¡Lo hicimos!

I made it to day 30 of my blog posts about music! But you didn't think you were gonna escape this entire month without being subjected to one of my amazing song parodies did you? Good! Because you're not! So in honor of the project that has ruled my life for the past two weeks and for my grand finale, I give you this:

Our Laundry Room sung in the style of You're Beautiful by James Blunt...


(sorry I flubbed that last line, but seriously, it took almost an hour to get this right. One day I will post the outtakes of the version I did with Luke on my lap and his desire to talk in the middle of my song)


Hopefully everytime you hear this song from now on, you will think of me and my laundry. I know I will. Which might be preferable to the actual song, which I have heard over one zillion and thirty one times. I keep an actual count :)

Ask and ye shall receive

I woke up this morning and thought, I wish someone or something would inspire me for today's blog post. And when I opened my email, voila! an email from my dad entitled "10 Songs That Make Men Cry". And since there is only more day of musical blogging left after today and I know that is making you cry, this topic seems very appropriate.

According to the British tabloid The Daily Sun (which is kinda like my blogging Bible when it comes to sources) here are the Top 10 Songs That Make Men Cry:

1. Everybody Hurts - REM
2. Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton
3. Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
4. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinead O'Connor
5. With or Without You - U2
6. Drugs Don't Work - The Verve
7. Candle In The Wind - Elton John
8. Streets of Philadelphia - Bruce Springsteen
9. Unchained Melody - Todd Duncan
10. Angels - Robbie Williams

I don't know if it is because I am not a man or not British, but these do nothing for me. (But I love the idea of a song called Drugs Don't Work, don't you?) I actually don't have a lot of songs that physically make me cry and produce tears. There are a lot of songs that are sad or that are poingnant or really make me think, but as far as turning on the waterworks, these are my select few:


You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins
Let Them Be Little by Billy Dean
It won't be like this for long by Darius Rucker
The Little Girl by John Michael Montgomery
Streets of Heaven by Sherrie Austin
God Be With You Till We Meet Again (church hymn)
If You're Reading This by Tim McGraw

Honorable mentions: Who You'd Be Today by Kenny Chesney, Just a Dream by Carrie Underwood, Broken by Lifehouse, My Immortal by Evanesence

If you're noticing a pattern, yes, country music to me is the most emotional. No other music genre tells stories like they do. And coincidentally, the two songs my dad told me that make him cry are both country songs as well. So nanner, nanner!
(Where were you when the world stopped turning? by Alan Jackson and Forever and Ever, Amen by Randy Travis)

So what songs make you cry? And I mean, actually cry. No deep thoughts or almost tears; I want bona fide, real tearjerkers, people!


(no video, just the song)

Okay, I just listened to this song while I posted it and it destroyed me! But I still love it. And if you have kids and are not 50% robot, you will too.

And many more

Today is September 28th, and in addition to being the last day of Sukkot (go ahead and mouse over that giant 28 over there and this fact will be verified. Yes, apparently I have put some sort of Jewish calendar on my blog...) it is also the birthday of two of my most loyal readers and friends.

Happy Birthday to Karin and Christina!

And in honor of this momentous day, I have delved into the history of the Happy Birthday song. After a few different searches I have this to share with you:

Happy Birthday is the number 1 most popular song in all of the English speaking world. (Supposedly the next 2 most popular songs are Auld Lang Syne or He's a Jolly Good Fellow. I find that incredibly hard to believe, because there is not one human soul on the planet that knows the correct words to Auld Lang Syne. Not one. I dare you to find them. Actually I don't, because they don't exist and you would be wasting an enormous amount of time and energy.) But I digress...

The melody of Happy Birthday was written by two southern Kindergarten teachers in 1893. When exactly the words and melody came together is a fact no one really knows. But by 1924 they appeared in a song book and by the 1930's the song was becoming a standard tune at birthday celebrations.

Happy Birthday is actually a copyrighted song until at least the year 2030. No royalties due when singing in your house, but commercial usage does require that you pay a fee. Happy Birthday makes about $2 million a year in royalties.

It was also the first song performed in space. It was sung on the Apollo 9 mission in 1969. Marilyn Monroe's performance of Happy Birthday to President Kennedy in 1962 is considered to be the most famous rendition of the song.

AND did you know that the 6 note song of Happy Birthday is actually the chorus to a whole song? Apparently, this is the first verse of Happy Birthday:

So today is your birthday
That's what I've been told
What a wonderful birthday
Now you're one more year old
On your cake there'll be candles
All lighted, it's true
While the whole world is singing
Happy Birthday to you ....
(Happy Birthday chorus)

I have no idea of the melody, but who in the heck knew there were more words??!

And finally, in order to appropriately say Happy Birthday to my friends today, I have found three bizarre musical renditions of this tune. Vote for your favorite:




Cats: good Violins: even better





Monkeys with human mouths: comic goldmine






Giant birthday cat wearing a tie in a tiny armchair: best moment of my life so far

My evening fell apart

And that is why I didn't get to my musical post today :( However, against overwhelming odds Cindy's homework is done, we did not eat out for dinner, all my primary kids have their cookies they did not get on Sunday, Luke is the proud owner of a real life Iron Man Halloween costume (many pictures to appear soon) AND I FINALLY RETURNED MY DANG DVD (Iron Man cartoon) BACK TO REDBOX!!!! Ever had one of those rentals that is like crazy glue and you just can't seem to get it back to the kiosk day after day after day? I rented it Friday and finally got it back tonight. Interesting story of the day: (this one is for you, Toad) There was a giant dead, ant-infested falcon-like bird in front of the kiosk outside Walgreens. It was kinda fun to watch each person walk up and get completely taken off guard by it. And even more fun to watch the 4 Walgreens employees decide how to remove it. Hey, isn't that a joke? How many Walgreens employees does it take to remove a dead falcon from in front of a Redbox kiosk? Well, maybe not. (Coincidentally the answer is 4- three goth girls to be totally grossed out by it and one nerdy looking boy to just put it in a plastic bag and roll his eyes at his pansy co-workers.) Join me tomorrow, when I will surely redeem myself :)

Stake Choir

I am in the Stake Choir and we are singing this song. And I love it. So there!

