Stay in My Heart

I don’t think any song in 2013 so far has impressed me as much as ‘Stay’ from Rihanna’s new album Unapologetic. It brings out a whole different side of Rihanna that we rarely get to see, and the emotions portrayed are raw and powerful. The power of love is expressed in an entirely different manner, how addictive it is and how much pain it can cause.

Check out the video for ‘Stay’. I had tears in my eyes while watching Rihanna because I felt like she was sharing something extremely personal that brings her a lot of pain and grief. Her facial expressions and vulnerability in the video shook me up.

What I also loved about the song was the fact that it introduced me to an artist as gifted as Mikky Ekko. He is unique, good-looking and extremely talented, and I predict he will be quick to rise this year. His voice has a soft and mellifluous quality to it that reminds me of R&B singer Daley. I might also have a thing for him based on the fact that he sort of resembles Tom Hiddleston who I adore.

Mikky Ekko

Tom Hiddleston

See? There’s definitely something.

Do have a look at some of Mikky Ekko’s music. He definitely needs to be recognized more.

In other news, I am plenty excited about Justin Timberlake’s return to the music scene. Eight years is a very long time and what I’ve heard so far from his upcoming album The 20/20 Experience has exceeded my expectations. I absolutely loved his first single ‘Suit and Tie’ ft Jay-Z. I can’t wait to get my hands on the entire album. R&B and JT are an ideal combination. I like his suave look for the video and the rhythm of the song really gets me moving. If you need the perfect tune to get ready for the evening or to go for a drive, this is it.

On Being a Tokio-Addict

As you may or may not know I have a huge thing for Bill Kaulitz, frontman of German rock band Tokio Hotel. Now I have been pretty upset due to the lack of activity in the band’s musical life for the past 2 years and to be honest I am not fangirling as much as I used to. Don’t get me wrong. I will always love this band. But as a devout fan for the past 6 years, is new music too much to ask of them? I mean do your job! We fans paid for those cars, gym memberships and expensive sunglasses, you know.

It’s come to the point where we are all looking at new photos of the Kaulitz twins and going ‘yes you look extremely sexy, but when is the new album coming out?’. When a Tokio-Addict poses such a question, you know we’re pretty desperate.

So when Cherry Tree Records finally announced that Bill has collaborated with Far East Movement on a new song set for release in May, I felt that surge of fangirling-spirit returning to my Tokio-starved body. Now this collaboration is clever. Far East Movement, who I absolutely adore, are pretty big when it comes to number ones on international charts and collaborations with top artists like DEV, Justin Bieber, Ryan Tedder and Kid Cudi.

If this new song titled ‘If I Die Tomorrow’ from FEM’s upcoming album Dirty Bass is a dance number rather than something slow and mopey, I predict it to be a huge hit, especially amongst us Aliens. It could really put Tokio Hotel on the global map with worldwide airplays and hits on YouTube. If it’s slow and mopey, it might just remain within the playlists of the existing Aliens and fail to crack the global charts because, let’s face it, it won’t be anything radically new, and 2012 is about being FRESH.

I am personally hoping for something that pretty much defines the term ‘dirty bass’; In other words I’m dying to see Bill Kaulitz get down and dirty, especially due to the rather ‘bad-ass’ look he’s going these days. [Excuse me while I shamelessly add yet another picture of him]

He seems to have a point to prove with this new hippie-thug avatar which I don’t entirely dislike, so I hope he delivers keeping in mind our high expectations and doesn’t crash and burn. I am crossing my fingers and wishing with all my heart that there is a music video coming along with the song because his announcement on the BTK App of ‘shooting something’ excluding the rest of the band could mean a video for ‘If I Die Tomorrow’. My obsession shall then resume with the same, if not greater, intensity. Until then, I shall continue trolling Cherry Tree Records’ Twitter for more news.

Remember to ‘Like’ me on Facebook! :)

http://www.facebook.com/midnightheartbeat

Let’s Dance With The Bass Down Low

I was going though YouTube yesterday when a very interesting artist was brought to my attention again after a very long time. I’ve been meaning to write about Skylar Grey ever since I heard Dr. Dre’s ‘I Need A Doctor’ feat. Eminem and Skylar Grey. Her voice is surprisingly haunting and whatever part in a song she has seems to get stuck in your head, and stays there for at least a week. Her new single ‘Dance Without You’ from her debut album Invinsible, is honestly not what I expected it to be.

Now I had no way of predicting what kind of album and songs she’d come up with since her collaborations were mostly with hip-hop and R&B artists of our generation, including Diddy-Dirty Money and Lupe Fiasco. So the question was would she serve up a collection of R&B similar to maybe Rihanna, or would she bring us something completely new? The answer is the latter. ‘Dance Without You’ is a song which comes across as Alternative Rock, the sound being laced with distorted guitar and strong drum beats and beat-boxing.

The song is up to you to interpret, but essentially it is about how Holly Brook  rediscovered herself as Skylar Grey and found success after transforming into the latter.

While most peg the song as ‘crazy’ they agree that it’s a good crazy and rather addictive. Skylar Grey has a unique, individualistic style that appeals to most, and a dark energy that is utterly entrancing. The music video shows Skylar literally in a struggle with herself. It takes some getting used to, but the idea is genius. I give ‘Dance Without You’ 4 out of 5 stars and a standing ovation.

