Short feature I wrote.
Published originally in the Independent Weekly Nov. 18, 2009 issue.

Raleigh
ABBA Mania
Memorial Auditorium, Progress Energy Center—Did you know that last year’s ABBA-inspired Mamma Mia wrangled more than $600 million worldwide to become the highest-grossing musical film of all time? People do love their ABBA, and we’re betting a fair number will be willing to pony up $20-$55 for the chance to see a tribute band mimic such hits as “Voulez-Vous,” “Fernando” and “Take a Chance on Me.” Be sure to bring your dancing shoes at 8 p.m. Visit www.broadwayseriessouth.com. —Belem Destefani

“It is only by selection,elimination, emphasis that we get at the real meaning of things” . O’keeffe’s words are relevant for the VC job as well.

went to the Georgia O’keeffe exhibition at the Whitney, called abstraction. the whitney is a nice building, by the way, designed by Marcel Breuer. its windows are unusual, and can be considered upside down.

i was greatly impressed by

• how ground breaking O’keeffe’s work was and the pain it caused her to be misunderstood
• her ability to break taboos and live away from the city
• her relationship with alfred stieglitz and what it did artistically for both of them. his photographs of her are genius. for their letters, there is a great archive at the yale library . i really am impressed how he saw the light in her early, and promoted her, championed her despite their large age difference ~24 years.

with the fire inside her, and the confidence of a mentor, she had the poise to produce in a prolific manner; and as an avant-garde and true to herself, she had a great, long life.  a bit like matisse’s paper cuts, in her late years she was ill, her ability to produce was reduced, resulting in a new use of color, barely recognizable as O’keeffe.

i really want to spend more time photographing. would love to produce some great photos. good composition, good lighting. and making people satisfied. good art makes my stomach turn. after an hour at a good exhbition i need to rest. the exhiliration i reach is rarely matched by other experiences. a bit like runners high, or falling in love.

how would you like to live on an island, but in a city?

well, in the bronx, NYC, there is an island. one bridge connects it to the city. it is called city island

last week we went to see the movie city island. Limor my wife, Carmel our oldest daughter, Ran our friend and myself. not a usual combination

in short, what ‘The Breakfast Club‘ did to high school, ‘The Big Chill‘ to post college life, City Island does to family 20 years into this life long exploration. check out this scene between the kids ‘ you shut up. no, you shut up‘. Ezra Miller is wonderful, and i predict will be a big name.

it is unusual to laugh real hard and cry in the same movie. i did

there are some great themes in this movie:

• fulfilling dreams
• what happens when great secrets come out
• trusting someone who does not expect it
• challenging societies values, and perhaps regretting it

Raymond de Filleta does a wonderful job as writer and director.

this movie is an independent movie and you will not much about it unless you look for it. very little press coverage and reviews to date.

yet another reason to go see the movie

I was thinking the other day about my pal who thought on the song “Desperado” the Eagles sang, “You’ve been outright offensive, for so long now” instead of “You’ve been out riding fences, for so long now.” She made a good case and almost convinced me, arguing that a desperado who was out for so long wouldn’t smell very good.

I know I’m guilty of singing the wrong words — and often the wrong notes — of popular songs, so I thought I’d do some research, defined today as “time I’d like not spent cleaning the house.”

After you read some of these misheard lyrics you might never be able to sing the right words ever again.

This is from the FAQs of The Archive of Misheard Lyrics ….

Q: How did this whole thing come about?
A: The archive started as a spontaneous idea originating out of the Birdhouse Arts Collective in September,1995. The concept was inspired by the mother of a close friend of the founder, who confessed to us that, as a young girl, she had thought that the old church song “A little walk with Jesus” was called “A little chocolate Jesus.” In fact, she never realized her error until she was almost 45 years old.

Q: Is there a technical name for these mishearances?
A: Well, not a technical name as in psychology terminology, but there is an anecdotal name — they’re called mondegreens, and it’s all explained at Mondegreens Ripped My Flesh. [Becky’s note: Read this. It’s funny.]

Jim Coleman offers the following on the subject of mondegreens:

This term was coined when an author was referring to hearing “upon the green” as “mondegreen.” Malachi McCourt, brother of Frank who wrote Angela’s Ashes, titled his autobiography “A Monk’s Swimmin’,” which is how the little Irish boys heard the line from the Ave Maria/Hail Mary “blessed are thou amongst women.”

Historically, mondegreens help to explain the many different lyrics in similar folk songs. In the old Appalachian ballad, Wildwood Flower, one version has the lines “The myrtle so white and its emerald hue, the pale and the leader and islip so blue” while another has “The myrtle so white and its emerald hue, the pale amanita and eyes look so blue.” Amanita is a deadly poisonous mushroom, hardly something for a love lyric.