I almost forgot

Okay, so the other day I named my top 5 musicals. However, there is one other movie that I need to mention on here that isn't quite a musical but is the best movie about music I have ever seen. It's a Bingham family classic and one of the more quoted movies amongst us. Behold: That Thing You Do!

If you haven't seen this movie, you really owe it to yourself to check it out. In fact, this would be my official movie recommendation for someone to add to their "Movies I Need To See" list.

And if you have seen this movie, here is some interesting That Thing You Do! trivia I just found out via the wonderworld that is imdb.com:

The exterior shots for Erie, Pennsylvania, the hometown of the band, were actually filmed in Orange, California.

According to Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron was the first actress to audition for her part and the first person to be cast in the movie.

The waitress character played by Rita Wilson is named Marguerite. Wilson's birth name is Marguerita Ibrahimoff.

The scene where The Wonders perform live on The Hollywood Television Showcase was filmed at the Bob Barker Studio (Studio 33) at CBS Television City in Hollywood, California where the long-running hit game show "The Price Is Right" (1956) is taped.

Tom Hanks is an Oakland Raiders fan and named the pizza place (out by the airport) where the band is the house band "Villapianos" after former Raider linebacker Phil Villapiano.

Throughout the entire movie, no one ever says the bass player's name. Even in the credits, he is listed as "T.B. Player."

Tom Hanks named the beach band (Capn' Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters) after two seafood restaurants near Beaufort, SC, where many scenes in Forrest Gump (1994) were filmed. Capt. Geech's was on Lady's Island but is now closed. The Shrimp Shack is still open for business on St. Helena Island.

During the scene where the members of the Oneders hear their song on the radio for the first time inside the Patterson's Appliances, the same couple walks in front of the store at the beginning of the scene and then again at the end of the scene.

When the Oneders are playing at Boss Vic Koss' show in Pittsburgh one of the other band names on the theater marquee is "Marilyn Lovell & The Geminis". This is a tribute to the wife of Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell (played by Tom Hanks in Apollo 13 (1995)) and the NASA space program.

Fascinating, right??? Okay, don't answer that....but go ahead and watch the trailer. You know you want to :)


That Thing You Do! (1996)
Uploaded by m0vietrailerpark. - Watch feature films and entire TV shows.

It's Friday, I'm In Love!

As I perused Facebook this morning (at about 6:30am, no I am not addicted), I saw that my dear friend Amy (former BYU roomie and modest Barbie clothes-maker extraordinaire) asked in her status update to name some songs that can lift you up when you are down. She wants to make a playlist of those songs, and so I immediately thought, Sweeneyville to the rescue! Well, I am a DJ, and making playlists is kinda my professional duty. And I just so happen to have a playlist on my computer called Optimism. What a coincidence! And now I will reveal that playlist to you. I have to clarify that these songs aren't just based on lyrics. They are songs that just make me happy when I hear them. Amy, this is for you! And if you click on the links to the songs or videos on YouTube, the 80s videos are just epically bad. But that is half the fun, I suppose.

The Official Optimism Playlist of Sweeneyville

It's Friday, I'm in Love by The Cure
Everybody Have Fun Tonight by Wang Chung
Dream Lover by Mariah Carey
Streetcorner Symphony by Rob Thomas
Summertime by The Sundays
Good Day Sunshine by The Beatles
Feelin' So Good by Jennifer Lopez
Something Beautiful by Newsboys
Free and Easy Down the Road I Go by Dierks Bentley
Who Wouldn't Want to Be Me? by Keith Urban
Free by Zac Brown Band
Blessed by Martina McBride
Beautiful Day by U2
Grace Kelly by MIKA
Magic by B.o.B (Sorry, I can't stay away from this song!)
Break my Stride by Mathew Wilder (Most of the reason this song makes me happy is because of how much Jacob likes it when it comes on :)
Because of You by 98 Degrees
Stronger by Britney Spears
Only in my dreams by Debbie Gibson
Holiday by Madonna
I want to break Free by Queen
One Fine Day by The Chiffons
Good Vibrations by the Beach Boys
Groove is in the Heart by Dee-Lite
Dangerous by Roxette (I know that's random, but I admit it, I love the Roxette)

Some of these songs might seem a little cliche, but they can't be denied. Plus almost any song mixed with some running or good hard work usually lifts my mood right quick! What did I forget? You will have to let me know :)

In case you haven't heard these songs, you can take a quick listen:

This song is actually done by a Christian band and someone put this picture montage together for it on YouTube. It doesn't really fit for me because I exercise to this song, but the pictures are really pretty anyway. Crank it up!




Wow, 80s music videos are so WEIRD!!!!!







This one is a little weird too, but I still like the song...

Winning Combinations

Yes, this video is over 6 minutes long. No, I don't really expect you to watch the whole thing, but you really should listen to at least some of this video. We all know my secret burning desire is to play the violin or cello. Yeah, I'm working on that. And this video perfectly brings together the violin and some amazing mixing by the DJ in the back. It has over 4.6 million views on YouTube and I think it's been around awhile, but I still love hearing this. If you go to 4:16 into this video you can hear his rendition of Crazy by Gnarls Barkley that is very cool.



If you want to hear another combination of two things that are awesome, here is John Schmidt, piano man extraordinaire, doing a mix of Taylor Swift's Love Story and Coldplay's Viva La Vida. Also been around a while, but still as good as it ever was.




