Double-Stacked Bookshelves

Only one more day to go in the challenge.  Well done, fellow A-Zers!  Today is all about the letter Y. Y is for "You and I Both" and "Your Biggest Mistake" "You and I Both" - Jason Mraz   My ears love Jason Mraz.  He's so smooth and soulful and doesn't put out a bad track...seriously.  If you're looking for a chill set of pipes, this is one of your options.  When Mraz released "You and I Both", I had already been a fan for years.  This only solidified how awesome he is...it's a beautiful song. *Lyrics :  "See I'm all about them words / Over numbers, unencumbered numbered words / Hundreds of pages, pages, pages for words / More words than I had ever heard and I feel so alive" "Your Biggest Mistake" - New Found Glory   Ah...a little NFG.  I haven't listened to them in several years, but for a while there in high school and early college I loved me some NFG.  They had a few ma...

Welcome to Tuesday and the near completion of the A-Z Blogging Challenge.  Today's post is dedicated to the incredibly difficult letter X. X is for "X&Y" and "XXX's and OOO's (American Girl)" "X&Y" - Coldplay   It's such a chill song.  I'll admit, I got over the hype of Coldplay quickly when "Yellow" was so overplayed.  But they've managed to redeem themselves beautifully.  Well done, Chris Martin.  Still not my favorite Coldplay track, but it's definitely got merit and the album has some of my favorite tracks. *Lyrics :  "Trying hard to speak and fighting with my weak hand / Driven to distraction, so part of the plan / When something is broken and you try to fix it / Trying to repair it, anyway you can" "XXX's and OOO's (American Girl)" - Trisha Yearwood   Released in 1994, Trisha Yearwood's "XXX's and OOO's" is just a fun country t...

Happy Friday, A-Z participants.  I don't know about the rest of you, but I am very ready for the weekend.  I plan on reading and doing little else.  Yep.  But for now, let's talk about the letter U. U is for "Undone: The Sweater Song" and "U Got It Bad" "Undone: The Sweater Song" - Weezer   The first single off Weezer's self-title 1994 debut, the song was meant to be a sad one, but it wasn't taken that way by listeners.  Stylistically, it's a pretty basic song with very minor chord changes.  Because of it's simplicity, it's been covered by multiple people, including The Fray, The Offspring, Angels & Airwaves, and The Bloodhound Gang.  It's a catchy little tidbit. *Lyrics :  "If you want to destroy my sweater / Hold this thread as I walk away (as I walk away) / Watch me unravel, I'll soon be naked / Lying on the floor (lying on the floor) / I've come undone" "U Got It Bad...

Sorry it's such a late post today, dear readers.  I'm catching up at work and today's post has been on the back burner.  But it's here now!  Yay!  Today is all about the letter T. T is for "These Dreams" and "Til I Hear It From You" "These Dreams" - Heart   Heart is awesome.  Just plain awesome sauce.  "These Dreams" was the first song by the band to hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  It's a gravelly power ballad and we can thank Nancy Wilson for having a cold during recording. *Fun Fact :  The song was originally offered to Stevie Nicks, but she had no interest in recording it.  Also, though Heart had only previously recorded their own music, they were so interested in this song that they included it on their self-titled album. "Til I Hear It From You" - Gin Blossoms   I am obsessed with the Gin Blossoms; have been for a long time.  "Til I Hear It From You" was released in...

Hello Tuesday.  I've really got nothing clever or pun-y to say in my intro today, so let's get right to it.  Today is all about the letter R. R is for "Right Here Waiting" and "Richard Marxism" "Right Here Waiting" - Richard Marx   In the 80s, I was In Love with Richard Marx.  Capital L-O-V-E love.  I remember that my parents went to one of his concerts and brought me back a sticker.  A freaking sticker!  That's it!  So rude.  Aside from that, this song got me every single time.  It's such a great track.  The second track released from his Repeat Offender album, it became Marx's third consecutive #1 on Billboard's Hot 100.  It is his best-selling single. *Fun Fact :  Between the years of 2000-2003, "Right Here Waiting" was listed in the top 15 of Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Recurrents...more than ten years after its initial release.  That's staying power! "Richard Marxism" ...

