Hello Monday – yada yada yada… Since it is Monday, you know that Monday means music! This week is a freebie week, so grab your favorite tune(s) and come dance with us, will you?

Let’s start with this emotional anthem that encourages us to embrace the present moment and live life to the fullest. It serves as a powerful reminder to appreciate what we have and not take anything for granted, while also emphasizing the importance of being there for others and giving back to our communities.

The title comes from the idea of living life in such a manner that one’s funeral would be “a standing room only” affair attended by people whose lives had been greatly influenced and left a lasting impression. The artist said:

“To me, it’s all about life of affirmation, you know, being the best you, you could be. We fail miserably every single day when we get out of bed – I probably fail the first step I take. I fail by doing something wrong.

The best thing you can do is try to wake up the next day, do the next best thing. And I think that’s what this song sort of says to me.”

Give a listen to Tim McGraw with “Standing Room Only”:

Next up is a song I shared back in February, but now there’s an official music video, so of course I have to share it again, especially since it’s so much fun. This artist was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, and on this hip-hop-influenced Southern country anthem, he recounts childhood memories of the simple way of life in his hometown. He said:

“It’s my life growing up, basically in a nutshell. Main thing growing up was church and football. That’s what we were all about down in Mobile.”

The image of the dodgy ice cream takes the artist “right back to municipal park in Mobile feeding the ducks with some wonky ice cream truck coming by.” Other images the artist inserts include the blowup Christmas yard ornaments that stayed up way too long, his mama’s sweet tea, local church prayers, and chicken wings. He also shouts out southern icons such as country music legend Dolly Parton, NBA star James Harden, and restaurant chain Olive Garden. 

Get ready to dance, here’s Walker Hayes with “Y’all Life”:

Next up, Main Street is the principal thoroughfare in many American small towns. It is often the site of all street life, where locals hang out and watch the annual parades go by. Here, this artist reflects on how memories of a past love can be triggered by anything, even the simplest of things, like finding yourself on a “street called main.”

When this artist hears a song that he didn’t write but wants to record, he gravitates to it for the same reason a listener falls in love with a song on the radio. He said:

“In that moment I’m just the person listening to a song that I either love or don’t immediately. “‘[This song]’ just had that thing about it – the melody, the lyric… I was in right out of the gate. I love that song.”

He released this song as a single back on October 28, 2022. Its artwork is an homage to the classic scene in the movie Say Anything when John Cusack’s character holds a boombox over his head and plays “In Your Eyes” to win the heart of Ione Skye. The artist wanted to recreate that look for many years, and was waiting for the right song. He said:

“I just felt ‘[this song]’ had that thing about it that if we could find similar clothes. So I was like rummaging through my closet trying to find an overcoat that looks similar to the one John was wearing, sneakers and a T-shirt, and I was trying to replicate it as best I could. I didn’t quite nail it. Well, I got pretty close, but I love that movie. And I love that scene. It’s so iconic.”

Here’s Keith Urban with “Street Called Main”:

Last, but certainly not least, is a new song from this favorite artist that was inspired by his morning routing with his adorable daughter, Lyra.

He has been candid about how he would juggle being a father after spending hours crying over the loss of his friend. He would sometimes cry himself to sleep and wake up with his little girl next to him. He said that his daughter could tell that he was sad, but was able to lift his spirits. He said:

“Being a parent is obviously wild and wonderful. Being a parent in times of real sadness … has a massive juxtaposition to it.”

The singer-songwriter explained that after late nights visiting a mural dedicated to his late friend, Jamal, he would:

“…go to bed and cry myself to sleep and wake up at 6 with this ball of energy — this beautiful girl that’s jumping on me and being like, ‘Let’s listen to music and eat porridge!’ and I’m like ‘Yes, that’s exactly what I want to do.’ “

They have a routine of listening to music on a record player and eat breakfast at the same time. One morning, the father-daughter duo chose to listen to Dusty Springfield’s Dusty in Memphis, which inspired the song.

Get ready for some cuteness overload, here’s Ed Sheeran with “Dusty”:

That’s a wrap for this week – have a great Monday! See you on the dance floor!

Now onto the particulars of Monday’s Music Move’s Me:

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!