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About This Author
I am SoCalScribe. This is my InkSpot.
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Blogocentric Formulations
Logocentric (adj). Regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (especially applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics).
Sometimes I just write whatever I feel like. Other times I respond to prompts, many taken from the following places:
 "The Soundtrackers Group" 
"Blogging Circle of Friends "
"Blog City ~ Every Blogger's Paradise"
"JAFBG"
"Take up Your Cross"
Thanks for stopping by! 
February 29, 2016 at 9:08pm February 29, 2016 at 9:08pm
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Song: "Dick In A Box" / "Motherlover" / "3-Way (The Golden Rule)"
Artist: Justin Timberlake & Andy Samberg
Album: n/a (Saturday Night Live digital shorts)
Okay, these three Saturday Night Live digital short music videos are probably the best thing I've seen on the venerable late-night sketch comedy show in the last decade. "Dick In A Box" caught just about everyone by surprise when it first aired, and quickly became one of the most viewed sketches online thanks to the hilarious lyrics and over-the-top acting of Samberg and Timberlake as early 90s ballad singers. The invention of a comedy troupe known as The Lonely Island (who had previous success with the "Lazy Sunday" song sketch), "Dick In A Box" (and its two follow-ups) were meant to showcase Timberlake's comedic talents and vocal range.
Here's the first song, "Dick In A Box" ... and I apologize for the side-by-side comparison to FNL (Furries Night Live), but it was exceedingly difficult to find a YouTube version of this sketch with both video and audio intact. Just pay attention to the right side of your screen, unless you enjoy furries, in which case, by all means enjoy the whole video:
After the success of "Dick In A Box" (the music video for which ended with the guys getting arrested for, well, putting their dick in a box and giving it as a gift to women), The Lonely Island created a follow-up called "Motherlover" and the video picks up right where the narrative left off, with Timberlake and Samberg getting out of the "Brooklyn Detention Complex" and realizing that they didn't get their mothers any gifts for Mother's Day. Thankfully, these two geniuses have "the second best idea they've ever had" and, well, feel free to watch the video (guest starring Patricia Clarkson and Susan Sarandon!  ) to see where they take it from there:
And finally, for those keen enough to spot the not-so-thinly-veiled attraction between Samberg and Timberlake's characters, the "3-Way (The Golden Rule)" video picks up the morning after Mother's Day and show us what happens when the friends show up for a booty call at the same girl's apartment at the same time (special appearance by Lady Gaga):
I know these digital short music videos are juvenile and silly, but I think they work perfectly for an SNL sketch. In an era where a lot of SNL sketches go on too long and aren't that funny or memorable, The Lonely Island crew managed to create some pretty catchy songs and the music videos accompanying the lyrics are pretty well done.
This kind of sketch comedy has a special place in my heart; I first figured out what I wanted to be a filmmaker when I helped a friend in high school with video projects for our class assignments. Anytime a teacher gave us an option for an assignment (you know, when they say you can choose an essay, a presentation, a test, etc.), he would always ask, "Can I make a short film?" Helping him with that process was what first made me fall in love with the medium and, of course, as teenage boys, most of our stuff was immature humor. This is exactly the kind of video we would have made just for the experience of making something, so watching these videos rekindles that little spark I felt back then and makes me want to develop another short just to have some fun.
On the larger issue of the whole "The Soundtrack of Your Life" this year, I had a really great time putting together this playlist. With the new job, I had to scramble a couple of times after getting a few days behind, but I'm proud of (most of) the music that I put together and think it's a pretty accurate reflection of the one-hit wonders, guilty pleasures, soundtrack-inspired tracks, and perennial favorites. I always look back at the end of an activity and review all the songs and blog entries I've written over the preceding months and I have to admit, I'm pretty happy with my choices this time around. Can't wait for the next one! 
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February 29, 2016 at 7:58pm February 29, 2016 at 7:58pm
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Song: "Stutter"
Artist: Marianas Trench
Album: Ever After
I'm doing something I've never done in a Soundtrackers event before, which is steal a song from another blogger. And a member of my own "Invalid Item" no less! Sorry, Dragon is hiding  , but I just couldn't help myself. Ever since I listened to "Stutter" at the beginning of your Soundtrackers do Soundtracks week, I haven't been able to get the song out of my head! This has become my default pick-me-up song. Whether I'm getting tired of a droning audiobook on the drive home, or feeling that after-lunch lethargy at my desk at work, this is the song I put on to wake myself up (and get my toes tapping while I'm at it).
