#and i listened to building a mystery by sarah mclachlan about it

[based--ball]

building a mystery - sarah mclachlan

x/x/x/x/x/x/x/x

song

[splinter-cat]

Took a break from West Wing for a bit to watch some M*A*S*H, I’d seen some episodes but decided to properly watch through. About halfway through season 1 now and for some reason I keep thinking of Hawkeye when I listen to Sarah McLachlan’s Building a Mystery. I’ll have to report back in a few seasons on whether that still feels right lol

[swashbucklery]

i used to run cross country on the road where they filmed the bus scsene that buffy takes to leave sunnydale, before a chunk of the road fell into the ocean (pretty sure they also used it to film the end scene of DEBS) and I used to think about how Buffy was THERE. but your tags about the use of full of grace and that scene and the vibes — it’s been years since I thought about it but it all came rushing back. just. SO good.

There was something so - like, when that show was airing I was a few years younger than Buffy's canonical age, so in a lot of ways she felt like my cool older sister. I remember being like, I'm sure once I'm sixteen I'll also be mature enough to fight demons etc etc.

And now that I'm a grownup, I can look back at the show and both see its problems and see it's strengths. I can also look back at the extra layers that kid-me could not have picked up on - the way that in hindsight, sixteen is so young and one of the horrors of the show is the way that this girl, who is in many ways a kid and actually keeps saying please let me be a kid, is responsible for the entire world. The ways that translates into a metaphor (unintentional, let's not give Mr. W any credit here) for the ways in which girls are socialized and the ways that high-achieving, "strong," "smart" girls are still squeezed through the mold of misogyny and expected to be so much more than just to be enough.

Season 2 was the year I started watching the show and so it'll always be the season that Hits for me because it was the year I really started to get long-form TV and fall in love with characters in the medium. Buffy was my first fandom and the arc, at the time, of Angel turning and then Buffy having to put aside her heartbreak and fix it was. I don't know if it was actually something that hadn't been done before but in terms of what I could access on TV in my world, it was the pinnacle of the art form. I remember writing quotes from Passions in my teenage diary and being like Wow This Show Is So Deep, I Know How To Appreciate Art Now.

This was also, you have to understand/remember, pre-streaming anything. This was the year I learned how to use the record function on my family's VHS player so that I could watch the episodes without waiting for them to play in reruns. This was pre-Napster. If there was a moving song on a show you had to track down the artist, hope they had a CD out, get a ride to the mall to go to your local HMV and then buy the physical disc. This was also the era when there wasn't necessarily 100% crossover pop-cuture wise; if an American artist was Big it made it to Canadian stores but there were a lot of California indie bands that you just couldn't listen to if you didn't live in the US. Sarah McLachlan is Canadian and "Full of Grace" is the last track on Surfacing, which was an album everyone had at the time because "Building A Mystery" and "Adia" were huge on the radio that year. So it was also like - being able to sit with those feelings because I could actually access that song and listen to it again, you know?

[spaceageloveblog]

I remember the summer of 1997, the summer between high school and college for me, that's the first time I heard of Sarah McLachlan.

"Building a Mystery" was on the radio a lot. There were a lot of songs like that and artists like her out at the time: Paula Cole, Meredith Brooks, Shawn Colvin, Fiona Apple. It was a whole thing. Lilith Fair came a year later.

More Sarah McLachlan music came out during my college years. And then there was abused dogs commercial featuring her and her song "Angel." And that was it.

I recently discovered she made music before 1997. She had an album in 1989. The song "Vox" is a highlight. Apparently her breakthrough album came out in 1993, Fumbling Toward Ecstasy, which clearly didn't breakthrough for 14 year old me. "Possession" is the lead track, which I have heard previously, but before this week, would have guessed came out in 1999 or 2000.

I like pop music. My general awareness of pop music is greater than nearly everyone I come into contact with in real life. No one I talk to seems to have heard of most of the music I am listening to. But when I listen to music podcasters or YouTubers talk about pop music, their awareness is vastly deeper than mine. They speak with throwaway familiarity on the most obscure artists.

This must be how people in the top 10% of wealth feel when interacted with the bottom 90% and the top 1% respectively. My pop music awareness is rich. The people I meet every day are middle and working class. The music podcasters and YouTubers are billionaires.

Not sure what do with this observation. Going to listen to more Sarah McLachlan songs.

[xcziel]

tagged by @foxofninetales thank you for the tag!! 💖🌟💖🌟💖

you can usually tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. put your favorite playlist on shuffle and list the first ten songs!

so uh, i don't actually use playlists really? only when i want something new or very specific. the rest of the time i literally just put the entire tracklist on my phone on shuffle bc i DO NOT like ads, and i won't pay for spotify or whatever (this sometimes means a lot of skipping bc like i have hamilton and christmas songs etc, BUT i can skip as many times as like suck it spotify!)

Red Lights by Stray Kids - i'll start with what i've been listening to on repeat this week even though i have like no other kpop songs saved

World in Fascination by Machine in Motion - pretty typical 80s basement track

Breakdown by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - this era of american rock music was pretty fantastic

Paperlate by Genesis - yes there's a lot of dad rock, i'm old okay

Let the Music Play by Shannon - i do have a mental "... must ... dance" playlist and this is on it

Can't Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley - i bought the collected hits on my phone in the hospital so i could play them for my mom

Like a Stone by Audioslave - love me some Chris Cornell

Say It Right by Nelly Furtado - (stops to listen 14 times in a row bc it's hypnotically good to dance to)

Building a Mystery by Sarah McLachlan - from the years i was working two jobs and have like no memories, but things on the radio did stick

Bigmouth Strikes Again by The Smiths - ... i still don't know how joan of arc felt

i have no idea what these say about my taste except that it's very "white american", but if anybody wants my dance playlist i'll happily share that too

i'll tag @xia-xueyi @hesayshesgotboyfriend @aurawolfgirl2000 @lasenbyphoenix @xantissa (*only* if you feel like it) because i bet y'all have vastly broader taste in music than i do! ❤🌈⭐❤

[josy57]

Sarah McLachlan by Josy57

Sarah McLachlan is one of the very first artists whom I discovered as a pre-teen, when I started developing my own musical taste. In fact, I vividly remember receiving my first mp3 player for my 13th birthday and sitting in my friend Julie’s bedroom while she showed me how to load songs onto it, the very first of which was Building a Mystery.

I also remember my glee at finding the album Touch in a thrift shop in Hampstead during a trip to London with my parents.