Skylar Grey has offered a free download of the track on her website http://www.skylargreymusic.com/splash/

Now if you SERIOUSLY wanna move, I suggest you get your ‘Bass Down Low’ with DEV ft the Cataracts. DEV first caught my attention when she was featured in The Far East Movement’s ‘Like A G6′. It’s safe so say that she caught the attention of most of the planet with this number one hit. For a solo venture, DEV decided to give us a sample of what she can do with the single ‘Bass Down Low’. I would say DEV to me is like a blend of MIA and Ke$ha. She’s got a more hardcore appeal like MIA, but at the same time her music is  largely electro-pop, and her lyric delivery is very similar to Ke$ha.

‘Bass Down Low’ stays true to its name by featuring low bass electro-beats and sex-appeal though the entire track. In a generation where sex sells, the song does contain a hell of a lot of sexual innuendo, but puts it in a rather neat package for you to unwrap if you want to.  If you’re looking for depth and philosophy, however, you are unlikely to find it here. Must have on everyone’s playlist if you’re looking to dance the night away, I give ‘Bass Down Low’ 3 stars out of 5.

You can check out DEV’s blog here http://devishot.com/

Until next time! ;)

-Ridz <3

10,000 LIKES CAMPAIGN.

Okay everyone, this post is going to be slightly different from the usual posts I do, and it’s a topic very close to my heart. I’m sure that if you are a regular reader of my blog you know all about my love and obsession for the German rock sensation Tokio Hotel.

The thing is even after being a fan almost 5 and a half years I still haven’t gotten the chance of seeing them, performing or at a meet and greet or anything. This is largely due to the fact that I live in India, combined by a little pinch of bad luck that seems to follow me everywhere. Besides me, however, there are thousands of fans here who haven’t got the chance to see Tokio Hotel. Some of us have been fans since 2005-2006 but just don’t have the privilege to go see the band in Europe or America. I don’t know why but most artists seem to want to avoid India for as long as possible. Some artists say ‘World Tour’ but India [the world's largest democracy for Godssakes] misses out on these tours. So us Indian fans have decided to take matters into our own hands. We have started what I’m calling ‘The 10,000 Likes Campaign’ to bring TH to India.

We contacted Universal Music and they informed us we need a total of 10,000 INDIAN fans to get the band to India, and this would be accounted for by the Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/TokioHotelIndia. So Aliens, let’s do this! Let’s get the number to 10,000 likes!

Sign this petition to support this movement! —> http://www.petitiononline.com/IA10000/petition.html

The campaign will be constantly updated on Midnight HeartBEAT. Each band member will appear on a banner like the one above. All you have to do is click on it and go to the Tokio Hotel India fanpage for more information.

If you have any questions, contact me at billismyphantomrider@gmail.com

Let’s go, Aliens!

Girls Run The World

Women are the strongest pillars of anybody’s life. When I look at all the women in my life, my heart swells with pride, because I know how wonderful each and every one of them are. My mother, my aunts, my grandmothers [all three], my teachers, my girlfriends… They all give me courage, strength, encouragement and inspiration. Women have boundless patience and the very fact that they can stand in one place to tolerate constant flows of energy, positive and negative, is proof of that. There is not even one thing that men can do that women can’t, but there are endless things men cannot do but women CAN. I would like to think there is no superior sex, but being a woman myself, I do tend to have a biased viewpoint.

The multitude of emotions a woman can hold is astounding. We run on a frequency a whole lot different from men, and therefore can rarely be understood by them. There are countless times when a woman can be there for another. Break-up: she’s there with a tub of ice-cream, a box of tissues and a soul full of empathy. When you have the perfect dress but not the perfect accessories, you know she’ll let you borrow. When you see a cute guy at the mall and burst into giggles, and she starts giggling too, because she knows EXACTLY what you’re looking at. When you need understanding and encouragement, knowledge and faith, she’s there, her hand in yours.

When it comes to the music industry, women have definitely established themselves. whether its Tina Turner or Bette Middler, Adele or Lily Allen, women have become a strong focal point and an inspiration for women and girls around the world to be bold and step out, conquer new boundaries.

Tina Turner

Beyonce is a woman who has achieved the impossible. She is one of the most powerful female icons in the world today and has proved to be a woman worthy of the role. I have written a piece on her before and I will be putting up a link to it of you would like to have a look.

Her latest music video for the single ‘Run the World (Girls)’ from her upcoming studio album ’4′, was released two days ago, May 18th 2011, and let me tell you, if there is a testament to the power of women this is it!

The video is extremely powerful: Women dancing furiously in the middle of the desert while men cower from them does impose a rather impressive image. The song is about the strength and independence of women and rather than women ruling the world, it’s about women running the world, the difference being in the fact that men would be unable to cope if women shut them out. It’s about the fact that women through the generations have EARNED respect and have had enough of being oppressed and being made targets. Women are ‘strong enough to bear your children then get back to business’, is a line from this song that sticks to my mind and refuses to leave.