I don't know if it's just the energetic dancing in the video (is that the jitterbug? jive?), or the song itself... both both, but I really dig the energy. I tend to have a revolving door of songs I'll obsess over for several weeks at a time before another one eventually catches my interest, and this is my favorite "song of the moment." I've been listening to it pretty much nonstop for two weeks now, and I'm not even close to sick of it yet.
One of the things I realized in compiling and writing about songs for this "precious few" week is how many of the songs I was inclined to choose are generally upbeat, up-tempo, or generally positive. I've been thinking about that all week and I'm pretty sure that the reason I tend to gravitate toward positive or uplifting tracks is because I most often use music as an escape or a jump-starter when I want to get out of a bad mood. I'm a pretty optimistic, positive person in general and when I'm in a bad mood or a dark place, I want to get out of it as quickly as possible. As a result, I don't tend to like songs that either drag me back to that place or let me wallow there... instead I'll choose stuff that will pick me up and move me out of it. I don't really have any kind of musical aptitude of my own; I can't play any instruments and I'm 99% sure that I'm tone deaf which makes my singing abilities... well, probably on par with the American Idol audition rejects everyone laughs at for being so amusingly clueless about their singing abilities. Thankfully, I am well aware of how awful I am, so you won't see me wasting my time auditioning on any singing competition anytime soon. 
Anyway, I digress. The point is that music is kind of sacred to me. It's something that I find incredibly evocative and impressive because it's one of the few things that I just flat-out suck at. So when I'm choosing songs or even just listening to music, I can appreciate the artistry of a downer of a song, or maybe even enjoy it for a short time, but chances are the songs that really stick with me day after day and year after year are going to be the songs that lift me up and pull me out of a dark place.
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February 29, 2016 at 3:59pm February 29, 2016 at 3:59pm
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Song: "Nothing I Hold Onto (Climb)"
Artist: Lissy Lategan
Album: n/a
Even though I've been regularly attending church for over four years now, it wasn't until the last year or so that I really started to listen to Christian music outside of church services. Like all music, there are definitely some songs I really like and some songs I really don't... but it took a while for me to start venturing out and trying to find those songs in this genre that I actually like and want to listen to outside of a service.
This is one of the first songs that I discovered on my own, and still one of my favorites. I tend to prefer Christian songs that have a broader appeal; I feel like songs whose lyrics draw heavily from the Bible or have really specific Christian/biblical messages aren't really my speed because I think the specificity of the message in those songs tend to turn off people who aren't already strong in their faith. As a result, I tend to go for songs that are generally uplifting and inspiring; the kinds of songs that, for example, I don't think would make a non-Christian riding in my car squirm in discomfort if they heard it playing on the stereo. 
I love the reminder in this song to surrender all things to God. One of the really beautiful aspects of the Christian faith is that you have a higher power that's walking with you and looking out for you, and for those of us who believe in that kind of thing, I think it's an important reminder that it's okay to let stuff go and not feel like you're the only one who can handle a particular situation. It's an incredible stress-reliever to listen to this song and be reminded of the fact that if you stop holding back and give everything to God, he'll turn it into something beautiful.
To be fair, though, some of the lyrics I'm a little skeptical of. Climbing a mountain with your arms wide open? I'm not sure my faith is that strong yet... 
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February 29, 2016 at 3:32pm February 29, 2016 at 3:32pm
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Song: "How You Remind Me"
Artist: Nickelback
Album: Silver Side Up
If you thought I wasn't going to include some questionable music choices just because "Guilty Pleasures" week is over, then you don't know me very well.
In my defense, though, this album was the one I turned to at a really critical point in my life... when I found out the first girl I thought I actually had a chance with wasn't interested in me. Believe me when I tell you I wish it had been a different album; this was the year of the Gorillaz and Ryan Adams and Bleed American from Jimmy Eat World! Why, oh why, did I have to land on Nickelback of all artists? 
Regardless, this was the album I listened to when I was probably at my most brooding and gloomy. I still listen to it from time to time when I want to recall those emotions, especially when I'm writing something that needs to capture that emotion. For better or worse, Nickelback is one of those bands that is an emotional touchstone for me, which means I can probably never escape them.
