Let me go on, like a blister in the sun

[apple_pathways]

So, I have come up with my selections for the latest Music Battle challenge from evilhippo. (We need to come up with a title for this battle...something grandiose and epic!)

For those who are playing along at home, her challenge to me went thusly:

SURPRISE MUSIC BATTLE: COUNTER-CHALLENGE
New Year's resolutions, the musical! At least three songs you yourself would be willing to sing in response to "What is your resolution this year?" ^_^


I think it's only fitting that I had as much trouble with this counter-challenge as she had with my original challenge (to come up with a playlist of favorite Christmas songs). For one thing, I don't make New Year's Resolutions: I don't need to set aside a particular time of year to look back and take stock, because I am so damn introspective and analytical, my inner monologue is one big epic meta discussion of every decision I've ever made. I am constantly making tweaks and adjustments, and there's always something I'm working on.

Secondly, if you've ever tried to match up a song with your personal life goals, most people will notice a decided trend in their musical library: there are a hell of a lot of songs about romantic relationships. Which is all well and good, as love lends itself to music rather well, but I don't have any resolutions along those lines; finding a man/woman/transperson with whom to share sexy funtimes and grocery shopping responsibilities would be nice, but it's not something I have resolved myself to do. It'll happen when and if it happens.

After eliminating all of the love songs, I'm still left with a big old pile of songs, but choosing three to represent myself and my goals for the upcoming year is not an easy task. "Start Wearing Purple" seems just a bit too simplistic. The Dandy Warhols's "Get Off" more closely represents my romantic goals for the moment, but is way TMI. I briefly considered adopting House of Pain's "Jump Around" as my own personal anthem for 2011, but nixed the idea when I realized I'd have to give up pork. ("I never eat no pig, 'cause a pig is a cop.")

A lesser music snob might have given up at this point, but I persevered: much soul-searching was done, and the desire to be snarky and facetious was pushed down. (Only to resurface briefly in the preceding paragraph.) The end result is three songs I would most happily sing in order to represent my personal goals and aspirations, not only for the coming year, but quite possibly for the rest of my life.

(There's a substantial overlap between my and evilhippo's music collections, and the whole time I was going through I was SURE we were going to pick some of the same songs. If that's happened, my apologies!)

2011: Looking Forward
a musical tribute

1. "What Light", by Wilco
These are good words for everyone to remember:


If you feel like singing a song
And you want other people to sing along
Just sing what you feel
Don’t let anyone say it’s wrong

And if you’re trying to paint a picture
But you’re not sure which colors belong
Just paint what you see
Don’t let anyone say it’s wrong

And if you’re strung out like a kite
Or stung awake in the night
It’s alright to be frightened

When there’s a light (what light)
There’s a light (one light)
There’s a light (white light)
Inside of you

2. "A Better Son/Daughter", by Rilo Kiley
Strip away the note of hipster irony from this song, and it's pretty much a rundown of my own personal mantras:


But the lows are so extreme that the good seems fucking cheap
And it teases you for weeks in its absense
But you'll fight and you'll make it through
You'll fake it if you have to
And you'll show up for work with a smile
And you'll be be better, you'll be smarter
More grown up and a better daughter
Or son and a real good friend
And you'll be awake and you'll be alert
You'll be positive though it hurts
And you'll laugh and embrace all your friends
And you'll be a real good listener
You'll be honest, you'll be brave
You'll be handsome, you'll be beautiful
You'll be happy

3. "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien", by Edith Piaf
I'd like to say I've lived my life so far without regrets, but that just isn't true. For the future, I will not let opportunities slip away; I will not be lazy or complacent; I will make decisions based on what I want, not what I'm afraid will happen. Here's to a year without regrets:


Non, rien de rien, (No, Nothing at all)
Non, je ne regrette rien, (No, I regret nothing)
Ni le bien qu'on m'a fait, (Neither the good things)
Ni le mal, tout ça m'est bien égal. (Nor the bad, they are
the same to me)

Non, rien de rien, (No, nothing at all)
Non, je ne regrette rien, (No, I regret nothing)
C'est payé, (It's been paid for)
balayé, oublié, (swept away, forgotten)
Je me fous du passé. (I don't give a damn about the past)

Comments

[evilhippo.livejournal.com]

Yay, excellent choices (and no overlap, either, though I avoided Better Son/Daughter and a couple of others for that reason.) My list is done, but I'm probably not going to get around to posting it until tomorrow.

I didn't expect to trip you up as badly as you got me but turnabout is fair play! That love song problem is a doozy, though. I thought my library was relatively love song-free, but I was quite wrong. (-;

[apple-pathways.livejournal.com]

Phew! Better Son/Daughter was the one I was worried about. I also rejected a few Mountain Goats songs, because I know you're also a John Darnielle fangirl. (An honest summary of my New Year's resolutions would invariably boil down to: "I am gonna make it through this year if it kills me.")

I am honestly tempted to go through my music library and calculate the percentage of love/lust/relationship songs. (But I WILL NOT. You hear that brain? NO!) There were a few songs (I can't think of what they were now) that I was tempted to use in my list, because of several lyrics I strongly identified with, but they were delivered in the context of recovering from or obtaining a romantic partner, and I thought it wouldn't be completely honest to choose them.

Anywho, it's after midnight, and as you know: that's rambling time for me. So I'm cutting myself off now! Can't wait to see your choices.