And finally, a video that completely cancels out every shred of magnificense you just witnessed above. Here we have two things that are good separate but terrible together. Leonard Nimoy: Good. Lord of the Rings: Great. Leonard Nimoy singing the Ballad of Bilbo Baggins: Unexplainable torture.

How did I find this? A friend of mine put it on her Facebook page and I saw it. I've unfriended her. Which you might do to me after watching it AND having the song stuck in your head.

There's a Flair for that

If you are not hip to Facebook, dude, then you might not know about Flair. Flair are virtual buttons on Facebook that are created by members and then sent to each other so we can collect them and put them on our virtual corkboard wall. They can be about anything- movies, pictures, quotes, lyrics, symbols; the sky's the limit. Anyway, I went into the world of Facebook flair and came out with these music-related treasures.

And I expect to see these on your bulletin board by tomorrow...

My Top 5 Musicals

You know, show tunes always seem to get a bad rap, but the fact of the matter is that musicals really do make the best movies. Let's just admit it, okay? Like a lot of people, I didn't always appreciate musicals. We all have those moments when watching them where we think things are getting a little ridiculous and over the top. I mean, who spontaneously breaks out into song right when they have something really important to say? Well, okay, who besides Ellen Foley? Not many of us. But now I can say I love a good musical. And these five aren't just good, they're golden.

5. Barbie as Princess and the Pauper. Did that surprise you? We own all the Barbie movies in this house. ALL OF THEM. And most of them are pretty silly and take the mind of child to appreciate. But this Barbie movie is actually a very well done musical. After seeing it through the first time, I thought, Wow, that actually wasn't terrible! In fact, it was cute and catchy! Martin Short provides the voice of the villain in the movie and the songs have great lyrics and harmonies that are fun to sing. Best Part of this movie: "I am a Girl Like You" duet with Erica and Annalise. One day Cindy and I will sing this for a ward talent show. "One day" is not to be confused with "this year", FYI.

4. Mary Poppins. Julie Andrews is just flat-out amazingly talented. She can sing, she can act, she can do magic, she tames birds, she can make play clothes out of drapes- wow, I love her. We finally bought this movie on DVD a few months ago and the kids are glued to it when it goes in. And if you also don't like Dick Van Dyke, well, I don't think we can be friends anymore. He is an American treasure. Best Part of this movie: I would have to say Uncle Albert's Tea Party on the Ceiling or Dick Van Dyke dancing with the penguins.






3. The Wizard of Oz- I think it would be a new Guinness World Record if there was a person alive that could watch this movie and not find themselves singing at least some part of the songs. With songs like If I Only Had a Brain, Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, We're Off to See the Wizard, I am convinced it is physically impossible. And who at one point or another has not wanted to dress up like Dorothy for Halloween, huh? Okay, Dad, maybe not you, but Brian was all over it. Best part of this movie: When the Cowardly Lion sings, "What makes a muskrat guard his musk?" COURAGE!





2. Sound of Music- I actually used to HATE this movie when I was younger. It always came on TV on a certain Sunday and took like 9 hours to watch. I didn't understand anything about Nazis or Germany either, so the whole movie was really confusing. But as I grew older I realized how truly good this movie is. Having said that, we still need to go back in time and eliminate the scene where the old nun sings "Climb Every Mountain." It kills me. Best part of this movie: Tie between when "Climb Every Mountain" is over and the part when the crowd waves and sings "Goodbye" back to the children at the end of "So Long, Farewell"- I chuckle at that every time.



1. Singin' in the Rain. There is just no possible way on planet earth that anyone can not like this movie. Not only does it have singing, it has tap dancing (by Gene Kelly, no less) AND genuine wit and humor. I really think it could possibly be the most perfect movie Hollywood has ever made. Best part of this movie: Well, it's a toss-up, but this scene wins out for me just because of the tap dancing. But "Make 'em Laugh" is a reeeeally close second :) (I tried to get the video right on here from YouTube, but dang those copyright laws!)


Honorable Mentions: Thoroughly Modern Millie, High School Musical, Annie, & Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory


So what do you like? Some of you may be offended at the omission of Wicked or Les Mis or Phantom of the Opera and the like, however, I can't like what I have never seen. Yes, you read that correctly :)

Stay Tuned

So it finally caught up with me :) I didn't fit my musical blog post in today. I got up early to run, cleaned my bathrooms, ran a bunch of errands, spent almost two hours with the kids at the park in the most glorious weather we have ever had in the month of September, went swimming, cooked dinner and went out for ice cream. My day was action-packed, Pee-wee! But I won't fail you tomorrow! I am working on my list of Top 5 Musicals. And I am pretty sure at least one of my picks will surprise you. If you know me well, you already know what I will pick for #1, but come read it anyway.


In the meantime, I give you:

4 RECENT CAT PHOTOS FROM MY CAMERA!



Annie is such an orphan that she will crawl in the dishwasher when I am loading it and lick the food off the dishes. And that is yet another reason why I refuse to ever pre-wash my plates.


I came home and found the cat asleep on my sofa like this. She is truly a cat of leisure.


Annie also sleeps in my fake plant. Yet again, her orphanyness is showing through.


And on the very rare occasion that she is tired at night, Annie will sleep in bed with Cindy. Unfortunately, Cindy has no idea :)

Until tomorrow, readers!

Bitter-suite

As you know by now, yesterday was not the splendiferous display of BYU football superiority I was hoping for. Not even close. My Cougars! Oh, Cougars! Do I have to get out this picture again? Hmmm?



So, okay, BYU got their trashed kicked and it was pretty hard to watch, especially being surrounded by thousands of good ol' boy FSU fans. However, it wasn't all bad :) When I told you I got some sweet free tickets, I wasn't whistling dixie. We were actually in one of the skybox suites, so even though we watched BYU lose and got made fun of for being part of the Cougar Faithful, at least I got some free food, a fantastic view and had air conditioning. A few pictures...

