The Long Way Home

I took the long way home on Sunday. It was a beautiful day in central Ohio, hot but not not hell-like. Eighty-seven degrees with a wonderful breeze; the sun helping my skin to darken to a deep cappuccino color. After weeks of being part of a duo (with Baby K) twenty-four/seven, I finally escaped the house... ALONE. By myself. I barely knew what to do! Even though I was by myself, I still had shit to do... so I clipped some digital coupons and went to the grocery store. (I'm fancy like that).

I jumped in hubs' car, backed out of the garage and drove away from the brick and buttercup colored fortress that I had been holed up in for the last few weeks. Our house is comfortable, very comfortable, but I was happy to see it in the rear view mirror! After weeks of being in a chilly air conditioned house, I rolled down the windows and let the breeze blow through my hair. Best thing about hubs' car? Satellite radio with a 90s channel. A 90s music channel, y'all.

Now, I don't really know what happened on my ride. Now-a-days getting alone time is a high. I remember that my hand was out the window, making peaks and valleys as the wind blew it up and down; my music was loud and during my singalong I did NOT use my inside voice. At one point 3AM by Matchbox 20 was on and there is NO WAY y'all could convince me that I was not matching Rob Thomas in vocals and intensity. Listen... that crosswalk has never seen anyone like me before. Hold on- I just started humming that song again.

When I tell you that I am the QUEEN of 90s music, I mean it. My high school and college years were filled to the brim with fantastically angsty tunes, now categorized as "classics." I too am a classic. I know all their words, all the beats, all the ad libs. I will school folks who ride shotgun. I feel no shame. Ever. My car concerts can only be described as... EPIC, one of a kind, showstopping, (sometimes) better than the original (not to toot my own horn or anything). I'm quite good, especially with the music of my teenaged years). Cue that Tonic song "If you could only see the way she loves me, then maybe you would understand." YES!! I needed that time away-- and I needed those tunes. I needed to be reminded of yesterdays.

If I am being honest, this year has been trying. I have been so busy volunteering, mom-ing and wife-ing that I have been dragged away from being me. I have been lax with the things that relax me- reading, writing and acting a fool. I have just been all over the place, pulled in a million different directions and you know what? Sometimes life is just like that. Little Lady K is growing, prospering and being kind, hubs has new work shit to talk about, but me? I have been experiencing Groundhog Day in different outfits. My days look the same, my nights are long because someone is rejecting a sleep schedule (in the name of Jesus). But this has to stop. I need to get back to being well rounded. I need books. I need this blog as an outlet. So, I have decided to get back on my shit. Less Facebook... more writing. I took the long way, but here I am. Home.

Soulful Saturday - Kid N Play

Annnnnnnnnnd, I'm back. It was fun taking the summer off. Baby K is getting big and sleeping through the night... mostly. Thankfully. I was a little crazy there for a while; it was like having a Betsy Wetsy doll that cried and slept in 15 minute intervals. But here I am... hopefully on the other side of that craziness. So what have I been doing this last month? Watching the news, watching the clusterfuck that is politics in America and listening to good music! We have also been galavanting all over the city... and hopefully those adventures will be covered in a "what I did on my summer vacation" post a little later.

Baby K and I were on our way to a meet up this morning and early 90s music was on the radio. Since I still remembered ALL the words, I figured that maybe I should feature some early 90s music on this Soulful Saturday. Here we go... Kid N Play. OMG. It is so weird to post videos from Kid N Play because they are so... mature now. Mature, meaning they are older than hubs in real life. Mature, meaning they are now above the age of 50. Holy shit! LOL Regardless, back in the late 80s, early 90s Kid N Play were EVERYWHERE. They had records, movies (House Party, anyone?), cartoons and clothing lines. I do mean they were everywhere. I had the LARGEST crush on Play. Like, whoa. Mrs. Christopher Martin. HA! Remember when you used to write your name like you were married to someone who didn't even know you? Oh, just me? Moving on...

Their music was fun. The House Party movies were hilarious... the girls were cute, hair was big, lycra clothing was... abundant. Their music (now and then) is exactly what you need to get your Saturday moving along-- and that is exactly what it helped me do this morning. Enjoy!!