The video portrays a change in time, women gaining power over men as the world evolves… Women shift from becoming rebels to the actual governing body of the planet.

Beyonce looks incredible and the dancing in this video is absolutely sick and out of this world. The way bodies move in perfect unison leave a viewers mouth open in awe; I was certainly blown away by the sheer energy in the entire video. There is drive, determination, discipline, sexiness, and plenty of sex-appeal to go around. With lions and horses and blown-up cars, there is an edge of masculinity that is immediately balanced out by the fact that Beyonce is on the horse, Beyonce stands next to the lion and Beyonce blows up the car with a thrust of her fist in the air.

The video has received negative views from men claiming all kinds of funny things like women ‘taking away their masculinity’ and such. Personally I think its ridiculous to think that. Women pride ourselves with the strength we were born with, the FEMALE strength within. We aren’t looking to take anything from men; in all honesty we need them in our lives to love, to hold, as partners, as fathers, as friends and brothers… We need them as equals to be a stronger and smarter race. Personally as a woman I do need and love the men in my life very much. I have 3 brothers, who are an incredible source of strength and support [not to mention fist-fights], my dad is my hero, and my best friend Jason is a guy, too.

Jason and I.

There needs to be balance and equality and I think what Beyonce is getting at is the fact that women should rise up and meet the challenge of ensuring they are not underestimated. I don’t think she deserves to get slandered for standing up and saying women should take control of their own lives. After all, everybody’s life is their own.

My post on ‘Halo’ and Beyonce—> http://midnightheartbeat.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/heartsong-halo-by-beyonce/

Sometimes You ‘Lose Yourself’. WHY EMINEM IS MY HERO.

I imagine we find inspiration in the most peculiar places. Some people find inspiration in nature and how God has created us and everything around us, paying close attention to such intricate details that no other artist could ever capture completely. Inspiration could come in the form of a piece of work done by somebody; be it a painting, sculpture, or a piece of literature: they all give messages in their own ways. For most people however, inspiration is in what they can relate to the most, and connect completely with: Another human being.

 I have been in love with music for as long as I can remember. Having a family who indulged it is probably the best present God could have given me. The beauty about music is that it lives in everybody; No matter who or where you are, there is a beat running within you. My personal strategy is to follow that beat and I believe it will lead me through the thick jungle we call ‘Life’. It was no surprise when music led me to a person who completely shook me up from head to toe.

 When I think about Eminem, the most incredible rapper I have ever come across, a man who has managed to rise from the ashes of inner conflict and conquered unimaginable demons along the way comes to mind. Some people say that Eminem is not someone who should be a role model to millions of people around the world; He is after all an ex-dug addict, almost went to jail and has some of the most controversial music albums in the industry. So how did he gain the respect of millions around the world, including me? How did he manage to capture and leash the inner demon he had let loose on a rampage all those years ago? And how did the name ‘EMINEM’ move from a simple pack of colored chocolate, to also being the stage name of a legend of the 21^st century? Let’s start at the same point as every great story ever told: The beginning.

 Marshall Bruce Mathers III, also known as Eminem, was born on the 17^th of October 1972, into a family on the verge of poverty. He was raised single-handedly by his mother after his father abandoned them when Eminem was just 18 months old. He actually wrote a song called ‘Cleaning Out My Closet’, outlining the pain he and his mother went through. It’s safe to say that Eminem had an extremely unstable childhood, hopping from city to city with his mother to try to find a more permanent home, a place they could actually find their ground and start a new life, because his mother never worked and they were evicted from every place they stayed. They finally settled in Detroit, Michigan. He became interested in rapping in his early teens and found solace only while rapping freestyle in battles between local amateurs. Freestyle rapping is not an easy thing to do. The sheer speed at which Eminem can formulate word after rhyming word, while keeping in tune with the beat, is astounding. Though he dropped out of school at the age of 17, it was a quick climb to the top. It wasn’t long before he was snapped up by music producers and releasing his first major music album in 1999, ‘The Slim Shady’, which went on to sell more than three million copies, hurling him immediately into superstardom.

 To some people fame and money comes naturally. They know what to do with, they know where to invest it and to make sure it doesn’t leak into detrimental or hazardous lifestyles. Others, however, are left in a puddle of elation and fright when their empty bank accounts are suddenly brimming with ridiculously large digits, and the entire world is practically handed to them on a silver platter. Eminem, being of the latter, was riding a treacherous rollercoaster. His relationship with his wife Kim, who he would physically and verbally abuse, was at the breaking point and he was constantly guilty about not being a better father to his daughters, Hailie, Alaina and Whitney. He loves his daughters more than anything on earth and says he can ‘never imagine leaving [their] side’ like his father left his, and was in pain while struggling about the fact that he was always touring and never around. He was on drugs and alcohol and his temper was on the much shorter fuse than ever before.

As the years passed he churned out hit after hit album, each one growing increasingly angry and bitter, speaking about things that were happening in his own life, and his relationships and inner feelings. He lashed out at everybody, but most of all at his wife, Kim, which led to divorce in 2006. The amount of bad language and direct references to particular individuals in the lyrics of his songs were at their peak, and controversies were an everyday occurrence, including his unsuccessful suicide attempt and his grief over the violent death of his best friend. Angry at the world but even more so with himself, Eminem was soon on heavy medication and drugs to try to stifle his rage, depression, and his violence, which led to a major addiction to prescription drugs.