First stop: Whataburger! I had never eaten there before, but my burger was GOOD! Loved the chopped onions. We even ran into some BYU fans from South Carolina in there. Awesome!

So here is our view from the box. Yeah, it was not too shabby.


I just want to say that this is now one of my all-time favorite pictures of me and Jacob. Here is proof that he has facial muscles that allow him to smile. AND, proof that he can be just as silly as me sometimes. Something really awesome was actually happening on the field when we took this picture. I think BYU gained yards on a passing play. Wait, that never happened the whole game. Couldn't have been that....


Ma and Pa Bingham enjoying the game.


GO COUGARS! Check out the sea of BYU Blue!!!! WE ROCK!




Okay, well, we were slightly outnumbered. Kinda....







Going to that game as a fan of the visitng team is actually something I haven't really done before. I am usually in the home crowd. Of course BYU had it's own little contigent of fans there, but that stadium had at least 70,000 of it's own. It was a little intimidating. And walking through the tailgating section outside the stadium in my BYU shirt was like walking through the bad part of town wearing the Hope Diamond on a gold chain around my neck. (And not because they wanted my BYU shirt, I am making the analogy of the danger. But you got that, right?) Overall, the fans were 'tolerant' of us. Not gonna lie and say I didn't hear some derogatory things being said in my direction, ALL of which had to do with "Mormons". Even when I got my ticket scanned at the entrance the lady said to me, "Hey I got a friend that is 7th Day Adventist. Ain't that like ya'll? " I just stared at her and walked away. I guess I just still don't get it. What is the prejudice against us? I mean, we are different religions, I get it, but I don't go out of my way to make comments about Baptists or Methodists. What exactly is it that we "do" that offends people? Are we recruiting terrorits? Do we leave our shopping carts in the parking lot instead of taking them back to the corrall? Do we answer our phones by saying "Yello?" Do we constantly confuse the usage of their, there and they're? Seriously, what IS the horrible offense? Do FSU fans really think we ALL traveled from Utah to be at the game, beacause OBVIOUSLY Mormons don't live in Florida. DUH! Do they actually think we have several wives and child brides? BECAUSE WE DON'T! We are just like you without the beer and swearing. But I just don't see why it matters!!!! Okay, getting off the soap box......now.

Anyway, we drove up that morning, came home that night and had a pretty good drive both ways. I did forget about the fact that I get carsick as a passenger in the front seat, so we got delayed a solid 15 minutes on the way home while I regained the color back in my face and tried not to hurl. I didn't, thankfully :)

And of course I will relate this to music! So now I give you....


11 Song Titles that describe the BYU/FSU Football Game Experience:

Heartbroken Girl by Beyonce Knowles
Crying by Roy Orbison
I will Survive by Gloria Gaynor
It's Not Right but It's Okay by Whitney Houston
Shattered Dreams by Johnny Hates Jazz
Kind of a Drag by the Buckinghams
Oh What A Night! by the Four Seasons
Why Can't We Be Friends? by War
Rockin' That Beer Gut by Trailer Choir
Hicktown by Jason Aldean
Pretty Good at Drinkin' Beer by Billy Currington (because their fans ARE)

GO COUGARS!

As you are reading this today, I am headed up to Tallahassee to watch Florida State play BYU in college football. My father-in-law got some sweet tickets through his work and has graciously invited Jacob and I, as well as my parents and brothers (and their wives too) to go to the game. A HUGE thank you on that one! :) So what better way to combine today's music post and Cougar football than a rousing rendition of the official BYU Cougar Fight Song. I have so many fond memories of singing this while at the games while in school there. Ahhh, good times. Brian, here is your tutorial, have it memorized by next game...



I was meaning to record my own version of what follows, but years and years ago my Dad wrote a parody of this song. I will pause while you get back up because I know you just fainted with surprise at hearing that. A Bingham writing a song parody? What? Anyway, go ahead and hit the replay button up there on that song and sing these words instead :)

Rise all loyal co-eds
And hurl your challenge to the foe:
We will date,
Long and late,
Rain or Snow.

Stalwart men and true,
We’re coming after you!
While we sing,
Go buy the ring
There’s no other hope for you.

Oh, rise and shout
Our cries will ring out
“We all want re-turned missionaries!”
Rise and Shout,
There’s really no doubt
Don’t want no lazy bums or fairies!
Just for you the strip will turn blue,
We all want lots of sons and daughters.

As we join in song
In praise of you,
Our love is strong,
We’ll tell the ugly girls at the U
We found our husbands at BYU!

Rah rah rah rah rah,
rah rah rah rah rah,
rah rah rah rah rah,
Gooooooooo COUGARS!!!!

The Shinguard Song

Remember being a kid and making up songs about pretty much anything and everything around you? This is a talent that Cindy definitely has. Whether she is out in the garden or the backyard playing, she is singing some sort of song she made up. Mostly her songs have words like "I am playing in the garden and this plant is so lovely, but I think it needs water, and I will save you!" These songs always make me laugh. She loves songs so much that the other day she talked with her cousin Michelle on Skype for almost 2 hours and most of that time it was the girls singing made-up songs back and forth to each other. Cindy even wrote down about 6 pages worth of "songs"- one was all about the laundry room and daddy working with tools, but my favorite one was about how I am the best mom ever. What can I say? It's easy to get inspiration from real life :) Anyway, I wasn't sure if Luke would have this talent like Cindy, but yesterday was his first official soccer practice of his life, and when we got him all suited up in his gear, I heard him singing a song about "super soccer shinguards" and how they are "so great and amazing" and how they help him "kick it super hard." Yeah, he really, really loves those things :) So here are the pics from day 1 of what is to be a long and illustrious soccer career:

He actually went in to put his cleats back on a little closer to practice time, but it was too much for him. He crashed and slept til it was time to leave. Not the best plan, as he woke up at Grouch Level 10....


