Monday has once again – first Monday of August! Where’s the summer going?! At least Monday means music, so there’s some comfort in that! For the month of August, our Spotlight Dancer is our very own friend and co-conductor, Alana from Ramblin’ with AM! The theme selected for this week is “songs about friendship or with Friends in the title” I’m totally down with that – let’s get this friendly party started!
Let’s start with an upbeat song from one of my favorite artists. In the lyrics, the song finds the country star playfully listing off some of the qualities and quirks she looks for in new friends:
If your mind’s as cluttered as your kitchen sink / If your heart’s as empty as your diesel tank / If all your white t-shirts have stains / If you’ve got some goods and got some ink / Well then, we should be friends
Potential new recruits for this artist’s social circle don’t need to worry about keeping a tidy house or dressing stylishly when she visits.
The video was shot at a beauty parlor in Watertown, Tennessee. We see the artist making friends and getting a makeover at Wanda’s House of Beauty. The artist’s friend and longtime songwriting partner Natalie Hemby can also be seen with Miller Lite cans rather than curlers in her hair. Another collaborator Waylon Payne gets a shave that leaves him with a 5 o’clock shadow.
Let’s have some fun with Miranda Lambert‘s “We Should Be Friends”:
Next up is a song that’s an ode to friend zoning, that finds this British singer-songwriter angry with her male pal for trying to move their friendship up to the next level.
Haven’t I made it obvious? (Have I not made it obvious?) / Haven’t I made it clear? (I made it very clear) / Want me to spell it out for you? (yeah) / F-R-I-EN-D-S (I said F-R-I-E-N-D-S)
The Essex singer has to spell it out for the dude who just doesn’t get it. The song was inspired by an actual male pal of the artist who wanted to move their friendship up to the next level. She was quoted as saying:
“The idea came from a boy that I know that’s my friend and he kind of he wanted to be more than my friend and I was like ‘look brother how many times to I have to tell you we’re just friends.’”
Have some fun with Marshmello & Anne-Marie with “FRIENDS”:
Next up is the theme song from another of my favorite sitcoms that aired from 1994 to 2004. I’ve been binge-watching all of the Friends episodes, it’s been so fun to travel down memory lane and wish there was a time machine to go back to those ‘good old days’.
While it’s fairly rare for a TV show theme song to become a hit, mostly because the typical themes usually sound great for the 30 seconds they are on the air, but make terrible full length songs. This was an exception, as the popularity of the show exposed the theme to a mass audience that loved the incredibly catchy tune, and soon there was demand for a full-length version of the theme.
This song’s success did a great deal to help promote the show, as the constant radio play provided great, free advertising for the series. You would think that TV producers would follow this formula and put more effort into their theme songs, but just the opposite happened: TV theme songs began disappearing as producers demanded more time for show content and didn’t want to pay to create original songs. This was the last TV theme that was made into a hit song – at least in America.
I love this video, because it’s the official music video (remember those days, when MTV actually had music videos?) that The Rembrandts made incorporating the cast from F•R•I•E•N•D•S – it’s hilarious.
Without further ado, here’s The Rembrandts and the cast of F•R•I•E•N•D•S with “I’ll Be There For You”:
Last, but certainly not least is a new song from one of my all-time favorite artists. It tells the story of moving onwards after experiencing the death of a loved one in life. I felt it was an excellent representation for friends or friendship, particularly since I ran across it again when I was sad about my best friend not being here on earth to celebrate her birthday a couple of weeks ago, since she passed unexpectedly last summer. It’s been a rough year.
The lyrics provide hope and promise through this artist’s strong Christian faith that one will reunite with every fallen loved one in the afterlife. I’m confident my bestie Peg is watching out for me as one of my crazy guardian angels.
The song was originally written for the film The Chronicles of Narnia – and while it wasn’t selected to be featured in the film, the artist still wanted to put it on her next album. She felt it takes a positive spin on moving on out of this life, on death – it’s not the end, because in her mind and in her faith and what she believes, there is a heaven.
The music video is poignant, it acts as a collage of major life moments: graduating from college, getting engaged, having kids, and the ultimate end in death. In between each vignette, soldiers going off to war and coming back to surprise their family members are displayed, as is devastating footage from Moore, Oklahoma and the tragic Newtown, Connecticut shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
Grab a tissue and give a listen to Carrie Underwood with “See You Again”:
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:
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!
Alana from Ramblin’ with AM
Stacy,
Thank you for being such a long time bloggy friend! I love coming by your place each Monday to dance with you to often times newly introduced tunes. I do recognize a few of your song picks today like The Rembrandts with “I’ll Always Be There For You”. Have a boogietastic week, my friend!
All these were good, but Miranda Lambert’s was especially good.
All good, none of them I knew (believe it or not, I never watched Friends) and my favorite song was Carrie Underwood’s. My favorite video was Miranda Lambert. She would be a fun friend, wouldn’t she?
Such great songs there. Thanks for sharing them.