“Your Man” – Josh Turner

Y’all enjoy yourselves tonight!

Today I am throwing a Galentine’s party for my lady friends (i.e. gal-entine’s…get it!) I got the idea from an episode of the always hilarious Parks&Recreation (anyone who hasn’t seen it, Seasons 1-3 are instant streaming on Netflix. Do it). I thought it sounded like a really fun idea, especially for my single girlfriends, who generally dread the notion of Valentine’s Day, but would rather not consume an entire 2 LB bag of peanut butter M&M’s alone on the couch. In honor of Galentine’s, here’s a totally uncreative song for ladies, because…well…we like to dance to it

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” – Cyndi Lauper

Oh, Paris. What is it about you that makes a girl a-flutter with romance. *sigh* je t’aime

“Si tu vois ma mere” – Sidney Bechet

Today you get a double dose of the Reverend Al Green*, because one song just isn’t enough.

For the lonely hearts…

“I’m So Tired of Being Alone” – Al Green

…and the full ones…

“Let’s Stay Together” – Al Green

*Rev. Green is a long-time Shelby Forest resident, just a hopskipandajump from where I grew up in Shake Rag, TN. One year, he appeared on the cover of the local telephone company phonebook, clad in a full-length fur coat, arm around a curly-haired Justin Timberlake at the height of his NSYNC fame. They sold out of phonebooks that year.

I unabashedly love this song. It’s like pink cotton candy: light, sweet, and makes you feel like a teenager.

“Here In Your Arms” – Hellogoodbye

Be my youth, my kissing booth, my little sweet tooth, my beauty and truth

“Be My Thrill” – The Weepies

I’m not usually a fan of jazz, but this song sets such a great mood. It will take you to Manhattan without a plane ticket.

“Blue In Green” – Miles Davis

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Leading up to the BIG DAY, I’ll be posting a daily Valentine. Basically, it’s an excuse to share songs I like that happen to have romantic overtones. And here goes Number 1!

My Funky Valentine
“Come and Get Your Love” – Redbone

I’m dedicating My Funky Valentine to my dear parents, who met and married in 1974 (a year my mother deemed so good that, to this day, she mistakenly dates her checks ’74). That year, a Native American funk band -the only one I’ve ever heard of- gained popularity with their song “Come and Get Your Love”, and my dad threatened that he would sing it to my mom as she walked down the aisle. Naturally, every time I hear it, it makes me smile.

1) Dare to suck.

Adopt the “dare to suck” approach to songwriting. What I mean by this is don’t let your fear of “what if this isn’t good enough?” stop you from doing something you love. Its really scary to share a song you’ve written with others, because, lets face it, music is subjective and they may not like it! Accept that not everything you write will be amazing, or even good! Don’t let this stop you from writing. The more you write, the more you will be able to fine-tune your craft. Allow yourself the freedom to “suck” and keep right along writing, recording, and sharing your music with others.

2) Find an advocate.

Every artist needs an advocate, a person who will encourage you and won’t let you be anything less than your best. This does not have to be a fellow writer, just someone whose musical opinion you respect and trust. When you drift off into your “dramatic writer cloud” (which we all do!) and feel like giving up, they can esteem you and bring you back to reality.

3) Refuse to compete.

Don’t engage in competition with other writers. Let me say this again: DO. NOT. COMPETE. Boy, have I had a hard time learning this one! So many young musicians (and, unfortunately, older ones too) spend a lot of fruitless time and energy “jockeying for position”. This is a trap! Comparison truly is the thief of joy. You are not competing with anyone but yourself. Try to be the best writer than YOU can be and strive to continually improve. Let the last thing you wrote be your measuring stick, not the resumes of other writers or performers. You will be SO much more happy and fulfilled in your art if you refuse to compete. I am still preaching this one to myself!