I remember a particularly bad week during my first year of university, when two different guys asked me out and behaved like two different flavor of creepy shithead, which I coped with by listening to the album Laws of Illusion on repeat for hours and taking angry walks through the neighborhood.

I left home for a year at 20 for what would be my first big adventure, across the ocean, to Minnesota, a place I knew next to nothing about and where I knew no one. I remember sitting in the yellow buses I had only seen on tv before, riding to school in the morning surrounded by young children kneeling backwards on their seats to chat with their friends and glance curiously at the one adult intruder in their midst. The one adult intruder who smiled back and turned to the window, silently mouthing the words to Fallen which was blaring from her earphones.

Last year, I worked as a high school teacher during what must have been one of the hardest years to be a new teacher (which isn’t an easy job at the best of times). When things got especially exhaustingly nerve-racking, I would shut my door during the mid-morning break and blast Elsewhere through the classroom speakers. Then, at the end of the work day, I would walk home, even during the dark, wet, and windy late afternoons of winter in the North-East of France. I would leave the city and reach my little town, passing by a bridge I saw every day on my way to school as a little girl, watching the nearly overflowing river, muddy and strong from melting snow, while in my ears a voice sang ‘The only comfort is the moving of the river’.

This year, I moved away from home for good and into a place of my very own for the first time and I do enjoy being able to serenade my showerhead with In Your Shoes whenever I see fit.

Both Angel and I Will Remember You have become ‘memes’, to the point that it seems ‘uncool’ to enjoy Sarah McLachlan’s music unironically, because it’s too sentimental and too earnest. I personally don’t believe in guilty pleasures, don’t care about being cool, and am also too earnest and too sentimental anyway. Few songs speak as beautifully and truthfully of despair as Angel does. It’s my very favorite songs to sing and I can’t count how many times it’s given me solace in dark times.

Another thing I can’t count is the amount of times I have played one of Sarah McLachlan’s songs to my dad on his car’s stereo, so much so that asking ‘It’s beautiful. Is it Sarah McLachlan?’ every time you hear some music you like has become a joke in my family. My dad (whom I adore and have cried about more than once while listening to songs from the Shine On album, which Sarah McLachlan wrote about her father) introduced me to Joni Mitchell, it felt only right that I should introduce him to the other Canadian Queen of Music.

Sarah McLachlan and her music have always had a special place in my heart and have accompanied me to many places and through many stages of my life. Thank you ❤

[pro-bee]

Top 5 Bands from your childhood/teenage years

OOooh, this is a good one!

In no particular order:

1. The Spice Girls. The way they were a PHENOMENON cannot be overstated. We all knew their songs, we all dressed like them, I feel like 90% of my personality between the ages of 11 and 12 was Sporty Spice. (I saw them in concert twice about a decade later when they were on their “we need to make money” reunion tour and it was A GOOD TIME.) My friends and I went as the Spice Girls for Halloween for several years in a row....

2. Backstreet Boys. Now, this was a pretty short-lived obsession, but formative nonetheless. Man, they were EVERYWHERE when I was in sixth grade. EVERYWHERE. (I’m pretty sure I saw them in concert with my friend, even though I’d long since moved on... It was still nostalgic, even though it was only like three years later lmao.) I don’t know if kids these days still have bands that EVERYONE knows the words to like this? I mean, EVERYONE knew the dance to “Backstreet’s Back.” And I remember at one point later on in high school, my classmates used to bug one of our teachers by singing in class, and EVERYONE would join in, and one time it was “I Want It That Way.” (Kinda B99 styles lmao.) And over ten years later, you best believe all us millenials were busting a move to it on the dance floor at our work Christmas party. (OK, that may have been the open bar, but still.)

3. Celine Dion. Now, I can’t say I’m particularly a fan of hers as an adult. I don’t think I even listened to her music past “Falling Into You.” (Nothing against her, but, I just don’t listen to her music.) But she was THE BIGGEST DEAL when I was a kid. I think the first time I remember hearing her was on the “Beauty and the Beast” soundtrack, and of course, she was a big deal here in Canada since she was a homegrown superstar. I think “Falling Into You” may have been the first album I ever bought. (I remember it was on a table at our house and my mom’s friend came over and saw it and was like “oh God, who bought this crap?” and my mom coolly said “[pro-bee] did, with her own money.” I don’t think that friend was ever heard from ever again...)

4. Sarah McLachlan. My mom and my aunt loved her music. I got into her when “Building A Mystery” came out. Folk rock with harmonies? On the radio? SIGN ME UP! I used to belt out “Adia”. I’m realizing a lot of this list came out around 1997, so that was apparently an extremely important year in my musical development lmao. 

5. Britney Spears. Man, like the Spice Girls and BSB, when she hit the scene, there was no one like her and she was EVERYWHERE. We didn’t have cable when I was growing up so I was never into music videos or anything, but I remember being at my grandparents’ over Christmas and my cousins and I caught the “Baby One More Time” video on TV and it was WILD. She’s in school? But then she’s playing basketball? And then she’s back in class? WHAT? It really did usher in a new era of solo pop music. I got my friend tickets to her concert for her birthday (I think they cost all of $27? lol), and I’m pretty sure that’s the first big arena concert either of us had ever been to. I’ve had a soft spot for Britney ever since. I haven’t listened to her music in years, but I hope she makes it. (And you bet I sing along to “Baby One More Time” or “Crazy” anytime it comes on the radio.)

Ask me my top 5 anything

[sarahmcmenomy]

Tarot Reflections Playlist

I’ve been working on this for longer than I should probably admit, but I finally finished my complete Tarot Playlist! I’ve chosen one song for each card of the 78-card RWS Tarot deck. In the spirit of the little white book, I have excerpted a line or two from each song to justify its association with its chosen card. Each suit has its own musical themes, and some of the songs were chosen to invoke the elemental association of the suit. The Court Cards get their own playlist because it can double as an astrological playlist. There are also a few sillier songs picked primarily for humor value (though hopefully still in keeping with the theme of the song). What follows is a complete index, so you can easily listen to whichever parts of the playlist you want to or browse the whole thing.

Entire Playlist

Major Arcana

Wands

Cups

Swords

Pentacles

Court Cards

Major Arcana

0. The Fool: “The Wanderer” by U2, The Edge, and Johnny Cash

“I went out there in search of experience, to taste and to touch and to feel as much as a man can before he repents.”

1. The Magician: “I am the Mercury” by Jimmie Spheeris

“For I am the mercury, the light of the morning, looking for shelter in this thunder and this rain. And you, like some windmill, weave light where it's storming, and love, like a potion for the hunger and the pain. Let it rain...”

