top 10 on iTunes

I once met a very smart lady named Kem Meyer. I sat in one of her breakout sessions at a conference, and something that really stuck with me was this: she said a great way to quickly assess the state of the culture is to look at the lyrics of the top 10 songs on charts/iTunes/etc. I think this is a great idea, and I think I’m going to start a weekly column about it.

So as of October 17th at 1:05 PM, here are the top 10 selling songs/artists on iTunes, a quick view of their lyrics, and some (mostly) silly comments about them:

1. Crank That– Soulja Boy Tell ‘Em
“Soulja Boy up in it (OH!)
Watch Me Lean And Watch Me Rock
Super Man Dat (OH!)
Then Watch Me Crank Dat Robocop”

This is mostly a dance song…I’ve caught the music video once or twice while getting ready for work in the mornings. They lyrics are mostly nonsensical, but that’s usually OK for a dance song. Somewhere in this verse though, he starts picking a fight (lyrically) and talking about what he’s going to do to the guys girlfriend (called B****) in the song…let’s not go there though. Main theme: weird.

2. Gimme More– Britney Spears
“We can get down like there’s no one around
We’ll keep on rockin’ (We’ll keep on rockin’)
We’ll keep on rockin’ (Keep on rockin’)

Cameras are flashing while we’re dirty dancing
They keep watchin’ (They keep watchin’)
Keep watchin
Feels like the crowd is saying”

This is another dance song. Oooohhhh Britney. I know you guys are so sick of hearing about her, and so am I. Let’s stick to the topic of the song. It’s not about her wanting more, it’s about the people watching her and wanting to see more. She can’t satisfy them. Later in the song she even says, “Oh, they want more? Well let’s give ‘em more!” It’s like they want her to be more outrageous and she has no choice but to satisfy them. Main theme: I’ll do whatever it takes to be famous.

3.Bubbly– Colbie Caillat
“It starts in my toes
and I crinkle my nose
where ever it goes i always know
you make me smile
please stay for a while now
just take your time
where ever you go”

If you wear a bra you have to admit you like this song. It’s really cute and very sweet, but as far as a theme….it’s a you-make-me-feel-good-so-we’ll-date/sleep together/play house-until-you-make-me-feel-bad song. It perpetuates the myth that relationships are successful because your partner makes you feel good. I’m not cynical. Main Idea: love is fun.

4. Apologize–Timbaland
“You tell me that you’re sorry
Didn’t think I’d turn around, and say…

that it’s too late to apologize, it’s too late
I said it’s too late to apologize, it’s too late”

Moral of this song: don’t cheese off Timbaland. He won’t forgive you. Not even 70 times 7. Main Idea: shame on me if you fool me twice.

5. Stronger– Kanye West
“Work it, make it, do it,
Makes us harder, better, faster, STRONGER!”

Uhhhhyeah. It’s kind of true. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger…unless it makes you weaker. Then we’re diving strictly into philosophical strength. It’s the attitude that I hear from this song that bothers me…it’s almost like, “Whatever doesn’t kill me will make me stronger, so I’m going to put myself in a series of situations that will probably kill me so I come out looking like superman.” However, this song might be Kanye reflecting on his hard work to get into the music business. Either way, it’s a good song to workout to. Main Idea: I’m important.

6. No One– Alicia Keys
“No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I’m feeling
No one no one no one
Can get in the way of what I feel for you
You you
Can get in the way of what I feel for you”

So, if you caught the VMA’s this year you got to see a little bit of this song performed…Alicia is so freakin’ talented. I could listen to her sing for days. However, for my current purposes, this song is all about feelings. You make me feel good. Life is life though, and your husband/wife will not always make you feel good, and that’s OK, because THAT ISN’T THEIR JOB. Main Idea: our love is strong, love is fun.

7. Rockstar–Nickelback
“I’m gonna trade this life for fortune and fame
I’d even cut my hair and change my name”

Ok even if you aren’t a fan of this song, you have to admit it’s pretty cool that a rock star is willing to make fun of himself. Main idea:i’m important, and being a rock star is just like you think it is. But, to attain that status you have to be willing to change everything from your hair to your morals.