I know I usually include some kind of interesting tidbits and musical factoids in my Soundtrackers, but I'm not going to give Nickelback the satisfaction of spending time reading and researching them. Sorry/not sorry, Chad Kroeger! 
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February 29, 2016 at 3:03pm February 29, 2016 at 3:03pm
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Song: "Peace of Mind"
Artist: Boston
Album: Boston
This entry isn't really so much about this specific song (I almost went with "More Than A Feeling") or even about the band Boston (I almost went with a number of others: ELO, Steppenwolf, Foreigner, Styx, and Steve Miller Band); it's about the whole genre of classic rock. When I was growing up and my mom would take us to school... especially in the later years just before I got my license... we constantly debated what to listen to on the radio (this was just at the very beginning of CD players in cars, folks!). I wanted to listen to stations that played more popular music, usually in the pop, alternative, rock, or hip/hop genres. My mom wanted to listen to her smooth jazz and easy listening and - while I can appreciate the dulcet tones of Dave Koz and The Carpenters as much as the next guy - I didn't want to fall asleep in the car on my way to school!
To my surprise, we both settled on classic rock, and frequently ended up singing and air-guitaring along to great classic rock songs like this one, or any number of others by the bands listed above. It kind of became our thing, and I learned far more about classic rock than any of my classmates just because I spent so much time listening to it every morning. There was something supremely satisfying about a class discussion about what we're listening to on the radio and being able to interrupt all the votes for TLC's "Waterfalls" or Ace of Base's "The Sign" with something old school like "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas.
Because of all those years my mom and I spent listening to our town's classic rock station (which had an awesome morning DJ, by the way), I will always have a special place in my heart for the genre. It pains me that artists that were popular rock artists of my childhood (Aerosmith, Heart, Billy Joel, Metallica, Nirvana, etc.) are now labeled "classic rock," but I suppose that's the nature of getting older. Still, for me, classic rock will always be those great rock bands from the late sixties through early eighties, many of whom are still performing today with varying degrees of their original lineup. One of the items on my bucket list is to check out a concert by one of these older bands and see if they've still got it.
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February 29, 2016 at 2:26pm February 29, 2016 at 2:26pm
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Song: "Again"
Artist: Janet Jackson
Album: janet.
Confession time: Michael Jackson is not my favorite Jackson. Don't get me wrong; I think he's immensely talented and his success is undeniable, but I've always been a Janet fan more than I've been a Michael fan. Ever since Control was released in 1986, I've been a consistent fan of her work and while her work hasn't always lived up to that album's five-times platinum, 13-million-selling, Billboard No. 1 status, I've admired her continued ability to write new and interesting songs. After her first two unimpressive albums under the direction of her father, Janet Jackson broke out on her own with Control and has since released nine studio albums (including Control), the least successful of which (2006's 20 Y.O.) still went platinum and reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200. With the exception of plateauing at No. 2 for albums 20 Y.O. and Damita Jo (2004), every single one of Janet's studio albums since and including Control has reached No. 1 and has, at minimum, been certified Gold (although her October 2015 album Unbreakable is not tracking as well and may break this streak).
The biggest struggle I had with this entry was not choosing whether or not I should blog about Janet; it was about which Janet song to choose. Should I go with some of her iconic earlier work like "Nasty" or "Rhythm Nation" or "Escapade?" Or should I go with some of her more recent work like "All For You" or "Just A Little While?" I ended up splitting the difference and going with her mid-career stuff, which were the first albums and songs I listened to as they were released rather than discovering them after the fact. I almost went with "Go Deep" from The Velvet Rope or "Runaway" from her Design of a Decade compilation... but I ultimately decided to go with this song because it (and the album) were so incredibly influential at a time when I was first starting to become aware of pop culture and social issues.
This song wasn't just a No. 1 single on a No. 1 album... it was also the closing song to (and originally written for) Poetic Justice, garnered her Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations. This was also her current album when the now-infamous Rolling Stone cover where she appeared topless with her then-husband Rene Elizondo, Jr.'s disembodied hands cupping her breasts.
Janet, like her brother, is a music icon that has - for decades - been at the forefront of musical ingenuity. I still listen to her albums even thirty years after their release and find them relevant and catchy. My "precious few" list wouldn't be complete without at least one offering by Janet.