Rollin With Kid N Play




Ain't Gonna Hurt Nobody



Back to Basix



**Just in case you missed the infamous House Party Rap Battle...**

Soulful Sunday - PM Dawn

Damn, the deaths that have happened in 2016 have been unrelenting. Y'all. I am not going to get over losing Prince and the deaths just keep coming. I think that one of the reasons I am so affected is because these folks are so close to my age. Like, I grew up listening to them... going through formative years TOGETHER with them. Take, for instance, this latest loss: Prince Be. Lead singer for PM Dawn. He was 46 years old. My husband is older than that. I am dangerously flirting with turning 40. These are my peers that are passing away. That shit, by itself, is disturbing. Scary. Add in that his music guided me through high school, y'all can see why I am extra upset.

Most folks know about PM Dawn because they were on the soundtrack to the movie Boomerang. That soundtrack made lots of folks famous. I remember when I heard "I'd Die Without You" when watching that movie... man. I had to find out ASAP who was putting out those melodies. Hearing these three featured songs always takes me back to 1991/1992. I was a freshman in high school... and trust me, that is enough explanation. Fourteen years old, trying to figure out love songs. Hot mess.

Music is funny, right? It allows the musician to put themselves ALL THE WAY out there. You don't have to accept who they are-- that is the beauty of differing musical tastes. Prince Be totally flew his "freak flag." I mean, this was the early 90s, folks were not wearing silk hoodies and lace over their eyes, making slow jams with their brother AND the guy whose music they sampled. These songs are beautiful. This is real R&B. Real hip hop. Here is to hoping that Prince Be rests peacefully.


Set Adrift On Memory Bliss I'd Die Without You Looking Through Patient Eyes

Soulful Sunday - Divas of Rap

I often say that I don't like rap music. That isn't necessarily true... I don't like rap music of today. Because it sucks. The end. LOL. No, really, rap music of today does not hold a candle to rap of the 80s and 90s. As Momma Hot, Black and Bitter would say, I'm just not into that "slap your momma, kill your daddy" music. I also can't be down with music where the n word is thrown around, every other word. Can.Not.Do.It. That isn't just nostalgia or my age, honestly. I like(d) the empowerment of the early rap... and the ability to actually UNDERSTAND the lyrics. It was about beats but mostly artists wanted you to be able to HEAR and get what they were saying. Generally what they were saying was 1. get your shit together or 2. they were the best in the business-- and I can get behind both sentiments. They regularly sampled from GREAT music, often touched on pertinent social issues and (generally) had clothes on in videos. Miracle, right? The window for good rap music was the 80s through the year I graduated from high school (1996). After that, the decline was fast and real (sad face). Here are a few rap divas from a time when rap was played on my discman-- that was not that long ago. If the discman was long gone before you were born, sit back and listen to some real rap!


YoYo - You Can't Play With My YoYo

**So listen to my Y-O, here's my bio and next to me, you're not fly, no!**






Monie Love - It's A Shame (My Sister)

**You've been kissed, dissed, listed as a dumb one-- I hope he likes sad songs, he's gonna hum one** NOTE: I want to post this song for some of y'all after I read your Facebook posts... let it go, girl.



MC Lyte - Poor Georgie

**If you love someone you should say it often. You never know when they'll be layin' in a coffin**


Salt N Pepa - Expression

**I'm not a man, but I'm in command; Hot damn, I got an all girl band**




Queen Latifah - U.N.I.T.Y

**Since he was with his boys he tried to break fly. I punched him dead in his eye and said, "Who you calling a bitch?"**

Soulful Saturday - Quincy Jones

By the time you read this post, I will be on my way back to work. Working six days a week blows, no matter how you slice it. People have been telling me that all this work is good... for my bank account, and it is. But it is bad for my sanity. Money is great, but not if you don't have time to spend it.

