Tuesday’s Tunes: Tracy Chapman.

I realized yesterday that I have yet to feature one of my favorite artists on Tuesday’s Tunes, Tracy Chapman! Ah, I just love her music! I also am just really drawn to her lyrics. They hold so much emotion and so much passion. Plus, I just love the sound of acoustic guitars, and her voice + the acoustic guitar is amazing!

Though my favorite song by her is “Give Me One Reason,” I thought I’d featured another equally enjoyable song of hers. Here are the lyrics to “If Not Now.”

If not now, then when?
If not today,
Then, why make your promises?
A love declared for days to come,
Is as good as none.

You can wait ’til morning comes.
You can wait for the new day.
You can wait and lose this heart.
You can wait and soon be sorry.

If not now, then when?
If not today,
Then, why make your promises?
A love declared for days to come,
Is as good as none.

Now love’s the only thing that’s free.
We must take it where it’s found.
Pretty soon it may be costly.

‘Cause if not now, then when?
If not today,
Then, why make your promises?
A love declared for days to come,
Is as good as none.

If not now, what then?
We all must live our lives.
Always feeling.
Always thinking.
The moment has arrived.

If not now, then when?

Though I know that this song is focused on finding love, I feel like it can also apply to the concept of life and living. What better time to start living your life than right now? After all, this moment is the only one we can be certain of. We might as well make it count, right?

Ground Yourself In Music, In Living.

I love to sing. Music is a big part of my life in the sense that I’m constantly listening to it. When I’m not enjoying it, things feel sorta off kilter…like something’s just not quite right. Even though many people are drawn to music because of the emotions that it brings to the surface, I love it for different reasons. I love music and singing because it makes me feel alive. It’s like every cell in my body is saying, “Yay! Happiness!” every time I sing or listen to music. It’s such an incredible feeling that has the power to reach down into my soul and let out all the love that I want to give to the world.

I think I love singing and music because it provides me with a sense of presence, which is something that I also get through yoga. When I sing or hear music that I enjoy, I’m grounded in the moment. I’m letting the music move through me, while being so happy to be living. Though I turn to music when I’m in all sorts of moods, I love that it has the power to get me out of a really crummy mood. I’ve got to sing out the pain. I mean, a few days ago I was feeling down (due to the emotions from book writing) and so I went to drive on the parkway with music blasting and singing at the top of my lungs. Though I know that I don’t want to sing as a career, I think it’s something that will always help me remember to stay true to myself. It’s a reminder that though life is hard, the only thing we’re sure of is this precise moment. So why worry about the moments that aren’t even in front of you yet? Not worrying about the future is something I have to constantly remind myself to do. However, through music and singing, I’m able to ground myself in music, in living.

Here are some of the upbeat (mostly country) songs that I blast in my car when I need to be reminded of the amazing parts of life:

1. Get Out Of This Town-Carrie Underwood
2. Georgia Peaches-Lauren Alaina
3. She’s A Wildflower-Lauren Alaina
4. Miles To Go-Alison Krauss and Union Station
5. Some Days You Gotta Dance-Dixie Chicks
6. Everybody by Ingrid Michaelson
7. Marry You-Bruno Mars
8. What Doesn’t Kill You-Kelly Clarkson
9. Build Me Up Buttercup-The Foundations
10. Some Hearts-Carrie Underwood

If you haven’t checked out those songs, you should. They’re amazing!

Tuesday’s Tunes: Marc Broussard.

So, I’ve done a Tuesday’s Tunes post on Marc Broussard already, but this Friday I’ll be seeing him in concert, so it’s only fitting that I choose him as my Tuesday’s Tunes artist of the week! Seeing Marc Broussard at the Orange Peel on Friday will be the first show I’ve seen in Asheville ever since seeing Framing Hanley at the Orange Peel with a friend over the summer. To make this concert even better, some of my favorite people are coming up from Charleston, SC to enjoy the concert with me! I can’t wait. It’s going to be so much fun!

Here are the lyrics to one of my favorite Marc Broussard songs: “Where You Are.” You should definitely check it out because it’s a super catchy song!

Your skin is like the moonlight
Dancing in the midnight
Your touch is sweet as candy
Your kisses they taste so fine, so fine
and I want to love you better
You don’t have to be alone
I want to let you know forever’s waiting right here at home

[Chorus]
And I want to be where you are
Come on take all I’ve got
I want you to know just how I feel
I’ve loved you from the start
I want to be where you are

Girl you know how to move me
Making me believe, believe
You blind a man with beauty
Love will make him see
I can see
And I want to love you better
And nowhere is too far
I want to let you know forever is right here in my heart

[Chorus]

I’ve stood alone in New York City
I’ve watched the sunset in L.A.
I ride for miles and miles and end up getting nowhere
But I’ve never felt this way
Never felt this way
Never felt this way

And I want to be where you are come on take all I’ve got
I want you to know just how I feel
I’ve loved you from the start

I’ve stood alone in New York City
I’ve watched the sunset in L.A.
I ride for miles and miles and end up getting nowhere
But I’ve never felt this way

Such a great song! Can’t wait to hear Marc play it live on Friday! 

Tuesday’s Tunes: Daughtry.

