5 Songs on Repeat!

I'm Spencer Ericksen. I live in the Southern part of Utah, and am studying Communications at Southern Utah University.

These are 5 Songs on My Mind.

#1 "The Impossible Dream" as sung by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

This song is stunning. I find it to be inspiring. This is a music theater song- from a play about a man who jousts with windmills. "Man of La Mancha" itself may be considered a complex story, but the song is straightforward.

"To dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe... to reach the unreachable star". I love these lyrics. To me, they convey an immense amount of bravery. I enjoy the very Spanish quality to the rhythm.

They often perform/record with the Orchestra at Temple Square, though there are songs without them too.

#2 "I Got You" by Jack Johnson

This song makes me a little emotional. I recently decided to try out some more Jack Johnson music, & it paid off in a big way. On "I Got You" he sings about the early days of his marriage. On Wikipedia it says his wife's name is Kim, & they got married in the year 2000.

He mentions wanting to save up for a big house for the two of them. He sings about sharing a personal burden with her. During the choruses he reassures himself "I've got you". 

The cajon during the verses sounds great. A cajon is a medium sized wooden box used for softer percussion. I also love the upright bass on this track. Bassist Merlo Podlewski plays all the right notes. The whistling gives the song an almost lullaby-like quality.

I think "I Got You" is a beautiful song. To me it's very touching. I have a wife, & I share everything with her. When life's challenges become too heavy for me, she helps me to be stronger so that I can move on. She listens to me complain when my job is too hard & I am unsure I can handle another week. She doesn't pass judgement when I get whiny, but instead steers me to a new perspective. I really need her. Good thing we got married.

He'll make you banana pancakes. They'll be delicious.

#3 "Bird Flu" by M.I.A.

I will admit it: I mostly like this songs for the beat. The drums sound kind of Brazilian to me, but since I don't listen to a ton of Bossa or any other Brazilian music, I can't be 100% sure. The squawking sounds really rad. I mean, after all the song is called "Bird Flu".

I love the line about how M.I.A. couldn't be a rock star because her "beats were too evil". That is just so amazingly clever to me. M.I.A. is way too unique to be copied. She's brilliant.

Does this mean the bird knows some of her raps, too?

4 "Always on My Mind" by Michael Buble

Hey, that jerk stole my blog post title! Just kidding. I mean, how can you resist a joke like that when it's just handed to you on a silver platter? I do actually love his version of the song though. Just as a side note, I do know that there is an accent over the last letter of his name. I just don't know how to make one over the e.

This tune is enjoyable & relaxing to listen to. I love the candor in his voice. He has a lot of vocal control. Michael always sings with a lot of passion.

He conveys the message well: men may be emotionally aloof sometimes, but that doesn't mean we are unconcerned. We may just need some improvement when it comes to expressing feelings. Personally, I'm good at saying "I love you", but sometimes I don't show it by listening well. It's comforting to know that there is a song just for that. Music can really connect with people. It has that power.

He reps Canada a little better than the Bieber, in my opinion.

#5 "Born & Raised" by John Mayer

I won't write a lot about it, but I relate to this song a lot. Look, I'm 25 years old but I sometimes feel like I haven't quite reached adulthood yet. I feel like I have maturing to do. I don't know what I lack,

I just feel like I'm not quite a grown-up at times. But then, a lot like the end of the song says, a change in my life comes without warning & I feel closer to being full grown. Adulthood can be funny that way.

That's a Stargate hieroglyphic, I just know it.