One of the most widely covered songs of popular music makes its way to a Belgium singer named Natacha Atlas. I was recently turned-on to her music and have become a fan. Natacha Atlas finds a way to integrate Hip Hop, Western melodies and Arabic rhythms into driving beats and heartfelt vocals. She is a fun artist for a professional DJ because she can be mixed into so many different genre and situations and feel like it ‘belongs’, especially Natacha Atlas I Put A Spell On You.
Natacha Atlas I Put A Spell On You Music Video
Provious to her solo career, Natacha was a member of Transglobal Underground (TGA) as lead singer and belly dancer for their mixing of Easter and Western beats and rhythms. Before TGA, she was also a lead singer and belly dancer for a Belgium Salsa band.
Natacha Atlas I Put A Spell On You History
I looked up “I Put A Spell On You” to see how many artists have either covered or samples the song and the list is extensive! I acquired the list from Wikipedia. Of course, the original was by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.
Avicii Levels is a great song to dance to and the video is hysterical! Tim Bergling known as Avicii or Tim Berg is a a Swedish producer, remixer and professional DJ. He was nominated for a Grammy for “Sunshine” collaborating with David Guetta. He has been a force in helping House music receive recognition here in The USA.
The official music video for the song Avicii Levels was uploaded to YouTube on November 29, 2011. The clip starts with a man in an office environment, talking to a fellow co-worker, when he suddenly starts to dance. He scribbles the word “Avicii” on various surfaces, and dances on tables, while co-workers disapprovingly observe. Later, he gets immobilised by a taser and falls into a coma, where he has a vision of himself pushing a boulder up a mountain while singing the chorus lines. At the hospital, just before he wakes up, a flower sprouts from his mouth, which infects the male nurses looking after him, making them collapse to the ground. At the end of the clip, all the doctors and nurses end up dancing, also presumably infected.
Avicii Levels Music Video
Avicii Levels (stylized as “LE7ELS“) is a song by Avicii, containing the vocal sample from the 1962 gospel-inspired “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” by Etta James, as written by Leroy Kirkland, Pearl Woods and James. A preview of the first version was uploaded on December 18, 2010 on YouTube, and it was called originally ID. Then on March 23, 2011 the definitive version called Levelswith Etta James’s vocal was shot on YouTube. It was officially released on October 28, 2011, and peaked at number one in Sweden and on the Dance music charts in United States, and became a top ten hit in Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
Flo Rida‘s single “Good Feeling“, which became a worldwide hit in late 2011, was primarily influenced by Avicii Levels.
Avicii Levels and Gotye Somebody That I Used To Know Mash-Up
It was on this day in 1979 that Brenda Ann Spencer started shooting at the elementary school across the street from her house. She killed two and wounded nine others. The gun was a .22 that her father gave her for Christmas. When asked why she did it, her response was simple, “I don’t like Mondays”. It was one month later that The Boomtown Rats performed Boomtown Rats I Don’t Like Mondays written by bandleader Bob Geldorf for the first time. He was inspired for Boomtown Rats I Don’t Like Mondays during an interview when it hit him, “It was such a senseless act. It was the perfect senseless act and this was the perfect senseless reason for doing it. So perhaps I wrote the perfect senseless song to illustrate it. It wasn’t an attempt to exploit tragedy.”
Boomtown Rats I Don’t Like Mondays Music Video
For several years the radio stations in San Diego, the place of the crime, would not play Boomtown Rats I Don’t Like Mondays on the radio to honor sensitive listeners who may not appreciate Geldorf’s peculiar humor.
It is a treat to hear a New Year’s song that is not about drinking and partying exclusively like ABBA Happy New Year Song. For me, the passing of the years has been a period of reflection. I have found it interesting that ABBA has made a career of writing songs that have more to them than meets the ear at first listen with positive, cheerful tones. In some ways, similar to how Elton John and Bernie Taupin blended often dark or reflective lyrics to melodies acceptable for popular airplay and sales.
ABBA has sold over 370 million records worldwide and still sells millions of records a year, which makes them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. ABBA was the first pop group to come from a non-English-speaking country that enjoyed consistent success in the charts of English-speaking countries, including the UK, Ireland, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. The group also enjoyed significant success in Latin American markets, and recorded a collection of their hit songs in Spanish.
