Thursday, January 27, 2011

Top 10 Carlton Dances from "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"

Simply the funniest dance on the planet.

10.



9.


8. This one is funnier for the announcer's reaction than the dance itself.



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Friday, January 7, 2011

New Special Edition Article: The Transformative Power of Lucid Dreaming

You can find my new special edition article "The Transformative Power of Lucid Dreaming" by going to http://www.scribd.com/ and using their search engine to find this title (it should be the second result.)

This article is BY FAR the most important article I have written and the article most relative to your life and improving your health, wealth and happiness.

I encourage you to get free updates on my special edition articles by subscribing to me on scribd. My most important articles will always be posted there.

Because I want to give you a chance to read this article and because I am starting an ad campaign for "Blind Side Screen" it is unlikely I will be able to update this site until Tuesday.

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Top 10 Soulful American Love Classics

You will notice the incredible amount of difficulty I had in making this list because I excluded Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, Michael Jackson, Prince, Aaliyah and Ray Charles among others (I may come back and turn this into a top 25 list, then top 50, then top 75, then top 100. There is just wwaaayyy too much good Soul Music out there. I wish Jazz-Rap fusion, my favorite genre, had this many talented musicians working on it over the years.)

10. Bobby Womack- If You Think You're Lonely Now

Most of the time, background sounds and singing add little to a song. But the background singing and the single notes of the guitar (the guitar in this song is rarely played in chords) are PERFECT to back-up Womack's expressive voice.

Pain and resilience are evident in Womack's raspy voice. Womack's narrator holds on to notes like we know he is going to hold on to the memory of this woman.

By the end of this song, we are more convinced of the loneliness the narrator will face when he leaves his woman than the loneliness this woman will feel.


9.Quincy Jones- The Secret Garden

Okay, the title may be lame and cliched, but the song itself is not. Quincy Jones's best work features two voices (and multiple singers, featuring Al B. Sure, James Ingram, El' Debarge & Barry White) which work well in tandem, one a deep bass and the other a treble.

It seemlessly switches between the two voices, using the bass for declarative statements and demands, while the higher voice considers the feelings and point-of-view of the woman. (You can see this as the ying and yang or the masculine and feminine voices of the narrator himself.)

The piano play, for the most part, is just one chord played three times then another chord played once, but it absolutely fits the song and contrasts well with what are some pretty complicated bars of singing.

This would be a great song for any couple about to have their first time.


8. Third World- Now That We Found Love

Unfortunately, this song has a bad intro that is too reggae for this sincere love song that seems to suddenly switch direction when the intro is over. The reggae drumbeats continue even when the singing starts and are most prominent during the chorus. If it had not been for the intro, the drumbeats and the instrumentals in general, this song likely would have cracked the top 5.

You can forgive that this song uses thought-stopping techniques to a degree that would make even modern pop stars and politicians blush.

If there is so many problems with this song, you may be thinking, why is it number 9 on this list?

The chorus is so sweet and harmonious, we can forgive that the constant repetition is a thought-stopping technique.

Love is not enough is a statement we have all experienced in our lives. Once we have "found love" the road tends to get difficult not easy. This time is the time to both proceed with caution AND abandon our fears.

This song is one which implores us to throw up our hands, abandon our fears and just DANCE the night away.

It is great for those moments in our relationships which reach a turning point.


7. Barry White- Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe.

Short of Michael Jackson, Elvis and Johnny Cash, Barry White probably has the most recognizable voice in American Music History.

This spot could have easily been any number of Barry White songs, including "Just the Way You Are" and "My First, My Last, My Everything."

I decided to include this song because it gives you something you do not usually get with Barry songs, some (relatively) high notes that he hits with ease.

The song also has a great build up to its chorus, and switches from singing to Barry talking with great ease.

The tempo matches that upbeat feeling you get when your relationship reaches that "puppy" love era and has not reached that "real" love era.

This is the era "You Can't Get Enough" of that special lady you met just 7 or 8, or 5 or 6, or even 1 month ago. You can't keep your hands off this girl, you call her pet names, your friends call you whipped but you don't care, you have various inappropriate PDAs and, most of all, you are not afraid to throw on this song and emberass yourself and your lady-friend in front of your and her friends with your best Barry White impression.