8. Ayo Technology– 50 cent featuring Justin Timberlake
“Aayoo
I’m tired of using technology, I need you right in front of me”

That was the cleanest part of this song I could find to put on my blog. The basic premise of this song is some girl has been dancing for some guy over the internet and he wants her in person, ’cause he really REALLY likes her dancing. Main theme: sex. Lots of it.

9. Cyclone– Baby Bash
“She moves her body like a cyclone”

Can’t put much of this one in here either….apparently this very flexible lady is a good dancer. And this “gentleman” really appreciates it. Main theme: sex.

10. Hate that I love You– Rihanna
[Rihanna:]
“You know exactly what to do
So that I can’t stay mad at you
For too long, that’s wrong”

[Ne-Yo:]
“Girl, I hate it
You know exactly how to touch
So that I don’t wanna fuss and fight no more
So I despise that I adore you”

Give me a break. Main theme: we fight a lot, but darn it that pre-marital sex is freakin’ awesome and we should probably stay together until that wears off….maybe that isn’t the main theme, but that’s what I’m getting from it. This is just retarded. Kids, listen to me: don’t stay with someone you fight with all the time. Marriage only complicates whatever you have in the present, it doesn’t make you magically get along. I guess this song could be cute if I thought of it in a positive light, but whatever. I’m in a cynical place today.

Let’s recap the main ideas:
Weird.
I want to be famous!
Love is fun!
I don’t forgive you.
I’m important.
Love is fun!
I’m important.
Sex.
Sex.
Sex.

So I hope this was helpful to some of you. It’s always good to keep your finger on the pulse of the culture.

Ok, so here I’d like to say that my ideas are mine only and may not be shared by RidgePoint Church or any of its affiliates. This post is not meant to offend or shock anyone…I’m merely throwing out there what your kids are listening to, what I’m hearing the few times my ipod isn’t in the car…it’s what the world listens to on their way to work. If you love these songs, don’t send me hate mail for picking them apart. I like some of them myself, but when you break them down for moral commentary…well…ya can’t really argue with content, but feel free to give me your interpretation.

***UPDATE*** Literally 30 seconds after I posted this, the top 10 on iTunes changed after being the same for 3 days, so if you compare my blog is behind. I’ll note for the future and try to keep my post times relevant with iTunes refresh times.

i feel so important!

So, I had my first ever e-mail that said, “Hey! Update your blog! I’m addicted.” (so what if it was a blood relative?) That was pretty exciting to me because unless you leave me comments, I don’t know you’re reading this, and no one likes typing to themselves…

That being said, I have a confession to make. I have a jealousy problem. A big one. I mean, look at me, I’m green.

I am jealous because my boss and 2 of his cronies are at a really cool leadership conference in Georgia called Catalyst. The speakers alone would make it worth the trip, but that’s not really what I’d go for (although I’d love to see Andy Stanley,  Craig Groeschel, Mark Batterson, Reggie Joiner, Rick Warren, and John Maxwell). I want to see the venue, walk around and figure out who’s in charge, and pick their brains. How many workers are there? Are they volunteers or paid? How do they orchestrate everything? Who’s taking care of Andy Stanley? Does he get a fruit basket or something extra special (I’m guessing his rider demands are a banana and a treadmill)? Does each speaker have an assistant that’s provided by Catalyst? What’s the worship like? What’s the time line like? How long have they been planning for this? What’s the cost involved?

I just have a lot of questions. I’m nosy and I like to know things that other people don’t necessarily get to know.  I would also like to go and worship, ’cause it’s hard to find a band better than ours, and when you’re comparing bands (sorry, but I am a musician) you can’t get lost in the worship. That might be a personal thing that I just need to work on.