One night, I was on my way home from work and I heard one of my favorite songs 'Secret Garden' - a collaboration put together by Quincy Jones. Yes, he is more than just Rashida Jones' father... Y'all, I did a little research and it seems that when I wasn't paying attention, Mr. Jones turned 80!! Wow, ok that has no bearing on his music and I know that he has been around for a while, I just had no idea that he was 80. But, I digress.  Quincy Jones has worked with the best of the best in the music industry (read: Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, The Brothers Johnson, Chaka Kahn, Tevin Campbell, Michael Jackson, Patti Austin, Lena Horne and Sarah Vaughan - just to name a few) for decades and the expertise that he has shows in the final product. Amazing!! If you are reading this Soulful Saturday, watch out- what comes next is REAL music that will make your life right! ;)

Tomorrow

*Um, I love Tevin Campbell (see his Soulful Saturday for the evidence). For real. I love him. This was the first time I heard his voice and I was lovestruck immediately. What a great talent. Plus we are around the same age. He is 11 in this video. Digest that!
*Quicy Jones is the chorus director in this video. He is a precious little man.




The Secret Garden

*Side note: Seriously, how CAN a slow song go wrong when Barry White and James Ingram are singing? Add the lovely light brites Al B. Sure and El DeBarge and you have slow song genius. I dare you to object!
* PS- the title alone... I can NOT handle it!




Just Once 

*Bet you didn't know this was a Quicy Jones song! Again, James Ingram = slow song gold.




You Put A Move On My Heart

*Yes, that is Grant Hill's wife... and Quicy Jones makes a couple of appearances in this video also!

Soulful Saturday - Toni Braxton

Soulful Saturdays have been heavy on the male artists lately, so I've decided to switch it up a bit. So this week's feature is the Queen of all break up songs- Toni Braxton. She has more than break up songs... kinda. But, I have this very vivid memory of my freshman year in college (1996)living in the all girls dorm. The girl directly across the hall played Un-break My Heart for HOURS on repeat after her boyfriend broke up with her. Wow... and that is how TB got the distinction (from me) as the Queen of break up songs.
Truthfully she has an awesome voice and seems so down to Earth on Twitter. I haven't seen her on tv (Braxton Family Values, Dancing with the Stars, etc) so I am not sure how she comes across, but musically- she comes across as a woman who has been through whatever you are going through... and I love it! :)

He Wasn't Man Enough
Anthem for all. Love, love, love it!!



Another Sad Love Song
This video had scored of women headed to the shop to get their hair cut off. Can't lie- I totally had a Toni Braxton hairdo in high school!!



Just Be A Man About It
O_o I have wanted to say this to more than a few exes. SMH. When will they learn? "You don't got to lie to me..."
Favorite lyrics: "Where the hell do you get off, telling me your mama said I'm not what you need? Tell your mama since she knows it all, that's where you need to be." ;)



I Don't Want To



Un Break my Heart
Who could forget 1) Tyson (Oh dear Lord, that man is too fine!!) and 2) that white dress?? This video has eye candy for men AND women!!

Soulful Saturday - Mint Condition

A group that has been on the scene for 20 years? Ballads that can make me cry? A fantastic R&B group from the midwest? Yes, please! This group from St. Paul, Minnesota has been rocking my world since they first came out. They remind me of old time bands because they do EVERY thing. They have a real drummer,a real guitar player, a singer who can actually sing. You catch my drift, right? Love it.

The first song that I heard from them was Pretty Brown Eyes. How is it that they reeled me in with the title? Oh yes, because I have Pretty Brown Eyes! :)



You Don't Have To Hurt No More



U Send Me Swinging



Forever In Your Eyes



What Kind of Man Would I Be?

Favorite, favorite, favorite!!!

Soulful Saturday- Whitney

There are only a few superstars that can go by ONE name. Prince, Cher, Aretha and Whitney are the first four that come to my mind. Whitney is a super hot mess right now, with people walking out of her concerts, alleged drug abuse, her crazy ass ex-husband, family fights, etc. But above and beyond ALL that, Whitney can SING. Say whatyou want about her personal craziness, but that chick has a voice that does.not.stop. If she wants to be crazy on her own time, I'll just have to pop in a tape of her early stuff and sing and dance around. I've been doing that while pulling up these videos! LOL Whatever!! :) Get ready for the 80s hair! Woo hoo, Whitney! Get it girl!

Didn't We Almost Have It All?


