ABBA - "Mamma Mia"

Oh I don't have a story to go with this one - this is here purely for fun! I love Abba. The new movie, also called "Mamma Mia" is out now and I think I wanna see it. They are saying good things about it.

On another note, Abba has sold about 400 million albums worldwide and they are the best-selling group of all time after Beatles. Suck on that, Madonna! You only got about 200 million albums to sell! That must just eat you up - even though you did beat Elvis. But oh well there's also another problem you seem to be facing and the problem's name is Mariah Carey. I mean, that scary bitch is in tie with ya when it comes to the amount of #1's - and dammit, she's like... what... only 37? My goodness, she's gonna pass ya, she's gonna leave you standing in a cloud of dust! That little bird with a big voice? My oh my! But well... Hip and hurray to that! Now let's dance to Abba and wave our hands... "from left to the right, from left to the right"... Ahahaha! =)

I dedicate this song to my idol since the 80s until 2008 when our "affair of the heart" finally fell to pieces - Madonna. I have decided to close this book and crave no more of your sour sweetness. Part of the joy of adoring you will remain in my memories - even if I now know the person I admired never really existed. You got under my skin & turned out to be like venomous poison - it's way too late for the antidrug or to get rid of all the side effects - you've already done your damage. But, I'm having my FHS meetings regularly (FHS = Face Her Shit).

Lyrics to "Mamma Mia":

I've been cheated by you since I don't know when/ So I made up my mind, it must come to an end
Look at me now, will I ever learn? / I don't know how but I suddenly lose control/ There's a fire within my soul
Just one look and I can hear a bell ring/ One more look and I forget everything, o-o-o-oh

Mamma mia, here I go again / My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again? / My my, just how much I've missed you
Yes, I've been brokenhearted/ Blue since the day we parted/ Why, why did I ever let you go?
Mamma mia, now I really know/ My my, I could never let you go

I've been angry and sad about the things that you do/ I can't count all the times that I've told you were through
And when you go, when you slam the door/ I think you know that you won't be away too long
You know that Im not that strong
Just one look and I can hear a bell ring/ One more look and I forget everything, o-o-o-oh

Mamma mia, here I go again/ My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again?/ My my, just how much I've missed you
Yes, I've been brokenhearted/ Blue since the day we parted/ Why, why did I ever let you go?
Mamma mia, even if I say/ Bye bye, leave me now or never
Mamma mia, it's a game we play/ Bye bye doesn't mean forever
Mamma mia, here I go again/ My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again?/ My my, just how much I've missed you
Yes, Ive been brokenhearted/ Blue since the day we parted/ Why, why did I ever let you go
Mamma mia, now I really know/ My my, I could never let you go

JANITA - "I Miss You"

Today there is a story attached to the video but it doesn't belong to me. I want to share something with you. I admire this performer, respect her for her talent and dignity and wish her well. And that is why I wish to present her to you.

The artist I am talking about is Janita. To give you some back-up information, Janita was born in Helsinki, Finland (1978). She started her career as a teenager and had several national hits under her belt in no time. She has recorded four albums in Finnish and they are (in order) Oma planeetta (1992), Sävyjä (1994), Tunteita (2001) sekä Kokoelma (2005).

Janita's "taking on the world" started well in the late 90s. She signed a deal with a record label giant Sony in the United States. She was to record - and she did record one album "Janita" - under the same category than the likes of Mariah Carey - so she was ranked very high. But then misfortune followed: due to changes within the record label (owner changed or something similar) she was suddenly dropped out because the new chiefs did not believe in her.

Janita did not return to Finland nor hide in a cave or leave the business though. She stayed in New York, kept writing and producing music and pursuing her dreams. She still hasn't made it really big though she is making it well in comparison to many of the likes - she is at least living with her music, which in the end should be the most important thing. At the moment she is recording her next album.

I think what has caused her slow entry to stardom are the values of today. She has all the potential in the world to become a great star but as we all know, the radio and the television is full of commercial hip hop these days - to the point of boredom. I know there are those who dig that and that's fine with me. But it is an inevitable fact that we've lost a lot of that soul which makes music personal, earth shattering, meaningful and heart warming. That, my friends, we do not hear so much these days! Today it's all about the bling, the perfect abs, the hips, the cars, the fashion - and we must not forget 'shaking this and hitting that'. Lyrics have gotten nastier and nastier, more degrading (not just towards women or towards men but towards the human race as a whole). What used to touch people's hearts is now touching something all together different, if it's touching anything at all. Music has become like a cheeseburger in the fast food diner, it is there just for the one greasy ride and then we move to the next one. A lot of empty satisfaction that doesn't make us feel good in the long run. So, from my perspective the music of today is pretty much pointless noise - and less silence and thought.

Janita represents silence, thought and soulfulness. She is a smooth jazz/r&b/soul singer. Yes, she is white too and that darlings is also part of the package of why she has not made it big. Yes, the colour of skin - at this day of age! It's ridicilous and repulsive at the same time.

Janita has a beautiful voice and it should be heard by everyone! It is a real shame she is not known worldwide. Maybe she was born in the wrong decade - or maybe she was born in just the right time to give this rotten, careless world an ounce of hope and soul it needs to breath? We need more artists like her. Many more.

Janita has released four English albums so far (in addition to the Finnish ones). In the order of appearance they are: "Believer", "Janita", "I'll Be Fine" (a English version of "Tunteita" album). Her newest album was released in the United States and Japan in 2006 and it's called "Seasons of Life". This became a sales speech, did it? Well, anyways... To learn more about Janita and to buy her album, please visit: http://www.janita.com/

Here are the lyrics to "I Miss You":

I’ve been wondering how you’ve been / It's been too long since I last heard you voice
Has your life changed? / Do you still look the same?
I miss you / So many things I didn’t tell you / So many things you should have known
If you ask me why I kept it in / I swear I don’t know / I don’t know / Now I miss you

I regret some things I do / But I would never regret loving you / I believe that some things aren’t meant to be
I miss you / So many things I didn’t tell you / So many things you should have known
If you ask me why I kept it in / I swear I don’t know / I don’t know / Now I miss you
I miss you

I still think of you each day / Though it may seem like I run away / What to tell you / I couldn’t face the truth / And now I miss you / Ohh…

So many things I didn’t tell you / So many things you should have known
If you ask me why I kept it in / I swear I don’t know / Not a day passes by without you on my mind / So now you know / I miss you

So now you know

Here's some flashbacks! Some past performances by Janita (songs from her Finnish albums "Oma planeetta" and "Sävyjä"):



Janita, performing "Maistan Maailmaa" (I'm gonna taste the world) in 1994, when she was a rough diamond. At the time of this performance she was only 14 years old.



Performing "Enkeli" (Angel). If her dancing wasn't so flowing in 1994, one year later her hips moved to a different tune.

HEART - "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You"

This song is the perfect example of a tender, passionate, contradictory rock song of my choice. I did get at the time of it's release what the lyrics were about - and I found the ending to be very dramatic and touching (yes, definitely my genre again).

Ever since I discovered the band, I have loved the lead singer's voice - absolutely adored it. She has that raspy sound but then again she can go to that crystal clear area, way up and make my skin go to goosebumps. She - and those who do the same - get my immediate respect. Not all singers get that reaction from me.

When I was younger I enjoyed singing this song a lot - even though the lyrics really do not fit into the mouth of a young boy, haha.. and not least because it is a song for a woman! But I love this song - everything about it. It's a major classic, just like Heart's another hit "Alone". Respect.

Here are the lyrics to "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You":

It was a rainy night/ When he came into sight/ Standing by the road/ No umbrella, no coat.
So I pulled up alongside and I offered him a ride/ He accepted with a smile, so we drove for a while.
I didnt ask him his name/ This lonely boy in the rain/ Fate, tell me its right, ss this love at first sight?
Please dont make it wrong/ Just stay for the night.

All I wanna do is make love to you/ Say you will/ You want me too
All I wanna do is make love to you/ I've got lovin arms to hold on to

So we found this hotel/ It was a place I knew well/ We made magic that night/ Oh, he did everything right
He brought the woman out of me/ So many times, easily/ And in the morning when he woke all
I left him was a note

I told him/ I am the flower you are the seed/ We walked in the garden/ We planted a tree
Dont try to find me, please dont you dare/ Just live in my memory, you'll always be there

All I wanna do is make love to you/ One night of love was all we knew
All I wanna do is make love to you/ I've got lovin arms to hold on to

Oh, oooh, we made love/ Love like strangers/ All night long/ We made love

Then it happened one day/ We came round the same way/ You can imagine his surprise/ When he saw his own eyes
I said please, please understand/ I'm in love with another man/ And what he couldn't give me/ Was the one little thing that you can

All I wanna do is make love to you/ One night of love was all we knew
All I wanna do is make love to you/ Say you will, you want me too
All night long/ All night long/ All night long/ All night long

YAZZ - "Stand Up For Your Love Rights"

Now we go to 1988. I never owned an album by Yazz but I loved some of her tracks, especially "Stand Up For Your Love Rights" and "The Only Way Is Up". Hearing this song after all these years/decades was fun! I still love the beats and the groove of this song. I also love the melody as well as the lyrical content.