Anyway, we’re in the middle of a series called RidgePoint Rocks, and when it’s over we’ll move on to our next series called ‘Comfortable.’ I’m working on graphics now, and I would love your feedback and/or ideas for cool things to do.

Here’s what I have so far:
 

I thought it would be fun for this series to fill the sanctuary with LaZboy Recliners and give out popcorn and soda, but there were some budget issues with that. Oh well. TITHE. Oh wait, you are. Our offerings are way up these past 2 weeks.  YAY RPC-ers. Go on with your bad selves.  Still, I don’t think we’ll ever have the budget to fill a sanctuary with lazboys. It was a nice thought though.

So, give me your ideas.

Another reason why I love The Far Side…

I used to do theatre (go ahead and laugh if you need to) and I really loved it. My first college musical was “The Three Penny Opera” and since it was my first “real” production (no offense to my “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” cast members from high school) it holds a very special place in my heart. The song “Mack the Knife” lent me my first solo (it was only one line).

So, when I saw this on my far side calendar I was really happy. Here’s the text:

“In the early days, living in their squalid apartment, all three shared dreams of success. In the end, however, Bob the Spoon and Ernie the Fork wound up in an old silverware drawer, and only Mack went on to fame and fortune.”

Podcasting is sort of complicated…

And the more I learn about it the more confused I get. RSS? Really simple my arse. If arse offends you, please stop reading now and keep it our little secret.

I did get to be on a podcast for the first time today, and that’s pretty freakin’ cool. Justin and Chris Weatherly were putting one together. Chris Weatherly is one of our regular rotation speakers at RPC. He’s young, cool, and really into Jesus. He’s started his own ministry called “The Gutter” out of Avon Park, Fl. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a young person so focused, so sure of what needs to happen, and so determined to make it work. He’s fun to watch.

Anyway, Chris and Justin did kind of a QnA thing about The Gutter and why it’s been created, and I got to record the Intro and Outro…I’ll post a link to it later. I can’t figure out how to do it right now. Gotta be smarter than the machine…

**Update**

If you have itunes, go to Advanced, click ’subscribe to podcast’, and put the following URL in the box: http://www.sermonconnect.com/podcasts.php?church=116831&feedid=20070830090818E8650C

It will automatically download the podcast. Hooray

4.5 hours and counting

It’s on. MarriedLife Live starts at 7:00 tonight, and I’m so pumped! The sanctuary looks awesome, the band is ready, I have a killer outfit. (Sigh). Life is good. So, here we go…

Mr. Potter and taking over the world.

Boy, little fictional creatures sure can cause quite a stir, can’t they? Front page on yahoo AND google, everyone thinks they know the end of the new Harry Potter book. People are going CRAZY about it…if you don’t believe me, check this out. CRAZIES.

Now, if you’re wondering, yes I did try to download the illegal version (unsuccessfully). I would have stayed up all night reading it, as I am a huge fan of J.K. Rowling. And yes, I did think about taking a day off of work just to sit and read the last book all at one time. I’ve done it before (at a different job, of course). I won’t get to this time, but rest assured I’m pretty stoked about reading it.

So, tell me your thoughts? Who gets whacked? Harry, Hermione, or Ron? The countdown is on!

A good read.

My husband bought this book a few weeks ago and he’s been telling me I needed to read it, so yesterday after church I curled up and cracked it open. Four hours later, uplifted and slightly soggy from crying, I put down probably one of the most inspiring stories I’ve heard in a long time. Brian “Head” Welch is the former lead guitarist of Korn. He walked away from fame, money, drugs, and women to see what Christianity was all about, and he was continually blown away by God’s grace and faithfulness.

Sometimes when you read the Bible, the miracles just don’t mean as much. I have a theory that our generation is desensitized to things like walking on water or turning water into wine because of special effects in movies and magicians that can “re-create” these feats.
This book, however, shows how God is performing modern day miracles now, in people’s lives, specifically in Brian’s life. He still screws up: sometimes he uses curse words in the book. But he is so real, and so sincere, I can’t help but recommend that you read his story, Korn fan or not. God can touch you using a tatted up rocker. I see it every week.

that’s entertainment

I’ve decided that I don’t want this blog to be too personal all the time (and it will be, ’cause I’m “emo” as the kids say), so I’ve decided to focus some of my blog energies into finding bad branding examples and showing them to you.

