The Sun, Moon and Stars

 Hello my dear readers!

 It is Friday night and I have come home from Uni for the weekend. I have had a busy week - my first week of lectures and classes.

 There have been some problems, mainly getting lost around the huge university, but on the whole I have enjoyed this week. I have had the chance to meet people doing the same subjects as me, and I have made some new friends.

♫♥♪

 You never realise just how many people you will meet at university. People in your halls of residence, people in your classes, people in societies you have joined. It is amazing how many people you meet.

 And although I feel like I must have met all the students in Manchester, I know in reality I can only have met a tiny percentage. It's amazing to think how many more friends there are out there for me to make, if I only meet them somehow. Ah well, fate often brings people together who were meant to end up in each others' lives.

"I do believe, love came our way, and fate did arrange for us to meet."

 A line from Almost Unreal, one of my favourite songs by Roxette, who are one of my favourite bands. Actually, this song has been stuck in my head, not because I have been thinking of fate, but for reasons I can't quite put my finger on... it just floated into my head! Anyway, it is a brilliant song so I will share it with you.

 "Yeah, come on and do the hocus pocus to me; 

The way that you touch, you've got the power to heal."

 I love Marie Fredriksson's voice! She is so beautiful and has an air of wisdom about her. The song is so incredible; I think it is one of the mist underrated songs I have ever come across. It is up there with the best ballads of the 90s. 

 And the video is so ahead of its time; it is technically stunning and you could think that it had been made today, rather than back in 1993.

♪♥♫

 People are like songs; you can think you know all the ones worth knowing and then you discover one that is incredible and you wonder how you lived without it/them. That is my deep and meaningful observation for the day!

 An example of a song I discovered just yesterday, and which I love very much already, is The Sun, Moon and Stars. The version I know is sung by Nanci Griffith, but the song was written by Vince Bell.

 I love how she does a typical Nanci introduction to it - one of the things I love about Nanci Griffith is the way she introduces most of her live performances with a bit of information about the song, or an anecdote related to it.

 They are so endearing, and teach you things about the song you never knew or realised, which make the song so much more special and dear to you. 

 And I may not have understood the exact meaning behind this song had she not said what she said at the beginning. A few words made everything so clear. It is a song about the importance of friendship, something I am very aware of at the moment. I will probably always associate this song with my starting university now!

 Not that you would have found me, "drunken in a bar, with the fan turning," as I don't drink alcohol... But the message still stands that friends are one of the most amazing things we can have in our lives! Don't take your friends for granted. Never forget how amazing they are. Yes, I know I use the word amazing too much. It is my word. And here it is the right word; the only word that will do.

♫♥♪

 Watching this video and listening to the song, I realised what people mean when they say Nanci has an angel's voice. I had always thought her voice was beautiful and powerful, but it was her songwriting rather than her voice that endeared her to me. 

 Seeing the way she interprets this song, the way she uses her voice so cleverly, so carefully, so sincerely to tell a story, to convey every ounce of emotion in her, to make every word beautiful and significant... 

 I realised listening to this just what an amazing gift she has vocally, that she can sing other peoples' songs as if they were her own story - and with this song you get the idea that she understands and empathises with every word. She is amazing. Nobody deserves higher praise than Nanci Griffith. She really is an angel.

♪♥♫

 This song has also taught me not to be prejudiced and judge a song based on the first line - another life lesson that can be applied to people as well. I heard the beginning of the album version of The Sun, Moon and Stars once and I didn't think a lot of it, so I stopped listening.

 The live version changed my mind, and so I listened to the album version again (from Late Night Grande Hotel) and I really like it - maybe not as much as the live one posted above, but it is a very beautiful and special song in its own way.

 Nanci is one of those gifted few who can do an equally good job on a recorded and a live version of a song; making both incredible in their own right. I've said it before and I'll say it again: she is a genius.

♫♥♪

 In other news, I have started the new term of my Mandarin Chinese course, and it was lovely seeing my friends from the course again. We meet once a week to learn Chinese, and I love it - the group is so friendly and we all get on really well.

 Also, for those who have been keeping track of my Cornerhouse antics, tomorrow is the day we compile our shortlist of artists for the exhibition we are planning. I am really looking forward to getting back to Cornerhouse, and seeing my fellow curators Alex and Neetu again.

 Our family friend Tommi is visiting, which is lovely. He lives in Germany and hopefully one day I will be able to converse with him in German - it is a language I have always wanted to learn and maybe now I am at Uni I will have the chance to.

♪♥♫

 The moon is very bright tonight in Wigan; we were all looking at it through binoculars. Kind of fitting that I have written about a song called The Sun, Moon and Stars!

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

Songs: Almost Unreal - Roxette - 1993
The Sun, Moon and Stars - Nanci Griffith - album version 1991; live version here 1990

We Are One!

 Hello!

 Today is Sunday, and I have been here a week! And it has been, as promised, one of the most amazing weeks of my life! Mainly because of the brilliant friends I have made ♥

♥

 I went home on Friday night, and it felt so strange being back in Wigan. The main thing I noticed at once was the stars - you never really see that many stars in Manchester; there are too many lights. In Wigan - well, my bit of Wigan at least - the sky was sprinkled with silver.

 I saw all the familiar constellations, and, as always, searched for the Andromeda galaxy. I know where it is, but some nights you can see it and some nights you can't, depending on how clear the sky is.

 I have always loved stargazing; the world can move quickly around you but the stars never change. I can look up and find Cassiopeia, trace my way to Perseus and Andromeda and the square of Pegasus. The stars can be scary, yet they can be reassuring... they are a force so powerful, unbreakable, ancient... I suppose they are an example of what you call the numinous.

 I will have to find out if there is a stargazing society in Manchester; if there isn't I will have to set one up! Anyway, it was lovely to be home and to see everyone again.

♥

 The next day - yesterday - I dragged myself out of bed to get my train back into Manchester in time for bowling and Laser Quest.

 I was a bit disconcerted at first because I didn't seem to know anybody on the excursion; however I soon made some new friends.

 The Laser Quest wasn't the best one I've ever been in, but it was fun and got very competitive! But may I say, whoever invented the need to recharge your gun in Laser Quest... it is the most pointless and annoying thing ever! I have been to Laser Quest venues where you don't have to do that, and I feel it makes the game run a lot more smoothly, and you can relax and get on with it without having to worry about recharging!

 Still, we had fun. We also had a game of bowling, in which I think I ended up coming last. I started out really well, then had a couple of goes in a row where the ball went into the tramlines... Not good. However, I met some more people in my Halls which was nice.

♥

 We then had a barbeque back at the Hall; I hadn't been really excited about the BBQ because I don't usually like BBQ food... but this one was so lovely; the food was nice and we got huge tubs of ice cream! I had caramel flavour and it was delicious!

 The sun was setting as we sat around on the lawn chatting, and it was such a lovely end to Freshers' Week. It was amazing to be celebrating it with my wonderful new friends.

♥

 I then went to the open mic night in the Hall bar; there was a wide array of different musicians and groups; there was even someone who I think said he was from Wigan! I will have to talk to him some time!

 My favourite act of the evening was a jazz quartet; they were really smooth and professional and so talented. Well done to them, and thank you to everyone involved for a great night.

♥

 I am going to share We Are One from The Lion King II; I have not seen this film but I somehow discovered this song when I was at college, and it really captured my heart. It is so beautiful, both the music and the lyrics.

 I am not usually a huge Disney fan, but I love this song ♥

 And in looking for it on YouTube, I somehow ended up on the Portuguese version. I love the Portuguese language - I think it is one of the most beautiful in the world.



 Even if you don't understand Portuguese - and I don't understand all of this song in Portuguese - just the sound of the language is so gorgeous. I would give it a listen.

♥

 I stumbled upon the original version of this song yesterday when looking for songs by the French singer Lio on YouTube and general Lion King stuff came up in the search options, and I thought, I'll listen to We Are One. It perfectly sums up my first week at Uni and the wonderful people I've met and the friendships I've made ♥

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

Songs: We Are One (English) - Cam Clarke and Charity Sanoy - 1998

We Are One (Portuguese)/Somos Um - I don't know who sings this; if anyone could tell me I would appreciate it! - 1998

University, friends and the Red Hot Chili Peppers ♥

 Hello!

 Today is Friday, and I have just had my first week at the University of Manchester! There have been ups and downs, but overall it has been an amazing experience ♥

 I had started a blog entry a couple of days before leaving home, and I never got the chance to finish it. Here is what I wrote:

♫♪

 "Hello!

 It is not at all long now until I start university. I am moving in some time today or this weekend, and my Fresher's Fortnight (most Unis get a Freshers' Week, we get a Freshers' Fortnight because we're hardcore) begins on Monday.

♪♫

 I am rather scared, to say the least. I don't drink, and I'm not a fan of spending nights trawling from one pub or club to the next, which seems to be the image of Freshers' Week that a lot of my friends and various online bloggers are painting.

 I am, however, excited about meeting some new people and hopefully making some new friends. It will also be nice to spend time in a city I love, and to discover every nook and cranny of it; as a friend of mine told me I will probably have got to know every inch of Manchester by the end of my first year.

 I am also excited at the thought of starting my course - getting my timetable, meeting my tutors and finding out exactly which aspects of French and Spanish language and culture I will be studying. I love France and French, I love Spain and Spanish and I find it fascinating learning about French- and Spanish- speaking countries all over the globe.

♫♪

 So, I have mixed feelings about Uni, mainly positive. Once Freshers' Fortnight is out of the way I will feel a lot better!

 In other news, I have been to Manchester twice in two days for non-uni-related things - on Wednesday, to watch two episodes of Mastermind, the British TV quiz show, being filmed at Salford Quays, and on Thursday to go to Cornerhouse to look at some of the applications sent in for the exhibition we are planning. Both were enjoyable trips. I'll be back at Cornerhouse some time next week to go through the rest of the applications."

♪♫

 Looking back at it now, I can't believe I was so nervous about starting Uni - downright scared in fact. It turned out that there are many people in my hall of residence who aren't really interested in drinking alcohol and partying and clubbing into the early hours; there are those who, like me, would rather just relax in Halls and have a good time with their friends.

 I've found a group of friends that is ever growing; we sit together at meals - our Hall is catered - and have good times together. I am very grateful to them all for making my first week of Uni so lovely, so if you are reading this, THANK YOU! ♥ You are amazing!

 That's not to say I have anything against clubbing; it just isn't really my cup of tea. I have some great friends who like going out; basically you meet such a huge range of people at Uni. I have friends from different places - people from my corridor in Halls, my regular dining table crew, friends from my course. They are all wonderful ♥ I am so happy with the way university life has turned out.

♫♪

 My Hall is amazing and has organised all sorts of stuff; we have had a comedy night (with Iain from Iain and Hacker! Though I didn't like some of his jokes that evening), a pub quiz (my team didn't win, but we didn't do too badly), and a karaoke night! I didn't get up and sing - maybe next time!

 Saturday looks like it will be really exciting, with bowling and Lazer Quest, a BBQ and an open mic night! I can't wait!

♪♫

 So... that is my news. Tonight I think I am going home - I don't live too far away - to see my family and my beloved cat, and then I will be coming back to Manchester tomorrow in time for Lazer Quest - I adore Lazer Quest! And I can become very competitive!