2. The High Priestess: “Witch” by The Bird and the Bee

“Yes, I am a carnival, a house of mirrors... and I will con you. And all my tricks and all my magic will keep you dizzy with desire...”

3. The Empress: “Suddenly I See” by KT Tunstall

“Her face is a map of the world, is a map of the world... You can see she's a beautiful girl, she's a beautiful girl... And everything around her is a silver pool of light; The people who surround her feel the benefit of it... It makes you calm.”

4. The Emperor: “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay

“I used to rule the world; seas would rise when I gave the word. Now in the morning, I sleep alone, sweep the streets I used to own. I used to roll the dice, feel the fear in my enemy's eyes, listen as the crowd would sing... Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!“

5. The Hierophant: “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers

“He said, ‘Son, I've made a life out of readin’ people's faces, knowin’ what the cards were by the way they held their eyes. So if you don't mind me sayin’, I can see you’re out of aces. For a taste of your whiskey, I’ll give you some advice.’” 

6. The Lovers: “Dance Me to the End of Love” by Leonard Cohen

“Dance me to the wedding now, dance me on and on; dance me very tenderly and dance me very long. We're both of us beneath our love, we're both of us above... dance me to the end of love.”

7. The Chariot: “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen

“I'm a shooting star, leaping through the sky! Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity. I'm a racing car, passing by like Lady Godiva, I'm gonna go, go, go! There's no stopping me!”  

8. Strength: “Roar” by Katy Perry

“I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire, 'cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar, louder, louder than a lion, 'cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar!” 

9. The Hermit: “Building a Mystery” by Sarah McLachlan

“You live in a church where you sleep with voodoo dolls, and you won't give up the search for the ghosts in the halls... You wear sandals in the snow, and a smile that won't wash away. Can you look out the window without your shadow getting in the way?”

10. The Wheel of Fortune: “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” by the Byrds

“To everything (turn, turn, turn) there is a season (turn, turn, turn) and a time to every purpose, under heaven...”

11. Justice: “Botched Execution” by Shovels and Rope

“I gotta find a friend, someone to tell I didn't do it, but my picture's in the paper and there's no way that I can prove it... and the body's in the closet 'cause I never got to move it... Now the neighbor's kids are talking sayin' everybody knew it... All my little seeds have grown... Sooner, later, come back home...”

12. The Hanged Man: “Philosophy” by Ben Folds Five

“Won't you look up at the skyline, at the mortar, block, and glass, and check out the reflections in my eyes. See they always used to be there, even when this all was grass, and I sang and danced about a high-rise. And you were laughing at my helmet hat... Laughing at my torch...”

13. Death: “End of the Line” by The Traveling Wilburys

“Well it's all right, even when push comes to shove. Well it's all right, if you got someone to love. Well it's all right, everything'll work out fine. Well it's all right, we're going to the end of the line.” 

14. Temperance: “Under Pressure” by Queen

“Turned away from it all like a blind man. Sat on a fence, but it don't work. Keep coming up with love but it's so slashed and torn... Why, why, why? Love, love, love, love, love... Insanity laughs, under pressure we're breaking.”

15. The Devil: “Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones

“Just as every cop is a criminal, and all the sinners saints, as heads is tails... Just call me Lucifer, 'cause I'm in need of some restraint.”

16. The Tower: “The Beginning Is The End Is The Beginning” by the Smashing Pumpkins

“The sewers belch me up; the heavens spit me out. From Ether's tragic I am born again, and now I'm with you now, inside your world of wow, to move in desires made of deadly pretense, ‘til the end times begin.”  

17. The Star: “You Gotta Be” by Des’ree

“Listen as your day unfolds, challenge what the future holds. Try and keep your head up to the sky.”

18. The Moon: “Hope Eyrie” by Leslie Fish

“But we who feel the weight of the wheel, when winter falls over our world, can hope for tomorrow and raise our eyes to a silver moon in the open skies and a single flag unfurled. For the Eagle has landed; tell your children when. Time won't drive us down to dust again.”

19. The Sun: “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream

“I'm with you my love, the light's shining through on you. Yes, I'm with you my love, it's the morning and just we two. I'll stay with you darling now, I'll stay with you till my seas are dried up... I've been waiting so long, to be where I'm going, in the sunshine of your love.”

20. Judgement: “Ring the Bells” by James

“Ring, ring the bells! Wake the town! Everyone is sleeping. Shout at the crowd! Wake them up! This anger's deeper than sleep! Got to keep awake to what is happening, I can't see a thing through my ambition, I no longer feel my God is watching over me. Got to tell the world we've all been dreaming, this is not the end, a new beginning... I no longer feel my God is watching over me.”

21. The World: “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong

“The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky, are also on the faces of people going by. I see friends shaking hands, saying, ‘how do you do.’ They're really saying, ‘I love you.’ I hear babies crying, I watch them grow... they'll learn much more than I'll ever know. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.”

Wands

1. The Ace of Wands: “Spark” by the Bird and the Bee

“Tell me a tale, something with fire, to break from the sorrows. To break through the dirt, piles of earth, to see where the sun goes... What if I stopped just for a while to see if I'm closer? Still half the night, just for a while to see where the sun goes, oh, oh, oh...”

2. The Two of Wands: "First We Take Manhattan” by Leonard Cohen

“I'm guided by a signal in the heavens. I'm guided by this birthmark on my skin. I'm guided by the beauty of our weapons... First we take Manhattan, then we take Berlin.”

3. The Three of Wands: “Billionaire” by Travie McCoy ft. Bruno Mars

“Oh every time I close my eyes... I see my name in shining lights... Yeah, a different city every night, oh right, I swear, the world better prepare for when I'm a billionaire.” 

4. The Four of Wands: “Eternal Flame” by The Bangles

“Say my name, sun shines through the rain... A whole life so lonely, and then you come and ease the pain. I don't want to lose this feeling, oh... Close your eyes, give me your hand. Do you feel my heart beating? Do you understand? Do you feel the same? Am I only dreaming? Or is this burning an eternal flame?“

5. The Five of Wands: “The Ultimate Showdown” by Lemon Demon

“This is the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny: good guys, bad guys, and explosions as far as the eye can see... and only one will survive: I wonder who it will be? This is the ultimate showdown of ultimate destiny.”

6. The Six of Wands: “We are the Champions” by Queen

“We are the champions, my friends, and we'll keep on fighting 'til the end! We are the champions! We are the champions! No time for losers, 'cause we are the champions of the world!”

