"Shoebox" by Barenaked Ladies
  Song of the Week

This week's song is one of the lesser known hits from a very well known band. That band being Barenaked Ladies which have sold over 5 million records in the US and have charted a number one hit in 1998 with "One Week." "Shoebox," released in 1995, is the first single off of their third studio album, Born on a Pirate Ship, which also features one of their most popular hits, "Old Apartment."

The single was also featured on the Friends Original TV Soundtrack, a album which of course features the famous theme song for the show, "I'll Be There for You" by The Rembrandts, but also such classics as "It's a Free World, Baby" by R.E.M and "I Go Blind" by Hootie and The Blowfish.

Barenaked Ladies is one of my favorite bands from the '90s so this song is just one of many that I thoroughly enjoy but this one tends to be toward the top of the list, mainly due to this line in the song, "Your so nineteen ninety / And It's nineteen ninety four." There is something about using a year as a term to describe someone that makes me laugh every time, especially when that year happens to be almost twenty years ago. It's a song that a lot of people can relate to as I am sure most people had a shoebox full of memories under thier bed when they were a kid and a song that is thoroughly fun to dance and sing along to as shown by the music video below.

The music video is better than the average music video, I have to admit, but it is pretty over the top. It features the band playing in the shoebox referenced in the song and tells the story of the teenage girl sneaking out of her parents house to go see a Barenaked Ladies concert with what appears to be the man of her dreams and the subsequent "fooling around" that ensues back at his apartment. This, of course, all turns out to be a dream at the end of the video. Classic.

According to the Wikipedia article on the song, the video was supposed to feature Lisa Kudrow and Matt Lablanc from Friends but "each pulled out nearly last minute, and had to be replaced with unknown actors." I'm not sure if those two actors would have made the video any better but it certainly would have made the video more popular. Anyway, they did a good job with the music video and at least look like they had a great time making it (see: Tyler Stewart tackling giant lipstick around the 1:30 mark).

Enjoy.


90s Post-Grunge Playlist

After last week's 90s Pop Music playlist, I decided to get back to my real roots and create a playlist with a collection of some of the best rock songs of the late 90s. This playlist has some of my favorite artists from the 90s, and these bands are the reason I first became interested in music in general.

I tried to go with more of these band's more popular and familiar songs but I plan on creating a few more of these playlists, where I dig a little deeper into the genre.

My favorite from this playlist has to be "Push" by Matchbox Twenty, one of the best songs of any genre from the 90s. The opening to "Push" never fails to bring chills down my spine.

Fortunately, this is not the only great song on this playlist. All of these artists have proved their worth over the years, and these songs only sample their excellence.

Enjoy.

90s Post-Grunge Playlist:

1. "Heavy" by Collective Soul
2. "Push" by Matchbox Twenty
3. "Everything Zen" by Bush
4. "Old Apartment" by Barenaked Ladies
5. "How's It Going To Be" by Third Eye Blind
6. "I Alone" by Live
7. "Inside Out" by Eve 6
8. "Good" by Better Than Ezra
9. "Everlong" by Foo Fighters
10. "One Headlight" by The Wallflowers

Here's the link for the whole playlist: 90s Post-Grunge Playlist

Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.


SNL In The 90s: A Look At The Music

A great recap to a great decade. Saturday Night Live is a show that I really have enjoyed over the last decade or so. From Chris Farley to Chris Rock, this show was stacked with comedic geniuses. This television special had plenty of commentary from almost all the great cast members of the 1990s but it was lacking a little in the video clips. With such a long span to cover, it was hard to fit everything into a two hour special but I think that they did a good job. You really can't go wrong with Chris Farrley's Matt Foley skit or Will Farrell's Cowbell performance.

It was really fun to see all the old cast members come back to talk about the golden age of SNL that was the early 90s. The cool thing about it was that there were only a few missing from the commentary. The only one that I noticed that was missing was Adam Sandler. I, being such a avid 90s music fan, loved that fact that they included a bunch of past performances from so many good bands. The musical acts have always been an intricate part of Saturday Night Live, and it was nice to see them be included in the special.

I had to compile this list by memory because I didn't get a chance to tape it but I am pretty sure this is fairly accurate and almost complete. If you see any mistakes or additions that should be made, please feel free to leave a comment.

Musical Performances Featured on "SNL In The 90s":
Barenaked Ladies - "It's All Been Done"
Gin Blossoms - "Follow You Down"
Christina Aguliera - "What a Girl Wants"
Blues Traveler - "Hook"
Green Day - "When I Come Around"
R.E.M. - "Shiny Happy People"
Pearl Jam - "Not For You"
Dave Matthews Band - "So Much To Say"
Foo Fighters - "Learn to Fly"
Beck - "Sexx Laws"
Nirvana - "Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Sheryl Crow - "If It Makes You Happy"
Garbage - "When I Grow Up"
Oasis - "Don't Go Away"

I was really happy to see the lesser known bands like Blues Traveler get some air time as well as the more popular acts like DMB, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., and Nirvana. My favorite part of the whole show was the decision to have Oasis' "Don't Go Away" be the last act shown. This is one of my favorite songs from Oasis and from the 90s in general. A fitting end to a great decade of music and comedy. Thanks for listening and hope you check out some of these classic songs.