Sometimes, the mondegreens are intentional. On the John Laroquette show many years ago, there were two cops, one a short woman and the other a rotund middle aged man. The woman once stated that her partner was so food obsessed that he thought the line to the Crystal Gayle song was “Donuts make your brown eyes blue.”

So that’s a little background. Here are some BeckyLand favorites.

Artist     Billy Joel
Song     You May Be Right
THE MISHEARD: You made the rice, I made the gravy, But it just may be some tuna fish you’re lookin for…
Real Lyric: You may be right, I may be crazy, But it just may be a lunatic you’re lookin for…

Artist     Deep Purple
Song     Smoke On The Water
THE MISHEARD: Slow motion Walter, the fire engine guy.
Real Lyric: Smoke on the water, fire in the sky

Artist     The Beatles
Song     Michelle
THE MISHEARD: Michelle ma belle, some say monkeys play piano well, play piano well.
Real Lyric: Michelle ma belle, sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble, très bien ensemble.

Artist     Abba
Song     Take A Chance On Me
THE MISHEARD: If you change your mind (Jackie Chan) I’m the first in line (Jackie Chan)
Real Lyric: If you change your mind (take a chance) I’m the first in line (take a chance)

Artist     Pink Floyd
Song     Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2
THE MISHEARD: The ducks are hazards in the classroom.
Real Lyric: No dark sarcasm in the classroom

Artist     Eddie Money
Song     Two Tickets To Paradise
THE MISHEARD: I’ve got flu, rickets, and parasites.
Real Lyric: I’ve got two tickets to paradise.

Artist     Bee Gees
Song     Stayin’ Alive
THE MISHEARD: Hell, you can tell right away I abuse my rock, I’m a woman, man, go climb the clock…
Real Lyric: Well you can tell by the way I use my walk, I’m a woman’s man, no time for talk…

Artist     The Beatles
Song     Get Back
THE MISHEARD: Jo Jo was a man before he was a woman.
Real Lyric: Jo Jo was a man who thought he was a loner.

Artist     Queen
Song     Bohemian Rhapsody
THE MISHEARD: Caught in Alaska No escape from reality
Real Lyric: Caught in a landslide No escape from reality

And speaking of Bohemian Rhapsody … a treasure trove …

THE MISHEARD: Mitch Miller, no, he will not let you go.
Real Lyric: Bizmilah! NO! We will not let you go!

THE MISHEARD: Is this the real life or is this just Battersea?
Real Lyric: Is this the real life or is this just fantasy?

THE MISHEARD: Gotta moosh, Gotta moosh Will you do the bannano
Real Lyric: Scaramouche, scaramouche Will you do the fandango

THE MISHEARD: Hit me with the windows, doesn’t really matter to me.
Real Lyric: Any way the wind blows, doesn’t really matter to me.

THE MISHEARD: But he has acne all the time…
Real Lyric: Body’s aching all the time…

THE MISHEARD: Spare him his life from his mom’s recipe!
THE MISHEARD: Spare him his life from this one saucy deed.
THE MISHEARD: Spare him his life from his wife’s canopy
THE MISHEARD: Spare him his life and his lone piece of cheese…
THE MISHEARD: Saving his life from his warm sausage tea
Real Lyric: Spare him his life from this monstrosity!

Is this just Battersea? Got any of your own?

झूठा ही सही…

Hmm, ja rozumiem fuszerkę i przeróbkę twórczości własnej, ale tak cudze kompozycje kraść?!
/Hmm, I understand botch-up and remaking own creativity, but stealing someone else?!/

Ace of base – All that she wants

The Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star

AR Rahman – Chaiyya chaiyya

Black Eyed Peas – My humps

Toto Cotugno – Italiano Vero

JTL – My lecon

Jeanette – Porque te vas

ABBA – Take a chance on me

Ricky Martin – Jaleo

Blue - One love

Sasha – I Feel Lonely

Haddaway – What is Love?
[The Genleman]
Michael Jackson – Smooth criminal

Jose Feliciano – Listen to the falling rain

Probabil ca majoritatea din voi ma cunosc destul de bine si imi stiti obiceiurile. In ultimul an si jumatate foarte rar m-am dat jos din masina in folosul mersului pe jos. Nimic mai gresit in toata povestea asta! Dar cum de vreo 2 luni am luat in greutate vreo 2-3Kg m-am hotarat sa circul cu metroul sau pe jos iar shobi-ul pe patru roti il folosesc doar pentru momentele in care plec cu jumatate de studio dupa mine la repetitii. Asta explica faptul ca am tot inceput sa ma intalnesc cu prieteni, cunostinte vechi, lucruri care nu fac decat sa ma bucure.