He finally snapped out of his nap-induced anger when I promised him we would go on the swings at the park across the street when we finished practice. Then we actually had a pretty good time.


Luke and the classic squinty-eyed, I'm-not-looking-in-the-right-place pose. But man, he is CUTE in that outfit :)


I am not a liar, we did go to the swings and he was pretty happy about it. I have a feeling this will be our new Thursday routine; soccer and swings. But hey, whatever keeps him playing!

Brain Freeze

(By the way, I put that Summer of 1999 Soundtrack on last night while Jacob and I worked on the laundry room and by the second song Jacob asked me "What play list is this? I love this music!" Shared memories are the best :)

OK, so commercial jingles are so great, aren't they? They are catchy, they give you information, they brainwash you into buying things you otherwise wouldn't- I love them. Ever had a jingle in your head and couldn't remember the exact words? I have two clips from the TV show "The Office." Here is Andy, the Office 'musician' having a brain freeze during a staff meeting trying to remember the ending to what he thinks is "the best commercial jingle ever." The second clip came at the very end of the show where he finally figured it out! And no matter how many times I see the show, I will forever make the conclusion that Jim (the guy in the blue shirt trying to help Andy remember) is my brother Brian.

ONE THOUSAND apologies for the poor quality of the video. I scoured the Internet looking for the right clips and these two really bad recordings were the only ones I could find, but hopefully you get the gist. And turn up your speakers to hear it better....








I think I am going to go buy some Fancy Feast right now! Seriously, with two cats, I need some. But THIS right here is the best commercial jingle every written in my opinion:



I love the part where the cat says "Meow." So classic!

The Summer of 1999

Back in 1999, I had an awesome summer. I was home from BYU, I met this guy from Church named Jacob, I was working in Orlando for Marriott with a group of friends doing really easy work that nobody seemed to explain to us, but we got paid just the same anyway- it was basically just awesome. It was turning out to be so awesome in fact, that I decided to complete a certain number of really fun things (think "30 New Experiences" only 20 years earlier) and then make a T-shirt and matching CD Soundtrack and call it my "Summer of Dreams Tour." The shirt listed all the "stops" and cities on the tour (as all good tour shirts do.) The stops were things like going to a Dave Matthews Band Concert, going tubing on a river, going to a baseball game- all the fun things I did back in the summer of 1999. I still have that shirt somewhere around here. I really ought to find it and see just what exactly I did during those months. Anyway, the Soundtrack for that summer was fantastic. In fact, I remember it was actually the first mix CD I ever made. (Thanks to the help of Marriott's computers :) Jacob also burned a copy of that CD for himself that summer too. I still have a copy of it. Here it is in all its glory, complete with album artwork:



And to this day it vividly reminds me of that summer. I confess that after not hearing it for many years, I put it in the car CD player this morning as I drove Cindy to school, and I was smiling the entire time. I had forgotten some of those songs, but the minute I heard them, BAM! I was back in that summer! It is amazing the power that music has when it comes to memories. So what other songs have the power to transport me to a specific place and time? Well, here are a few:

Name by Goo Goo Dolls- Seminary at Sister Butler's house, Sophomore year?
Champaign Supernova by Oasis- Junior Year of High School
Interstate Love Song by Stone Temple Pilots- playing girls soccer at Bartow High School stadium
Two Princes by Spin Doctors or Stay by Lisa Loeb- EFY in Atlanta, GA
The Train by Quad City DJs- Senior Year of High School
Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve- the last few days in the dorms at the end of my freshman year at BYU
Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera or Bailamos by Enrique Iglesias- Summer of 1999, working in Orlando
Angels by Robbie Williams- Saltair in Salt Lake City and dancing with Jacob
Here's to the Night by Eve 6- being newly married living in Bountiful, UT
Lazy Days by Enya- going on a helicopter ride in Kauai, Hawaii

Those are just a few songs that take me back. So what songs are your personal time machine and where do they send you? Do any of my songs have meaning to you? Because that would be kind of weird actually. Although, it would be fun to compare notes :)

I'm a little bit Country

If you know me, you know I am a huge country music fan. I love the songs, I love the singers, I love the sing-ability of Country music songs and I absolutely love, love, love their lyrics. Like I read this week, Country music is "three chords and the truth." So here for you now are some totally awesome actual country music song titles. I am not making these up:

Thank God and Greyhound She's Gone

She's Actin' Single, I'm Drinkin' Doubles

Did I Shave My Legs for This?

I Changed Her Oil, She Changed My Life

I Don't Know Whether to Kill Myself or Go Bowling

She Feels Like a New Man Tonight

She Got the Gold Mine and I Got the Shaft

Billy Broke My Heart at Walgreens and I Cried All the Way to Sears

Am I Double Parked by the Curbstone of Your Heart?

Hog Sloppin' Time in the Hollow

I Fell In A Pile Of You And Got Love All Over Me

I Gave Her the Ring, and She Gave Me the Finger

I Want a Beer as Cold as My Ex-Wife's Heart

I Still Miss You Baby... But My Aim is Getting Better

I Wish I Were A Woman (So I Could Go Out With A Guy Like Me)

If Love Were Oil, I'd Be A Quart Low

If You Can't Live Without Me, Why Aren't You Dead?

