brain girl
And tell me how they got that pretty little face on that pretty little frame girl
Let me show you 'round, let me take you out
Bet you we could we could have some fun girl
'Cause we can do it fast (fast), slow, whichever way you wanna run girl
But let me buy you drinks, better yet rings
Do it how you want it done girl

 

Week 10 Theme:  "Favorite Oldie"

This one was super hard for me to choose. Up until about an hour ago, I had no idea how I would pick my absolute favorite oldie. I didn't even know what my parameter was for an 'oldie'. Typically, when I think of oldie, I think of classic rock. I have been racking my brain for the ultimate classic rock song for over a week and I just couldn't pick one. I am a classic rock fanatic, so it just isn't possible for me. So tonight as we were pulling up to a restaurant for a family dinner, the answer came to me; literally just randomly popped into my head. I decided to take a different route with the term 'oldie' and pick an all-time classic rap song. The 'oldie' part is certainly debatable, but every song is going to be old at some point. This song is now 20 years old and by today's rap standards, I would definitely consider it an 'oldie'. I also have to preface this song choice by saying that I am, and forever will be, a Tupac-er. This is one of the very few Biggie songs I like. This song is my jam, but I am, at heart, a West Coast woman!

Notorious B.I.G. "Juicy"

 

Week 11 Theme:  "Best Love Song"

This was actually a no-brainer for me. I think this was the first time I didn't have to think for days to make my choice. When I saw the theme for this week, I instantly knew what I would pick. I have tons of favorite love songs, because R&B is my absolute favorite music genre. Honestly, for this theme, I would love to be able to pick a favorite song from each one of my top R&B artists. I could pick at least 20 favorite love songs. Even right now, I have a dozen floating around in my head that I want to share! But I am going to go with my initial choice because it is truly an R&B classic for me. Also this isn't a happy love song; I don't know if that was what this theme was going for, but I am not too much into happy love songs :) My favorites are the break-up/broken-up ones.

 Brian McKnight  "Anytime"

Still have your picture in a frame
Hear your footsteps down the hall
I swear I hear your voice, driving me insane
How I wish that you would call 

To Say

Do I ever cross your mind, anytime
Do you ever wake up reaching out for me
Do I ever cross your mind anytime
I miss you 

This song gets me every time. I could be the happiest I have ever been in a relationship and still cry when I hear this song. The conviction in this song is amazing; he really makes you feel what he is feeling. Cue chills and welled up eyes :(

 What would be your picks for these themes? What do you think of mine?

Tunesday Tuesday: Wedding Song & My Motivation

 Well ladies and gents, it is that time again: Tunesday Tuesday is upon us. I know I have been MIA since the first couple weeks, but the holidays meant vacation for me! Then, Myles got sick, then I got the flu, and once we came back home after 3 weeks away, it was crazy trying to settle back in... Now we are finally getting back to our normal and here I am linking up with The Patchwork Paisley, Drinking the Whole Bottle, Momma Candy, and MrsTeeLoveLifeLaughter to talk about music!

This Week's Theme: "Your Wedding Song"

If you know me, you probably know that I am not married. So naturally, I do not have a wedding song. I also don't plan on ever getting married, so I don't have a future wedding song either. What I do have, though, is my favorite love song of all time:

Dave Barnes "God Gave Me You"

I'm going to venture to say that you don't know Dave Barnes... Totally understandable because he's not super mainstream. I kind of like it that way; he's like my little, musical secret. Although I would not consider myself a romantic or lovey person, I LOVE me a good love song. I mean my favorite musical genre has been R&B since I was like 8. I wouldn't put Dave Barnes in the R&B category, but he writes the best love songs in the history of music.. No Joke... When I was trying to find this video on YouTube, I noticed Blake Shelton also sings this song... but let's be real... this is a Dave Barnes original people! I like Blake Shelton as a person (very personable and funny), but I don't think he can sing and I am not impressed with his cover. I love Dave's voice; it is soo soothing, especially with just his guitar. I could honestly listen to him all day long. My mom knows this first hand. During the epic driving adventure we embarked on from Texas to Illinois one year, I made her listen to a 4-song Dave Barnes CD on repeat 75% of the way home. A friend gave me the CD he burned for camp because I could not live without Dave Barnes another minute of my life! I have since seen him play twice (should be more) and actually got to meet him once!

Anywho, out of all of his beautifully written songs, I think this would be the best wedding song. If you like this one, go check out some of his other stuff. 

 And just because I love him that much, I want to share another one of his gems. This is a little lot late, but..

Week 6 Theme: "Your Motivation"

Dave Barnes "Carry Me Through"

Really needs no explanation :)

I hope you enjoyed!

What songs would you pick for these themes?

Tunesday Tuesday: My Love for Music, My Anthem, and Current Mood

Normally I shy away from themed blog hops because I can never get a post done on time. If you are a regular reader around here, you may have noticed that I have a problem with being simple and concise. In real life, I have no patience and like to make things as short and sweet as possible. "Get in, and get out" is my motto these days. But when it comes to my writing, I am extremely detailed and thorough. I don't know if I could ever bring myself to do a Wordless Wednesday post :) I blame two things: my excessive need for perfection and my lovely OCD. In college, all I did was write papers and I got really good at creating lots of 'filler' to get to the required page/word count. So now I am hardwired to drag on and on in painstaking detail about every little point I am trying to make. This totally off-topic paragraph is a perfect example of me forcing you to be apart of my post-college writing syndrome. 

