A to Z Blog Challenge -- G -- 5 on Friday -- Set 312

Welcome to Day 7 of this year's April blog event -- the A to Z Blog Challenge!

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

This year's challenge schedule includes five Fridays, and here at A Piece of My Mind, Fridays mean music.

For Day 5 -- E -- I wrote about my health issues and how re-establishing a gentle exercise routine with my chronic-pain body has been a powerful tool for recovery.  

Simple walking has turned out to be so instrumental to my new relationship with my body. One thing for which I've been so grateful is the greenbelt park system stretched all along the residential neighborhoods in my city. In just a few steps, anyone here can be transported to the healing energy of woods and fields.

This picture was taken on the trail system at the top of my street, only five minutes from my front door.

This week's musical set is inspired by the many restorative walks I've taken along the city's greenbelt park system.

  

1 - Walking on Broken Glass - Annie Lennox 

2 - Walking on the Moon - The Police  

3 - I'm Walkin' - Fats Domino

4 - Walking on Sunshine - Katrina and The Waves 

5 - Walk of Life - Dire Straits 

If you'd like to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

5 on Friday -- Set 216

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday bloggers -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

I've been meaning to do an instrumental set for awhile now. So today's the day!

Here are five tracks done by groups normally known for the full meal deal.

  

1 - Frankenstein -- Edgar Winter Group

2 - The Other Way of Stopping -- The Police

3 - Immigrant Punk -- Gogol Bordello

4 - Oscillate Wildly -- The Smiths

5 - YYZ -- Rush

5 on Friday - Set 181

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Birthday boy time -- here are five tunes featuring musicians born in July.

1 - Red Sector A - Geddy Lee from Rush

I woke up after the second Rush concert two weeks ago with this song going through my head. It's the perfect way to begin celebrating these musicians' birthdays, as Geddy Lee came very close to not being here at all.

His parents were both young Jewish prisoners in Auschwitz, having come from different towns in Poland. Despite the harrowing circumstances of their meeting, Mary and Morris maintained contact with one another until the war ended and they were liberated.

Morris tracked down the young woman for whom he'd bribed officials and guards in order to send her shoes and other items to ensure her survival. They married as soon as they could, eventually emigrating to Canada and becoming parents to three children -- one of whom is Rush bassist and lead singer Geddy Lee.

The lyrics of this song were written by drummer Neil Peart, but the song belongs to Geddy's parents. A very, very happy  60th birthday to Geddy. 

2 - The Other Way of Stopping - drummer Stewart Copeland from The Police

I've got musicians from three trios featured in the July birthday set. Considering that July is mainly a Cancer birthday, and Cancers are intensely family-focused, it comes as no surprise.

3 - Somewhere Down the Crazy River - Robbie Robertson

Hey, why not lip sync a complicated spoken-word song during a music video while looking directly into the camera?

If the director says so...well...he probably knows what he's doing...especially if he's Martin Scorsese...

4 - Christmas is Coming - Vince Guaraldi Trio

As a Christmas maniac, I'm always in the mood for Christmas. Especially when it's Vince Guaraldi's kind.

5 - Soul Sacrifice - guitarist Carlos Santana and the Woodstock performance of Santana

5 on Friday - Set 104

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.





Thought I'd showcase some of my favorite Police tunes this week.

1 - I Burn For You



2 - Regatta de Blanc



3 - Every Little Thing She Does is Magic



4 - When the World is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around



5 - The Bed's Too Big Without You

5 on Friday - Set 57

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.













Welcome to the 1980s!

This is not the first 5 on Friday where I featured 80s tunes - my 9th set was devoted to the music of my youth:

CLICK HERE for my 5 on Friday - Set 9

As Coco mentioned last week:

"How do you narrow down the songs? That would, to me, seem an insurmountable task!"

It is - believe me. How do I choose five songs to represent an entire decade of pop music? Do I go for the quintessential stars of that decade? Do I try to cover the prevailing sound of that era? Basically, I focus on my own favorites and chip away from there.

The 80s were my twenties decade, and that's generally the music that lives closest to a person's heart - the time when we struck out on our own, discovered who we were, what we believed in and what was worth pursuing in life.

