#lyrics from ‘halo’ by beyoncé

[empress-of-snark]

hit me like a ray of sun

burning through my darkest night

you’re the only one that I want

think I’m addicted to your light

stranger things rarepair collection

[cocobeanncteez]

Song Series One-shot: Jeong Yunho - Halo by Beyoncé

Genre: puree fluff, Yunho being an absolute angel, very slight angst, non-idol au

Pairing: ateez yunho x fem!reader

Word Count: 1.4k

Warnings: mentions of reader not being treated properly in past relationships / being hurt in the past

Disclaimer: Please note that my Song Series One-shots are purely based on how I personally interpret the lyrics of the songs I chose for this series. It is not based on the music video (if it has one).

In a bustling city painted with the strokes of twilight, your life had settled into a quiet routine, the colors muted by your carefully built walls of solitude. Each brick was a memory of past hurt, each layer a testament to self-preservation. Then, there was Jeong Yunho, who entered your world with the subtlety and brightness of the dawn.

The day you met Yunho was in the ordinariness of a typical Tuesday afternoon. You were in line at a quaint café, distracted by your phone, when a gentle apology and a smile from the golden-retriever-looking man behind you, caused by a minor coffee spill, sparked conversation. It was an effortless chat about little things that mattered—a favorite novel, shared laughs over clumsy moments—which surprisingly led to exchanging numbers.

As days unfolded into weeks, Yunho became a constant in your life. His presence was like a new light, warm and inviting. You found yourself opening up, sharing spaces and secrets you thought were forever locked away. The closer you got to Yunho, the more the walls you built around you came tumbling down without a fight and without any sound. His genuine interest in your stories, his laughter at your jokes, it all made you feel a bit like you were rediscovering parts of yourself long forgotten.

Yunho was different from the people you dated in the past. He didn’t just listen; he engaged, making you feel like you were the only person in the room. He had this way of making everything seem exciting and new. Life with him was full of spontaneity—from surprise trips to local art galleries to midnight walks in the park under the stars. He made you feel safe, like you could face anything as long as he was by your side.

One night, you were sick and could barely move. You were just lying down on the couch in a fetal position, tears streaming down your face. You were always very independent, but it was days like this that made you miss home.

Your phone started ringing, and Yunho's name popped up on the screen. You accepted the call and put it on speaker. "Hello?"

"Oh, were you sleeping? I'm sorry for calling so late," he said, though it was only eight pm. "I wanted to ask if you'd like to come with me to the mall tomorrow. My friend is getting married next week so I needed to buy a new shirt."

"I... um, I'll try," you said, voice groggy. You have never given that response to Yunho before, so he instantly knew something was wrong.

"Are you okay, Y/N? You don't sound too well," he said in a soft tone, concern clear in his voice, making your heart swell.

"I'm okay," you tried to be strong. "Just running a fever."

"Are you able to move?" he asked. "Would you be able to open the door for me?"

"Oh, Yunho, you don't have to—"

"Let me take care of you, please," he begged. You only hummed in response. "I'll be there in half an hour. Hang in there, okay?"

You told Yunho your passcode for the door, and he stayed true to his word, making it to your place in about thirty minutes, insulated food jar in hand.

"I made some soup for you," Yunho said from the kitchen while he poured the sour from the jar into a bowl.

"Thank you," you said to him, and he helped you sit up. He sat by the space next to your thighs, holding the tray with the bowl of clear soup. He took a spoon of the soup and gently blew on it before bringing it to your lips. You drank the soup he fed you without a word, feeling quite emotional and overwhelmed by the way he was taking care of you, something you never experienced in past relationships.

You weren't dating Yunho, but you found yourself brewing strong feelings for him. He was everything you needed and more. He was healing your soul in ways you didn't think would be possible.

You were understandably scared of falling for Yunho, and you didn't have to tell him that because he knew you enough to know how you feel and how you were treated in the past. However, he wanted to show you what actual love feels like and how you deserved to be treated. He could only hope that you would see his pure intentions.

One evening the next week, Yunho invited you to a quiet new milk tea café in the hills that overlooked the city. The skyline was a silhouette against the fading light, and the first stars of the night were beginning to twinkle. It was there, with the soft hum of the city below, that Yunho shared more about his dreams, his fears, and his hopes for the future.

"I've always felt like something was missing," he confessed, looking out over the lights. "But being with you, it's like I've found a piece of myself I didn't know was lost."

You were moved by his vulnerability, the openness that he offered so freely. It was then you realized how deeply you had come to care for him, how much he had become a part of your world. His presence felt like a gentle but steadfast light in your life—a halo of sorts, brightening the darker corners of your past.

As the night deepened, you shared stories and dreams, laughter echoing softly around you. With each word, the connection deepened, drawing you closer into a shared space where it seemed as though anything was possible.

"I'm really happy I met you," you told him honestly, meeting his gaze. "You make everything better, somehow."

He smiled, reaching for your hand, his touch warm and reassuring. "I feel the same, Y/N. It's like... you bring color into my life."

And then his grew serious, though he still had a small smile on. "Y/N, I need you to know that I have feelings for you, though I think I was obvious about it," he confessed, "You can tell me to stop talking at any time if I'm making you feel uncomfortable. I just... I had to get it out. I really like you, and I know how hurt you've been in the past." He squeezed your hand. "I want to be your boyfriend, someone you can trust, lean on, and I want to give you nothing but love and the life you truly deserve, if you would let me."

By now, you had tears rolling down your cheeks and Yunho gently brushed them away with his thumbs. You were so moved by his words. "I know that it's not possible to always have sunny days," he continued, "but I promise you that I will never leave your side and I will always work with you through gloomy days."

You laughed lightly, a huge smile taking place on your face while you nodded. You hugged Yunho tightly, and he wrapped his arms around you just as quick. You could hear his heart beating rapidly in his chest, similar to your own.

"I want to be with you, too, Yunho," you murmured against his chest before looking up at him. He leaned down to place a soft kiss on your forehead while he held you, letting out a small giggle.

Together, under the canopy of the starlit sky, it felt as though a new chapter was beginning. A chapter where the past no longer held sway, where the walls you built were no longer necessary. With Yunho, it felt like being seen and understood, and more importantly, like finding joy in the mutual discovery of each other's worlds.

In the soft glow of the city and the gentle light of your burgeoning connection, you saw clearly the halo around Yunho—a halo of kindness, warmth, and light, promising a future filled with shared light, which you prayed would never fade away.

[tomorrowxtogether]

TOMORROW X TOGETHER & Jonas Brothers - Do It Like That

Oh my God, this is the collab we didn’t know we needed. Can you blame us for voting it the best new music of the week on Billboard? And believe me, their contenders were very powerful ones. I mean an 89% vote in a category featuring Taylor Swift, Rauw Alejandro, and a Cardi B collab? Once you listen to it, it’s going to be extremely hard for you not to hit the replay button. But boy would I want to be the one receiving those beautiful praises that make up the lyrics of the song.

With thumping basslines and heavenly harmonies, TOMORROW X TOGETHER‘s upbeat track, “Do It Like That,” with the Jonas Brothers, from prolific producer Ryan Tedder – I’m talking about the Tedder behind OneRepublic’s “Counting Stars” and Beyoncé’s “Halo” – is the real feel-good song you need whenever you feel like you can’t get people to dance on top of their cars just by your presence.

“You get me so off track, yeah / Been spinnin’ for miles / But I think that you like that / Can’t deny it,” Nick Jonas kicks off the song, with Joe Jonas leading the pre-chorus, before the three brothers join their voices together in the chorus.

The dance pop song describes the feeling you get that moment you fall in love with someone. Since humans are so very conceited, we often tend to think that whoever we’re falling in love with is the best in the world, and the song perfectly captures that feeling. In fact, its most iconic line is a highlight of that: “You rockin’ that fit / That’s makin’ all them strangers smile.”What screams harmony better than eight great singers joining their voices together on one epic song?

Penned by COLETON RUBIN, Grant Boutin, and Ryan Tedder, the single was accompanied by an exhilarating music video featuring all of TOMORROW X TOGETHER members, including the Jonas Brothers. Within three days, the video managed to bring in 16 million views and looks set to debut at a comfortable spot on various charts across the globe.

“Do It Like That” is the first piece of music from TOMORROW X TOGETHER after the release of their February single “Goodbye Now.” If you want to know more about TOMORROW X TOGETHER’s world, you can certainly catch up with them when upcoming concert/tour documentary, arriving on Disney+, debuts later this month.

The Jonas Brothers heavily promoted the song to their fans with various posts containing snippets of the song’s lyrics. “You sending signals and them waves go far,” Joe shared, with Nick following it up by sharing the same pictures from Joe’s post and adding, “You’re bringing my life back, yeah, you’re doing it in style.”

