But besides all that, I love the playlist . . .

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With all my reviewing of Harry Potter lately, I realized I have seriously neglected another important avenue of reviewing—specifically reviewing the music my husband just put on my Ipod. Now granted, he put the music on the Ipod unasked, just to be sweet and kind because he knows I am technology-challenged and therefore there is no way on earth that I will ever be able to figure out how to create a playlist. I’m still not even sure how to download songs from Itunes.

So kudos to my husband, who shall hereafter be referred to as TB (Technology Bob*), for his thoughtful gesture. However, after 21 years of marriage he still isn’t clear on the songs I like. You’d think he’d know my favorites since it’s my habit to put on a CD to the exact song I like, hit the repeat button, and listen to the song play over and over again until the rest of the family is weeping. Then I take off the CD with a disgusted sigh and proclaim, “What’s wrong with you people? It’s a good song!”

Seriously, I have many CDs where I haven’t even heard the rest of musician’s songs.

Anyway, so here are a couple of highly enlightened comments on the music:

1) You have to hand it to Rod Stewart. What other person could make a career in the music business with a voice that sounds like he is in perpetual need of a cough drop? That said, even a better voice wouldn’t save most of his songs. Most of them make me run shrieking to the radio in order to change the station.

That one that starts out, “Wake up Maggie, I’ve got something to tell you . . .” Ahhh! I’m shrieking now just thinking about it. Ditto for Forever Young; Do You Think I’m Sexy; (No, actually I don’t) and Young Turks. (Turks? What does that even mean? I’m envisioning little turkeys. And besides, does Rod Stewart ever even use the word ‘turks’ in the song or did he just through it into the title to confuse people?)

With all that said, a musician is bound to get lucky over the years and actually record a few good songs. I do like his songs, Some Guys Have All the Luck. (Probably because this was a remake from another artist) and The Rhythm of My Heart.

TB put Forever Young on my Ipod. (In his defense though, he may have been subconsciously influenced by the fact that I am forever whining about getting wrinkles.)

This is where being technology-challenged is a pain, because I don’t know how to delete the song from my playlist and now every time I hear it come on I may be tempted to throw my Ipod in a bucket of water in order to exorcise the Rod Stewart demons.

2) I love the song I Knew I Loved You Before I Met You by Savage Garden. I’ve listened to that song so often that not only I, but the entire family including the dog, know the words by heart.

So my husband put The Animal Song by Savage Garden on my Ipod. Granted it is a cute song. Catchy beat. The chorus is:

Cause I want to live like animals
Careless and free like animals
I want to live
I want to run through the jungle
the wind in my hair and the sand at my feet

The problem with the song is that it engenders way too much thought.

First of all, even though the guy supposedly is saying the word, “animal” it never, not once, sounds like the word “animal”. Listen to the song and I promise you will hear the singer say, “I want to live like cannibals.”

Which, you know, gives the song an entirely new meaning. Like yeah, I bet somebody is running through the jungle—running to get away from you!

The title: Savage Garden suddenly makes a lot more sense now, doesn’t it?

Plus, even if he did write the lyric to say, “animals” what is he thinking? Has he ever seen the way animals live? I have a ton of animals and thus far I’m not very impressed with their lifestyle. What does the singer think is appealing—the way animals lay around on the floor all day, the way they lick themselves clean, or perhaps it’s the way they keep leaving half eaten lizards on my patio?

Sorry, Savage Garden, I’m happy to live like people.

*Not his real name, if you haven’t already guessed as much.

11 comments

  1. RobisonWells
    August 1, 2007 at 11:11 am

    My wife loves Savage Garden, and I always tell her “I knew I loved you before I met you”. Of course, I do so mockingly, so it isn’t very romantic. Also: I always tell her I love her “Truly, Madly, Deeply Do”.

  2. Janette Rallison
    August 1, 2007 at 11:17 am

    Well, now you can tell her you want to live like cannibals too. I bet she’ll think that’s romantic.

  3. asenath
    August 1, 2007 at 3:48 pm

    I happen to really like Savage Garden mother. Although I will agree that the first few times I listened to the song, I thought they wanted to live live cannibals too. And I wondered if cannibals really were careless and free…

  4. Josi
    August 2, 2007 at 6:56 am

    Maybe if Cannibals eat the people they don’t like, it can be kind of free.

    I’ve always hated that song, and Rod Stewart gives me the creeps. The other artist that needs a cough drop but whose career has not been adversely affected is Bob Dylan, but I love that guy so it’s not the voice, it’s the songs. I do like a couple though–You’re in my heart and Forever Young.

    And Rob–do you ever do anything un-mockingly?

    ipods frighten me, so you’re a step ahead of me, janette. Not that that’s really a compliment, but do with it what you will.

  5. Anonymous
    August 2, 2007 at 4:44 pm

    I just thought I’d try something different – you know, all those other tracks you never listen to. Sorry about “Rod”. I think all of his songs sound the same and don’t like even two of them. If I taught you how to make a playlist, what other use would I have around the house?

    “Techno Bob”

  6. Janette Rallison
    August 2, 2007 at 10:18 pm

    Dear Techno Bob,
    Oh, you have other uses . . .trust me . . .

  7. Anonymous
    August 4, 2007 at 6:28 pm

    I just read “It’s a MAll World After All” and I loved it. ZBut what happens next? Brianna, will she ever get a new boyfriend? What happens between Colton and Charlotte? I would really love if you made a sequel to that book because I want to keep on reading it!!!!

  8. Janette Rallison
    August 4, 2007 at 10:22 pm

    I used to say that I never wrote sequels. But then so many people wrote and asked me for a sequel to All’s Fair in Love, War, and High School that I ended up writing Revenge of the Cheerleaders. So you never know–maybe one day I’ll write a sequel to Mall World too. I mean, poor Brianna–she needs a boyfriend.

  9. Julie Wright
    August 5, 2007 at 9:27 pm

    Ha! Loved Techo Bob’s comments. My husband says he intends to keep me a techno idiot just so I still find him useful too. But yeah . . . he’s useful . . .

  10. Anne Bradshaw
    August 7, 2007 at 6:06 am

    Funny blog. I have a Techno-Challenged Bob. Good thing one of us can read instructions.

  11. Anonymous
    January 4, 2010 at 12:40 pm

    Me and my friend just read Its A Mall World too and we really really really really loved it, and we’ve been searching for sequel all morning!!! When we learned there isnt one we were distraught!!!! you have to write another one!!! pretty please???

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