All The Man I Need


I Will Always Love You


Saving All My Love For You



Heartbreak Hotel

Soulful Saturday- 112

Hailing from Atlanta, 112 was one of the many 90s boy groups. They came around the mid to late 90s, so they were right at the beginning of the whole video girl era that I dislike. Even in one of the featured videos below there are women on stripper poles *sigh*... Even though that makes me give them a side eye, they were (are) talented. Even though they were associated with Bad Boy Entertainment and produced by Sean P. Diddy (or whatever he has made up this week) Combs, they can sing. They had the dance moves down and the guy "Slim" had range. I liked it... they are on my iPod, I am not ashamed to admit! :) Their songs are very suggestive-- but unlike today, they don't say everything. Just innuendo, strong innuendo! LOL What's funny is I have a very vivid memory about the members of 112... Picture this: Columbus Ohio 1995. hahaha- seriously!! We were at Northland Mall, which I don't think is around anymore. Momma Mox and I were shopping and in comes all four members of 112, who were in town for a concert. Holy crap!! I talked to them (of course) and got a hug from Slim. We were leaving the store and Momma Mox was giving me a lecture about hugging random guys I don't know. I think it went something like this: "412, 112, I don't care- you don't know where he has been!" LOL Gosh, I love that woman!!

Cupid


Peaches and Cream :) (This is a song about... adult situations!)
*So sweet I can't forget, so good girl, you make me sweat.
*I can see you over there, just chilling with your girlfriends. Can't believe you're by yourself, you should be here with me, chilling with me, drinking with me, freaking with me...



It's Over Now
*Baby, it's a shame we gotta go through this. We can't even talk, girl we don't even kiss. I never would have thought we'd be breaking up like this, but it's over now.



Anywhere
-Another suggestive song, but really how cool do they sound now, singing about doing it on a water bed? LOL
*I wanna talk back to her, make love to her. I wanna hear you scream my name.
*We can make love in the bedroom, floating on top of my water bed; I'm kissing you, running my fingers through your hair. In the hallway, making our way beside the stairs;
*I can love you in the shower, both of our bodies dripping wet; On the patio, we can make a night you won't forget; On the kitchen floor as I softly pull your hair. We can do it anywhere... (gasp)

Soulful Saturday- Shai

These four young men from Howard University burst on the music scene my freshman year of high school and made me anxious to get to a college campus ASAP!! Seriously, musically talented guys on a college campus-- love it! I immediately fell for the tallest guy in the group (until I found his name was Garfield-- whatever, I was 14, and truthfully Garfield is NOT a flattering name). There seemed to be a working formula in the early 90s- guy groups, four members, harmonies, and slow love songs. Yep, I loved it! Remember Soul For Real, The Boys, Mint Condition and half of the groups on Soulful Saturday. Whatever that formula was exactly, I wish they would revive it... there is only so much nonsense I can listen to on the radio!! Below is one of the early 90s boy bands at their best!

If I Ever Fall In Love (Acapella)




Baby, I'm Yours
*Realize girl, that my faith is kinda torn.
*Watch your step- cuz my heart is weak and worn.
*Baby, I'm Yours



Comforter (My Favorite Shai Song)
**This song should remind everyone that when you take your loved one for granted, there is always someone willing to comfort them... permanently. Stay on your "A" game.**

*Lay down and tell me what's on your mind- what exactly did he do to make you cry this time?
*When you're in pain, I'm in pain- that's part of being a friend
*I don't mean to disregard your feelings, but I think that he's a fool-- he don't know how sensitive you are, and baby that just ain't cool.



Come With Me
*I'm turning to you, because you always seem to know what to do...
*I call on my only true friend in the world, my girl.

Soulful Saturday- Boyz II Men

It may be a little cliche that I waited until February to post Boyz II Men for a Soulful Saturday, but hey, I *might* be a little cliche! :)
This super group made some serious (SERIOUS) baby making music in the 90s!! I remember going to Toledo with my church youth group and buying the tape at the mall, getting our chaperon to put the tape in (without looking at it) and singing along to "I'll Make Love to You" for exactly ONE minute before said chaperon realized what was going on and promptly removed the tape from the deck. That was an amazing song (plus I had a huge crush on Duane Martin, who is in the video-- those thick lips *sigh*).
Boyz II Men songs hold a special place in my heart and the hearts of most people that were coming of age in the early 90s. From Motown Philly to End of the Road, our teenage imaginations were set ablaze by the harmonies of these four guys. Talk about pouring your heart out to someone... OMG!! Still Amazing... wish they were touring, because I would certainly grab a ticket or two for a show!