[thesinglesjukebox]

BEYONCÉ - "16 CARRIAGES"

You guessed it! (...did you?) It's B'Day! Let's end it off strong...

[7.44]

Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: An exponentially stronger B-side to the paint-by-numbers honky-tonk of "Texas Hold 'Em," "16 Carriages" is reminiscent of the widescreen ballads that Beyoncé hasn’t made in some time. There have been slow songs and Quiet Storm tributes, but few all-ages Bold Metaphor jams to flick your lighters up to. Usually, this isn’t my favourite of Knowles’ modes (give it up for a day-one "Halo" sceptic), but the frayed-family narrative and arena-size swell are moving. Compared to "Break My Soul" and its eye-rolling lyrics about quitting dead-end jobs, "16 Carriages" doesn’t make me balk at one of the world’s richest women singing about being “underpaid and overwhelmed." In its earnest hugeness, you can feel the artist reach for the mythic, or a theatrical archetype at the least. It’s strong character work. [7]

Rachel Saywitz: After an album bereft of slow-churning, sob-inducing ballads, it’s very satisfying to hear Beyoncé back in her element with “16 Carriages.” There’s a gorgeous tension to it, a slow buildup rich with narrative interiors—regardless of whether the track is pulled directly from Beyoncé’s life, its story shows in blistered verses frantic with stormy memories and repeated affirmations. I can sense, in her melodies and vocal runs, that there’s a rush to race ahead of the track’s patient lap steel and slow percussion thumps. Her voice grows in power so gradually that when the anticipation finally reaches its peak in that final chorus, it’s hard to feel relief. I want to keep living in the epic fantasy of the song’s tale, where strife is rewarded and fear begets a legacy.  [9]

Hannah Jocelyn: "16 Carriages" is billed as country, but it reminds me more of maximalist chamber pop like Perfume Genius’ No Shape with its drastic dynamic shifts and off-kilter orchestration. Beyoncé’s performance is virtuosic in its relative restraint, letting the crashing horns and strings do the heavy lifting. (Good singing =/= belting everything!) She recasts her history as an underdog story and sells it -- and for what it's worth, getting famous at an early age actually sounds pretty traumatizing! The oddly lo-fi production grounds the narrative. This obviously isn't a truly unpolished Beyoncé -- this is more self-mythologizing -- but it's great storytelling and worldbuilding. "Carriages" can't be narrowed down, always eluding any easy genre tag or even any easy answers in the lyrics. It's been a while since a pop star released something this weird, and even longer since they pulled it off. [10]

Jeffrey Brister: This one feels more in line with my expectations. "16 Carriages" isn't perfect—it has a repetitive melody, doesn't do nearly enough with the bluesy vocal, and feels a lot longer than its 3:53—but there’s enough to make it a distinctively country song. It also makes some smart choices with arrangements and productions -- the slight crunch and airy decay on the drums giving it an off-kilter feel, smartly knowing when to crash into climaxes and pull away to the spare beauty that shows off Bey’s voice. [7]

Dorian Sinclair: Releasing “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” simultaneously was smart. Where the former is gleefully cluttered, “16 Carriages” is stripped-back and stately, letting the lead vocal line carry the track almost entirely on its own. It’s a risky gambit; the melody is repetitive, and without a commanding performance the song could easily feel stagnant. But we know Beyoncé can deliver a commanding performance, and she does so here, with a precise understanding of how to execute on all those little flutters, and how to make the moments when the melody does break out of its limited range and climb a little higher really feel exciting. It all works right up until the last 45 seconds or so — introducing a new melodic idea so late in the song makes the whole thing feel kind of formless and unstructured and the ending feel notably untidy. This might make more sense on the album, but for now it’s unresolved. [7]

Aaron Bergstrom: It's been almost fifteen years since 30 Rock taught us that "going country" is a totally legitimate career move, and yet I confess that abrupt genre-hopping still makes me question an artist's motives. It's easy to see the commercial justification for Beyoncé finding new worlds to conquer, and I do love that a Black woman succeeding in country music makes some of the worst people in the world tie themselves in knots trying to explain why they're (a) mad about it but (b) somehow not racist. Still, if all we're doing is running it back with banjo instead of house piano, then I can't say I'm all that invested. Luckily, "16 Carriages" shows that there's also an artistic justification: country music can be such a compelling medium for storytelling. This is a song that needs to shake off the dust before it gets going, a song that needs to unfurl itself, unhurried in its presentation. It evokes weatherbeaten grandeur and the way that an unbroken horizon can signify both freedom and isolation, both possibility and emptiness. It drags in places and never reaches a real emotional climax, both of which could be seen as purposeful artistic choices. But ultimately it's undaunted, or at least as undaunted as you can be when it feels like your dreams are escaping.  [7]

TA Inskeep: First of all, this ain't country just because it has some acoustic finger picking in it. This sounds more Lumineers-core to my ears, especially the way it gets stompy as the arrangement gets bigger and swells with strings near its end. The lyric could be more effective with better music and a less sweet vocal. Maybe bring it back for that purported "rock" album and let Jack White go loose, encourage Beyoncé to go full Tina Turner -- that'd work. [5]

Brad Shoup: Genius is calling this a "classic country anthem," which may be true if your classic country stops at "An American Trilogy". When the symphony blares down the steel, it feels like the song taking its true intended form. She's going asking it to hold up so much, so quickly: origin story and present-day triumph and private burdens. That may be the most classic country thing about it, actually. [6]

Taylor Alatorre: "16 Carriages" is a songwriting case study in the power of selective ambiguity. Why carriages, and why 16 of them, when Beyoncé gives 15 as the age by which her innocence had "gone astray"? Part of it could be the centrality of the "sweet sixteen" in American girlhood, but that hardly seems like the whole story, especially when the song is bent on depicting the precise opposite of a normal American adolescence. The subsequent use of "umpteen," an ungainly word that Beyoncé seems to roll her eyes through, confirms that this is not about a specific moment of lost innocence but a larger, hazier sense of loss that weaves its way through the cracks in one's life, lying dormant and then springing back up at unexpected moments. A long train of carriages riding off into the sunset is a dream image, some mirage-like melding of Wild West and rock 'n' roll mythology that hits at something primal and almost beyond naming. The passing of childhood, yes, but more specifically the closing off of a universe of choices that were once available to us and no longer are. This being a Beyoncé single, the mourning is laced with the requisite triumphalism, but this doesn't negate the message that every worldly gain is built upon worldly loss but strengthens it. Those bone-rattling surges of guitar and percussion, at once funereal and propulsive, provide the ideal frame for this balancing act, jolting us back and forth between reality and the reverie. We never find out exactly what dreams are being carried away by the carriages, but that's fine -- all the better to universalize this inherently exceptional case of the self-sacrificing celebrity. [8]

Jackie Powell: Ever since Beyoncé released “Formation” and subsequently Lemonade, a common criticism emerged about what her brand stands for, and a question was posed: can she currently relate to the stories about being a Black person in America? Ernest Owens’ column from eight years ago makes points that remain relevant. “Just know that Beyoncé is making bank off of a variation of blackness that she isn't currently living in or experiencing,” he wrote. With Renaissance, released six years later, there were questions about how Beyoncé could earnestly lean into the plight and earn profit from the Black queer folks that Renaissance pays tribute to. And with “16 Carriages,” a track written like a modern day “work song,” how does that factor into that discourse? Putting it simply, Beyoncé has struggled with being relatable, but “16 Carriages” challenges that. What was her life like before the millions of dollars and even before Destiny’s Child? I didn’t really know until now. She writes of sacrifice, something that is a part of everyday life for all. And she also writes of the struggles that people who choose a life of creative work are accustomed to. “Goin' so hard, gotta choose myself/Underpaid and overwhelmed.” That’s so real. “Sixteen dollars, workin' all day/Ain't got time to waste, I got art to make.” That’s also so real. “16 Carriages” is written like a poem in couplets, with Beyoncé placing accents after each clause or phrase. The most important words that she wants you to take away are what she accents. It’s intentional, just like a lot of the recent Beyoncé story. Could this be Beyoncé’s “Jenny from the Block?” It might be, but it’s a bit more sincere and much less silly. Beyoncé knows she’s not that professional teenager anymore. [8]

