Saturday, April 19, 2025

Q: Qué será será by Doris Day


 Welcome AtoZ-ers and other blog friends! This month I'm participating in the AtoZ blogging challenge, and you'll see a post every day (except Sundays) about one of the Songs of my Heart. Today's edition: Qué será será by Doris Day.  (If my embedded video won't work, you can listen at this link).

 

Doris Day was quite a performer, an actress/singer whose work I enjoyed with my mother when I was young and have turned back to more recently, and this is a song that became strongly associated with her. Usually, it's a somewhat wistful ditty (listen to that version here), but when she sang it as part of her role in The Man Who Knew Too Much, it became embued with so much more--desperation, anger, fear, pressure to seem to be doing one thing while actually doing another. It's an amazing bit of acting through song, so this is now my favorite version of the song. 

Lyrics from lyrics.com: 

When I was just a little girl

I asked my mother, what will I be

Will I be pretty

Will I be rich

Here's what she said to me


Que será, será

Whatever will be, will be

The future's not ours to see

Que será, será

What will be, will be


When I grew up and fell in love

I asked my sweetheart, what lies ahead

Will we have rainbows

Day after day

Here's what my sweetheart said


Que será, será

Whatever will be, will be

The future's not ours to see

Que será, será

What will be, will be


Now I have children of my own

They ask their mother, what will I be

Will I be handsome

Will I be rich

I tell them tenderly


Que será, será

Whatever will be, will be

The future's not ours to see

Que será, será

What will be, will be

Que será, será

 


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Friday, April 18, 2025

P: Pa Pa Ya! by Baby Metal

 

Welcome AtoZ-ers and other blog friends! This month I'm participating in the AtoZ blogging challenge, and you'll see a post every day (except Sundays) about one of the Songs of my Heart. Today's edition: Pa Pa Ya! by Baby Metal.  (If my embedded video won't work, you can listen at this link).

 

Overall, I'm more punk than heavy metal, but there are moods, you know. And sometimes only metal will do. Baby Metal is one of my favorites because they intermix cute femininity and bad ass anger in a way that sometimes is just exactly what my brain needed.

Recently I got to go to one of their concerts with the youngest kiddo and damn, but they put on a good stage show, too! It was a really great night.

Since I don't speak any Japanese, it's all just feels and vibe for me. But in case you want to know what the song's words mean, this is what I found:

romanized Japanese lyrics from Genius


Papa papaya

Papa papaya

Papa papaya

Papa papaya

Papa papa papa papaya

Papa papa papa papaya

Papa papa papa papaya

Papa papa papa papaya


[Verse 1: Su-Metal, F.HERO]

Saikyou de saikou tte sainou ka? You know what?

(Papa papa papa papaya)

Zenshin to zenrei de onore wo kogase

(Papa papa papa papaya)


[Pre-Chorus: Su-Metal, F.HERO]

Bring it on bring it!

(Papa papaya)

Bring it on bring it!

(Papa papaya)

Bring bring bring bring it!

(Papa papaya)

Bring bring bring bring it!


[Chorus: Su-Metal, Moa-Metal]

Matsuri da! Matsuri da!

SPICY SUMMER SONG SONG

Matsuri da! Matsuri da!

CRAZY SUMMER DANCE DANCE

Sawage! Sawage!

Sawage! YO! PA PA YA BOYS

Odore! Odore!

Odore! PA! PA! PA PA YA GIRLS

PAPAYA!!

PAPAYA!!

English translation from lyricstranslate


Is your talent the best yet strongest? You know what?

Let yourself lit on fire, all through your body and soul!

 

Bring it on bring it!

Bring it on bring it!

Bring bring bring bring it!

Bring bring bring bring it!

 

It's the festival! It's the festival!

SPICY SUMMER SONG SONG

It's the festival! It's the festival!

CRAZY SUMMER DANCE DANCE

Make it loud! Make it loud!

Make it loud! YO! PA PA YA BOYS

Dance! Dance!

Dance! PA! PA! PA PA YA GIRLS

PAPAYA!!

PAPAYA!!


Best yet strongest, bring them on! You know what?

Let themselves lit on fire, all through its desperate situation!

 

Bring it on bring it!

Bring it on bring it!

Bring bring bring bring it!

Bring bring bring bring it!


It's the festival! It's the festival!

CRAZY SUMMER BOY BOYS!

It's the festival! It's the festival!

SPICY SUMMER GIRL GIRLS!

Make it loud! Make it loud!

Make it loud! YO! PA PA YA SONG

Dance! Dance!

Dance! PA! PA! PA PA YA DANCE

PAPAYA!!

PAPAYA!!