Summer Hits Playlists

The summer is just around the corner and I will be posting a lot more often, updating you with music news, reviews and more playlists. For this playlist I wanted to give you a little taste of summer as the school year is almost over and hopefully this cold April weather is going to heat up this week. These ten songs might seem very random but they are some of my favorite songs and either have something to do with summer or just remind me of the season. I would just like to point out one song in particular, "The Remedy (I Won't Worry)" by Jason Mraz. This song really has nothing to do with summer but I can remember listening to it constantly just a few summers ago and it seems that it is a song that might have been forgotten. I thought I would bring to light some classics like OMC and some songs you might not of heard of like "Just watch the Fireworks". Thanks for listening and I'm looking forward to a productive summer.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know
1. Steal my Sunshine - LEN
2. How Bizarre - OMC
3. Pinch Me - Barenaked Ladies
4. Run-Around - Blues Traveler
5. American Girls - Counting Crows
6. Summer Skin - Death Cab for Cutie
7. The Remedy (I Won't Worry) - Jason Mraz
8. Just Watch the Fireworks - Jimmy Eat World
9. Sunshine - Keane
10. Blinded (When I See You) - Third Eye Blind

Here's the link for the whole playlist: Summer Hits Playlist Part II

Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.


Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist: Itunes Shuffle (Week 15)

Another Monday playlist for you to enjoy. I just realized how busy these next two weeks will be for me but I am going to try my best to keep up with new articles. For this playlist I thought it would be fun to get a good mix of 10 random songs selected by Itunes. I thought this sample would give a good representation of the kind of music I listen to everyday. I just hope that nothing embarrassing comes up. Thanks for listening and I hope you find something that you like.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 15 - March 5-11 2007
1. Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
2. Collective Soul - How Do You Love?
3. Red Hot Chili Peppers - This Velvet Glove
4. R.E.M. - The One I Love
5. Lifehouse - We'll Never Know
6. Keane - Broken Toy
7. Barenaked Ladies - Get in Line
8. A Perfect Circle - Judith
9. Dave Matthews Band - Angel
10. Goo Goo Dolls - Acoustic #3

Here's the link for the whole playlist: Itunes Shuffle Playlist #1

Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.


Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist: My Favorite Artists (Week 13)

For this playlist I thought that I would treat you with some of my favorite music from bands that I really enjoy. Chances are that you might not of heard these before. These will be from familiar bands but nothing that was ever played on the radio. I tried to put my them in descending order according to how much I like each artist, my favorite being on top and tenth favorite as number ten. This doesn't necessarily mean that the particular songs are in that order though. I had a really tough time narrowing it down to ten artists but I think that this will really give you a sense of my musical taste. This is probably my favorite playlist to date and it contains some of my all time favorite songs. Anyways, here it is and hope you enjoy it.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 13 - Feb. 12-18 2007
1. Third Eye Blind - God of Wine
2. Lifehouse - Six Cycle Carousel
3. Better than Ezra - Special
4. Barenaked Ladies - Light Up My Room
5. Jimmy Eat World - Kill
6. Eve 6 - Amphetamines
7. Switchfoot - Redemption
8. Goo Goo Dolls - Hate this Place
9. Duncan Sheik - For You
10. The Wallflowers - Closer to You

Here's the link for the whole playlist: Top Ten Unknown Songs From My Favorite Artists

Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.


Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist: Week #7

It's not Monday, it's not even Tuesday anymore but I felt like that even though I missed it, I should still create one this week. I also missed last week due to Christmas so this is way over due. This playlist will feature some of my favorite songs of all time and is probably my favorite one thus far. It is filled with some classics and ones that you probably have never heard. It's a great way to start off the new year. Thanks for listening and come back next week for another one.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 7 - Jan. 1-7 2006
1. Palm Reader - Third Eye Blind
2. All of You - Vertical Horizon
3. Bleeders - The Wallflowers
4. Chocolate - Snow Patrol
5. Everything - Lifehouse
6. What Sarah Said - Death Cab for Cutie
7. Call and Answer - Barenaked Ladies
8. Bunnies (Live in NYC) - Howie Day
9. Turn My Head - Live
10. This Will Be My Year - Semisonic

Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.


Top 10 Songs You Should Know Playlist: Week #2

It's Monday again and that means that it is time for the second publication of the Top 10 Songs You Should Know. Once again this is a list of ten songs that you may not of heard before because most of them aren't singles but come from fairly popular artists.

This playlist features some of my favorite artists, all of which I listen to on a regular basis. These artists are pretty mainstream but I tried to highlight some songs that are phenomenal but got little press. "Simon" by Lifehouse is one of my all time favorites and I highly recommend you give it a listen. "Misfits" features the subtle sounds of crickets in the beginning so be sure to check that out. A song that I just recently found is number one on the list, and it isn't reinventing the wheel but it brings some great lyrics to life.

Top 10 Songs You Should Know - Week 2 - Nov. 20-26 2006
1. Miracle - Vertical Horizon
2. Brace Yourself - Howie Day
3. I Miss You - Incubus
4. Simon - Lifehouse
5. How to be Dead - Snow Patrol
6. Misfits - Third Eye Blind
7. On Her Mind - Duncan Sheik
8. Testing 1,2,3 - Barenaked Ladies
9. Can't Let it Go - Goo Goo Dolls
10. 23 - Jimmy Eat World

Looking for more playlists? We've got plenty.