Nortey Dowuona: Atia Boggs once wrote the hook "oh, I don't recall, all the tears of them all, the children of men, children of men." She also wrote: "baby, I might let you go, baby, baby no matter what, and like I switch the other side of me, baby gotta lotta ride on me." She has been writing songs that take all sorts of shapes, but she is credited on this song, and those two feel close to it. The first is a Trae the Truth record where he and J. Cole tell sad stories of young black men being sucked into the prison system, and the hook memorializes their lives. The second is a trippy Childish Gambino acid trip with a girl with a cat who looks at him sideways and has a little ride on her -- which Boggs sings about before her words are once again cut up and scattered to the winds. "It's been umpteen summers, and I'm not in my bed, on the back of the bus in a bunk with the band." I figure that a longtime songwriter like Boggs and Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter can both resonate with this lyric: both of them have lost umpteen summers to the reality of being musicians, and both are still in the chase and still have dreams left to achieve, still remember the dulling ache of being young and chasing and fearing not keeping up with the elders who are ahead. "It's been 38 summers, and I'm not in my bed, on the back of the bus on a bunk with the band." Now they are the elders, the ones the younger singers and songwriters are keeping pace with, seeing the road begin to shorten, time running out. "Going so hard, now I miss my kids, overworked and overwhelmed." It's easy to forget that both Boggs and Beyoncé are human beings, especially when one is a longtime songwriting veteran with dozens of credits and one is the most revered people in black music -- in music, period, which is why you make songs like this. Not everyone is free to sincerely indulge, but everyone is free to grieve the shortening of the runway, afraid of running and coming up short, losing time with your children, wondering whether the overwhelming grind will actually end. For Ms Knowles Carter, hopefully soon. For Mx Boggs, the future is far more uncertain. [10]

Katherine St. Asaph: Authenticity arguments are generally boring. But I would be lying if I claimed it didn't lend some gravitas to "16 Carriages" that Beyoncé wrote it with a songwriter for Renaissance and not a songwriter for Fletcher. The song is a showcase of vocal interpretation -- which it has to be, because it's essentially one short melody -- and genuinely strange, a power ballad that Beyoncé's verses keep prodding and dodging until it sounds less inspirational than destabilized. More than anything she's released in a while, this reminds me of 4, a sadly-but-unsurprisingly underrated casualty of the album it preceded. [8]

Ian Mathers: Much more so than "Texas Hold 'Em," this feels like one of the high-drama Lemonade or Beyoncé tracks transposed to a more country backing -- not in a bad way, if anything in the "this is a real song because it works even if you do it real stripped down" sense. (Not that this is particularly stripped down; the bombast really works for me, actually.) The fit isn't quite as smooth as "Texas Hold 'Em," but that just means that one feels like an all-timer while this just feels strong. I suspect it'll work great on the album -- sequencing being yet another thing Beyoncé is generally great at. [8]

Will Adams: The "country" designation for "16 Carriages" doesn't really connect with me. Rather, the song stands as the ideal version of what Beyoncé was going for with the adult contemporary half of I Am... Sasha Fierce that ended up quite bland. With heaps more production value and maturity, she's finally sold it. [7]

Isabel Cole: I thought it was the melody that I didn’t quite like, but then I couldn’t get it out of my head for a week, and found I didn’t mind it there. The plodding beat makes sense conceptually -- evoking the drag of horses’ hooves, or perhaps the crack of a whip driving them on as they pull -- but it’s a little grating. The way the arrangement veers between sparseness and bombast feels like the song can’t make up its mind about whether it’s a vulnerable confession or a statement of pride. And, again, that’s the point, I know; and, again, it just doesn’t land for me. [5]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: Bombast can in its own right become a virtue – if this were any smaller of a song I'd note the flaws in its construction more closely, spend more time trying to piece together where the core metaphor goes. In practice, "16 Carriages" leaves me with no time or resistance to consider such petty concerns; in every giant, resounding organ chord and wail of the steel guitar I am simply awed, bearing witness to Beyoncé at her most ideal form, a force of grace and power embodied. [8]

Michael Hong: Authenticity is wholly unimportant when it's this well-acted. With every shaky line reading and teetering run, she evokes the rickety journey of a carriage, bumping through the clunk of the guitar. It doesn't matter whether the lyrics are true to Beyoncé or any of the songwriters; you hear the lift when she looks upward.  [7]

Leah Isobel: I wonder whether the Renaissance project is about refraction - funneling Beyoncé's mythmaking through different genre prisms, seeing what aspects of her art and her life story are emphasized in each new mode. "16 Carriages" suggests as much. The Act 1 material felt like she had time-warped back into her youth, its energy libidinous and present-focused, its references rooted in the various forms of dance-pop that carried the early stages of her mainstream crossover. (Like, there are two Beyoncé songs that sample Donna Summer: one off Dangerously in Love, and one off Renaissance. Seems like a purposeful choice!) Here, though, her mode is more reflective, more "adult." The previous record's shifts in tempo and syncopation could evoke the time-shifting qualities of a great dancefloor, the way that the past and present and future blur into meaninglessness, but "16 Carriages" delineates clearly between what has passed and what is to come. Its instrumentation is built on harsh, regimented blasts of instrumentation that corral her vocal into measured units: you can hear her pacing out exactly how much melody she can fit in between each beat. It's like the ticking of a clock, or a step forward into the future. But it feels limited, somehow, by that regimentation. "For legacy/ If it's the last thing I do/ You'll remember me," she sings on the bridge, as if it's a self-evident value. Perhaps it's a peek inside what it takes to be an unbelievably famous and successful superstar after nearly 30 years: you cannot ever let yourself run out of steps forward. There is only the body and the road, pushing forward. I just wonder what it might sound like if she stopped. [7]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

[youchangedmedestiel]

I just got a revelation. My sister was listening to "Halo" from Beyoncé and holy shit, I looked at the lyrics and that's just... it's Dean about Cas.

"You're everything I need and more It's written all over your face Baby, I can feel your halo Pray it won't fade away"

"Hit me like a ray of sun Burning through my darkest night You're the only one that I want Think I'm addicted to your light"

"Everywhere I'm lookin' now I'm surrounded by your embrace Baby, I can see your halo You know you're my saving grace"

I mean, WTF! I'm sure someone already noticed it before me. But damn I feel blind for not figuring it out sooner. Am I the only one here? Please tell me that I'm not.

[kingwuko]

👄🙌🥘

👄 Your OTP are having their first kiss. What song do you imagine is playing?

I did already answer this one! Halo by Beyoncé is a beautiful song and feels fitting because Wu canonically does a Beyoncé dance (I cannot believe the writers tried to make us believe he's straight.) I've always loved that song and something about the lyrics feels very Wuko.

🙌What's a line or paragraph of yours that you're proud of?

I really like this paragraph I wrote for Unnatural: If this were a cheesy romance mover, this would be the big, romantic climax. The leading lady, and her loyal love interest, finally declaring their love for one another after years of will-they-won’t-they. The wedding of a friend was the ideal setting, perfectly picturesque for a big romantic gesture, then happily-ever-after. That was what was supposed to happen, what would probably happen. After the supporting character left them alone. I wrote it wanting it to kind of work on two levels. Obviously the surface level, Wu prematurely (and sadly) popping Makorra bottles. Considering himself the supporting character in their romance... It feels sad even as he tries to talk himself into being happy for Mako. BUT I also wanted this to describe what ACTUALLY happens with Korrasami. I wanted the description to match the scene in canon that follows when Tenzin (the supporting character) leaves Korra and Asami to have their romantic gesture and happily-ever-after. Like. Wu was close. He just got the name of the loyal love interest wrong. Anyway I don't know if that came through but I'm happy with how it reads anyway.

🥘What wip are you most excited about?

OH GOD I'm trying SO HARD to contain my excitement, but I did write a summary for my new AU. I've got it outlined and I've made good progress on writing it, I'm just in the early editing stages for the first chapter. So I'll share the title and summary that I've crafted so far, though I might tweak it when I actually post. You'll Be the Death of Me Summary: Mako, a hitman for the Triple Threat Triad, is hired to assassinate the heir to the Earth Kingdom throne by posing as a bodyguard. But when he finds himself falling in love with his target, Mako must navigate the treacherous worlds of politics, high society, and the criminal underground to protect Wu, Bolin, and to find redemption for his bloodstained past.

Send me more asks? From this list or this one, or just about Wuko in general!

[kuri-crocus]

A list of songs I associate with Good Omens now but it is random and mostly not that deep

Me (an elder Gen Z) found my MP3 Player I got in 2010 and GO-fyed serval songs in my head. Others that aren't from the MP3-Player are songs I listen to to while browsing GO related stuff. For some of them it's just buzz words and vibes because I don't understand all lyrics word by word, sometimes I don't speak the language at all... Some call to action before I start with the list: Tell me which songs you did or didn't knew before if you like :) Anyway here is it:

Halo by Beyoncé

Sweetest Poison by Nu Pagadi (Engl. Translation but Nightcore)

Natteravn by Rasmus Seebach

Bloody Mary by Lady Gaga

Wretched And Divine by Black Veil Brides

Fallen Angels by Black Veil Brides

Lost by Linkin Park

Reich mir die Hand by Blutengel

Shut Up And Drive by Rihanna

Telephone by Lady Gaga ft. Beyoncé

Crush by Jennifer Paige

I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas

My Heart Skips a Beat by Olly Murs

El Amor, El Amor (Zumba Fitness) (Note: A silly one I just know Amor means love in spanish...)