It might be a horrible advertisement, a miss-spelled word (boy, this might come back to bite me in the arse), or just something I find ridiculous.

Issues with this idea:
a) my camera phone is less than 1 mega-pixel, so the pics might turn out very badly; b) I’m not the most observant person you’ve ever met, and my attention span is lessening as I get older (I think my A.D.D. co-workers and husband have somethign to do with this); c) I don’t know all that much about branding, so maybe as I make fun of the bad stuff I see, I’ll see good things too and we can have fun together learning. Imagine.

I think I’ve talked my hubby into letting me buy a palm treo 650 off of eBay, so perhaps my image quality will improve eventually…

Anyway, on to the first picture:

This is from a local pizza restaurant in Auburndale. It’s quite blurry, so I’m going to translate for you:

Please for you safety ( oh come on. proof read.)

No shoeskates allowed (umm…shoeskates? lol)

No skating allowed inside (especially ice skating)

The restaurant

Thank you for your cooperation (no, thank you for your lack of punctuation and CAPS LOCK ISSUES)

Yeah, so considering that it is underlined, caps, italicized, and bold, I’m pretty sure they were mad when this sign was posted.
Darn heathens and their “shoeskates.”

the far side.

So last Christmas, my husband got one of those little desk calendars with “the far side” comics. He gets one every year from his mom.
I stole it…he doesn’t have a desk yet, so he really had no use for it.

Anyway, today’s comic is really funny and really thought provoking and really great for me, a communication major and programming director, to blog about.
Here it is:

Get it? It’s funny, because the devils can’t make him miserable… It made me laugh, then it got me thinking about how hell’s mission is pretty similar to ours. In fact, they probably have a distinct advantage with MTV and all.
The sad part about this comic: they reached the other 2 guys. That’s 66%. In fact, when I drive by 15 dying/dead churches every day on my way to work, I’m thinking it’s probably a much higher percentage. Another sad point: the one guy the devils couldn’t “reach” is still in hell. Chalk 3 up for Satan…he’s kind of sneaky. Maybe the whistling guy didn’t draw pentagrams on his walls and wear black trench coats…maybe he had a bad church experience and was turned off to God forever. Maybe we just missed him. Maybe that guy is you.
Are we listening church? It’s time to be relevant and aggressive. It’s time to step up and better our averages.

I think that’s part of why I love what I do. I hated feeling left out at church…like I wasn’t dressed well enough or “spiritual” enough to even be there. I hated the outdated music and the boring speakers. So when I saw the vision for RPC, a place that could welcome people in jeans/shorts/flip-flops (whatever, just don’t come naked), who knew nothing about the Bible; a place where technology and change and flexibility would be welcomed with open arms, it fired me up. I had to be a part of it. I couldn’t stand to stay away. I’m so glad someone cared enough to make the change. I’m so humbled to be a part of it all.

hasta la vista, miami

So, Sunday after a SPECTACULAR church service, my friend Emma and I jumped in the car and headed for Miami. It’s about a 4 hour drive. The reason, you ask? MIKA! The hottest new artist to not quite yet blow up in the United States! Seriously, if you’re sick of cookie cutter music on the radio, and you like happy music loaded with hidden meanings and thoughts about life, you’ll love Mika. We had a marvelous time at the concert…the venue was gorgeous. We were literally like 2 feet from the stage. Mika really performed his tush off (I have pics to prove it) and we were all covered in sweat and danced-out by the time we left. AND we had porn-star parking (pardon the expression) right outside the doors, so it was pretty much the best night I could’ve asked for. Here are pictures!

Back to the church service…check out the 11 AM crowd…they were really into the worship.

Basically, it was a great day.