More Miscellaneous Musings on Music
JUNE EDITION: Musings on a playlist inspired by success, California, friendship, and going out on the town.
NOTE TO READER: This post is what we in the writing world call a vomit draft 🤮 puke draft 🤢 trash draft 🚮. It has worts and all. Enjoy!
I am giving myself the length of each song to muse on about it. I will do ONE read through then put it out into the world. Of note, I already had 20 minutes worth of mind dump on the page.
START TIME: 7:50am
THANK YOU to everyone who read about and streamed my May playlist! Music rocks, eh?
Below are my miscellaneous musings about my June playlist. My inspirational themes were…
songs about success…
songs about California…
songs about friendship…
songs about going out on the town…
June Vibes Playlist
Action, Nadine Sutherland & Terror Fabulous. 1992.
Chain Reaction, John Farnham. 1990.
Cali, Jasmine Cephas-Jones. 2024.
I Love L.A., Randy Newman. 1983.
Baby I’m Burnin’, Dolly Parton. 1978.
I Won’t Back Down, Tom Petty. 1989.
One in a Million, Aaliyah. 1996.
Defying Gravity, Jimmy Buffett. 1976.
Defying Gravity, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth. 2003.
Winning, The Sound. 1981.
Getting Better, The Beatles. 1967.
Trippin’ the Light Fantastic, Ball Park Music. 2014.
Hot Fun in the Summertime, Sly & The Family Stone. 1969.
Where the Party At, Jagged Edge Featuring Nelly. 2001.
Higher Love, Kygo and Whitney Houston. 2019.
Time, Childish Gambino Featuring Ariana Grande. 2024.
Hold On, I’m Coming, Sam & Dave.1966.
Somebody’s Watching Me, Rockwell Featuring Michael Jackson. 1983.
Our Time, Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, Lindsay Mendez & New Broadway Cast of Merrily We Roll Along. 2023.
That’s What Friends are For, Dionne Warwick Featuring Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder. 1982.
Action, Nadine Sutherland & Terror Fabulous. 1992.
I need some action
Tender satisfaction (Mad House!)
My chemistry is flowing
Can you cause a chain reaction (Watch dis!)
Always gotta kick off the playlist with intention and VIBES.
Chain Reaction, John Farnham. YEAR
One shot in a revolution
One drop from a poison pen
One fruit too small and bitter
One tree too proud to bend
One man to start the trouble
One kiss to seal your fate
One kid that needs some action
One link in a chain reaction
Okay, this song takes us through the first few minutes of the AMAZING SERIES Colin From Accounts (available on Paramount+). Watching this series and deconstructing the pitch perfectly written pilot, written in ONE WEEK by star Harriet Dyer has been hugely inspirational in the rewrites of my own pilot about a meet cute chain reaction. This was the first script she has EVER WRITTEN. Harriet co-writes and stars in the series with her IRL hubby Patrick Brammall. OMG I have so much more to say but I’ve already snoozed past my one song listen so moving along….
Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Cali, Jasmine Cephas-Jones. 2024.
I know you’re somewhere in Cali
Still got a hold on that body
I ain’t been thinkin’ straight lately
I know it’s ‘cause you’re thinkin’ ‘bout me
When I saw that Jasmine Cephas Jones aka And Peggy/Maria Reynolds of Hamilton: An American Musical fame dropped a single off her new album named for The Golden State, it got automatically added to the playlist. Damn this song is GOOD. Smooth. Sexy. Sultry. Because duh, Jasmine is all those things. The last minute and a half totally introduces a whole different sound. A good time is had by all!
I Love L.A., Randy Newman. 1983.
Century Boulevard (We love it)
Victory Boulevard (We love it)
Santa Monica Boulevard (We love it)
Sixth Street (We love it, we love it)
We love L.A!
I had the delight of hearing this rockin’ ode to Los Angeles for the very first time on Hannah Einbinder’s Instagram and immediately LOVED IT.
Baby I’m Burnin’, Dolly Parton. 1978.
Baby, I'm burning out of control
Baby, I'm burning body and soul
Hot as a pistol of flaming desire
Baby, I'm burning
You got me on fire
I'm on fire
I love the BEW sound effect that Dolly sets the world on fire with!
When I was writing about May’s playlist I told myself, Sara, you need DOLLY in June. Then, as Hannah Einbender and friends would have it, this song was used in Season 3 Ep 4 of Hacks when Deborah Vance launches a balls to the wall media blitz proclaiming her dream to host late night.
So…hello world! I too, am burning out of control and you should definitely hire me to write funny TV shows and things!
I Won’t Back Down, Tom Petty. 1989.
Well, I know what's right
I got just one life
In a world that keeps on pushin' me around
But I'll stand my ground
And I won't back down
My big bro visited L.A recently to go to his 77th and 78th Pearl Jam concert. I joined him for night 2 at the Kia Forum, my first time at the venue, and second time seeing PJ. Eddie sang I Won’t Back Down on a guitar gifted to him by Tom Petty and it rocked my soul…and the free world.
The video below is not from the LA show but it gets the job done.
One in a Million, Aaliyah. 1996.
Your love is one in a million
It goes on and on and on
You give (you give) me a really good feeling
All day long
So this Aaliyah (R.I.P) song is about a one in a million love, which I’m all about. Come to mama! I’m not single and cresting 40 waiting for a one in a hundred love. I’m out here shooting for the stars! But One in a Million resonates with me on an ambition level. I delusionally believe I will be one in a million that makes it in showbiz. That would give me a really good feeling all day long!
Defying Gravity, Jimmy Buffett. 1976.
