favorite song friday: pharrell and girl just want to have fun

Yes, I'm still on a Pharrell Williams kick, and you should be too. I just picked up his new CD, Girl, and am enjoying listening to it on repeat in the car. The über-infectious "Happy" is smack-dab in the middle of things. It is still a stand-out tune, but there are other treasures as well.

Pharrell was all over the charts this past year with collaborations with Daft Punk on "Get Lucky" and Robin Thicke on "Blurred Lines" — both huge hit records. He has proved himself as a performer and producer, working with everyone from Mariah Carey to Britney Spears to Jay Z. Girl has Pharrell playing to his strengths as both a producer and performer. He pulls in some great talent on a number of tracks, but also showcases his smooth falsetto, great phrasing, and love of all musical genres on many of the tracks.

This one goes out to all the lovers
What can we do? We're helpless romantics
We can not help who we're attracted to
So let's all dance, and elevate each other — "Marilyn Monroe"

Girl has a retro-feel, with Pharrell sharing his love of classic Motown, 70s disco, 80's pop, and just about anything and everything that has a great beat. But the record never seems dated or a pastiche. Pharrell loves beats and knows how to use them. Some of the stand-out tracks include:

"Marilyn Monroe," which starts off the album.

"Brand New," with Pharrell and Justin Timberlake evoking Stevie Wonder and The Jackson 5 while they trade verses in this upbeat jam.

Honey, you got me feelin' (brand new)
You got me feelin' (brand new)
Like the tag's still on me
Got the tags still on me
Jumpin' 'round in your bag
Jumpin' 'round in your bag
So good morning, ooh girl
You are the feeling I'm jammin' to (brand new)
You are the feeling I'm jammin' to (brand new)
Like the tag's still on me
Got the tags still on me — "Brand New"

The supremely silly but always fun"Hunter" is definitely a nod towards the '80s as well as an homage to bands like Duran Duran, Blondie, and the B52s. It also comes the closest to evoking last summer's smash, "Blurred Lines."

Miley Cyrus turns up for vocals on a bouncy track called "Come Get It Bae."

And Pharrell apparently can't get enough of Daft Punk (or vice-versa), who join him on the groovy "Gust of Wind".

Other featured artists include Alicia Keys who duets with Pharrell on "I Know Who You Are," Timbaland, and Kelly Osborne.

Although "Happy" is undoubtedly the sunniest song on the record, it is impossible to listen to the rest of Girl and not smile. Celebrating women and music and love, Pharrell and Girl just want to have fun.

favorite song friday: stevie wonder

The website Dangerous Minds pointed me towards this wonderful almost hour-long special from 1972 starring Stevie Wonder. Love, love, love.


Here are all the wonderful songs included in the special:

"For Once in My Life"
"If You Really Love Me"
"Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)"
"You and I (We Can Conquer the World)"
"What’s Going On"/"My Cherie Amour"
"Blowin’ in the Wind"
"With a Child’s Heart"
"Love Having You Around"
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours"/"Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone"
"Superstition"
"Maybe Your Baby"/"Superstition"
"Uptight (Everything’s Alright)"

It's hard for me to even pick a favorite Stevie Wonder song, but I am especially fond of "Superstition." Happy Valentines Day.

i wish

How one of the coolest songs ever came to life ...

white rabbits—superstitious beginnings

Article first published as White Rabbits—Superstitious Beginnings on Blogcritics.

Did you say "white rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits" for luck first thing before you uttered anything else this morning? Maybe you said it after midnight last night to get an early start on this month's luck? Or even "Rabbit, rabbit" or any of the very many variations? I played it safe and said it last night.

Saying "white rabbits" at the beginning of each month is a superstition that is believed to have originated in England, although how far back it goes is anyone's guess.

My mom is British, but she doesn't remember the superstition, maybe because she left England at a young age, before she could learn any traditions or local lore. Saying "white rabbits" for luck may be British in origin, but I think my desire to incorporate it into my personal collection of superstitions probably comes from my Sicilian/Italian side, where old wives' tales, folklore, and superstitions were part of the daily vocabulary. Besides invoking white rabbits we had some other favorites:

1. Throw salt over your shoulder if you spill it.
2. Don't split a pole when walking with someone.
3. No hats on the bed!
4. Knock on wood if you speak of something that might bring bad luck.
5. Finding a heads up penny brings good luck.

I also love Stevie Wonder's heavily researched take on the subject of superstition.

We are about to enter the Year of the Rabbit, which the Chinese regard as extremely lucky, so calling up some rabbits for luck seems extremely timely for February.

lucky

I've never thought Friday the 13th was an unlucky day. In fact, aren't all the unlucky things supposed to be turned on their head on the 13th? Sort of reverse mojo?

I am respectful, sometimes wary of the number 13, however - could you make that 12 or 14 acupuncture needles, please? I also don't want to walk under a ladder - but that's just practical, right? Certainly many so-called superstitions are what we have accepted through the ages as good advice, such as:

• An apple a day keeps the doctor away
• Eating fish makes you smart
• A lock of hair from a baby's first haircut should be kept for good luck I don't know about luck, but it's a powerful totem and wonderful keepsake. My mom still has a lock of my hair somewhere to prove I was a strawberry blond baby
• To find a penny heads up, brings good luck In today's economy, any extra cash can't hurt!
• Washing a car will bring rain - that's more of a Murphy's Law than a superstition

When you believe in things
That you don't understand
Then you suffer
Superstition ain't the way
Stevie Wonder

I'm trying to keep a balance between the fun beliefs that I have decided to add to my personal repertoire through the years and the fears that try to crowd in, like money or health anxieties. Every day is a work in progress. Good luck!

yes we did...

...attend the We Are One concert with about 500,000 of our close personal friends, neighbors and allies.

More to come...

superstition

Like I said, I'm superstitious. So how 'bout some good mojo to blow away any bad mojo?