 Sooo.... I'm having a great time, and really enjoying university life. I love Manchester! ♥

♫♪

 I will leave you with The Zephyr Song by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The guy running the karaoke sung it really well - I actually think I prefer his version to the official song! It was the first time I'd heard it, and it's been stuck in my head since. Here is the YouTube video - be warned, it is VERY psychedelic!

 I've just found out that a zephyr is a wind - I understand the lyrics a lot more now!

 My favourite bit is when he says,

"In the water where I centre my emotion,

All the world can pass me by."

 I really like this song and I'm glad I discovered it!

♪♫

 Thanks for reading! Also I want to give a shout-out to the blogs of my friends Louise and Jess. They are each doing a different gap year project, and both of their blogs make a great read. Click on their names to see their blogs.

 Thanks again for reading my blog, and thank you to everyone who's supported me in the transition to university. 

 Much love ♥

 Liz x

Song: The Zephyr Song - Red Hot Chili Peppers - 2002

We've come a long way...

 Hello my readers!

 Today is Thursday, and I wanted to continue my fiftieth blog post celebrations by reflecting on what I have learnt by keeping this blog.

♥

 I can't believe this is my fifty-second blog post. It's amazing. And I can't believe it's been nearly a year and a half since I started this blog. Some of the posts I did last summer seem like yesterday. Time really does fly.

 Looking at my posts, it's easy to see the evolution from quite basic, usually gushing about a song I loved, to more structured, more critical - still praising songs I love, but in a more constructive way, I feel.

 That's not to say that my first posts aren't worth reading - I think they still make good reads, especially if you're looking for something short and focussed on one particular song. But I feel that my blogging is more sophisticated now.

 My presentation has evolved - I would now very rarely, if at all, use multiple exclamation marks, nor do I use smilies like this :) Instead I use the proper alt code to get this☺Generally, though, I don't use smilies that much. I use hearts ♥ because I think they look nice and because I am the emotional kind of person who sees the need to use hearts a lot.

 I've also discovered quite recently how to get music notes from alt codes ♪♫ so you may be seeing some music notes on this blog in the future!

♥

 I've started putting links in posts; I learnt how to do this at Cornerhouse, for which I am very grateful. I also now put tags on all my posts; I didn't originally and have now gone back and made sure all my posts are tagged.

 I started putting the year the song came out at the bottom of each post along with the name of the song and the artist. I know it can be a nightmare finding the details on a song you really like via the Internet, so hopefully my song listings at the end of posts may make that a little easier. Plus I think it makes the blog look that bit more professional.

 I have my "recommended posts," at the end of blog entries; an idea I came up with to help people find entries on the music and artists that they personally like, and also to draw attention to some of my older posts that newer readers may not have seen.

 I now lay out all my entries in the "align left" format, whereas I used to use "align centre" on occasion, and I now think that can look a bit tacky. So, align left it is, and align centre for quoted lyrics. Altogether nicer, I feel.

♥

 I think my titles have evolved as well - it was always, "Gorgeous song!," "Lovely song! : ) ," etcetera - then they became more sensible because they started telling you what the post was actually about - "R.E.M. and Paul Young," for example.

 Then there was the Eurovision block, then after that I got into the habit of making titles a list of everything mentioned in the blog, for example, "Ireland, the Olympics, Snowdonia and Nanci Griffith." More recently on the title front I've been alternating between humorous and sentimental -and sometimes managed to achieve both.

 I think the first priority with titles must be to give some idea of what the post is about. I'll still use people's names alone for posts that are more biographical; whilst for posts that talk about my life as well as musicians, or which deal with a range of subjects, I try to be more imaginative.

♥

 I can't believe I've found so much to say about the evolution of my blog - it has changed more than I ever realised. I have changed too - I've become more mature, more sensible, I feel.

 I also write on here regularly, not just when I feel like it as was once the case. I feel like I have entries that need to be written; inspirational songs and amazing songwriters that deserve a place on this blog, and I 'll never be able to cover them all if I only write once in a blue moon.

 This blog isn't just a collection of songs I like, but a record of my life, and sometimes an important moment doesn't get recorded here because I don't get round to writing it up and then I feel that the moment has passed. And I think that's a terrible waste. So I will try not to let that happen any more.

♥

 Have my musical tastes changed since starting this blog? I don't think so. However, I feel I have discovered music that I never would have if I hadn't been keeping this blog; music that, it turned out, I really liked. So thank you, blog!

 And thank you, for reading my blog.

 Liz x

Nanci Griffith and Deacon Blue - Love and Regret

 Hello everyone!

 In my last blog entry, the fiftieth post on this blog, I revisited my very first post which was about my favourite songs when it came to lyrics.

 I listened again to the songs I liked so much a year ago, to decide how I feel about them now - and I found  that I still really like them all, and that in some cases a song has taken on a new significance for me since I wrote that list back in March 2011.

 After listing specific songs by a range of bands and artists, I ended the list with, "Pretty much anything written by Nanci Griffith, or by Ricky Ross of Deacon Blue (two very different people but both extremely gifted songwriters in my opinion. You'll be hearing a lot about them in this blog!)"

 And the sad thing is, although I adore both of these songwriters, and have listened to their music so much before and since starting this blog, I have not blogged about them nearly as much as I had expected I would.

 I have written one blog post that shares a few Deacon Blue songs among other music, and I have two entries where I discuss Nanci Griffith, but which also deal with other subjects, and I have a post about the Kennedys in which she is mentioned.

However, what I haven't done yet is a full post completely focussed on Nanci and just what her music has meant to me over the years, and I really want to do that. I also want to do a post all about Ricky Ross and Deacon Blue.

