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| MJ Dangerous Album via |
Music. Never underestimate the power of music. It can instantly change your mindset. It can evoke feelings of happiness, sadness, anger, love and it can also be a great tool for motivation and relaxation. In fact, I really think that music can amplify or bring out the positive power from within you. *Try You Tube-ing these: the happiest/most motivational/relaxing songs ever.
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Dear all,
It is time I share the song lists on my ipod as promised before. Many of these songs have been painstakingly chosen over the past 10 years - they are the best of the best, I would say. They are really the 'classics' which I will not get tired of listening to even when they are on replay mode. And there is, in fact, a song list for just about everything I do daily. For my pre-dawn brisk walks, my solo-dancing sessions, housework, driving, bus/train rides and also for the occasional relaxation/lounging/winding down at night. Yes, I am such a slave to the music [na na nae]! I am into various genres like Bossa Nova, Jazz, Classical, Oldies, Pop, and my favourite, RnB (Rhythm and Blues).
PS: Read about how I fell in love with RnB (thanks to something my brother did) at the end of this post. No one should be forced to read long stories unnecessarily, right?
Hopefully, you can find your favourite songs here that can help amp up your daily life :) So, here you go!
All-Time Favourites - Great for brisk/leisure walks, lounging, bus/train rides and especially driving. [By the way, no speeding please! No fiddling with phone while driving please! Just cruise with care. You say you have to rush to an important meeting, pick up an important phonecall or return an important message? But, what can be more important than a life, you tell me?? You may kill yourself or even someone else!].
1. Turn Your Lights Down Low
The Countdown Singers
2. Once In A Lifetime (L.A. Mix)
Gregorian [The Best 90's Party Album]
3. Miss You Much
Janet Jackson [Design Of A Decade 1986-1996]
4. Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Lauryn Hill [The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill]
*I love to sing this to my son. Sometimes I just can't stand him, sometimes I just can't stop ogling at him lovingly.
5. Dying Inside To Hold You
Timmy Thomas [The Best 90's Party Album]
6. What's Up (4 B's Mix)
DJ Miko [The Best 90's Party Album]
7. Close To You (Downtown Remix)
Whigfield [The Best 90's Party Album]
8. Missing (Todd Terry Remix)
Everything But The Girl [The Best 90's Party Album]
9. Doo Wop (That Thing)
Lauren Hill [1999 Grammy Nominees]
10. Beautiful Girl (DJ Rob Dinero Stand By Me Remix 12")
Sean Kingston w/Ben E. King
11. Gonna Get Your Love (Radio Edit)
S-Sense Featuring Jenny B [Heart Attack 91.3]
12. Stole
Kelly Rowland [R&B The Collection 2]
13. I Try
Macy Gray [RnB The Collection 2]
14. Everything's Gonna Be Alright
Sweetbox [In Tune]
15. I'll Be Missing You
Puff Daddy
16. My Place
Nelly Featuring Jaheim [BLaZn Sykwitit Vol 24]
17. Mercy Mercy Me
Jeff Golub [Closer]
18. By Your Side
Sade [Closer]
19. Corcovado
Everything But The Girl [Closer]
20. If I Ain't Got You
Alicia Keys [The Diary Of Alicia Keys]
Audiophile/Jazz/Bossa Nova - Great for relaxing, lounging, bus/train rides and driving. Many of these songs can instantly transport me to Paris and it felt like I was in a scene from Da Vinci Code on the quest of the Holy Grail which begins in Musée du Louvre. Also, one of my childhood friends actually use many of these songs (esp. those from Pink Martini) during her wedding night. Great ambience!
