Stuck In My Skull 497 -- "Everything Is Awesome!"

Song: "Everything Is Awesome!" || Artist: Tegan and Sara feat. The Lonely Island || http://youtu.be/StTqXEQ2l-Y ||

Comments: Good morning, everyone? Is your day awesome yet? If not, this stupidly-catchy song will make it awesome. Why? Because this song is awesome. Legos are awesome. Your day is going to be awesome. And probably full of this song, because it's just that catchy. This cornerstone of the soundtrack for The Lego Movie was done by Tegan and Sara, although it took me listening a few times to catch their influence. This song has a bit of everything -- up-beat pop tempos, a bit of rap thanks to The Lonely Island, a brief dubstep break, and catchy lyrics. I don't believe that The Lego Movie was made just for kids, and even if it was, I don't care. It was a great movie, and I love this song.

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Stuck In My Skull 490 -- "Push It To The Limit"

Song: "Push It To The Limit" || Artist: Paul Engemann || http://youtu.be/9D-QD_HIfjA ||

Comments: Good morning everyone. Today's song comes from the movie Scarface, where it provided the background for a montage of the hero's ascent to power. My friend and workout buddy was playing it this morning before our run, and I have a sinking suspicion that it's going to get stuck in my head today. It's campy 80s goodness, and really does make you run faster. Check it out!

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Stuck In My Skull 422 -- "Halo Theme"

Song: "Halo Theme" || Performed by: Lindsey Stirling and William Joseph || Written by: Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori || http://youtu.be/jLnL63cXmD8 || 

Comments: Good morning and happy Tuesday, everyone! Congratulations on making it through the worst day of the week, Monday. To celebrate, have an amazing song.
I've been a huge fan of video game music pretty much since I became a huge fan of video games. That is to say, I've been a huge fan of video game music for a pretty long time. Long ago, a friend of mine gave me a copy of the Halo 2 soundtrack, and I love it. I won't spend time talking about the content of the Halo games themselves, but I will say that they've always had an excellent soundtrack. While Lindsey and William's cover is not a note-by-note rendition of the score that Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori wrote, it is a very beautiful production that captures the spirit of the original piece perfectly in it's famed riffs and chords. It then goes beyond the original song to explore a new spin on the original feeling the piece creates, driven by the unique (for the genre) interplay of violin and piano with only occasional electric guitar riffs added in. This song is excellent, and you should definitely give it a listen. You can ignore the last minute or so, if you like. Lindsey Stirling seems to have gotten sponsored. While I generally dislike artists pushing products, I will say this in her defense: First, she really deserves a sponsorship -- she's an amazing artist and that could really give her a leg up. Second, she waits until after the video, unlike some other artists who simply build their music videos and lyrics around a product. Looking at you, Pitbull.
Lindsey's friend and the videographer behind the shoot made a video that's more action-centered and has less emphasis on the music. It's still excellent, has plenty of Lindsey Stirling and William Joseph in it, and is truer to the original score with less exploration. There's a link given to it at the end of the song, or you can just click here. Enjoy!

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AMANDA-- "ONE DAY MORE"

Hey readers! Today I'm sharing a song that is near and dear to my heart, "One Day More" from the  recent film adaption of  Les Miserables. Anyone who knows me knows I am batsh*t crazy for musicals, romance, and period dramas, making Les Mis a dream come true for me. It intertwines stories of love, loss, friendship, religion, law, and revolution and has an epic, universal quality  to it which I think everyone can appreciate. There are many movie and stage versions of "One Day More" out there and I have yet to hear one I haven't liked. The song incorporates themes from earlier tracks and draws on the talents of the main cast members, giving them a chance to shine on their own and then come together as a group. If someone asked me to summarize Les Miserables, I would advise them to listen to this rather than me babble. The dvd comes out on Friday, so if you're interested check it out! Enjoy!

