3/2/2011 - which five songs I wanted. . .

A few weeks ago, I discovered the American Express promotion where the price of five songs purchased off of iTunes will be reimbursed if you pay for them with a registered AmEx.  So I registered mine, and ever since, I've been thinking about which five songs I wanted those to be.  In the scheme of things, these five will be no different than the previous five I bought with my own money and the next five after, but I thought I should choose five songs that remind me of something good, if for no other purpose than to give me something to write about today.

So here they are, in no particular order:

1. On the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe, by Sherie Rene Scott.  If you have never heard Scott sing, you owe it to yourself, because her voice is so beautiful.  A little bit Idina Menzel, but less nasal and more sultry.  And if those words meant little to you, then be glad that this is the only showtune I downloaded as a part of the five.  I chose this song in particular because during the time that Sam and I lived with my parents while our house was being renovated, we would regularly hear this song on the Broadway channel while sitting in traffic on our way to Union City.  It was an amazing two months of seeing my parents everyday and integrating Sam into their lives.
2. Kyrie, originally by Mr. Mister, but redone a cappella by the University of Oregon's On the Rocks - This one almost explains itself.  When the group finished performing this song at Berkeley's West Coast A Cappella Showcase in 2008, it swept me up out of my seat, and I knew that I somehow had to convince Sam, who was sitting right next to me and equally awed, to drive up to Oregon to see On the Rocks perform in their Spring Show.  He agreed pretty wholeheartedly, and maybe you'll see why if you watch their performance here.  Of course, YouTube doesn't do them justice, but imagine sitting in the audience for this song, especially at the 2:57 mark.  That was the moment I was overwhelmed by their talent.  Amidst the cheering crowd, somewhere in there was my voice too.
3. Because of Toledo, by The Blue Nile - I met someone in grad school who was determined to sway me away from my showtunes and Top 40 and convince me to appreciate his jazzy, esoteric style of music.  He mostly failed, but amidst the numerous compilation CDs he gave me in his earnest efforts, a few stuck.  This song was one of them.  I still remember sitting in his car while we drove back to the east bay after having dinner in the City, how I said that the song currently playing on the stereo wasn't half bad, and finding it on a CD he gave me the very next day.  I have since lost that CD, but now I have the song again.
4. Spaseniye sodelal, by Pavel Chesnokov, but performed by the Turtle Creek Chorale.  This song reminds me of a man named Carl.  Without him, I would never have discovered this song, a beautiful Russian hymn that literally translates to "Salvation is created."  Ironic, then, that Carl introduced me to it, because if there ever was a person who I hope will never find his salvation, Carl would be it.  I hate him with a passion that rivals my love for Sam, and that's a lot of love.  A story for a different time, and probably a different blog, but still, I can't deny that this song is transcendental; if I close my eyes and listen, I can believe that I'm flying.  (A pretty awesome version of it can be found here, performed by the Sante Fe Desert Chorale.)

And originally, the fifth song was to be Lady Gaga's acoustic version of Born This Way, but it doesn't look like it will be out by March 15th (which is when the AmEx offer ends), so I opted for Memories (Someone We'll Never Know), composed by Clint Mansell for the movie Moon.  I am a total sucker for Clint Mansell, from his work on the soundtrack for Requiem for a Dream to The Fountain.  At his best, his music slows me down, makes me think, feel, makes me sad.  I randomly stumbled upon this song on YouTube one day, loved it, and just always went back to YouTube whenever I wanted to hear it.  Now, I can put it on whenever I want to spend five minutes feeling depressed.  Whoo!