Some "Love", Some "Poppin'" and Some Stuff "She Says"

“Love and Memories”, O.A.R.

It’s good to have some rock songs on my blog.  It’s also good to have something in common with my younger and possibly hipper little sister.  When she said she was going to an O.A.R. concert, I was O.A.R. who?  So I was pleasantly surprised when I tracked down the artist of this great song.

It’s well sung, has a great driving backbeat, and sounds very different in a good way.  Take note young rockers, as there’s not a lot of great rock songs that have caught my ear these days.  I especially like how the lead singer dramatically stretches the first lines of the first couple of verses.  Not a bad bridge either.  (Nothing’s worse than a bad bridge on a great rock song!)

I’d also like to applaud Atlantic Records for hosting some lyrics.  It’s a much better approach than shuttering existing lyrics sites, and we benefit by having the right lyrics.  Competition leads to the best product, so I encourage this.  

Atlantic Records has a ton of great artists, including James Blunt, Pretty Ricky, Trina, Missy Elliott, and a great web site to boot.  I’ll have to start tuning into their new artists.

Lyrics to "Love and Memories" (Atlantic Records)

Atlantic Records

“She Says”, Howie Day
Let me preface by saying I haven’t figured out what this song means.  Does any one have any ideas?  Well, I was a bit confused, so I thought I’d consult the masses.  Teenagers have more time to think about these things than I do, so I looked here.

Song Meanings - Howie Day, "She Says"

There’s no consensus on if “me” is supposed to be Howie himself or another guy trying to get his lady.  Whoever it is, Howie insists he’s got no chance, and he’s not afraid to tell him so.

It’s good to hear this guy get a little angry after the melancholy blahness of “Collide.”  I certainly wouldn’t want to meet Howie in a dark alley when he’s screaming “Yeah and I don’t know where I’m coming from/and I don’t know where I’m coming to/and I don’t know what it means to me/and you don’t know what it means to you/whoa!”  After hearing this, I was like “aw yeah, go Howie!”  Great climactic moment to prove himself as not just another young fellow with spiky hair strumming a guitar.

“Poppin’ My Collar”, Three Six Mafia

After another close listen, I gotta say there isn’t much to the raps on this track, but the really catchy chorus helps get the group back on my blog.

It’s also got a fun video with the six as young’ns bouncing around an SUV.  It has similar music to “Stay Fly”, which isn’t a bad thing to me.

So if I had to pick one of the six?  Juicy J.  He’s got the personality and wardrobe to stand out from the six.

Congratulations to the 36M on their Oscar.  Although “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” has sparked some controversy (see Oscar Winner Hits Angry Chord from The Washington Post) for rewarding negative stereotypes, let’s all remember it’s a song written for a movie.  The winners here aren’t pimps, but the rappers who tapped into their creative energy and made history doing it.  36M should thank their lucky stars “It’s Hard Out Here for a Gay Cowboy” just narrowly missed making the soundtrack of “Brokeback Mountain.”

Stevecrest out!