10 Song - Stream of Consciousness

Dallas by Alan Jackson

I don’t often remember the details of my dreams, but for some reason, I remember at one point last night, I began to sing “Dallas” by Alan Jackson. My first memories of hearing that song was sitting in the Taco Bell parking lot when I was 4 (thus 1992). It is my favorite Alan Jackson song, (in an unrelated story, that was my favorite Taco Bell). I don’t know why this popped up. I guess it is a symbol that I am getting more comfortable with myself. Other people were in the dream, coworkers, other people, for some reason Alan Thicke. I don’t get that. He didn’t die, so that ends the continuous streak of Alan Thicke dying in my dreams. I have no problem with Alan Thicke, he just keeps dying.

Crazy Ex Girlfriend by Miranda Lambert

I wish I were more interesting, I wish I had a crazy ex-girlfriend (or a current one, crazy or not, that would be nice, but that is for another time). All my stories are about me being crazy and obsessive. If you don’t believe me, sit down with me and after a certain amount of time I will divulge too much about someone who I perceive to have done me wrong. The story changes repeatedly though, so take notes, try and find consistency.

Saved by Big and Rich

I used to be a HUGE Big and Rich fan. Their first, second and third album were on repeat for me for the longest time. But in 2007, they went on a sabbatical and when they returned 5 years later, I cared a lot less. I am just not as interested in their latest musical endeavors. This song, off their first album, I find to be a strong one. They clicked as a unit for those releases. The latest one, which I have only read reviews of, seems to be them trying to recreate the attitude of their first cd. I do not understand why Bon Jovi is as involved as it seems they are.

Give It Away by George Strait
George Strait has a unique swagger when he sings. This song is about giving away everything that reminds you of someone. A few months ago I watched Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind. In that movie, Jim Carrey went through brain cleansing to wash his mind of everything that reminded him of Kate Winslet (I think) because it was driving him nuts. The crew in the movie, had to gather up all physical things as well as doing the deep psychological cleansing. Sometimes I have thought that I could use that type of deal. The physical objects are limited and I could get rid of those myself, but I think I may need them. They are hidden away enough to where I can avoid them for the most part so that really isn’t a problem (or I have convinced myself of that), it’s the psychological I will need work on.

Little Miss Honky Tonk by Brooks and Dunn

I want a cowgirl. Someone who listens to country music, shoots guns, drinks beer, whiskey, etc. Perhaps rides horses. I am mostly describing Miranda Lambert here. I am not picky but I think it would be cool to have someone like that. I don’t shoot guns, don’t drink much anymore and don’t find horses interesting. So it is a lot of the opposites attract theory I guess. I have an interesting theory as to why that works so well.

Take It Out On Me by Miranda Lambert

I feel bad when I take my sometimes bad attitudes out on people. I don’t mean to. I feel really bad when I end up tearing someone a “new one” (meaning asshole) for something that happened long ago. Especially when I don’t do it to their face and resort to doing it over The Twitter © and to the face of people who rightfully respect them. I just feel hurt sometimes, but over time that should have gone away. I guess my immature actions proved things right in the long run. I still think I am justified in some ways though, I just need to find a way to be a bigger person (not THE bigger person, because clearly I am not that, as much as I would like to be)

Tiny Dancer by Tim McGraw

I had a blog written about the Tim McGraw and The Dancehall Doctors album a few weeks ago, I never posted it, I don’t even think I finished writing it to be honest. This song was on that. I always associate that album with rain, I don’t know why. It was my favorite Tim McGraw release. I am not a huge fan of his but I really liked most of the songs on that one. I have heard this version of the song more than Elton John’s version. I think it could be good for a choreographed dance scene. Those aren’t thoughts I have often. I am not sure if it is about a child, drugs (it was the 70s) or what. Tony Danza perhaps (Friends used that joke, I am not above ripping that off). But I guess we all have a “Tiny Dancer” that sticks with us in our heads, whether we want to or not. This song is really long.