7. The Seven of Wands: “Uprising” by Muse

“Rise up and take the power back. It's time that the fat cats had a heart attack, you know that their time is coming to an end. We have to unify and watch our flag ascend.”

8. The Eight of Wands: “Fast as you Can” by Fiona Apple

“I let the beast in and then I even tried forgiving him, but it's too soon. So I'll fight again, again, again, again, again and for a little while more, I'll soar the uneven wind, complain and blame the sterile land.”

9. The Nine of Wands: “Conquest of Spaces” by Woodkid

“I'm ready to start the conquest of spaces expanding between you and me... Come with the night, the science of fighting, the forces of gravity...”

10. The Ten of Wands: “Running up that Hill” by Kate Bush

“And if I only could, I'd make a deal with God, and I'd get him to swap our places, be running up that road, be running up that hill, be running up that building...”

Cups

1. The Ace of Cups: “Quiet” by Milck

“But no one knows me, no one ever will, if I don't say something, if I just lie still. Would I be that monster, scare them all away, if I let them hear what I have to say? I can't keep quiet.”

2. The Two of Cups: “Bus Stop” by The Hollies

“Every morning I would see her waiting at the stop. Sometimes she'd shop, and she would show me what she'd bought. Other people stared as if we were both quite insane... Someday my name and hers are going to be the same.”

3. The Three of Cups: “The Cult of Dionysus” by The Orion Experience

“I'm feeling devious, you're looking glamorous... let's get mischievous... and polyamorous. Wine and women and wonderful vices... Welcome to the cult of Dionysus!”

4. The Four of Cups: “High by the Beach” by Lana del Rey

“I don't wanna do this anymore, it's so surreal. I can't survive if this is all that's real... All I wanna do is get high by the beach, get high by the beach, get high...”

5. The Five of Cups: “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” by The Pet Shop Boys

“I bought you drinks, I brought you flowers. I read you books and talked for hours... Every day, so many drinks, such pretty flowers. So tell me, what have I, what have I, what have I done to deserve this?”

6. The Six of Cups: “In My Life” by The Beatles

“There are places I'll remember, all my life, though some have changed... Some forever, not for better. Some have gone and some remain...”

7. The Seven of Cups: “Which Will” by Nick Drake

“Which do you dance for? Which makes you shine? Which will you choose now, if you won't choose mine?”

8. The Eight of Cups: “Go West” by The Pet Shop Boys

“(Go West) Life is peaceful there, (go West!) in the open air, (go West!) where the skies are blue... (go West!) This is what we're gonna do.”

9. The Nine of Cups: “No Surprises” by Radiohead

“Such a pretty house... and such a pretty garden... No alarms and no surprises, no alarms and no surprises, no alarms and no surprises, please...”

10. The Ten of Cups: “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog

“Someday we'll find it, the Rainbow Connection... the lovers, the dreamers and me.”

Swords

1. The Ace of Swords: “One” by U2

“You say love is a temple, love is a higher law... Love is a temple, love is a higher law. You ask me of me to enter, but then you make me crawl, and I can't keep holding on to what you got, 'cause all you got is hurt.”

2. The Two of Swords: “I Can’t Decide” by The Scissor Sisters

“I can't decide whether you should live or die... Oh, you'll probably go to heaven; please don't hang your head and cry...”

3. The Three of Swords: “The Killing Type” by Amanda Palmer

"I would kill to make you feel. I don't mean kill someone for real. I couldn't do that, it is wrong... But I can say it in a song.”

4. The Four of Swords: “Take it Easy” by The Eagles

“Take it easy, take it easy. Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy. Lighten up while you still can, don't even try to understand, just find a place make your stand. Take it easy.”

5. The Five of Swords: “Young Men Dead” by the Black Angels

“Run for the hills, pick up your feet and let's go. We did our jobs, pick up speed now, let’s move. The trees can't grow without the sun in their eyes, and we can't live if we're too afraid to die.”

6. The Six of Swords: “I Will Survive” by Cake

“At first I was afraid, I was petrified. I kept thinking I could never live without you by my side. But then I spent so many nights just thinking how you'd done me wrong. I grew strong; I learned how to get along.”

7. The Seven of Swords: “Sabotage” by The Beastie Boys

“I can't stand it, I know you planned it! I'mma set it straight, this Watergate. I can't stand rockin' when I'm in here, 'cause your crystal ball ain't so crystal clear. So while you sit back and wonder why I got this fuckin' thorn in my side, oh my god, it's a mirage! I'm tellin' y'all, it's sabotage.”

8. The Eight of Swords: “Whipping Post” by the Allman Brothers Band

“Sometimes I feel, sometimes I feel, like I been tied to the whippin' post, tied to the whippin' post, tied to the whippin' post. Good Lord, I feel like I'm dyin'.”

9. The Nine of Swords: “Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums” by A Perfect Circle

“Don't fret, precious, I'm here. Step away from the window, and go back to sleep... safe from pain, and truth, and choice... and other poison devils. See, they don't give a fuck about you, like I do. Count lies like sheep, like sheep, like sheep, like sheep, like sheep, like sheep...”

10. The Ten of Swords: “Hurt” by Johnny Cash

“I hurt myself today to see if I still feel. I focus on the pain, the only thing that's real. The needle tears a hole, the old familiar sting. Try to kill it all away, but I remember everything. What have I become, my sweetest friend? Everyone I know goes away in the end.”

Pentacles

1. The Ace of Pentacles: “Dime” by Cake

“I'm a dime, I'm fine, and I shine. I'm freshly minted. I am determined not to be dented by a car or by a plane or anything not yet invented...”

2. The Two of Pentacles: “Down to Earth” by Peter Gabriel

“Did you think that your feet had been bound by what gravity brings to the ground? Did you feel you were tricked by the future you picked? Well, come on down. All these rules don't apply when you're high in the sky, so come on down, come on down.”

3. The Three of Pentacles: “With a Little Help from My Friends” by Joe Cocker

“What would you do if I sang out of tune? Would you stand up and walk out on me? Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song, I will try not to sing out of key.”

4. The Four of Pentacles: “This is the Life” by “Weird Al” Yankovic

“They say that money corrupts you, but I can't really tell... I got the whole world at my feet, and I think it's pretty swell.”

5. The Five of Pentacles: “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by The Rolling Stones

“No, you can't always get what you want... You can't always get what you want... You can't always get what you want... But if you try sometimes, you find, you get what you need.”