The funny part of the story comes now... Everyone who was around in the 80s knows that torn clothing - especially jeans - were the "in" thing. I remember personally re-modelling my trousers and shirts one night. I could say I was being creative but maybe the right word would be I was being nuts! Hahaha! The design was far from brilliant! Anyways, this particular night took place during one Friday or Saturday - can't remember which - and my parents had gone away for the weekend so I was alone. I was watching some VHS-tape where I had taped my favorite music. Yup, I lived back when VHS was a big thing! I guess somewhere along the line I decided to do some amateur fixing in the name fashion. At the end of this creative outburst, I had (at least) a pair of ruined pants and two hideous t-shirts that I could never wear in public. Hahaha... Let's just say the makeover was not the least bit successful. But the whole thing worked as great entertainment even if the ending was disappointing. I even remember dancing around in those crazy pants, pretending to be a big big star! I wanted to be a singer at the time. Oh dear, I am making such a fool of myself, haha! Well... frankly I don't give a damn! One has to have a sense of humour when going through life. The capability to laugh at oneself is one of the most important things to overcome many things - including traumatic childhood memories, haha!

There's another personal connection to this song as well. In a way I can go as far as saying this song is a part of my sexual identity. It came out around the time I was beginning to discover being gay and since it was a declaration about standing up for ones love rights, it hold in the ideals I felt to be true at the time. It made me feel proud of loving, no matter if it was a different way of loving. I did not come out of the closet for a long time but this song (in part only of course) strengthen my self-esteem and helped me to accept my sexual identity. I never really fought against being gay. During the time when I was a bit confused and had not realized why I didn't feel attracted to girls, I tried to be a straight of course - but I never battled with my sexuality nor felt that I was somehow flawed because I was different. It was easy to accept myself in the end. I was me, the way I was meant to be, nothing more, end of story.

This song also expressed other thoughts I had about life - and even today I can still agree with the lyrics entirely. As I may have mentioned earlier, lyrics have always been important to me. I have to say they are getting more important the older I get. It's been more than intriguing for me to do this blog and look back at the songs of my life. More than anything, I've noticed how my personal philophies, ideas, beliefs, identity and my whole character keeps reflecting from the songs I've listened to, the songs that I've felt close to. They really do tell my story in many ways and it makes this journey even more interesting for me - hopefully also for you.

Here are the lyrics to "Stand Up For Your Love Rights":

Stand up for your love rights/ Stand up for your love rights
Do it, do it, do it, do it

Now don't be afraid/ Don't let things stand in your way
Now you've reached a time in your life/ When you just can't take no more
Are you ready to leave/ 'Cos you can no longer breathe
You can't hide or disguise/ What it is that you want to change

Don't hold back/ Make up your mind/ Don't hold back
Stand up for your love rights/ And don't you feel ashamed
Stand up for your love rights/ Do it, do it, do it, do it

Now don't take what you don't want/ Just take what you need
It's your right, don't be frightened to fight it/ Take your time to choose
Yeah, when you're ready to leave/ Make up your mind and believe
Don't you run from the truth/ It's no use, 'cos it's all you'll need

Don't hold back/ Make up your mind/ Don't hold back
Stand up for your love rights/ And don't you feel ashamed
Stand up for your love rights/ Do it, do it, do it, do it

Stand up for your love rights and enjoy it
Stand up for your love rights

ANNIE LENNOX - "Legend In My Livingroom"

I've always loved Annie Lennox, but especially during her first solo album "Diva". I remember knowing every word of this album and singing it relentlessly for months and months (a late "sorry" to all the roomates and neighbours, I must have been a pain in the ass, haha) - and it has worked as my getaway at later times too. The songs on this album are just so sublime, so brilliant. In many cases, they are very simple but they are so emotional, so perfect that my mind and heart is at ease. I've been deeply touched by them. Annie's soulful voice is always a thrill to listen to, she is such a great talent and many more artists should have the integrity she has had throughout her entire career. I respect her tremendeously.

I've chosen to play a song which I've had fun with and which also tells (sort of) the story of my life. I too moved away to study when I was younger (younger than seventeen - referring to the first line of the song) and in my life I have seen both sides of the coin. The reality of having and living off of dreams was (and still is) a reality for me, many people in my life have turned out to be different from what they represented to be, I've felt betrayed by them - and being "different" (in terms of having the soul and aspirations of an artist, as well as being gay) has never been easy either. Those things are never easy to any artist but they are things that are true and which you feel you need to follow no matter what. And then finally, I too have woken up in places and realized that some of my dreams never came true or they weren't worth dreaming about. I am no stranger to bitterness either, I have felt extremely bitter about ten years ago when all the feelings of my father's suicide - as well as the things he did when alive - were the strongest. So in all levels, I have and always will feel closeness with this song.