♥

 I listened to music from both Nanci and Deacon Blue throughout my childhood, introduced to their music by my parents. Among my favourite Nanci songs were Gulf Coast Highway, Goin' Gone and Tumble and Fall.


 My favourite songs by Deacon Blue were Queen of the New Year, Your Swaying Arms - at one point one of my favourite songs by any artist or band - and When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring).

 As I got older, I discovered more and more amazing songs by both Nanci Griffith and Deacon Blue. A few months ago I had Nanci's 1988 album Storms bought for me, and have come to love the songs Storms(written by Eric Taylor), Radio Fragile and Brave Companion of the Road.

 The latter I had heard before on what I'm guessing must have been a compilation tape that my family used to listen to in the car. I'd been searching a long time for that song when I found it on Storms and was very happy.

 The reason I had had such trouble finding it was because I had thought the title was something to do with roses, probably because of the first line of the beautiful second verse:

"Some days come up roses,

Some days just come and go.

Some nights are so ruthless that you can't recall the day before.

This love has seen better days, 

Come home for these holidays,

Cause this love has miles for sense of place,

Oh, my brave companion of the road."

 Normally I wouldn't quote an entire verse, but Nanci Griffith is a genius. Her lyrics are among the most moving and memorable I know. I love the whole song; it is easy to overlook a track like this on an album like Storms which has louder, catchier songs, but I feel that Brave Companion of the Road is quietly beautiful, and is quite possibly my favourite song on the album.

♥

 As for Deacon Blue, I got a new mp3 player recently, and onto it I put Our Town, their Greatest Hits CD. This meant I could listen to Deacon Blue on the bus on the way to and from college, and this way I came to really love some of their songs.

 Love and Regret will now always remind me of college bus journeys and, to a degree, so will Dignity. 

However, Dignity also brings back memories of writing for my college's magazine - I did a lyrics quiz for them, and one of the lyrics they had to guess was;

"And I'm telling this story in a faraway scene, 

Sipping down raki, and reading Maynard Keynes."

 Certainly unique lyrics! I love Dignity. I never used to because I found it too slow - I think the version I had heard was acoustic - yet recently I've begun to appreciate the beauty of the melody and the lyrics. Isn't that what everybody wants; dignity? To be respected? 

 I think that it is a very wise song. I'm glad that I learnt to like it and grew to love it.

♥

 I must write proper blog posts about both Nanci Griffith and about Ricky Ross and Deacon Blue as soon as I can. Both Nanci and Ricky are wonderfully gifted songwriters, and I want them to know how much I admire them and how much I love their music and always have done. Hopefully one day they may read this blog and know.

 I hope you enjoyed this post,

 Thanks for reading, 

 Liz x

Songs: Brave Companion of the Road - Nanci Griffith - 1988

Dignity - Deacon Blue - 1987

Life begins at 50

 Hello, world!

 This is a very special blog post... it is the fiftieth post on this blog!

 In the very first post I did, way back in March 2011, I mentioned some of my favourite songs lyrics-wise. I decided that between this post and the next one I will listen again to these songs and and see how I feel about them now, almost a year and a half after I made that list.

 I will also see if, through keeping this blog, I have discovered any other songs that deserve to join that list. I'm sure there are many! But I am looking for the very best for my lyrics hall of fame.

 The first song I mentioned in that list was Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon.

 I remember when I first heard this song, it was while in the car flicking through 80s songs on the mp3 player I had at the time. It included a few 80s albums on which I wasn't sure what half the songs were because it hadn't recognised the album and just called the songs, Track 1, Track 2 etcetera. I was listening through them to see what they all were when I discovered this song, which I don't think I had heard before.

 I thought it must be Candle in the Wind by Elton John. I wasn't familiar with said song at the time, and I decided this must be it as I thought I heard the line, "You're a candle in the wind". I'd also heard Candle in the Wind being hyped about and as this song was amazing, I thought this must be the song.

 I turned out to be wrong on several counts. The line was, "You're a candle in the window." The song was Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon. Candle in the Wind isn't an 80s song so probably wouldn't have been on that album anyway. And I've since heard Candle in the Wind and don't think much of it, which is a shame because I sort of want to like it.

 Anyway, the bottom line is that I discovered a song that I really loved, and that I still love. Since I wrote that blog post in March last year, Can't Fight This Feeling has been featured in a TV advert in the UK for - I think - yoghurt which has a cow running along a beach dreaming of being a horse. The ad is certainly memorable, and I think that may have brought the song to a new audience as I heard one of my friends my age singing it around that time.

 In July 2011, this song took on a huge new significance and poignancy to me, as I used it in the film I made of my college trip to France, and now listening to the song evokes so many amazing memories of that wonderful trip. Here is my film, in case you are interested - Can't Fight This Feeling begins about seven minutes and fifty seconds into the film.

 I chose this song for the aquarium segment of the film because I could see direct links between the lyrics - les paroles in French - and some of the things that happened in the aquarium, for example the reference to the ship. I also loved the general tune and sentiment of the song, and wanted to use it as part of my record of our trip.

 Now when I'm listening to the song and I get to the part where there's talking in the film, I subconsciously expect to hear that talking, and I always feel surprised when the music goes on and the talking doesn't occur! I love this song more than ever and it certainly retains its place as one of my favourite songs ♥

 "It's time to bring this ship in to the shore, and throw away the oars, forever..."

"My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you..."

♥

 The next song on my list was The Whole of the Moon, by the Waterboys.

 Well... There isn't much to say about this song, I feel. Yet there is a whole ocean of things to say... It is amazing. It is beautiful. It is perfect. It is a very, very special song to me. I love it. 

