April has arrived! Spring weather is still being elusive, we keep having a mix of rain and snow – yes, snow – but towards the end of the week the weather looks more promising. Meanwhile it’s Monday – you know that Monday means music!

For this new year, the 4M crew is operating a bit differently. If you have a theme idea, submit your request by email. Each person’s suggestion(s) will be credited accordingly – unless someone wants to volunteer for the monthly co-host spot, then we won’t be looking for anyone to fill it in 2023. It’s tough to commit for 4-weeks. The object is to keep things fun!

For this week, our theme was selected from an old, inactive site: “Pick songs that express fragile emotions yours or others.” Let’s get this emotional party started!

Let’s start with a favorite song I’ve shared before that always elicits emotional goosebumps. The artist recorded this song for the soundtrack of the Marvel movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The song is also a tribute to the late actor Chadwick Boseman, who died in 2020 of colon cancer. Chadwick played King T’Challa, the protagonist in the original 2018 Black Panther film.

Nigerian singer-songwriter Tems wrote the stirring song alongside Swedish composer Ludwig Göransson, Black Panther director Ryan Coogler, and the artist. Tems was quoted as saying:

“After speaking with Ryan and hearing his direction for the film and the song, I wanted to write something that portrays a warm embrace from all the people that I’ve lost in my life. I tried to  what it would feel like if I could sing to them now and express how much I miss them.”

This song is the artist’s first solo musical output since 2016, so it was a huge coup for the Black Panther franchise. She was the director’s first choice for the soundtrack, in part because she became a mother in May 2022. He said:

“We knew she was at a point in her  as well where she was focusing on different things – focused on business, motherhood, which is a big theme in our film. We were holding out hope that maybe it could work out and boy did it for this song.”

Get ready for those goosebumps, here’s the inimitable Rihanna with “Lift Me Up”:

Next up is an emotional song that encourages us to cherish the moments of our life. It’s a powerful song, and this artist has a powerful voice, but he sings this song with a tone of he’s been there, and he’s sincere.

This song gets to me every time I hear it.

Here’s the inimitable Trace Adkins with “You’re Gonna Miss This”:

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Next up is a favorite artist who introduced this country-flavored power ballad in October 2016, but it really got noticed when she performed it at the 2017 Super Bowl Halftime Show. Every time it comes on, I crank it up and belt it out! The artist was quoted as saying:

“I wrote this song with a Nashville native, Hillary Lindsey. We sat on a couch together, and we were going back and forth, guitar and piano, and we were going, ‘Why these men, you know?’ All these men – my dad, my boyfriend, all the men in my life – they gave me a  [to leave], but I just need one good one to stick around but you’re giving me a million to walk away…”

The lyrics were rumored to be about the artist’s breakup with her former fiancé, but the singer said they were written about all the men in her life, including her ex-fiancé, her father, and every other guy she’s had a relationship with.

“It’s never just about the guy. It’s always about that guy, the guy before him.”

The song was also written for women all over the world. She was quoted as saying:

“How cool is it that it was #1 in Saudi Arabia?… I just really want women to be heard. I’ve dated a lot of cowboys and I just really want women to be heard… Not in a way that ‘men are bad,’ but I think it’s time for us to heal from those wounds that divide us. In this country we are so divided. I just hope this album provides some healing.”

Here’s the ultra talented Lady Gaga with “Million Reasons”:

Last, but certainly not least, is a brand new song from this favorite artist, that most definitely expresses emotions. It definitely spoke to me, as in just a couple of months the anniversary of my BFFL (Best Friends For Life) sudden death. That one still stings.

The artist was devastated when music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards died from a drug overdose on February 20, 2022. Edwards was an early supporter of this artist’s music through the SBTV YouTube channel and they became close friends. Originally written in 2010 as a breakup song, after the death of his friend, it took on new meaning.

So I’m dancin’ with my eyes closed / ‘Cause everywhere I look, I still see you / And time is movin’ so slow / And I don’t know what else that I can do

The artist said:

“This song is about losing someone, feeling like every time you go out and you expect to just bump into them, and every thing just reminds you of them and things you did together.”

I guess I could just pretend / The colors are more than blue / But I lost more than my friend / I can’t help but missin’ you

“You sorta have to take yourself out of reality sometimes to numb the pain of loss, but certain things just bring you right back into it. Blue was Jamal’s color, but now is all I feel. And I guess music helps heal, so I’m dancing with my eyes closed to try get through it.”

The video shows the artist being followed by a big, fluffy blue creature, which represents grief. As the song progresses, the creature gradually increases in size, serving as a visual metaphor for the growing intensity of his sorrow. The 1950 comedy-drama film Harvey, whose plot revolves around a man named Elwood P. Dowd (played by James Stewart) and his friendship with an imaginary 6-foot-tall rabbit named Harvey, inspired the visual.

“When I was thinking of concepts for [this song’s] music video, I wanted to make a video inspired by movies like ‘Harvey,’ where the main character has an imaginary friend who’s a giant rabbit that no one can see.

There’s also a book I read my daughters where sadness is encapsulated by an imaginary creature. Often sadness is something that follows you around, engulfing the rooms you’re in, and you can feel and see it, but no one else around you can. So, I decided to create my own big blue monster for the video. He gets bigger and bigger as the video goes on, til he takes up whole rooms and is all I can see, just like sadness.”

Get ready to have those emotional heartstrings tugged, here’s Ed Sheeran with “Eyes Closed”:

That’s a wrap for this week – see you on the dance floor!

Now on to the particulars of Monday’s Music Move’s Me:   Photobucket

I have the supreme honor and privilege of being a co-host with the inimitable Xmas Dolly and our musical cohort, the awesome Cathy from Curious as a CAThy, and Alana of Ramblin’ with AM!

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!

INTRODUCING OUR “SPOTLIGHT DANCER”:

Theme Borrowed from Inactive Site

4 Comments

  1. Some great songs here and very sad the Ed Sheeran song makes me think of the movie actress/model, Capucine. She was in The Pink Panther with Peter Sellers. She killed herself by jumping from her building. Bereft at losing the woman he loved, her boyfriend killed himself a while later. Very sad but that blue beast of grief and sadness got to them.

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