**Note: I have omitted a song from this entry. "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" is one of my favorite Boyz II Men songs, however, it was played at my brother-in-law's funeral and I have yet to be able to play that song since without crying. It is a great song, so please feel free to find it online... I just can't do it yet. RIP Daryl**

I'll Make Love To You

*tonight is just your night...
*pour the wine, light the fire, girl, your wish is my command-- I submit to your demands-- I'll do anything, girl you need only ask.
*I'm just gon concentrate on you...



On Bended Knee :)



Four Seasons of Loneliness
*Life's empty without you, by my side... My heart belongs to you, no matter what I try.



End of The Road
*We belong together and you know that I'm right
*Said we'd be forever, said it'd never die
*Although we've come to the end of the road, still I can't let go
*It's so natural, You belong to me, I belong to you
** And watch out for the guy talking** :)

Soulful Saturday- EnVogue

The quintessential 90s female group. Perfect harmony; they sang AND danced. Their songs speak of love, loss and ignorance- which make them perfect for Soulful Saturday! They started out as a quartet and by the end of the decade, they were a threesome, but everyone remembers at least one En Vogue song- if never really mattered if the song was sung by three or four women.

I think that their first released single was their most successful. Hold On featured a remake of the Jackson 5 "Who's Loving You" and was featured in MANY bedroom concerts at my house! I convinced myself that I could even hit the high note... ahem! Moving on! LOL With Hold On, En Vogue burst on the scene, spending the rest of the decade dazzling the public with their relevant and beautifully harmonized songs. They also made the Little Black Dress something that was a staple in ladies closets all over the world- mine included.


Hold On


*Don't waste your time, fighting blind minded thoughts of despair.





Lies


*It's just a waste of time, made for simple minds, so why do people exist on lies?
*So think before you speak cuz what you sow, you reap. The truth will always be brought to light.





Don't Go


*It takes a gift man, to release the love in me.
*Your first bite was just too strong, you left a scar on me.





Free Your Mind

**The WHOLE song**



Too Gone, Too Long (aka one of the front runners in the ULTIMATE Break-Up Collection)

*So you want my love back. Why'd you let it slip away? Why'd you ever let me go? Your change of heart has come too late.
*You're too many tears too late, to ever get back in my arms.



Giving Him Something He Can Feel

**The WHOLE song PLUS the video!**

Soulful Saturday- Jodeci

Another fantastic foursome from the 90s. Two brother groups, who used to sing gospel, get together and form the group Jodeci... musical history was made. Ok, so that is a little more dramatic than I wanted to be, but you get the drift! DeVante made "don't talk, just listen" sound SO super sexy! LOL He was my crush from the group, and he just talked! High top fades were in, and he wore it well!! Sadly, he has not aged well... KCi really made me wish that little skinny men would keep their shirts on, BUT the man can sing! JoJo almost always rocks a Sox hat, which makes him aces with me!

Some of their songs were sexually charged, to say the least, but their harmonies are what love songs *should* be made of. I miss hearing music like this on the radio. Who can't auto-tune die and Jodeci come back?

Stay

*Tonight, let's start our love again.



Feenin

*Take my money, my house and my cars. For one hit of you, you can have it all... *wipes sweat off face* :)



Love U 4 Life

*Will you believe in love, and the promise that it gives? I wanna love you for life, cuz your love is why I live.



Lately

*Far more frequently you're wearing perfume. With, you say, no special place to go. When I ask will you be coming back soon- you don't know.
*I'm a man of many wishes; hope my premonition misses, but I really feel, my eyes won't let me hide-- because they always start to cry...



Forever My Lady

*So you're having my baby.. There's nothing more precious than to raise a family.
*You and I- will never fall apart; You and I- we knew right from the start. The day- we fell so far in love, now our baby is born, so healthy and strong, our dream's a reality.