Happy Friday, peeps!  Can I tell you all how excited I am that it is nearly the weekend?  So excited!  I need this weekend...and possibly a vacation.  That'd be super nice.  Anywho...today's all about the letter O in the A-Z Blogging Challenge. O is for "On Bended Knee" and "Our Song" "On Bended Knee" - Boyz II Men   Boyz II Men...they're just so smooth and so suave.  How can you not like them?  Seriously!  They went on a reunion tour a few years ago and I was so bummed that I missed their stop at one of the local casinos.  Fail on my part!  Regardless, this is a great song :) *Fun Fact :  This was the first time that a single from an artist replaced a single from the same artist on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US since The Beatles did it.  "On Bended Knee" replaced "I'll Make Love to You" in 1994. "Our Song" - The Spill Canvas   I just love The Spill Canvas.  There's somethi...

Happy day after taxes, people!  We are plowing into the second half of the A-Z Blogging Challenge and I am no longer completely caught up on posts (and scheduled ahead).  Thank you work for taking time away from my blogging!  Regardless, I'm plugging along.  Today is all about the letter N. N is for "Name" and "The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia" "Name" - Goo Goo Dolls   This was the first hit for the Goo Goo Dolls, though they had two previous released from their debut album, A Boy Named Goo .  I loved this song when it came out.  Still do, actually.  It's a great little track that works in all the right ways.  It's also the song that propelled the previously considered alternative band into the mainstream pop atmosphere. *Fun Fact :  The Goo Goo Dolls are the only musicians to have three songs on Billboard's "Top 100 Pop Songs 1992-2012" chart.  These songs are also all in the top 25.  In addition, the...

Greetings, Tuesday and fellow A-Zers!  Today we're moving on to the letter L for the challenge. L is for "Little Things" and "La Cienga Just Smiled" "Little Things" - Good Charlotte   The debut single for GC, this was the first song I heard by them back in 2001.  It also led to my first "real" concert (Good Charlotte, Slick Shoes, and MxPx).  I have been a fan ever since; even when they went mainstream with their The Young and the Hopeless album.  Eventually they were able to redeem themselves with their next three follow-ups, especially Good Morning Revival . *Lyrics :  "Yeah, this song is dedicated / To every kid who ever got picked last in gym class / To every kid who never had a date to no school dance / To everyone who's ever been called a freak / This is for you" "La Cienga Just Smiled" - Ryan Adams   When I was living in Austria, I had about an hour or so commute at about 5:30 in th...

Happy Wednesday, fellow A-Zers.  We're plowing through the workweek and moving through the alphabet.  Today's letter is G. G is for "Glycerin" and "Galapogos" "Glycerin" - Bush    Oh, Gavin Rossdale...why are you so sexy?  Sixteen Stone , the album that "Glycerin" is on, is probably one of my favorite albums of all time.  It's seriously that good.  "Glycerin" has this slow burn and build up that is beautiful.  Sure, most of Bush's lyrics make zero sense, but the songs sound good.  Ironically, Bush has been more successful stateside than they have been in their native UK; completely opposite of most musical acts. *Lyrics :  "I'm never alone / I'm alone all the time / Are you at one or do you lie? / We live in a wheel / Where everyone steals / But when we rise it's like strawberry fields"  ----What????   "Galapogos" - The Smashing Pumpkins   Though definitel...

Happy Monday, fellow A-Zers!  Hope everyone had a delightful weekend and a great Easter holiday (if you celebrate).  Today we're moving in to week 2 of the challenge and we're kicking it off with the letter E. E is for..."Enter Sandman" and "Everlong" "Enter Sandman" - Metallica   In middle school I was obsessed with Metallica and pretty much rock music in general.  But Metallica was where it was at for me.  Though "Enter Sandman" is not my favorite Metallica tune, it's nice, simple, and fairly easy on the ears.  Despite this departure from their normal rock repertoire, it is one of the top 500 songs of all time according to Rolling Stone magazine and one of the 50 best rock songs according to VH1.  It's been described as the first metal lullaby and I'd have to agree with that assessment. *Lyrics :  "Hush little baby, don't say a word / And never mind that noise you heard / It's just the beasts ...