Astazi nu prea aveam chef de mers in aglomeratie asa ca in drumul spre casa am coborat la Tineretului si am mers prin parc pana la Piata Sudului. Nu prea erau foarte multi oameni pe alei cu toate ca era doar ora 21:00. Sper ca oamenii nu sunt asa afectati de criza incat sa stea toata ziua in case si sa planga:)). N-am inteles exact cum e cu legea ciclistilor si rollerilor prin parcuri…cert e ca am vazut vreo 2-3 biciclisti ce se plimbau fara nici un stres.  Deasupra lacului mai erau 3-4 batranei, 2 paznici, o echipa de fotbal la antrenamente si cam asta era toata populatia parcului. Ceva e straniu in povestea asta. Ori s-au ascuns de mine ori oamenii sunt mult mai putin atrasi de aerul putin mai curat, liniste, verdeata, si ciripit de pasarele. Adevarul e ca toate astea se gasesc virtual pe net. ) cauti pe google aer curat si-ti vine doza de aer prin curier acasa:))

M-ai tot drumul am ascultat 2 piese. Prima e Taina de la Holograf iar cea de-a doua este Abba – Take A Chance On Me. Daca nu o mai stiti asa bine dati un play:P

Welcome back to daily interest! Today’s post is dedicated to campy culture!

What is camp culture you may ask? Thank Christ for Wikipedia…or the guy who developed it. Maybe.

I’d like to begin with a music video I ran across on Youtube the other day, which sparked the idea for this post:

ABBA-Take a Chance on Me. Musicwise, it doesn’t get more unintentionally campy than this. I think it’s better when they don’t mean it, wouldn’t you agree. I love the cheesy filters and freeze frames the most; not to mention the Brady-Bunch split-screen effect. Just one of the many ABBA songs that lays on the cheese pretty thickly. I admittedly enjoy a Dancing Queen and a Mama Mia! every now and again. I’ve yet to see the modern musical based on the tunes-but I can see where it’s probably going to go. Until it has a really cheap off-Broadway highschool play edition, I’ll most likely not put in the effort.

As far as intentionally campy music goes:

April March-\”Stay Away from Robert Mitchum\”

I love April March’s fantastic 60’s throwback music. Be sure to check out her EP Chick Habit for more tunes. (Not to mention Robert Mitchum himself…)

April March's EP "Chick Habit" features intentional camp and 60's style. Yowza.

Robert Mitchum is....yeah.

And you know I can’t possibly get through this post without mentioning John Waters, the reason why I know what camp is. If you’re looking for a good read, and quite possibly a biographical mini-tome to live your life by, check out Crackpot: The Obsessions of John Waters. It details specific obsessions of Mister Waters through hilarious anecdotes-and they are anecdotes-from his life and career. My favorite parts being A Day in the Life (2 separate chapters featuring a GOOD day and a BAD day) and the section on good-old fashioned-American-capitalist Christmas…and why it’s something to look forward to all year (and make sure everyone else does too.) Just read it. Even if you hate it, it’s like 100 pages long. It’ll either be an hour you’ll never get back or an hour you’ll never want back. You can’t pass up a 50/50 chance of pleasure-the odds are never this good in real life!

The Only Book You'll Never Need.

I also recommend every single one of this man’s movies. Everyone has heard of Hairspray-but please watch the Original first. Hell, why not dive right in and start with Pink Flamingos? Live a little! I won’t try to explain. Just know how relevant it is to the subject. I’ll leave you with a clip or two.

Now, in very recent culture, you may have noticed the delightful camp value of the between show bumps and even some of the shows on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim. This television (and also magical internet) spectacular is practically living in tents. They’re roasting marshmallows. From the Hanna-Barbera remake/spoofs like Space Ghost, Harvey Birdman, and Sealab 2021- to the live-action parodies of modern life like Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job!, Garth Merenghi’s Dark Place, and Look Around You-You cannot fail.

Tim & Eric have particularly owned this. They take everyday American things like Informercials, the nightly news, karaoke, and self-help videos-and exhaggerate the already-ridiculous nature of these things. Some call it random humor, others call it a social statement. I call it both. Check out their comedy for a good laugh and maybe an uncomfortable moment or two with yourself or a loved one.

Tim & Eric or Eric & Tim.

And to wrap it up. Is this intentional or unintentional camp? I can’t tell. You decide! And good luck getting this out of your head!

Love K

I woke up kind of grumpy today but it wore off after I showered yay! Well actually I was sitting and visiting with my mom in the office and we were laughing and having a heck of a time and that kind of put me in a better mood. And I just love music today. Like..peppy music kind of. I dont know. Not peppy but it has a certain ‘feel’. Like…Take A Chance On Me by ABBA is AWESOME today. And some Red Hot Chili Peppers is hittin’ the spot.

