Day 7: Song that reminds you of an event

When I was younger, I was (and am) a massive Michelle Branch fan. I remember watching the video to Everywhere and thinking that Michelle Branch was awesome and I wanted to be exactly like her. But it was when she released Game of Love that really had me hooked. I love that song so much: It's catchy, summery and absolutely wonderful.

I bought her albums with my pittance of an allowance at HMV, bought all her singles as well because I didn't want to miss out on any of the acoustic versions of songs or new songs. It was a really awesome period for me. My friends would rip out posters of Michelle Branch from magazines for me and I'd stick them on my folders. I even convinced my parents to buy me a guitar for my birthday because I wanted to teach myself the guitar like Michelle Branch did.

So in 2003, while my dad was taking me to tutoring classes, on the radio, they announced that Michelle Branch was going to be on the famous Fox Rooftop, performing all her songs and whatnot. I screamed. For days I would listen to the radio, and text my details, hoping the radio station would call me up and offer me two tickets to see Michelle Branch perform at the Fox Rooftop. I texted so much but no one called me. I was getting desperate and sad.

Until one day, my phone rang. Yup. I won tickets. And I was on the radio too. As soon as I hung up the phone, all my will power to stop me from screaming crumbled and I let out a loud shriek. I called my friend Joanne and told her to listen to the radio, and we both listened to me win tickets to see Michelle Branch.

Finally, the day had arrived. I took the day off school and asked my friend Aileen to come with me. I totally remember what I wore too. At the time I thought I looked awesome. I remember I bought these cord pants that we vertically striped, very similar to the pants Michelle Branch wore in the video to "Game of Love". I felt really cool.

When Michelle Branch finally rocked on stage, it was electric. Here, before me, was the woman I wanted to be like when I "grow up". She looked gorgeous. I remember she had really awesome purple eye make up. She started playing "Everywhere", then talked about the inspiration behind "Are you happy now?" and explained why her favourite song on the album "Hotel Paper" was "Empty Handed". I remember singing along with her and when I thought she was making eye contact with me, I smiled brightly, and I swear she smiled right back! That probably never happened as I was standing behind four giant dudes, but I'm going to pretend that Michelle Branch and I shared a profound moment of eye contact.

So now, anytime I hear Game of Love (or really, any song by Michelle Branch), my mind happily drifts back to the day I saw Michelle Branch perform on the Fox Rooftop.

Day 6: A song that reminds you of somewhere

In 2010, my boyfriend and I went to Singapore together for a holiday. One of the best days/nights I had there was when I got to meet up with my friend Susie in Singapore. We munched on ice cream sandwiches and walked bare feet around this water fountain thing.

Then at night, I went out to dinner with my boyfriend and his friends to this Thai-German brewery. The food was delicious, the beer was awesome. There was even a live band playing all kinds of awesome music.

Then there was the drinking contest. About 7 incredibly lumberjack-esque men entered the contest. So did my boyfriend. Compared to the other men, he was tiny. So he totally surprised everyone by winning this masculine beer-drinking contest.

After a few more pints, the staff at the brewery were encouraged/forced to dance to The Wonder Girls' "Nobody", and that is why every time I hear "Nobody", I am instantly reminded of this awesome night.

Day 5: A song that reminds you of someone

I've got two songs here that I couldn't pick between. I'm not going to go into it, but if you know me well enough, you can hazard a guess at who these songs remind me of.

Day 4: A song that makes you sad

I watched the Last Samurai the other night and from then on I've been (and I feel ashamed to admit this) rather infatuated with Tom Cruise. Yes, it's weird, because he's kind of frightening and all of that. I'm so aware of this. But you know, all that stuff aside, he's a really good actor, and quite attractive, and so I'm just going to watch... all of his films. I call it a Cruise-athon! Well, actually, not all of his films. I mean, come on: Knight and Day? I watched "Interview with the Vampire" and it was amazing. Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt were both very convincing and handsome in this film.

