But I also loathe listening to music that I listened to 12+ years ago. Since I was in a few bands in my 20s and 30s, I simply will never be able to listen to Bob Seger, Kool and the Gang or the majority of the Rolling Stones catalog again. Ever.
So most of my exposure to new music comes in the form of recommendations from friends, stories and reviews on NPR, and anywhere else I may happen upon something new and pleasing to my ear.
I bet you're wondering what this has to do with a blog about a dog? Well, one of the most prolific sources of new music I have found is the community of animal lovers.
Seriously, go peruse the Facebook page of one of your favorite rescue organizations or scroll through the archives of your favorite pet blog and tell me you don't find at least one slideshow of pretty puppies prancing playfully to mellifluous melodies. Watch enough of these videos and you're bound to come across a tune or two that's new to you, too.
(Okay, alliteration hour has ended. Sorry about that.)
Over the next couple of days, just for giggles, I'll be sharing a list of 13 songs that have, at one time or another, been in heavy rotation on my playlist.
In some cases, the song makes the video but in most, the video makes the song. Often times, for weeks after seeing the video, hearing the song will foster the feelings or memory associations I made with the video. And that makes these great tunes to turn to when I'm feeling stressed, depressed or overwhelmed. Happiness, it seems, is a warm puppy - even if the puppies are only video visions in your head.
- You Scream I Scream Dog
Turning the tables on adoption. Silly. Fun. Kind of makes a point. And supports Animal Adoption.
Buy on: Google Play | iTunes | Amazon
- OK Go White Knuckles
Everybody's seen this one by now, right? Not my favorite song by OK Go but the video is, like most of their productions, simply awesome. Getting a Golden Retriever to bark in time to the music at the end of the video? Priceless.
Buy on: Google Play | iTunes | Amazon
- Swedish House Mafia Save the World Tonight
Good beat, great for working out. Video makes you kind of wish it was real...
Buy on: Google Play | Amazon
- Mayer Hawthorne Her Favorite Song
Cute video with a nice smooth, "wind down after work" kind of feel.
Buy on: iTunes | Amazon
- Allison Weiss Making It Up
I think the pain of having a dog stop loving you would have to be like the worst thing ever, right? Of course, that's part of what we love about them - that they don't fall out of love with us even when we're jerks or don't have time for them. Fun song though. Add in Allison's geeky adorableness and a bit of a Shiva doppelganger and it's all good.
Buy on: iTunes | Amazon
- Kimber Cleveland Strong For You (Behind the Myth theme song)
There's not really a video here - it's just a sound clip. But it's a sound clip of a song associated with an important movie about Breed Discrimination (and mostly pit bull type dogs) and it had to be included on the list. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the song will be donated to "Pit Bull Rescue and Advocacy groups".
Buy on: iTunes | Amazon
- Tiki Taane x Paw Justice Enough is Enough
This video can be a little hard to watch and okay, maybe the song isn't perfect. But the intention and heart and message make it a must for inclusion on this list. Written as a collaboration between Tiki Taane and the real people who are Paw Justice, the video makes clear that we all have a part to play in standing up for animals and taking on their abusers. (Don't worry, the violent reality of dog-fighting in the video is only implied.)
Thanks to Sue from Greyhounds CAN Sit for turning me on to this one.
Buy on: iTunes
Tune in tomorrow for my top 6 favorite animal music video songs.
Thanks for all the kind words of support for our little family over the last few weeks. Jan is home and fine. Surgery never materialized - I'm not sure if it's good or bad when they tell you surgery can't fix what's wrong with you. But he is doing very well on a new dose of medication and we are all getting back to our routine. Expect more Bella coming soon.
Please note: I don't get anything if you buy the songs - I don't even have my Amazon affiliate account set up yet. I just like to support musicians by making it easier for you to purchase and download their tunes.
You have some picks! I also love "Greyhound" by Swedish House Mafia and "The Dog Days Are Over" by Florence + The Machine! ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks. I haven't heard of either of those two but I love Florence + the Machine and obviously SHM as well so I'm going to have to go look them up. Thanks for the tip!
ReplyDeleteI still haven't had time to check all your videos out but do want to thank you for including 'mine' :) Hopefully the animal lovers in New Zealand have spoken loud enough for the Govt. to listen and stop this bill going through.
ReplyDeleteI hope things are still going well with Jan and every day gets better for you all.