I’m going to Jasper for supper tonight with some..well I dont know what to tell them. They aren’t that new anymore. They aren’t quite friends yet..whatever, I”m going down for supper and it’ll be a hoot. It’s actually a special dinner they’re having for the spanish service group but for some reason they invited me and mom, too. Mucho Gracias!…that’s me speaking Spanish. Yo soy muy mal con español. I’m sorry about the post last night. We were a little struggling and uh yeah. Okay, that’s all I’ve got. Off to the store for chips, yo. Mucho amor.

Apparently our friend in the snowy north is a huge ABBA fan…

Everyone’s favorite balding Russian despot wanted to “Thank Them For The Music,” so he had his assistant “Fernando” put down his “Chiquita” banana and send out an “S.O.S.” for an ABBA cover band. At first they weren’t sure, but Putin was insistent, begging them to “Take A Chance On Me.” Finally they relented, saying “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do,” quietly travelling to a remote location for a private concert because “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” if the shindig wasn’t kept under wraps all of Russia would show up and that could potentially result in Putin’s own personal “Waterloo.”

“Mamma Mia” was it an excellent show.

Postscript: In case you were born after 1989, the jokes were as follows: 1. The headline used an ABBA song to lampoon Valdimir Putin’s masculinity. 2. That picture of him is just creepy. 3. The body of the post is full of ABBA song titles.

UPDATE:

Spokesman for Pootie-Poot, Dmitry Peskov, said this about the concert, “I can tell you officially and for sure Vladimir Putin never took part in any concert of the kind. He wasn’t there.”

Postscript from the other contributer:

Sounds like denial is “The Name Of The Game!” (Another song title)

Read

SingStar(R) Lets You Be the ‘Dancing Queen’ This Holiday Season With SingStar(R) ABBA

Kick-Off Your Holiday Party with Hit Songs from ABBA for the PLAYSTATION(R)3 and PlayStation(R)2 systems

FOSTER CITY, Calif., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. (SCEA) today announced the release of this season’s latest SingStar(R) sensation, SingStar(R) ABBA, available for both the PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) and the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment systems. An essential part of any SingStar fan’s collection, SingStar ABBA expands the franchise’s robust holiday line-up, offering an authentic interactive singing experience set to the iconic music of ABBA.

Developed in full collaboration with ABBA and Universal Music Group in Sweden, SingStar ABBA delivers ABBA’s most legendary songs and videos with popular tracks including ‘Mamma Mia’, ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)’, ‘Dancing Queen’, ‘Take a Chance on Me’ and ‘Waterloo’.

“SingStar ABBA marks the franchise’s first foray into delivering premium, artist-specific content that PlayStation fans have been craving,” said Scott A. Steinberg, vice president of product marketing, SCEA. “Expanding the SingStar catalog with some of the greatest pop tracks of all time, SingStar ABBA is sure to be the ultimate party entertainment for friends and family this holiday season.”

Continuing to grow the PS3 library following the October release of

SingStar(R) Vol. 2, SingStar ABBA for the PS3 system allows players to capture all their special ABBA party moments by using the PLAYSTATION(R)Eye to record their performances and share them with the worldwide SingStar community via My SingStar(R) Online. Players also can connect to the PS3 online SingStore(TM), giving them access to more than 400 downloadable songs to add to their collections. In an effort to enhance the North American SingStore based on consumer feedback, over 60 songs from the European SingStore will be made available to U.S. fans over the next few months. Highlights of the new songs include:

UB40 — ‘Red Red Wine’

New Order — ‘Blue Monday 88′

Men at Work — ‘Down Under’

David Bowie — ‘Let’s Dance’

Starship — ‘We Built this City’

For those in need of some festive tunes to compliment holiday entertaining, a Christmas song pack will be released mid-December on the SingStore. The pack will be available for $6.99 and will include the following:

Toni Braxton — ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Xmas’

Babyface — ‘Sleigh Ride’

Shakin’ Stevens — ‘Merry Christmas’

Paul McCartney — ‘Wonderful Christmastime’

Celine Dion — ‘Christmas Eve’

Also for the holidays, the full PlayStation 2 SingStar catalog will be accessible for the PS3 system via a free game update coming by Christmas that provides PS3 SingStar owners with backwards compatibility of all PS3 and PlayStation 2 SingStar discs. Popular PlayStation 2 SingStar titles like the recently released SingStar(R) Country, SingStar(R) Pop vol. 2, and SingStar(R) Legends will be easily accessible when running a PS3 SingStar game. This feature is only compatible with SingStar discs for the PS3 system.