Beautiful by MARA, Robert Taylor & Beto Perez

Bailando Bachata by Chayanne

Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell

I Feel Love by Jeanette Biedermann

Ready for Love by Cascada

Herz an Herz by Blümchen

Magia by Kalafina (Note: I consider this as my fav song ever, it has apocalyptic vibes, so it has to be here!)

Crucified by Army Of Lovers

They Don't Care About Us by Michael Jackson

Daylight in your eyes by No Angels

Do you like what you see by Ivy Quainoo

My head is a jungle, jungle by Emma Louise and Wankelmut

In The Dark by Dev

Angel Of Darkness by Alex Christensen ft. Yasmin Knoch

Destiny by Vanessa Mae

There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) by Eurythmics

Licht und Schatten by Super Moonies (Note: I know this is a sily one)

Can't Get You Out Of My Head by Kylie Minogue 

Kiss Me by Rea Garvey

Don't know what to do by Blackpink

Ahsoka Ending theme by Kevin Kiner (I don't care if it's Star Wars, now it's GO!)

Spice up you life by Spice Girls (Also don't care if it's DW related now it's GO related as well!)

Brave Enough by Lindsey Stirling ft. Christina Perri (Original / Nightcore I listen to)

Love's Just A Feeling by Lindsey Stirling ft. Rooty (Original / Nightcore I listen to)

Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush (Note: This one is only here because of @thesherrinfordfacility 's amazing edit! Thanks for that!)

Cheers when you read until here!

[frodothefair]

Numbers 9 and 13 for the ask game, perhaps?? Also congrats on finishing the Rivendell story!! I saw that was up and I know you've been working hard on it!!

The ask game in question

9. Top three fics you’ve written (in author’s opinion)? ♡♡♡

Hmm. I'll limit this just to the ones currently published as I'd rather not discuss my past anime fic writing career on this space. There are only three fics currently published. I'd rank them as follows:

Rivendell (thanks for the congrats, btw! It was fun to write!) This is simply because it's actually a finished, cohesive piece. I know I said I might write more, and likely still will, but the way it is now works as a shandalone.

Flowers of Mordor. This is because it’s still not written all the way to the end, and I am still not 100% happy with a couple of the chapters in the middle, so am putting them through another round of edits. But overall it's my longest-running project to date, and also my longest fic ever (there may have been one prior fic that just crossed the 100k mark), and of course I love the way Marigold turned out, as well as Frodogold as a couple.

Expats. The fun first chapter got written, but I don't know if I have what it takes to write the whole story, because heck if I know anything about how Hollywood works, especially its more unsavory parts. But then again... if it's just fanfiction, how accurate does it really have to be when it's all in good fun?

13. Drop a playlist for a story! ♪♡♪

Ok, um. You have to realize you asked for this. You have only yourself to blame. A lot of the songs on my fic playlists have to do with not just the overall gestalt and concepts of the fic, but specific scenes and even lines, and I am here to explain it all.

Here's the definitive playlist for Flowers of Mordor. Tagging @konartiste per our special pact.

(cut for minor spoilers.... also for being long):

"Dawn" theme from the Pride and Prejudice 2005 soundtrack. A must for the Austenian vibe.

"Poppy's Song, Wandering Day" by Bear McCreary from Rings of Power. The singer sounds exactly what I think Marigold sounds like.

"I Dreamt I Dwelled in Marble Halls" as performed in the Dickensian Finale. Sam/Rosie relationship vibes. I imagine Rosie singing this song for an audience in the tavern, but looking at Sam all the while -- which is essentially what happens in the finale of Dickensian.

"Halo" by Beyoncé, arranged for strings for Bridgerton. Pippin arranges this song for violin and writes a Shire-compatible version of the lyrics as a candidate for the first dance music at the Frodogold wedding.

"I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston, arranged for strings for Bridgerton. Another candidate wedding song by Pippin.

"Tous les garçons et les filles de mon âge" by Françoise Hardy. Marigold vibes: sweet innocent girl slightly wistful that everyone her age is in a relationship and she is not... yet.

"Portugeuse Love Theme" from Love Actually. Love reunited theme.

"On my Own" from Les Miserables. Direct inspiration for the following excepts from Chapter 16: "Marigold had found herself lying awake for hours, watching the starlight in the trees and thinking, with surprising nonchalance, “Oh, dear, I guess I cannot sleep.” And when she did at long last fall asleep, then the dreams would begin, and Frodo would appear before her, and together they would walk and talk until morning." Original lines: "in the darkness the trees are full of starlight and all I see is him and me forever and forever" and "I walk with him till morning."

"Nessun Dorma" from Turandot. Needs little explanation, I think. Frodo is an insomniac.

"In Dreams" by Roy Orbison. But when Frodo does sleep, he has a lot of dreams.

"Dreams are My Reality" from the movie La Boum. Again a reference to Frodo's many dreams.

"Babylon" by David Gray. Inspiration for the scene where Marigold kicks through the autumn leaves in Chapter 13.

"May it Be" by Enya. Probably needs no explanation either.

"Everywhere" by Michelle Branch. Vibes of Marigold being in unrequitedly in love and seeing Frodo in everything around her, wondering if he feels the same.

"Flora's Secret" by Enya. Vibes of Marigold and Frodo lying in the grass, holding hands and staring at the sky grinning like idiots.

"Don't Talk To Me About Tomorrow" by Sandra Lisa. A song the Gamgee family ensemble would perform poorly but enthusiastically at... oh, Midsummer or something.

"Love The Way You Lie" by Eminem ft. Rihanna. Directly referenced by this except in Chapter 20: "She loved him so much that she could not deny him. Even if he said that she should burn, she would burn. And even if he said that he would watch her, there, at the edge of that forest – watch her with indifferent eyes as she screamed and burned to death – she would only have welcomed it; she would have only been glad of such an end." Original line: "gonna stand there and watch me burn? That's alright, because I love the way you lie."

"Black Sheep" by Metric. Referenced by the following line in Chapter 3: "And then there was him and Sam, lying on a rock amid flows of lava, waiting for the world to end." Original line: "hello again, friend of a friend, our common goal was waiting for the world to end."

"Concerning Hobbits" from The Lord of the Rings. No explanation needed, again.

"Je suis malade" by Lara Fabien. Vibes of Marigold screaming in the woods in chapter 20.

"Blue Hydrangeas" by Lana Del Rey. Chapter 8 is literally called "Of Lembas and Hydraneas," and Bag End is referenced as having blue hydrangeas in the garden. Blue hydrangeas symbolize regret. Also, it's repeatedly mentioned that Marigold would run to Frodo if only he called her... though in the end she... actually does not? Not immediately? Because you don't jerk someone around for months and then get away with it scot-free.

"The Rosenkavalier Suite" by Richard Strauss. It has like three lovely waltzes rolled into one, and Frodo must teach Marigold something similar to a waltz for their first dance together at the wedding.

“Here we come a-caroling” as performed by Blackmore’s Night. The Gamgee a slightly modified version of this song in Chapter 19 while caroling on Yuletide Eve.

Béma above... what did I just spend 30 minutes of my life on? Lol.

[lovesongbracket]

Reminder: Vote based on the song, not the artist or specific recording! The tracks referenced are the original artist, aside from a few rare cases where a cover is the most widely known.

Lyrics, videos, info, and notable covers under the cut. (Spotify playlist available in pinned post)

All of Me

Written By: John Legend & Toby Gad

Artist: John Legend

Released: 2013

Cover included: Darren Criss for Glee, 2014

“All of Me” is the third single from and sixth track on John Legend’s album Love in the Future (2013). Legend wrote it along with Toby Gad. It has become one of Legend’s most popular songs, earning an 8x Platinum RIAA certification and appearing on top of 9 different countries' charts (including the US Billboard Hot 100). Legend’s performance was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2015 Grammys. Legend has said in interviews that the song was inspired by his passionate love for model Chrissy Teigen, to whom he got engaged in 2011 and married in 2013.