 

 The inner anguish in Eminem made him realize he was breaking down. He said in an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine in 2010, that he had completely let himself sink into depression and physically took to gorging himself with junk food and thus gaining weight till he couldn’t recognize himself anymore; but the real shock came when his fans didn’t recognize him anymore. He said one day, all those years ago, he was out somewhere and he overheard a couple of kids talking, where one of them said, ‘That’s Eminem’ and the other argued by saying, ‘No its not, man- Eminem ain’t fat.’ He said that scared him because it was when he realized he had really gone astray and had been labeled as an angry and frightening person. A following drug overdose which almost killed him was what finally led Eminem to enter rehabilitation in 2008.

 Eminem came out quiet and at peace with himself, a very different man from the sadistic rapper he once was. He finally learned to draw the boundary between Marshall and the furious ‘Eminem’, and the second was once again a stage persona. However his post-rehab release in 2009, ‘Relapse’, was again rather controversial because of the songs which parodied political and celebrity figures and was a release of his long pent-up angst about drugs and loss. Though the album was a success, the songs did not a have a destination and once the anger was gone, Eminem did not know where he was heading. He decided to work on an album named ‘Relapse 2’, so as to get an idea on how he would proceed. As the album developed however, he realized its music was far beyond anything he had imagined it to be. He decided to call it ‘Recovery’ because the album was more “emotionally driven” than ‘Relapse’. When the album was released on June 18, 2010, the world was thunderstruck. Filled with strong, confident and optimistic beats, ‘Recovery’ paved its way into people’s hearts, each song pulsing with a whole new fury: HOPE. The first single ‘Not Afraid’, is a heartfelt apology to his fans for all the disappointment he had put them through and a promise of being a better, more responsible and caring father and all around person, ‘no more drama from now on, I promise/To focus solely on handling my responsibilities as a father/ So I solemnly swear to always treat this roof like my daughters/ and raise it’.

The second single on which he collaborated with R&B artist Rihanna, and probably the most famous one, is about domestic abuse and the love-hate relationship between a couple, ‘Just gonna stand there and watch me burn, but that’s alright because I like the way it hurts’. ‘Love the Way You Lie’ swirls with a conflict of emotions and what comes through to you at the end is pure pain, the relatable and very real pain of heartbreak and a troubled relationship. The other songs are all similar in their abilities to awaken emotions within their listeners and mould themselves into something relatable with ordinary people like you and me. I think one of the most amazing thing I’ve heard someone say about Eminem was “Eminem’s different because he doesn’t rap about girls, cars and money; he raps about life.”

So while there is no ‘happy ending’ to a work in progress, Eminem’s story so far seems to be elevating to a new level. Because of its down to earth and powerful music and lyrics, ‘Recovery’ became Eminem’s sixth consecutive number-one album in the US and topped the chart for seven weeks. It received TEN nominations in the 53^rd Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. It also became the best-selling album of 2010, with over 5,700,000 albums sold worldwide as of 29^th December.

In 2010, Eminem was ranked as the 7^th biggest icon in pop music history by MTV and was named ‘Artist of the Decade’. Till date, Eminem has sold a whopping total over 80,000,000 albums, making him one of the highest selling artists in music history. With his life back in control, Eminem is sober, sincere and ready to work hard for his fans, having turned his back on the road of ruin. He is a better father to Hailie and his adopted daughters Alaina and Whitney, and a better idol to look up to. I’m not saying he’s completely guiltless and has no more faults; it is his faults that appeal to his fans, because they are proof he is human. It is in fact the very reason I chose to write about him. It is the reason he is my HERO. Coming back from the bottom of the stack isn’t easy. It was inspirational how Eminem rebuilt his life. It takes a hell of a lot of pluck for someone in the spotlight to say they are ‘not afraid to take a stand’.

Sometimes you ‘Lose Yourself’. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find the right path again.

Video of ‘Cleaning Out My Closet’—->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ9_TKayu9s

Video of ‘Love The Way You Lie’ Feat. Rihanna—>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U

Video or ‘Not Afraid’—>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5-yKhDd64s&feature=relmfu

Video of ‘We Made You’ (Relapse)—>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSdKmX2BH7o

‘I Need A Doctor’ by Dr. Dre Feat Eminem and Skylar Grey.. THIS IS INCREDIBLE. THE RETURN OF DR. DRE….—->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA770wpLX-Q

Do post you opinions on the Shady…. :)

<3

Pull Out That Box of Kleenex and Gear Up for Waterworks; Here Are the TOP TEN SONGS THAT MAKE ME CRY.. T_T

HEYYY EVERYONE!! HAPPY 2011!! :)

I’m sorry I havent posted in a long time, and I really don’t have any excuses except ‘there was simply no time’..-.-’  These past months have brought on a tirade of emotions for me, and I felt this new post would be appropriate to commemorate that… I was actually working on this post since january 15th to get the perfect mix of songs that would correctly convey how I feel and mean the most to me… So here they are!! THE TOP TEN SONGS THAT MAKE ME CRYYY!! T_T