1. So Nice (Summer Samba)
Bebel Gilberto [Audiophile Bossa Voices]
2. O Barquinho
Karrin Allyson [Audiophile Bossa Voices]
3. Quando A Lembranca Me Vem
Miucha [Audiophile Bossa Voices]
4. Fly Me To The Moon
Ana Caram [Audiophile Bossa Voices]
5. Gailos Abertas
Ramon Leal and Beatrice Binotti [Audiophile Bossa Voices]
6. Smoke In The City
Marcelo Salazar Featuring Itamarah Koorax [Audiophile Bossa Voices]
7. Hang On Little Tomato
Pink Martini
8. Anna (El Negro Zumbon)
Pink Martini
9. The Gardens Of Sampson and Beasley
Pink Martini
10. Autrefois
Pink Martini
11. Clementine
Pink Martini
12. Sympathique
Pink Martini
13. Amado Mio
Pink Martini
14. La Soledad
Pink Martini
15. There's A Kind Of Hush
Snow Rose
16. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
Snow Rose
17. More Than I Can Say
Snow Rose
18. The Girl From Ipanema
Stan Gets/Astrud/Jo [Bossa Nova]
Clean The Home - I know, it's such a boring title. But these songs make doing house chores so much more enjoyable with that joyful rhythm. I do not play these songs for other purposes other than for housework, so much so that hubby and I will be turned into 'housework mode' the moment we hear these songs! But come to think of it, this song list is actually great for a little dance during an afternoon slump ;) It'll instantly perk you up!
1. Samba de Orfeu
Bob Brookmeyer [Bossa Nova]
2. O Pato
Coleman Hawkins [Bossa Nova]
3. Minha Lagoa
Luiz Henrique [Bossa Nova]
4. Meditation
Oscar Peterson [Bossa Nova]
5. Summer Samba
Baden Powell [Bossa Nova]
6. Agua de Beber
Astrud Gilberto/Antonio Carlos Jobim [Bossa Nova]
7. Felicidade
Joe Henderson [Bossa Nova]
8. Fly Me To The Moon
Astrud Gilberto [Bossa Nova]
9. E Luxo So
Luiz Bonfa [Bossa Nova]
10. Besame Mucho
Los Panchos [Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps]
Dance Baby Dance - Just let go of everything and groove to the music! Great for brisk walks too. It's a random mix of old and new songs on this list.
1. Mack the knife
Bobby Darin [Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps]
2. Fire
Babyface and Des'ree
3. The Hustle
Van McCoy
4. All About That Bass
Megan Trainor
5. Shake it off
Taylor Swift *shake all that stress off instantly!
6. Crazy In Love
Beyonce
7. Grown Woman
Beyonce
8. Single Ladies
Beyonce
9. Check On It
Beyonce
10. Run The World (Girls)
Beyonce
11. Hey Ya
Outcast
12. Hot In Herre
Nelly
13. Y.M.C.A. (Remix)
The Village People [Super Hits 1993-2003]
14. Can't Take My Eyes Off You
Hermes House Band [Super Hits 1993-2003]
15. Mambo No. 5
Lou Bega [Super Hits 1993-2003]
16. Papa's Got A Brand New PigBag
Carrilio [Super Hits 1993-2003]
17. What's Up (4 B's Mix)
DJ Miko [Super Hits 1993-2003] *this is also in the all-time fav list
18. La Copa De La Vida (The Cup Of Life)
Football All Stars [Super Hits 1993-2003]
19. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Heart Of Asia)
Watergate [Super Hits 1993-2003]
20. 1 Thing
Amerie [Hits 2 Hot To Handle]
Let's Relax - R.e.a.l.l.y R.e.l.a.x. Sit down on a comfortable chair. Let go of the tension of your shoulders. Then of your face, ears, arms. Breathe in deeply. Breathe out slowly. Repeat slow, relaxed breathing. Slow down your thoughts. Slow down your world. And then close your eyes. And smile.
1. Cielito Lindo
Marta Gomez [The World's Greatest Audiophile Vocal Recordings]
2. Spanish Harlem
Revbecca Pidgeon [Best Audiophile Voices VI]
3. Dream A Little Dream
The Beautiful South [Closer]
4. Vincent
Sara K. [Best Voices 3]
5. First of May
Angela [Best Audiophile Voices VI]
6. Perhaps
Janet Seidel [Best Voices 3]
7. Don't Make My Brown Eyes Blue
Sofia [Best Voices 3]
8. Don't Know Why
Angela [Best Voices 3]
9. Close To You
Noon [Best Voices 3]
10. That's Amore
Sofia Pettersson [Best Voices 3]
11. Corcovado
Carmen Cuesta-Loeb [Best Voices 3]
12. Love's Theme
Barry White and Love Unlimited Orchestra [Pure Disco 2]
* This is the favorite song of my life :) I can replay it back-to-back the whole day! Read about my deepest feelings towards this song here.