[Verse 1] What would I do without your smart mouth? Drawing me in and you kicking me out You've got my head spinning, no kidding I can't pin you down What's goin' on in that beautiful mind? I'm on your magical mystery ride And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me But I'll be alright [Pre-Chorus] My head's under water, but I'm breathing fine You're crazy and I'm out of my mind [Chorus] 'Cause all of me loves all of you Love your curves and all your edges All your perfect imperfections Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you You're my end and my beginning Even when I lose, I'm winning [Post-Chorus] 'Cause I give you all of me And you give me all of you, oh-oh [Verse 2] How many times do I have to tell you? Even when you're crying, you're beautiful, too The world is beating you down, I'm around Through every mood You're my downfall, you're my muse My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues I can't stop singing, it's ringing In my head for you [Pre-Chorus] My head's under water, but I'm breathing fine You're crazy and I'm out of my mind [Chorus] 'Cause all of me loves all of you Love your curves and all your edges All your perfect imperfections Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you You're my end and my beginning Even when I lose, I'm winning [Post-Chorus] 'Cause I give you all of me And you give me all of you, oh-oh [Bridge] Give me all of you, oh Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts Risking it all, though it's hard [Chorus] 'Cause all of me loves all of you Love your curves and all your edges All your perfect imperfections Give your all to me, I'll give my all to you You're my end and my beginning Even when I lose, I'm winning [Post-Chorus] 'Cause I give you all of me And you give me all of you [Outro] I give you all of me And you give me all of you, oh-oh

Halo

Written By: E. Kidd Bogart, Ryan Tedder & Beyoncé

Artist: Beyoncé

Released: 2009

One of Bey’s most vocally demanding and optimistic works, “Halo” comes off as a centerpiece in the I Am… disc of Beyoncé’s third studio album. Equipped with emotional vocalizations and angelic overtones, the song remains one of Bey’s most magnificent and impressive songs. The intimate power ballad took home Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 52nd Grammy Awards, and has converted over 3 million digital units thus far. “Halo” was originally written by E. Kidd Bogart & OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder, a day after Tedder had surgery on a broken Achilles' tendon, causing the cancellation of the band’s tour. The pair drew inspiration from Ray LaMontagne’s “Shelter”. “Halo” was released simultaneously with “Diva” on January 20, 2009. The song drew critical praise, but also many comparisons and a few controversies. According to Bogart, the song was written specifically with Beyoncé in mind; however, it was tentatively offered to Simon Cowell for his client Leona Lewis before Bey had recorded it. Similarities between “Halo” and Kelly Clarkson’s “Already Gone” – also composed by Ryan Tedder – sparked gossip that he had used the same tune for both songs. “Halo” was one of 2009’s best-selling singles, and was the #1 song of the 2000s in Brazil. The music video, directed by Phillip Andelman, featured actor Michael Ealy as Bey’s love interest (he originally turned down the role in the video for “Irreplaceable”.)

[Verse 1] Remember those walls I built? Well, baby, they're tumblin' down And they didn't even put up a fight They didn't even make a sound I found a way to let you win But I never really had a doubt Standin' in the light of your halo I got my angel now [Pre-Chorus] It's like I've been awakened Every rule, I had you breakin' It's the risk that I'm takin' I ain't never gonna shut you out [Chorus] Everywhere I'm lookin' now I'm surrounded by your embrace Baby, I can see your halo You know you're my savin' grace You're everything I need and more It's written all over your face Baby, I can feel your halo Pray it won't fade away [Post-Chorus] I can feel your halo, halo, halo I can see your halo, halo, halo I can feel your halo, halo, halo I can see your halo, halo, halo [Verse 2] Hit me like a ray of sun Burnin' through my darkest night You're the only one that I want Think I'm addicted to your light I swore I'd never fall again But this don't even feel like fallin' Gravity can't forget To pull me back to the ground again [Pre-Chorus] It's like I've been awakened Every rule, I had you breakin' The risk that I'm takin' I'm never gonna shut you out [Chorus] Everywhere I'm lookin' now I'm surrounded by your embrace Baby, I can see your halo You know you're my savin' grace You're everything I need and more It's written all over your face Baby, I can feel your halo Pray it won't fade away [Post-Chorus] I can feel your halo, halo, halo I can see your halo, halo, halo I can feel your halo, halo, halo I can see your halo, halo, halo I can feel your halo, halo, halo I can see your halo, halo, halo I can feel your halo, halo, halo I can see your halo, halo, halo [Bridge] Halo Halo [Chorus] Everywhere I'm lookin' now I'm surrounded by your embrace Baby, I can see your halo You know you're my savin' grace You're everything I need and more It's written all over your face Baby, I can feel your halo Pray it won't fade away [Post-Chorus] I can feel your halo, halo, halo I can see your halo, halo, halo I can feel your halo, halo, halo I can see your halo, halo, halo (Ooh-ooh) I can feel your halo, halo, halo I can see your halo, halo, halo I can feel your halo, halo, halo I can see your halo, halo, halo

[music-industry-updates]

Mastering the Art of the Bridge in Songwriting Structure

The bridge is a crucial yet often underutilized component of songwriting structure. Mastering the art of the bridge can elevate your songs and add emotional depth. This article explores the role of the bridge in songwriting, its various forms, and tips for writing effective bridges that can transform your music.

Understanding the Bridge

The bridge is a section of a song that provides contrast to the verses and choruses. It typically appears once in a song and serves as a departure from the main musical themes, adding variety and keeping the listener engaged.

Definition and Purpose

Definition: The bridge, also known as the "middle eight," is a distinct section that differs melodically, harmonically, and lyrically from the rest of the song.

Purpose: Its primary function is to create a break from the repetition of verses and choruses, adding a new dimension to the song.

Why Bridges Matter

Bridges play a vital role in enhancing the overall structure of a song. They offer a moment of reflection, build anticipation, and can even introduce new perspectives or emotions.

Adding Variety and Contrast

Musical Contrast: By introducing different chords, melodies, or rhythms, bridges prevent the song from becoming monotonous.

Lyrical Contrast: Bridges often present a shift in lyrical content, providing a fresh angle or new insight into the song’s theme.

Enhancing Emotional Impact

Emotional Climax: Bridges can serve as an emotional high point, building up to the final chorus.

Resolution: They can also provide a sense of resolution or closure before the song returns to the familiar chorus.

Types of Bridges

Bridges can take various forms, depending on the songwriter's intention and the song’s overall structure.

Instrumental Bridges

Instrumental bridges focus on musical elements rather than lyrics. They often feature solos or unique instrumental passages.

Example: "Hotel California" by The Eagles. The iconic guitar solo serves as the bridge, providing a dramatic and memorable moment.

Vocal Bridges

Vocal bridges introduce new lyrics and often a different melody, offering a contrast to the verses and choruses.

Example: "Someone Like You" by Adele. The bridge shifts the narrative and adds emotional depth before returning to the chorus.

Combination Bridges

Some bridges combine instrumental and vocal elements, creating a rich, multifaceted section.

Example: "Livin’ on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi. The bridge features both a lyrical shift and a change in the musical arrangement.

Writing Effective Bridges

Crafting a compelling bridge requires creativity and a keen sense of how to enhance the song’s narrative and musical flow.

Tips and Techniques

Change the Chord Progression: Introduce new chords that differ from the verses and choruses to create contrast.

Shift the Melody: Write a melody that stands out from the rest of the song, adding freshness and variety.

Vary the Rhythm: Alter the rhythm or tempo to create a noticeable change in the song’s energy.

Introduce New Instruments: Add different instruments or sounds to the bridge to distinguish it from other sections.

Examples from Popular Songs

"Rolling in the Deep" by Adele: The bridge introduces a powerful vocal performance and a slight shift in the chord progression, enhancing the song's emotional intensity.

"Halo" by Beyoncé: The bridge features a soaring vocal line and a lyrical shift, adding a sense of climax before the final chorus.

Common Pitfalls

While bridges can elevate a song, poorly executed bridges can disrupt the flow and coherence of the song.

Avoiding Bridges that Feel Disconnected

Smooth Transitions: Ensure that the transition into and out of the bridge feels natural and seamless.

Cohesive Elements: Use elements from the verses or choruses to tie the bridge to the rest of the song.

Ensuring a Smooth Transition Back to the Chorus

Build Anticipation: Use the bridge to build anticipation for the return to the chorus.

Resolve Tensions: Address any musical or lyrical tensions in the bridge to create a satisfying return to the main themes.

Case Studies

Analyzing successful bridges in popular songs provides valuable insights into what makes them effective.

"Someone Like You" by Adele

Structure: The bridge introduces a lyrical shift, reflecting on past memories and adding depth to the song’s narrative.

Impact: This shift enhances the emotional weight of the song and prepares the listener for the final chorus.

"Livin’ on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi

Structure: The bridge features a change in melody and intensity, creating a climactic moment that heightens the song's energy.

Impact: The powerful bridge amplifies the song's anthemic quality and leads into a memorable final chorus.

Incorporating a well-crafted bridge into your songwriting structure can transform your song, making it more engaging and emotionally resonant. Practice writing bridges to see the difference they can make. By experimenting with different types of bridges and techniques, you can create songs that stand out and leave a lasting impact on your listeners.

Related Articles:

For further reading, explore these related articles:

5 Things to Remember When You’re Working with Other Musicians

Ways for Songwriters to Optimize Creative Output

[thedemostop]

Richest Female Musician in the World

Enter the world of musical magnificence as we look at the wealth and talent represented by the world's richest female musician in the world. In this journey, we will look at the life, accomplishments, and wealth of a top-ranking songstress who has dominated the charts and made a fortune from her musical abilities.

Richest female Artists

The title "Richest Female Artists" arouses interest and admiration. In the world of music, several outstanding female artists have not only blessed our ears with their melodies, but have also amassed enormous wealth through their talents and ventures. Rihanna, Madonna, Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift are frequently mentioned as some of the richest female singers. Their diverse careers, which include chart-topping albums, successful business ventures, and brand endorsements, have propelled them to the heights of financial success in the music industry.

Top Richest Female Artists in the World

Rihanna (Estimated Net Worth: $1.4 Billion)

Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty in Barbados, is a world-renowned singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. She rose from humble beginnings to become one of the richest female singers in the music industry, with an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion. Her diverse musical style and powerful vocal range have earned her the nickname "Pop Queen" among her fans. Rihanna rose to prominence with her debut single "Pon de Replay," and her music career has included chart-topping hits such as "Umbrella," "Diamonds," and "We Found Love," cementing her status as a pop icon.

Rihanna's influence extends beyond her musical prowess into the fashion industry, where her Fenty brand is known for its inclusivity and diversity in beauty and apparel. She has also tried her hand at acting, appearing in films such as "Ocean's 8" and "Valerian and the City of Thousand Planets," demonstrating her versatility outside of music.

Taylor Swift (Estimated Net Worth: $1.1 Billion)                            

Taylor Swift, an iconic figure in the music industry, is estimated to be worth $1.1 billion. Her remarkable journey began as a country music prodigy and progressed to a global pop phenomenon. Swift has twelve Grammy Awards, demonstrating her musical prowess and songwriting talent. Swift's ability to write relatable lyrics and catchy melodies has earned her a global following, as evidenced by the chart-topping singles "Love Story," "Shake It Off," and "Blank Space." Her breakthrough album, "Fearless," earned her critical acclaim and numerous awards, including four Grammys.

Swift's success continued with albums such as "Speak Now," "Red," and "1989," all of which solidified her position as a music industry powerhouse. Taylor Swift, an iconic figure in the music industry, is estimated to be worth $1.1 billion. Her remarkable journey began as a country music prodigy and progressed to a global pop phenomenon.

Beyoncé (Estimated Net Worth: $800 Million)

Beyoncé, an iconic figure in the music industry, is among the world's wealthiest female singers. Her net worth is estimated to be more than $800 million, demonstrating her unrivaled success. She has received an impressive number of accolades, including 28 Grammys, making her one of the most decorated musicians in Grammy history. Beyoncé, known for her powerful vocals and captivating stage presence, has captivated audiences around the world with chart-topping hits like "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," "Crazy in Love," and "Halo."

Madonna (Estimated Net Worth: $580 Million)

Madonna Louise Ciccone, a well-known American singer-songwriter, is one of the world's wealthiest female singers, worth an estimated $580 million. Her unique style and vocal abilities helped shape the music industry, earning her the title "Queen of Pop." Her accomplishments include seven Grammy Awards and numerous other prestigious awards for her groundbreaking contributions to music. Madonna's discography features iconic songs like "Like a Virgin," "Material Girl," "Vogue," and "Like a Player," which not only topped the charts but also defined eras and trends. Madonna, the highest-paid solo touring female artist, appeared on Forbes' top ten list of highest-paid celebrities several times between 2002 and 2013.

Gloria Estefan (Estimated Net Worth: $580 Million)

Gloria Estefan is one of the world's wealthiest female singers, owing to her influence in the music industry. With an estimated net worth of $580 million, she has earned a place in the elite. Estefan's musical career has been highlighted by numerous accomplishments, including seven Grammy Awards and over 100 million record sales worldwide. Her iconic hits, such as "Congo," "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You," and "Anything for You," have made an indelible mark on the music scene. Aside from her chart-topping success, she is best known for breaking down barriers as a Cuban-American artist, paving the way for Latin music to gain global recognition.

Celine Dion (Estimated Net Worth: $480 Million)

Celine Dion, a Canadian singer with a captivating voice, has an estimated net worth of $480 million, making her one of the world's richest female singers. Dion's incredible vocal abilities and emotive singing style earned her the title "Queen of Power Ballads." Forbes highlights Dion's phenomenal success, citing songs such as "My Heart Will Go On" and "Because You Loved Me," which earned her five Grammy Awards and a slew of other prestigious accolades. Dion's success goes beyond music; she is well-known for her Las Vegas residency, which draws large crowds and cements her reputation as a live performance powerhouse. In addition to her musical endeavors, Dion has made significant contributions through her entrepreneurial ventures, which include fragrances and fashion lines.

Victoria Beckham (Estimated Net Worth: 450 Million)

Victoria Beckham, a well-known fashion designer, businesswoman, and former Spice Girls member, is worth an estimated $450 million. Her success in the music industry is primarily due to her time with the Spice Girls, where she became known as "Posh Spice." Despite her remarkable musical achievements, which included chart-topping hits like "Wannabe" and "Spice Up Your Life" with the Spice Girls, Beckham shifted her focus to the fashion world, cementing her place among the industry's elite. Her brand, known for its sleek designs and contemporary style, has received widespread acclaim, significantly increasing her wealth.

Conclusion

In conclusion, determining the wealthiest female singers is complex and can fluctuate due to various factors such as career longevity, business ventures, investments, and market trends. However, artists like Rihanna, Madonna, Celine Dion, Beyoncé, Barbra Streisand, Taylor Swift, and Jennifer Lopez are among the wealthiest female singers globally, thanks to their successful careers in music, as well as their ventures into other industries such as fashion, cosmetics, film, and business.

[solibrie]

ok. firstly. didn't anticipate this getting noticed. if anyone is terribly interested in listening to the playlist here it is.

secondly if you want my thought processes for the songs on there (currently. i love to prune and add to playlists on occasion; forgive me for that at least) click on the read more...!

my goal with the playlist was to be "era-accurate" which just meant "what would BITTY actually listen to in these trying times?" and drawing from the music he listens to re: his hype playlist. you know the vibes. varied pop.

this means i forced myself to only put songs that were out before may 18, 2015. which was INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING BECAUSE—

(AND THE SAME WITH 'NO PLACE IN HEAVEN' BY HIT ARTIST MIKA. BTW. GOOD WIFE WOULD 100% HAVE BEEN ON THE PLAYLIST!!!! LISTEN TO IT but alas.)

anyways. here are my justifications

starts with goodbye - "i guess it's gonna have to hurt / i guess i'm gonna have to cry" — he's starting off ANGSTY!!! it's a breakup song. bitty is convinced that jack will stop thinking about him the moment that he graduates, and bitty preempts his playlist with a hard reality check because this is how he protects himself.

broken-hearted girl - "i don't wanna be without you, babe / i don't want a broken heart" — hi beyoncé. i feel like this one is self explanatory

judas - "i'm just a holy fool, oh baby, it's so cruel / but i'm still in love with judas, baby!" — Never Fall For A Straight Boy :(

it will come back - "don't let me in with no intention to keep me / jesus christ, don't be kind to me / honey, don't feed me, i will come back" — this one is bitty being a little mean to himself. he adds this one bc he's silently pleading for jack to stop being so nice and sweet and taking him out to annie's every morning bc bitty can't deny him!!! he's implicitly calling himself pathetic.

closer - "here comes the rush before we touch / come a little closer" — this one is just straight up pining. also You Construct Intricate Rituals, etc etc etc.

ribs - "that will never be enough" — this one feels really basic??? but i think bitty appreciates the inherent melancholy and longing to the song. if melodrama was out in 2015, supercut would probably take this song's place.

chasing pavements - "i know this is love, but / if i tell the world, i'll never say enough / 'cause it was not said to you" — bitty keeps his confession LOCKED AWAY IN HIS HEART. it is a defense mechanism; he'd rather suffer through his pining than risk humiliation (rejection).

first love/late spring - "please, hurry, leave me, i can't breathe" — LARDO GETS BITTY INTO MITSKI anyways. bitty is down bad and he really would love (he wouldn't actually, but,) if jack was gone so maybe his heart would ache a little less, thank you.

adore you - "are you listening? / wondering where you've been all my life" — a lot of this playlist is bitty being tortured by his own heart??? but this one is another just,,, flat out pining song. he adores jack. and when it doesn't hurt, when he's going grocery shopping w him on the same day he has important nhl meetings, it feels wonderful.

beating heart - "i want to make the best of what is left, hold tight" — a lot of the more blatant love songs are near the end bc bitty was torturing himself with the first half.

see you again - "i will carry you with me / 'til i see you again" — this one is bitty actually being hopeful that he and jack will reconnect in the future (he still assumes jack will head on to brighter pastures). he assumes abandonment and reminds himself of that one last time before finishing off the playlist with...