So naturally I've snuck in five extra tunes this week...!

1 - De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da - The Police - 1980

Don't think me unkind
Words are hard to find

There are only cheques I've left unsigned
From the banks of chaos in my mind

And when their eloquence escapes me
Their logic ties me up and wrecks me

- Sting



2 - Welcome to the Pleasuredome - Frankie Goes to Hollywood - 1984

Shooting stars never stop
Even when they reach the top

There goes a supernova
What a pushover, yeah

We're a long way from home
Welcome to the Pleaduredome
On our way home
Going home where lovers roam
Long way from home

Welcome to the Pleasuredome

- Gill / Johnson / Nash / O'Toole



3 - I Didn't Mean to Turn You On - Robert Palmer - 1985

You
Read me wrong
I wasn't trying to lead you on
Not like you think

I didn't mean to turn you on

I
Know you
Expected a one-night stand
When I refused

I knew you wouldn't understand

I'm sorry, baby
I didn't mean to turn you on

- Harris / Lewis



4 - Cemetery Gates - The Smiths - 1986

A dreaded sunny day
So let's go where we're happy
And I'll meet you at the cemetery gates

Keats and Yates are on your side

A dreaded sunny day
So let's go where we're wanted
And I'll meet you at the cemetery gates

Keats and Yates are on your side
But you lose

Because Wilde is on mine

- Marr / Morrissey



5 - Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode - 1989

Feeling unknown and you're all alone
Flesh and bone by the telephone
Lift up the receiver
I'll make you a believer

I will deliver
You know I'm a forgiver

Reach out, touch faith
Your own Personal Jesus
Reach out, touch faith

- Martin Gore

CLICK HERE to watch the video













For my 5 on Friday crowd - if you scroll down to yesterday's post, my sister just published her debut Tween book, Princess Callie and the Totally Amazing Talking Tiara! Pretty excited over here!

5 On Friday - Set 6

Yay! Time for another set for 5 on Friday!

This has quickly become my favorite post to put together, eclipsing Thursday Thirteen which has been the highlight of my week for the past 150 weeks. Travis, you're brilliant for starting such a fun meme. I invite any who wish to participate to drop by Travis' blog at Trav's Thoughts and sign up.

For today's set, I turned it into a defining exercise for one of the characters I'm currently working on. I based all the song choices on Peredur, the Dark Ages Welsh vampire from one of my works in progress. He's the product of two NaNoWriMo writing marathons. If you want to read a poem based on his character, CLICK HERE.

The five songs represent his character arc throughout the story. I thought I had already drawn a good bead on him, but I was delighted to discover that placing these five songs in this order helped me realize a few important things about him. This exercise has already helped me with the revisions I'm doing with this current draft.

Travis - thank you, man.

1 - The Gael - Clanadonia



2 - Love Me Two Times - The Doors

Love me one time
Could not speak
Love me one time
Yeah, my knees got weak
Love me two times
I'm goin away

- Densmore / Krieger / Manzarek / Morrison



3 - Secret Journey - The Police

Upon a secret journey
I met a holy man
You will see light in the darkness
You will make some sense of this
And when you've made your secret journey
You will find the love you miss
And when you've made your secret journey
You will be a holy man

- Sting



4 - Dr. Mabuse - Propaganda

NOTE: The music doesn't start until the 0:16 mark.

The man without shadow promises you the world
Sell him your soul
Never look back
Glamorous death is his destination
Why does it hurt?
You've already lost the chance of your lifetime
There's no way back

- Dorper / Mertens / Thein



5 - I Who Have Nothing - Tom Jones

Believe me dear, when I say
That he can give you the world
But he'll never love you the way
I love you

I can only watch you with
My nose pressed up against the window pane
I, I who have nothing
I, I who have no one
Must watch you go dancing by
Wrapped in the arms of somebody else
When darling it's I
Who loves you

- Donida / Leiber / Mogol / Stoller



Jamie says Interesting group of songs. Good luck with the character development in your story. I agree that this meme on Friday is excellent.

Debby says Oh, The Doors......love them..that was many, many years ago.

Shelley Munro says What a great way to get a handle on a character. Tom Jones was down here in New Zealand a couple of weeks ago rockin' his stuff.