Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts

10 Best "She Done Me Wrong" Songs

A few weeks ago on Hump Day, I posted a list of the Top 10 "He Done Me Wrong" Songs. Of course, ask me another day, and I might put different songs on that list. *g*

It's only fitting that I give you guys equal time. So today, here is my list with the embedded links going to a YouTube performance for each song for the...

10 Best "She Done Me Wrong" Songs

10. I've been thinking about my Dad lately so I'll start with one of his favorite songs by one of his favorite singers, Hank Williams—senior not  junior. Your Cheatin' Heart has been covered by many singers over the years, but the most mournful recording has to be Hank Senior's.

9. The southern rock classic, Can't You See by The Marshall Tucker Band.

8. Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town, a song about betrayal by Kenny Rogers.

7. Stop Dragging My Heart Around, a great rock song duet by Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks.

8. Here's a Quarter, a darkly amusing country song about betrayal, by Travis Tritt.

7. Sundown by the fabulous Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot.

6. With You, a mounful anthem by Dean Lewis.

5. When I Was Your Man, a mounful song of loss and regret by Bruno Mars.

4. Crying, a rock and roll song from long ago that's filled with raw emotion, by the late great Roy Orbison.

3. I Can't Make You Love Me by the fabulous Josh Groban.

2. In the Air, the haunting lyrics sung by Phil Collins (who also plays the best drum solo ever) based on his former wife's betrayal.

1. Wicked Game, the heart throbbing ballad by the amazing Chris Isaak.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I hope you enjoyed this list that's strictly from my own favorites. What are your favorites? Post in comments so all will know.

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Top 10 Funny Christmas Songs

Christmas music is fabulous, isn't it? From Christmas carols to Christmas rock songs and pop songs, there's something for everyone.

Most of the popular Christmas music that's played tugs at the emotions. A lot of it moves us to tears because of those emotions.

That's okay, but for many, the emotions that rise to the surface swamp listeners with feelings of sadness. The holidays can be a mine field for many. 

Listening to songs about longing to be home, lost love, and longing can lead to a serious case of holiday blues. We know those songs: I'll Be Home for Christmas, Please Come Home for Christmas, If We Make It Through December, etc. If those make you feel sad, then try this list...

10 BEST FUNNY CHRISTMAS SONGS

1. Christmas Don't Be Late aka The Chipmunk Song by Alvin and the Chipmunks. This novelty song hit big in 1958 and sold millions. 

It was #1 on Billboard, won three Grammys, and remains a perennial favorite. In today's world, it charts digitally as new generations discover it. It's one of the best-selling and most recognized holiday tunes ever. 

2. Jingle Bell Rock by Bobby Helms, 1957, or Brenda Lee, 1964. Many artists have recorded this song, but Brenda Lee's version remains supreme. Since 2019, her version has charted every year on the Billboard Hot 100. 

3. Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Brenda Lee. In 2023, it reached #1 on the Billboard Top 100.

4.  A Holly Jolly Christmas aka Have a Holly Jolly Christmas was most famously performed by Burl Ives. The recording was used in the classic 1964 stop-motion animated TV special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, in which Ives also voiced the narrator, Sam the Snowman, who sang the popular tune. It's one of the top 25 most-performed holiday songs.  

5. Feliz Navidad was written and first recorded by Puerto Rican singer-songwriter José Feliciano. The song is upbeat and has a great message. It taught the world how to say Merry Christmas in Spanish. I love the song.

6. Let It Snow was written by the famous duo of lyricist Sammy Cahn and composer Jule Styne in July 1945 in Hollywood, California, during a heatwave as they imagined cooler conditions. The version by Dean Martin remains popular today.    

7. Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer, a novelty song
 written by Randy Brooks was originally performed by Elmo Shropshire in 1979 under the brand of Elmo and Patsy,  his then-wife Patsy Trigg.

8. Santa Claus Is Back in Town was written in 1957 by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and first recorded by Elvis Presley for Elvis' Christmas Album, the best-selling Christmas/holiday album of all time in the United States. The song has become a rock and roll Christmas standard.

9. Baby, It's Cold Outside was written by Frank Loesser and his wife Lynn in 1940s as a playful flirtatious duet. Sadly, in today's world, the song has been banned because of complaints from radio listeners who decry the male singer as maliciously coercing the female.

I don't see it that way—perhaps because I write romantic comedy. I see the song as a flirtatious scene from a romcom set to music. The version recorded by Dean Martin made the song a pop hit. 

10. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year was written in 1963 by Edward Pola and George Wyle. It was recorded and released that same year by pop singer Andy Williams. His recording of the musical celebration of all the reasons Christmas is a wonderful time remains popular today.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

This is my Top 10 List. Most of these songs have been covered by numerous artists over the years, but the ones cited above remain at the top of the charts. All of these are guaranteed to make you smile. What's your Top 10 list?


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Sunday Thoughts About Music

How often do you listen to music? What kind of music do you like?

Me? I listen every day, but what I listen to depends on what I'm doing. Yes, different kinds of music for different activities.

When I'm in the office, I listen to classical music, preferably string music with the exception of guitar. Give me violins, cello, viola, and piano.

To name a few, I love DeBussy, Mozart, Chopin, Bach, and some Beethoven—but not the bombastic symphonic stuff. Occasionally, I like pop music from nearly any decade if it's not in English. If I can understand the words, I find my brain distracted by the lyrics.

OUTSIDE THE OFFICE

If I'm enjoying conversation with friends or just with Darling Hubby, I have music playing in the background—usually my Pandora station with 60s, 70s, and 80s or Easy Listening with Josh Groban, Michael Buble, and great crooners of the last 40 years. 

If I'm cooking, I have French or Italian dinner music playing. If I'm cleaning house or working out, I have loud rock music from 60s to 2000s playing.

Or country music that begs one to sing along like Jerry Jeff Walker's Redneck Mother or Wicked Rain by Los Lobos.

If I'm feeling sad, I listen to crying-in-your-beer country like Willy Nelson's Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.

If I'm blogging, I listen to whatever suits my fancy. I guess words with music doesn't bother me when I'm writing something casual like a blog post.

TRUE CONFESSION

I'll freely confess that I don't find much of the music in the Spotify Top 10 interesting. So much of it sounds derivative from the vocals—even the singers' voices—to the music. It's not that I think today's music sucks, but it's missing something. 

Maybe it's the fact that so many singers don't have actual musicians backing them up. Auto drums. Autotune. Digital background music. Derivative voices. Derivative music. Or maybe I just don't have the time to devote to hearing the latest music like I did when I was young.

My daughter adds songs to my Spotify list that she thinks I'd like, but I haven't found much from her recs either.

I do watch Rick Beato on YouTube when he goes through the Spotify Top 10 to see if there's something I've missed that I might truly love.

I really like Beato's analysis of music—old and new. If you haven't watched his videos before, give them a try. If you're really into music, you'll like what he has to say.

As you can tell, I have very eclectic taste in music. I guess that's because I grew up with a Mom who liked everything from Big Band to Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis, and Cajun music and a Dad who played guitar and loved country music from Depression-era country to Hank Williams to Dolly Parton.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

As I finish this post, I'm listening to one of the greatest songs of the 70s—Eli's Coming by Three Dog Night, the group with 3 lead singers who were all amazing. If you're listening to music today, leave a comment and tell me the song and artist.

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10 Great Autumn Vibe Songs

Autumn arrived today, and it's the perfect season for romance.

In case you're not in the fall spirit yet, try listening to my list of 10 Great Autumn Vibe Songs to put you in the mood.

1. "Don't Know Why" by Norah Jones —Mellow and moody and makes you want to wail along with her.

2. "Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop" by Landon Pigg —Sweet, lovely sentiments about falling in love.

3. "Autumn Town Leaves" by Iron & Wine —A song with a classic vibe that makes you want to sing along if you only knew the words.

4. "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day —Perfect song if you're feeling melancholy and blue so you can have a good cry.

5. "Pale September" by Fiona Apple - Moody and melancholy but hopeful of new love.

6 "September" by Earth, Wind, and Fire —Yes! A foot-tapping, finger-snapping hit from yesteryear that will make you dance around the room.

7. "Harvest Moon" by Neil Young —Oh, it's a love song with no under tone of sadness.

8. "September" by Corb Lund —A little country for all you fans plus you farmers and ranchers who'll know exactly what he's talking about. 

9. "Forever Autumn" by Justin Hayward —There's something so evocative about this song of change and loss. It actually reminds me of songs like "One Tin Soldier" originally recorded by The Original Caste which was used as the theme music for the cult classic, Billy Jack.

10. "Autumn in New York" by Frank Sinatra —I saved this classic for last. 

