Tag: Anne’s Earworms

Schindler’s List – Anne’s Earworms Episode 17

The movie Schindler’s List is about Oskar Schindler, a Nazi. The movie has a fascinating story that makes it worth watching, but I knew the soundtrack even before I saw the film.

The Schindler’s List soundtrack is a masterful exploration of sorrow and hope. The first time I heard it, I cried because of the beauty contained in the main theme. The whole soundtrack is worth listening through, but if you only have a few minutes, I recommend the theme.

 

My Favorite Love Songs – Anne’s Earworms Episode 7

Since yesterday was Valentine’s Day (I like to call it Platonic Relationship Day), I thought it would be fitting to talk about some amazing love songs:

Everything Has Changed, by Taylor Swift

This is beautiful duet, and I like listening to it. I especially love the harmony.

Let’s Stay Together, by the Annie Moses Band

This song was originally performed by Al Green, but I mostly listen to the Annie Moses band version. I love this song because it talks about a lasting love, rather than a temporary emotional high. It promotes commitment even through hard times.

 

Love Story, by Taylor Swift

I listened to Love Story even before I started listening to music on my own. I like this song because in the end, the main characters find a way to work through their struggles, instead of run away from them.

I Courted a Sailor, by Kate Rusby

My voice teacher introduced me to Kate Rusby, and I’m quickly becoming addicted to her way of making simple songs excellent and interesting. This song is fascinating, and it has a happy ending.

Our Love is Here to Stay, by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

I’ve talked about Ella and Louis in a different Earworm, so I’ll just say that I love romance that lasts for longer than a few days, or months, or years. It’s easy to get caught up in emotion of “falling in love” with someone else, but without commitment, relationships crumble. I love songs that accent long-term relationships, rather passionate feelings that will eventually fade.

 What are your favorite love songs, and why? I’d love to hear about them in the comments section!

Encore by Barbra Streisand- Anne’s Earworms Episode 5

Encore: Movie Actors Sing Broadway is one of the first albums that I counted down the days until it was released. I’ve been a Barbra Streisand fan since I saw Hello, Dolly! a few years ago. When I saw that she was still producing music (at age 74), I was ecstatic. I talked about the album to every friend I had. I talked about the songs that they released before the album. I talked about the videos in which they talked about the songs.

The biggest appeal of Barbra’s music is her voice. Even though she’s been singing for years (She started recording music at age 13), her voice is stunning. She sounds consistent from the bottom of her range to the top of it, instead of being throaty and breathy depending on how high she’s singing. Encore is an album of duets and one trio.

My favorite song from this album is “Loving You,” a duet with Patrick Wilson. Patrick is a former broadway singer, so he also has a soaring, classical voice. Their voices blend beautifully, and the song soars.

Another great song is “At the Ballet.” This is the trio from the album, with Daisy Ridley and Anne Hathaway. This was the first song I heard from the album, and it hooked me for the rest of the album. I loved Anne Hathaway’s singing in Les Misérables, and I was excited to learn about Daisy Ridley. The song tells several exciting stories, and the harmony is amazing.

 

The only song I wouldn’t recommend from the album is The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened to Me, because of some foul language.

Encore was a huge inspiration for me as I started singing more, and it’s one of my favorite albums.

 

If you’re interested in hearing Encore on Amazon, click here.

January Goals

The semester has started! I’m so excited, and I hoping that I’ll be able to keep up with my challenges and my school assignments. Here’s how I’ve been doing so far:

Reading Challenge:

I’ve read three books so far (I’m reading my fourth one now). I’m trying to read one book each week, so that I have room to be flexible.

My first book was The Silver Chair, by C. S. Lewis. This was from the category “A book you loved as a child.” C. S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors, and this book did not disappoint me. Lewis writes in a way that is engaging and comfortable.

My second book was The Inferno, by Dante Alighieri. This is the book that’s been on my “TBR” list for too long. It inspired many Facebook posts of horror. The boiling in blood chapter was disturbing. Over all, I enjoyed reading the book, but probably won’t read it again. Here’s my favorite quote from the book:

“For such defects are we lost, thought spared the fire
and suffering Hell in one affliction only:
that without hope we live on in desire.”

My third book was The Undoing of Saint Silvanus, by Beth Moore. This book falls in the category of “written by someone you admire.” This book was outstanding. It had a little mystery, a little drama, and a little romance. It was fun to read.

Right now I’m in the middle of a book about Amelia Earhart, in the category: “an interesting woman.” Amelia Earhart was very interesting, but the book is not so far, so I’m not going to share it here.

I’m going to start the book Present Over Perfect next. My mom bought the book for me, and I’m excited about reading it. Here is her review of the book.

Writing Challenge:

I’ve completed this challenge every day except for one so far. Some days I work on blog posts or school assignments, and some days I journal. It’s been really cool to record some thoughts that I have, because it helps me think about them more clearly, and keep them for later.

Anne’s Earworms:

These have been fun to write so far. I wrote about some older artists, and some new artists, and made a spring semester playlist for fun. My only concern is that I’ll run out of music that I can write about before I run out of weeks. Because of this, I am being pushed to find new music that I love, which was one of the reasons I started writing them.

Bible Challenge:

I have successfully read through 92 chapters of the Bible, without having to have any make-up days. The thing that has helped me the most is getting up earlier. I was getting up around 8 every day, but this month I decided to try to get up at 6:45 every day (except Saturdays) to do some Bible reading and studying, and work on my other goals. At first this was really hard (it was actually really hard for the first three weeks), but I was able to complete my Bible reading earlier in the day.

Audible:

Audible has been wonderful so far. I read The Silver Chair as my first audiobook, and I loved it. I was able to cook and clean and such while enjoying one of my favorite books. Since I loved The Silver Chair so much, and our family had a couple of extra Audible credits, so I read The Undoing of Saint Silvanus on Audible also.

So there’s my summary of January. I did pretty well on all of my goals, so I’m hoping that I can continue my momentum during February.

 

Also, here’s my sister Christina’s Reading Challenge she’s doing this year:

http://youthfulhomemaker.com/52-books-2017-challenge-list/

My Spring Semester Playlist- Anne’s Earworms Episode 4

Since I just started the Spring Semester at Boyce, I thought it would be fun to make a playlist of some songs that I’m enjoying right now, so I can compare my playlist now with my playlist at the end of the semester. So without further ado, here is my Spring Semester Playlist for 2017.

Manic Monday, by Relient K.

This song was originally a Bangles song, but I love the Relient K version. Even though Mondays are awesome, I like listening to this song because it’s fun and catchy.

Before You I Kneel (A Worker’s Prayer), by Keith and Kristen Getty.

This song helps me to have the right attitude about my work, and in some characteristics that I’m trying to build.

Arrival of the Birds, by the Cinematic Orchestra.

Since I’m playing in two orchestras this semester, of course I have to listen to some movie soundtracks. This has been one of my favorites for a while.

Scarlatti: Sonata in B minor – Allegro – L. 449 K. 27, played by Elizabeth Arenas

This is my current piano piece, so I’m listening to it a lot. I love how it’s minor, but still has a lot energy.

9 to 5, by Ali Caldwell.

This is a great cover, and is awesome for riding in the car.

Heart and Soul by Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, Feat. Lisa Fischer and Gregory Porter.

I’ve been listening to Yo-Yo Ma’s Unaccompanied Cello for a while, but I’m new to his collaborations. This has been my favorite so far.

The Perfect Wisdom of Our God, by Keith and Kristen Getty.

I haven’t listened to this song since last year, but I would love to listen to it more this semester. It helps me to remember how wondrous God is, and promotes thankfulness.

Songbird, by Fleetwood Mac.

My voice teacher recommended this song to me while ago, but I forgot to look it up until this week. It’s a lovely rainy day song.

Our Love is Here to Stay, by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong.

Ella and Louis never get old.

Mary’s Song (Oh My My My), by Taylor Swift.

I like this song because it’s cute, and it has a happy ending.

Except for Monday, by Lorrie Morgan.

I’ve been listening to this song as long as I can remember. I enjoy it because it’s clever and fun.

So there you go, my Spring Semester Playlist. What songs are you enjoying right now?

I put the full playlist on YouTube here.

Long Drive, by Jordan Taylor- Anne’s Earworms Episode 3

Long Drive is Jordan Taylor’s debut album, released in 2015. Even though I was already a Blimey Cow fan (Jordan is part of the Blimey Cow crew), I didn’t listen to the album until last fall. At first, I wasn’t sure whether I liked the album or not. It’s not my usual choice for music, but the more I listened to the album, the more I loved it.

When I was listening to Long Drive this week, trying to decide whether to make it into an Earworm, I realized how young it is. For a long time, I’ve always tried to be older. I started taking college classes at 14, and I expected myself to act like a normal college student. When I hang around adults, I try to be an adult. Long Drive gave me a fresh reminder that being young can be good. I don’t need to try to be older.

Not only does Long Drive help me be young, it helps me be positive. When I listen to the song “This Moment,” I simply feel happy to be alive. This is a feeling that I sometimes forget about. I tend to be a melancholy person, but sometimes I confuse melancholy with depressed. Long Drive is calm and thoughtful, and some of the songs are sad, but it’s not a “let-me-cry-a-river-before-this-next-song” kind of album. It helps me to remember that being thoughtful is not always the same as being sad.

This album helps me embrace who I am. I believe that God designed each person with a different personality, and that we should use how we are built to glorify Him. We should be fighting sin, not personality. I should be fighting grouchiness and unfriendliness, not introversion. I should be fighting depression and being self-centered, not melancholy. Long Drive helps me to remember that.

Welcome to Anne’s Earworms!

I love music, but until recently, I only listened to music that my friends and family sent me. Since I started playing in a band with a couple of friends, and making my own covers, I started listening to music on my own.
Anne’s Earworms is a series about the music that I love. Some of it is music that I’ve known for a long time, some of it is new to me, that either I found or someone sent to me.  I’m not a musical expert, but I enjoy listening to good music, and I want to share it with my blog buddies.
My first Earworm is live Here.