You Better Be Wearing a Seatbelt" and "Jailhouse Rock" are two of my all time favorite, though it's only recently that I've understood the full extent of their lyrics. To understand them, it helps to listen to the album from the beginning, in case I've been too slow in picking them up. As soon as I do that I'm struck by the fact that they're not only two of my all-time favorite tracks, but also two of their best. I can hear why it became a standard, and why it has lasted for almost 50 years. After the opening bars, the guitars suddenly kick in, which is a sign they're about to come at you from all directions with full force. In addition to being a strong opening track, it serves as the album's second song. The lyrics don't leave you wondering how a song can be so catchy while being so deep, though there are a few moments that make it hard to keep a grip on the lyrics that were meant to be taken as a whole. It's also no secret that the first side of the record is by far my favorite; most of my favorite songs can be found on that side, and it's the one most often referred to in reviews. I'm not sure why that is. I'm sure there are a million reasons, but they're beyond my imagination. I'm tempted to chalk it up to the fact that these songs were written a long time ago and had quite a bit of time to sink in before they became the standard that they are now. In summary, the lyrics tell the story of Jimmy, who is waiting to meet up with his girlfriend, and the story takes him through a number of different places, most of which are familiar places, though some are strange and unknown. We know he wants to see her because he keeps saying "you," and "your," but we also know he knows that he'll be leaving her again because he says goodbye. They even have a conversation in the end that makes it hard to tell whether she has broken his heart or not. It seems that the main story arc is the desire to be with her, and that means they're about to leave their current lives and start over again. To me, these tracks sound like what a life would be like if it was recorded in song form, with all of the highs and lows. I can imagine what it was like for me. I have no idea how familiar I am with "Jailhouse Rock," but I can remember when I first heard the guitar solo at the end. I was so overwhelmed by it that I felt my chest tighten and my throat go dry. In many ways, that made it the most perfect song I had ever heard. I know what it's like to want to be with someone, to find yourself at a crossroads in life, to be uncertain of what the future holds, but to be determined to not let it see you cry. I know that feeling well. I know the excitement of a big moment, even if I don't really understand it all that well. I know the hurt that comes with rejection, and in general, I know how to deal with that. I've tried to keep this review short and snappy, and that's the point I want to get across: this song is one of my all time favorites, and it remains one of the most incredible songs I've ever heard. It's hard to explain in text, but in a few moments, you'll be able to hear exactly what I mean. I have to leave you with one of my favorite lines from the song. It's not something that was written in, but it was something I heard while singing it. If you'd like to hear me sing the song and maybe learn a little bit about the song I have to warn you that there's a couple words that might not be understandable in the video, but otherwise you should get the gist of it. She's got style - oh baby!Got herself a life in high school - she's killin' me!I go by on my day to day,I check her in the hallwayShe says she's got a boyfriend, and I say:Then I say, "you better be wearing a seatbeltI just might take a chance and put your number on mine,You better be wearing a seatbelt I hear it from that woman - she's got style - oh baby!Got herself a life in high school - she's killin' me!I go by on my day to day,I check her in the hallwayShe says she's got a boyfriend, and I say:Then I say, "you better be wearing a seatbeltI just might take a chance and put your number on mine,You better be wearing a seatbelt." In case you wanted to know what it would sound like if I had the lyrics to the entire song at my disposal, here is a video that plays "In My Dreams" as a continuous loop. This is my third cover of a Journey song, and now I think it's time to cover some different types of songs. I'll try to post some more original songs as I continue to write. I've written a lot of songs, and am not so far from my goal of getting every song from my brain onto a page, but that's something I'll get into more detail about soon. Monday, October 24, 2016 The story goes that an elderly man asked a younger man for directions to New York City. The younger man explained that it was a great deal of distance to walk and that he was too old to make such a trip. "How old are you?" the older man asked. The younger man replied that he was 60 years old, to which the older man replied, "Me, I'm 99." The younger man laughed and replied, "I just turned 100 this week!" That's a great example of what I'm talking about. When we get into the thousands, we're talking about millennia, while a person can be a man in their 90s, 90 is still very much young. On the one hand, I want to make it clear that I have no interest in going back to how I was at 90. On the other hand, I'm trying to understand the concept that there's a difference between a man and a boy. Why is there a difference? What I'm saying is this: 90 is not old. It doesn't mean you are old, and it doesn't mean you are young. It means that at a glance, looking at you, you look younger than you are, but in person, it's just not so much the case anymore. When you walk around, you look a lot like you used to, but that doesn't mean that you are still the same. After all, most people at 90 are wearing clothes that were designed for younger people, and it may be difficult for those around you to see past that. You can have a beard and canes, but it's still most likely that they're trying to see your face. I can't look any older than I do now, but I'm old. I'm very old. When people say "age is only a number," I disagree. Age is measured in decades, and there are only 360 days in a year. In a few minutes, I can put a smile on a woman's face just by smiling at her. I can make her feel like her age is what's most important, when in reality, her age is only a small part of who she is. I have no idea how old you are, but even though you might seem younger to me, to me, I'm very old. I'm not sure I know what it's like to not be old, though it doesn't sound like much fun. While we'll talk more about that later, I think it's about time to start looking at songs for this week's blog. I've been able to listen to a couple new songs over the last few days, and even though they're almost too incredible for words, that doesn't mean that they're bad songs. First, there's "Hero of Time," by Journey. While it might seem like I'm trying to trick you into listening to this song, I'm actually telling you to listen to it. Trust me, it's quite good. The guitar solo at the end of the song is one of my favorites, not just on Journey's album, but also among all of Journey's songs. I have a feeling that was intentional. Next, we have "Let It Go," by James Blunt. It's a song that you may recognize as being featured at the end of a lot of movies, whether that's "Frozen" or "Frozen II." When I first heard it, I could only guess that it was probably something from Frozen, but after reading the song lyrics, I learned that there are new lyrics in a few of the songs by Frozen. The reason I've included this song in the top 5 songs for this week is because the melody and the lyrics are pretty incredible. While I wish you could actually hear the song I'm referring to, it's still impressive on its own, but once you hear the lyrics, it's something special. One song could last a few minutes, and with an average length of four minutes, that's easily twenty minutes of music. In case you're interested in learning more, here are lyrics of both songs. "Hero of Time" by Journey It goes without saying that,It