6. Marvin Gaye- Let's Get It On

OK, this isn't one you would play in front of your friends. (You would?!?! You kinky one, you!)

This one is bedroom theatrics at its best, just make sure you're fresh and you're awake enough to bring your A game when you put this song on. Anything less would be a disappointment and a black eye to this great, raunchy song.

Let's keep this explanation short, because if you and your girl are reading this article right now, you probably checked out after the first sentence, hit the play button below and are getting it on right now.



5. Boyz II Men- I'll Make Love to You

Changing direction from that kinky girl you know to the girl you are trying to wife (one and the same?!?! You lucky dog, you!)

Seriously, do not play this song unless you plan to make a serious time and emotional commitment to a girl you hope to marry.

This song and the guys were featured on the episode "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" where Will (another native Philly guy) was supposed to get married (seriously, the series made it that far?)

Again, note the word wife has already been used once and the word married two times. WIFE, MARRIAGE, WIFE, MARRIAGE, WIFE, MARRIAGE. Great song, if it's a girl you think you may or may not call again in a week or two, go find something else to get you in the mood.



4.Mary J. Blige- "Real Love"

Upbeat, fun and powerful. This narrator is the strong, independent woman who is not going to be afraid to throw out the bozo even if she has reached the wrong side of 30 and is running out of options.

No, this girl is going to get what she wants and deserves even if it is going to take some time.



3.Xscape- Who Can I Run To

This one is a gem that took me a little bit of searching to find.

Xscape rang a bell but I did not know the band or the song before I found it on this list of the Top 100 Soul  and R & B Songs of All Time.

I fell in love with the intro from the first note, and patiently anticipated the vocals when a big "AHHHHH" sigh came and almost made me stop the song right then and there.

Thank god I didn't, and listened to the rest of the song, which is only enhanced by the "AHHHHHs" if only because this single mistake shows how perfect the rest of the song is.

The singing is quiet subdued, and this song is the opposite side of the coin of Mary J. Blige's "Real Love."

This narrator is a girl who is not afraid to admit she needs a man in her life, a shoulder to rest her head on and someone to run to, and, trust me, she will find it.


2. Al Green- Let's Stay Together

One of the few (or only) soul songs with trumpets as the intro, but they are quiet appropriate in summoning this love song.

Al Green is at his best when he is hitting a crescendo on a single word, as he does many times over on this song.

The narrator seems like the laidback, nice guy who is a little shy that a girl may not go crazy over at first, but ever time she sees him, she falls just a little and a little and a little deeper.

And as this short song goes on, so too does the listener go deeper and deeper and deeper into loving it.



1. Roberta Flack- Killing Me Softly With His Song

You have probably heard the Fugees' version of this song, and known there was another version out there, but may not have had the chance to listen to Roberta Flack's version of "Killing Me Softly With His Song" (which, in itself, is a cover of a pretty unknown song.)

After listening to this for the first time, I could not decide which version (The Fugees' or Roberta Flack's) I liked best.

I decided on Roberta's because, not only is her voice so sweet, her voice more easily fits the "Killing Me Softly" category than Lauryn Hill's. This makes her voice match the words better than Lauryn's, and also gives our spines and our hearts a jump when she reaches the "oohhhh oohhhh ohhh ohh ohhh whoa ohhhh la la la la la" part toward the end of the song.

Man, whoever was the inspiration for these lyrics and this song must be extremely flattered.

Friday, December 31, 2010

Read My Special Addition Article: Aladdin, The Genie and "The Diamond in the Rough"

DO NOT read this article if you are reading the articles here and you want to figure out what the diamond in the rough is for yourself.

This essay explores thematic elements in the Disney Classic "Aladdin." Come find out why it is "what's inside the lamp" that counts on this magic carpet ride.

Make sure to get free e-mail updates of my articles on scribd by subscribing, in order that you do not miss out on a great read.

All of my articles I post on scribd will not be available elsewhere.

Click here to see the essay.