Roy Orbison was one of our great voices in pop music. He grew-up listening to and playing Rockabilly and Country and Western in Texas. Between 1960-1964, Orbison had 22 singles place on Billboards Top 40. He was elected into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Bruce Springsteen was his presenter. Roy Orbison Pretty Woman reached #1 on Billboard and stayed there for three weeks.
Roy Orbison Pretty Woman Music Video
Roy Orbison Pretty Woman is a great song that has been covered by many artists and still is today. Roy Orbison Pretty Woman shows up in films including Dumb and Dumber and Pretty Woman, as well as a Van Halen cover in Weird Science. Roy Orbison Pretty Woman has even made its appearance in several Bollywood films.
Roy Orbison Pretty Woman from Film Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts
Roy made a comeback when teaming up with George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne to form the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys. He died of a heart attack soon after that. His first wife and two of his sons died of separate accidents.
Believe it or not, I had the “45” of Roy Orbison Pretty Woman when I was a kid. It was not a hit any more by that time though, but as a child that did not matter to me. Now I still play Roy Orbison Pretty Woman as a professional DJ.
Every year at this time, Dan Fogelberg Same Old Lang Syne comes to mind. It is a sad song but touching and beautiful.
Dan Fogelberg was a writer, singer and multi-instrumentalist. He died December 16, 2007. This song was from his most commercially successful album The Innocent Age in 1981. The double-album with three other hits including “Leader Of The Band” was also regarded critically as one, if not his best work.
Dan Fogelberg Same Old Lang Syne Music Video
Dan Fogelberg Same Old Lang Syne has that bittersweet feel that suites the New Year’s feeling of reflecting back and looking forward simultaneously not sure what to make of both.
Dan Fogelberg Same Old Lang Syne references two lovers from long ago who run into each other at a supermarket. They deicide to have a drink together and it ends up to be a six-pack in her car. After the second toast, the conversation runs dry and they say their goodbyes.
After Fogelberg’s death, the women Dan Fogelberg Same Old Lang Syne was written about came forward and shared her story. She said there were a couple of inaccuracies in his lyrics but mostly true of their high school romance and break-up at departure for college. The liquor store they bought the six-pack is still in business today.
I heard Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi Chiayya Chiayya first during the opening and closing of the film The Inside Man with Denzel Washington. It blew me away immediately and searched online from South Korea, where I was living at the time, for the Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi Chiayya Chiayya to download. It has since been one of my favorite songs to dance and move to. As a professional DJ, I do not have many events where this song can make its appearance.
Chaiyya Chaiyya Inside Job Clip
Like many Indian hit songs, it initially was from the film, Dil Se, and gained popularity from the great music video on the train. The lyrics are based on a Sufi folk song, originally in Urdu named “Thaiyya Thaiyya” by the poet Bulleh Shah.
Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi Chiayya ChiayyaMusic Video
The lyrics below are in both English and transliterated for English readers. Beautiful stuff!
Sukhwinder Singh and Sapna Awasthi Chiayya Chiayya Lyrics
Jinke Sar Ho Ishq Ki Chaaon
He whose head is in the shadow of love
Paanv Ke Neeche Jannat Hogi
Will have heaven beneath his feet
Jinke Sar Ho Ishq Ki Chaaon
Whose head is in the shadow of love
Saare Ishq Ki Chaaon Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya
Saare Ishq Ki Chaaon Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya
Walk in heaven
Paanv Janat Chale Chal Chaiya Chaiya
Paanv Janat Chale Chal Chaiya Chaiya
Walk in the shadow
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Walk in the shadow
Saare Ishq Ki Chaaon Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya
Saare Ishq Ki Chaaon Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya
Walk in heaven
Paanv Janat Chale Chal Chaiya Chaiya
Paanv Janat Chale Chal Chaiya Chaiya
Walk in the shadow
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Walk in the shadow
Woh Yaar Hai Jo Khusboo Ki Tarah
There’s a friend who is like a sweet fragrance
Jiski Zubaan Urdu Ki Tarah
Whose words are like poetry ( Urdu , the language of poetry )
Meri Shamo – Raat Meri Kaynaat
Who is my evening , my night , my existence
Woh Yaar Mera Saiyyan Saiyyan
That friend is my beloved !