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AMANDA-- "GOLDFINGER"

Hey all! I hope you're having a good week so far. I don't know how many of you tuned in to the Oscars on Sunday but it was chalked full of fantastic musical performances. In tribute to the James Bond franchise, which celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year, Welsh singer Shirley Bassey performed the title track off of Goldfinger. The seventy-six year old looked and sounded stunning. As a Bond fan, I consider this one of the best theme songs from the films, rivaled only perhaps by Adele's "Skyfall." To date, it is the only one of Bassey's singles to break into the American top forty and get inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. It has also left an indelible mark on pop culture, influencing later films as well as modern music. Interestingly enough, one of Goldfinger's producers wasn't a fan of the song and almost had it taken out. Thankfully, it wasn't. The entire soundtrack makes heavy use of brass instruments and this, combined with Bassey's powerful, yet luxurious voice make "Goldfinger" a classic. While known primarily for recording this song (in addition to the themes from Diamonds Are Forever and Moonraker) in the U.S., she has had a successful pop career the world over for decades now. Like "Goldfinger," Bassey is simply timeless. Enjoy!

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Stuck In My Skull 330-- "With a Few Good Friends"

Song: "With a Few Good Friends" || Artist: Carly Simon || http://youtu.be/HrtK1zZ9oiA ||

[youtube http://youtu.be/HrtK1zZ9oiA]

Comments: Nevermind how, but I ended up watching Piglet's Big Movie last night with a friend of mine. The movie is ridiculously cute, and your classic Winnie the Pooh feel good movie. This song is the theme of the movie, and pretty excellent. I'm not terribly familiar with Carly Simon, but she has a really distinct vocal style that I want to listen to more of. Give it a listen!

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AMANDA--"THIS IS BERK" composed by JOHN POWELL

Hey all! Since I'm short on time at the moment I will  keep this post rather brief. Here's the first track off the How to Train Your Dragon soundtrack composed and produced by John Powell, which received an Academy Award nomination for best score. The song samples other tracks from the album and so it  changes up quite a bit. On Wednesday it helped me get through an otherwise insufferable work day. Whenever I listen to this phenomenal soundtrack, I instantly want to watch the film. Both are FANTASTIC. Animated movies aren't just for kids. Dragons. Vikings. What's not to love? Enjoy!

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ETC #11 "This is Halloween"

Song: "This Is Halloween"
Artist: Nightmare Before Christmas
Link: http://youtu.be/xpvdAJYvofI

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpvdAJYvofI]

Comments: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!  I couldn't help but share this song today.  Even for those of you who don't like this particular holiday this is a catchy song and there's nothing scary about it. The movie is excellent and I recommend that people watch it.  There isn't much to say about this song other than it's catchy, the opening piece, and if there was a way to make Halloween cute this is it. I would share something a bit more dramatic to fit the holiday, but this particular one has been stuck in my head.  Happy listening!

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AMANDA-- ENTRY NO.1: "SKYFALL" by ADELE

Hello and happy Monday! This is the first post of my very own column (as yet nameless). Not much is changing around here but you can now expect to see entries from me on Mondays AND Fridays. I will continue sharing things that catch my eye or move me, which brings me right to today's song. Last week the theme for the upcoming James Bond film Skyfall was released in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the franchise. And boy oh boy was it fantastic.

The lovely Adele was  chosen to do the vocals for the track and the perfect pick in my book. She teamed up with the producer of her hit song "Rolling in the Deep" to make one of the best themes I've heard in recent film and tv history. The twenty something English soul-singer joined the ranks of iconic musicians  like Paul McCartney, Carly Simon, and Shirley Bassey who have lent their talents to the music of James Bond films, an honor certainly not wasted on her.

Music has been always been a essential part of my James Bond experience, as  memorable and exciting as the tux, the gadgets, and the women. "Skyfall" is an excellent addition to the Bond soundtrack collection. It eloquently teams  Adele up with a full sweeping orchestra and both deliver flawlessly. For most of the song, Adele's sings rather reservedly, saving up her raw emotion and power for an epic, soulful conclusion.This theme has gotten me more excited for the newest installment in the Bond series, which I didn't know was possible. Even if it weren't connected to the movies in any way, I think I'd still love it. Enjoy!