This song was written by Russian immigrant Vernon Duke aka Vladimir Dukelsky in the summer of 1934 when he was in Connecticut but homesick for New York City. It was first sung in a Broadway musical, and later recorded in December 1934.

The song didn't reach "hit" status until Sinatra recorded it in 1947. Since then many singers have covered this song, but Old Blue Eyes still has the most popular version.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I hope you'll look for these songs online—if only on YouTube. They'll really put you in the sweater, hot cocoa mood for autumn.

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The King at Kyle Field

Photo by Bede735, CC BY-SA 3.0
via Wikimedia Commons and
licensed under Creative Commons 
Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License

 

The King was at Kyle Field in Aggieland last week. In case you don't know, The King is George Strait. He's not just the King of Country Music. George has had more charted number 1 hits than any other artist in any genre.

He's one of our favorites, but we weren't able to make it to the Kyle Field concert which has 102,733 seats.

Because the ticket demand was so great, they sold standing room only tickets and ended up with an attendance of 110,905.

Yes, 8,172 people were willing to pay for the privilege of standing to hear George, the gentleman born in Poteet, Texas, south of San Antonio.

The picture on the right shows him in his usual concert clothes—jeans and a white or blue shirt—and always accessorized by a guitar.( The photo was taken when he performed at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.)

He sang his new songs—yes, he's still recording and touring again—and did crowd favorites like Amarillo by Morning, my personal favorite, too.

For encores, he did more favorites like All My Exes Live in Texas

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

We watched highlights on YouTube from this concert.which broke an all-time U.S. attendance record for a concert. If you're a fan—or want to see why he's so popular—watch George Strait at Kyle Field Mini Concert.


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Review: The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart on HBO Max

Now streaming on MAX
One rainy afternoon this week, I had the pleasure of watching the documentary about the Brothers Gibb: Barry, Maurice, Robin, and even Andy.

First, a confession. I LOVED The Bee Gees from the first moment I heard their first song on the radio in the U. S.

Not to take anything away from the Beatles who came before them, but The Bee Gees soulful music did it for me. Their early recordings had that kind of R&B feel with great music, tight harmonies, and lyrics that were poetic, sometimes haunting, sometimes surprisingly literary, and always singable.

I've never been a fan girl who wanted to know every detail of a singer's life. I just wanted to immerse myself in the music.

I think this ignorance of a celebrity's personal life is one reason I enjoy a good "rockumentary" that unflinchingly explores an artist's struggles—personal and career.

AWESOME: My One-Word Review.

 I loved the insights into their music writing process and the background of what was going on in their lives when they wrote specific songs.

Written by Mark Monroe and directed by Frank Marshall, this poignant film was narrated by Barry Gibb, the surviving brother.

The film was released first in theaters in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand on December 3, 2020. Nine days later, in a deal with HBO Max, it was released worldwide and was nominated for six Emmy Awards.

We have this album—in vinyl.
TARGET AUDIENCE? LOVERS OF ANY MUSIC GENRE

With interviews with the Bee Gees, their music producers, record company executives, some of the women in their lives, guitarists, drummers, and pianists who made up their band, the film shines a spotlight on the musical genius each of the brothers possessed.

The interviews from other performers like Justin Timberlake and other musical authorities underscroe that fact.

All of that will give you an idea of why their music is still played and why people love it.

 You'll see just how popular they were prior to 1971 and how they became even more popular a few years later.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

I highly recommend this documentary for the story behind the story, the fabulous music, and the time travel to the 1970s.


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Hit Songs of Summer for Last 10 Years

In the Summertime, the music is fine. Each generation has its own list of most popular songs of summer.

Here are the most popular songs from the last 10 years that hit it big in the Summer.

2013 —  Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell — YouTube Video

2014 —  Fancy by Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX — YouTube Video

2015 — Bad Blood by Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar — YouTube Video

2016 — One Dance by Drake featuring WizKid and Kyla — YouTube Video

2017 — Despacito by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber — YouTube Video

2018 — In My Feelings by Drake — YouTube Video

2019 — Old Town Road – Remix by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus — YouTube Video

2020 — Savage Remix by Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé — YouTube Video

2021 —  Butter by BTS — YouTube Video

2022 — As It Was by Harry Styles — YouTube Video

2023 — WATATI by Karol G, featuring Aldo Ranks. Barbie Movie Album YouTube Video

Confession

Of course these are not my favorite songs from the summers of the last 10 years. Most of the summer songs I love are fun rather than angsty, and most have the word summer in the title. 