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Walk in the shadow
Gulposh Kabhi Itraye Kahin
Sometimes ( My beloved ) flirts like a flower
Mehke To Nazar Aa Jaye Kahin
So fragrantly that you may see her scent
Gulposh Kabhi Itraye Kahin
Sometimes ( My beloved ) flirts like a flower
Mehke To Nazar Aa Jaye Kahin
So fragrantly that you may see her scent
Taabeez Banaa Ke Pahnoo Use
Having made it into an charm , I will wear it
Aayat Ki Tarah Mil Jaaye Kahin
She shall be obtained as a miracle is obtained
Taabeez Banaa Ke Pahnoo Use
Having made it into an charm , I will wear it
Aayat Ki Tarah Mil Jaaye Kahin
She shall be obtained as a miracle is obtained
Gulposh Kabhi Itraye Kahin
Sometimes ( My beloved ) flirts like a flower
Mehke To Nazar Aa Jaye Kahin
So fragrantly that you may see her scent
Mera Nagma Wahi Mera Kalma Wahi
She is my song, my declaration of faith ( Kalama: the Muslim confession of faith , as in , “La ilaaha il Allah” – “There is no God but Allah” )
Mera Nagma Wahi Mera Kalma Wahi
She is my song, my declaration of faith ( Kalama: the Muslim confession of faith , as in , “La ilaaha il Allah” – “There is no God but Allah” )
Woh Yaar Hai Jo Imaam Ki Tarah
My friend is like a priest to me
Mera Nagama Nagama
My song…..
Mera Qalama Qalama
My declaration of faith…..
Yaar Misaale Os Chale
She moves like the dew
Panv Ke Tale Firdaus Chale
She walks with the garden of heaven beneath her feet
Kabhi Daal Daal Kabhi Paat Paat
Sometimes through the branches , sometimes amidst the leaves
Main Hawa Pe Dhoondho Uske Nishaan
I shall search the wind for her trail !
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Walk in the shadow
Main Uske Roop Ka Sedaai
I trade in her beauty
Woh Dhoop Chhaanhon Sa Harjaaii
Fickle , she flits shamelessly from sun to shade
Woh Shokh Rang Badalta Hai
She changes her bright colors
Main Rang Roop Ka Saudaai
I negotiate that as well
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Chal Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya Chaiyya
Walk in the shadow
Woh Yaar Hai Jo Khusboo Ki Tarah
There’s a friend who is like a sweet fragrance
Jiski Zubaan Urdu Ki Tarah
Whose words are like poetry ( Urdu , the language of poetry )
Meri Shamo – Raat Meri Kaynaat
Who is my evening , my night , my existence
Woh Yaar Mera Saiyyan Saiyyan
That friend is my beloved !
Amazing version #4! I loved Landslide when it was first released by Fleetwood Mac in 1975 written by Stevie Nicks. I had the opportunity to see Fleetwood Mac perform Landslide outdoors twice in the summer of 1977 on their Rumors Tour. I had such a crush on Stevie:)
Fleetwood Mac Landslide Music Video
Then there was an excellent cover by Smashing Pumpkins which took residence in my car CD player for a month or so.
Amazing version #3 was by The Dixie Chicks who had a huge crossover hit with it and I just recently had a request for this version.
Now, Bush has released another version that is equally as forceful and full of Soul and passion!
Bush Landslide (Rooftop Version) Music Video
Stevie Nicks wrote this while debating going back to college or what to do with her romantic and musical partner Lindsay Buckingham. She was gazing out a window in Aspen, Colorado reflecting on her choices, “looking out at the Rocky Mountains pondering the avalanche of everything that had come crashing down on us … at that moment, my life truly felt like a landslide in many ways.”
Landslide Lyrics
I took my love, I took it down
Climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills
‘Till the landslide brought me down
Oh, mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life
Well, I’ve been afraid of changing
‘Cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I’m getting older too
Well, I’ve been afraid of changing
‘Cause I’ve built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Even children get older
And I’m getting older too
Oh, I’m getting older too
Oh, take my love, take it down
Oh, climb a mountain and turned around
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide will bring it down
And if you see my reflection in the snow covered hills
Well, the landslide will bring it down
Oh, the landslide will bring it down
U2 Beautiful Day. On this day, December 9th, in the year 2000, U2 made their first appearance on Saturday Night Live. As much as they are viewed as a commercial band today, that was not always the case. In fact, U2 was a band that started by Larry Mullen, Jr, the band’s drummer at age fourteen. He had posted a flier at his school looking for guys to start a band. The other three members that are still with the band showed-up along with a few other guys who either chose not to stick with the group or faded away. Their first meeting and rehearsal was in his kitchen. It was not till four years later that they received their first recording contract and were not very successful.
