I found a great site for television theme songs. It has a name the theme game which is downright addictive. I didn’t do very well on it. When you don’t watch much more than the Sci-Fi or sports channels, it’s hard to recognize any themes.

Of course, I tuned right into the Monday Night Football theme (http://www.televisiontunes.com/ABC_Monday_Night_Football_-_1989.html) and The X-Files Theme (http://www.televisiontunes.com/X-Files.html). It also had themes for some of my other favorites, some shows I’ve never heard of, and the ending theme which plays while the credits roll.

Jessie

Okay, I’m pulling for the Giants. Not much to say on the subject which hasn’t already been said.

But, the half-time show…

Tom Petty is the scheduled entertainment. Being a southern gal, I’ve always enjoyed his music. I doubt after Janet’s little fiasco a couple of years ago that he’ll sing You Don’t Know How it Feels, because hey *let’s roll another joint*, but what do you think he’ll pick for the SuperBowl audience?

My picks are:

Running Down a Dream
Free Fallin’
Breakdown
I Won’t Back Down

My maybes are:
Even the Losers
Refugee
Don’t Come Around Here No More

So, what do you think will be his picks?

Have a great weekend!
Jessie

One of my favorite musicals/poperas is Evita (The original Broadway Show). However, there is one song which I always skip when I’m listening to the soundtrack - Another Suitcase in Another Hall.

The song is absolutely wonderful and haunting in it’s emotional depth. It’s performed by Peron’s mistress after Evita kicks the teenaged girl out.

So, I’m sure you’re wondering why I skip the song.

Because it has absolutely nothing to do with the story line, and it feels more like an intermission.
A few minutes for the regular cast to rest their voices.

Authors do this, too. They’ll add a scene, with or without the major characters, and it does nothing to further the story. It’s a good scene, but it doesn’t add any substance. And guess what? I skip over them, no matter how beautifully written. Most of the time, I feel like those scenes have been added for word count. If the pace needs to slow down a little, and sometimes it does in order for the reader to catch their breath, throwing in a scene which doesn’t further the plot will do more than let me catch my breath. Nine times out of ten, it will get a bookmark. There’s no driving force to induce me to turn the page, and when that happens, I can close the book.

Not good.

So, any time I’m tempted to write a scene which doesn’t directly impact my plot, I pull out my CD of Evita and listen to Another Suitcase in Another Hall, and remind myself why those scenes will never work.

Jessie

Today is Glen Frey’s birthday. He’s 59. He’s written some of my favorite songs, with the Eagles and solo. Some of his songs include:

Take It Easy
New Kid in Town
Doolin-Dalton
Smuggler’s Blues
The Best of My Love
I Can’t Tell You Why
Wasted Time
Tequila Sunrise
and many, many more.

I have New Kid in Town on 45 rpm record. Most of the others, I have on album or disk. It’s hard to pick a favorite among his songs, but if pressed, I might be able to narrow the ones I have listed to one or two.

New Kid in Town, I Can’t Tell You Why, & Tequila Sunrise. Those soulful tunes get to me.

So, Happy Birthday, Mr. Frey, and may you have many more.

Jessie

I thought I’d start with a random hit off my computer catalog of music and blog about the first song that played. But, after staying up to watch Brett Favre’s magnificent 82 yard touchdown pass in overtime, I changed my mind and decided to do a football song. I’m not talking about the songs performed during the promo spots or at the beginning of the shows, I mean a one-time top 40 hit about football. Sort of.

The year: 1969
The artist: Mel & Tim
The song: Backfield in Motion

You can find the lyrics here.

In football, it’s a five yard penalty against the offense- more than one man in motion at the snap, and is called as illegal motion. The referee’s signal is described as “Horizontal arc with one hand” and can be seen here.

The song also mentions the penalties of off-sides and holding, and strangely enough, a short baseball reference to balking. Must’ve been written in October.

I’m not sure when they started using illegal motion instead of backfield in motion, and haven’t found any references to the switch. If anyone knows, please share the knowledge.

Jessie

While at RT, me and a few other people got caught up in a conversation about music–cheesy music. I usually have a soundtrack of sorts to match the mood of my story, but these songs will never make the soundtracks. Here’s a list of cheesy songs that even if you do like them, you’ll be too embarrassed to admit it.

Midnight at the Oasis (does anyone actually put a camel to bed?)
Afternoon Delight (the lyrics no one can understand are, “I always thought a fish could not be caught that didn’t bite.”)
On the Cover of the Rolling Stone (A gen-u-wine Indian guru)
Ode to Billy Joe (Pass the blackeyed peas)
Harper Valley PTA (Now, why is she using more ice?)
Chevy Van (Keep your eyes on the road, son and slow this vehicle down)

I have all of these, in one form or another, and probably dozens more that I blessedly don’t remember. Otherwise, you might pass me in the hall one day and hear me humming, Billy Don’t be a Hero.

Jessie