The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) has rated SingStar(R) ABBA for both PS3 and PS2 “T” for Teen. For more information about the ESRB visit http://www.esrb.org.

Honestly I had never heard this song before writing the article on The Best Show On WFMU awhile back. I somehow got this song stuck in my head for all of last weekend and figured it was worth posting.

Don’t be afraid to ADMIT that you love ABBA music! ))

As I exited the theater I knew I had to get this mp3’s! The actors sang beautifully! Amanda Seyfried’s voice is so clear; Meryl Strip gives such life to the songs; Colin Firth’s voice is so sweet and soothing (I’m not even that big a fan of his). This is a very happy, feel-good movie, and the soundtrack is the same! It boosts me up and makes me smile;

Abba’s music is absolutely timeless. So I think it will be usefull to see top trakcs and some links

Top 15 Abba Greatest Hits:

Dancing Queen – mp3

Mamma Mia mp3

Take a Chance on Me – mp3

The Winner Takes It All mp3

Waterloo mp3

Knowing Me, Knowing You

Money, Money, Money

Super Trouper

Lay All Your Love on Me mp3

Fernando mp3

Chiquitita mp3

S.O.S.

I Have a Dream mp3

Does Your Mother Know

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)

RJ: Horários de 'Mamma Mia' de 12 a 18.09.2008

Os pôsteres de divulgação espalharam pelo mundo inteiro a novidade: Meryl Streep canta e dança sucessos do Abba. É este o principal trunfo de “Mamma Mia!”, peça da Broadway vista por mais de 30 milhões de pessoas e adaptada agora para as telas de cinema.

“Era algo para ter feito aos 28 anos”, disse Streep, durante a rodada de entrevistas promocionais de que Folha participou na Grécia, “mas topei o desafio e acho que não fiz feio. Foi algo que exigiu mais de mim a essa altura, fisicamente e musicalmente”.

Assim como ela, a maior parte dos atores do filme não tinha experiência anterior com musicais, mas foram pagos para “perder a vergonha” frente às câmeras, com resultados que variam do excelente ao constrangedor. De qualquer modo, ninguém sai do cinema sem “Dancing Queen” ou “Take a Chance on Me” na cabeça.

A trama acompanha a história da jovem noiva Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), criada pela mãe solteira, Donna (Streep), numa ilha mediterrânea –o filme foi inteiro filmado na ilha grega Kalokairi.

Às vésperas do casamento, a moça encontra um velho diário da mãe e descobre que tem três possibilidades de pai: Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Bill (Stellan Skarsgard) e Harry (Colin Firth). Cada um deles obedece a um perfil bem definido, quase clichê: o executivo, o viajante sem raízes e o arquiteto. Querendo tirar a dúvida, ela convidará os três para o casório.

“A história tem estrutura clássica, inspirada pela mitologia grega, mas invertida, com três homens na disputa”, diz a diretora, Phyllida Lloyd. A referência histórica é o embate entre Atena, Afrodite e Hera pelo título de mais bela.

Durante as entrevistas, os três atores principais comentaram a dificuldade e o divertimento de filmar a cena final, em que dançam de salto alto.

“Quando me vi vestido com um collant colorido, pensei: ninguém nunca mais vai me chamar para trabalhar”, disse Brosnan, que tem quatro atuações como 007 no currículo. A presença de Streep no elenco convenceu-o a participar.

“Geralmente os filmes são escritos por homens, e as mulheres só precisam ser bonitas. Neste caso era um pouco o contrário”, disse Stellan Skarsgard. Acostumado a trabalhar em filmes mais “sérios” –como “Dançando no Escuro” e “Dogville”, de Lars von Trier– o ator sueco disse que teve que aprender a se “despreocupar” e a perder um pouco do controle sobre a sua atuação.

“Quando o Abba estourou, nos anos 70, eu estava muito ocupado tentando ser cool, ouvindo jazz alternativo”, ri.

Streep, em compensação, diz sempre ter sido fã de Abba. Dois dias depois do 11 de Setembro, abalada pelos atentados, ela levou a família toda para ver o musical em Nova York.

“As crianças em escola nova, não conheciam ninguém. Alguns pais de seus colegas morreram nos atentados… Mas ao som de “Dancing Queen”, todo mundo dançou. Existe algo de incrível no musical, que nos faz lembrar da alegria de estarmos vivos.”

A “alegria” é o tema evocado em praticamente todas as entrevistas. O fato de o romance ser vivido por atores com mais de 50 anos foi outro dos trunfos colocados pela diretora:

“A sexualidade no cinema costuma vir associada à juventude. Quisemos fazer um filme em que esse espírito contagiasse as diferentes gerações”.