These may not be your favorites either, but have some fun and look your favorites up on YouTube and enjoy them all over again. 

Takeaway Truth

Music is a time machine. Listen to a song you love and chances are you'll be swept back in time to when you first heard it. 

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Analysis of STONE ANGEL Video

Welcome to Part 2 of a discussion of what makes a video successful.

Here you go if you missed Part 1.

5 STEPS TO VIDEO SUCCESS

1. Focus

 2. Visual representation

3. Text

4. Music

5. Length  and Attention Span

APPLYING THE 5 STEPS TO MY STONE ANGEL VIDEO

1. With the opening image, I wanted to hook the viewer to watch the rest of the video. The image I created from a photo of a beautiful woman at a massive antique door superimposed over a moonlit scene was representative of her era, and text that said, "She was the beloved wife of a Creole aristocrat." 

2. Next you see scenes that are combinations of evocative images and text. A grief-stricken woman and text: "He was murdered. She was betrayed."

Text slides on a stormy background appear: "During a storm her chains are removed." Hopefully that indicates to the viewer that she had been imprisoned for some reason.

"She is taken to the family cemetery." That should give a sense of foreboding because nothing good could happen in a cemetery during a storm."

Then a stunning statement: "To be killed."

Video of lightning, image of a woman holding a dagger, harrowing text, dark images, and a video with an opening door that suggests something out of the ordinary.

Add it all together and it represents what happens in Act 1.

3. Text is used in coordination with the visual images to emphasize the message.

4. Music is so important.  From the first, It sets the tone for the video. Know the message you want viewers to get and match the music to the message. I listened to dozens of audio clips before choosing Black Mass by Brian Bolger, a dark, brooding piece of music that was perfect.

5. Length is the hardest element to master. You can make it short if you really focus on what your book is about—not the entire book, but the essence of the book.

TAKEAWAY TRUTH

 Most of all, have fun making videos. Like any creative project, the rewards when completed are worth the work.

Top 20 Upbeat Classic Songs

I love music in every genre and every generation. Some songs just never die. They're "singable" and "danceable" too.

Giveaway: Details at end of post.

Today's list probably has a few songs you hear on movies, TV shows, and commercials.

Some you may never have heard before and probably wouldn't make a point to listen to them because they're from the early days of rock and roll, but, give them a try. They were all radio hits, Hot Billboard hits, and appeared on every jukebox.  

I tried not to include songs that are regularly heard today, but some l had to list because I personally love them. Choosing a top 20 was like choosing which child you love the most. It's an impossible task.

All on this list have a beat that will make you dance in your chair seat and probably hum or sing along if you know the words.

Plus, they are feel good songs that will make you smile. You can find them all on YouTube sung by the original artist and by others who recorded them.

Some videos are original because it's a kick to see the hair styles and clothes of that era. Others have been remastered and may show only the lyrics. Have fun!

1. The Loco-Motion by Little Eva

2. Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison

3. This Guy's in Love With You by Herb Alpert

4. Blue Moon by The Marcels or anyone who covered it

5. Runaway by Del Shannon

6. Bad Moon Rising by Credence Clearwater Revival

7. Hey, Baby by Bruce Channel

8. Runaround Sue by Dion

9. Stuck on You by Elvis

10. Honky Tonk Woman by The Rolling Stones 

11. Ticket to Ride by The Beatles

12. Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles

13. Mony Mony by Tommy James & The Shondells

14. Save the Last Dance for Me by The Drifters

15. California Dreamin' by The Mamas & The Papas 

16. Time of the Season by The Zombies

17. These Boots are Made for Walking by Nancy Sinatra

18. The Letter by The Boxtops

19. House of the Rising Sun by The Animals

20. Daydream Believer by The Monkees

Takeaway Truth

If you listened to any of these, tell me what you think about these classic rock and roll songs. 

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Texas Road Trip Playlist

In case you decide to take a Road Trip Vacation in or to Texas, you'll find lots to see in every big and small town.

Maybe you want to explore NASA Space Center in Houston or have a few cold ones on the River Walk in San Antonio. Or check out the observatory in the Davis Mountains near El Paso.

Texas is a big place. You can drive from dawn to dark and not reach the other side of the state.

A road trip calls for music so I thought I'd share my favorite Texas songs that are perfect for driving and singing. You can listen to these songs on YouTube. Then add the titles of the ones you like to your favorite music app.