I’ve had the privilege of seeing Daughtry in concert twice, and both times, the concert was amazing. I’ve been listening to Daughtry on repeat for the last few days since I discovered their new album, Break The Spell. The new album is quite different from the band’s previous releases. Though their sound is still the same, the content of their songs on this album are more uplighting and not quite as dark as their previous albums.

“Rescue Me” is currently my favorite song on the album. Then again, I love all of the songs on this new album, so it’s kinda hard to pick just one. Anyway, here are the lyrics to “Rescue Me.” Enjoy!

Our story’s old, older than the wind
It’s been decided for years, how can we pretend
That we all know just how it’s gonna end

Rescue me in the middle of the ocean
Crashing down, it’s always hard to breathe
Some say, it’s easier to give up on it
I say, it’s time to rescue me

Lost and lonely people standing by, afraid to try
Some of them here, the same as you and I
The difference is it’s so wrong to be left behind

So I need you now

Rescue me in the middle of the ocean
Crashing down, it’s always hard to breathe
Some say, it’s hard to make the changes
Rescue me and I’ll never be the same

Rescue me in the middle of my darkest hour
Time will tell I never really had the power
Some say, it’s easier to give up on it
I say, it’s time to rescue me

I’ve gotta get out, how foolish I have been
To say it’s all been a waste of time
We may lose and we may win
But like the sun we will rise again

But until then

Rescue me in the middle of the ocean
Crashing down, it’s always hard to breathe
Some say, it’s hard to make the changes
Rescue me and I’ll never be the same

Rescue me in the middle of my darkest hour
Time will tell I never really had the power
Some say, it’s easier to give up on it
I say, it’s time to rescue me

Rescue me in the middle of the ocean

Such an AMAZING song! You should definitely check it out. Have you been hooked on a certain band or artist recently? 

Tuesday’s Tunes: Hope For Me Yet by Marc Broussard.

So, I’m a big music person. My favorite artist recently, Marc Broussard, was introduced to me by a friend. I’m especially excited because Marc Broussard is coming to play at The Orange Peel in Asheville on February 10th. I can’t wait to hear him play live. It’s going to be amazing!

Here are lyrics to one of my favorite songs by Marc Broussard, called “Hope For Me Yet”:

I could bless the water
But it wouldn’t turn to wine
Paint a picture of the sunset
Hanging there in your eyes
But it’d just be some compromise

I could write a million verses
Every word you’ve heard before
Steal some of Dylan’s best
But it’d leave me wanting to say more
Cause there’s so much more

Baby if you could love someone like me
There’s no end to the possibility
Hopes and dreams push away the pain and regret
But loving you just lets me know
There might be hope for me yet
Hope for me yet

Sometimes when I look back
I don’t even know myself
It blows my mind to think that I’ve found grace in someone else
Baby your grace is something else

Baby if you could love someone like me
There’s no end to the possibility
Hopes and dreams push away the pain and regret
But loving you just lets me know
There might be hope for me yet

For a man who’s done nothing
I’ve been blessed with so much more than I deserve
I’m smart enough to know that I’ve been handed something
Can’t put a price on what it’s worth

Baby if you could love someone like me
Theres no end to the possibility
Hopes and dreams push away the pain and regret
But loving you just lets me know
There might be hope for me yet
Hope for me yet
Hope for me yet

I don’t know what it is about this song, but I just love it. I think it’s the mixture of the beat and the lyrics. Either way, it’s great.

Have you heard any new music recently that has spoken to you or that you’ve just really enjoyed? 

The Longer I Run.

I guess in this culture of ever-shortening attention spans, it’s good if a song can lift us out of the madness, even if only for a few minutes.-Peter Bradley Adams

Yesterday, I discovered a new artist, Peter Bradley Adams. I was listening to my Ingrid Michaelson Pandora station, and a song called “The Longer I Run” by Peter Bradley Adams came on. He’s one of those artists that you hear and you say, “Oh my gosh. Who is that singing?!” I’ve always been a fan of folk-pop music, so I guess that’s one of the reasons I was drawn to this musician. Also, he’s one of those artists that easy to listen to when doing other things (his relatively soft and quiet voice are nice background music).

The first song I heard by him yesterday, “The Longer I Run” is still my favorite by him at the moment. Here are the lyrics:

When that blood runs warm with the warm red wine
I miss the life that I left behind
And when I hear the sound of the blackbird’s cry
I know I left in the nick of time

Well this road I’m on’s gonna turn to sand
And leave me lost in a far-off land
So let me ride the wind ’till I don’t look back
And forget the life that I almost had

If I wander ’till I die
May I know whose hand I’m in
And if my home I’ll never find
Then let me live again

The longer I run then the less that I find
Selling my soul for a nickel and dime
Breaking my heart to keep singing these rhymes
And losing again

The longer I run then the less that I find
Selling my soul for a nickel and dime
Breaking my heart to keep singing these rhymes
And losing again

Tell my brother please not to look for me
I ain’t the man that I used to be
But if my saviour comes could you let him know
I’ve gone away for to save my soul

If I wander ’till I die
May I know whose hand I’m in
And if my home I’ll never find
Then let me live again

The longer I run then the less that I find
Selling my soul for a nickel and dime
Breaking my heart to keep singing these rhymes
And losing again

The longer I run then the less that I find
Selling my soul for a nickel and dime
Breaking my heart to keep singing these rhymes
And losing again

It’s a great song. You should definitely check it out on YouTube because it’s worth a listen.

Have you discovered any new music?