Once in a while a song really hits you hard. Whether it’s about love, loss, racism or world affairs, it doesn’t matter. There are just those few songs that trigger a tear or two when you listen to their lyrics, or the passion in the artist’s voice or the gut-wrenching guitar/violin/etc, solos. Sometimes a song brings back a memory that gets you emotional, may it be angry, sad or just so darn happy that you could bawl. Being the soppy little person that I am there are quite a few songs that stir these emotions within me and are successful in drawing out my tears. Yes, I can be pathetic at times, but lets just say its part of the job description. :’)

At number 10, we have ‘Whataya Want from Me’ by Adam Lambert:

Now, I have been a fan of Adam Lambert’s from the very first moment I saw him performing on American Idol. He was runner-up in the competition but has gone on to establish himself further than any of the previous winners, stealing hearts and spreading his ‘fever’ around the globe. Now the song ‘Whataya Want from Me’ is the second single from Adam’s debut album ‘For Your Entertainment’. The song is about misunderstandings between lovers, parting and then realizing how much one needs the other. In the song he begs his better-half not to ‘give up’ on him and thanks  them for loving him as they are ‘doing it perfectly’. The lines that get me the most on this one are ‘There might have been a time when I would let you slip away, I wouldn’t even try but I think you could save my life.’

Video—>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFYJjLtH_qo

Number 9. is ‘One Day I’ll Fly Away’ by Nicole Kidman from the OST of ‘Moulin Rouge’:

I don’t remember when I first watched this movie, but I know that though I was very young this song had a major impact on me. Nicole Kidman played a show dancer in the famous Parisian nightclub The Moulin Rouge. Desired but not loved, her character searches for an escape, an outlet. I understood her desire to be free, to be loved, to dream her dreams freely. The lyrics were sung with so much emotion, mainly sorrow and defeat, that I didn’t have to understand the song to know her pain. ‘One day I’ll fly away, leave all this to yesterday… Why life from dream to dream and dread the day when dreaming ends…’ is my favourite line in the song. It is morbid, but then when you watch the movie you realized the character has every right to sing this song, and the song is the very essence of the character’s pain.

Video—>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgE4r2DmsbA

Number 8. is ‘Say it to Me Now’ by Glen Hansard:

This song is from a beautiful little Academy Award winning movie, ‘Once’, which is about two struggling street musicians who meet and go on a journey of love, spirituality and above all, music. The thing about this song is that it can be interpreted in so many different ways. It is very short [2 minutes 35 seconds] but it can convey thousands of messages with just the fewest of utterances. Glen Hansard has a very husky and rough voice which accentuates the frustration in the song, which in my opinion is a tussle with God. He’s telling God to speak up to ‘say it to [him] now’, give him the message that he has been waiting for instead of making him go through so many trials in his life. What really turns on my Tear-Tap is the sheer anger in Hansard’s voice when he breaks into the verse ‘ Cause this is what you’ve waited for/ Your chance to even up the score/ And as these shadows fall on me now/ I will somehow/Cause I’m picking up a message Lord/And I’m closer than I’ve ever been before’. You have to listen to the pain to feel it.

Video—>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXRwplFTh_Y

Number 7. can only be ‘Unchained Melody’ by the Righteous Brothers:

Yes, its true: I AM A TOTAL SAP! >.< This song is regarded as an overplayed cliché by many of our day and age, but it got its facts right, to be honest. Everyone knows how it feels to ‘hunger for [their lover's] touch’, long for separation to never come between them and the one they love. This song is the base for all love songs that have originated with separation or loss being the main theme. ‘I need your love’ croon the Righteous Brothers, stealing thousands of hearts with the song’s re-release in 1990 for the movie ‘Ghost’. The song has been translated into over a hundred languages and more than 500 official studio versions of the song exist today. The song is universally loved and adored by many and almost equally hated! However, just try watching ‘Ghost’ and you’ll see why exactly I cry when I hear this song.

Video—> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrK5u5W8afc

Number 6. is ‘Your Guardian Angel’ By the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus:

This song is like a balm to an ache. It soothes loneliness, cools the burn of anger, and disinfects thoughts about giving up. It has inspired many dances, songs, stories and more and has saved lives. It’s about having an ‘angel’ in your life who makes living worth every minute you look into their eyes, every moment they touch you and every conversation you have with them. They make everyday a new revelation about yourself. There are no real words to describe how this song makes me feel. I guess the best way to put it is that it awakens me to all of the amazing people in my life who make everyday so wonderful and make me strong. A promise of ‘I will never let you fall’ rings true as you can almost hear your heart swearing to protect those you love. My favorite part of the song is ‘Seasons are changing/And waves are crashing/And stars are falling all for us/Days grow longer and nights grow shorter/I can show you I’ll be the one’ where he wants to prove that he will be as equal a guardian to the one he loves as she has been to him. He will not let the boundaries of time effect his feelings towards her in any way. The integrity in the lyrics and the honest way they are communicated by lead singer Ronnie Winter, are what truly make this song worth a listen.