TEXAS ROAD TRIP PLAYLIST








Takeaway Truth

Well, I had fun listening to all these as I gathered the YouTube Links. I hope you enjoy them too.

Most Loved & Hardest to Sing Christmas Carols

Most of us learned Christmas carols in Sunday school. I'm from the generation where we also sang Christmas carols in school.

That immersion really made the songs stick with me. 

Long ago, I'd learned from the choir director which songs were most difficult to sing. It's ironic that the carols most difficult to sing are also on the most popular list of Christmas carols.

Of course, I know Silent Night had to be number 1 on everyone's favorites list, and it was. 

Most Loved Carols

1. Silent Night, Germany 1818.

2. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, England 1760.

3. O come All Ye Faithful, England 1744, variation 1841.

4. O Holy Night, France 1847.

5. What Child Is This?, England, 1865.

6. We Three Kings, U.S. 1857.

7. The First Noel, England 1823.

8. Away in a Manger, Germany circa 1500s, variations 1887 and 1895.

9. O Little Town of Bethlehem, U.S. 1868.

10. Joy to the World, England 1719.

Most Challenging Christmas Carols To Sing

1. O Holy Night

2. Away in a Manger

3. Angels We Have Heard on High

4. Carol of the Bells

5. The First Noel

What these commonly sung carols have in common is the vocal range needed to sing the carol properly.

Takeaway Truth

Just about everyone likes to sing Christmas carols and other holiday favorites. Maybe it's because we know the songs so well that we sing without feeling inhibited. We sing with joy!

The Baseball Song: Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Years ago when Darling Hubby and I attended Astro ballgames fairly regularly, the 7th inning stretch always featured the song, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."

This year, fans in the stands sang that song  during the 7th inning stretch in every major league park except 3. New York Yankees fans sang “God Bless America,” Toronto Blue Jays fans sang “OK Blue Jays,”and Houston Astros fans sang “Deep in the Heart of Texas.”

Even though I'm an Astros fan, I personally, I like it when we sing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game." I'm sure that's because I first heard it when I was a child. My grandfather whistled and sang it.

I remember many a night when I visited my grandparents in the summer, when my Papa would tune in the Chicago Cubs game on the radio. Back then, I think the Cubbies games were broadcast all over the U.S. I'd listen until I fell asleep.

Words & Music of the Baseball Song

In case you didn't know, "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is the 3rd most sung song in America.

In 1908, 29-year-old songwriter Jack Norworth was riding a subway to Manhattan. 

He glanced out the window and saw a billboard that read: Baseball today—polo grounds

Inspired by what he read, he impulsively wrote the lyrics we love. Later that year, he and Albert von Tilzer, his friend who was a music composer, filed a Copyright application for the song with the United States Copyright Office.

In 1934, the song was performed at a baseball game for the first time. Later that year, it was performed at a Major League Baseball game.

Then in 1946, the tradition of singing this "baseball anthem" in the seventh inning was established when the band started playing the song during a game while fans stood for the seventh inning stretch.

Oddly enough Norworth didn't attend a Major League Baseball game until June 27, 1940—32 years after writing the lyrics. Eventually, Major League Baseball, Inc. presented him with a gold lifetime ball park pass.

To read more about this song and to learn the lyrics beyond the chorus we all know, visit The History of the Song.

The song came out of Tin Pan Alley and is now in public domain so feel free to quote the lyrics and pass them along.

Take me out to the ball game.

Take me out with the crowd;

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks,

I don't care if I never get back.

Let me root, root, root for the home team,

If they don't win, it's a shame.

For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out, 

At the old ball game.

Takeaway Truth

I'll "root, root, root for the Home Team." Go, ASTROS!!!!!

Review: Linda Ronstadt, The Sound of My Voice

This morning as we were waiting for one of our remodeling contractors to arrive, we watched Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, one of the "free" offerings—meaning with ads—on YouTube.

The 2019 documentary film, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2019, is about American singer Linda Ronstadt who could probably sing the dictionary and make it awesome!

From the first time I heard Linda Ronstadt (and the Stone Poneys) singing Different Drum, I was a fan. I loved every genre she tackled with her own unique styling and her voice—oh my goodness, that voice!

The Voice

She sang old-time country songs written by Hank Williams and made rock fans of the 1960s and beyond embrace the mournful songs. She sang opera, the music her parents loved, Mexican love songs and mariachi songs which her family sang at home when she was growing up, and the golden age music by Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, etc. that her mother loved. 