U2 Beautiful Day Music Video
An interesting note about the band. After their second album, The Edge, Bono and Mullen joined a Christian rock band named “Shalom Fellowship” and U2 almost broke-up over the spiritual direction of the band, long before U2 Beautiful Day.
U2 Beautiful Day is the first track from their 2000 album, All That You Can’t Leave Behind, and it was released as the album’s lead single. It was a commercial success, helping launch the album to multi-platinum status, and is one of U2’s biggest hits to date. Like many tracks from All That You Can’t Leave Behind, U2 Beautiful Day harkens back to the group’s past sound. The tone of The Edge‘s guitar was a subject of debate amongst the band members, as they disagreed on whether he should use a sound similar to that from their early career in the 1980s. Lead vocalist Bono explained that the upbeat track is about losing everything but still finding joy in what one has.
U2 Beautiful Day received positive reviews, and it became their fourth number-one single in the UK and their first number-one in the Netherlands. The song peaked at number 21 in the United States, the band’s highest position since “Discothèque” in 1997. In2001, the song won three Grammy Awards for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The group has played U2 Beautiful Day at every one of their concerts since the song’s 2001 live debut on the Elevation Tour.
It is hard to imagine that these three much celebrated artists could somehow all record together on the same song, will.i.am feat. Mick Jagger & Jennifer Lopez T.H.E. The Hardest Ever.
Apparently Mick Jagger is ending the year strong between the Maroon 5 hit, “Moves Like Jagger” and his performance on will.i.am feat. Mick Jagger & Jennifer Lopez T.H.E. The Hardest Ever, somehow he is back in the limelight again. What may be more amazing is that he is sixty-eight years old! How has he lasted this long with the lifestyle he has chosen? Is it true that last year he was quoted saying that he has a daily meditation and Buddhist practice? Is that the source of his youthful existence? His short piece on will.i.am feat. Mick Jagger & Jennifer Lopez T.H.E. The Hardest Ever even sounds good.
will.i.am feat. Mick Jagger & Jennifer Lopez T.H.E. The Hardest Ever Ever Music Video
willl.i.am continues to find creative means for producing pop hits without following the typical prescriptions. He does things his own way and makes music that is completely will.i.am-ish, like will.i.am feat. Mick Jagger & Jennifer Lopez T.H.E. The Hardest Ever.
“You can go hard or you can go home.”
Critical Response to will.i.am feat. Mick Jagger & Jennifer Lopez T.H.E. The Hardest Ever
The song has received mixed reviews from music critics. Simon Vozick-Levinson wrote a mixed review for Rolling Stone, stating that on the single will.i.am “strews dodgy rhymes (“I woke up in the morning/Hard like morning wood in the morning”) over diamond-bright synths, while J. Lo handles the efficient hook. It all feels a bit perfunctory – except for Mick’s guest verse, a kitschy delight delivered in a “Midnight Rambler” snarl.
The website “DJ Booth” also gave to the song a mixed review, writing that “this tough-as-nails cut finds Will, “Audiobot” and Dallas Austin teaming up to craft a danceable synth-percussion beat to back the B.E.P.mastermind as he delivers his trademark blend of Auto-Tuned singing and guilty-pleasure punchline lyricism. After a tuneful guest verse from J-Lo (who also lends her vocals to the chorus), the Rolling Stones frontman grabs the mic to flaunt his considerable swagger (and his poor math skills: “Hard like geometry, trigonometry / This is crazy—psychology”) in a gruff closing 16.”
Amy Sciarretto of “Pop Crush” wrote that “This is not a pretty dance song. It’s harsh, rough around the edges and, well, hard.” Billboard‘s Chris Payne wrote that ” The concept sounds crazy, but Will.i.am is the perfect studio whiz to oversee the commotion. The master of ceremonies adds to the fun by referencing “Back to the Future” to the Wu-Tang Clan to Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in his opening verse.