I Sold A Car To A Guy Who Stole My Girl,But It Don't Run So We're Even

Mama Get A Hammer (There's A Fly On Daddy's Head)

If The Phone Don't Ring, You'll Know It's Me

I Keep Forgettin' I Forgot About You

I Liked You Better Before I Knew You So Well

I Wouldn't Take Her To A Dog Fight, Cause I'm Afraid She'd Win

I'm So Miserable Without You; It's Like Having You Here

If I Had Shot You When I Wanted To, I'd Be Out By Now

Please Bypass My Heart

You Done Tore Out My Heart and Stomped That Sucker Flat

You're the Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly


Now whether these songs broke into the Top 40 Hitlist, I'm not so sure. But if you want my pick for best country song ever; and I mean, a real, country, Top 40 song that is fun to sing, tells a great story, has some classic lyrics and is true to life (just ask my brother Dave about the trailer in Quincy, FL he saw the other day that offers taxes and Tuxedo rentals- awh yeah!) well, here you go:

Dixie Rose Deluxe's Honky Tonk, Feed Store, Gun Shop, Used Car, Beer, Bait, BBQ, Barber Shop, Laundromat by Trent Willmon

And yes, I do know every word to this song. Turn up the sound, get ready to rock out.....

Cindy's Musical Fill in The Blank

Friday night we had hot dogs with baked beans for dinner. Jacob asked Cindy if she would like some, adding, "After all, they are the musical fruit!" Cindy was totally puzzled. Jacob said, "Haven't you ever heard of that rhyme? Beans, Beans, The musical fruit! The more you eat them..." and then he trailed off, waiting for her to complete the rhyme. She didn't get it at all and then completed his riddle with a wild guess of "The more musical they get?" Clearly she does not have an older brother. And I am completely okay with that!

It's Official!

I am an "Aching Quad" Series FINISHER! Whoo-hooo! I did it! I finished all four races in 24 hours. But it was not without its consequences, that's for sure. I am pretty sure it would be more accurate to call it the "Aching Quadriplegic" series, because that is what it turns you into. I was almost unable to use any of my extremeties by the time I went to bed last night. I really, really thought that I wouldn't be that sore at the end of all this and that I could possiblly beat my time on the second 5K. Ahh, sometimes my naivete can be a little cute :) I was DYING at last night's 5K! DYING. So here is how it broke down:

1 mile sprint: 8:33 (that is like lightning speed for me)
2 mile run: 18:05 (hill at the end that killed my overall time- d'oh!)
5K #2: I will never reveal what happened in those 3 miles :) That case of amnesia I feared is kicking in...darnit!

The side cramp I had on Friday night returned ALL DAY on Saturday, but I was able to get through the two morning runs really well. In fact, on the 2 mile, I even beat about 4 different girls that I know beat me on the Friday 5K. That was an awesome feeling, not gonna lie. And I am realizing that only running 2 miles at a time is fantastic! That really should be my race from now on. I am definitely taking a hiatus from Lake Hollingsworth 5Ks for a while- gonna switch to some weights, I think. Still looking ahead to the October triathlon and that should hold me til the end of the year.




And yes, Jacob ran the 5k with me and I was feeling somewhat okay about my run until he passed me nearing the end. I knew I had to be running slow at that point ;) I was just a little bit ticked off about that to be honest. However, we both huffed and puffed to the end where we spontaneously sprinted the last 25 yards and he beat me by a ladybug's eyelash. (Hmmm, I just made up that analogy. I kinda like it!) So in the battle of the Sweeney brothers, who came out on top? Technically, Jacob. But I hear that Nathan's 5K was full of hills, switchbacks and trees, so not sure how that equalizes with our flat Florida course. For now, no true bragging rights can be dispensed.

You are now thinking to yourselves, 'How does this all relate to music?' Well, here are 6 song titles (titles only) that describe the last 36 hours:

Runnin' on Empty- Jackson Browne
Crazy- Patsy Cline
White Flag- Dido
What Was I Thinking- Dierks Bentley
Everybody Hurts- REM

and to describe my Saturday 5K: The Longest Time- Billy Joel

Update...

So did my little experiment work?

My official 5k time for last night's run was: 27:43

My normal 5k time is: about 26-27 minutes
Conclusion: Hard to say! I got the worst side cramp of all-time during this race. It was hideous. This race was actually harder on me than any triathlon race I have done. It was almost impossible to just keep going. However, I do think the song helped get me through it! Because even with a side cramp and the inner monologue of all the ways I was not going to live to see the finish line, I did feel myself picking up the pace a little when it came on. So I think it actually saved me from a time of 30 minutes plus, and in that case, it truly was Magic. Either way I think I am in great position to beat that time in tonight's rematch.

Thanks to my parents for coming to see me and taking pictures! Here I am before the race with my shirt:

HAPPY! (Or strangely surprised by something I was looking at...)

Here I am after the race:



SOMEONE KILL ME, PLEASE.


Isn't running so much fun? Don't you just look at that picture and think, "I want to do that!" Of course you do. Anyway, 3 more races today! I will be sure to tell you what happens. Unless I do terrible, in which case I might suddenly develop a strong case of amnesia :)

And now for the music post of the day:

Thursday night was the opening of the 2010 NFL season and before the Saints and Vikings duked it out, they opened with the singing of the Star Spangled Banner by Colbie Caillat. Now usually I am very traditional about the singing of the anthem; I don't like too much variation in the song and many times it gets really weird when it isn't done with enough respect. Having said that, I was really liking the version done by Colbie that night. She has a very bohemian/folk sound and I wasn't sure that would translate so well, but I found myself really loving it! Here it is:





So who does the Anthem the best in your opinion? Whitney? Faith? Jimi? Your imaginary friend Winky? Whitney usually gets my vote, but I was subjected to her version almost every morning for 4 years during high school, so I might be a little brainwashed. What say you?