halo - "i swore i'd never fall again / but this don't even feel like falling" — i mean. i mean. halo being The zimbits song is a given but halo from bitty's perspective is really important to me. like, the jack reading is really obvious (esp. with the "they didn't even put up a fight / it didn't even make a sound" lyrics; his feelings were fucking undercover until bob forced him to think about them for longer than 2 seconds) but bitty's pov is soooo important also. it's a blatant love song, comparing the love interest to an angel, and professing open communication with the "i'm never gonna shut you out" thing. this one was more indulgent, but i do think bitty would add it regardless. he's in love. he knows he's in love. he knows (thinks) doesn't have a chance, but he can't help but indulge himself in this one thing - even if it's not reciprocated, everywhere he's looking now, he's surrounded by jack's embrace :)

jesus christ this got long. after he and jack start dating bitty starts a DIFFERENT playlist (he calls it "051815" and halo is the first song on that one. XO is on that one too. and CARLY RAE JEPSEN IS ON IT!!! let's get lost is sooooo zimbits).

anyways. thanks for reading this far. have a cookie 🍪

(with feeling) I LOVE GETTING INTO THINGS YEARS AFTER THEIR PEAKS

[pennydancingintherain]

String Quartet Polin Playlist:

Here are songs from my private Colin and Penelope playlist. It has taken hours of listening to the lyrics to make sure they are appropriate for Polin and I am proud to share this list for Day 2 of Polin Week.

What I imagine they’d dance to in the show during a pivotal moment in the show. After Colin has begun to realize he has affections for Penelope and is trying to get closer to her. I’m thinking heavy eye contact, he slides his hand down to the small of her back then presses her closer to him, surprising her and even himself. I want it all.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3sSfs7FatL1EL1loLh4ivE?si=y9Bb52RkTqC93rUiZ0ubmA

Just me wanting unhinged Colin smacking his face on the pavement as he falls for everything about Penelope. I want more dazed stares, Colin is starring deeply into her eyes and his gaze moves and fixates upon her lips while she’s talking. I also just want to see Colin helping Penelope to see herself as desirable! Shape of You or Shivers would be a great score for them.

https://open.spotify.com/track/5fAx5nkBA294M6MunnijOM?si=pjbyYNPCS9epsTSqm_9DiQ

To be played during their first time as depicted in the book. Their’s is one of the most pure declarations of love I’ve ever read and everything about Chapter 18 had me swooning. And I want these lines:

“Stay,” he whispered, and he pulled her to him, roughly, hungrily, without apology or explanation.

“Stay,” he said again, leading her to his bed. And when she didn’t say anything, he said it for a third time.

“Stay.”

-Romancing Mister Bridgerton

https://open.spotify.com/track/4lWYROZtRMgHmDpdUtTI22?si=L420yHH3Q161qd55XhMY7Q

First cover of the season opening used to show us where Penelope currently is, possibly a montage switching between Penelope writing Whistledown, rewriting letters to Eloise, and trying to avoid Colin.

https://open.spotify.com/track/2OTRuh4o1NXVO4Rta3Lgbg?si=oOcUKwDhT3iVOstvtZNmAA

Penelope denies Colin a dance? Perhaps. I definitely think in season 3 there will be standoffish Pen or a confrontation about that unflattering comment made by Colin in season 2 and it would be a crime to not use this song.

https://open.spotify.com/track/0dRz2oWE0RKO19LADWibr8?si=5ZTCzzgiS8yzlAcXbX4Exw

I could see this being played during their season, but not during a mirror scene, maybe earlier as a subtle foreshadowing of future events. I think this is a such a good song representing how Colin and Penelope see not only the very best in each other, but also their flaws and choose to love each other for all they are.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3YywSwvhBwolrS2ih3wmB4?si=bnfIwfPpTV-JZqN2hjyaHg

Y’ALL! Imagine Penelope Featherington walking down the aisle to marry the love of her life Colin Bridgerton to this cover!!! Nobody thinks they’ve tricked the other into marriage, no marrying your love’s sister, I just want ONE drama-free Bridgerton wedding and I hope we get that with Colin and Penelope. Beyoncé is a QUEEN and I really hope if they use any of her songs they choose to do it in Polin’s season. The “XO” string cover is also wonderful.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1F6P3SmrBw9k5rBZ2U70ws?si=TVtg8RB2SY6990QkAsgzHQ

I would think Luke Newton would agree with this choice, go check out his cover on YouTube! There’s a comment I saw on Twitter that I agree with, if we don’t get Yellow by Coldplay then what was the point of everything!? This cover is also just SO stinkin’ good.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3vOykP71BfLYgRtcAkAZ7v?si=wweogLhLQt6BjRBPtGq2pA

I’m picturing Colin and Penelope dancing to this at the Hastings ball (one of the last chapters of RMB). Colin is beaming with absolute joy and pride showing off his clever and beautiful wife to the entire ton! I need him declaring his love assuredly, fervently, and loudly!

https://open.spotify.com/track/7cdhyfdLK2BDFzCqifahkM?si=5KGKAHfYQxqfFP7FFhG-tw

Chris Van Dusen has openly stated that the show really wants to use an Olivia Rodrigo song and, selfishly, I would LOVE Drivers License in Polin’s season. Just give a listen and thank me later.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3IG7pa9dwz2yuGhgXk6tXS?si=4TxVFtcUSLmTG18TG6k2tg

[twopoppies]

What do you think about the songs from Louis’s pre-show playlist? From what I noticed a lot of the songs are pretty sad and about breaking up and moving on and doing better? What’s your take on it? Maybe it’s just a coincidence

I'm actually not familiar with most of them, so I'd have to listen to them more closely to really answer, but they don't seem like break up songs to me. I did see he played Don't Stop Believing and Halo (Liam Gallagher's Halo. Not Beyoncé's) one after the other. Which I thought was quite funny. Neither of those sounds at all like a break up song, or sad.

The lyrics from Halo:

I'm good with my baby She turns me on She's fillin' up my sky like a halo 'round the sun

When it's freezing, she's my mittens and my coat When I get too hot, she's my lager, nice and cold Wanna lock her up and keep her 'til I'm old I can get a little better Follow her lead to the letter We can bang a gong forever

And I know it's her who's knocking at my door Yeah, she's teaching me that two plus two is four When the world goes dry, she always gives me more I can get a little better Follow her lead to the letter We can bang a gong forever

Sam Fender's song, You're Not The Only One, according to Genius Lyrics (which tends to get its info from the label/artist) says this:

The song is about his best mate and himself “coming out on the other end of a bad place” and going out to party. He told Virgin Radio that “It’s a celebratory song about loving your mate, really”.

Penned when Sam was twenty years old, it deals with mental health, a prevalent theme across the album, overall encapsulated in Dead Boys.

Loving your mate, you say? 👀I'm joking. I don't think Sam is queer, but... my point still stands. A song about him and his best mate coming on on the other end of a bad place. It just sound familiar.

Weak Become Heroes sounds a lot more like a reflection on youth than it sounds like a song about a relationship. At least to me.

Sometimes songs are just songs. And from what I see people saying, they're very much along the lines of the style of music Louis likes. But I'd really question the agenda of the people pushing the idea that these are break up songs.

[nicodemuslily]

Connexion

DISCLAIMER

The drawing you are going to see and the text you have the possibility to read was inspired by a song. Month ago, when I heard ‘Halo’ from Beyoncé on the radio, an idea popped up into my mind. A what if story where the trio Rex/Wolffe/Gregor meet Yoda by accident on Dagobah during their journey to escape the Empire.

You must know that music is really important for me. I’m listening to music all day long. But if you ask me what type of music I like, what band I like or what singer I like, I can’t answer you because I don’t have any of this. I’m not fond of a type of music, a band or a singer. I’m fond of the emotions I feel when I’m hearing music (positive or negative emotions). I have tons of CD and more digital musics on my computer of many type and in many languages. I bought CD sometimes just for one song because all the other ones don’t make me feel anything. I have some other CD on which I prefer all the other songs but the ones everyone know. And in a strangest way, there are songs for which I don’t get anything of the lyrics but that I do appreciate because the instrumental part or the tone of voice give me chills. Well, you must have now understand that emotions is the key.

What about ‘Halo’ ? As I’m French, English is not my native language. I can read it, I can write it but I don’t really speak it and I barely understand it when I heard people talking with it. And that’s the case with this song: I don’t know the lyrics, I don’t know what she’s talking about for real but I always felt the same emotion hearing it: sadness. I may be wrong but when I have heard this song for the first time, I imagined she was talking to a beloved one. A beloved one who is now gone but for which she still feels its presence around her.