 I first heard it in the car - I'm pretty sure I can remember exactly which stretch of road we were driving along, and where we were going. It's the same for Can't Fight This Feeling! Not the stretch of road, but the fact that I can remember exactly where I was when I first heard both songs. Songs can be so powerful when it comes to bringing back memories attached to them.

 I love the lyrics to this song - I really hope that Mike Scott, who wrote and sung the song had a particular person in mind when he wrote those lyrics. There seems to be a lot of debate over who the song was written for, but all I care about is that he wrote it from his heart and with complete love and sincerity. That is when a superficial love song becomes a beautiful, evergreen love song.

 This is one of the songs I would most like to be able to sing in concert if ever I got a band together. I always envision a full orchestral arrangement with trumpets and violins and maybe even a choir to do the backing singing in the last verse.

 However, such powerful lyrics as these could hold their own in sung a cappella or just spoken... you could do so much with this song, so many different arrangements, and as long as you mean the lyrics and sing them with all the love and emotion you feel for that person is in your life who saw the whole of the moon, it will be something amazing.

 "I spoke about wings, you just flew.

I wondered and I guessed and I tried - you just knew.

I sighed, but you swooned,

I saw the crescent, you saw the whole of the moon."

♥

 The third song that was on my list of top songs lyrics-wise is Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits. As well as learning to spell their name properly - I was shocked to see, "Dire Straights" on that first post, which was swiftly corrected - I have been listening a lot to music by Dire Straits, with two particular songs being among my favourites: the aforementioned Romeo and Juliet, and Brothers in Arms. 

 I am planning to do a longer blog post involving Brothers in Arms soon, so for now I will just say that it is a song I have loved for a long time, and which think I can add to my lyrics hall of fame. As for Romeo and Juliet, I shared my thoughts on it as part of a blog post about love songs that I did last year, and I still love it.

♥

 The next two songs on my list are both by Fleetwood Mac: Songbird and Sara. I adore Songbird and have sung its praises in my blog post about the amazing Christine McVie (whom I love and who is one of my greatest influences musically). 

 Sara is a song that has been in my head a lot recently - maybe partly because I was planning to do this blog, but I think it may also be partly to do with the fact that in one of the novels I am trying to write (my dream is to have a book published one day, and I am working on several potential novels) there is a character called Sarah. 

 Her naming had nothing to do with the song; it's just a name I like. But writing about her often reminds me of the song.

 

"Wait a minute baby, stay with me a while, 

You said you'd give me light, but you never told me 'bout the fire."

 I always liked this song, but never as much as some other Fleetwood Mac songs such as Gypsy, Little Lies and Say You Love Me. However, I've recently come to like it a lot more. Stevie Nicks has the knack for making a song not just a song, but an experience... something you get completely sucked in to, and when it finishes you feel as if you've come out of a cinema into daylight; like you have been absorbed in a story; in a far away place. In another universe.

 The initial piano chords from Christine McVie have always reminded me of the church bells ringing out in my town, and whenever I hear them, this song comes straight to my head.

 "Sara, you're the poet in my heart,

You never change, and don't you ever start."

 I saw a documentary about Fleetwood Mac in which Stevie Nicks claimed that this song was written because she was having an affair with Mick Fleetwood, and then Mick Fleetwood ended up in a relationship with Stevie's friend Sara. The exact meaning of the lyrics of this song has always puzzled me, but I can feel a lot of love behind the words. I have come to really like this song - it still isn't my favourite Fleetwood Mac song by a long way but I do really like it.

 I will sign off for now and in my next blog entry I will finish my list of top songs lyrics-wise; commenting on the work of Nanci Griffith, and of Ricky Ross and Deacon Blue, and I will add some more songs to the list, songs that I have discovered or rediscovered since I started my blog which I think merit a place on that list.

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

Songs: Can't Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon - 1984/85

The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys - 1985

Sara - Fleetwood Mac - 1978/79

Four songs and a dragon

 Hello my dear readers!

 Today is a Sunday, and I have some things to report. Firstly, I have a writing dragon! Called Griff!

 This may not make a lot of sense to some, so I will explain. In Chris d'Lacey's amazing book The Fire Within, the protagonist, David, becomes a lodger in a house which is full of clay dragons which come to life in the eyes of those who really believe that dragons are real.

 As a present for getting good A-Level results and getting a place in Manchester University, my parents got me a Pennykettle Dragon - one of the real clay dragons that the ones in the book were inspired by.

 My Griff is a writing dragon, which means he has a notepad and pencil and should inspire me when I'm writing! In The Fire Within, Gadzooks, David's writing dragon, inspires him by writing words on his notepad which give David ideas for his stories.

 I am hoping that Griff can inspire me as well. I love writing and dragons, so a writing dragon is perfect for me!

 I named him Griff because I feel it suits him, and because it is Welsh-sounding and starts with G. All dragon names in Chris d'Lacey's books begin with G for some reason, and a lot of them are either Welsh-, German- or Anglo-Saxon-sounding. I think it is because England and Wales have a lot of stories about dragons in their histories, and I'm sure that Germany, with its mountains and forests, has dragon legends as well.

 I would recommend The Fire Within to anybody. It is a wonderful book. It is the first in a series of seven, of which I have read four - and I must say that the first two books are by far the best. However, I feel that the second novel, Icefire, is a lot darker than The Fire Within, so I would bear that in mind if you decide to read it.

 I am very happy with Griff and will never be able to thank my parents enough for finding the lady who makes the Pennykettle Dragons, and for having one made for me... I will be forever grateful. And thank you too to Val Chivers, the "Dragon Lady" who made Griff. She is amazing.

