speak to me: remembering amy.

i finally watched the video for tony bennett's new duet with amy winehouse. until a few hours ago, i did not even know this was a thing that had happened. this song "body and soul" was the last song amy winehouse recorded before she died. i've always been a big fan of amy winehouse's voice (back to black is one of my favorite pop albums of all time) and i was devastated when i heard the terrible news. i have a few friends that have gone down that same dark road so the news was personal, in a way, for me as well. addiction is a terrible monster that steals people away from themselves and once you've seen its teeth, you are never quite the same. i discovered the video of this beautiful song after watching jon stewart's interview with tony bennett on the daily show, promoting his new album Duets II. bennett said that even during the recording of this song, "she knew that she was in a lot of trouble, that she wasn't going to live."  however, he had nothing but lovely things to say about working with her. he said that in 70 years of working in the music business, amy is one of the few people who "sings right." he said that she was a true jazz singer and that they bonded over a shared love of dinah washington. watching this video, i was deeply moved. i think it's really beautiful that her last music video has no special effects, no crazy sets or costumes, no storyline.  it's just tony and amy, singing, laughing, and having a good time together.

my heart is sad and lonely

for you i sigh, for you, dear only

why haven't you seen it, i'm all for you

i spend my days in longing

and wondering why it's me you're wronging

i tell you, i mean it, i'm all for you

body and soul

i can't believe it, it's hard to conceive it

that you'd turn away romance

are you pretending, it looks like the ending

unless i could have one more chance to prove dear

my life, a wreck you're making

you know i'm yours for just the taking

i'd gladly surrender myself to you

body and soul.

♥

ps: to lighten the mood a little (and to prove to any skeptics that she DOES, in fact, have an incredible voice), i wanted to share another single off of Duets II, the lady is a tramp by tony bennett and lady gaga.  yup.

speak to me: wedding bells.

no, not for me and ryan, silly.  that would be ridiculous, we're way too young.  on sunday, ryan's cousin becci married her long time boyfriend ian!  they are pretty badass (as evidenced by becci's styling of her wedding dress below) and their wedding definitely had an unofficial old school punk theme.  after a sweet & simple ceremony outdoors among the fruit trees, we headed inside for one of the most fun & unconventional receptions i've ever attended.  the friend of theirs who officiated the ceremony was also the lead singer of the band that played the reception.  he had this total rancid/mighty mighty bosstones throaty punk voice and silly personality and they covered many punk and rock classics.  but for this week's speak to me post, i was inspired by the song that the groom ian sang as a surprise gift to his new bride during the reception.  i present to you "ring of fire " as played by social distortion .  **all photos in this post taken by ryan's brilliant mother, kat from photography by sky**

love is a burning thing

and it makes a fiery ring

bound by wild desire

i fell into a ring of fire

i fell into a burning ring of fire

it went down, down, down and the flames went higher

and it burns, burns, burns

that ring of fire, that ring of fire

the taste of love is sweet

when hearts like ours meet

i fell for you like a child

oh, but the fire went wild

i fell into a burning ring of fire

it went down, down, down and the flames went higher

and it burns, burns, burns

that ring of fire, that ring of fire

♥

speak to me.

here's a little inspiration from our setlist for our show tomorrow night.  we're playing a lot of really pretty covers, but these lyrics hold a special place in my heart.  complex metaphors and heightened language definitely have their place and can make very beautiful lyrics.  however, when a song's message is this pure and true, sometimes best way to say what you mean is just to say it.


come with me my love
to the sea, the sea of love
i wanna tell you how much i love you.

do you remember when we met?
that's the day i knew you were my pet.
i wanna tell you how much i love you.

come with me my love
to the sea, the sea of love
i wanna tell you how much i love you.

- "sea of love" arrangement by cat power.

speak to me: lyrical inspiration

This is a new weekly feature I'd like to bring to the blog called "speak to me."  I will highlight lyrics, poetry, a passage from a book, an inspiring quote, etc. that I find particularly striking.  They might be funny, sad, inspirational, whatever.  I'm a lyricist, a poet, and an avid reader so I'd like to document the words that are currently inspiring me and my writing.  Hopefully they'll inspire you too!  Enjoy.

this is my face
i've got a thousand opinions
and half the time i'm trying to explain

and this is my body
and no matter how you try and disable it
yes, i'll still be here

and this is my mind
and though you try to infringe
you cannot confine

and this is my brain

and even if you try and hold me back

there's nothing that you can gain

'cause i use mouthwash

sometimes i floss

i've got a family

and i drink cups of tea

i've got nostalgic pavements

i've got familiar faces

i've got mixed-up memories

and i've got favorite places

- "mouthwash" by kate nash

Ron Weasley (Please Notice Me)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two comes out in the US this Friday.  Ryan and I (and my brother, who helped us out with guitar) are huge Harry Potter fans.  HUGE.  We figured that in honor of the final movie in the series (tear!) being released, we would post this little video.  I, like many awkward girls around the world, identify a lot with Hermione Granger.  I, too, was a mousy little bookworm when I was younger, though my nose was buried in Harry Potter books rather than Hogwarts: A History.  I had an epic crush on my best guy friend in high school (Ryan) who seemed completely oblivious, so the Ron and Hermione story always resonated with me.  The song takes place during Half-Blood Prince, during that awful time for Hermione (and subsequently Harry) when Ron is dating Lavender.  I have always felt a deep connection to this love story, so much so that this song practically wrote itself.  When I was cheering for Hermione, on some level, I was also cheering for myself.  The lessons I learned from those incredible books will be with me for a lifetime.  J.K. Rowling's characters are so vibrant that they seem to take on a life of their own, and I know I'm not alone when I say that I cherished them almost as if they were my friends.  We would like to dedicate this song to J.K. Rowling as a thank you for the beautiful world she created, a world that helped us escape from our own, and the characters that we will carry in our hearts forever.

Lyrics behind the jump: