This is not everyone’s taste but I really wish I still had my copy of this Rick Wakeman song. I had it on a single many years ago but let someone borrow it. I never saw it again.
It was released back in 1980 with the song, Do You Believe in Fairies on the B side. (Back in the day when there was such a thing as a B side.)
I must admit that I’m not a big fan of Lady Gaga. I don’t see what all the fuss is about.
On the other hand, I’d certainly pay to see Stefani Germanotta in concert. The weird thing is, they’re the same person. The video above is Stefani Germanotta in 2005 before she created her Lady Gaga persona. She performs two of her own songs and her talent is obvious.
Adam Young of Owl City isn’t so much someone who writes songs as someone who paints glorious pictures with his music.
Today I had the honour of talking to Adam on the phone as part of my radio programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM.
You can listen to our conversation by clicking the play button of the audio player at the bottom of this post.
Adam started out by creating music in his parents’ basement but these days he’s one of the biggest music acts on the planet. Adam is responsible for lead vocals, programming, keyboards, piano, synthesizers, guitars, bass guitar, drums, percussion, vibraphone and accordion on Owl City’s recordings.
A few years ago when he released the single Fireflies, it became a number one smash hit in 24 countries.
Owl City is an American electronic/synthpop musical project by singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Young formed in 2007 in Owatonna, Minnesota. Young created the project while experimenting with music in his parents’ basement. Like many musicians that achieved success in the era between 2005 and 2009, Owl City developed a following on the music and social networking site Myspace in the late 2000s before signing with Universal Republic in 2008.
After two independent albums, Owl City gained mainstream popularity with the 2009 major label debut album Ocean Eyes, which spawned the quadruple-platinum hit single “Fireflies” and lesser hit “Vanilla Twilight”. The album was certified Platinum in the United States in April 2010. – Wiki
His new album, All Things Bright and Beautiful, and the single, Alligator Sky, are delighting music lovers all over again. Enjoy listening to Adam talking about his musical journey.
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This is the great new song for Wes Carr.
Born and raised in Adelaide, South Australia, Wes first began to teach himself guitar and piano at the age of twelve. He’s been performing ever since but he finally gained national recognition by becoming the winner of the 2008 series of Australian Idol.
Wes has just released his new single and he joined me on the 98.5 Sonshine FM to talk about his music this morning.
You can hear our chat by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.
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It seems that you can’t go anywhere these days without seeing people tuning out the world by being plugged into their portable music devices. If new research by McGill University in Montreal, Canada is right, there’s a very good reason that more of us are choosing to listen to more and more music.
The researchers have found that the chemical, dopamine, is released into our bodies in response to music that we enjoy.
Dopamine increases in response to other stimuli such as food and money.
It is known to produce a feel-good state in response to certain tangible stimulants – from eating sweets to taking cocaine.
Dopamine is also associated with less tangible stimuli – such as being in love.
In this study, levels of dopamine were found to be up to 9% higher when volunteers were listening to music they enjoyed.
The report authors say it’s significant in proving that humans obtain pleasure from music – an abstract reward – that is comparable with the pleasure obtained from more basic biological stimuli. – BBC News
It’s no real surprise to me that music can have such a powerful effect. The surprise to me is that there are some people who have little interest in music. They’re in the minority but I can’t imagine life without music.
There are some pieces of music that can leave me absolutely breathless with others that can instantly transform my mood. Some music can give me an instant energy boost when I’m exercising or help me mellow out when I’m stressed.
Music isn’t the answer to all life’s problems, and it was never intended to be, but there is something quite wonderful about hearing a melody or lyric that touches something deep inside us.
How about you? What kind of music touches you? Is there a special song that can lift you when you’re feeling low? Please leave a comment or two about your experience with music.