 Second piece of news is that I have found out where I will be staying during my first year of university, which is exciting. I got one of the places I wanted, which is great ♥

 Now for some music - I really wanted to share "Isn't it Midnight?" by Fleetwood Mac, which I discovered just after writing my blog post about Christine McVie a while ago.

 It is so pretty, yet also slightly dark and very mysterious-sounding. Here it is:

 The melody sounds quite familiar to me; I have heard similar in other songs. I don't know who came up with it first but I must say that the familiarity for me adds to the general haunted feeling of the song... It is beautiful and goes perfectly with the magical, mystical-looking album cover that is its YouTube thumbnail above. 

 The painting on the cover, in case you were interested, is Hommage à Henri Rousseau, by Brett-Livingstone Strong. The original painting was hanging in Lindsey Buckingham's house when the album was being recorded. I wish it were hanging in my house! It's beautiful.

 From the album Tango in the Night came several Fleetwood Mac songs I adore: Seven Wonders, Little Lies and Everywhere. I intend to start doing album reviews on this blog, and Tango in the Night may be one of the first albums I turn my attention to!

 Another song I have discovered recently and that I really like is "Days Are Numbers (the Traveller)" by the Alan Parsons Project. 

 Amazingly enough, I discovered this through somebody on YouTube claiming that one of my favourite French songs, Juste Après by Jean-Jacques Goldman, was a rip-off from it. I gave it a listen to see what I thought, and I can honestly say that apart from a vague similarity in the first few chords, there is no resemblance that I can hear. 

 I love Juste Après, and I am really warming to Days Are Numbers as well! It is really gorgeous, especially the harmonies in the chorus. If I ever have a band I want us to record this song, and I want us to do the very best job at it that we possibly can, to try and do justice to this amazing song. It is simply sublime.

 So thank you, YouTube person, for helping me discover this song! Even if it was through making a claim that I don't really agree with. But we all hear what we want to in any piece of music.

 I was shopping recently and heard "Maria" by Blondie on the radio - and I was very happy because I love this song. I think it sounds a bit like a speeded-up version of Someone Like You by Adele - obviously, Maria was out first. But I think I may be the only person who can hear the likeness! And I believe songs can sound very similar without any ripping-off being done.

 I first heard Maria at a friend's birthday party not that long ago, and I couldn't believe I had been missing out on it for so long, when I listen to as much Blondie as I do. On the other hand, it's sort of reassuring to think that there may be loads more great old music out there that I've never heard and have yet to discover.

 I will always associate this song with the film, "The Mirror Crack'd" - the 1980 one with Elizabeth Taylor in it. I find that film rather terrifying, and I also think the answer to the mystery is obvious from very early on - though that might be because the first time I saw the film I saw only the second half... I don't know. 

 I thought it was really easy to put two and two together, and I think that was the fault of the way it was filmed, not the plot. I intend to read the book - I have a copy of it in French, Le Miroir se Brisa. I have read parts of it; I may read it properly soon.

 Anyway, getting back on topic, I associate this song with that film because just after I first discovered the song, I watched the film on telly and listened to the song in the ad breaks, and now there seems to be a link between the two in my subconscious that I fear will never go away. I do like the film, I just find it scary and don't want to be reminded of it when I listen to a song I really love.

 Luckily, Maria also reminds me of the lovely party at which I first heard it, which is a really nice memory to cherish. I love the rhythm and melody of the song, and I love the lyrics, except for the line, "Don't you want to break her." I think - I sincerely hope - it doesn't mean physically breaking her, perhaps it is more in the sense of breaking her spirit; breaking her in because she is like a wild horse. Whichever is true I'm not keen on it. 

 Otherwise, the song is great and I love Debbie Harry's voice. It is, in my opinion, one of the finest songs of the 1990s (it was released in 1999).

 I have been following The X Factor this year; however my real love when it comes to winter television is Strictly Come Dancing, and I can't wait for this year's series to begin. For readers overseas, Strictly Come Dancing is the original UK version of Dancing With the Stars. 

 I really love seeing all the dances but I also love discovering new music which I always seem to do through this show. I love Strictly! It always makes me yearn to be a ballroom and Latin dancer, but I've always had trouble finding local classes. 

 However, all that may change when I move to Manchester in September - I'm sure in a city that size there must be some ballroom and Latin classes available! Maybe even as part as the Uni enrichment. That would really be wonderful.

 I've also been watching Celebrity Big Brother, and I must say that some of the things I have seen this series are truly pathetic. Certain individuals really need to grow up! But Julian Clary is amazing as always. I hope he wins.

 One last song I wanted to share with you is "You Win Again" by the Bee Gees.

 I had heard it before but recently I found out through hearing it on the radio what it was and who sings it. It sounds different to other Bee Gee songs I know, and I really like it. It is, in my opinion, their best song, which is high praise because I really love How Deep is Your Love as well. 

 I can't believe that Barry is the only Bee Gee left now. Rest in peace, Maurice and Robin. Your talent shines on and your music will be appreciated for many years to come.

 The Bee Gees were such a slick, smooth outfit - they always looked good, and their music moved with the times, from disco to pop, whilst remaining timeless. A few days ago I was at a 60s and 70s-themed zumba class, which featured a seven-minute-long Bee Gees medley. It was brilliant and reminded me why I love their music so much.

 You Win Again tends to remind me of my amazing trip to Paris in February 2012; I think this is because it was just after we got back that I discovered this song. I love the beat and the lyrics - mainly. Again, there is stuff about attacking the (I assume) woman the song is aimed at that is obviously a metaphor but that I kind of don't like. 

 Still, You Win Again is, on the whole, a great song. Well done, Bee Gees! You really are amazing. 

