Lyrics

It might not come as a surprise that my favorite parts of music are the words. I love how much emotion can be evoked by just a simple sentence or two strung together. I understand why a lot of people tat it up with their favorite lyrics. I'd probably do this if it wasn't for two reasons: 1. My mother would kick me to the curb and 2. My favorite lyrics change too much to have some permanently on me.

So, my girl T.Swift has started something new on her "Speak Now" tour. She writes lyrics down her arm (or really, I guess someone else does...minor detail) for every show. I like this. I'd do this if I wouldn't get weird looks all day. Maybe I'll write them really small on my ankle when I'm bored, or on my finger like those finger mustaches, but better.

Anyways, this got me thinking: what lyrics would I write on my arm for the world to see every night? What statement would I want to make? Here are a few ones that come to mind right now:

1. "We both know that I can think myself dizzy, and right now I'm spinning around"- "5:19"-Matt Wertz. I love Matt. This song says it all and this is one of my favorite lines.

2."Going back to Nashville, thinking 'bout the whole thing, guess you gotta run sometimes"- "Nashville"- David Mead. Lately, this song gives me goosebumps whenever I hear it.

3. "' Cause you are all that I've waited for all my life. You pull me closer to love"- "Closer to Love"- Mat Kearney. This song makes me dance around.

4. "Please don't be in love with someone else, please don't have somebody waiting on you"- "Enchanted"- Taylor Swift. It's simple and it's honest.

5. "I'm sorry for you, just so you know"- "Say You're Sorry"- Sara Bareilles. This whole song is great.

6. "I call them April babies, 'cause they all fools"- "Mr. Carter"- Lil' Wayne. I smile every time I hear this. Haha, love Weezy.

7. "You're someone else's baby, you're someone else's crazy now"- "Queen of (K)nots"-Matt Nathanson. I love his lyrics. All of them.

8. "I guess your smile is the sun's way of lighting up what's dark"- "Sweetness in Starlight"- Matt Wertz. (The Matt's are blowing up this post...I'll never stop wishing they would all go on tour together)

9. "I bet He'd understand a heart like mine"- "Heart Like Mine"- Miranda Lambert. This is such a great line about God. I love it.

10. "We're taking a chance. We're the lucky ones"- "The Lucky Ones"- Brendan James. I like it. It's optimistic.


I'll probably do a post like this again. I like it.

Happy almost weekend.

Love, love, love

Wedding Music

I went to a dear friend's wedding a few days ago and it was an absolute blast!! I loved getting to dance around with old friends, and some new ones too. Of course, as a member of the female gender, weddings always make me wonder what my own will be like. My family is famous (infamous?) for throwing quite the party. My sister's wedding, which was six years ago, is still brought up as a prime example of a Morris family throwdown. I've got serious shoes to fill.

But, naturally, one of my favorite parts of a wedding is the music. From the father/daughter dance (I cry every damn time) to the closing song, I think the kind of music you play can be representative of what kind of couple you are. So, here are some songs I want played whenever I get married.

1. "Let's Get Married"- Jagged Edge and Run DMC. My future husband is required to be a fan of old school rap. My sister and I used to roll around town and rap this all the time. It's fun.

2. "Feels So Right"- Matt Wertz. This is cute. And wedding-y.

3. "Marry Me"- Train. Ok, I know, super obvious. But, I love this song! It's a great story and slow and pretty.

4. "Living On a Prayer"- Bon Jovi. I like big group sing-a-longs. A lot.

5. "Dixieland Delight"-Alabama. See above. Also, I'm sure this wedding will occur in the South (maybe in Tennessee... on a Saturday night?) , so it's appropriate.

6. "Pour Some Sugar on Me"-Def Leppard. It's just going to have to happen.

7. Some sort of group dance song. Not a huge fan of "The Electric Slide", but I do love the "Cha Cha Slide". Also, big fan of "Cupid Shuffle". Group dances are fun. Especially if there is an open bar.

8. "We Are Family"-Sister Sledge. The Morris family requires this to be played at family events. It gets real loud.

9. "Just the Way You Are"-Billy Joel. This was my mom and dad's wedding song. I smile every time I hear it, thinking about Mike rocking his white tux.