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Entry 304-- "Rest in Peace"

Song: "Rest in Peace" || Written by: Joss Whedon || Peformed by: James Marsters || http://youtu.be/c9p4drDZXIg ||

Comments: Hello all! Amanda here! I'm excited to share with you a song from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer musical episode, "Once More, with Feeling," written by none other than Joss Whedon. The whole soundtrack is fantastic, and impressive considering it was his first attempt at song writing, according to Wikipedia. The song is a small taste of Whedon's musical genius and Marsters, the actor portraying British vamp Spike in the series, gives a great performance, delivering both soft and hard vocals. If you're a Whedon fan but haven't checked out the show yet or just like what you hear, you should consider watching the entire episode. It's decidedly one of my favorites. Enjoy!

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Entry 270-- "A Little Priest"

Song: "A Little Priest" ||  Composed by: Stephen Sondheim || Performed by: Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter || http://youtu.be/MGzpzJ4fzGY ||

Comments: Hey everyone! Amanda here! What better way to wrap up the week than with a sinister musical number. This tune is off the soundtrack for Tim Burton’s 2007 film adaption of the Broadway show Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. It’s the story of Sweeney Todd, a wicked barber dead set on getting revenge on his enemies with the help of Mrs. Lovett, his partner in business and crime. Burton breathes new life into the popular stage musical, imprinting his signature style on the movie. As the leads of an all non-musical cast, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter deliver strong, haunting performances. Although not classically trained singers, they use their talents as actors to get to the heart of their characters and reveal their every motive and desire. They also manage to infuse new passion and drama into the original music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim, the acclaimed composer known for West Side Story and other stage works. This duet is easily the sharpest, most cheerful song you'll ever hear about murdering people and baking them into pies. Like the entire film, it’s got a sense of humor that makes it quite charming. If you are a fan of the musical genre, I suggest checking out the movie. It doesn't disappoint. Have a great weekend!

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Entry 254-- "Manah Manah"

Song: "Manah Manah"
Artist: The Muppets

http://youtu.be/8N_tupPBtWQ
Comments: No, this is not a joke. This song is stuck in my head, and dedicated to a coworker of mine, whose easy jokes and startlingly clear insights into our jobs makes life so much more tolerable. Anyway, fresh from The Muppet Labs Stuck In My Skull, I present to you, "Manah Manah," as performed by the illustrious... wait, do they even have names?! ...The Muppets!

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Entry 241-- "Extreme Ways (Bourne's Ultimatum)"

Song: "Extreme Ways (Bourne's Ultimatum)"
Artist: Moby

http://youtu.be/JXtuVCgtDSY
Comments: Happy Monday, folks! For those of you (us?) who think that Mondays really suck, have an awesome song to make it suck less! According to Wikipedia, this version of the song "Extreme Ways" has been used in all three of the films (thus far) in the Bourne film trilogy, which you should definitely watch if you haven't already. Also according to Wiki-- and verified by the dedicated team of fact-checking monkeys here at Stuck In My Skull (read, me)-- the chord in the beginning of the song has a history. Before Moby used it in this track, it came from a cover of the song "Everybody's Talkin'" by Hugo Winterhalter, who covered the song (as best as I can tell) from the original by Fred Neil in 1966. So, it turns out the soundtrack for a 2000s action movie was something like 40 years in the making. Sometimes, music has got a crazy history. Anyway, enjoy the song!

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Entry 196-- Soundtrack Week, Part 4: "Brand New Day"

Soundtrack Week, Part 4
Song: "Brand New Day"
From: "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog"

http://youtu.be/wx5xpwY0bNg
Comments: Oddly enough, this song came up in conversation this morning, and has been in and out of my head ever since. I'm short on time, but Neal Patrick Harris sings the point quite well, so I really see no need to comment. The link below the video leads to a slightly higher quality version. Enjoy!