When I heard this song again and that this idea jumped up into my head, it was an instant cry. I’ll be honest with you : I cried writing the text. I cried again when I read it for correction, I started to cry again when I add more and more hands on the drawing below, I cried translating the text in English and this song will hurt me for quite some times by now (until I’ll pass to another fandom).

So, don’t expect to laugh at all if you take the decision to scroll down. Don’t read it if you feel bad today, don’t read it if you don’t have anything to do after that. And if you’re still curious after this huuuge introduction, prepare yourself with a box of handkerchief next to you. :D

WARNING : MAJOR ANGST  

***

The crash of their ship on Dagobah wasn’t planned as their encounter with one of the famous Jedi they had heard of. The second their eyes meet the tiny Knight of the Force, they told him that they were harmless to avoid to be wiped out by his powers. The old green master just smiled, like he already knew, and invited them in his small house. Minutes later, Wolffe and Gregot were gone to find more to eat than just roots and berries, and Rex stayed alone with Yoda, his heart pinched by an idea wandering into his mind.

He never expected to have the possibility to ask it to someone and was convinced it would stay a dream forever, but destiny finally provided him this opportunity. However, he hesitated. Did he have the right to ask for it ? Did he even desserve to talk to this man who has lost all his relatives because of his own brothers ?

-        Disturbed, I feel you, Rex. Help you, maybe I can ?

The former captain lowered is eyes, ashamed. He shook his head, not able to open his mouth, but Yoda insisted.

-        A deep pain, I feel in you. Rough times you has been through. Talking about it could lighten your burden.

Still embarassed, Rex raised his head up. The master was carefully looking at him. The clone was moved by this peaceful look, like the Jedi never lived the Order 66 massacre. A loud silence fell on their shoulders. Rex didn’t know what to do but the strong desire he had in mind pushed him to finally talk again.

-        Ge… General Skywalker told me… times ago, that… that when people die, they… they return to the Force.

-        True, it is, Yoda confirmed calmly, never stopping to stare at him.

-        I… I was wondering if… if that was also the case for… for the clones.

Yoda didn’t answer immediately, watching over him intensely, as he was trying to read his mind. Rex felt himself vulnerable.

-        Your brothers and yourself are part of the Force like every living creatures. But another interrogation I guess behind this question.

The blond clone was convinced the Jedi already knew what was his request, but he wanted him to formulate it by himself. Rex took a deep breath and re-open his mouth.

-        I… I don’t know if it’s possible but, … I would like to see… those I had lost.

The tiny master nodded quietly. He get closer to him with his limping step and put his hand on his arm.

-        Possible, it is, but painful, it will be.

-        … I know. But… please.

They looked at each other for quite some times, Yoda trying to figure out how much his guest was determined to support this hardship. The ex-officer didn’t blink. This occasion would be the only one he would have to fix this wound that never ceased to grow during the three years the Clone Wars lasted. He needed to see them again, at least once, to tell them what he has in his heart.

-        Close your eyes.

Rex obeyed without any hesitation. Then, nothing happened. After, he felt this weird feeling to fall even if he could sense the ground under his knees. The air surrounding him get thicker and seemed to wrap him like a blanket. Breathing started to be difficult but an hand suddenly touched his shoulder. He opened his eyes right away, ready to see Yoda again. His heart missed a beat.

-        … Hardcase.

The warmful and innocent smile of the soldier stretched on his face hemmed by a blue halo.

-        Hi sir, he said with his usual mocking tone.

A teardrop rolled over Rex cheek. By reflex, he tried to catch the fingers that were lightly touching his arm but he failed. His hand passed through Hardcase ones. A terrible pain rose into his chest when he did understand that they were no longer from the same world. Hardcase’s smile lessened by  getting to that point too but his older brother saw him trying to stay strong.

               Another contact made Rex quiver and he turned his head to a second familiar face. A face he hadn’t seen since Umbara but that he hadn’t forgotten.

-        Dogma, he said feeling another pearl running away.

The soldier smiled but still with the guilty look he had the last time they saw each other. Like he was still have remorses for what he has done to his comrades. Rex gave him the same confident stare as before. He who never knew what happened for him finally discovered the sentence the Kaminoans applied.

               A third hand caught his left shoulder and an uncomfortable smile appeared.

-        Tup.

A stronger grip tightened his right shoulder.

-        Fives.

The ARC trooper has a huge smile on his face, like he was hidding something to his superior again. The giant hole in Rex’ chest opened more. And the fifth face that merged from the dark amplified this crevasse.

-        Jesse.

The last time they saw each other, the lieutenant was accusing him for high treason. Less than an hour after he was burried his body near the hundred other ones who died in the crash of this cursed destroyer.

               That was too much for Rex who bursted into tears, crushed by the pain to see the brothers he didn’t succeed to save. Thousand hands suddenly got closer and embraced him with an unexpected tenderness. None of these beings were actually here with him but he was able to feel a soft warmth enfolded him. He was suffering like never before, torned apart by regrets and drowned by the memories of their last moment, but he found the strenght to speak some words.

-        … I’m sorry.

He lived all those deaths like a personal failure. As their superior officer and their big brother, it was his duty to protect them.

-        Hey, it’s fine, Fives ensured with a calm tone. We are safe now.

Rex opened his eyes and crossed Jesse and Hardcase’s stare, and they both nodded to confirm the ARC trooper words. Acidic tears overwhelmed the former captain.

-        I missed you so much…

-        We know, Hardcase said.

-        But your time is not coming yet, added Jesse.

-        You still have some things to do, finished Fives. Others need your help.

A singular feeling strucked him then. His pain shrinked and the crack in his hearth started slowly to close up. He watched them one more time, staring at all these familiar faces which seemed so alive, and a last teardrop ran down his cheek before he passed out.

***

Guess what? it’s not my sadest text I’d written (this one is at the second place). But I won’t have the strenght to draw anything related to those words. ^^; 

I promise to post something more joyful the next time. :D 

(Sorry for the mistakes in the text, it’s hard to see them when your vision is blurred by tears. XD)

[rapha-reads]

I'M BACK FOR ANOTHER EUROVISION SPECIAL !!

Eurovision 2022 is on May 10th, save the date !

Last time on "Let's rate ESC22 songs"...

Part 1: Spain, Italy, Lithuania, Latvia and Norway

Part 2: Poland, San Marino, Finland, Estonia, Netherlands

Part 3: Albania, Montenegro, Germany, Australia, Denmark

Part 4: Serbia, Ireland, Romania, Switzerland and Moldovia

Let's go for part 5 ! Belgium, UK, North Macedonia, Ukraine, Austria

Also, reminder for everyone who doesn't care: BLOCK THE TAGS.

Belgium : Jérêmie Makiese, Miss You

Not gonna lie, this is good. This is really good. But it is Grammy Awards good, not Eurovision good. Next I'm expecting the guy to duet with Jon Batiste, for real! Also it's the music video, so it's very polished and pretty, I don't know what he'll do on the big stage. But he do has moves.

Pros: good voice, nice moves. Cons: way too professional and smooth. Overall: 7/10. I would give more but it's just not Eurovision.

UK : Sam Ryder, Space Man

... No. NO. White Hippie Jesus took too much mushrooms so now we all have to suffer for his trip? Come the eff on. I'm too sober for this shit. And what the hell is this video? I protest. Unless you have some very cool visual stuff during the live on big stage, I say no, good sir.

Pros: *sigh* I guess his voice is nice, and the lyrics are actually good? Cons: the whole thing, by principle. Overall: 6/10. Guess you guys are getting some points this year, huh?

North Macedonia : Andrea, Circles

Hello gorgeous lady, hello gorgeous voice, hello nice instrumental, can I just ask : why is it in English. And the pessimism. We're already depressed as hell, ma'am. No need to pile on.

Pros: she's gorgeous (what, I've got eyes), her voice is powerful, the music and the lyrics are okay. Cons: kinda a ballad, and in English. Automatic vote down. Overall: 7/10.

Ukraine : Kalush Orchestra, Stefania

I'm giving an automatic 5 points regardless of the song and y'all can't say anything about it.

Oh. Oh. OH. I LOVE IT. The beginning like a choir and then the switch to rap? Fcking fantastic! The instruments?? The lyrics??? The dancing ???? I love you guys. On the big stage you'll rock like kings.

Pros: everything. Cons: nothing. Overall: 15/10. Yes I'm not taking back my 5 compassion points, no I don't care what you think.

Austria : LUM!X feat Pia Maria, Halo

Um. Beyoncé?? Joke aside, that's a nice techno vibe. Totally makes me wanna get up and dance and sing! Good job.

Pros: great beat, powerful lyrics, powerful voice. Cons: as always, stop singing in English. Overall: 8/10.

Uuuh, that's 5 already. Went fast. Which one is your favourite from this pick?

Next up: Slovenia, France (AAAH!), Croatia, Greece and Sweden.