An Experiment

Okay, so later tonight I am running the first of 4 races over the next 24 hours. This is an annual event put on by the Lakeland Runner's Club called the "Aching Quad Series." (They are so clever with their double entendre!) So tonight is a 5k at 7:30pm, then tomorrow morning is a 1 mile sprint at 7am, followed by a 2 mile race at 8:30am and then another 5k at 7pm that night. Challenging? Yes. Something I might regret? Definitely. But I even convinced Jacob to run the Saturday night 5k with me, which will be twice as awesome because somewhere in Utah, his brother Nathan, is supposed to be running a 5K and I think there was a little smack being talked last week. So I am thinking there are some bragging rights on the line :) And speaking of Nathan, a while back he posted a song link on my Facebook page. It was to a song called "Magic" by B.O.B and the lead singer of Weezer (who's name I can't remember right now). Anyway, it's a great song, really catchy and as I have used it on my ipod while running these past few weeks, I have decided that it's absolutely hands-down the BEST song of all time to run to. It has the perfect cadence and rhythm. It makes me a run faster and push myself to keep up with the beat and even when I hear it at the end of the run and I am dead tired, I still have to run fast, the beat is just too infectious not to. So my experiment is this: I will put the song "Magic" on my 5K playlist for tonight 3 seperate times; then I can see if it improves my time. Hearing it once makes me pick up the pace, so three times really should be Magic, right? This is psychological warfare at it's finest. Film at 11...

Here is the song in question if you want to hear a snippet- I have checked the lyrics, they are clean :)

Musical Potpourri

A Far Side....




Couple of Quotes....


"I know [canned music] makes chickens lay more eggs and factory workers produce more. But how much more can they get out of you on an elevator?"
— Victor Borge

"I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.' "
— Bob Newhart


"I understand the inventor of the bagpipes was inspired when he saw a man carrying an indignant, asthmatic pig under his arm. Unfortunately, the manmade sound never equaled the purity of the sound achieved by the pig."
— Alfred Hitchcock


And finally...

A couple of enterprising bass players, unwilling to sit through a long, bass-less stretch of Beethoven's Ninth, sneaked off stage and into the bar next door. Beer flowed; time passed. "Look at the time! We have to get back!" said one. "Relax," said his partner, "I tied the last few pages of the conductor's score together with string. It will take him a few minutes to untangle it." They staggered back into the hall and took their places. About this time, a member of the audience noted that the conductor was breaking a sweat. "Of course," replied her companion, "It's the bottom of the Ninth, the score's tied, and the bassists are loaded!"


And on two completely musically unrelated notes- ha! Notes! Get it? I guess it's not totally unmusical- Jacob started to build my enclosed laundry room today:



(Wow, I just realized how horribly crappy our garage looks right now, sheesh! I can't wait until I am posting the after picture. Anyway, we have been talking about this for 5 years and finally, Jacob is making my wish come true :) Pretty awesome to have a handy husband, I must say.)



And Cindy finished her latest round of Ballet:







On to soccer!

When all else fails....

Go with a Top Ten :)


TOP TEN REJECTED PRIMARY SONGS

10. When We're Helpless We're Happy
9. I Have Two Little Handguns
8. I Hope They Call Me On A Cellphone
7. Liver Hanging From the Apricot Tree
6. Cheat as I'm Cheating
5. Steal, Said the Little Stream
4. Teach Me To Walk in the Lineup
3. Jesus Wants Me for a Misdemeanor
2. I Often Go Carjacking
1. I Am Child Of Doug

-Mike Bingham, © 1999

And now I will razzle dazzle you...

With this amazing piece of music trivia:


This is the famous band ZZ Top. The name of the guy in the middle who does not have a beard, is named Frank Beard.

I will pause briefly while your head explodes...


Wow, and to think you almost didn't check this blog today! You wouldn't have known that! And then where would you have been, my little friend? Ignorant, lonely, unemployed, in Greenland!!! Let that be a lesson to you. I will see you tomorrow :)

My Most Embarrassing Musical Moment

Well, this is definitely ONE of them anyway... This happened when I was DJing my very first time at a Country Night in Salt Lake City at Trolley Square. To say I was nervous is the biggest understatement of all-time. It's like saying Obama is a terrible president. You feel me? Anyway, somehow I managed to be making it through the dance and feeling okay about my efforts. Until the point in the night where I had one song going and all 500 kids dancing while I was listening to another song I had cued up the headphones. I started to listen to this next song so much that I was bobbing and lip syncing to it for about a minute or so. And that is when I realized that everyone had stopped dancing and was staring at me. And that is because the song that was playing through the speakers was skipping, and I was rocking out and completely oblivious. Finally, someone came up and pulled the headphones off my head and told me. Yes, it's a modern-day miracle I ever had the courage to DJ another dance the rest of my life :)

Favorite Sunday Songs

That is actually the title of the playlist on my computer for music I listen to on Sundays. And I admit, most of it is Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I love the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I know it is cliche- I mean, yes, I am a Mormon, isn't liking the choir kind of required? Well, no, not really, but I can genuinely say that I love their music. It is not just that they sound incredibly gorgeous or their music brings the Spirit in two nanoseconds, but their music fills me with overwhelming memories of watching General Conference with my family, lazy Sunday mornings and a huge sense of security, to be quite honest. I mean, if there is one thing that is absolutely constant in the Church, no matter who's the prophet or what year it is, it is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. So I play MoTab every Sunday morning. Every. Sunday. Morning. (Yes, family, you have an awesome mom!) And what's funny is that my kids are totally being conditioned by it. In fact, a few weeks ago on a Thursday morning during the summer, I was editing some music on the computer and accidentally started playing a MoTab song thru the big speakers. It was only about 10 seconds into it when Cindy came running out of her room, leaned around the corner and asked me very worriedly, "Mom, what day is it?" I love how that works :) Anyway, if I had to pick one favorite hymn, it would be really difficult. But I narrowed it down- so when it comes to church songs, here are my top 5:

1. Redeemer of Israel
2. Baptism
3. God Be With You Til We Meet Again
4. God So Loved The World
5. My Shepherd Will Supply My Need

So tell me your favorite Hymns or Church songs. Do you have an all-time favorite?

