New Year Dreamin' With Jill Sobule

Kicking myself.

Don't you hate it when you accidentally buy the clean version of an album?

Like substituting tofu for burger meat.



ew. it's just not the same. only bacon could make this edible.

So today's lesson: no matter how excited you are about your xmas cash, ALWAYS DOUBLE CHECK YOUR CART.

Now I just hafta start off this, my Second Blog Post, with a big

to homocidal crazies.

First Sandy Hook. Kids. I'd just stopped thinking about it. Then some asshat thinks it's fun to light up his house and then shoot the firefighters. Seriously? Firefuckingfighters?

Both shootings seem like pathetic little "fuck you"s to the human race. They don't even have the twisted logic of hate crimes. I found myself listening to Where is the Love (great song) on Christmas night. But I could think of so many better ways for these men to die than by their own bullets. The love ain't here.

Some people fight fires. Some monsters set them.
I'm no expert. But if you, reader, have ever felt the urge to go out with a bang, I hope you shoot yourself first.

Bah humbug...

...However.
'tis the season to cherish what you have, not fume and fuss about dead people. So here's to my high school friends I haven’t seen and spoken to in so long, classier folks I have yet to meet. Fire fighters, every one.

That's me upfront in the tie & white shirt - not making an interesting face. You wacky funsters!

 

I had fun with family too, xmas day. Everyone's doing really well, my uncle got a Japanese puppy-dog that looks like a fox, and food (mmm! real good food) and I beat my sis and my cousin at pool.

No way I was beating my mother, though.

I love this time of year. It's always held the best opportunities to kickback with new albums I got over Christmas and space out.

Today's jam is an emotive ballad/jam thingy – it's acoustic, it's dreamy, it's fun – something with which to space out and fly away with. I guess you'd call it rock, with a hint of folk.
It's sung by this space cadet/talented Colorado singer/songwriter, Jill Sobule.
I like her voice because it's breathy and sweet. She sounds like a little kid describing her imaginary friend.

Look at that mischievous smile – such a bad girl, doing cray shit like crosswords. You go, underdog! Be victorious!

Seriously, Underdog's a great album, and it always will be. It's full of upbeat beats and sass, which contrasts interestingly with its treatment of sad subjects like bullying, homophobia, prostitution, and show business.

She may sound like rebellious teen singing alone while speeding through town in her parents car, a sound on which I think she may rely a bit too heavily, but Jill's always had my respect. You should hear what she had to say about that Katy Perry. Haha...

You can be a popstar, you can make your bisexual rock 100% sassy and sadness-free, but you'll get boring fast, Katy. It's too simple, my dear.

Oh, right. Fine voice, fine bod, and you've got your love songs that never lose their popularity... Nevermind. Carry on, Katy!

I still like Jill.
Where was I? Ah yes!
About to take off with Jetpack, by Jill Sobule:

(Follow the link above to youtube and follow along below!)

If I had a jetpack the first thing that I would do
Is fly above the gridlock and come to you
I'd peek into the windows on 5th ave.
to see how the other side lives

And if I had a jetpack I would strap it on
I'd get out of this one room and I'd be gone
To where they're real houses and big front lawns
If I had a jetpack

I'd take you up with me
at last we'd both be free, past the

statue of liberty
In my jetpaaaaaaaaaaaaaack

If I had a jetpack, I'd fly over the bridge
I'd wave to all my friends who thought I'd never rise again
I'd fly over the stadium to watch my team win

watch my team win...
And if I had a jetpack, I'd bust into your door
and take you by the hand to the Jersey shore
and underneath the moonlight, you'd want me even more
cause, I'd have a jetpack

I'd take you up so high
If I dropped you, you would die
but I want you by my side,

in my jetpaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack

Oh I don't have a jetpack. I don't even have a car
I just have this token and a head full of stars
I wish you didn't live up town so far
cause I don't have

no I don't have

a jet... paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack
 

That last, lingering note! Agh, that's the killer. It can still bring a tear to my eye. By drawing out that “pack”, fading it out wistfully like that, Jill sounds like she's trying to hold onto the dream.

cooooool...

The song is carried by her slightly nasal, slightly reedy voice, while a quiet guitar carries the sweet tune to it's finale, where some Deep Strings (cello, perhaps?) and Dramatic Violins enter, and her voice gets all strained and sad.

Her dreamer in the song is in a low place – she wants to be able to fly away from it all, impress her friends and sweep her crush off his/her(?) feet. Literally.

Guess we all have superpower dreams. Here's to the unrealistic ones. Crazy as they may be, you gotta love 'em.

Soon, after our festivities celebrating the death of the past year, we'll have to face the responsibilities new year, and we'll get it done. With or without a jetpack.

But wouldn't it be SO MUCH easier with one?

If I had a jetpack, you wouldn't catch me messing around at some boring ball game, no siree. I'd go to do seriously fun shit.

What would you do with a jetpack? What song should be next? Were it up to you... (it was so hard to chose, but this is fun!)

And happy 2013!

To 2012: