Be As You Are Review

I’ve decided that this blog will be entirely dedicated to reviewing Mike Posner songs that are slightly too outdated to review because I waited too long…just kidding. With that said, I do want to talk about the song Be As You Are by Mike Posner. This song was on Posner’s most recent album entitled “At Night, Alone.” If you’re curious about Posner’s return to the music industry and what he thinks about it, check out my review of I Took A Pill in Ibiza.

If you couldn’t tell from the title of the song, Be As You Are is a self empowerment anthem. This in itself is important to note. It’s rare to see male singers talking about self image and esteem. These topics are usually left to female pop stars whose audiences consist of tween and teen girls, the most widely recognized victims of insecurities. With all the conversations of gender equality that are taking place in society, I think it’s important to show that guys can be vulnerable and insecure. Insecurities are universal. This universiality makes Be As You Are an appealing song to all types of people. The first lyric that stood out to me about insecurities was “Life was like a movie set and I seemed to be given no role.” It’s easy to feel left out and it’s great to see this idea shown in pop culture. Feeling left out can be seeing everyone around you evolve and prosper while you feel like you are being left in the dust. This is one of the worst feelings related to insecurities.

In the first bridge prior to the chorus, Posner mentions how he was eighteen when he talked to his mother about the insecurities he was dealing with. Later on in the song, he mentions how he was twenty two when he talked to his mother again. I like how Posner mentioned these ages. Insecurities are not mutually exclusive to people of certain ages, colors, genders, or occupations, as I mentioned before. Insecurities can also follow you as you age and grow as a person. This is normal. Unfortunately, there will never be a time when all of your insecurities will magically vanish. As you accept insecurities from your youth, for example, you will face more insecurities about new aspects of your life based on the new experiences and opportunities you face.

The chorus of this song is “There are moments when you fall to the ground, But you are stronger than you feel you are now, You don’t always have to speak so loud, no, Just be as you are, Life is not always a comfortable ride, Everybody’s got scars that they hide, And everybody plays the fool sometimes, yeah, Just be as you are.” If you only have a minute available to listen to the song, the chorus would be the most crucial part to listen to. The chorus is pretty self explanatory and not super deep but the message of being yourself despite conflicts you may face is still important.

In conclusion, Be As You Are does a great job of discussing insecurities and how they are universal and ever-evolving. Happy listening!

Begin Again

Today I watched the movie Begin Again, directed by John Carney. Begin Again tells the story of Gretta, a singer-songwriter played by Keira Knightly, and Dan Mulligan, a music producer played by Mark Ruffalo. Knightly and Ruffalo have great chemistry on screen. Both of them play incredibly flawed and vulnerable characters who are both united by their love for music. Music has been the constant thing throughout both of their lives. Gretta’s boyfriend and best friend are both musicians. Dan’s daughter plays bass guitar. By having music be such a big part of Gretta and Dan’s lives, Begin Again shows how music is so universal. Music can be used as a pick me up or an angst outlet. Music can start relationships and change lives.

Keira Knightly in Begin Again

 

The soundtrack of Begin Again is what originally attracted me to this movie. The lead song of this movie is Lost Stars by Adam Levine. This song comes up in multiple forms throughout the movie. In the movie, Lost Stars is a song written by Gretta that she first sung to Adam Levine’s character Dave. Having the song change throughout the film represents how people change. The rest of the soundtrack is mostly songs that Gretta sings throughout the movie. Keira Knightly did all of her own vocals which shows how versatile she is as an actress and a musician. Hailee Steinfeld, who plays Dan’s daughter, also proves her talent by acting and playing guitar, which she had to learn for this movie. All in all, Begin Again is a fun and creative movie that will be a great watch for any music lover.

Song Tag

I’ve already done a music tag but I thought it would be fun to do a tag that is more song based. I don’t think the song tag is really a thing but it doesn’t hurt to make up some questions. Happy listening!

What song are you listening to right now?

Warning Sign by Coldplay

 

What is the best original song from a movie soundtrack?

Heart Like Yours by Willamette Stone from If I Stay (great movie but not my favorite book)

 

Favorite song that has a color in its title?

Yellow by Coldplay

 

Favorite song that has a number in its title?

1985 by Bowling for Soup

 

Favorite song you by an artist you dislike?

Video Games by Lana Del Rey

 

Favorite song from a television show?

You Are Mine (feat. Holley Maher) by Spencer Combs. This song was on The Middle. Also,  To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra from Friday Night Lights.

 

Guily pleasure song?

Lovebug by The Jonas Brothers or anything from Camp Rock

 

Favorite song to wake up to?

Upside Down by Jack Johnson or Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson

 

Favorite “millennial” song?

Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls

 

Playlist based on your username?

Give Me Your Hand(Best Song Ever) by The Ready Set

Rest Your Love by The Vamps

Animal by Neon Trees

Nervous by Gavin James

Dark Blue by Jack’s Mannequin

Nothing by The Script

Au Revoir by OneRepublic

The Scientist by Coldplay

Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls

Video Games by Lana Del Rey

Emmylou by Vance Joy

 

Fangirling

In my Music Tag post, I mentioned how The Vamps is one of my favorite bands. Their 2 albums Meet The Vamps and Wake Up are not super relevant at this time in the media. Their current single I Found A Girl featuring Omi has not received a lot of attention in the U.S. I’m guessing it had more publicity in Europe because the lads are from there. If you didn’t know, The Vamps are comprised of Brad Simpson(singer), James McVey(lead guitarist), Connor Ball(bassist), and Tristan Evans(drummer). The reason this band was on my mind is because of their new song Stay. Stay is not currently on iTunes or Spotify and has not been released yet but will be on their third album. Stay can be found on YouTube within videos from The Vamps’s recent concerts. Stay is a slower song so it’s bizarre that it is the first one off of their third album that is being performed live. Brad is the only one who is a part of this song (at least during the concerts) and provides the vocals and the guitar part. I like this aspect because the listener can tell that Brad has had the largest hand in writing this song. It’s nice to see his vulnerability when he sings it. I would also recommend Cheater, Stolen Moments, and Rest Your Love as standouts which are all from The Vamps’s second album Wake Up. Happy listening!

Addict With A Pen by Twenty One Pilots

After browsing many remakes of the You Belong With Me video by Taylor Swift, I stumbled upon a live version of the song Addict With A Pen by Twenty One Pilots. No matter what he does, Tyler Joseph manages to never disappoint with his vocals, but all of the live videos I’ve seen have captured something indescribable. There’s something magical about Twenty One Pilots’s concerts that I hope I am able to experience in the future. Many fans of the duo are upset that the duo has reached such a high level of fame. People want to keep their little secret to themselves which is understandable. The thing that makes me so happy about Twenty One Pilots’s music reaching so many people is the irony of it. Tyler Joseph writes music to express feelings and to make you think. The topics he writes about are by no means light. These heavy topics he writes about can ward off people. Take depression for example. Depression is not something that is commonly talked about outside of health class. There’s a stigma around depression. This stigma plus the actual symptoms of depression lead to people feeling alone. When you hear Tyler Joseph scream about his demons, you realize you’re not alone. The skeleton clique is full of people who feel like they’re outcasts and broken. The fact that Twenty One Pilots reaches so many people shows that so many people feel broken. No one is alone. So many people have been helped by Twenty One Pilots’s music and that’s absolutely incredible.

 

I could talk for years about how much Twenty One Pilots has shaped my life but for now I’m going to focus on a song called Addict With A Pen which is off of their first album which is self-titled. Even before listening to the song, Addict With A Pen appealed to me because as a writer I consider myself an “Addict With A Pen”. I was so excited to see how this song could enlighten my inner writer. The first time I listened to this song, I was disappointed. It wasn’t a bad song but it didn’t speak to me. I went on to listen to more of their earlier songs to fill that little void of disappointment which happened, but my journey with Addict With A Pen was not over. A couple months later, I decided to give the song another go. Why not? As soon as I heard the raindrops I was hooked. The first verse was subtle, vulnerable and was exactly what I needed at that moment; the whole song was what I needed. Addict With A Pen is very vocally flattering for Tyler’s voice which makes it engaging. The second verse speeds up and is very gripping without being off putting or aggressive like many other fast parts of songs. The vulnerability and appeal of the song make it one of Twenty One Pilots’s best songs. Addict With A Pen talks about Tyler’s curiousities about God. Is there a God? Where is he/she/they/it then? Tyler needs God so he won’t have to deal with everything alone.

 

Religion incorporates so many different themes of life. The theme of religion that sticks with me the most is belief. Most religions aren’t scientifically based. You choose what you want to believe even if you can’t prove it. You hope it’s true because you want it to be true. This is called having faith. I believe that there’s a God because I find comfort in the fact that no matter what happens I’m not alone and God is always watching and helping me. Believing that God is protecting everyone grounds me and prevents me from getting stuck in my own head. Everyone needs help from something bigger than oneself. God represents a community of Christians, Jews, Muslims, and in general people. That’s amazing! Religion has inspired me to question myself and to find myself and I wouldn’t be who I am without it. Have a good week!

Greener Thoughts

I haven’t really had any inspiration the last few days but I wanted to post something because I haven’t been posting a lot. Sharing what music I’m listening to is better than sharing nothing. My aspirations for the future involve writing something meaningful and fun about music but today is not the day for that.