Carried Away by George Strait

It sucks to get carried away by someone. Not physically (well I imagine being abducted sucks, not my point right now), but mentally. Every time you see someone, your mind races and emotions rush to the forefront. I guess it is a key thing to the human condition. More honesty. I have had it happen numerous times. Where you don’t think, you just say or do. Its fun in the moment sometimes but looking back you feel stupid. This would be a good name for a Carrie Underwood tribute band.

Better As A Memory by Kenny Chesney

The last few weeks a lot of my good friends/coworkers have left. It sucked because I knew ahead of time they were going and I was going to miss them. But I wasn’t super close to them. It got me thinking that when I leave, when I make a major life move which I have yet to do voluntarily, I don’t think they will care, it won’t be a big deal to them. It could be my low self esteem though. I don’t think any of them have anything positive to say about me. In my opinion, the only thing they may know about me is the fact that I get far too obsessed with something/someone and can’t keep my mouth shut when I should. I don’t like the way I am possibly perceived by them but accept the blame because this is the way I painted myself. It shouldn’t bother me as much as it does but I make too much of things I guess

I’m In by Keith Urban

Far too often on this 10 song adventure these “love songs” have come up. I like this one but the stream of consciousness exercise does lead to a problem. I don’t know the “love” feeling too well. Because, I am 0-however many with this. I did this exercise to get my mind off this crap and it keeps bringing me back around. So as I am typing, I am trying to drown out the song because I plan to go to bed after this and I do not really want to have this song stuck in my head because I fear it will drown out any positive movement I have had in the past few hours. I suspect it is all superficial anyway and I am trying to convince myself that I am past things. I am a surprisingly quick thinker and can fool myself pretty easily. Problem is, other people can fool me quicker.

 

In conclusion – 776 songs that could have been used, I really don’t like the selection that came up here.

Urban Development

The first Keith Urban CD I ever bought was “Love, Pain and The Whole Crazy Thing”. The following article will reflect that. I may not be including all of your favorite songs, these are my opinions. These are my 19 favorite Keith Urban songs. Despite that, I would like to hear your opinions.

19. But for the Grace of God

For years I had not liked this song. Then one day I realized the story behind it. In actuality, Keith kind of comes across as arrogant. It seems like he is saying, everyone around me is completely screwed up and it is all because I have you in my life. Without you, I would be just as miserable as them. In that scenario of course, he is singing to a woman. That is how I always determined the song, him singing it to a woman. The song of course can just as easily be about god. He is namedropped in the title. Even if it is about a woman, he still is crediting god for her being in his life. He may not even have a shot with her without god’s intervention.

18. Raining On Sunday

“It ticks just like a Timex, never lets up on you”, I believe that is a great first line of the song. I really enjoy the use of comparisons in songs, one may look for the word simile to describe it. This song has several, not only the line I started with but also “Your love is like religion, a cross in Mexico, and your kiss is like the innocence, of a prayer nailed to a door” and then the chorus tells a story of how the man wants to take advantage of all these things. Her kiss, her love and all that.

17.  Won't Let You Down

This is another song from Love, Pain and The Whole Crazy Thing. In this song, he is basically telling the woman that he is the only one she can trust. Because he loves her. Very few people will be there when the house of cards comes tumbling down but he will stand right there good or bad and be there for her. I would like to think that is the type of person I am, someone who good or bad, will be there for someone. I find the energy of the chorus is the real strong point of the song.

16. Long Hot Summer

The song builds up during the first verse to a powerful chorus that gets you to sing along, this is one song that goes along with a common occurrence of many of Keith’s songs. Up tempo and catchy. He stated the song was written with the car radio in mind. “Singing along with the radio is such a beautiful sound”. It is a line that I agree with, I have more fun listening to the music when I am in the car than any other time. It is louder and more memorable, I am much more likely to sing along with a song while I am driving.