I will leave you with #5 for your listening pleasure:



Happy Sunday!

A Music-Related Jacob Quickie

A few months back I was trying to find Cindy some Junie B. Jones books at the Library. (Junie B. is a precocious first grader and Cindy loves the books about her many, many adventures). But alas, the library was fresh out, so I settled on a Junie B. Jones book on CD about how she goes to an Easter party. I ripped the disc to my computer so I could put it on Cindy's mP3 player for her to listen at her leisure, but for some reason, it wouldn't work right. I then tried it on out on the mP3 player that Jacob and I both use when we run, just to see if it would work. Well, it worked, but it only ended up putting three chapters on it. (Never did figure out what the problem was.) Anyway, I forgot to mention this experiment to Jacob before his next run with the player, but figured he would figure it out and just skip over those 14 minutes. I had to laugh when, later that night after he ran, he asked me rather sheepishly, "So, did Junie B. pick the purple jelly bean and get to be the Easter Bunny?" Yup, he actually listened to it. And apparently it was a real cliffhanger!

A tribute to music and the visual aid

The truth is funny, isn't it? I just checked my iTunes account and I have 7,217 songs in there. And how many different ones do I listen to on my iPod? About 27. I guess this means I should stop buying more music. Ha ha! Good one, Squidward! As a matter of fact I just downloaded 65 free songs yesterday from eMusic (including an album of classically arranged pop songs) and I also downloaded, for Luke, the theme song from the cartoon Iron Man: Armored Adventures. I have to say it's not too bad! Check it out if you wish, Luke is obsessed: (and just for the record I am now a little obsessed with the band Rooney, who did this video. Their stuff is very intriguing!)




Obviously this is an addiction that cannot be stopped. So what was YOUR last music download? Leave me a comment. Let me know I am not alone in my sickness :) Or am I???

Drumroll please....

Day 2- Songs You Absolutely Hate

And now, as promised, I will reveal to you my most hated song of all-time. ALL-TIME. Are you ready? Here it is:

What's Up? by Four Non Blondes

And do you want to know the worst part about that being my most hated song? It's that it gets played all the time on the radio on the adult contemporary stations. And every time I run into it, I die a little inside. And it absolutely does not help in the slightest that the singer looks like this:

Sheesh, I need to go brush my teeth...


And if you want to know what else gets an honorable mention in my book for worst songs ever, well here you go:

Endless Love by anyone
Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton (no disrespect to a legend, but I hate it)
You Were Meant for Me by Jewel (she is the devil)
Higher by Creed
Kiss by Prince (he is also the devil)
Old Time Rock and Roll by Bob Seger
The Macarena
Along Comes a Woman by Chicago (sorry, Jacob)
Crank That by Soulja Boy


And just to be thorough:
The Christmas Shoes by Newsong
Last Christmas by Wham
Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney
Baby It's Cold Outside by anyone

And finally, here are two from Jacob:

Rock Lobster by the B-52's
Where Have All the Cowboys Gone? by Paula Cole


So am I way off-base? I would venture to say a big fat Nope! I am spot on! So tell me at least ONE of your most hated songs. You don't have to explain it, just let me know. So until tomorrow, I wish you an evening filled with love, laughter, and with absolutely anything other than Four Non Blondes.

30 Days of Music

So for the next 30 days my blog posts will be all about MUSIC! In some way, shape or form- that is the topic. Come on, my dad is like a walking jukebox and I am married to a DJ. It just makes sense, right? I am actually surprised this idea took this long to hatch. Anyway, there will be something different for each day, and you never know where it might lead my evil genius creative brain, so stay close. And I would love input from your own musical mind, so leave comments telling me your opinion on anything you see on here. (You will then be immortalized one day in print form of The Sweeneyville Saga: Volume 3. That sure sweetens the deal, eh?)

Away we go!

Day 1- Your Favorite Song

Is is really even realistic to ask me to name ONE favorite song? No way. That is like asking me to name my favorite brother- I could never doitChris. I have about a million favorite songs- all for different reasons, but I went back and made a list and at least painfully narrowed it down to about 10 or 14. I think I realized which songs are actually my favorites based on the fact that I purposely listen to them very sparingly. If they get too overplayed they lose their savor.

For now I am focusing on just regular Pop/mainstream music. We got 29 more days ahead of us, so we have more than enough time to get to everything else (like favorite movie music, dance music, guilty pleasure music, songs you can clog to, etc.) But most defnitely not every post will be a list :) I'm easing you into it...

In no particular order, my all-time favorite songs:

1. Stars on the Water- George Strait
2. Cherry, Cherry- Neil Diamond
3. Disappear- INXS
4. Stolen- Dashboard Confessional
5. Learning to Fly- Tom Petty
6. The Answer to Our Lives- Backstreet Boys
7. Zero Gravity- David Archuleta
8. Happy Together- The Turtles
9. Everything- Michael Buble
10. Anything But Mine- Kenny Chesney
11. Hell on the Heart- Eric Church
12. Here with Me- Dido
13. Ever the Same- Rob Thomas
14. Forever- Chris Brown


Okay, so now that we all have the ability to comment on the blog, you can now sound off on the fact that, yes, I like a David Archuleta song that much (though I still voted for David Cook when it came down to the wire). Or more importantly, tell me at least ONE of your all-time favorite songs. Perhaps something that may surprise me. I am sure Neil Diamond took you for a loop up at no. 2, am I right? Yeah, that is all the fault of my mom.

So in the words of Pat Benetar, "Hit me with your best shot! Fire Away!" Musical humor, I love it!

And get ready for tomorrow's post, in which I will reveal my number one most hated song of all-time. (Which I am doing only because I know that no one out there will be tempted to use it against me as some sort of torture tool. Agreed? I didn't hear you agree...)