 Amazing does seem to be my favourite word, and in the past I've abstained from using it all of the time, trying to alternate with words like wonderful and brilliant, but to be honest I feel that I should be true to myself and if I feel that amazing is the best word for something, I shall call it amazing! So there! Okay, I probably sound a bit childish. But it is very liberating thinking, this is my blog and I can do what I like on it, within reason.

 So, I hope you have enjoyed my long, long blog post, and the songs I have shared with you.

 Thanks for reading!

 ¡Hasta luego!

 Hrrrrr! (That is what the dragons say in The Fire Within.)

 Liz x

Songs: Isn't it Midnight? - Fleetwood Mac - 1988

Days Are Numbers - The Alan Parsons Project - 1985

Maria - Blondie - 1999

You Win Again - Bee Gees - 1987

Amazing news and the Kennedys ♥

 Hello, my wonderful readers! Bonjour! ¡Hola!

 I am very happy and excited because I got my A-Level results yesterday and I got the results I needed to go to my first-choice university! I am going to the University of Manchester! Whoooooo!

 Needless to say, I am very chuffed. But slightly scared... starting university is probably one of the biggest, most challenging things I will ever do, leaving home and learning to live by myself and become independent.

 However, I feel well up for that challenge, and will throw myself into university life. As they say, you only get out of things what you put in, and I intend to do everything I can to make my four years at university as amazing as they possibly can be ♥

 I will be studying French and Spanish, but I intend to try studying some other languages in my free time, and I will look for clubs and societies to join - hopefully there will be French and Spanish societies, as well as the chance to keep playing badminton, and maybe even do some more zumba!

 Talking of zumba, I went to a Steps-themed zumba yesterday, and it was brilliant! I enjoyed it so much - more than I had expected to. I had thought that Steps only had a few big hits, but at zumba there were lots of songs that I quite liked, and I may listen to more music by Steps from now on (and maybe do the dances)!

 I've had so many lovely messages from my family and friends congratulating me on my results and getting into Manchester Uni, and I'm so grateful and happy to have so much love and support. Knowing they will always be there for me makes me feel more confident about making the huge jump of going to Uni.

 There's a song that I had heard briefly and liked, but that recently my brother brought back to my attention and I realised I really like it. (And now it's stuck in my head.) It's Express Yourself by Labrinth. Give it a listen if you haven't already. Here is a video my brother made with the song which I prefer to the official video.

 Also, in honour of me starting Uni I have to share one of the most hopeful, beautiful songs I know: Life Is Large by the Kennedys; Pete and Maura.

 This amazingly talented pair were the opening act for Nanci Griffith when I saw her live in concert in Salford Quays for my eighteenth birthday treat earlier this year. I had heard of the Kennedys before then but I hadn't really known their music so it was great to discover them! ♥

  Photos courtesy of my mum.

 I was lucky enough to meet Pete and Maura Kennedy after the show and they were so lovely. 

 I bought their latest CD, which they very kindly signed for me, and it has a live version of Life Is Large, which is one of the most wonderful songs you will ever hear. It is simply gorgeous. The guitar playing, the vocals, the lyrics...

"We've only got one chance to walk this line;

If you should get lost or stuck in time.

Just believe this road does not end here.

How do you want to be remembered; a raging fire or a dying ember?"

 Amazing. I love the version in the video earlier in this blog post which I presume is the album version, but my favourite has to be the live one... It is just incredible. So atmospheric and intimate and emotional and direct. One of the few songs I can listen to in any mood and still enjoy completely.

 I will also share a stunning performance by the Kennedys of When I Go by Dave Carter.

  I feel like I don't even have the right to comment on something so beautiful and perfect but I must say it is the song I wish I had written. I can't say for sure but I feel there is something very Native American in the melody and lyrics and, as I have some of this in my ancestry, this song feels very close to me personally and means a lot to me. 

 It is hard to pick out one lyric to highlight because every line is beautiful, but among the ones which I found most poignant are:

"I'll send this message down the wire and hope that someone wise is listening when I go."

"...in showers of crimson rubies when I go."

"And should you glimpse my wandering form upon the borderline, between death and resurrection and the council of the pines.

Do not worry for my comfort, do not sorrow for my soul,

Or your diamond tears will rise up in the dawn sky beside me when I go."

 Truly beautiful. If I could ever write a song anywhere near as powerful and moving I would be very happy. I am not too familiar with the work of Dave Carter, but if this song is anything to go by he must have been a very, very gifted songwriter. 

 I really think the world would be a sadder, more desperate place without this song. It almost embraces death, makes it feel like something not to be afraid of. It is also a celebration of this beautiful world we live in which we often - too often - take for granted. 

 When I Go is humbling and magical and unlike any other song I have ever heard. I am so grateful to the Kennedys for bringing to my attention a song I may never have heard otherwise. 

 I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on the Kennedys. I will be off to university in September, and I have no doubt that it will be an amazing experience. It will be a journey of sorts, and you, my blog readers, will be able to take it with me as I blog at every step of the way with news and updates and - of course - plenty of brilliant music to listen to along the way.

 This is the beginning of a new chapter in my life, and I'm hoping it's going to be a good one ♥

 Hasta luego,

 Liz x

 If you enjoyed this post I recommend: Ireland, the Olympics, Snowdonia and Nanci Griffith and Mountains and memories: Nanci Griffith and Tina Turner

Songs: Express Yourself - Labrinth - 2012

Life Is Large - the Kennedys - 1996

When I Go - the Kennedys - 2003

The best of British!

 Hello people!

 Today is Tuesday - in my part of the world anyway.

 The Olympic Closing Ceremony was on Sunday night, as you may well already know, and I found it very enjoyable. For me, it was definitely as good as the Opening Ceremony, if not slightly better because it was more music-based and, as you may have guessed from this blog, I love music!