15. Shine

From Love, Pain and The Whole Crazy Thing. This is a song that I have gone back and forth on, I generally don’t like the things will get better songs (for contradictions to this belief take a look at my Shania Twain “Up” blog, among others likely) but this one seems different. The instrumental work as always is extraordinary but the lyrics basically say instead of “life gets better, stay strong” its “I will make things better, give me a chance to make you strong” It’s an arrogant song, but once again its good. Confidence can be mistaken for arrogance.

14. You're Not My God

Keith sounds so angry performing this song, particularly during the chorus. “But you're not my god, and you're not my friend, You're not the one that I will walk with in the end. You're not the truth, you're a temporary shot, you ruin people's lives and you don't give a second thought, You're not my god” He is singing to objects, money and drugs specifically but I always believed that the chorus could fit just as well talking about someone who has an overwhelming influence on him. Someone who made him feel used. Just as money and drugs did. Someone caused him to feel the same symptoms of addiction. And he is finally telling them off.

13. For You

This was on the soundtrack for the 2012 movie Act of Valor. I don’t know where it plays in the movie. I never saw the movie. I truthfully believe that all I need to see in the movie, is featured in the video. The line I really like in this song comes at the end of the first verse.” No greater gift has man,than to lay down his life for love.” The whole song paints the sacrifice of servicemen very well I believe. They sacrifice family and love for country. It sounds like an epic power ballad.

12. Once In a Lifetime

This song has the feeling of an epic movie. The video backs it up. The exhilarating roller coaster rush of falling in love. As much as she may question it, the man is trying to convince her that this is something different and he wants her to overlook all apprehension and see that this is something unique and special. The chorus is incredibly upbeat and just another example of my belief that Keith Urban’s strongest asset is his ability to pump out catchy upbeat tunes. Something else I like about this song is the extended guitar work on the album cut (Love, Pain and the Whole Crazy Thing again). It is about a minute and a half longer than the radio edit and towards the end he just goes nuts with it.

11. Used to the Pain

Although it doesn’t fit the definition, I had always considered this to be the title track of Love, Pain and The Whole Crazy Thing. With time, people accumulate series of pains and regrets that don’t kill them but they have to go through life with them. And how do they do that? They just get used to it. “There's a past in everyone you can't undo, you can't outrun” I don’t know what was the story behind the writing of this song, but I will assume it was about Keith’s drug addiction. Obviously that would be something you would want to out run and undo but it could also be about a love you are trying to forget.

10. I’m In

I see this song as one I would quote if I had any talent at pulling off long term conversation with the opposite text . It would fit with what I should say. “If I knew what I was doing, I'd be doing it right now. I would be the best damn poet, silver words out of my mouth. Well my words might not be magic. But they cut straight to the truth, if you need a lover and a friend, baby I’m in. I like this song because it seems so familiar to me. I am not sure if that is a good thing or not.

9. Romeo's Tune

This song seems Shakespearean (Romeo is named in the title, I think this was intentional). It appears on his Greatest Hits album. I learned just weeks ago that this was a cover of a song from the 80s by Steve Forbert. Now it has been quite a while since I read Romeo and Juliet (Freshman year of high school which would be 10 years) but listening to this song I can see where it would fit. If they did an updated version of Romeo and Juliet, I can see this song fitting. Perhaps Justin Bieber as Romeo and Selena Gomez as Juliet (I may have started this rumor on Twitter). Lines such as “It's king and queen and we must go down now beyond the chandelier, where I won't have to speak my mind and you won't have to hear. Shreds of news and afterthoughts and complicated scenes , we'll huddle down behind the light and fade like magazines” paint a story of a forbidden relationship that is frowned upon by onlookers. (GO FIGURE)

8. Your Everything

This song seems like a good wedding song, and not just for the “And be the hand that lifts your veil” line. It is poetic. For some reason, years went by where I knew this song was by Keith Urban but it reminded me of Mark Wills, it was not until recently that I realized that it is a screw up. It should remind me of Andy Grigg’s “She’s More”. I would love to meet someone that makes me say things like this (or gives me the courage to say this). Just a beautiful song.