Rap, Rap, Molam, Rock, Rock

Let the fortunes bring something to us, knock, knock!

Life is like a Chocolate Box Box

Mix and mash up like Papaya-Pok-Pok

Knock, knock, knock, struggling

Pound our lives with some happiness and sadness

Papaya needs to be pound hard

So it can be yummy, crispy and delicious

Live your life fast like Thailand rider.

Make your life feels hot and spicy cause this is summer!

“I was Lightning Before the Thunder

Som-tam and Sashimi we’re gonna have some fun.

Baby, girls, Hanaka

Go order your bikinis from Lazada

Jumpin' in the Pool La La La

Let the sunburn. We’re gonna PAPAYA


Bring it on bring it!

Bring it on bring it!

Bring bring bring bring it!


It's the festival! It's the festival!

SPICY SUMMER SONG SONG

It's the festival! It's the festival!

CRAZY SUMMER DANCE DANCE


Dance! Make it loud!

Dance! Make it loud!

Dance! Make it loud!


Make it loud! PA! PA! PARTY TIME!

PAPAYA!!

PAPAYA!!

PAPAYA!!

PAPAYA!!





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Thursday, April 17, 2025

O: Over and Over by Rio Romeo

Welcome AtoZ-ers and other blog friends! This month I'm participating in the AtoZ blogging challenge, and you'll see a post every day (except Sundays) about one of the Songs of my Heart. Today's edition: Over and Over by Rio Romeo.  (If my embedded video won't work, you can listen at this link).

 

The youngest Bryant is fond of songs where there's a contrast between the sound and the content and it's a vibe that has really grown on me after all these years of letting them DJ when we're in the car together. 

This one sounds very cheerful on the surface with all those bouncy "boom ba da"s at the outset, but there's a rough edge to the voice and the strain begins to show. It appeals to the dark humor side of me. The one that thinks ya gotta laugh or you'll cry.

Lyrics from AtoZ:

Boom ba da
Doom ba da
Boom ba da
Doom ba da
Boom ba da
Doom ba da
Boom ba da
Doom ba da

Aaaaaaaaaaa

Over and over and
Over and over and
Over and over

Over and over
I f*ck myself over
And under and under
I do it again

Morning and evening
I felt I was grieving
Until I said f*ck you
And never again

Daytime or night time I feel I'm on my time
But my time is fickle
Just like a friend

And with my departure
From the pain I harbor
I feel I am sinking
And sailing to swim

Over and over and
Over and over and
Over and over and
Over and

Over and over and
Over and over and
Over and over and
Over and over and

Over and over and
Over and over and
Over and over and
Over and over and

Over and over and
Over and over and
Over and over and
Over and over

Over and over and
Over and over and
Over and over and
Over and over and

And with my departure
From the pain I harbor
I feel I am sinking
And sailing to swim  

#AtoZChallenge 2025
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Wednesday, April 16, 2025

N: Nowhere Fast from Streets of Fire

 

Welcome AtoZ-ers and other blog friends! This month I'm participating in the AtoZ blogging challenge, and you'll see a post every day (except Sundays) about one of the Songs of my Heart. Today's edition: Nowhere Fast as included in the movie soundtrack for Streets of Fire.  (If my embed doesn't work, listen at this link).

 

Streets of Fire: A Rock-n-Roll Fable is a wonderful, weird 1980s film featuring Michael Paré as our reluctant hero, Tom Cody,  called back to town by his sister because his ex-girlfriend, Ellen Aim, played by Diane Lane is in trouble. It's very stylized, with a Retro look, but including contemporary-at-the-time elements (80s styles) that have since become a whole 'nother kind of Retro, so it's this 50s-80s mix that I adore!

Ellen Aim is a popular singer in the movie, so of course there's a soundtrack, and I love several of the songs. It's hard to choose a favorite, but this one definitely makes the list. It captures that frenetic energy that some of us had when we were young to just get out there and do something, feeling held back by whatever our ordinary lives are and dreaming of something amazing.

Lyrics

Lying in your bed and on a Saturday night
You're sweatin' buckets and it's not even hot
But your brain has got the message
And it's sending it out
To every nerve and every muscle you've got

You've got so many dreams
That you don't know where to put 'em
So you'd better turn a few of 'em loose
Your body's got a feeling that it's starting to rust
You'd better rev it up and put it to use

And I don't know how I ever thought that I could make it all alone
When you only make it better
And it better be tonight
And we'll fly away on those angel wings of chrome in your daddy's car
Waiting there for you tonight
I'll be there for you tonight

Even if you don't have anywhere to go
You go down on the pedal and you're ready to roll
And even if you don't have anywhere to go
You go down on the pedal and you're ready to roll
And your speed
Is all you'll ever need
All you'll ever need to know
Darlin', Darlin'