6. The Six of Pentacles: “Rent” by The Pet Shop Boys

“We never ever argue, we never calculate the currency we've spent... I love you, you pay my rent “

7. The Seven of Pentacles: “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac

“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 ‘til the landslide brought me down.” 

8. The Eight of Pentacles: “The Weaver” by Steeleye Span

“The loom goes click and the loom goes clack; the shuttle flies forward and then flies back. The weaver's so bent that he's like to crack... such a wearisome trade is the weaver.” 

9. The Nine of Pentacles: “My Way” by Frank Sinatra

“I've loved, I've laughed and cried. I've had my fill, my share of losing. And now, as tears subside, I find it all, all so amusing... To think I did all that, and may I say, not in a shy way... oh no, no, not me. I did it my way.” 

10. The Ten of Pentacles: “Monument” by Röyskopp and Robyn

“This will be my monument. This will be a beacon when I'm gone, gone, gone... When I'm gone, gone, gone... When I'm gone... So that when that moment comes, I can say I did it all with love, love, love... All with love, love, love... All with love.”

Court Cards

Wands

1. The Page of Wands: “The Arsonist’s Lullaby” by Hozier

“All you have is your fire, and the place you need to reach. Don't you ever tame your demons, but always keep 'em on a leash.”

2. The Knight of Wands (Sagittarius, the Archer): “Portrait of the Knight of Wands” by Suzanne Vega

“His mood was melancholy, his attitude severe. His inner burden weighed upon him mightily.” 

3. The Queen of Wands (Aries, the Ram): “The Queen of Hollywood” by the Corrs

“She's never gonna be like the one before. She read it in her stars that there's something more. No matter what it takes, no matter how she breaks...”

4. The King of Wands (Leo, the Lion): “King and Lionheart” by Of Monsters and Men

“And as the world comes to an end, I'll be here to hold your hand, 'cause you're my king and I'm your lion-heart.”

Cups

1. The Page of Cups: “The Salmon Dance” by The Chemical Brothers

“Hello, boys and girls, my name is Fat Lip, and this is my friend, Sammy the Salmon! Today we're gonna teach you some fun facts about salmon and a brand new dance.”

2. The Knight of Cups (Pisces, the Fishes): “Knight of Noir” by Susanne Sundfor

“I can't go back again and lock the door. In the dead of night I hear her call out for more. I want to be stung by the stars, I gave her my soul and my heart, and now I am a slave.”

3. The Queen of Cups (Cancer, the Crab): “The Queen and I” by Gym Class Heroes

“I love it how she breaths booze in the morning... and it’s so sexy how she can't remember last night... I made the fatal mistake of letting her drink again. But who the hell am I to tell her how to live her life?”

4. The King of Cups (Scorpio, the Scorpion): “Sea King” by Eisley 

“Sea King, Sea king, can't you see that you're so silly? Sea King, I know things, and without love you won't get far...”

[Honorable mention: Franz Schubert’s rendition of Goethe’s “Der Koenig in Thule” is probably the ultimate King of Cups song, but it felt too different in musical style -- and language -- to include in this playlist. Still, it’s gorgeous, and the lyrics are perfect.]

Swords

1. The Page of Swords: “The Sword and the Pen” by Regina Spektor

“What if the sword kills the pen? What if the god kills the man? And if he does it with love, well then, it's death from above, and death from above is still a death...”

2. The Knight of Swords (Gemini, the Twins): “Knights of Cydonia” by Muse

“No one's going to take me alive. Time has come to make things right. You and I must fight for our rights. You and I must fight to survive.”

3. The Queen of Swords (Libra, the Scales): “My Snow White Queen” by Evanescence

“You belong to me, my snow white queen... There's nowhere to run, so let's just get it over.”

4. The King of Swords (Aquarius, the Water Bearer): “The Idiot Kings” by Soul Coughing

“Batting in the light, my reptile-lidded eyes. And all this strung end to end, is wider than the mind.”

Pentacles

1. The Page of Pentacles: “Sweet Child” by Pentangle

“You've been working so hard all day, won't you take your rest? You've been driving my blues away, now it is my turn. Come fly beneath my wings, sweet child it may not be for long.”

2. The Knight of Pentacles (Virgo, the Virgin): “Knights of Malta” by Smashing Pumpkins

“Where omens scar your door... Like a harvest we're bound and set for war... But no soldier comes...”

3. The Queen of Pentacles (Capricorn, the Goat): "Dreaming of the Queen” by The Pet Shop Boys

“Then carriages arrived... We stood and said goodbye. Diana dried her eyes and looked surprised, for I was in the nude. The old Queen disapproved, but people laughed and asked for autographs.”

4. The King of Pentacles (Taurus, the Bull): “A Farewell to Kings” by Rush

“Cities full of hatred, fear and lies, withered hearts, and cruel, tormented eyes... Scheming demons dressed in kingly guise, beating down the multitude, and scoffing at the wise. Whoa, can't we raise our eyes and make a start? Can't we find the minds to lead us closer to the heart?”

Giant shout-out to the Tarot Nerds Facebook Group for inspiring me. You are the best.

[thesinglesjukebox]

CAMELPHAT & CRISTOPH FT. JEM COOKE - BREATHE

[6.14]

Today in mysteries: Jem Cooke's bio says she's worked with Cher, but either it's a different Cher, it's some sample weirdness, or it's completely avoided the Internet...

Scott Mildenhall: After the great pains exerted to prevent people from knowing that one of CamelPhat is the voice of "Pretty Green Eyes" -- one of the greatest singles of the 21st century -- it's somewhat amusing that the apparently more "credible" successors to Ultrabeat are releasing music that is almost of a piece with it, save for a few cosmetic changes. In 2019, do the supposed sonic politics of cool, and the presumed damage of damnable discographies, still demand such subterfuge? Quite probably millions of people love "Pretty Green Eyes," however much faith is put into a nebulous classism that deems an ethereal female vocal more worthy than a big Scouse bloke shouting "NEVER HAVE TO BE ALONE." How many would care, listening to this, if they discovered that they were driving a Mini Metro? [6]

Alfred Soto: Now this hits the spot: echo-draped vocal reminiscent of Róisín Murphy over the kind of house sequencer about which I can wax nostalgic but is faster and softer than its predecessors. [7]

Joshua Minsoo Kim: Jem Cooke has a good voice, but it doesn't really mean anything when it's made to sound like every other house vocal. It's also surrounded by the cheapest of progressive house tricks, all of which are handled with little grace. [3]

