Last time around, I explained what I was doing, which is expanding a 30 day music meme into ten or so weeks of music amusement. I shared my choices for the first two challenges on the list, my favourite and least favourite songs. To recap, there was a three-way tie for worst and no one favourite I could admit to having.
This time around, I’ll tackle questions 3, 4, and 5 because they’re kind of connected. Challenge three is to be a song that makes me happy. Oh, there are so many to pick from, what’s best to choose here?
A lot of songs make me bounce in my seat and improve my mood, like That Old Black Magic done as a duet by Louis Prima and Keely Smith, or Do You Wanna Dance by Del Shannon. I think for happy happy, I have to pick the season 5 opening theme from Ranma 1/2, called Chikyuu Ookesutora when using Romaji, or Earth Orchestra when translated.
A version with the lyrics supplied can be found here. Another Ranma song I love, Konya Wa April Fool (“Tonight is April Fool”) off the 1991 Song Calendar. That’s a sweet but absurd love song. Ranma starts it with a compliment on Akane’s looks, then calls her baka (stupid) for falling for an April fool’s prank. This goes on for the rest of the song, until the last line that translates to “but it’s a little bit true,” meaning Ranma really does think she’s kawaii (cute), but would die before he’d openly admit it to her.
A song that makes me sad is the fourth challenge. There are songs that make me cry, that’s for damn sure, but maybe not because of sadness specifically. Maybe I’m just easily moved when it comes to music. Puff the Magic Dragon used to be one of them, why ask why. Annie’s Song by John Denver was another. The Buffy and Angel love theme was always good for a tear or two, especially when the characters on screen were at their most angsty. A lot of Disney animated features feature a song that can do the same. Come What May from the film Moulin Rouge might be another. There are a couple slow ones out of Phantom of the Opera that get me going. There are a couple out of Les Misérables, too, I Dreamed a Dream (I really loved how Susan Boyle sang that on Britain’s Got Talent.) and Bring Him Home.
A Wish for Something More by Amy McDonald might qualify for the “makes me sad” list.
And I, I wish I was the one
You lonely, lonely son
And you looked at me that way
I wish for long lingering glances
Fairytale romances every single day
And you look at me and say
I’m your best friend every day
But I wish for something, wish for something more
Oh, I love you like a friend but let’s not pretend
How I wish for something, wish for something more
I’ll add Tom Waits’ Hope I Don’t Fall In Love with You to that pile, too.
There are more than a few Tom Waits ones that remind me of someone (Challenge five). I’ve been in the habit of skipping them when they shuffle into place, however. I’ve always stored my memories in songs but sometimes I don’t need to be reminded of them.
One Minion's Opinion 