Another week zoomed by at hyper-speed! And of course the weekend flew by even faster. But at least, being that it’s Monday, that means music! For the month of October, our Spotlight Dancer is our friend and regular Monday’s Music Moves Me participant, Robin from Songbird’s Crazy World! She has chosen the theme for this week, which is “In honor of Columbus Day, songs about taking a journey. It can be an actual trip, or a trip into the imagination, or even an emotional journey”.

Let’s start with this bit of fortune cookie wisdom that was written by this artist along with her collaborators Jeff Trott and Brian MacLeod. The trio wasn’t thrilled with it when they wrote the song, so they were happy to give it up for the 1996 film Phenomenon, starring John Travolta.

Once they started stripping it down at the request of the movie’s music supervisor, something great began to emerge. Trott was quoted as saying:

“We realized by pulling back all that stuff that, wow there actually is a really good song in there, and it’s just being covered with layer, upon layer, of instruments.”

The song debuted in the movie, but didn’t appear on the soundtrack. The film was released in July 1996 and the song was included on this artist’s self-titled sophomore album, which was issued in September 1996. Released as the second single, it made a slow climb up the charts, peaking in the US at #11 in April 1997. The artist later said:

“‘[This song]’ started out as kind of a road song, and it really wound up being about being in the moment and not always looking to the next moment and analyzing things. As I look at this record, stepping away from it, I realize thematically a lot of it is about levity, finding levity in life and balance and trying to figure out how to make all things work simultaneously without grand disruption. That’s kind of what the song is about. It’s about jumping in a truck with a guy who just lives life every minute, by the minute. Every once in a while, I have to catch myself and remind myself that life is right now. It’s not two minutes from now.”

Here’s the inimitable Sheryl Crow with “Every Day Is A Winding Road”:

Next up, this artist spent most of his childhood years in the English countryside town of Framlingham, Suffolk, before moving to London at the age of 17 to pursue a music career. In this nostalgic pop-rock number he pays homage to his upbringing in the provincial Eastern England town.

I miss the way you make me feel, and it’s real / We watched the sunset over the 

The small market town of Framlingham is centered around a medieval castle, which the artist alludes to in this song. Constructed by Roger Bigod, the 2nd Earl of Norfolk about 1190, it was unusual for the time in having no central keep.

Mary Tudor was living at the castle when her half-brother Edward VI died in 1553. When she seized power, Mary collected her forces there before successfully marching on London. Today Framlingham Castle is a popular tourist attraction.

The artist spoke about why he chose to pen a song in which he reflects on his upbringing.

“There’s a lot of positivity in my hometown, but like, there’s also a lot of sadness as well, whether it be people not coming back or people passing away or people not achieving what they could’ve achieved, so I just wanted to touch on it a little bit, I guess.”

The nostalgic video was shot in the artist’s hometown of Framlingham in Suffolk. It is a snapshot into the singer-songwriter’s carefree teenage years featuring students from Thomas Mills High School, the educational establishment where he studied. One of them is a young look-a-like.

Give a listen to the incredibly talented  with “Castle On The Hill”:

Next up is a song that was written and sung by this group’s keyboard player, a song about following your dreams by embarking on a journey into the unknown. In the second verse, he misses out on the pot of gold, but continues to carry on.

The song is a personal one for the keyboard player, who wrote it about struggling to break through to the next level with the band. Formed in the early ’70s, they grew a solid fanbase but were always the support act (for Bob Seger, Foghat, Rush, Kiss, Aerosmith, etc.), never the headliner.

This song was released as the first single from their album, The Grand Illusion, and helped get them to this next level, as they became one of the top arena rock acts of the next few years. The band had to push for this to be the lead single from the album, as their management wanted “Superstars” released first.

This regained popularity in 1999 when it was used in the animated cartoon show South Park. One of the characters, Cartman, was compelled to sing it every so often. Cartman’s version was released on a soundtrack album and the song was introduced to a new generation.

For your listening pleasure, here’s Styx with “Come Sail Away”:

Last, but certainly not least, this is a song that was this Scottish twins’ only american hit, though four of their other songs made the UK Top 40. This song is about being devoted to a woman and wanting to spend the rest of your life with her. And it’s all sung in a Scottish accent.

In the line “I’m gonna be the one who’s havering for you,” ‘havering’ means babbling on. However, several US radio stations initially refused to play the song, as they thought ‘havering’ meant something much more naughty.

This was written in 1988 and released on the duo’s album Sunshine On Leith. It became a hit when the song was used in the 1993 movie Benny And Joon, starring Johnny Depp and Mary Stuart Masterson.

The song was last featured in a beloved Budweiser commercial that aired during the 2015 Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. A sequel to the previous year’s “Puppy Love” spot where the Budweiser Clydesdales befriend a golden retriever puppy, this one finds the dog getting lost, and the horses saving him from a wolf and guiding him home. The song was used to convey the lengths that living creatures will go for love.

The version used in the commercial is a down-tempo take on the song performed by Sleeping at Last, which is the one-man operation of Ryan O’Neal. He released the song in 2013.

Without further ado, here’s The Proclaimers with “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”:

Bonus: I stumbled across a version done by one of my favorite current groups, so I had to share that one as well.

Give a listen to Imagine Dragons with “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)”:

Have a great Monday – 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, Callie of JAmerican Spice, 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”:



9 Comments

  1. Oh I love your playlist, especially 500 Miles. Love, love, love Styx.And the history lesson with the Sheeran song.

  2. Your set was top notch today and you surprised me with a little bit of country and a little bit of rock n roll. HA!
    Hope you are well.

    Come by and get your spook on when you can.
    Michelle, Your Crypt Keeper.

  3. Stacy,

    Nice song set for this week’s theme! I always enjoy Sheryl Crow. ‘Everyday Is A Winding Road’ is one I’ve been on many times, figuratively and literally. I’d rather stay off the emotional winding roads as much as possible. Styx is a favorite oldie group, ‘Come Sail Away’ makes me feel happy. Thanks for sharing the dance floor with me. Have a boogietastic week, my friend!

  4. Great mewsic over here again, Stacy. I think we love every song of Ed Sheeran also this one that we haven’t heard before. Styx certainly is one of our favourites. Now we only have to take 500 miles to takes us home😺Pawkisses for a Happy Tuesday🐾😽💞

  5. Castle on the Hill is a poignant song especially in the end when the song lists the fates of some of Sheeran’s high school friends. We all feel that pull of going home. I will always love 500 miles no matter who does it, but even though I think Peter, Paul and Mary started it off, I will always think of the Proclaimers’ version. They own it, although Imagine Dragons did a pretty good job on it. As for Styx…ah, that 70s music! Have a great week.

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