Anyway, enough about that.



I think this song is self-explanatory. Every time I sing along with John Lennon, I feel myself welling up. I suppose the reason why I find this song sad is its connection with John Lennon. I feel upset that I've never been able to experience the Beatles live. If listening to the Beatles can make completely change your perspective on music, imagine what it would have been like to live in that era. I wish I knew.

What song makes you sad?

Day 3: Songs that make you happy

I don't really understand what classifies as "making me happy", because some songs are just so amazing that its sheer awesomeness is enough to make someone happy. So do I respond to this relating to the content of the song or how the song makes me feel?



I've chosen this song probably because I am hopelessly missing my own boyfriend who I haven't seen in a bit as he's just very busy. I guess I just miss him terribly. This song is so wonderful, simple and pure that it literally makes me weep a bit (lame). But really, I adore this song, I adore Jason Mraz and the message in this song is just incredibly simple and pure. I have nothing more to say.

What song makes you happy?

Day 2: Your least favourite song

Yes. I know. It's been ages since my Day 1 post, which means I've failed this challenge. I'm gonna keep at it regardless because I'm crazy like that. Watch out, interwebs.

Choosing my least favourite song is just as hard as choosing my favourite song. What I've tried to do is separate my contempt for certain "musicians" (re: the Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black cohort), because that does affect my judgement on songs. I didn't like Avril Lavigne in high school because I thought she was a try hard, and that affected my judgement on her songs. In other words, I hated the songs because I hated the artist.

Not this time.



I fucking hate this song. I don't hate Guy Sebastian, but this song is enough to make me hate him. But I don't want to. I think Guy is cool. I'm pretty sure I was rooting for him during the first season of Australian Idol. He can sing, and he can write music. Normally, when I don't like a song, I don't listen to it. Too easy. But sadly, when you work in retail, you have to. Over and over again.

I don't even have the capacity to satisfactorily describe what is wrong with this song. The chorus? Who can't write that? The most un-musical person in the world could write a better chorus than this song. My diary from when I was 13 has better prose than this whole song.

I SHOULDN'T EVEN KNOW THE WORDS TO THIS SONG!

But I do. And I hate myself for it. But not as much as I hate this song.

And what is with Australian singers getting rappers in their songs? You're not gonna crack into the US market just because you've paid thousands to have Eve or in Jessica Mauboy's case, Snoop Dogg, in your song for a few bars. What happened to good music? Both Guy and Jessica possess the ability to "make it" in the US without these vapid songs. I wish they'd realise that, or at least, their record label does.

To reiterate, this song is crap. It shouldn't be a measure of what Guy Sebastian is capable of, because I genuinely think he's got what it takes to write actual good pop music. but who knows what is going on behind the scenes with his record company and manager.

What is your least favourite song?

Day 1: Your Favourite Song

No one has ONE favourite song. How can anyone choose? What defines "favourite"? Is it something that you can listen to on repeat for ages, or a song that makes you want to sing at the top of your lungs every time you hear it anywhere? There are some songs that fit into one category, but not the other. Then there are songs that fit in both, but you're just not quite ready to call it your "favourite". I've had a good think about this, and I believe this is probably my favourite song (ever):



I first heard this beautiful song when I was 17. I was in literature class and we were doing film studies, comparing The Purple Rose of Cairo (Must watch if you haven't seen it) and Pleasantville. The Purple Rose of Cairo opened with Fred Astaire's dainty vocals and cheerful violins, making me feel nostalgic for the 20s, even though I didn't live it. It was wonderful, and while I also love Frank Sinatra's version of this song, it doesn't compare to Fred Astaire's original. The original is delicate, subtle, charming and a bit flirtatious. It's like being wooed (but in a classy way) by Alan Rickman in a 1920s New York setting, whatever that feels like. Or just being asked to dance. Frank Sinatra's version, while enjoyable, feels a bit too Las Vegas to me. What do you think?



What is your favourite song?