Com a estréia do filme em diferentes partes do mundo, Lloyd saberá finalmente se o tal “efeito contagioso” é mesmo geral e eficaz.

O texto foi encontrado aqui. Os horários (clique na figura para ver em tamanho maior) foram encontrados na edição de 12.09.2008 do jornal O Dia, RJ.

Listen here first and then read Hayden’s When Life Forces You To Expand, your choice, either way know this, you’ll have it in your head for the rest of the day.  My gift to you… I blame Hayden!

Hey you can’t say I didn’t warn you… Enjoy *grins*

Dancing Queen

Take a chance on me

The Winner Takes It All

Honey Honey

SOS

Chiquitita

Sometimes food at a mediocre restaurant, with good friends, can be more fulfilling than a fancy sought-after meal at a top restaurant.

same with movies. mamma mia , for example

i love Abba . the first musical record i ever got was Abba, right after they won the eurovision song contest. and the fun i had singing along with it made me realize many small pleasures in life will come from music.

last week i went with the entire family to see the movie. i guess the musical was not enough saccharine . it was the first movie we went to see as a six-person-family now that Tal is almost 3.

by the end of the movie we were all singing Abba songs and had stupid smiles on our faces. life is good!

can you ask for more from a movie? here is a list of reasons why you should go and see it:

• Meryl Streep – she is perhaps the best actress in history, and i believe in our lifetime
• the simplicity and beauty of greek islands
• to remind yourself how beautiful 20 year old kids can be
• to see that basic thrills can have affect even after 40. especially if you allow yourself

and finally because some of Abba’s songs have lines that i believe have essential truth in them. what do we all want? money,money money ?

just simply for people to ‘take a chance on me’.

Image from Corbis.com

We all have songs that we listen to when we’re feeling sad, party tunes we rock out to with company, and ballads that make us feel, well, powerful. Some of these group “power” songs can be heard at sporting events such as Queen’s ever-popular “We Will Rock You.”

We women have our own genre of “power songs” sung by female divas that command our attention and unite us in our heartache, independence, and prowess. I was musing about this today when I was in a bit of a down mood. I started blasting “Leave the Pieces” by The Wreckers and singing along loudly (and off-key). Somewhere between, “It’s alright/Yeah, I’ll be fine/Don’t worry about this heart of mine/Just take your love and hit the road” and “There’s nothing you can do or say/You’re going to break my heart anyway/Just leave the pieces when you go,” I suddenly felt much better. Yeah, life hurts and hearts get broken…but this is a song about independence and moving on after heartache. Instead of wallowing in doubt, I suddenly felt less broken, and like I had a choice and that life really does go on.

Obviously, if you listen to this song, it’s about a guy who doesn’t want to commit and a girl telling him to get lost because she’s tired of his flip-flopping. But there are so many times I need to remind myself that I do have a choice–I can tell the world to get lost, even though it s so painful. I can tell sin to get lost, even though my sins break God’s heart (and mine, too). And isn’t a contrite spirit almost one that is broken, sometimes in pieces, after we’ve told who or whatever to get out of our lives? I know many times after my own stupidity or because of the stupidity of others, I’ve sat with my heart in pieces crying my eyes out. Yet God always takes those pieces and puts them back together.

God just spoke to me so powerfully through this song. Yes, life will hurt, but I can give Him the pieces. Yes, my heart will bust wide open, but I can move past my mistakes. And, yes, I will be fine because God’s holding this heart of mine. Amazing how God can work through a song like “Leave the Pieces,” but whoever said we can only find God in the worship section at the Christian bookstore anyway?

While many female power songs don’t always hit me straight in the heart, there are a few I like to rock out to as well like “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benetar, “Heart of Glass” by Blondie (how I love Deborah Harry), “Defying Gravity” from Wicked (I just love that soundtrack), “Take a Chance of Me” (Come on, it’s a woman saying “Hey, baby, look this way!” It’s even funnier when you watch MAMMA MIA!), “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera (who’d have thunk it?), “This One’s For the Girls” by Martina McBride, “Reflections” from Mulan (the ultimate warrior chick), “Go Your Own Way” the Cranberries cover version of course, and my ultimate female power song–”You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon. Ah, Carly, you’re my girl!

So, ladies (or gents), what’s one of your “power” songs for your spiritual or emotional health? Post it, proclaim it, rock out to it!

I liked Mamma Mia as much as the next person woman. Though ‘Pierce Brosnan in a comedy’ are five words that should strike fear in the heart of anyone who has ever seen an episode of Remington Steele, I liked it. Meryl Streep has more talent than people who can knot cherries with their tongue.