The line "legend in my livingroom" is something can identify with - as I will always be the legend in my livingroom, haha! I do not mean that in a pompous way, it's just the truth. This is true because: no one can ever take my unique being away. And I consider myself a legend just by surviving life this far - many people with my experiences would have destroyed themselves along time ago. I'm still standing even if I fall flat on my face from time to time. It doesn't matter. I think we all do that, some just don't openly admit it. They try to be perfect. Silly people. Perfect is an illusion that never existed. So, as long as I have been here I haven't failed to get up; despite the fragility I'll forever possess, I'm a fighter and I will not give in. I'm a one tough bitch even if I have my weaknesses. Just watch me.

Here are the lyrics to "Legend In My Livingroom":

When I was just seventeen i ran away from home/ To be with all the pretty people/ To be on my own
Bright lights and trains and bedsit stains/ And pavements paved with gold/ And I believed in everything that everybody told me

Have mercy/ Have mercy on me

I found myself in a lonely place with a suitcase full of dreams/ And I soon grew up to realise what living in the doghouse means
But everyday I told myself good things would happen soon/ 'cause I knew that I was going to be a legend in my living room

Have mercy/ Have mercy on me
(welcome to this perfect world)

Now everyday on a dead end street is where I spend my time/ The dust has been collecting on the corners of my mind
But I've shed my tears in bitter drops until the thorn trees bloomed/ To take the spiky fruit to crown myself the queen of doom

Have mercy/ Have mercy on me

MADONNA - "You Must Love Me"

A touching song by Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice, performed by Madonna. I can identify with the song, absolutely and entirely. I feel this way every other day. There is a deep need in me to be loved - endless thirst for love. Not sure where it comes from, but it's there.

Here are the meaningful lyrics to "You Must Love Me":

Where do we go from here?/ This isn't where we intended to be
We had it all, you believed in me/ I believed in you
Certainties disappear/ What do we do for our dream to survive?
How do we keep all our passions alive/ As we used to do?

Deep in my heart I'm concealing/ Things that I'm longing to say
Scared to confess what I'm feeling/ Frightened you'll slip away
You must love me/ You must love me

Why are you at my side?/ How can I be any use to you now?
Give me a chance and I'll let you see how/ Nothing has changed

You must love me...

THE BEE GEES - "Stayin' Alive"

One more upbeat song to cheer everyone up today! With the power of strong coffee and The Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" we'll make it one step further. This song has always been one of my favorite 70s songs - they made some really fine tunes that decade, so much better than the s**t made these days...

I'm not sure if anyone did a cover of this song in my native language and frankly I do not want to hear it if someone did it. I have a feeling it would not be a matchmade in heaven, cos the Gibb brothers certainly have unique voices!

This song is catchy and fun, so loosen up, don't give a damn and enjoy it!

Here are the lyrics to "Stayin' Alive":

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk/ I'm a womans man: no time to talk.
Music loud and women warm, I've been kicked around/ Since I was born.
And now its all right. its ok/ And you may look the other way.
We can try to understand/ The new york times effect on man.

Whether youre a brother or whether youre a mother/ You're stayin alive, stayin alive.
Feel the city breakin and everybody shakin/ And were stayin alive, stayin alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin alive, stayin alive/ Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin alive.

Well now, I get low and I get high/ And if I cant get either, I really try.
Got the wings of heaven on my shoes/ I'm a dancin man and I just cant lose.
You know its all right. its ok/ I'll live to see another day.
We can try to understand/ The new york times effect on man.

Whether youre a brother or whether youre a mother/ You're stayin alive, stayin alive.
Feel the city breakin and everybody shakin/ And were stayin alive, stayin alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin alive, stayin alive/ Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin alive.

Life going nowhere. somebody help me/ Somebody help me, yeah.
Life going nowhere. somebody help me/ Somebody help me, yeah. stayin alive.

Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk/ I'm a womans man: no time to talk.
Music loud and women warm/ I've been kicked around since I was born.
And now its all right. its ok/ And you may look the other way.
We can try to understand/ The new york times effect on man.

Whether youre a brother or whether youre a mother/ You're stayin alive, stayin alive.
Feel the city breakin and everybody shakin/ And were stayin alive, stayin alive.
Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin alive, stayin alive/ Ah, ha, ha, ha, stayin alive.

Life going nowhere. somebody help me/ Somebody help me, yeah.
Life going nowhere. somebody help me, yeah/ I'm stayin alive.