Consequently, she made: rock albums and filled stadiums, Gilbert and Sullivan album from the Broadway hit musical she starred in, Mexican mariachi album that became the biggest-selling Mexican music album of all time, Great American Songbook with music arranged by Nelson Riddle, who had arranged the American standards sung by Sinatra and the other famous voices back in the day.

Documentary Details

Directed by Oscar-winning filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, it features interviews with many of Linda's friends and music industry professionals. The film won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the 2019 Provincetown International Film Festival.

After the premiere, it was released to theaters and on Digital HD from Amazon and iTunes and then it went to DVD and Blu-ray. After watching it, I wasn't surprised to learn it won Best Music Film at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.

That nomination was Linda's first competitive nomination since 2006. As you will learn from the film, Linda developed Parkinson's Disease, the same as her mother.

Parkinson's may have stolen her voice, but nothing can take away the gift Linda Ronstadt made to the world. Her recordings endure. This film is also available to rent or buy from Amazon Video if you want to avoid the ads.

Takeaway Truth

If you've never heard Linda's music, watch Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice. You'll want to get her music—probably in every genre in which she sang. Enjoy!

Rock It To The Moon by M.J. Schiller

Good morning! I've got my coffee so grab a cup of your favorite morning beverage, and prepare to have your world rocked. 

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Read on, and you'll see why I chose that "rocking" phrase.

M.J. Schiller, author of the Love and Chaos Series, is my guest today.

She stopped by to share her new release, Rock It To The Moon, the third book in her Love and Chaos Series

Discover M.J. Schiller

Let me tell you a little about M.J. She's a lunch lady and a romance-romantic suspense writer.

She enjoys writing novels whose characters include rock stars, desert princes, teachers, futuristic Knights, construction workers, cops, and a wide variety of others. 

In her mind everybody has a romance. She is the mother of a 22 year-old and three 20 year-olds. That's right, triplets! So having recently taught four children to drive, she likes to escape from life on occasion by pretending to be a rock star at karaoke. However…you won’t be seeing her name on any record labels soon.

You Can Find M.J. Here

Website  |  BookBub  |  Facebook  |  Pinterest  

Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Goodreads  |  Amazon
 
Take It Away, M. J.

I've published a rock romance collection before—standalone books related by the fact that they are rock romances—but this is my first rock romance series, and I have enjoyed writing it immensely.

Don’t get me wrong, I also had fun with writing the books in my Rocking Romance Collection. I hid some other connections between the books, in addition to their theme. 

For instance, Beth Donovan, the heroine in my first rock romance, Trapped Under Ice, is a romance writer. One of her fictional books was titled Abandon All Hope. That became the title for my second rock romance about rocker Chase Hatton and his long lost love Hope. 

Chase then made a cameo appearance in my chick lit Devilish Divas Series. In Book One, To Hell in a Coach Bag, the heroine falls in love with a roadie at a Chase Hatton concert.

Chase even makes an appearance in the Love and Chaos Series. In Book One, Rocked By Grace, Chase is the mentor of Just Short of Chaos’ lead singer, Zane Sanders, and Chase opens for the group when they’re on tour. 

This was inspired by a concert I attended where real life lead singer Brendon Urie of Panic! At The Disco insisted that his idols while growing up, the members of Wheezer, be the main act and Panic! be the opener. 

It was a sweet gesture, but when Panic! finished playing and Wheezer came out, the majority of the audience left. It was sad. Their roles had reversed and Wheezer was considered past its prime by most.

In the Love and Chaos Series I enjoyed following the members of Just Short of Chaos through all four books. Each book focuses on one member of the band’s story. 

Book One, Rocked By Grace, centers around the hotheaded, often rash, lead singer of the band and a woman he pulls on stage, Grace Prescott. 

Book Two, Rocked By Love, focuses on bassist Raphael Santiago’s relationship with reporter Mia Love. 

This release, Rock It To The Moon is about drummer Dex Rogan and Zane’s little sister, Tatum Salvetti. Tatum and Dex share a love for and interest in outer space. 

Book Four, Rock of Salvation, will highlight guitarist Jericho Tyler and preacher’s daughter Salvation Jones.

Each of the band members has a public persona, but the person who they are deep inside contrasts with it. 

Zane is the face of the band and appears to be outgoing. In reality he has a lot of social anxiety and has to work at being the band’s front man. 

