bruce springsteen

Songs you can’t play as background music

by Lana | Jul 13, 2018 | Now Playing

Playlists have always been one of my hidden talents. Give me a theme, an era, a specific person; no can do, sir. I suppose I won’t give up my day job to become a DJ, but every road trip and every birthday party and every new painting or drawing project always get a custom playlist. And I am good at that. However, there are a couple of songs you just can’t play in the background at say a braai or casual G&T’s on a Friday afternoon. You need to really play them. There is a song by Meatloaf about that. Well, sorta. But, there are these two particular parts that put this post in a nutshell for me:

You’re never alone ’cause you can put on the phones
And let the drummer tell your heart what to do…

and then

…When you really really need it the most
That’s when rock and roll dreams come through*

Here are my non-negotiable top-volume songs in no particular order. So, in silence and in solitude; turn these up!

Meatloaf – Rock and Roll Dreams Come Through
ACDC – Thunderstruck
Counting Crows – Hard Candy | Round Here | Holiday in Spain | Possibility Days | Untitled (Blues Run the Game)
Foo Fighters – Learning to Fly | Hero | Everlong | Best of You | Monkey Wrench
Heuwels Fantasties – Nare Kaskenades | Pille vir Kersfees (Acoustic Version)
The Cure – Pictures of You
Eamon – F**k It (I don’t want you back)
Nine Inch Nails – Hurt | Something I Can Never Have
George Ezra – Budapest
50 Cent – In Da Club
Boomtown Rats – I don’t like Mondays
Nirvana – My Girl | In Bloom | Lake of Fire
The National – Bloodbuzz Ohio | All the Wine | Fake Empire
James – Out to Get You
Guns n Roses – Paradise City
Bruce Springsteen – I’m on Fire | Born to Run
Neil Diamond – Holly Holy

I honestly recommend you give these a go. Don’t be shy to shake your booty or bang your head along the way. Nobody who truly enjoys the music pays attention to other dancers!

*I always thought he said true, and have to admit I was a little disappointed when I realised it was through.

The year so far

by Lana | Feb 2, 2014 | Stuff that fits nowhere

Wow, we just hit February! Where has the first month of 2014 gone?!

It has been an exciting, exhausting, fun-filled first month with many more great stuff on its way, I am sure. I am afraid I might not have enough hours in my days to do all the things I want to do before the end of every day. My dad used to say – and maybe I have mentioned it before – that days are divided into 24 hours: 8 hours of work, 8 hours of play and 8 hours of sleep…If you need time, take it from sleep. I reckon I shall have to cut down on sleeping. Daydreaming will just have to do.

I started the new year by grouting a mosaic table I made last year – I took many hours from sleep to finish it before midnight 31 Dec 2013. My dearly beloved Candy kicked the bucket (she is my 17 year old car I got from my late granny). I finished part one of three of my novel (if all goes well, I might just be ready with a manuscript by June – hold thumbs!). I had my (in)famous mole removed. As silly as this seems, but it is quite devastating to get rid of something you have been carrying around for so many years…and now you just have the scar to tell the tale. I burnt my ear with my hair straightener. Yes, it happens to many people all the time, but this particular time was almost something to write a back page article about! Then we flew out of January into the year of the horse to watch a super-amazing Springsteen concert in Jo’burg.

And here I am on the first Sunday of February 2014…sitting in front of my computer wishing a slight hangover away while counting the events to look forward to for the next month. Happy new Chinese year to you all. Let’s hope the horse brings many surprises in his carriage!