Video—->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7Em4fUOrZo

As we reach the halfway point of my list, I hope you have gotten those tissues as the songs I am about to recommend are truly rollercoasters of emotions…

Okay, so at number 5. I must share with you ‘Kiss from a Rose’ by Seal:

Now I was about 2 years old when the song first released, as a part of the OST for ‘Batman Forever’, so this song has been echoing all through my life; whether it be my mom or my aunt humming it, or listening to it play on the radio while taking a drive at midnight, this song never fails to invoke a sense of peace and everlasting love. At the same time, the song is tinged with a bitterness as the narrator of the song describes the woman he loves as a ‘growing addiction’ the therefore he cannot live without her. We can safely say the song does justice to a double-edged sword called ‘love’, where love is the cure and the drug itself and the one loved becomes ‘my power, my pleasure, my pain’ [my favourite line in the song]. To truly understand this song, you need to have someone in your life who you know you can’t live without.

Video—>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMD2TwRvuoU

‘Chasing Cars’ by Snow Patrol is number 4. on my list simply because it brings a lump to my throat.

I don’t know why the song affects me in this way, but every time I listen to it I feel a sense of longing. It urges me to find the person I’m meant to spend the rest of my life with, RIGHT THIS INSTANT. More than anything else, the song is a metaphor for a proposal. He wants to spend the rest of his life with her, even though they ‘don’t know where’ and are ‘confused about how as well’. I think the beauty of the song lies in its utmost surrender to the beauty of a lover, finding paradise in a lover. My favourite lines in the song have to be ‘All that I am/ All that I ever was/ Is here in your perfect eyes, they’re all I can see’. The music video is truly a wonderful backdrop to this gorgeous ballad.

Video—>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrpSjXo6ah0

Song number 3. is a little mostly unknown song called ‘Hilf Mir Fliegen’ by Tokio Hotel

This song is a bonus track on ‘Zimmer 483′, Tokio Hotel’s 2nd studio album. Since the song only comes when you buy the German CD with the bonus track and is not available on the English version. I actually found it on a random search but once I heard Bill Kaulitz’s vocals on this one, I was seriously astounded. I had never heard him sound so… mellow and gentle and it was mainly this that brought tears to my eyes. The ability in a man to sound vulnerable never fails to pierce my heart and I had a spear in my chest, alright. The song is about needing a person you love to help and encourage you when you are in a tough spot. I had to use Google to find a translation to the song, but when I did I was amazed at the beauty and the sincerity in  the lyrics. My favourite is “erzähl mir alle lügen/Mach es so, dass ich es glaub” which means “Tell me all the lies/ make me believe them”. Sometimes you just want someone to say everything’s gonna be okay, even if you know it isn’t.

Audio with full translation—>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7cDAe_chEo

At runners-up, we have ‘Love the Way You Lie’ Parts 1 and 2 by Eminem and Rihanna respectively.

Now if there’s ever a true definition of love, it is this. This song uses a story to say that love isn’t perfect and you have to work hard to make it work. You have ups and downs in every relationship, in varying extremes. The brilliance of this song lies in its ability to convince you of the pain and anguish the narrators are going through. In part 1, Eminem has the major part of conveying the story, while in part 2, Rihanna share’s the woman’s point of view. The song is about a couple who keep breaking up but then come back to each other, regardless of the fact that the man in the relationship is physically and verbally violent with the woman, and a liar. The woman tries to leave, but is held back, finally admitting that she never really wanted to go. ‘So maybe I’m a masochist/ I try to run but I don’t want to ever leave’ [part 2]. The man keeps losing his temper and beating her up, but then apologizes by saying he never meant to do it ‘I snap/Who’s that dude/I don’t even know his name/I laid hands on her/I’ll never stoop so low again/I guess I don’t know my own strength’ [part 1]. He’s trying to convince himself that he was justified in hitting her. When I heard this song, the pure anger in Eminem’s voice contrasted with Rihanna’s anguish filled tones seemed to take my breath away. I couldn’t breathe because no other rap song had ever effected me in this way. I felt myself fill up with various emotions ranging from pity to sorrow to elation, and I just couldn’t make up my mind as to whose side I was on. The passion in the relationship translates equally in the anger and the love that the couple share. The music video with Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan perfectly showcases this love/hate/love pattern, and at the end your left with one question… Is it always going to be this way?

Video—>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uelHwf8o7_U

Now, Number 1. is the one and only song that leaves me an emotional wreck after I listen to it. It steals my feelings and throws them up into the air like a pack of cards that the wind can catch and blow away, because so help me God, ‘I Don’t Love You’ by My Chemical Romance cuts me real deep…

I’ve already explained my theories as to what the song is about in my earlier post on this song, so I’ll post up a link on this if you want to check it out, but this post is about what the song means to me and what emotions it awakened in me. This song is a ballad of pain and sacrifice; it’s about having the courage to tell someone you don’t love them anymore at the end of a relationship. The song is a punch to the guts for those who keep moving on from one lover to another, breaking hearts and destroying dreams. At least have the decency to come clean about your ways. As someone who has gone through heartbreak and know many who have, I can tell you that this song encourages one to be stronger and lift one’s head high, even after the toughest break-up. You shouldn’t let life bring you down and instead should ‘be off to find another way’, a better way. Gerard Way’s vocals are the most emotional and gut-wrenching vocals I have EVER heard on a song and the way the guitar accompanies his wails with anguish of its own simply breaks one’s heart into thousands of little pieces. The guitar sounds to me like somebody who is crying for a much-needed freedom; beautiful, longing and sad, Frank Iero really makes the instrument come alive and reach into your soul. You then wonder if anyone could really ‘have the guts to say/ I don’t love you like I did yesterday’.