 The emphasis was on British music and I was very glad to see Queen, John Lennon (I'm not a massive Beatles fan, but I have to admit that they are icons of British music) and George Michael (Freedom '90 is stuck in my head now! And his second song seems to have attracted controversy, but I liked it).

 I also enjoyed the performances by Emeli Sandé (how much coverage did she get these Olympics?! But she deserves the attention because she is amazing! ♥ ), Elbow and Madness.

 I even liked the music by Blur and Muse, neither of whom I'm usually a fan of, because I just felt that they fitted into the ballot of music so well. Overall, it was a great show.

 I was pleased that Annie Lennox featured in the show, but I wish she had sung Why, which I love. However, I understand that it's a bit too sad to have at a Ceremony which was billed as having a "party" vibe. Still, I have always loved this song.

"I may be mad, I may be blind, I may be viciously unkind, but I can still read what you're thinking.

And I fear I've said too many times that you'd be better off; besides, why can't you see this boat is sinking?"

 It is a very sad, beautiful song that I was lucky enough to know from quite a young age as it was on one of the compilation tapes we used to play in our car. These tapes were also how I discovered the great band Niagara, who were supposedly often compared to Eurythmics, Annie Lennox's band. 

 However, I really can't see much similarity except that both groups consisted of a man and a woman, and that the woman in both groups has a distinctive, strong voice and that they both produced quite adventurous music videos. But otherwise I don't think the groups are alike at all - they each have their own unique style of music and of performing. And I like them both!

 Here is one of my favourite songs from Niagara, "La vie est peut-être belle," and you can decide for yourself if they and Eurythmics are a bit alike.

 I will probably do a blog entry all about the brilliant Niagara, but for now I will get back to British bands (Niagara being French) for this "Best of British" blog entry. The Closing Ceremony was a celebration of British music, and I want to celebrate British music too, in my blog.

 In my opinion, you can't talk about British music without mentioning David Bowie. He has given so much to the music world over his long and wonderful career. Life on Mars was always my favourite of his songs, although I came to really like Let's Dance as well, as my family seems to possess a lot a of 80s compilation CDs that involve Let's Dance and we usually end up listening to it in the car!

 I'd never seen this video, and I must say there is rather a lot of David Bowie in it, and not a lot else! It may seem a tad self-indulgent, but I don't mind because he's gorgeous as ever! But I do think that with such interesting lyrics he could have created a more elaborate video; however, maybe the point is to leave the lyrics open to the listener's interpretation. Hmm.

"Let's sway, under the moonlight, the serious moonlight..."

 This makes me want to go and visit Australia ♥ It really does seem like a magical place. And I would love to experience the Aboriginal culture - at high school we did a lot of Aboriginal art and I really enjoyed it. I love discovering new ways of life and new ways of seeing the world. I've never been to Australia, but I'd love to go some day. There are many places I'd love to go and people I'd like to meet... One day I will travel the world! One day.

 I am also quite fond of Modern Love by David Bowie, but now it has got stuck firmly in my head and won't go away! Still, it's a good song so I don't really mind.

 Next, we have to have Rod Stewart - I was quite surprised and disappointed that he wasn't a performer at the Olympic Closing Ceremony. I would have loved for him to have sung Baby Jane - that would have got the crowd on their feet!

 

 This is one of those songs I have loved for a long, long time and I never seem to get tired of. It is just so good! And I feel this is perhaps the best of his songs for showcasing his unique and fantastic voice. I love Rod!

 Also, a bit of Dire Straits would have been great at the Closing Ceremony - my favourite songs by them have to be Brothers in Arms and Romeo and Juliet. Maybe not completely suitable for the Closing Ceremony, but amazing songs nonetheless. 

 I did my last blog post on Christine McVie, another wonderful British musician... She seems to have stepped out of the public eye a bit in recent years but I wish she could have been at at the Closing Ceremony... she is truly amazing and inspirational.

 We have so much talent here in Britain! I am becoming quite proud to be British; seeing all the amazing musicians this country has produced (and some of the great Olympians as well, although I would rather be a musician than an athlete any day). 

 I have mentioned this next song on my blog already, but I have to say I think it would have been great for the Closing Ceremony: Shake it Out by Florence + the Machine.

 This song would just fill that stadium so easily, and sweep everybody up in its power and emotion. It is one of those songs that means something to everyone. And perhaps she and Dizzee Rascal could have performed their version of You've Got the Love - two great British artists merging their talents, and a sure-fire crowd pleaser. 

 Finally, of course, I would have loved to have seen The Cure - I love The Cure, as any of my regular blog readers will know. Friday I'm in Love would have been amazing, if only the Ceremony had been on a Friday! In Between Days, Just Like Heaven, Love Cats and Close to Me would all have been good. Oh, I wish there had been a bit of Cure in that Ceremony!

 But still, I can't complain, because it was brilliant and I really enjoyed it. It was a lovely night and one I will remember for a long time. The London 2012 Olympics have been sensational and I have enjoyed every minute. 

 I'm sad that they're over, but who knows what the next big excitement will be... Hopefully something amazing.

 Thanks for reading,

 Liz x

 If you enjoyed this post I recommend: My top songs lyrics-wise, Strictly good music, Alison Moyet, "Shake It Out" and the final week of college, Pictures of You, Sign of the Times and The Songbird from Bouth. 

Songs: Why - Annie Lennox - 1992

La vie est peut-être belle - Niagara - 1991

Life on Mars? - David Bowie - 1971/3

Let's Dance - David Bowie - 1983
Modern Love - David Bowie - 1983

Baby Jane - Rod Stewart - 1983

Shake it Out - Florence + the Machine - 2011