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Entry 195-- Soundtrack Week, Part 3: "Diablo Rojo"

Soundtrack Week, Part 3
Song: "Diablo Rojo"
Artist: Rodrigo y Gabriela
http://youtu.be/2NAYojZY6aA

Comments:  Hey all, it's Miriah here with some Spanish for the week.  My apologies that my soundtrack song isn't from anything as awesome as Game of Thrones, but rather from an animated movie. (The movie was great for anyone wondering.)  Rodrigo y Gabriela are a Mexican an instrumental guitar duet.  I didn't realize this when I bought their album, but I fell in love with the music.  Almost all, at least on the album this song appears in are upbeat, fast paced, and amazing.  Anyhow, this song (whose title means "Red Devil" in Spanish) was released some time ago back in '06 on the duet's self-titled album.  In the movie, the song plays during a dance off which was an excellent scene to put this song.  Enjoy!

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Entry 194-- Soundtrack Week, Part 2: Game of Thrones Theme

Soundtrack Week, Part 2

Song: Game of Thrones Opening Credits Theme

Artist: Ramin Djawadi

http://youtu.be/s7L2PVdrb_8

Comments: This song is just epic. Two minutes of catchy, orchestral bliss. I'd go into detail at great length about this song, but to be honest, I have a headache, and I think it speaks for itself quite nicely. Enjoy!

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Entry 194-- Soundtrack Week, Part 2: Game of Thrones Theme

Soundtrack Week, Part 2

Song: Game of Thrones Opening Credits Theme

Artist: Ramin Djawadi

http://youtu.be/s7L2PVdrb_8

Comments: This song is just epic. Two minutes of catchy, orchestral bliss. I'd go into detail at great length about this song, but to be honest, I have a headache, and I think it speaks for itself quite nicely. Enjoy!

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Entry 193-- Soundtrack Week, Part 1: "Otherworld" (and Site Update!)

Soundtrack Week, Part 1
Song: "Otherworld"
Artist: Nobuo Uematsu (Vocals by Bill Muir)
From: Final Fantasy X

http://youtu.be/4umidcc_8rU (Cutscene from the game)

http://youtu.be/YWIDYnbexUA (Soundtrack Version)

Comments: It's a crazy day today on the blog! First and foremost, welcome to Soundtrack Week! To open things up, a song from the game that sparked my love of an entire of genre of games, Final Fantasy X. FFX was my first Final Fantasy game, and years later, I remember watching this scene with my jaw hanging open and my heart pounding. There's a popular misconception that the vocals in the song were performed by Rammstein-- this is not true. The soundtrack to this game was done mostly by Nobuo Uematsu, who composed the scores for most of the games in this series. Both the song and the scene are excellent. Enjoy!

As for the site update, there're a couple of changes. First, I made a few tweaks to some of the gadgets and such on the site. Secondly, I'm proud to announce we now have a Facebook "Like" button, which you should all go and click, so you can get updates and other fun stuff! And last but not least, I'm in the process of trying to get Amanda and Miriah added as authors, so you can more easily tell who wrote what. Come back tomorrow to see how it all looks!

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Entry 193-- Soundtrack Week, Part 1: "Otherworld" (and Site Update!)

Soundtrack Week, Part 1
Song: "Otherworld"
Artist: Nobuo Uematsu (Vocals by Bill Muir)
From: Final Fantasy X

http://youtu.be/4umidcc_8rU (Cutscene from the game)

http://youtu.be/YWIDYnbexUA (Soundtrack Version)

Comments: It's a crazy day today on the blog! First and foremost, welcome to Soundtrack Week! To open things up, a song from the game that sparked my love of an entire of genre of games, Final Fantasy X. FFX was my first Final Fantasy game, and years later, I remember watching this scene with my jaw hanging open and my heart pounding. There's a popular misconception that the vocals in the song were performed by Rammstein-- this is not true. The soundtrack to this game was done mostly by Nobuo Uematsu, who composed the scores for most of the games in this series. Both the song and the scene are excellent. Enjoy!

As for the site update, there're a couple of changes. First, I made a few tweaks to some of the gadgets and such on the site. Secondly, I'm proud to announce we now have a Facebook "Like" button, which you should all go and click, so you can get updates and other fun stuff! And last but not least, I'm in the process of trying to get Amanda and Miriah added as authors, so you can more easily tell who wrote what. Come back tomorrow to see how it all looks!

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