Rafe is the cool, intelligent, in control member of the band on the surface, but he is dealing with a lot of grief and guilt concerning the death of their former drummer. 

Dex, on the surface, seems like a simple guy with simple needs and not a lot of thought going on. But Dex is actually intelligent, sensitive, and loyal. 

Jericho may be the most confused of all. He has bought into his image of the never-serious wild man of the band and has lost touch with who he really is, a homebody who enjoys nature and family.

It’s been great that, although each book centers on one band member, the others still appear and we can see them grow even after their story is in the books, literally. 

Plus, along with following previous characters, with each book we get to add new characters to the mix and get to know them with all their strengths and weaknesses. In fact, writing this series has been so much fun, I may have to do it again some time.

About Rock It To The Moon

While love had come to some of the other members of Just Short Of Chaos, Dex Rogan had no interest in getting tangled up in that mess. That is, until he stumbled upon Tatum backstage.

Before Tatum, I would have told you love was for chumps. But I would have been wrong. The moment I saw her, it was like BAM! This driving urge to be with her was more jarring than someone smacking me in the face with my drumsticks would be. And every moment since has just solidified her place in my heart. By the time I found out she was off limits, it was too late. I was all in.

Tatum Salvetti doesn’t have time for love. If it can’t be color-coded or found on the periodic table, she doesn’t need it. But when an ugly incident drives her into Dex’s arms, she’s shaken enough to step out of character for once.

I wasn’t looking for love that night, I was looking to escape, and Dex was the perfect distraction from my train wreck of a life. …He was perfect, period.

But I’m in astrophysics. I’m not stupid. I knew it wasn’t going anywhere. Even if he wasn’t just interested in a one night stand, we wouldn’t be able to hide a relationship from Zane. My brother seemed to still think of me as the ten-year-old he met when our parents wed. Well, it wasn’t any ten-year-old girl in Dex Rogan’s bed that night, and if Zane found out about it, he would go apeshit. I was trying to get away from chaos, not create it.

Tatum has sacrificed her whole life for others. But maybe this time she could think of her own desires. Could Dex’s brand of chaos be just what she needs?

Excerpt, Rock It To The Moon by M.J. Schiller

He pushed his hair from his face. He wore it long on top and I knew sometimes, like tonight, he simply let if fall in straight, sleek lines. Sometimes he would use product to flip it back and tousle it, as I saw in an interview in Rolling Stone magazine. The picture covered an entire page and it was what first stirred the lust in my blood.

“This is your new drummer?”

Zane and I were seated at the kitchen table. He leaned forward to take a peek at the photo. “Yeah.”

“Holy cow.”

“What?” He was visiting with Whitney at the other end of the table but now turned his attention fully to me. “You think he’s hot or something?”

“Hot? Hot doesn’t even come close. Flaming, scorching, sizzling…”

“Smoking,” Whitney added.

“Smoking, blazing—”

Zane waved a hand. “All right already. I get the picture.”

“Whit, come over here. You’ve got to see this.”

She got up and meandered my way. “You forget, I’ve seen him in person.”

“Oh, yeah.” She’d been to Zane and Grace’s a number of times but I hadn’t had the opportunity yet. Working full time at Frick’s Market in Sullivan—a neighboring city to my hometown of Stanton—and studying astrophysics demanded all of my time. And then some. “Is he as good in—?”

“In bed.” Whitney finished. “I wouldn’t know, sis.”

I smacked her arm. “In person.”

She ogled the picture. “Better.”

“Ooh.”

“Let me see it.” She made a grab for the magazine but I was too quick.

“No way. He’s mine.”

Zane rolled his eyes. “Oh, my God. What happened to you guys playing with dolls and Barbies?”

“Ken,” I said straight-faced.

They laughed.

Zane leaned back. “Why, Tatum. You’ve developed a sense of humor since I’ve been gone.”

My stepdad entered the room and we all sat up, eyeing him warily. “I had to,” I muttered.

Whitney was right. He was even better in person.

If you’d like to read on, you can find Rock It To The Moon here:

Amazon 

Barnes & Noble 

Kobo 

iTunes

Thanks for reading! Now go out and rock your day!

Takeaway Truth

The weekend is here. Try a different sub-genre of romance with a book by M.J. Schiller. It just may Rock Your World!

Review: Satan and Adam

I'm a big fan of rockumentaries although Satan and Adam, the film I'm reviewing today, isn't about rock music. It's about blues, and it's fascinating and fabulous with the music you'll hear.