You and me we're goin' nowhere slowly
And we've gotta get away from the past
There's nothin' wrong with goin' nowhere, baby
But we should be goin' nowhere fast

Everybody's goin' nowhere slowly
They're only fighting for the chance to be last
There's nothin' wrong with goin' nowhere, baby
But we should be goin' nowhere fast
It's so much better goin' nowhere fast

Stalkin' in the shadows by the light of the moon
It's like a prison and the night is a cell
Goin' anywhere has gotta be heaven tonight
'Cause stayin' here has gotta be hell
Dyin' in the city like a fire on the water
Let's go runnin' on the back of the wind
There's gotta' be some action on the face of the earth
And I've gotta see your face once again

And I don' know where I ever got the bright idea that I was cool
So alone and independent
But I'm depending on you now
And you'll always be the only thing that I just can't be without
And I'm out for you tonight
I'm comin' out for you tonight

Even if you don't have anywhere to go
You go down on the pedal and you're ready to roll (ready to roll)
Even if you don't have anywhere to go
You go down on the pedal and you're ready to roll
And your speed
Is all you'll ever need
All you'll ever need to know
Darlin', Darlin'

You and me we're goin' nowhere slowly
And we've gotta get away from the past
There's nothin' wrong with goin' nowhere, baby
But we should be goin' nowhere fast

Everybody's goin' nowhere slowly
They're only fighting for the chance to be last
There's nothin' wrong with goin' nowhere, baby
But we should be goin' nowhere fast
It's so much better goin' nowhere fast

Godspeed
Godspeed
Godspeed
Speed us away!

Godspeed
Godspeed
Godspeed
Speed us away!

Godspeed
Godspeed
Godspeed
Speed us away! We're goin' nowhere fast!

 


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Tuesday, April 15, 2025

M: Main Character by Will Wood

 

Welcome AtoZ-ers and other blog friends! This month I'm participating in the AtoZ blogging challenge, and you'll see a post every day (except Sundays) about one of the Songs of my Heart. Today's edition: The Main Character, as recorded by Will Wood.  (If my embed doesn't work, listen at this link).

 

Will Wood is an artist my youngest kiddo introduced me to and I quickly fell in love with their wordplay and intermixing of musical styles. He's recorded quite a variety of types of music and themes, but I picked this one to share with y'all because it's "writerly." 

It's kind of hilarious to me to imagine the main character of the book stepping up, clearing their throat, and demanding that I love them, especially since I have a tendency as a reader to fall for the side characters :-) 

Lyrics from letras

I'm that first person they talk about in all the books
I'm that perspective you cannot doubt, see how I look
Control the narrative reliably, baby, it's all about me
And I wrote the book about throwing the book
At those who don't do it by it
So now I'm holding myself hostage
Stockholm lust just looks like justice
And enough lefts don't make the right but two wrongs do

Oh man, Sun tzu would love this
Beating my dead high horse off the high road to low ground
'Cause if you shake your fist at snakes in grass
It looks like punching down
So God forbid, I'm seen just as an average human being
I mean, imagine if protagonists just died in the first scene
I'm the gap between a tragedy and comedy

Don't come at me
I'm the main character, and you have to like me
I loot plot armor from npc's
Well, they are to me
Trite, tropes, traits, traumas, trinkets, and treats, it's all xp
Look in the sky, it's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's superego
The underdog you cheer for

Villains are everywhere, that's how I know that I'm a hero
So tie me to the train tracks, laugh and snidely twist your mustache
Snidely whiplash, boris badenov, ignoring me's bad enough
Where do you get off? Da, das vedanya, darling
Daleks in high collars monologue
And I outsmart them with a ray-gun and a tweet

So God forbid, I'm seen just as an average human being
I mean, imagine if protagonists just died in the first scene
I'm the gap between a tragedy and comedy
Don't come at me
I'm the main character, and you have to like me

Judge me by what my cover shows
Author becomes beyond reproach
You don't know the prose or if the spine is still intact
Oh, like alice fell to wonderland, come astroturf my overton
And bolden my demand to live by alternative facts
Her majesty says: The royal, we demand a standard of loyalty
An agreement to be reverent, lick the emperor's new boots
The court fool got the guillotine
The witches the stake, you the dopamine
And siemens made the zyklon b but we all still get the flu
We all do what we need to to get through
(It's nothing new)
But I ain't done a fucking thing to you

So God forbid, I'm seen just as an average human being
I mean, imagine if antagonists lacked any evil scheme
I'm the gap between a tragedy and comedy
Don't come at me
I'm the main character, and you have to like me


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