Singing Potatoes A.K.A. Irish Top 40 Music

I've often wondered what it would be like to live in Ireland. Not just because I'm part Irish or because all of the pictures look like a lush, emerald paradise. I have always wanted to visit Ireland for the accents. I could listen to an Irish accent all day long, or even better - all night long. 

When I got married we even went with an Irish theme. We had traditional Irish vows, a bell of truce, green colors and even green flowers! It seemed only fitting for a meshing of two Irish heritages. 

And if that wasn't proof enough of my odd fasination with the 'lucky' island, a few years ago I even bought a cubic inch of land on the beautiful southern coast in Waterford county for my husband's birthday. We received a picture of the groundskeeper pointing to the 'plot' and an invitation for tea on the grounds whenever we happen to be in the area. Someday...

Anyway, in the interest of Irish week on the blog I got to thinking about what it would be like to live in Ireland music-wise. What would the radio be like? What would music video TV be like? So I decided to investigate. This website is a list of Ireland's Top 20 as of last week. 

There were a few of the same songs as on our own Billboard list (about 6), but there were many more that I had never heard of. Some were really great and I can see them being hits here in the U.S. soon (particularly 'Price Tag' by Jessie J and B.o.B), a song about looking beyond the money into the parts of life that will truly make you happy. But then others are strictly going to be Irish hits. Take note of 'I Wanna Fight Your Father' by the Rubberbandits. This song is sung completely in Gaelic and features creepily masked Riverdance wannabes. Oh yeah, and it starts with a singing potato that is reminiscent of a Sesame Street skit. You can't make this stuff up. Did I mention the guy dancing in nothing but his underwear? Seriously - watch it. 

So here's the question. If you were living in Ireland what would be your favorite song on this list? 

Irish Drinking Songs

Today's post will be about Irish drinking songs, and thus will be a short post. Not because there aren't many traditional songs. Being of Irish descent, I can confirm that the Irish I knew did like to drink! It will be a short post because I screw the curve. I don't drink.


I'm not one of those moral non-drinkers who will look down their nose at you as you are enjoying an after work beer, or an unwinding glass of chardonay though. I don't care if you drink; I just don't want to do it. My reasons are many, and not really that important.


Anyway, given that I don't drink, I don't really know many drinking songs, or games for that matter, but that is another subject all together. So, in my quest for a complete 'Irish' themed week on the blog I knew that I had to do some digging into drinking songs. Rather than rewrite what some other blogger has already put so much work into - I'll link you here to a great blog post instead!


Top 10 Irish Drinking Songs for St. Patrick's Day on Rock N' Roll View


What's your favorite one?

Week of the Irish

St. Patrick's Day is this week, and I am from Irish decent (in case you couldn't tell from the last name), so I thought what better time to have an entire Irish themed week! Today we'll start with a mini history of Irish rock music. 

Rock music really emerged in Ireland in the 1960's with the interesting idea of 'Showbands'. These were groups of professional performers who played at halls and clubs around the country covering American and British hits. This is how Van Morrison got his start, as it was pretty much the only way to earn a living as a musician during that time. Thankfully, Morrison later went on to achieve international success with the group Them and then he went onto a solo career. 

In the 1970's the hard rock band 'Thin Lizzy' came out and was very successful. You might not know them by name, but you certainly have heard 'The Boys are Back in Town' on the radio at one point in your life. It was listed as one of the top 500 songs of all time in Rolling Stone Magazine after all. (Number 499, but still in the top 500)

The late 70's also brought along one of the biggest rock bands of all time - 'U2'. Although it wasn't until the 1980's that they really hit it big. Their 1987 album Joshua Tree (their 5th studio album) had several hits that are still just as great today as they were then.

* Where the Streets Have No Name

* I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

* With or Without You

The 1980's also introduced Sinead O'Connor and her Pope picture ripping ways to the world. 

The 90's brought a pop rock group - 'The Cranberries' to our listening ears. I still remember listening to their song 'Zombie' as a kid. I swore up and down that they were actually saying 'Salami'. I still stand by that argument - really, listen to it. 

Today, there are 2 Irish bands on the top 40 charts - 'The Script' and 'Two Door Cinema Club'. The song 'Breakeven' is a lyrically beautiful, moving and powerful experience no matter how many times you hear it. "I just prayed to a God that I don't believe in."  - Wow.

So this a brief and not at all complete history of Irish rock music. So here's the question - Who is your favorite Irish band or what is your favorite Irish song? Who did I leave off my list that should have been there? 

The Prize

So I've been thinking hard about what the prize should be for my March song contest. I couldn't think of anything that would be just right. That was until today when I was cleaning up around my house. I was putting a book away and spotted an old favorite of mine - Songbook by Nick Hornby. 


Nick Hornby is one of my favorite authors of all time. His most famous book was 'High Fidelity' that was made into a movie starring the ever-cute John Cusack. One of the reasons that I love Nick Hornby's writing is because he embeds music into the very fiber of his stories. This helps me as a reader more closely relate to his stories and characters, and as a writer it inspires me to write in a different way.