I live on a big round ball
I never do dream I may fall
And even one day if I do
Well I'll jump up and smile back at you
I had decided this month was a good time to defy gravity. I went to add Idina and Kirstin to the playlist and stumbled into Jimmy Buffett along the way.
Defying Gravity, Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth. 2003.
Too late for second-guessing
Too late to go back to sleep
It's time to trust my instincts
Close my eyes and leap
It's time to try defying gravity
I think I'll try defying gravity
Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity
And you won't bring me down
156 days until I turn 40. 157 days until Cynthia and Ariana Act One!
Winning, The Sound. 1981.
I was going to drown
Then I started swimming
I was going down
Then I started winning
Winning, winning, winning
Okay…for my Wicked heads, the beginning of this song is basically Thank Goodness! #winning.
Getting Better, The Beatles. 1967.
I admit it's getting better (better)
A little better all the time (it can't get no worse)
Yes, I admit it's getting better (better)
It's getting better
Since you've been mine
Times are tough. Apocalyptic, kinda. Are things getting better? Hmmm. Here’s to hoping for a little better all the time.
I love The Beatles oh so much, but not so sure I love the assholes in this song that things are getting better for.
Trippin’ the Light Fantastic, Ball Park Music. 2014.
This song does the trick! No commentary neccasserry.
I got my mojo back, I don't know where it went
But now I feel good, I feel a hundred percent
And I am ready for whatever, leave on the price tag
It's just one night on the town
Hot Fun in the Summertime, Sly & The Family Stone. 1969.
HELLO SUMMER. And turns out…it’s a girl!
End of the spring
And here she comes back
Hi, hi, hi, hi there
Them summer days
Those summer days
Where the Party At, Jagged Edge Featuring Nelly. 2001.
(Uh-oh) oh-oh-oh-oh (yeah)
(Uh-oh) oh-oh-oh-oh (come on)
(Uh-oh) oh-oh-oh-oh (yeah)
If the party's where you're at, then let me know
This was my ‘pre-game’ anthem of college. I don’t need the bottles, models and thugs up in the club, but this song instantly gets you ready for a good time.
Also, I spy an Oriole’s jersey in this video! uh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh.
Higher Love, Kygo and Whitney Houston. 2019.
Think about it, there must be a higher love
Down in the heart or hidden in the stars above
Without it, life is wasted time
Look inside your heart, and I'll look inside mine
Last month I had Deeper Love by Aretha on the playlist, and this song feels like its sister from another mister. It hits deep and goes high!
So this track was released in 2019 but I’m confused…because Whitney died in 2012…so here is what I’ve learned in three minutes and forty-eight seconds from Wikipedia - originally released by Steve Winwood in 1986, Whitney covered it in 1990, remixed by Norweigan DJ Kygo in 2019.
Time, Childish Gambino Featuring Ariana Grande. 2024.
Maybe all the stars in the night are really dreams
Maybe this whole world ain't exactly what it seems
Maybe the sky will fall down on tomorrow
But one thing's for certain, baby
We're runnin' out of time
LOVE ME some Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover. Also, love me some Violent Madman aka Ariana Grande’s Wu-Tang Name Generator Name. I added this song off Altavista to my playlist before even listening to it because I knew whatever the Gambino had to say about time, I needed to hear. Donald Glover is an insanely epic multi-hyphenate who puts such singular and meaningful art into the world. Thank you for your service!
Hold On, I’m Coming, Sam & Dave.1966.
Now don't you ever be sad
Lean on me when times are bad
When the day comes and you're down
In a river of trouble, about to drown
My lovely therapist recently encouraged/reminded me to reach out to friends when I need support. Sometimes you forget to do that, you know what I mean? Sam & Dave will help keep me accountable.
Somebody’s Watching Me, Rockwell Featuring Michael Jackson. 1983.
I always feel like somebody's watching me
And I have no privacy (oh, oh)
I always feel like somebody's watching me
Tell me is it just a dream?
Okay. So Instagram had a viral prompt instructing you to enter the year you were born into the music search and post the first result. Like a good little zombie, I entered 1984 and shared the song with my network, reflecting on the irony. I realized I had never heard a lick of the song outside of the MJ chorus! I decided to add it to the playlist and subsequently talk about it on the internet as a helpful reminder to mind my Ps and Qs as I go public with my life and art. But turns out the tricks on me….this song is from 1983!
I don’t have time to learn about Rockwell and how this duet came to be…so if you find out more, let me know…
Our Time, Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, Lindsay Mendez & New Broadway Cast of Merrily We Roll Along. 2023.
In the theme of friendship/support, and for the love of GroffSauce, I went to add Old Friends to my playlist…but detoured to the final number of Stephen Sondheim’s score, and a song I learned at a two week Musical Theater day camp in 1997.
Our time, breathe it in
Worlds to change, and worlds to win
Our turn, we're what's new
Me and you pal, me and you
That’s What Friends are For, Dionne Warwick Featuring Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder. 1982.
Time to wind down the party, link arms on the dance floor around the happy couple and/or bar/bat mitzvah boy/girl/them and sing along!
Keep smilin', keep shinin'
Knowing you can always count on me for sure
That's what friends are for
For good times and bad times
I'll be on your side forever more
That's what friends are for
UPDATE: Okay…so it took me more like two and a half listens per song but we did it!
7:50 off to the races
8:02 lost internet for 5 minutes
8:31 lost internet for 5 minutes
8:41 wtf is going on Starry Internet. Don’t you know I’m throwing up my thoughts on the internet here?
First draft complete at 10:10.
Read through complete at 10:44.
Spotify playlist creation complete at 10:50.
E-mail draft review of images links etc completed at 11:14.
Ready to SEND! Also oops, forgot to drink water and haven’t peed.
ENJOY!