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February 23, 2016 at 9:35pm February 23, 2016 at 9:35pm
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Song: "All You Wanted"
Artist: Michelle Branch
Album: The Spirit Room
I was actually surprised to find that I haven't included any Michelle Branch songs in any of Soundtrackers playlists so far. Except for that time ("Do you want to run away together?" ) when I wrote about a song she released when she was part of The Wreckers duo. But considering how much I listened (and still listen) to her solo albums, it's a little crazy to think that I haven't used anything from her yet. I was really tempted to use "Breathe" from her follow up album Hotel Paper, but I ultimately opted for this song because it was the one that first caught my attention when he debut album The Spirit Room was released in 2001. I practically wore this CD out listening to it as I drove back and forth between home, community college, and my job at Borders Books.
That was kind of a crazy time in my life in terms of the number of hours I was logging. I figured out that I wanted to go to film school after it was too late to apply, and I ended up needing to attend community college for two years in order to build up enough transfer credits to get into film school as a junior. I was also trying to save money at the time, so my days were a blur of work, school, hanging out with friends, and intermittently coming home to sleep. I took a really heavy course load to make sure I got all my transfer requirements done, which meant I was usually in school from about 7AM to 2PM or so... and then I went right from there to Borders, where I worked the closing shift from 3PM to 12AM. Friends on the closing crew would usually hang out for a while after work, so we'd spend a couple hours at a bowling alley or bar or wherever else we could find that was open and hang out until I grudgingly had to take myself home and get some sleep. I'd crash around 3AM and then wake up at 6AM to do it all over again. Man, I'm getting tired just remembering this schedule!  It's a good thing I had a young metabolism back then and could operate on only a couple hours of sleep a night!
Anyway, my parents' house was in a suburb and the community college was a 30-minute drive away. It was another 30 minutes to get from school to the bookstore, and then 15 minutes to get back home. While that commute is a dream by my standards today, it meant a lot of time in the car and this was the album that most frequently played during the first semester of my sophomore year. If CDs could wear out, I would have done it with this one! It got to the point where I had almost all of the lyrics for all of the songs memorized and I could sing along (albeit poorly) with the entire album.
I still listen to Michelle Branch's albums fairly regularly, which is unusual for me. In an iTunes playlist world, I almost always mash up songs, taking a few from this album, a few from that other album, a few singles I downloaded, etc. to make the playlist I jam to in my car when I'm not listening to audiobooks or podcasts. Michelle Branch's albums seem mix-proof though, as I often find myself listening to her albums straight through without interspersing it with any other music.
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February 22, 2016 at 9:41pm February 22, 2016 at 9:41pm
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Song: "Mexico"
Artist: Jump, Little Children
Album: Between The Dim & The Dark
Even though I have a personal rule against using the same band more than once in a Soundtrackers challenge, I have no such rule about song names... so this will be the second song titled "Mexico" that I'm using this month. Except, unlike the James Taylor version, this is a song I'll gladly admit to loving, and the pleasure of listening to it isn't guilt-ridden at all!
This is one of my relaxation songs. I almost always listen to it when I'm on the way home after a stressful day or when I want to just let my mind wander about something. I have a really hard time turning my brain off... if I'm not cramming input into it in the form of something I'm reading or listening to or watching, then I'm turning ideas over in my head, thinking about what I'm currently writing, want to write, have already written, etc. I constantly make and revise lists in my head and random bits of trivia and information stick in there and swirl around. It's really difficult for me to shut everything off and just be present wherever I am... and it usually takes some kind of external stimulus. This song is one of those songs for me. I can just let it wash over me and tune out the rest of the world. There aren't a lot of things that can get me to do that, so I tend to keep the ones that can very close. I've been listening to this song regularly for more than half a decade.
Jump, Little Children is a band out of North Carolina who rose to prominence thanks to finding a fan in Zach Braff, who used their material in his TV show Scrubs, as well as his feature directorial projects... most notably Wish I Was Here, the movie he produced with the help of a successful and noteworthy Kickstarter campaign. The band was around from 1991 to 2005, at which point the band members each went their separate ways. In 2015 they announced a reunion tour that sold out six shows in under a minute. 