Video—->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO9Lj0T93Xk

My post on this song—>http://midnightheartbeat.wordpress.com/2009/12/30/heartsong-i-dont-love-you-by-my-chemical-romance/

So there you have it, guys: The Top Ten Songs that say ‘I’m a Sap!’ Just kidding… :)

They are all beautiful and emotional songs in their own right and really give me strength and inspire me. I would love to know which songs make you emotional, so please do post in the comments section! It doesn’t have to be a song that makes you cry: ANY emotion is welcome, may it be anger, happiness, giddiness, or hyperness… I’d love to know them all!!! :) Do post soon, and let’s hope 2011 be filled with more love and less hate… :)

SONGS THAT ALMOST MADE IT:

Perfect- Pink

Monsoon- Tokio Hotel

Every Breath You Take- Police

Have You Really Ever Loved A Woman- Bryan Adams

Not Afraid- Eminem

Cosmic Love- Florence and The Machine

There are more, but then again I don’t want to seem like a COMPLETE sap. :)

Peace out! <3 ;)

The Times Of My Life, Squared.

I am sorry for the mammoth of a break I took this past month… I was actually preoccupied with my first ever trip to the US and completely freaked out in New York City. Times Square is truly one of the most fantastical sites on the planet and I couldn’t help but gasp at its epic, dramatic and sharp beauty. It is also by the way the site Alicia Keys shot her scenes in Jay-Z’s ‘Empire State of Mind’. I was actually listening to the song while landing in NYC and it created excitement, fear and enthrallment in me, all at the same time.



So much has happened since I last wrote and article and let me give you a gist of some of the things that have occurred:

First of all I got back to the dreary life of school and never-ending revision and tests because, hooray, my exams start tomorrow. As a student doing her very first exam in a new school I must prepare to impress or get grounded. So with the fear of not seeing my boyfriend again for a month driving me on, I am definitely on the ‘impress’ road.

The second interesting thing was that I turned eighteen on the 15th of November [just this last Monday]. Everyone has the idea that because its you 18th birthday, you should have a really rocking time and lots fun, party with your friends and freak out, cos yay you can finally drive, vote, and get married. I haven’t done ANY of the above because not only did I wake up in the morning with the feeling that my birthday was going to suck… it actually DID! After having the worst birthday ever and that too my 18th turning out so lousy and not the way I planned, I decided to just go home and have a good cry cos hey, no one had the time to spend with me on my birthday, right? If it’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you can’t rely on anybody else to have a good time. I can’t put my trust in people because they end up smashing it into smithereens just for the sake of selfishness, and I’m not just saying it because I had a lousy birthday. I’m saying it because in this life there is no one you can trust unconditionally except family. Because my family were the ones who had an Italian dinner, an ice-cream cake and African red wine waiting for me at home. It was my family who wouldn’t let me shed a tear. And it was also all my friends who called, texted and gave me the hugs and support and the little outing to McDonald’s and Birdy’s that made it hurt less.



The FINAL thing that happened since I last wrote here is big. No, its positively massive! Its HUMONGOUS! Its going to shock, stupefy, stun, numb, excite, delight, maybe irritate or slightly anger you. You know its so huge and life-changing, that I might as well just say it because I have no more words to hold you in suspense…

I GOT A FREAKKIN TATTOO!

And not just any old pattern from a musty old book with photographs/stencils of lame old butterflies, skulls, snakes and hearts. No, I got myself something that has been important to me for the past five years. I got Tokio Hotel’s insignia, the ‘TH’ in a circle, tattooed onto the back of my neck, just like lead singer and idol, BILL KAULITZ. :) Since everyone asks me ‘Why?’ let me tell you with the words written down, without you arguing your ass of and trying to make me see ‘reason’. Let me tell you the story of ‘Why’.



My Tattoo

My words get caught while coming out of my mouth and turn upside down and round and round so that I can’t convey to you exactly what I feel. So I’m writing it to you because I know my power as a writer is great and no matter how hard you try you cannot escape the grip of my words. You see this is where the hunter becomes the hunted.

