Week of 12/4/2016

"Only the Good Die Young" by Billy Joel off of his 1977 album, "The Stranger"

The stained-glass curtain you're hiding behind
Never lets in the sun
Darlin' only the good die young~ 💙

Retrospective Note 2023: This wouldn't be the only time I'd choose a Billy Joel song to get stuff off my chest. He really knows how to write songs that speak the words you just can't seem to find. Makes singing along to them all the greater.

Week of 12/11/2016

"Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy" by Bing Crosby & David Bowie released as a single in 1982

Peace on Earth
Can it be...

Not gonna lie, for as long as I've heard this song on the radio, I had no idea it was Bowie who was singing along side Crosby until I saw this footage. It's still beautiful after all these years, and even more impacting seeing the two of them sing side by side. This footage is ever so charming... The way these two souls exchange witty banter in the beginning is one of the most heart warming things you'll see today. I hope you all take the time to see this! It's my personal favorite of all the Christmas songs, and remains relevant after all these years~ 💙

Week of 12/18/2016

"Swim" by Madonna off of her 1998 album, "Ray of Light"

I can't carry these sins on my back
Don't want to carry any more...

Retrospective Note 2023: This album is hands down my favorite of Madonna’s discography. To me, this is her peak. A moment of clarity, where she drew inspiration from being a mother, and from her exploration of the spiritual, as she looks back at what led to that particular moment in time, as she transcends her regrets. Listening to this album is like a cool drink of water, as its sonic waves crash into my soul thanks to William Orbit’s breathtaking production. This is Madonna preaching from an outlook that only comes from opening your heart to the love that's all around you~ 💙

Week of 12/25/2016

"Freedom! '90" by George Michael off of his 1990 album, "Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1"

There's something deep inside of me
There's someone else I've got to be...

Sing it from the heavens Sir George~ 💙

Retrospective Note 2023: This was a year of hatred, but it was also a year of love. 2016 in biblical numerology (as cool as it is, take it with a grain of salt) means perfect (20) love (16). If you were to look back at that year, I’m sure all you’d see is all the hate and suffering that went down, especially after the election, but to me, even at the time, I saw it as an opportunity to love. It was also the year I’d awaken to the corruption within the evangelical church I had been raised in all my life. It would push me further to shake off the chains of lies and deceit I had been exposed to all those years, and aim to get back to the foundation that makes following Jesus Christ so important: his sacrifice, and his love. I was beginning to realize the hatred and bigotry thrown towards those who claimed Christ, and was beginning to realize my own bigotry as well, a bigotry I had been raised with all my life. It would take the rest of the decade to finally get to a point where I had truly reconciled with all this, but I’m glad I learned those things then, so I could be a better human being now. So that I can be a better listener, in a world where so many people feel ignored. So that I can better love others, and better learn from them too. That very notion of loving, listening, and learning is my mission. My purpose. I know now that God gave me my passions for art and entertainment for a reason, and that following year, would be the year I’d try to get back on the horse to harness these notions through art...