Sometimes I prefer listening to new music over music that is tried and true. It allows you to lose yourself in something you can’t control. As someone who is paranoid and power crazed, I often feel the need to have control over everything. This isn’t the healthiest way to live your life. Spontaneity is important. Blogging today was spontaneous and I got more out of it than I thought I would. In order to let go you have to both relax and take a risk. This can be applied to many situations. My risk is listening to a playlist of completely new songs. On a larger scale, taking a risk can mean that you follow your dream you’ve been scared to pursue. Taking a risk is following your heart. Music connects to your heart more than it connects to your brain. With that said, it’s time to share yet another playlist. Unfortunately, that playlist was my discover weekly in Spotify which changes every week. The one song I remember that I recommend is The Greener Side by Morgan Taylor Reid. Enjoy!

4/9/16 Playlist

 

Underrated Song: Moving On-Kodaline

I’ve been in a state of writer’s block for the past few days both for this blog and my personal writing. I often find inspiration through places and music. About a month ago, I was at a diner. At this diner, I automatically thought of the song All Too Well by Taylor Swift. I’m not sure what connected the place to the song in my mind but it was something I have not felt in a very long time. I may explore this experience in a future post. Since I know what inspires me, I made a little playlist of what I wanted to listen to, specifically what I wanted to listen to today. Here is that playlist. https://open.spotify.com/user/grandnative/playlist/5Mw6SMxrfRX12BA4yGBKxX

Usually the playlists I make have some sort of theme or commonality but not this one. This playlist had some slightly harder songs and some softer songs. One of the softer songs was Moving On by Kodaline. I am in love with this song. Before I bought Coming Up For Air, I listened to the album on YouTube. When this song played I was instantly taken aback. Garrigan’s vocals in this song are haunting yet enchanting. That aspect is emphasized by this song being a piano ballad with a small synth addition in the second verse. When I first found this song, I was disappointed to find that there was no YouTube lyric video. A song as great as this should have more recognition. Some people find Kodaline bland as a band but the simplicity of this song is breathtaking. Moving On is the younger brother of All I Want and is worth the listen. I hope you check it out!

I Took A Pill In Ibiza Review

I know I’m a little late to the party but today I finally got the energy and desire to listen to a little song called I Took A Pill In Ibiza by Mike Posner. The popular version of this song is a Seeb Remix. This song is number 10 on the iTunes chart and is number 14 on the Billboard Top 100. These rankings are a little surprising considering I’ve never heard the song on the radio. I’ve noticed recently that what is getting played on the radio is not what’s hot and trending but rather what is proven to be well liked. This still includes new music but usually features familiar artists. That brings us to Mike Posner. Most known for the 2010 hit Cooler Than Me, it’s easy to say that Mike Posner is a classic one hit wonder. But where do one hit wonders go when they’re no longer in the spotlight? This is what Mike Posner explores in his new song. This song begins with “I took a pill in Ibiza,” making it very clear what song it is. This is a uncommon move in music. The first verse explores what Posner’s been doing since he dropped off the face of the music industry. This verse could be a part of a typical rap song with its mentions of drugs, LA, girls, and shoes. In the chorus the theme changes. The lyric that sticks with me the most out of all of the song is “You don’t want to step off of that roller coaster and be all alone.” You don’t need to be in the music industry to have felt this at one point or another.  The latter part of the chorus shows what Posner thinks about his famous single by defining it as a sad song. When he says “All I know are sad songs,” he is both reflecting on his single and how he views his life. This idea is described in more detail in the second verse. At the end of this verse Posner’s view towards his music also becomes pointed towards his love life. This is smart because it further explores something that was mentioned in the first verse. “And I can’t keep a girl, no….the truth is I can’t open up.” This sentence is ironic in the idea that Posner is being vulnerable by revealing the fact that he can’t open up. In the third verse, Posner explores his hometown and reveals the shame he feels when he faces his fans. “They said tell us how to make it cause we’re getting real impatient so I looked em in the eye and said,” ends the final verse and then transitions to the chorus which reveals his shame in itself. All in all, I Took A Pill In Ibiza is a song that explores something pretty common in the music industry but isn’t often spoken about. I don’t know if Mike Posner will find a permenant spot back in the music industry, but this song is an incredible way of leaving a mark. I would recommend this song for its lyrics, beat, and message.

3/5/16 Playlist

This is a little chill playlist. This could also qualify as a bedtime playlist. Every song on this playlist reminds me of the app 8tracks so check that out if you like what you’re hearing. For the next playlist I do, I’ll add a little bit about why I like each of the songs. Enjoy!