Iris Xie: Am I back in 1999, pre-Y2K? The soft, rounded ebbing pulse of the synth sounds nostalgic, the vocal style is something heard everywhere before. "Breathe" is the equivalent to meshing together all popular "electronic dance" songs, whatever that means, and getting the uniform average. [5]

Thomas Inskeep: Floor-filling peak-hour house tightened into pop single form? Fuck yes -- CamelPhat has clearly been paying attention to the likes of MK. Additionally, Jem Cooke needs to be made a star right now. [7]

Katherine St Asaph: Another fine entry into the mini-canon of songs that sound like Sarah McLachlan dance remixes, even thought I'd rather get pulped by a sledgehammer than have to tell someone "oh, it's by this group CamelPhat." [8]

Iain Mew: This is one of the better uses of a particular recently popular frozen synth sound, and it's about building something around it, giving it some tension to play against. The effect is like Jem Cooke is out on the tundra and the ground beneath her is starting to glow and throb. If it gets a little overdramatic in the end, at least it's earned it. [7]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[sarahlevys]

Okay, trope choices? Valid. Here's another Q: How about some of your favorite twylexis and ruthie songs and/or lyrics? — SV

hi SV! i hope you're having a great tuesday and week so far.

i have an unnecessarily-long twylexis playlist here (with cover art from @danieljradcliffe) that i'm always adding to! but particular favorites for twylexis include 'gold rush' by taylor swift, 'paris in the rain' by lauv, 'butterflies' by kacey musgraves, 'say it' by maggie rogers, 'like gold' by vance joy... i'm sure i'm missing a whole bunch.

for ruthie, my favorite is 'building a mystery' by sarah mclachlan (which i used for the title of Choosing So Carefully!). i don't have a ruthie playlist yet (a big mistake on my part) but whenever i'm writing them, i tend to listen to this 90s acoustic playlist a lot.

[pinktatertots99]

MUSIC TAG!!! YAY!!!

I got tagged by @fangirl20 THANK YOU!!!

Instructions: You can tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. Put your music on shuffle and list the first 10 songs, then tag 10 people. No skipping.

how to save a life-the fray

mine-Taylor swift

over you-daughtry

how soon is now-t.a.t.u

remember everything-five finger death punch

right now-Mary j Blige

don't mess with me-temposhark

building a mystery-Sarah McLachlan

walk away-Kelly Clarkson

get stoned-hinder

now I tag: @sugarpinkbloodtea @fizzytears @proxypunch @the-red-rose-dragon @ayalaatreides @minty-zombie @mostlikelytofangirl @pizzahutchan124 @wukongs-strife @freezingdreamer

[kpopwhynot]

Shuffle Tag

Tagged by the lovely @kpopthirstaddicted!  Someone actually notices me on Tumblr!

Instructions: You can tell a lot about a person by the type of music they listen to. Put your music on shuffle and list first 10 songs, then tag 10 people. No skipping!

I’m using my music on my iPad which only holds a fraction of my music.

1. 4 In The Morning (Gwen Stefani) 2. Warwick Avenue (Duffy) 3. Monster (Kanye West and Friends) 4. Building A Mystery (Sarah McLachlan) 5. Lemondade (Danity Kane) 6. Body (MOBB-Mino) 7. It’s Going to MAY!...haha Me (*N Sync)-That’s hysterical 8. Wonderwall (Oasis) 9. Let’s Go Crazy (Prince and The Revolution) 10. Holdup (MOBB-Bobby)

Even the shuffle knows you can’t make me pick between Bobby and Mino. Nope...can’t do it.

So now I have to tag some people: @scenerios4twopm @fy-winner @frickyeah2pm @winneresque @alittlebitblockbbias @zico-mino-trash @iheartzico53 and anyone else

[cinderteethe]

tagged!

tagged by @nonbinaryfrancisabernathy

Rules: You can tell a lot about a person by the music they listen to. Put your music on shuffle and list the first ten songs, then tag 10 people.

Shadowlit Facade- Dark Tranquility

What Kind Of Man- Florence + The Machine

Machine Gun-Portishead

What Simple Is True- Jewel

I Caught Fire- The Used

Here’s To The Heartache- Nothing More

Hemorrhage- Fuel

Building A Mystery- Sarah Mclachlan

Climb To Sakteng- Imogen Heap

Smells Like Teen Spirit-Live at The Reading 1992- Nirvana

hm...ill tag 10 mutuals.. @edderkopper @trans-tabitha93 @anaisnein @the-trinity-bliss @distractingsquirrel @pavot-dore @tinyeldritchmonster @mauthegrim @dreaminganddoubting @icystarfish 

[danmacrae]

Surge® Presents: The It’s Dan MacRae’s Top 97 Tracks Of 1997 (97-91 + intro blab nonsense)

Howdy! It’s popular entertainment’s Dan MacRae (Top Gun, Cocktail, The Last Samurai) here to talk to you about 1997. What a truly thrilling time to be alive. The public had not yet been rocked by the news that Flooz.com failed. Or existed. Anygoofz, I’ve elected to fart out a 97 best tracks of 1997 list for my own amusement. Re-releases, crossover appearances and other nonsense has been given consideration.

The blabs will be lazy and I want to assure you, as always, that my rankings will be wrong. I’m being propped up by the lizard people shadow government (WHO HAVE REALLY BEEN LETTING SHIT SLIP OF LATE) and my picks have been compromised. On a genuine note, if you have your own list, I’d like to dork out and read it. Even if it’s just an MS Paint document of that digital spray paint reading “CITY GUYS THEME, DUDE!”

Come along with me on this half-assed joyride! No shame. Only gems. Links ahoy!

97. Sarah McLachlan - Building A Mystery: If the mystery Sarah McLachlan’s been building to involves getting ASPCA dogs to fight each other I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT! Even if it were like on Draft Kings as a goof. NO DEAL, UNLIKELY MCLACHLAN SCENARIO! No friggin’ deal.

96. Duncan Sheik - Barely Breathing: Truly the RASCAL of your local lite FM station’s no-repeat workday! I imagined this soundtracked a lot of through jeans stuff at youth centre coffee shops in the late 90s.

95. Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz - Deja Vu (Uptown Baby): Found this on the “Deja Vu” Wikipedia page. Not sure how I missed this.