There is nothing more suitable to be my first tattoo than the TH symbol, because it represents my love for Tokio Hotel and their music, my love for my idol and inspiration Bill Kaulitz and his life-saver of a smile, my intense relationship with music and its artists and my love for art itself as the symbol combines music art and inspiration all together. Not to mention the fact that I’m insane. :)

People have asked my ‘Why Tokio Hotel? There are better bands around.’ and I feel like saying ‘Why did God make you who you are and not somebody else?’ Because in the end its the same thing, isn’t it? You are asking me to identify myself to you and to justify my identification, which is unethical and not your place. If you don’t already know why, it’s because you don’t know me, so don’t go on asking for justification and the endless seas of ‘Why?’. For my friends who have known me for years or even for a little while, the reason should be clear and most of you know exactly why I got it. If it’s a question of liking the tattoo 20 years from today and not regretting it, don’t worry because it’s not on your body, is it? I chose this tattoo because it will forever represent on my body what Tokio Hotel were, who they are now, what they will become, and their metamorphic journey through music. I have grown up with them, shared my love, my hatred, cried my sorrows and screamed my frustrations all the while their music channeled energy into me. It represents the fact that I am who I am partly because of them and partly because of the people who are in my life. It is a symbol of my individuality and uniformity with other fans who also have this tattoo. We are a global team, I think, and understand what this band means to us.

So there you have it folks, the big things that happened since I last wrote on MHB. I know I’m a psycho, so you needn’t point out the obvious!

Now on to business:

My latest obsession in with My Chemical Romance’s single ‘SING’. It awakens an animal part of me. Not an animal who wants to attack and kill but rather an animal who stalks through the night, howling to the full moon and just reveling the feeling of being free. Yes I must admit it, it is slightly more mainstream than what MCR have come up with previously, but it doesn’t stop the track from being beautiful. Quite the contrary. You really feel like you want to ‘sing it from the heart’, where ‘it’ is your freedom, your expression, your identity and your place on this earth. The techno vibes coupled with the short, brisk piano strokes simply bring the harsh realties and dangers of life into perspective. The video isn’t quite what I expected with the band going all out in a laser-gun duel with guys in masks all to save a little kid… Err… I actually craved more drama in the video, because the only part that hit me hard was the part where Gerard Way is grabbed, pushed up against a wall, and shot. Being a huge Way fan, I freaked out. In a bad way. :S

Another big hit with me is a single Linkin Park have come up with ‘Waiting For the End’. It’s very dream-like and similar to ‘Leave Out All the Rest’ from their previous studio album,  ’Minutes To Midnight’. I loved the intensity of the lyrics ‘This is not the end, this not the beginning’ and ‘so many things were left unsaid, its hard to let you go.’ Very emotional and in pain. I almost imagine a very painful dance between two lovers taking place… Or rather a very intense story unfolding from within the petals of the flower of hope. Something is SO haunting about this song that it makes you think about the mistakes you have made and what you would do to reverse them, at the same time it reminds you not to lose yourself in them. Simply beautiful, the video is striking and very in-sync with the dreamy-ness of the song. My favourite part about the song is the guitar solo from 3:06-3:14. Soul-stirring indeed. A definite tune for any playlist, its heartbreakingly beautiful. :’)

Here’s a link to the video for ‘SING’ by MCR—> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTgnDLWeeaM

Here’s a link to Linkin Park’s ‘Waiting for the End’—> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qF_qbaWt3Q

ART IS THE WEAPON and So Is Gerard Way’s New Hairdo…

OMG OMG OMG, take out your guitars and plug in your headphones, because My Chemical Romance are back with a brand new single and an album to boot! >.
4 years ago this band inspired my thirst for music with their phenomenal rock-opera album ‘The Black Parade’ and now they are back with an explosion of sexuality and colour. The band have returned with all colours in the rainbow and not a bit of black in sight, as frontman Gerard Way’s flaming new do is an example of.

I subscribed to My Chemical Romance’s newsletter a good 3 years ago and while it has been mostly dormant, it blasted my brains off when it came with the biggest announcement yet; You should have seen the look on my face when they sent the mail announcing their trailer for the new album ‘Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys’. A NEW ALBUM! Man, I was floating in the little space in my brain that I reserve purely for the moments of utter joy in my life, moments where I just need to let the news sink in and wallow around… I’m not a headcase, honest. :)

I do love the Way brothers’ new looks. Mikey looks all surfer-dude and Gerard is channeling a sort of  Rihanna meets Adam Lambert look.

Yikes. I think Gerard wears it better. Looks like someone threw tomato juice on her. :/

Jokes aside folks, lets talk about the first single from ‘Danger Days’, a happily psychotic song appropriately named ‘Na Na Na’. Well, hyper is not the word. Though the lyrics and the music are not as intricate and emotional as those in ‘The Black Parade’, there is a desire to get up and dance, and sing along, giving birth to a brand new anthem similar to ‘Teenagers’.The song is crazy and the trailer is crazier going perfectly well with the feel good, ‘let’s go kill everyone’ madness that MCR brings along with every song! [Hypothetically, of course!] Relax if you don’t get it from the first few watches… I didn’t either. We’ll have to wait for the rest!

Album art for ‘Na Na Na’.

Needless to say there is a huge buzz in the air following MCR’s return to the music scene and the MCRmy [MCR Army] are on the move again, recruiting new blood along the way and spreading the murder- I mean love! ;)

The album is set to release on the 22nd of November 2010, so start saving! YOU CANNOT MISS THIS!

Here is a link to the trailer of the album ‘Art Is The Weapon’–> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63lyA42Y6ug

Here’s a link to the official Lyric version of the song ‘Na Na Na’–> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm8xIo_2Aok&feature=related

Have a ‘bloody’ romance….. ;)

Psychotically signing off…. <3