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5/17/18 Otherside by RHCP

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A single from the Red Hot Chili Pepper’s 1999 album Californication, the “other side” here is a metaphor for both the struggle to get back to a normal life after addiction and also death itself. This song is some form of a tribute to former guitarist Hillel Slovak, who died of a heroin overdose himself. Some believe that it is an attempt to communicate with Slovak, or even written from his perspective. Slovak, lead singer Anthony Kiedis, and Slovak’s replacement John Frusciante all suffered from heroin addiction, so this song could be from the point of view of any of them. The lyrics are somewhat cryptic, and hold multiple meanings as you would come to expect from Kiedis. The music video offers a little insight (although it can be just as confusing), as it seems to depict the story of a man in a hospital trying to fight off monsters before eventually passing at the end. The video gives a very nightmarish vibe, and is most likely using the monsters as symbols of addiction. Kiedis hi
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5/9/18 Awesome Mix Vol. 2

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With the release of the newest Avengers movie Avengers: Infinity War last week I thought it might be appropriate to include a soundtrack from one of Marvel's best movies "Guardians of the Galaxy", which in my opinion has the best movie soundtrack I've ever heard- with all 70's and 80's rock, pop, and a little country. Awesome Mix Vol. 2 is the soundtrack album for the Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. Featuring songs present on Peter Quill's mixtape in the movie, the album was released on April 21st, 2017. Awesome Mix Vol. 2 was the United States' 8th best selling album of 2017 with over 600,000 copies sold.   For some, it brings back a sense of nostalgia, for others its simply a terrific playlist. I found both to be equally true. Songs like "Southern Nights" by Glen Campbell and "Mr Blue Sky" took me back to first listening to them in the 2000s with my father who was huge into to 70's and 80's rock and country
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5/1/18 Freaky Friday

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‘He’s not like a ‘rapper’ rapper,” the guy in the restaurant explains to his unimpressed girlfriend. “He’s like a ‘funny’ rapper.” Those two statements – true and open to debate respectively – are from the opening scene of the video to Lil Dicky’s Freaky Friday, which is this week’s UK No 1 single, and which currently sits at over 177 million views on Youtube, and will soon join its thriftiness-espousing predecessor $ave Dat Money in passing the same number of Spotify plays. Freaky Friday tells the story of Lil Dicky mystically swapping bodies with rapper Chris Brown. One of the top 10 in Billboard’s top 100 hits, Lil Dicky’s ‘Freaky Friday’ gave fans a humorous insight into the lives of big-time celebrities versus those of smaller artists. Several cameos in Freaky Friday are present including that of DJ Khaled, Ed Sheehan, and some Kardashian/Jenner puke. In essence, the two go around joyfully enjoying their new bodies, doing all the things the other could never originally do becaus
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4/25/18 Avicii (Tim Bergling)

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While the world mourned the death and funeral of Mrs Barbara Bush over the weekend, and celebrated 420 Day (the stoner equivalent of Christmas), a pioneer in EDM and Electro died on Friday. While not everyone may remember his name, there is a good chance you've heard some of his music. His 2013 hits "Wake Me Up" and "Hey Brother" became popular throughout the first half of this decade. I remember hearing Avicii on the radio for the first time in middle school around 2013. At the time, Avicii was one of the biggest names in pop along with the likes of One Republic, Calvin Harris, and Pharrel Williams.    A DJ from Sweden, Avicii rose to prominence after his debut studio album True in 2013, which saw EDM tracks overtaking the Billboard Top 40. His collaborations with artist David Guetta also helped greatly boost his publicity. According to his website, Bergling retired from doing live performances due to his failing health in 2016. He states "Last year I
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4/18/18 For Mrs Bush

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Last night, America lost its classiest former first lady- Barbara Bush. It was around 2008 when I first met her, and she was just the sweetest and most down-to-earth lady God could ever grace this nation with. She was a respectable woman, with humor and southern charm. Undoubtedly, she was like a grandmother to millions of Americans, and even more so for the people of the city she called home; Houston, Texas. From 1989 through 1993 Mrs Bush graced the White House as First Lady, and worked tirelessly to advance the cause of literacy. Every year she would visit my elementary school, Barbara Bush Elementary, and she would read to us, interact with us, tell jokes. I had the pleasure of meeting her in 2nd grade. While I cannot remember our exact words to each other, I remember her answering my questions with the gentlest and kindest of replies.   Mrs. Bush died at her home in Houston on Tuesday at the age of 92. The patrons of Tanglewood Park remember Mrs. Bush in much the same way Houston
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4/12/18 Aerosmith

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I was listening to Aerosmith in the truck today on Sirius, and I had come to the realization that I'd never done a post about the great American rock band; so here it is. I first heard Aerosmith in 2007, my mother had them downloaded onto my iPod I had at the time. I remember listening to the only 2 albums I had on that iPod; "Toys In The Attic" and "A Little South Of Sanity". Soon thereafter, I became hooked on the band, but because I was still a little kid and the internet was a fairly new concept to me, I had to wait a while before I ever actually bought another album. Presently, my library contains at least 5 albums by Aerosmith, with the list that keeps growing today. Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "the Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, metal, and R&B. They were si
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4/4/18 Pride (In The Name Of Love)

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Today is April 4th, a date that is read in the fifth stanza of U2's song "Pride (In The Name Of Love)". The significance of this date? 50 years ago today was the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, a tragedy which shocked and horrified the entire nation. The first line of Pride sets the message of this song. The second track on the band's 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire, it was released as the album's lead single in September 1984. Written about Martin Luther King Jr., the song received mixed critical reviews at the time, but it was a major commercial success for the band and has since become one of the band's most popular songs. "Pride" appeared on the compilation The Best of 1980-1990 as the opening track, and on the 2006 compilation U218 Singles.   The song contains the erroneous reference to King's shooting as "Early morning, April 4," when it actually occurred after 6 p.m. Bono acknowledges the error and in live performanc
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