10. "Wedding Dress"- Matt Nathanson. This isn't a happy song...but I love it. I'll play it when I'm getting ready. Matt Nathanson is calming.

Love, love, love

The Leaving Song

I am horrible at goodbyes. I don't like them. I cry, but keep trying to talk and stutter, and then I sound like the last place contestant on "Toddlers and Tiaras" (or, what I imagine they sound like...all big hair, sequins, and tears).

Anyways, for the past four years of my life, every summer comes with goodbyes. Lots of them. You'd think they'd get easier, but no, no...they've become more difficult. See, these goodbyes come with a completely different forecast than those of our past. Yes, saying goodbye to my childhood friends was so hard and sad, but there was the knowledge that we'd see each other at holidays or summers or whenever we were home. These more recent goodbyes, well, they aren't so lucky. While Nashville isn't our official "home", something about this place drew us all here and brought us all together. We've made this our home. We've filled it with laughter and the overcoming of obstacles, long talks about the future and baked goods, late night study sessions or days when all we did was eat pancakes and stay in pajamas. We've become a special type of family here, the kind that chose to be together.

And then, as expected but always unprepared for, summer rolls around. We pack up our stuff and leave this place. I hate it. I hate it more this year than I have ever before. It just doesn't seem fair, does it? It's not, but it happens anyways. So, I listen to music (and write some..but that is for another day) and smile every time I get a text, g-chat, call, notification of FB stalking, or a in-person reunion. Those are the best. Here are the songs I've been listening to:

1. "Step Outside"-Secrets in Stereo. (Emo, duh. Sorry, not sorry)
2. "Crashing Down"-Mat Kearney
3. "Hands Down"-Dashboard Confessional (I'm not sure why I keep listening to this...but man, I sure love it)
4. "Feeling a Moment"-Feeder
5. "All We Are"- OneRepublic
6. "5:19"-Matt Wertz (This is one of my favorite songs ever, ever)
7. "Everything Will Be Alright"-Matt Wertz (This song is happy and true)
8. "The Sophomore"-Ben Rector (This song is all about transition...)
9. "Where the Story Ends"- The Fray.
10. "Almost Everything"- Wakey!Wakey! (The title of this album is "Almost Everything I Wish I'd Said The Last Time I Saw You"..yup)

So, those are the songs I'm jamming to around town. Some of them are sad (I am an emotional feeder when it comes to music), some are happy (okay, one..whatever), some say the things that I didn't because it never felt like the right time or right place. I have a feeling that I'll be listening to those ones for a while.

Here's to the next chapter, one that will hopefully be filled with as many perfect memories as this one.

Love, love, love

Country, Ya'll

I love country music. I live in Nashville. I was born and raised in the South. And, I don't care what you say, there is nothing better than country music on the radio on a sunny afternoon drive. I took a country music class in college and it was one of my favorite classes ever. The professor wore his cowboy boots to class every day and would do that hair flick thing and I just adored him. I get made fun of a lot for it...haters gonna hate, I suppose.

ANYWAYS.

Here are some of my favorite country songs. Some of them are happy, some of them are not. But they all tell stories about real things happening to real people, which I think is the best thing about country music.

1. "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not?"- Thompson Square. Super cute. Super fun to sing along to.
2. "Cowboy Take Me Away"-Dixie Chicks. This song always makes me smile.
3. "Jackson"-Johnny Cash and June Carter. This song is so funny! I love Johnny Cash and wish that I could have seen him live. His records are some of my most played.
4. "Summertime"- Kenny Chesney. Perfect song for the summer. Makes me think of Braves games and the lake!
5. "Chicken Fried"- Zac Brown Band. "I was raised underneath the shade of a Georgia pine and that's home, you know". Word.
6. "Stay"-Sugarland. Ooooh, I love this song. I love when choruses get changed and have some dramatic ending.
7. "Gunpowder and Lead"-Miranda Lambert. Miranda is sassy. Love it.
8. "Song of the South"-Alabama. Classic country.
9. "He Stopped Loving Her Today"- George Jones. Such a tragic song. I love it.
10. "For a Little While"-Tim McGraw. I love Tim. This song is sad, but in a happy way....if that makes sense?

