OK, so, yes, I've been reading the news, but my post has nothing to do with Libyan conflict or the national budget, it has to do with something much more trivial and frivolous.
I guess I am like most people - I absolutely keep up to speed on current events, but I HATE just reading bad news, which is usually all there is! It's very stressful to me, as I am sure it is to anybody who reads the issues, though we NEED to understand what's going on in our world, and understand that there is much more happening that we DON'T get to see. We need to pray.
ANYWAY
Some of my favorite sections to read have to do with fashion and entertainment (I am a girlie girl, after all). I do not read so much tabloid fodder, as I feel I am partaking in the gossip and dehumanizing of celebrities by reading about their latest arrests or rehab struggles, but today I came across this article saying that Weird Al requested to parody Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" and that took me back down memory lane. First of all, whatever you may think about Lady Gaga is your own opinion, but I am not a fan. She's talented, and I DO like that she puts herself out there, and is different, be it intentional or not. I like her "weirdness," but her music in and of itself and her values leave much to be desired. We'll leave it at that. I've never heard her new song, but when I was reading how Weird Al wanted to parody her, it made me think of some of the first times I had ever heard his parodies. This got me thinking about Amish Paradise, and parody of Coolio's "Gangster's Paradise," which actually has much sampling from Stevie Wonder's "Past Time Paradise." THEN I got to thinking, "I've never heard Stevie Wonder's song before, maybe I'll go listen to it."
Then, I listened to it.
It's a pretty decent song. Of course I enjoyed the melody, and the lyrics were pretty good as well. I was in middle school when Gangster's Paradise was "the bomb," and I remember wishing mom would let me listen to music like that while secretly listening to whatever I wanted to on the radio.
I know, sad, isn't it? This was the depth of my teenage rebellion. Perhaps that's not so sad. I saw value in higher things and the only reason I felt the need to go against my parents was because I was tired of them always being right. So, I KNEW what was right and good (to listen to my parents who loved me, even if they didn't fully understand me), but of course I wanted to do my own thing.
Music was my own thing... Of course there were boys too, but this is probably another topic for another day. haha. (Trust me, if my teenage rebellion depth was listening to music that my mom didn't approve of, you can bet you backside that I didn't do anything regret worthy with a boy)!
So, there is MUCH music out there that has been sampled or taken from. It's very interesting. I don't think this is a bad thing. I mean, if an artist can take a beat, or a few chords and add his or her own flare, why not? Ecclesiastes mentions that there is nothing new under the sun. Isn't that the truth? Things still shock us. Horrors of this life still shock us, but they're not new. Happy surprises, new experiences are new to us, but not new to the world. Pregnancy up until I had my first baby last August was the craziest experience I had ever had, but obviously I am not the first woman to give birth.
If a runner breaks a record, that's not NEW, he or she is just the fastest runner of said distance to date.
Maybe this depresses some people - but I don't think it should. We can kind of take comfort in the fact that while some experience we have might be unpleasant or upsetting, or even horrible, we are not alone. When we experience pure joy in life, there are others who are and will be rejoicing with us because they've had the same happy experience.
I often take comfort this. It's takes a lot of the pressure off. I mean, there is enough stress in life already - stress that makes us move on and take chances, but why do we need to add more stress? Everybody is looking for something new and different, but new and different doesn't exist! We've already talked about recycling music, but we recycle fashion, home trends, styles, ideas... I guess the only thing that can make any one person really shine is to be the best YOU that you can be. Believe in yourself and don't be afraid to try "new" things.
Good advice for me anyway ;)
I guess I am like most people - I absolutely keep up to speed on current events, but I HATE just reading bad news, which is usually all there is! It's very stressful to me, as I am sure it is to anybody who reads the issues, though we NEED to understand what's going on in our world, and understand that there is much more happening that we DON'T get to see. We need to pray.
ANYWAY
Some of my favorite sections to read have to do with fashion and entertainment (I am a girlie girl, after all). I do not read so much tabloid fodder, as I feel I am partaking in the gossip and dehumanizing of celebrities by reading about their latest arrests or rehab struggles, but today I came across this article saying that Weird Al requested to parody Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" and that took me back down memory lane. First of all, whatever you may think about Lady Gaga is your own opinion, but I am not a fan. She's talented, and I DO like that she puts herself out there, and is different, be it intentional or not. I like her "weirdness," but her music in and of itself and her values leave much to be desired. We'll leave it at that. I've never heard her new song, but when I was reading how Weird Al wanted to parody her, it made me think of some of the first times I had ever heard his parodies. This got me thinking about Amish Paradise, and parody of Coolio's "Gangster's Paradise," which actually has much sampling from Stevie Wonder's "Past Time Paradise." THEN I got to thinking, "I've never heard Stevie Wonder's song before, maybe I'll go listen to it."
Then, I listened to it.
It's a pretty decent song. Of course I enjoyed the melody, and the lyrics were pretty good as well. I was in middle school when Gangster's Paradise was "the bomb," and I remember wishing mom would let me listen to music like that while secretly listening to whatever I wanted to on the radio.
I know, sad, isn't it? This was the depth of my teenage rebellion. Perhaps that's not so sad. I saw value in higher things and the only reason I felt the need to go against my parents was because I was tired of them always being right. So, I KNEW what was right and good (to listen to my parents who loved me, even if they didn't fully understand me), but of course I wanted to do my own thing.
Music was my own thing... Of course there were boys too, but this is probably another topic for another day. haha. (Trust me, if my teenage rebellion depth was listening to music that my mom didn't approve of, you can bet you backside that I didn't do anything regret worthy with a boy)!
So, there is MUCH music out there that has been sampled or taken from. It's very interesting. I don't think this is a bad thing. I mean, if an artist can take a beat, or a few chords and add his or her own flare, why not? Ecclesiastes mentions that there is nothing new under the sun. Isn't that the truth? Things still shock us. Horrors of this life still shock us, but they're not new. Happy surprises, new experiences are new to us, but not new to the world. Pregnancy up until I had my first baby last August was the craziest experience I had ever had, but obviously I am not the first woman to give birth.
If a runner breaks a record, that's not NEW, he or she is just the fastest runner of said distance to date.
Maybe this depresses some people - but I don't think it should. We can kind of take comfort in the fact that while some experience we have might be unpleasant or upsetting, or even horrible, we are not alone. When we experience pure joy in life, there are others who are and will be rejoicing with us because they've had the same happy experience.
I often take comfort this. It's takes a lot of the pressure off. I mean, there is enough stress in life already - stress that makes us move on and take chances, but why do we need to add more stress? Everybody is looking for something new and different, but new and different doesn't exist! We've already talked about recycling music, but we recycle fashion, home trends, styles, ideas... I guess the only thing that can make any one person really shine is to be the best YOU that you can be. Believe in yourself and don't be afraid to try "new" things.
Good advice for me anyway ;)
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