Songbook is a collection of essays about Hornby's favorite songs of all time - 31 to be exact. My favorite musical author writing personal essays about his favorite songs - kind of an emotional experience if you want to know the truth. This book opened my eyes to some really great music that I hadn't heard of before too. It's the kind of book that I hope one day to write.


Anyway, that's the prize. My very own copy of Songbook shipped directly to you. All you have to do is compose a song about March that makes me hate it not so much and email it to me. Sounds like a deal to me! 


(Click here if you need a refresher on the rules)

Friday - 5pm

We are all familiar with the feeling. It's Friday, you just got out of work, maybe you have plans for the weekend, maybe you don't - it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you don't have to be back at that damn place until Monday morning. You finally get to be yourself for 2 entire days. You get to wear what you want, say what you want, get up when you want - it's the weekend!


So my question to you is both a simple and a personal one. What is the song that you listen to to celebrate, this the most glorious of moments in the week? I don't have a standby song right now. I have two albums that I tend to go to when I need to/want to pump it up. They are Alicia Keys 'As I Am' and Jason Mraz 'We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things'. Both are a few years old, but no matter how many times I listen, I can't imagine being sick of them. Alicia I use when I am a little ticked and need to vent some attitude. Mraz is more for when I'm feeling upbeat and hyper. Full disclosure, I skip past the opening instrumental track on 'As I Am' and go right to the empowering 'Go Ahead'. After listening to this one I find myself with head cocked ready to start a fight. Mraz on the other hand opens perfectly with 'Make it Mine', a song that is so upbeat and catchy that there is no way you could listen to it without feeling happy. In fact, I challenge you to try. I also challenge you to watch the video and not find Mraz charming. What a life.


If I asked this same question in a month it could be totally different, but it's doing it for me right now. What about you?

March Poem

I received my first entry into the March contest. It is in poem form, but I'm letting it slide because it was pretty convincing! 


Dear Kate,
Why do you hate me so
I should be your favorite you know

I have 31 days of pleasure
maybe not for a teacher of school
I am as rich as a leprechaun's treasure
I am not the month that make you a fool

I bring you the gift of spring
you can watch the best college basketball
so what if I don't have a song you can sing
I know I make you want to pound your head into the wall

I am the month where winter is almost over
that along should make you cheer
I am the reason there is a lucky clover
not to mention I give you green beer

I am sorry you have to work without a break
I know those are 20 very long days
But I bring you leaves, but not to rake
I might even throw you a snow delay

So Kate, now I will share my greatest power
You will no longer hate me so
I can make you set your clocks up an hour
I will be your favorite month you know

Mr. March


If you would like to enter the contest. Click here for the requirements or Click here to submit your entry!

March

Happy March everyone!


It is only 12 more days until Daylight Savings, and 19 more days until Spring!


This new month got me to thinking on my commute today about this, my most hated of months. Why do I hate March you may ask? There are so many great things about March. Think March Madness, St. Patrick's Day, the start of spring. I will admit that these things are pretty great, but my reasons are better. Let me just preface this by stating that I live in Maine so my opinion might vary drastically from someone living in SoCal, and if you are reading this - suck it!


March is the LONGEST month. I know there are other months that have 31 days, but March is the only month in the school calendar that is 31 days and doesn't have any federal holidays. Forcing teachers to work 4 full weeks in the middle of one of the coldest and most miserable months of the year should be outlawed. March also seems so long because we've already been suffering through winter for what seems like our entire lives, and then we realize that we still have another 4-6 weeks left. Thanks, March.


Further reason why March sucks is the fact that there really aren't any songs written about it. There are songs about every other month of the year, so why not March? Because no one wants to write about such a miserable month, that's why!


In fact, for all of my investigating, I could only find one song where 'March' was used in the title of the song as the month and not as the verb, or the type of music. (Did you realize before now that March is the only month that is also a verb?) I still hate it.


The song is by indie rock band, Carissa's Wierd (they spelt it wrong on purpose), and is called "(March 19th 1983) It Was Probably Green". 


This song proves even further how terrible March is, because it is one of the most depressing songs I've ever heard. Presumably it is about a small child who died too early (the date in the title), and so the people left mourning her decided that her favorite color probably would have been green, had she lived long enough to pick one herself. Seriously, that's what it is about. Take a listen! Not only do the lyrics make you want to curl into a ball and call for your mommy, but the music feels like you've been beaten down and that you have no right to be happy ever again. Ever.


That's what I could find. One beautiful, yet terribly depressing song about a girl who died in March. It's certainly no December 1963 by Frankie Vallie and the Four Seasons (which makes me not only wish that it was December all over again, but also that I had been alive in 1963).




My challenge to you is this - can you write a song about March that makes me not hate it so much?


Submissions need to be emailed to me by the end of the month for judging. Here's the criteria:


1. 'March' must be in the title and it can't be used as a verb or a type of song. It's got to be about the month.


2. The song must make me like the month, not make me loathe it even more.


3. It must be longer than 2 minutes.


4. It must be in MP3 format.


5. Any style of music is accepted


There will be a prize! (More details to come soon)


Please use the 'comments' section if you have any questions. Chances are, if you do - so does someone else!


Happy writing!