The abiding memory of it is that of Julie Walters singing Take A Chance on Me, a song with lyrics diametrically opposed to its tune. I enjoy songs that are essentially dirges set to pop tracks. The Beatles were feckers for it. Ticket to Ride, what a deceptive little tune that was. La la la la la la she’s la la-leaving me. You’d be singing away, thinking it was the happiest thing since Derek Mooney and then you’d have a think about the words.

But anyway, Abba. Look what this one turns out like if you look closely. Obsessive feckers.

Take A Chance On Me

If you change your mind, I’m the first in line

That offer still stands, even though you weren’t interested the first time

Honey I’m still free

Mainly because I’m still single

Take a chance on me

Sleep with me, please

If you need me, let me know, gonna be around

No seriously, I’m basically just hanging out on the offchance that your standards will drop to whatever circle of hell level I’m at

If you’ve got no place to go, if you’re feeling down

Yes, I get that you’d only want me if you were depressed and out of options

If you’re all alone when the pretty birds have flown

And of course if there were no actually attractive women…

Honey I’m still free

but I’m still up for it

Take a chance on me

Sleep with me, please

Gonna do my very best and it ain’t no lie

Joking aside, I’m actually going to engineer this menage a bleugh no matter what you do

If you put me to the test, if you let me try

Whatever you want, I’m basically playing the grateful role here

Take a chance on me

Sleep with me, please

We can go dancing, we can go walking, as long as we’re together

I would be willing to sponge bathe incontinent pensioners if I could do it in your company

Listen to some music, maybe just talking, get to know you better

Admittedly, I love the idea of you and don’t actually know you at all

’cos you know I’ve got
So much that I wanna do, when I dream I’m alone with you It’s magic

I’ve been fantasising it up a notch, and have progressed to dreaming at this point

You want me to leave it there, afraid of a love affair
But I think you know
That I can’t let go

I’m choosing to ignore the fact that you’re not into this, because I am insane

Oh you can take your time baby, I’m in no hurry, know I’m gonna get you

Like the first in line for the Smeg fridge at the Clery’s sale, I have meticulously planned this. You will be mine.

You don’t wanna hurt me, baby don’t worry, I ain’t gonna let you

Don’t. Try. Anything. I will kill you with this letter opener.

Let me tell you now
My love is strong enough to last when things are rough

You see, I’ve got enough love for the both of us. Lots and lots of obsessive love…

It’s magic

I’m mental

You say that I waste my time but I can’t get you off my mind

You’ve tried telling me, but I’d rather continue this charade, thank you

No I can’t let go
’cos I love you so

Never leaving. Never.

And so on with many choruses of sleep with me, please. I suppose, what do you expect from a group who compare a relationship breakdown to the battle of Waterloo. It makes you wonder if you could really trust them at all. The Dancing Queen was probably an ageing crack whore.

Hey everybody. Its Tyrone. Sigh. Last night, Joey took me to a performance of ‘Mamma Mia’, the musical. Not the movie.

Me in the car on the way there. Don't let the smile deceive you.

Let’s just say I was not looking forward to this. I’m not much of a musical guy. At dinner, they went to a ‘no basketballs allowed’ restaurant, so I had to stay in Joey’s pocket the entire time. THAT WAS NOT FUN! That had about as much air as Tyler’s box of death. But anyway, we got to the theatre finally.

This is me in front of the program. That girl on the program looked nothing like the one in the play.

Anyway, it was a pretty good play. It was funny, and ABBA is one of my all time favorite bands of all time (take a chance on me, if you need me, let me know!) That was me type-singing. 

This is me in the theatre. I have never seen so many shades of blue.

Anyway, I had one gripe about the show. So, ABBA is Swedish, right??? And the show took place in Greece. And they all spoke English!!! Talk about inconsistent. Anyway, I had a pretty good time. (I’m not telling Joey that though… he hasn’t stopped singing ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ since we got home.

Peace Out.