Ok, some of my favorites! Enjoy :)

OSD-Obsessive Song Disorder

I picked up an interesting habit from one of my roommates. When I first met her (almost three years ago..oh my goodness), I thought this was a little weird. She literally found a song and listened to it HUNDREDS of times. "Let Me Sign" by Robert Pattinson (yeah, Edward Cullen sings..in a really rough, breathy sort of way...it suits him. He could sing to me anytime, especially when he wears his Wayfarers...I digress) was played over, over, over, and over the fall of our freshmen year.

However, at the end of our junior year, I now see it. I too have OSD-obsessive song disorder. Here are some of the songs that I play in the car, on the way to class, when I fall asleep, when I'm doing homework...you get the point.

1. "Somewhere with You"-Tyler Ward. I can't stop. Seriously, it's going to be a problem in the near future when I drive 4 hours home to Atlanta and listen to nothing but this song. It's a cover of a song by Kenny Chesney. I like this version infinitely more, mostly because I have a spot in my heart made especially for acoustic guitars. We play the same kind of guitar (a Taylor, in case you were wondering) and so I think that means we are soulmates. Maybe? This songs reminds me of summers and the way they used to be.

2. "In My Head"- Jason Derulo. I just love this song. I want to dance all around whenever I hear it. Marisa (the original OSDer) and I watched this video last year on a huge screen in a random classroom and were so enthralled by it. Deluca Heights, y'all.

3. "Comfortable"- John Mayer. This song breaks my heart. It's so personal and sad. And really familiar in that whole "I swear, John Mayer, you sing the boy-version of my life" sort of way. You'll know what I mean when you listen to it.

4."Will You Be There"-Boyce Avenue. Another cover. This song was on repeat after my trip to El Salvador last spring. I miss my friends there every day and this song reminds me of that magical week.

5."Our Song"-The Spill Canvas. I jammed to this every freaking day after work last summer. It's the perfect song for playing the drum on the steering wheel and singing at the top of your lungs on a July afternoon.

6. "Killing Me"-Graham Colton Band. I adore Graham Colton. I distinctly remember when I first heard him on David Letterman's show, I sitting on my living room couch with my best friend, Anna. We immediately got all of his songs. I've met him and seen him perform twice and can say that is just as nice as he is talented (which is a lot, duh). Some of my favorite lyrics of his are in this song "I wish I could pick up the phone and tell you how I'm feeling and tell you how I've changed, I tell you everything". He just came out with a new album. Go listen to it. Now.

7. "Between the Lines"- Sara Bareilles. She is so cool. This song was the first one of her's I heard and I fell in love with her voice! She is one hell of a writer and performer. I can't say enough good things about her.

8. "War Sweater"-Wakey!Wakey!. This one is on a lot of lists! But it's got a super cool piano track that I could listen to forever, and did last spring.

9. "Closer to Love"-Mat Kearney. This is one of my more recent obsessions. Dancing around my room to this while getting ready is one of my favorite things to do. Plus, the video is adorable. And Mat Kearney is fantastic.

10. "Come Pick Me Up"-Ryan Adams. Last fall, I listened to this when I walked up 21st Ave. every day. It was perfect for the weather and the harmonica is an under-appreciated instrument.

Okay. There are some of my OSD songs from the past few years. Do you have any? Oh, and thanks Marisa, for passing this on to me. I don't think it is weird anymore :)

Love, love, love.

Me

Music + TV= Shannon cries and her roommates laugh at her.

As I have said before, and will probably say 1,000,000 more times, music is my best way to process emotions. I feel like I always have some sort of soundtrack going on in the background of my life and so naturally, I love a really good soundtrack for a TV show or movie. I love when someone finds a song that fits so perfectly in a scene. I love when there is no dialogue, just some soft background music. I love when someone is chasing the person they love down the street, or is crying on the bathroom floor, or is getting married and a song is blasting through the television. It makes those moments that much more dramatic.

So, here are some of my favorite musical moments from TV.

1. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" musical: This is the coolest thing ever. I love Buffy (totally the reason I took karate...I secretly wanted to be the Slayer. I would have been good at it. I love a good leather jacket and a roundhouse kick). The musical episode was great because not only were the songs incredible, I was so surprised at the talent of some of the actors (emphasis on 'some'..but hey, they tried!) I miss the writing of Joss Whedon..total genius.

2. Season 6 finale of OTH: "War Sweater" by Wakey!Wakey! No words, just different shots played over the incredibly powerful song. I replayed it over and over on TiVo just so I could learn the words. Th

3. "Chasing Cars"- Snow Patrol in season 2 finale of "Grey's Anatomy". Oh, oh, oh. I sobbed. And sobbed. And then cried some more. Perfection. I will always remember this song and that scene. Izzy. I miss Izzy.

4. "Hallelujah" by Imogen Heap in season 3 finale of "The O.C." Another one with no words, just Ryan carrying Marissa away from the car accident. Ugh, tragic. I miss "The O.C.".

5. "Grey's Anatomy" musical: I know a lot of people did not dig this. I really, really loved it. It was so cool to hear songs from pivotal moments in the show. A musical history. Of course I loved it. Medicine and music are my two favorite things. Perfect.


<3 <3 <3

What To Do When You Have No Patience and Hate to Study...

I saw this on Facebook..you are supposed to list thirty songs attached to certain topics, one a day. That requires me to remember to do something for 30 days...probably not going to happen. So, I'm going to post them all at once. HA! (My weak attempt at being any type of rebellious). (Also, this is an attempt at me doing anything but studying for a midterm tomorrow)

1 - your favorite song- Right now? "Highway 20 Ride"- Zac Brown Band

2 - your least favorite song- "Can't Be Tamed"-Miley Cyrus

3 - a song that makes you happy- "Marry Me"-Train

4 - a song that makes you sad- "When the Sun Goes Down in Georgia"- Corey Smith

5 - a song that reminds you of someone- "Slide"-Goo Goo Dolls

6 - a song that reminds you of somewhere- "Best Not to Think About It"- Athlete

7 - a song that reminds you of a certain event- "Enchanted"- Taylor Swift.

8 - a song that you know all the words to- Haha, too many. But, "Ice, Ice Baby" by Vanilla Ice comes to mind :)

9 - a song that you can dance to-Pretty much anything..but I love dancing around to "Every Thing She Does is Magic" by Sting and the Police

10- a song that makes you fall asleep - "A Falling Through"- Ray LaMontagne

11 - a song from your favorite band- "Hotel California"- The Eagles

12 - a song from a band you hate- That "Blue" song by the blue people. Ughhhh.

13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure- "Never Say Never"- Justin Bieber feat. Jayden Smith

14- a song that no one would expect you to love- "Burnin' Up" -Jonas Brothers

15 - a song that describes you - "Uncharted"-Sara Bareilles. Definitely.

16 - a song that you used to love but now hate- "Mmmbop"-Hanson. This song makes absolutely no sense. Why did we all love it??

17 - a song that you hear often on the radio- "Just a Dream"-Nelly

18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio- "Closer to Love"- Mat Kearney

19 - a song from your favorite album- "Jackson"- Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash

20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry- "Makedamnsure"- Taking Back Sunday

21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy- "Gypsy Girl"- Ryan Horne

22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad- "I Shall Believe"- Sheryl Crow

23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding- "Lost in This Moment"-Big and Rich. Maybe not AT my wedding, but maybe when I'm getting ready? It might be too cheesy for me, but I secretly (not so secretly now...) love it. Side note, this song is on an album that has one of my favorite album names: "Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace".

24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral- "I Hope You Dance"-LeeAnn Womack

25 - a song that makes you laugh- "Bust a Move"- MC Hammer

26 - a song that you can play on an instrument- "Slow Dancing in a Burning Room"-John Mayer

27 - a song that you wish you could play- "Comfortable"- John Mayer

28 - a song that makes you feel guilty- "Boys with Girlfriends" Meiko

29 - a song from your childhood- "Free Fallin'"- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

30 - your favorite song at this time last year- "Need You Now"- Lady Antebellum


This was a long post..took up some time. Now, back to Experimental Research Methods.

Love, love, love.