7. You Gonna Fly

A upbeat song that is about being upbeat. Another song that fits perfectly with driving along with your windows down and screaming the lyrics. The song builds and builds during the first verse until it reaches the chorus where it climaxes. Its great. It also comes across as incredibly arrogant (I say that nicely, I appreciate arrogance). He is saying he can lift her/you up. “You could be a black bird on the country street. Hiding from the world with a broken wing, but you better believe you're gonna fly with me”. I enjoy the simile of the black bird.

6. Somebody Like You

When this song was released it seemed like a “new beginning”. Something about the banjo at the beginning seems like a new wind to his career (first line of the song mentions “There is a new wind blowing that I’ve never known”). It sounds different to his previous songs. His life is better because of the woman and he wants to share the better life that the woman provided to him, with her. She has given his life purpose. Keith wrote (actually co-wrote) this song and his girlfriend at the time supermodel Nikki Taylor was featured in the video. And she was in a coma a year earlier. Maybe he wrote the song about her? It seemed like a new beginning for her too. A non-coma beginning.

5. You'll Think of Me

This song is so heartbreaking. The sadness of the lost love keeps him awake, tortures him and rips his heart out consistently. The style of the song sounds like spoken word. He has no idea where the love would have gone but for whatever reason he will never find out. The unknowingness kills him and he just wants to close the door to the past that is still hanging open but he has all these things that are around to remind him. Perhaps if the physical things are gone, the psychological items will go with them and he wants her to take them as well. He is hoping that she will have the same regrets if she has those things.

4. I Told You So

What I like about this song is the seemingly double sided meaning, “"Please, just come back home. No, don't say that you're sorry. And I won't say “I told you so" He wants her back in his life, but does not want her to apologize for ending it. He wants to move on from the past and start a new future. Only with the same person from the past. She caused the rift, she is the one to blame but if she apologizes, he is gonna tell her where she screwed up. And that wouldn’t be a good thing.

3. I Can't Stop Loving You

When I first heard this song on Love, Pain and The Whole Crazy Thing, it sounded familiar. I didn’t know why and until I looked it up I deduced that it was an Elton John song. I am not too familiar with Elton John’s song book, so I am not surprised I was wrong on that. It was actually recorded by Leo Sayer and later Phil Collins. I still don’t know how I knew the song. Upon listening to the earlier versions of the song, I realize that I prefer Keith’s version so much to the others.

2. Got It Right This Time

This song was originally featured on Love, Pain and The Whole Crazy Thing, but re-recorded and released on the Greatest Hits compilation. He wrote it about his marriage with Nicole Kidman and explained to AOL how it came about and how the two versions differ: "It's interesting, because the song's hook is, 'I think I got it right this time.' And I'm certainly at a point now where there's no thinking involved! [laughs] There's a little more conviction than that. And I had that full conviction when I wrote it, but as a songwriter, there are choices made with words because they sing well. So, 'I know I got it right this time' just doesn't sing as well as 'I think I got it right this time.' But as the song has evolved and grown, our marriage has evolved a lot. So [on the new recording], at the very end there's an ad-libbed line that says, 'I mean, I know I do.' [laughs] Songs are interesting, because they're written at a certain time in a writer's life and they mean a certain thing, but often, the really magical ones develop deeper meaning. And this song has definitely grown to have a deeper meaning for me." I greatly prefer the re-recording of the song. It has more of an epic feel to it. There was a song on Love, Pain and The Whole Crazy Thing entitled “God Made Woman” that featured a choir on it. It seems that this song would be just as fitting for that treatment. The song is even parenthesized “The Celebration”. You can tell his jubilation for finding her within this song.

1. Stupid Boy

What I really, really like about this song is, the way he seems so angry about it. He took her heart and soul and dreams into the palm of his hands and tore them all to shreds. I had always taken it that he is singing it about himself. This isn’t much of a revelation however as in the song it is said “Oh, I'm the same old, same old stupid boy.” It paints a chapel of regret and self hatred. He had a wonderful girl in his life but his own pride, stupidity and regret, whatever it may be caused him to lose her forever. That is a damn true to life story.