Monday, December 27, 2010

OK, This is just RIDICILOUS Must Listen to "Four Chord Song"

GO TO THIS LINK. GO. JUST DO IT! DO IIIIITTTTT!!!!!!! YOU WON'T! DO IT!

(Could not get the video to fit on here because for some reason blogger decides to behave when I am editing a post then does not when I actually post it. I hope to add this video directly to my blog soon but this is really a must-listen to song for anyone interested in music, human psychology, music theory or popular entertainment.)

Saturday, December 25, 2010

The Americans We Are Still Discovering: Jon DeMello

Have you ever Met Someone with an Incredible Ability to Pick up a Sport?

Did that person continue to improve at a rate you never thought possible? Did he combine his natural athletic ability with a natural sense of where to be and what to do in this sport? Did he pick and choose his spots to talk shit in order to subtly throw you off your game?

Jon Picked Up Sports at the Drop of a Hat

Meet Jon: a former professional wrestler (the real kind) and club rugby player for the city of Edinburgh in Scotland. Jon switched to wrestling from playing and coaching hockey (including an athlete with down's syndrome) his freshman year of high school, and in three short years he built his skills to take fourth place in his weight class at the Kelsey-Graves tournament. He was part of a powerhouse Brooks School Wrestling team. His senior year of high school, he transfered to Nashoba Regional High School, where his coach encouraged him to join a club team and start wrestling for money.

Jon takes on Rugby

Once he entered college at the University of Edinburgh, he decided to take on rugby. He started at the intramural level as a fresher, and climbed the ranks all the way to club level. He did this all while taking up boxing as well (I am not sure how successful he was at boxing, but you can assume he was.)

Jon and his new sport: Basketball

Over the last three weeks, he has taken up playing basketball consistently for the first time in their life, and the results are Where Amazing Meets Extraordinary. He has an amazing sense for the game and displays his strength and agility.

Jon and his Sense for the Game

His basketball smarts are most on display when he is off the ball on the offensive side. Without any instruction, Jon makes v cuts, sets picks at the perfect time, rolls to the basket and gets in good boxing out position. He also plays decent defense and makes good decisions when he has the ball, even if these aspects of his game are not as inspired as his off the ball offensive play.

Jon Uses his Athletic Ability

His strength and agility are most on display when he is forced baseline by their defenders. Those fans who play and watch basketball know this may be the most difficult position to be in on the basketball court. You are often behind the backboard, which makes shooting a near impossibility. Usually another player on the court can help your defender to trap you without leaving his man, effectively cutting off passing lanes. You are forced to put the ball on the court and use your strength to create something out of nothing or, for most people a worse tactic, try to find a teammate on the perimeter. In these situations, Jon puts his agility and strength to the test because he keeps his dribble and uses his strength to get a lay-up on the strong-side or use their agility and quickness to get to the weak-side for a reverse lay-up.

Conclusion
The ability of Jon is shocking. The fact that Jon can pick up sports so late in his life can be frustrating to us who sweat like gym rats everyday just to become sub par basketball players. That people like Jon can handle his amazing abilities with such grace, dignity and humility makes it so it is only possible to love them.

If you know someone who is an American you would like to nominate for a "The Americans We Are Still Discovering" article, please send your submissions to me at Seifeldeine@gmail.com.

I have provided you with valuable information and innovative content I took a long time to create. Can you do me the huge favor of getting free e-mail or RSS updates by subscribing?

Announcement: Article "American Socioeconomics and The Race Problem"

I am working on a project called "American Socioeconomics and The Race Problem."

It will go over how our socioeconomics influences the behavoirs of each class and how this relates to the actions as a whole of each race.

I hope to use a format that will make the article understandable to the lay-person and in-depth enough for a sociologist or economist. This means the article will take a great deal of time to come up with, even though I have done a lot of work on it already.

If you know anyone who would like to join this project (sociologists, economists and/or race experts) please e-mail me at seifeldeine@gmail.com.

If I have someone co-author this article, it will be available only by purchases. If I do it myself, I will either put it on scribd with "My Green, String Less Hoody," and other articles that may be there or, depending on how much time and effort it takes me, I will make it an e-book available for purchase.

I hope all is well and you had a great day!

Sincerely,

Seif-Eldeine Och