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February 22, 2016 at 2:57pm February 22, 2016 at 2:57pm
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Song: "Pony"
Artist: Ginuwine
Album: Magic Mike Soundtrack
Figured I should end the Soundtrackers do Soundtracks segment of the challenge on a high note (or low note, depending on your opinion of this song and the movie it's from). Mostly I'm just trying to continue my ongoing goal of getting lizco252 to do a spit-take when she reads my entries. I feel like I almost had it with the Bieber and Warrant entries for Guilty Pleasures week, but alas I fell short. If Warrant's "Cherry Pie" is the perfect female stripper song, let's see how she handles a male stripper song!
Ginuwine (born Elgin Baylor Lumpkin... I think I can guess why he chose a stage name ) was one of the most successful R&B artists during the late 90s and early 00s. He put out a number of hits (including this one), as well as contributed material to the soundtracks of movies like Men In Black, Dr. Dolittle, and Romeo Must Die, among others. Like many artists from the time period, though, his success declined until a certain cult hit movie about male stripping brought it back into the public consciousness. It's re-introduction has been popular enough that Ginuwine "Stan Bush'ed" the track and did an update in 2015 with British house music duo Tough Love.
One of the reasons I wanted to include this song (other than to see if I can still shock our fearless leader), is because there's a great version on Lip Sync Battle. While the spinoff show isn't as great as when originator Jimmy Fallon does the bit on The Tonight Show, the higher production value and willingness to give artists some room to use props and plan out their performance does result in some memorable moments. Like this one, where Channing Tatum does a kind of scary version of "Run the World (Girls)" and his wife/competitor Jenna Dewan Tatum recreates his scenes from Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL. It's worth a watch:
While Channing Tatum's mortified, "I can't believe this is happening" looks are classic, LL Cool J is the real standout in terms of reaction shots here, going from, "Hell yeah, let's see where this is going!" to "I'm not sure I should be watching this" to "Are the network censors going to come out and stop this?" Between this and some other articles about one (or both) of their antics... like this classic example of Channing's style of email correspondence... they just seem like a really fun couple who knows how to laugh at themselves and not take life too seriously.
Below is a link to the actual Ginuwine song for Soundtrackers administrative purposes. Soundtrackers on Soundtracks Week is officially complete! Onto The Precious Few!
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February 22, 2016 at 1:45pm February 22, 2016 at 1:45pm
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Song: "Gimme Some Lovin'"
Artist: The Spencer Davis Group
Album: The Big Chill Soundtrack
Full disclosure #1: My favorite song from this soundtrack is "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" by The Temptations, but I already blogged about that song during a previous Soundtrackers event and I have a strict no-repeatsies policy.
Full disclosure #2: I probably could have picked any song from this album, since the whole soundtrack is great. Other finalists included "Good Lovin'" by The Rascals, "Tracks of My Tears" by The Miracles, "It's The Same Old Song" by The Four Tops, and "My Girl" by The Temptations.
Full disclosure #3: This soundtrack has been released so many times in so many different formats that I've lost track of where it appears. There's the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, More Songs from The Original Soundtrack, the Deluxe Edition (including songs inspired by The Original Soundtrack)... I'm not sure where this song falls, but who really cares beside OCD people like me?
Full disclosure #4: This song was also featured prominently during the "race to get the girl" scene toward the end of Notting Hill, which was also an excellent use of this song.
Okay, now that we have all the legal mumbo-jumbo out of the way... this album is honestly probably one of my favorites of all time. With most albums (even soundtracks and compilations) it's usually about 20% songs I love, 40% songs I think are okay, and 40% songs that I don't really ever listen to unless they come up and I'm too lazy to change the track. With this album (or albums plural, if you include all the supplemental releases), though, it's closer to 50% songs I love, 40% songs I think are okay, and 10% songs that I don't really ever listen to. I can easily listen to this album on repeat all day long. Plus, I figured as long as I did a Gen-X "generational" soundtrack, I should probably include their parents' generational soundtrack on my playlist as well!
For the longest time, I didn't realize that Steve Winwood was an original member of this band (as well as Blind Faith and Traffic); I had always known him as a solo artist who sang hits like "Higher Love" and "Valerie" and "Roll With It." When I found out about his connection to The Spencer Davis Group, the sound of his voice is unmistakable. The Spencer Davis Group, while Winwood was off pursuing other projects and his own solo career, broke up and reformed over the years, including a 22 year hiatus between 1974 and 2006. This song remains one of their most successful and most popular, still used on soundtracks in modern movies.
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