Week #12 for Soundtrack of My Life is Building a Mystery by Sarah McLachlan. Blair Clarkson Wellington introduced me to McLachlan during one of her visits to UGA. Blair and I had been in show-choir together (jazz hands!) and she has a beautiful soprano voice which sounded really great next to my gritty alto. She was the Emily to my Amy on countless road trips where the Indigo Girls were required listening and singing.
So, the first time I heard the album Surfacing I was in awe. The contrast of McLachlan's delicate voice singing lyrics like, "a beautiful fucked up man" was fabulous. (You might remember the radio version saying "a beautiful but strange man.") It was also an intimidating album to sing to because her voice is so different from mine. I've never had the balls to sing McLachlan publicly - until now! I hope you enjoy it. And when you do, share, share share!!! Help me out :)
While I love almost all of her songs, this one is particularly perfect for Soundtrack of My Life because the song is about putting up a facade to hide our insecurities. McLachlan has said,"if we just be who we are, that's usually the more attractive and beautiful thing." The thing is, it's terrifying to be who you are and then put it out to the world to judge. Yet, that's exactly the risk I am taking with this project by not auto-tuning or lip-synching. The fabulous guys at Down Fenix Media (www.downfenix.com) roll two cameras and we go, mistakes and all. In a world of over-produced music, I'm wanting to offer authenticity not just for music lovers but for myself because I've found it's easier to be creative when I let it all hang-out - good, bad, and ugly - at least it's real.
This year, I have indulged myself with a project called "Soundtrack of My Life." Each week I release on YouTube a story and a song that has special meaning to me. I have fantasized about doing a project like this for years but always worried that releasing covers would detract from my cool singer-songwriter vibe (I try so hard to create). However, I realized that no one who knows me actually thinks I'm cool and my two kids keep me one step away from wearing mom jeans (not cool!) so really, I had nothing to lose. Thanks to the help of the amazing guys at Down Fenix Media, I was off practicing some covers and ready to go. Here's what I've learned so far from my YouTube channel.
Tom Petty is a bad ass. Which of course, we already knew. But, my YouTube channel has confirmed it for me. I picked his song "Yer So Bad" because he's one of my favorite artists and the song is short and sweet. I thought it would be a good introduction to the channel for people who were just getting a taste of what Soundtrack of My Life was all about. It averages the most plays per week and it's my most viewed video. Yer So Bad isn't exactly his biggest hit so I think on sheer name recognition, people trust it's gonna be a good song. Listen here and tell me what you think in the comments! I respond to all comments. Even haters!
March's most popular video is my Call Me Maybe version (which I love!). I had to make my own version because my kids sang it non-stop. I really like how the singer-songwriter vibe puts a spin on it. And while Call Me Maybe quickly jumped over INXS and Marcy Playground, Tom Petty is still firmly in the second place spot for the month and #1 overall. The logical explanation is the people who listened to me cover Carly Rae, stuck around to hear Tom Petty. Crossing generations and genres like that is any musicians dream and it just makes me love him even more. Listen here and tell me what you think about this slower version of Call Me Maybe.
I have discovered that I am the only person who listened to Concrete Blonde in the '90s. Nobody knows who they are. Not even people my age. Really??? Have we forgotten Joey? As a female artist who loves to belt moody songs there was nothing better than the album Bloodletting. And that album came out before vampires were cool --- so they get double awesome points for being ahead of the trend. The song I picked, Tomorrow Wendy, is hands down one of my favorite songs of all time. I was sure that when I posted it I would be overrun with emails and Facebook messages telling me how much people love that song. But nope. All I got is one girl named Wendy telling me that the song disturbed her. Point taken. Let me hear from you if you love the beauty of this song!
And lastly, I have realized that a lot of people hate Marcy Playground's Sex and Candy. HATE.Even on the day I was filming, as soon as I said it, one of the producers groaned with disgust. It had never occurred to me that someone wouldn't like that song - it's short, it's simple, and it mentions sex and candy ..... ummmmm, how does it get much better than that? When I posted the song, appropriately during the week of Valentine's Day, people emailed to tell me how much they hated that song. Who does that? "Hey, what's up? I hate what you're doing. See ya!" At first I wasn't sure what I thought about those emails but I've decided those folks can suck it. I still love that song, and I like my version of it. Check it out here and see what you think. I also think the moodier lighting works for this particular song.
I could go on and on about the other songs and maybe I will in another blog. For now, I will close by saying this has been a really fun project to work on. Music really does bring people together and it's amazing how many conversations I've had with friends, neighbors, or other parents that started because they liked a song I posted. I appreciate all the support I've received so far, especially from my intown friends and neighbors. Please help support this project by subscribing to my channel so you can get videos in your inbox on a weekly basis. Also, share them with your friends, on your facebook page or on Twitter. Sharing just one video with your friends can introduce me to a whole group of fans I would never have known otherwise. Your friends will thank you and so will I. And don't forget - Tom Petty's legacy is in your hands. Subscribe here!Join my newsletter here!