Tyrone

Innan jag drog hem till Hälsingland igen gick jag på sommarbio med Eff (also known as Frida) och efter att jag genomlidit långfilmen Varg (med Peter Stormare i öronlappsmössa jagandes renar på skoter) med henne (som hon valde..) så var det nu MIN TUR ATT VÄLJA FILM och Eff fick bara så lov att finna sig i detta – och hänga med på Mamma Mia!. (det var mellan den och Sex & The City som det stod när vi var på bion, men den kändes inte så lockande när man inte sett serien och så kändes ändå Mamma Mia! som lite mer somrig och rolig). Plus att min nyfikenhet på Pierce Brosnans utskällda sånginsats var ganska stor. Och vilken tur att vi gick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Kan säga att publiken var övervägande tjejjig.. tjejer med sina tjejpolare, mammor med sina döttrar, mormödrar med sina dötterdöttrar, etc. . Den försvinnande lilla manliga delen av publiken var antingen pojkvänner dittvingade av sina tjejer , eller uppgivna medelålders män dittvingade av sina fruar – och ev. några musikal/schlagerbögar… Men annars kändes det typ som om Amelia & VeckoRevyn hade delat ut ett gäng gratisbiljetter till sina prenumeranter med parfymdoft på. Men det var faktiskt härligt att för en gångs skull gå på en såndär riktig TJEJFILM. (jag är normalt ändå inte en sån där som springer på hollywoodska romcoms annars..). Men det var ju liksom ABBA-MUSIKAL med en hel del toppskådisar i rollistan dessutom, så naturligtvis ville man ju se hur den blev.. om det blev supermagplask av alltihop eller om den faktiskt var bra.. och så var ju liksom Colin med… tjoho, hallå!!!!!!!!!!

Och filmen var faktiskt riktigt bra (och Pierce sjöng faktiskt dåligt, men det är en annan historia). För grejen var att den var absolut töntcharmig och corny, men på rätt sätt: på ett alldeles underbart, härligt, brittiskt humor feel-good-sätt som det bara inte går att värja sig ifrån. och sen att se svenska flaggan vajja bakom skådisarna i bild och se björn & benny i ett par små oemotståndliga cameo-roller var ganska festligt faktiskt..  även om man absolut inte på några som helst villkor varken gillar vare sig ABBA eller musikaler, så bör man ändå gilla humorn, skådisarna och feel-good-stämningen i filmen. Egentligen så sjöng Pierce Brosnan faktiskt inte så dåligt om man lyssnar noga, det är snarare så att han ansiktsuttryck medans han sjöng var så bajsnödigt att det var det som var det roliga. =D men blundar man och typ bara lyssnar så sjunger han ändå rätt okej, men han ser FÖRDJÄVLA rolig ut., så det var svårt att inte småfnissa.. =P Bästa sånginsatserna var på tjejsidan av Amanda Seyfried & Meryl Streep – och på killsidan: COLIN!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yep. Mr Darcy kan sjunga också. Man kunde nästan förnimma en samlad suck bland publiken när Colin tog ton. Vilken surprise.. !! Faktiskt. Till och med jag blev förvånad… ! <3

Klipp från när Mr Darcy tar ton i filmen och sjunger Our Last Summer med gitarr… *:)

Här är hela låten från CD-soundtracket, där man även kan höra fortsättningen där Stellan Skarsgård & Pierce Brosnan joinar Colin i killsång på segelbåt (och badhoppande från grekiska klippor medan de sjunger =D) och så Amanda Seyfried, som spelar dottern till Meryl Streeps karaktär, och som filmhandling kretsar kring. Måste erkänna att denna, en av de mindre kända ABBA-låtarna, var min favvo i hela filmen, just pga Mr. Darcys insats med gitarren och killarnas grillscener+slowmaotionhoppande frånklipporna.

Men numret där Julie Walters skoningslöst vampar åt sig Stellan med ABBA:s Take A Chance On Me (klipp!) hamnar inte heller långt efter…, LOL, guld!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (You go girl!!) =D

Jag ger den faktiskt en 4/5 i betyg, för den var så pass välspelad & feel-goodig & brittisk humor-skön… och så ABBAs musik är ju ändå rätt så.. bra. =) Jag rekommenderar den till alla som tröttnar på värmen och känner för lite sommarbio!!!! (och för att åter se Colin Firth i åtsittande blöt vitskjorta och SJUNGANDES =D).

Do Terra:

Os quatro membros do grupo ABBA apareceram juntos nesta sexta-feira na estréia sueca do filme Mamma Mia!, fazendo a alegria de fãs com sua primeira aparição pública em anos.

Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Anni-Frid Lyngstad – conhecida como Frida – e Agnetha Faltskog surgiram no tapete vermelho em um cinema de Estocolmo acenando para as centenas de fãs.

O filme aparece depois do musical Mamma Mia!, que viajou o mundo com 22 canções do ABBA, incluindo Dancing Queen, Take a Chance on Me e The Winner Takes It All.

(…) Na estréia do filme, Agnetha e Frida abraçaram a atriz Meryl Streep, fazendo poses aos fotógrafos antes das três fazerem uma dança juntas. Streep, Pierce Brosnan e Colin Firth estão no elenco do filme. Todos participaram de uma coletiva de imprensa dentro do cinema.

Leia mais clicando aqui.

Leia também: “Estrelas de ‘Mamma Mia’ param Londres em pré-estréia“