Songs for next year

New beginnings are some of the most exciting things in life.  The clean slate that comes with a new house, a new city, a new job, a new friendship (or a new ______) provides an occasion for so many positive things, e.g. evaluation, reflection, anticipation, discovery, and hope.

Two overlapping observations about new beginnings:

• Music captures well the emotions associated with new chapters in life
• New Year's epitomizes, almost perfectly, this idea

And so, it should be no surprise that there are some poignant songs about December 31 and January 1.  I thought I would share a few of my favorites with you.  Below are links to YouTube videos, lyrics excerpts, and some of my thoughts.

old songs about new years
in no particular order (I just like numbering things)


1. New Year's Eve by Five Iron Frenzy

Some lyrics:
It's New Year's Eve and I'm full of empty promises I half-pretend to keep this time, just like last year.

This New Year's Eve I'm waiting for tomorrow.  My heart is on my sleeve, and yes I still believe this New Years Eve will turn out better than before.  I'm holding on, still holding out until they close the door... on me.

A year goes by and I'm staring at my watch again, and I dig deep this time for something greater than I've ever been, life to ancient wineskins. And I was blind but now I see.

This New Years Eve, something must change me inside: I'm crooked and misguided, and tired of being tired. This New Years Eve, I'm waiting for tomorrow. My heart is on my sleeve, and yes I still believe... in You.

Some thoughts:
I didn't want to bombard you with all the lyrics, so you may not get the real gist from the excerpt above.  But this song, to me, is about the futility of hoping in positive change just because a new year is dawning.  After the pointless pattern of making resolutions and then forgetting them, he finally realizes that real change happens inside and is brought about by God.


2. Next Year, Baby by Jamie Cullum

Some lyrics:
Next Year,
Things are gonna change:
Gonna drink less beer
And start all over again
Gonna read more books
Gonna keep up with the news
Gonna learn how to cook
And spend less money on shoes

Resolutions
Well, baby, they come and go
Will I do any of these things?
The answer's probably no
But if there's one thing I must do,
Despite my greatest fears
I'm gonna say to you
How I've felt all of these years
Next Year

Some thoughts:
Interestingly, this awesome Jamie Cullum song echoes Five Iron's thought about the ineffectiveness of New Year's resolutions.  It seems like in the wake of a new era, we feel as if we have the power to significantly change ourselves, but later reality sinks in and we realize we can't.  But I like how, in the face of this futility, the singer recognizes he has the capacity to change one thing -- and he identifies his (as yet unspoken) love as his top priority.


3. The Ice of Boston by The Dismemberment Plan

Some lyrics:
Pop open a third bottle of bubbly.
Yeah, and I take that bottle of champagne, go into the kitchen, stand in front of the kitchen window, and I take all my clothes off, take that bottle of champagne, and I pour it on my head, feel it cascade through my hair and across my chest, and the phone rings...
And it’s my mother.
And she says “HI HONEY HOW’S BOSTON?”
And I stand there, all alone on New Year’s Eve, buck naked, drenched in champagne, looking at a bunch of strangers.
Uh, looking at them, looking at me, looking at them, and I say:
“I’m fine Mom—how’s Washington?”

Some thoughts:
This is one of the funniest songs ever, or at least one of the funniest songs about depressing failed love.  The guy moved to Boston to be with a girl, but she later dumped him, leaving him alone in a huge city.  Hilarious, right?!?  No, but D-Plan has a way with stories.  Note that it's on New Year's Eve that he naturally takes stock of the situation.



Help compensate for my inadequate breadth of musical knowledge
it's nowhere near the breadth of my vocabulary, which includes words like "breadth"


What songs about new beginnings do you love?

Jon

Bachelor Food, September 2011: Learning from Full House

Before I dish out culinary wisdom (HA!), I want to address my horrific job of blogging lately.  I thought when I returned from my summer travels, I would "settle into a normal schedule" and thus regular blogging would automatically resume.  Unfortunately, that normal schedule is actually really busy and unpredictable, so blogging instead fell by the wayside.

But no longer!  I realize that, like anything else not actually in my weekly calendar, writing on this site is a discipline.  A ridiculous, funny, interactive discipline.

And now onto what I'm sure you've been waiting for...


The culinary wisdom of Michelle Tanner

If you're anywhere near my age and grew up with a TV, I'm confident you've seen the first 6-ish seasons of this show in their entirety.  Thus, I'm sure you'll remember Season 5, Episode 25 (Captain Video, Pt. 1).  The episode overview from tv.com says this:

"[Michelle] is determined to earn her first [Girl Scouts] badge for her cooking talents, but how will the family react when it is time to sample some of her homemade treats?"

Spoiler alert: they react badly.

They react badly because Michelle is concocting some really vile dishes.  She is making the rookie mistake (she is a 5-year-old, so she's allowed to do that) of thinking that if she likes two foods separately, she will like them together.  But don't worry; Uncle Jesse is able to set her on the right track with his characteristically sage words:

"Alright, let me give you a little tip-- you like pudding, you like cheese, so you put 'em together. You like ice cream, you like tuna, again...you put 'em together. Stop putting things together! You gotta lose the combo deal. Just try one thing; try something simple."


My Michelle moment

I don't have an actual cooking story that mirrors Michelle's.  I didn't go down the treacherous path of "Tuna Cream."  But the principle that two separately good foods aren't necessarily good together is real.  Even when it seems like the foods would be great together!

Take, for example, Stacy's Pita Chips.  This is, maybe, the best crunchy and salty snack ever made.  You can pretty much dip these guys in anything and the result is amazing.  Or you can just eat them straight up.

Then consider peanut butter.  Mmmmm. You can dip practically any edible thing in peanut butter and receive a delightful treat in return.

AND YET, the combination of Stacy's and peanut butter just... isn't... good.  I can't explain it.  It's one of those things where as you're eating it, you think, "Eh, this isn't terrible, but I'd rather be eating this pita chip by itself.  Or this peanut butter by itself."


The Tanner family and you

Any stories of failed taste combinations?  ...of life lessons from Full House?

Jon