Final Monday of August! Hard to believe we’re winding down summer. This week is the kids’ last week of summer break – Little Dude loves school, so he’s ecstatic that school starts next week. Princess Nagger, not so much. Though since she does online school, it’s not as much crippling anxiety for her if she were going to a brick-and-mortar school. The hubby’s summer break has just started, so he’ll be hovering for the next 4+ weeks. Then the ‘normal routine’ will resume…heh!

Meanwhile, it’s Monday, and Monday means music! This week is a freebie, so grab your favorite tune(s) and let’s dance, shall we? Let’s just get this party started!

Let’s start with a brand new song from this artist, a rowdy, rap-influenced party song that is a collaboration between this artist and his Friends and Heroes tour mate Trace Adkins. The song finds the two giving us some lessons in how to be a hell raiser.

You ain’t done nothin’ if you did it halfway / If you’re gonna raise hell, then you better damn raise hell right / Hell right

The artist was quoted as saying:

“This song is about taking things to the max. You can raise hell or you can raise hell right. It’s about cutting loose and having fun the right way.”

“I spend a lot of time in Los Angeles these days, but when I hear songs like this on the radio, I am immediately thinking about being back home and what I’d be doing if I was there.”

One of the lyrics raised some eyebrows with an apparent poke at Lil Nas X’s country-flavored rap hit “Old Town Road”:

Then the girl from the small town took off the “Old Town” / Put on a little Hank Jr.

The writer denied that he and his co-writers were taking a shot at Lil Nas X’s hit tune. He insisted they were simply paying homage to Hank Jr. and it just happened that “Old Town Road” was being played to death on the radio at the time. He said:

“You coulda said ‘took off the’ whoever.”

Here’s Blake Shelton featuring Trace Adkins with “Hell Right”:

Next up is another brand new song from this favorite artist, which finds her taking a positive attitude toward life’s tough times.

If the house just keeps on winnin’ / I’ve got a wildcard up my sleeve

The concept of resilience when things are going bad is a common theme throughout the record. The album title comes from this song. The artist takes the proverbial phrase, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” and puts her own spin on it by upping the alcohol content.

If love keeps givin’ me lemons / I’ll just mix ’em in my drink

She was quoted as saying:

“That was a definite Miranda line because that’s what I do. You can’t stay in the moment that’s not good for you. If you keep missing, you have to just keep trying.”

One of the inspirations for this song was the Charles Bukowski poem Bluebird, a favorite of Luke Dick. The 1992 work starts:

There’s a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out / But I’m too tough for him

The artist said:

“We kind of went off of that. And this song, something about it makes me feel hopeful. It’s not too cheery. It’s got this undertow of like “S–t’s gonna happen, but it’s gonna be okay.”

Give a listen to the multi-talented Miranda Lambert with “Bluebird”:

Next up is yet another brand new tune from this favorite country-turned-pop artist, that is a romantic ballad in which the artist talks about her British actor boyfriend Joe Alwyn.

Can I go where you go? / Can we always be this close forever and ever? / And ah, take me out, and take me home forever and ever / You’re my, my, my, my lover

The artist’s romantic relationships have always been at the center of her music and here she declares her joy at finding long-lasting love. She unveils some potential wedding vows during the serenade’s bridge:

Ladies and gentlemen, will you please stand? / With every guitar string scar on my hand / I take this magnetic force of a man to be my / Lover.

The song is the title track of the artist’s seventh studio album. She revealed the record is:

“…a love letter to love, in all of its maddening, passionate, exciting, enchanting, horrific, tragic, wonderful glory.”

The video is a romantic fantasy involving Swift and her lover. The various scenes take place in a bright, colorful house within a snow globe. The inspiration behind the clip was a lyric from the artist’s song “You Are In Love”:

And so it goes, you two are dancing in a snow globe ’round and ’round

The artist’s ‘love interest’ in the video is played by one of her tour dancers, Christian Owens, who also appeared in Normani’s “Motivation” video.

For your audio and visual enjoyment, here’s Taylor Swift with “Lover”:

Last, but certainly not least, is a song from the frontman of one of my favorite groups who created this song on his Twitch live stream. I haven’t found much info about the song, and don’t know if the group itself will ultimately record this song in the future, but I love it (as I do most of the stuff this artist comes up with).

It’s fun to have some songs that artists have done when they’re pretty much  just ‘playing around’, don’t you think?

Without further ado, here’s the inimitable Dan Reynolds with “The Man In The Moon”:

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:   PhotobucketI 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 while our beloved Callie of JAmerican Spice is taking a break, our friend Michelle from Musings and Merriments with Michelle is helping out with hostess duties!

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!



7 Comments

  1. Stacy,

    Summer is winding down. I’m noticing sutle changes in the landscape and now our temperatures are falling in line with cool mornings/evening and mid-day heat. Thanks for sharing all of these mewsic introductions with me today on the dance floor. Enjoy what’s left of August and I’ll see you in September, my friend. Have a boogietastic week! 🙂

  2. My favorite of the set were the Blake Shelton/Trace Atkins set – it was a fun song and made me smile. I also liked “Bluebird” because – well, because I like birds? Have a good upcoming week, Stacy.

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