What I am trying to say is that I am doing something out of character for me and am joining a themed blog hop. I am making this exception because I feel like it is something that I need to re-connect with in my life. Sometimes life gets in the way of life and we are so frazzled by all that is going on that we don't make time for the things that make us happy. Sometimes you just have to get in touch with the core of who you are and I don't know anything that helps me do that better than music! I have had a passion for music since day one. It moves me like nothing else, takes me down memory lane, allows me to feel deeply, can instantly lift my mood, and brings joy to our household. I'll be honest, I am not the best singer (although it is one of my biggest aspirations), but I can jam out like nobody's business. 

However, there are days and even weeks that I let pass by without any musical engagement. Then one day I decide to put on my jams and my mood will suddenly change and all is right in the world in that moment. This makes me realize that I should never go a day without music, even if it is just singing a silly nursery rhyme with my son. So what ALL this writing is leading up to is that I am going to be participating in the Tunesday Tuesday blog hop with The Patchwork Paisley, Drinking the Whole Bottle, Momma Candy and MrsTeeLoveLifeLaughter as regularly as possible. I need to always keep that music in me :)

I missed last week so I am going to double up and do both in one post.

Last week's Theme: "Your Anthem"

I didn't write a post last week because I had no idea what to choose for my anthem. I was going to skip it altogether, but then I realized that I was missing the whole point of this link up if I only posted on the easy themes. So I started thinking about some of my favorite songs and why I like them so much. I have a handful of songs that mean a lot to me, but they aren't really relatable to my life per say. Not only do I like songs for their message, but I am really drawn to unique beats and vocals. I don't know why but I usually tend to gravitate towards songs about things that I haven't necessarily experienced myself. A couple examples are:
Tupac's "Keep Ya Head Up" 
Dave Barnes "God Gave Me You" 
Drake "Headlines"
 I can't use a favorite song for my anthem, if it doesn't actually pertain to my life. And then one night when I was in bed trying to fall asleep, it hit me: my anthem! Duh... It fits me so perfectly in every way. It is a song most people have probably never heard and I would have never known it either if it weren't for my mom making me watch the movie it is from. My mom has influenced my musical tastes from a very young age. Salt 'N Pepper and Prince are the two main artists I grew to love because of her. Anyway, here it is, my anthem:

 "Queen Bee" by Barbra Streisand from A Star is Born

There isn't an actual video for it, so this was the best I could find. This is one of those songs that is so well written that every line is perfect, but if I had to pick a favorite part, it would be from the last verse: 

So, in conclusion, it's an optical illusion, if you think that we're the
weaker race.
Men got the muscle, but the ladies got the hustle, and the truth is starin'
in your face.
The mother bear stalks, and the queen of the hawks,
Is the one who brings home the bread.
The lion that is regal, and the bald-headed eagle,
need a woman just to keep them fed.

I guess you would consider this a feminist song, but I wouldn't say that I am a feminist. I just love it so much because it speaks to the power of women and how really we are the ones that keep it all together! I don't diminish the role of the man as head of the household, but as women, our roles are equally as important. This isn't how I live my life, as far as the "use 'em and lose 'em" mentality nor do I condone that behavior. It is my anthem because of its sassy, clever lyrics and funky beat!

This week's Theme: "A Song That Suits Your Current Mood"

Well, this one was also tough. I go through different moods daily, even hourly sometimes ;) But, last Saturday night as I laying in bed, I started watching videos of Myles. (I almost don't even want to write this right now because I am getting emotional). As I was watching this video I had just put up on my Instagram, I started thinking about the dreaded reality of time: it never stops. He is just going to keep growing and learning and while I love watching all of this take place daily, it honestly breaks my heart that he won't be this little and naive forever. I just love watching him run around pointing at random things, all while sneaking in a couple of 'real' words through his non-stop baby babbling. I try to cherish every moment because I know it won't be long before he will be speaking in full sentences and learning how the world really works :( I know that stage will bring just as much joy and love, but I adore his littleness so much it kills me! So for a song that suits my current mood, I picked one that speaks so well to the blessing of children. It also happens to be by one of my favorite artists of all time:

Lauryn Hill's "To Zion" 

 And I thank you for choosing me
To come through unto life to be
A beautiful reflection of His grace
For I know that a gift so great
Is only one God could create
And I'm reminded every time I see your face

 Again there is no official video for this song, but I did find a live version on YouTube. It isn't the best quality, but I love Lauryn's voice live. This song has meant so much to me for so long. Even before I had Myles, I just felt such a strong connection to this song. I know part of it is simply because Lauryn is singing it. She has such emotion and conviction when she sings, it's hard not to feel it all the way down in your soul. I get all emotional EVERY time I hear this song. This song speaks to the pure miracle of pregnancy and child birth. Every child that has been placed into the womb of a woman was made specifically for her. And even though it may all feel like too much sometimes, God picked us to be the mother of our beautiful children, whom are created by His love. We all have tough days, but this song always reminds me how precious is the gift of a child! 



So what are your song choices for these themes? Comment below or create a post and link-up! I would love to know more about you all!