So we’ve been dealing with some major heat, but we escaped this weekend for some camping fun in the mountains – the nice thing is, even though it was still pushing 100 degrees (I know, right? In the mountains?!) it didn’t feel that hot, though, because I picked out a fabulous campsite full of nice, tall, shady trees! Plus we were right on the river, and spent lots of time in the cool water just goofing off and staying cool.

I can’t believe I didn’t take any pictures – because this girl lived in the moments and took none. The key to that sentence is lived…heh!

Now that it’s Monday, it’s back to reality, and Monday always means music! This week is a freebie, so grab your favorite tunes, and come dance with us, won’t you?

Let’s start off with a song that while it’s a “girl power” song, it doesn’t attack men or get preachy. One of the writers was quoted as saying:

“I wanted something that would help empower women, but also help change minds and people don’t tend to react well when being attacked.”

The video shows the artist in an array of looks: casual, glamorous, athletic, artistic. All are smart and strong and beautiful. At the beginning of the clip, the artist is getting chatted up by a guy who says the wrong thing: “You’re not like most girls.”

Most girls are smart and strong and beautiful / Most girls work hard, go far, we are unstoppable / No two are the same / I wanna be like, I wanna be like most girls

Many missed the message when the video came out. The artist was quoted as saying:

“Here I am singing this song about how most girls are beautiful, strong, independent, have so much to offer. And the headlines out of that were: ‘Hailee tries on a bunch of wigs, shows off her midriff,’ or whatever. That’s not what I’m trying to say.”

She goes on to explain why she wants “to be like most girls.”

“I felt that we’ve been accepting the compliment ‘You’re not like most girls’ for a very long time. I have, I feel like there’s been this golden standard or rule that in order to be special you have to be different to other women.”

Give a listen to Hailee Steinfeld with “Most Girls”:

Next up is this group’s front-man singing about overcoming difficulties in a rocky-but-loving relationship.

There’s nights we had to just walk away / And there’s tears we’ll cry, but those tears will fade / It’s the price we pay when it comes to love / And we’ll take what comes, take what comes

The artist explained the song’s meaning:

“All my relationships when I was young have been very explosive, for better or for worse. I love hard. I fight hard. I’m just a passionate person. ‘Walking the Wire’ is about the feeling of a relationship that feels a little dangerous. It can feel exhilarating at times or it can all fall apart at any moment. It’s like walking a tightrope, because when you’re up high it’s beautiful, but it also is scary. That’s how all my relationships have been. That song explores that.”

Without further ado, here’s the talented Imagine Dragons with “Walking The Wire”:

This next artist tries to win over the girl of his dreams on this upbeat love song.

What if I was made for you and you were made for me? / What if this is it? / What if it’s meant to be? / What if I ain’t one of them fools just playing some game?

The song is a duet with American Idol’s Lauren Alaina. The two artists have known each other since they were classmates at Lakeview-Fort Oglethorpe High School, in their native Georgia. As a shy student, this artist refused to sing in class until one day Alaina heard him humming and coaxed him into singing a little bit. She was quoted as saying:

“He was really shy and he wouldn’t sing in chorus class, and I said, ‘Come on, Kane, I think you could be a good singer,’ and then he started singing, and now look at him.”

Give a listen to Kane Brown featuring Lauren Alaina with “What Ifs”:

Next up is a song that was inspired by a moment of recognition that when the bad stuff happens in life the positive things are still there. The artist was quoted as saying:

“I was at home, looking out at the ocean, and I said to myself, ‘Here I am stuck in this past of negativity, but it’s so beautiful out. I’m not in the mood to write a feeling-sorry-for-myself song. You can’t have the good without the bad.’ And that’s what the song ended up being about.”

The song was released as the lead single from this artist’s first new album in 15 years.

Give a listen to the gorgeous Shania Twain with “Life’s About To Get Good”:

That’s a wrap for this week – have a great Monday!

Now on to the particulars of Monday’s Music Move’s Me:   PhotobucketI have the supreme honor and privilege of being a co-host with the inimitable Xmas Dolly and our musical cohort, Callie from JAmericanSpice, and our awesome friend Cathy, from Curious as a Cathy.

Want to join in the fun? It’s easy – just find a tune that rocks your boat, post it and link up – don’t forget to grab Xmas Dolly…er, um, I mean her button…over at her place here. Check out Xmas Dolly’s sidebar for the random themes we sport each week – and you can always ask for a specific theme of music you like, too. Check out the other music lovahs and let’s jam!



9 Comments

  1. Stacy,

    It’s good to live in the moment but I find that really hard to do and find that if I don’t take my big girl camera then I usually regret it. So, most times when I head out the door for an outing then I grab my Nikon. This year has been a bad one for me with few great photo-ops so I’m looking for interesting shots wherever our casual drives take us. I’m enjoying this morning mewsic. Shania Twain is my favorite female country artist. She’s beautiful and talented! Thanks for sharing the dance floor with me, my friend. Have a good week!

  2. Great selection of songs today. Left me in a really good mood 🙂 I hadn’t heard the Most Girls song before, so that was a new one. Glad that you introduced it to us today.

  3. Happy Monday, thanks for the great tunes! And yes, living in the moment doesn’t happen when you are too focused on picture taking. Good for you, enjoying your trip as it happened!

  4. I liked these, especially the one by Kane and Alaina. Maybe it’s because I know where Fort Oglethorpe is, I dunno. (It’s very close to the Georgia-Tennessee border, not far from Ringgold, where I spent a week training the folks at Shaw Carpets.) Shania Twain looks as good as she ever did…

  5. I almost tagged in today with that one from Kane Brown and Lauren – so good!

    I love Shania, it is always good to hear some good ones by her.

    I am sorry to hear your weather is hot, I believe we have what you are used to here in Denver and I am just to ask if we can keep it this week. I am so over the heat.

  6. Good stuff girlfriend. Sorry I’m late. It’s been a ruff couple of days. Too many appointments and not enough time. Big hugs… forgive me! Love Shania Twain. She’s such a cutie.

  7. It’s hard to document everything. Sometimes you just have to be in there, enjoying it all without pause 🙂
    It’s pushing 100s here too.
    Oven hot!

    Thanks for rocking girl.

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