“The song is built around a sample of Steely Dan's "Black Cow". In exchange for clearing use of the sample, Steely Dan requested an advance payment of $115,000 as well as 100% of publishing royalties, and as a result of this agreement, Steely Dan members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen are the sole credited songwriters on "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)"”

94. Gob - B Flat: Christ, this video has so much padding. It’s like Gob were sent a fax reading “MuchWest needs filler.”

93. Chumbawamba - Tubthumping: “Amnesia” will not fare as well on the 1998 list.

92. Queen Pen featuring Teddy Riley - Man Behind The Music: The honking on this still drives me nuts. If I’m ever off my face on drugs, don’t let me listen to this. I’ll LOVE it, obviously. It’s just I’ll start plunging things into my brain to make the honking stop. Why won’t it stop? Oh, it stopped.

91. Save Ferris - Come On Eileen: Who the fuck am I trying to impress? I like doofus-ass ska covers sometimes. It’s also one of those tracks that seem silly, but I can totally see a Doug lovin’ teen rejuvenating their soul in this. 

[ukrainianwomenonline]

How to attract Ukrainian women naturally, effortlessly… without trying

Keen on Ukrainian ladies? Yes, they are the most beautiful, elegant and respectful women in the world. Look, this article is about helping you meet, attract and keep a high-value Ukrainian wife!

If you become the best version of yourself, you will naturally attract Ukrainian ladies.

According to my observation, a life-long learner is an attractive guy because he is ready to learn something anywhere, at any time.

Tom Bilyeu is a high achiever in Los Angeles. Every night he goes to bed at 9pm and wakes up at around 3am without an alarm clock. Then he gets up within 10 minutes and goes to the gym, even though he hates going to the gym. Obviously, Tom Bilyeu knows the importance of doing some exercise every day. After that, he works on his mindset by reading a book.

Jordan Harbinger is an American radio personality with a wildly successful podcast. He also goes to the gym every day while listening to an audio book. Apparently, successful men highly value knowledge and learning – they are all avid readers!

Now I’m going to list some very valuable and interesting books in this article so that you can add something to your reading list this year.

First, Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass is the most important book that you should read if you would like to become a romantic guy. It is said that Bill Clinton gave Hillary Clinton this book when they were dating in the 70s. Bill also gave Leaves of Grass to Monica Lewinsky in the 90s. It seems that this is a sensual book as it’s famous for its discussion of pleasure in a time when this type of topics was not allowed. I would argue that the writing style in this book is very romantic and any man can learn a thing or two from this book when it comes to romantic love.

Second, Neil Strauss’s The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book About Relationships is my favorite book in the world. As an autobiographical book, The Truth teaches you how to build and maintain a serious relationship when you are ready for something meaningful in your love life. Because Ukraine Brides Agency is for men who are looking for real relationships, we definitely recommend this very informative and educational book.

Third, Robert Greene and 50 Cent’s The 50th Law is an extremely useful book which is all about strategies and fearlessness. Those who suffer from anxiety should totally read this book as soon as possible. You will learn how to thrive outside of your comfort zone and become a better version of yourself by overcoming your fear. Next, a lovely Ukrainian lady recommended a novel called Girl with a Pearl Earring to our website. In this story, Johannes Vermeer works with Griet, a female servant in their house. As a guy and a lady work in the same room, the chemistry is real. The author describes this relationship in a very subtle, vivid and moving way.

What can you learn from fictional characters?

In his book The Alter Ego Effect (recommended by another Ukrainian woman), Todd Herman argues that having a secret identity is the best way to improve yourself! Please let me explain.

Many years ago, I saw a movie called Legally Blonde in which Elle is an ambitious, hardworking and fashionable woman. Now every time when I need to feel energized, I simply imagine that I am Elle from Legally Blonde! This changes my state instantly. It really works.

Now how can this theory help you? Well, if you’d like to attract a high-value Ukrainian bride, you can use your secret identity to improve yourself in the first place.

That means you may imitate fictional characters as long as it works for you!

For instance, let’s say you would like to look more mysterious, you can imagine that you are Joe in Meet Joe Black. Yes, Joe is more attractive and mysterious than James Bond, according to a survey amongst Ukrainian ladies. 😉

But if you want to become a romantic writer, you can imitate Alex Wyler from The Lake House. This guy is able to communicate really well with written words, which is a very important skill when it comes to online dating, right?

Have you seen the movie Black Swan? It is a psychologically horror movie and it’s a masterpiece in this category. In this story, Thomas Leroy is a good example – he is a fearless man!

Another interesting example is Dr. William Harford in Eyes Wide Shut. But we all know that story is probably a fantasy only.

Of course, you can even imagine that you are Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey! Why not? Christian Grey is confident, powerful and dominant. He is a real alpha male that Ukrainian women admire.

Why music makes you a more charming man:

Now I’m going to show you several songs that will make you a more attractive man.

Let’s say you are about to go out for a date with a Ukrainian lady. In order to make you feel the romantic feelings fast, you can listen to Diana Ross and Westlife’s When You Tell Me That You Love Me. Diana Ross is a soul singer with a very beautiful voice. It’s an emotive, loving and sensuous song that will put you in the right mood.

Another song that you may want to save on your playlist is Sarah McLachlan’s I Love You which is a gorgeous song that you can listen to when you are driving. If you plan to drive your Ukrainian girlfriend home, you should totally put on this song as the background music in your car.

Sarah McLachlan has another song called Last Dance. Technically, it’s not a song because it’s 100% music without lyrics. You can keep listening to this song when you are cooking dinner with your Ukrainian girlfriend at home – it’s so relaxing.

Also, Richard Marx’s Right Here Waiting is another beautiful song that will make you feel the right feelings instantly. It’s very emotional and enchanting.

Charm is the gatekeeper in dating and relationships; what really keeps a woman is your personality.

Your girlfriend wants to feel important. So, when you talk to her, you should make her feel that she is the only person in the room, even if you two are attending a dinner party. Remember: every woman wants to feel valued and cherished by her man.

In order to become the most charming guy in the world, you need to start from working on your smile. The most charming smile looks like this: this smile starts from your lips, and gradually the smile travels to your eyes. Then this smile becomes a flood on your face. What an irresistible smile!

When you are in a relationship with a Ukrainian woman, please remember to show your approval and appreciation often. Say thank you frequently. In psychology, this is called positive reinforcement. The more you acknowledge her, the better she will become.

“If you give your Ukrainian girlfriend enough admiration and attention, she will love you more and more each day.”

Ukraine Brides Agency Blog https://ift.tt/2Xw2SHO

[karaokeadvice]

Advice: Karaoke For A Cast Party...WITH IMPROV PEOPLE

We received the following urgent request for help and we live to serve the karaoke community:

I need karaoke advice for a party with...improv people. It's a cast party, I am a LOT older than most of the cast, and my voice is a B- AT BEST. Is there anything that might bring the generations together? Or a gem from the days of yore to blow their minds?