13. La Mer
Cynthia McCorkindale [Bistro Blue]
14. La Vie En Rose
Cynthia McCorkindale [Bistro Blue]
15. C'est Si Bon
Cynthia McCorkindale [Bistro Blue]
16. Soul Bossa Nova (Original Version)
Quincy Jones and his Orchestra [Jazz- The 2 of Us (Day)]
17. So Danco Samba (Album Version)
Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto [Jazz- The 2 of Us (Day)]
18. Over The Rainbow
Jane Hombre [Jazz In The City]
19. Just The Way You Are
Various Artists [Jazz In The City]
20. Come Away With Me
Nelly Jackson [Jazz In The City]
21. More Than This
Charlie Hunter Feat. Norah Jones [Pink Champagne (Disc 1)]
22. Fly Me To The Moon
Julie London [Pink Champagne (Disc 1)]
PS: There are more songs in my list which I shall not bother everyone with - there are just too many songs I love! I actually adore many music legends of my time e.g. Micheal Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Beyonce. I also like Mandarin music legends like Ah Mei, Sammi Cheng, Teresa Teng, Jay Zhou and Beyond. Furthermore, there are some songs that is permanently tagged with some very close people of my life.
Brother: Ride Wit Me - Nelly (read about this below)
Sister: The Moon represents my heart - Teresa Teng. We used to sing this song for our evenings walks in the huge grassland near our old house.
Hubby: Unchained Melody - Righteous Brothers. (Have you watched the film Ghost?) I knew that hubby was The One when we sang it together loudly in his car - there was so much rapport between us and chemical reactions within me that led on to an unsettling sense of déjà vu. Have we really met before, my dear? The best part is, we were not even together yet!
Son: My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean (bring back,... bring back my Bonnie to me, to me) This song brings back so much loving memories of my newborn child. Sadly, the origin of this song seems to have nothing to do with love.
How I fell in love with RnB
I didn't think too much about music until one day, my brother did something while we were teenagers. I can't imagine typing about this so many years later - we are now in our 30s, have our own family and living separately in our own flats. Anyway, that scene can be replayed vividly in my mind's eye:
Once upon a time, as usual, my brother was dancing around the house (irritatingly!) while blasting RnB music (it's Nelly's Ride Wit Me). I happened to walk past him and that was when he starting grooving his butt at me! He was really into the music as if in some sort of blissful trance. So, not to be outdone by him, I grooved back at him. By now, my brother intensified his moves, with arms swinging in the air, and I retaliated too, as my little sister watched on in amusement. That dance episode really ignited my love for RnB music, thanks to my brother. Now, whenever I dance to RnB music, I feel that I am in my groove (literally!) coupled with a feeling of absolute joy.
You see, different people can be drawn to different parts of the same song. My brother loves moving to RnB beat, rhythm and bass, and I am both into singing along to the lyrics of the song and dancing to the beat. But it was only until I was studying English Literature in university that I realised song lyrics are actually poems! Why didn't I see the connection? Those rhymes and syllables.
Fast forward about 15 years, my love for RnB is still going strong. Like I did since I was in primary school, I still love dancing to RnB music regularly - it instantly makes me feel 5 years younger.
Yes baby! Don't ever stop movin your booty!
By the way, it's Christmas in a couple of days so Merry X'mas to everyone! Stay warm and cosy with your loved ones! Here's a beautiful X'mas tree, about 1 hr 30 mins bus and train ride from home! It's worth the effort, since my 4-year-old boy is rather fascinated by the sheer size of the tree. That awestruck look in his eyes and the way he said wow! is priceless :0
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| X'mas tree at Vivocity, Singapore. My son in blue jacket, prancing around, looking for fun. |