The story of a young white man and an old black man will fascinate you. When you first hear the old blues man play, you instinctively know he must have been someone known for his talent.

From the opening minutes with the young man looking for a way to asuage the pain of a break-up, you get the sense that something significant is happening.

Adam Gussow was the young man who found the release he needed by playing harmonica with the old blues man who was a daily fixture on the streets of Harlem.

As the story progresses, one learns the blues man was Sterling "Mr. Satan" Magee, a talented guitarist who played with some of the greatest names in the music business. 

Adam and Satan were meant to be. Eventually they played in much bigger arenas than a city street. Sterling Magee was as complicated and conflicted as he was talented. The duo lasted 12 years before splitting up around 1998.

By 2005, Adam Gussow was a professor of English Studies at the University of Mississippi, and Sterling Magee was living in Florida at an adult care facility. Gussow went to visit the blues man only to learn a stroke had left him unable to play.

If the duo's story were an opera, the intermezzo would be that Magee regained his ability to play the guitar. In fact, music rejuvenated him. He and Gussow were once again a duo for a few years.

The documentary, actually filmed over a 20+ year period, is life affirming and makes one believe in Destiny. These 2 men from such disparate backgrounds were destined to meet and make beautiful blues music together.

Sadly, Mr. Magee, still living in Florida, passed away in September 2020 from complications of CoVid-19.

Takeaway Truth

If you're a Netflix subscriber, by all means watch Satan and Adam. The music will make you wish you'd had the privilege of seeing them perform in person.

Porch Lifestyle

Darling Hubby and I arrived at our house in the country before noon today. It was ten degrees cooler than in Houston and breezy.

For a long while, we haven't been coming up here regularly. We decided to put it up for sale.

That meant we have been here more lately, polishing it up so it will sell quickly.

As we drove up here, with 4 Adirondack chairs in back (simulated picture of chairs on our porch), we started talking about how much we love it up here.

The air smells clean, the stars at night really are big and bright, and the sky is just bigger here. If you're not accustomed to being in the wide open spaces, you may not know what I mean by "the sky is bigger."

Big Sky Perception

In the country, where you see mostly woods, rolling hills, and sky, there are no buildings obstructing your view of the horizon so you really do see more of the sky.

In cities where tall buildings or hundreds of houses proliferate, all of that can block miles of sky. You never get that upside down bowl-shape view of the sky.

That type of view is what we see when we're sitting on our back porch here. We can look out and feel as if we're looking from one side of the horizon to the other.

Country Chores

When we arrived, DH changed clothes, jumped on his riding lawn mower, and started mowing the 2 acres around the house.

I cleaned out the kitchen cupboards and drawers, did my bit of weekly housecleaning, and went outside to arrange the new chairs on the porch and do some gardening.

After we'd each finished our "chores," we sat on the porch in the new chairs. (It was too dark to take a picture by the time I decided to write this blog.) 

We shared a Coca-Cola. We buy the Mexican Cokes because they come in glass bottles and are made with sugar, not HFCS. We get ours from Costco or our local Randalls. You can also get them from Amazon, but they're rather pricy.

The windows in the living room were open, Pandora was playing on the TV, and we listened to my Italian Dinner Music station. 

The afternoon was sublime. Good music. Good company. Doing nothing but talking a bit and watching the mockingbirds in the pistach tree, the doves on the highlines, and the bluebirds and cardinals in the fruit trees. 

We watched a storm roll in, huge billowy white clouds changing to smoky gray and midnight blue. Thunder rumbled, and then huge raindrops poured down. We saw the horses in the pasture just east of our house start running, as if they relished the sudden rain and raced for the sheer pleasure of it.

TheOtherKey from Pixabay
The storm raged for about five minutes then moved westward. 

A few minutes later the sky cleared, the white clouds were just as white and puffy as before, then the sun came out. 

The grass, the fields, the trees—every growing thing looked greener, as if cleaned and refreshed.

Tonight, the big sky is populated by millions of bright stars. We returned to the porch. Crickets are chirping, night birds are calling. In the distance, a dog barks. Later, we'll probably hear a coyote or two. The evening is perfect. We really love it here—especially the porch lifestyle.

Takeaway Truth

We decided NOT to sell our little piece of heaven in the country.

P. S. Photo is what twilight looks like as we look from our back porch with a lone live oak tree across the way. Next time, I'll take a picture with my digital camera which does a better job than a cell phone at night.