Karen here. Listen. Having worked with several improv people over the years, one thing I can say with confidence is that most of them fancy themselves really good rappers. It makes sense; the skill sets are similar, and while the actual results are extremely mixed, karaoke is all about rejoicing in extremely mixed results and celebrating them. Please consider some of these what I like to call “a-rip rap rippety do classics.” That’s not an insult; lots of these songs are great songs, some of them are bad songs, but they all have a certain cadence to them that’s bound to make the improvisers go wild:

Rapper’s Delight - The Sugar Hill Gang I Wish - Skee-Lo One Week - Barenaked Ladies (I know. I’m just reporting here.) (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!) - the Beastie Boys Just A Friend - Biz Markie Bust A Move - Young MC Goin’ Back To Cali - LL Cool J Thrift Store - Macklemore Lose Yourself - Eminem U Can’t Touch This - MC Hammer

Here’s another tactic: I was sitting in a bar chatting with my friend Miranda the other day when “Fallen Angel” by Poison suddenly came on the jukebox. All conversation stopped for a breathless four minutes of delighted yell-singing, enthusiastic pointing, air drumming, air guitaring, staring into each other’s eyes while yelling the line “ROLLIN’ THE DICE OF HER LIFE!” while air dice rolling, laughing in disbelief as we came in perfectly on the bridge with “too much too soon and just a little too late”...you get the picture.

I’m sure you all read my 2018 Vice article The Notorious Documentary That Accidentally Killed Hair Metal in which I mentioned a Spotify-based study that used listening data to conclude that our adult musical preferences set in right around the time we turn 13 for women, 14 for men. Sure enough, “Fallen Angel” was released and reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on October 8, 1988, just two months before my 13th birthday.

Perhaps the secret to getting people really enthusiastic about a song is to suddenly spring the #12 song on the Billboard Top 100 from the second week in October from the year they turned 13?! Let’s check out our options for karaoke enthusiasts from age 50 back to age 25; I’ll even throw in a nearby “alternate” selection, say #11 or #13! If you’re under 25, well, check for yourself, PeachCheeks.

So, if you’re 50 now, you turned 13 in 1982, which would make your song: Blue Eyes - Elton John (alternate: Heart Attack - Olivia Newton John)

49? 1983: How Am I Supposed To Live Without You - Laura Branigan (alternate: All Night Long - Lionel Richie)

48? 1984: Cruel Summer - Bananarama (alternate: What’s Love Got To Do With It - Tina Turner)

47? 1985: I’m Goin’ Down - Bruce Springsteen (alternate: Head Over Heels - Tears For Fears)

46? 1986: Heaven In Your Eyes - Loverboy (alternate: All Cried Out - Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam W/ Full Force)

45? 1987: Let Me Be the One - Expose (alternate: Causing A Commotion - Madonna)

44? 1988: As we know, it’s Fallen Angel (alternate: Don’t Be Cruel - Bobby Brown)

43: 1989: If I Could Turn Back Time - Cher (alternate: Love In An Elevator - Aerosmith)

42? 1990: My, My, My - Johnny Gill (alternate: Black Cat - Janet Jackson)

41? 1991: Can’t Stop This Thing We Started - Bryan Adams (alternate: Now That We Found Love - Heavy D & the Boys, which is also a good rip rap rippety do option)

40? 1992: Do I Have To Say The Words - Bryan Adams [this is so real--there’s a lot of 90s nostalgia going on right now and I’m here to tell you that so much of the 90s was terrible, bland Bryan Adams songs that no one remembers or cares about at this point.] (alternate: Free Your Mind - En Vogue, obviously go with that one)

39? 1993: Cryin’ - Aerosmith (alternate: I Get Around - 2Pac)

38? 1994: This DJ - Warren G (alternate: Don’t Turn Around - Ace of Base)

37? 1995: Tell Me - Groove Theory (alternate: Roll To Me - Del Amitri, which is one of my least favorite songs and I have performed it at karaoke and it GETS A REACTION, let me tell you. Recommended, I guess.)

36? 1996: If Your Girl Only Knew - Aaliyah (alternate: You Learn - Alanis Morissette)

37? 1997: All Cried Out - Allure Feat. 112 [A COVER OF THE 1986 ALTERNATE, HOLY SHIT!!!!!] (alternate: Building A Mystery - Sarah McLachlan)

1998: Daydreamin’ - Tatyana Ali (alternate: Too Close - Next)

1999: All Star - SmashMouth (alternate: Bailamos - Enrique Iglesias)

2000: Most Girls - Pink (alternate: Shake Ya Ass - Mystikal)

2001: Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) - Train (alternate: Izzo (H.O.V.A.) - Jay-Z)

2002: Underneath It All - No Doubt feat. Lady Saw (alternate: Sk8er Boi - Avril Lavigne)

2003: Why Don’t You & I - Santana (alternate: Unwell - matchbox20)

2004: If I Ain’t Got You - Alicia Keys (alternate: Pieces of Me - Ashlee Simpson)

2005: Sugar We’re Going Down - Fall Out Boy (alternate: Pon de Replay - Rihanna)

2006: Sexy Love - Ne-Yo (alternate: Ring The Alarm - Beyonce)

2007: No One - Alicia Keys (alternate: Rockstar - Nickelback)

There you are, a total of 60 songs with varying degrees of difficulty that are probably going to have an instant, unexpected, full body freakout effect on at least SOMEONE in the audience! A few clunkers, but overall a pretty good, not too obvious, not too obscure list. YOU ARE WELCOME.

This is Sarah. I have nothing useful to add because I think Karen has actually cracked the algorithm and BROKEN THE KARAOKE ADVICE INTERNET in what I daresay is the written equivalent of a mic drop. At any rate, my one additional suggestion (which I have previously stated is not useful, and I stand by that) is “Lonesome Loser” by Little River Band. I’ve heard this song about a million times because I stan (correct use of stan?) the 70s singer/songwriter genre, but I don’t think I actually listened to the lyrics until a few weeks ago. THEY ARE SO MEAN. Case in point:

Have you heard about the Lonesome Loser? Beaten by the Queen of Hearts every time. Have you heard about the Lonesome Loser? He's a loser but he still keeps on trying.

HE’S A LOSER BUT HE STILL KEEPS ON TRYING.

Isn’t this all of us at karaoke? SING THE TRUTH!!!!!!