Soulful Saturday- Tevin Campbell

I often type about how fantastic the music was in the 90s. The 90s were the decade that I entered and graduated from high school, started college, had my first crushes, first loves, first kisses, first heartbreaks.
So, I will admit that 90s music is near and dear to my heart, and the artist of this Soulful Saturday was one of my major musical crushes of the decade. Tevin Campbell. Oh, I was totally feeling him. He is a year older than me, so our "connection" was huge! (Don't laugh at my thoughts from puberty- what I had with Tevin was real!! LOL) He was always such a little gentleman in all his interviews and his songs were just what I needed to hear during the onset of adolescence. He was just SO cute, and he worked with Prince, Quincy Jones and he didn't seem to have the whole "Hollywood" thing going on (he saved his troubled days for his 20s, like normal people!) He did get into some trouble in '99 and as a result he has kinda fallen out of the music scene- as in recording and doing concerts-- but he has been on Broadway, and I am hoping to catch the next show he is in! Texas' own- Tevin Campbell.

Tell Me What You Want Me To Do
Ok- I spent MANY hours in my room "dubbing" this tape from my friend Daniela and singing at the TOP of my lungs. (Much to the horror of my mother-- I'm sure-- when the high note came around-- see 3:28). I can't even tell you how much I loved this song... OMG!! And the jean shirt worn WITH jeans- shut up, that was ultra cool in the early 90s!! Whatever, I loved him anyway. Sing it!!




Brown Eyed Girl
Seeing as how I have brown eyes, clearly, this song is about me!




Can We Talk



Black Men United- You Will Know
True, Tevin is not the only person singing this song, but I can pick his voice out in a millisecond! Isn't it amazing to see R. Kelly in a video BEFORE those unfortunate tapes surfaced, Brian McKnight before his domestic troubles and Gerald Levert alive and well. All kidding aside, it was amazing to see so many Black men come together to attempt to do something about the mounting violence in the community. This is still one of my favorite songs... especially since since this was recording, several of those men are no longer with us.

Soulful Saturday- 90s edition

I look back on the 90s now and treat them like the glory days. I had my first true love, went to prom and graduated from high school all in the 90s- you know, all the stuff that you remember for the rest of your life! Well all those memories have a soundtrack- even if it is inadvertent. You remember the song that was playing the first time your heart is broken, or the song you sang when your name was in the paper for some athletic achievement, or the song that was going through your mind when you gave the graduation speech, got dressed to go to senior prom with the guy that you had always drooled over, hugged your friends goodbye as you trotted off to college, etc. So 90s music was very important to my life soundtrack. It was still GOOD music, too. Groups came out and actually SANG. Yes, this was before voice alteration (Lil Wayne) and before lip syncing everything was cool (Britney Spears). Our music was full of love (as you will see below) and anger (Grunge movement) and everything in between. It was everything and it was all encompassing... The last great music that was made, I contend. Man, I hope making real music will become popular again because top 40, while it makes me dance in the club, does not speak to my soul.

First Up: EnVogue- Giving him Something He Can Feel

Key Lyrics:
*Living in a world of ghetto life; everyone is so uptight, but nothing's wrong- it's all right with my man
*I'm giving him something he can feel, To let him know this love is real.





Mariah Carey- Vision of Love

Please note: Mariah wasn't always a weirdo. She used to be (and look like) the girl next door, not the hooker on the corner. She burst on the scene in 1990 with Vision of Love and was a genuine superstar. She can still sing, but she is so freaking weird now. And pregnancy or not, she ain't ever getting back into this leotard!

Key Lyrics:
*It took so long, still I believed, somehow the one that I needed would find me eventually.
*You treated me kind. Sweet destiny... and I'll be eternally grateful, holding you so close to me.




The Cranberries- Linger
Irish Rock Band- enough said! :)

Key Lyrics:
*I swore, I swore I would be true, but honey, so did you. So why were you holding her hand? Is that the way we stand? Were you lying all the time, was it a game to you?
*You know I'm such a fool for you. You got me wrapped around your finger. Do you have to let it linger?
*Oh, I ... God, do I love you.




Lisa Loeb- Stay

Key Lyrics:
*And I thought what I felt was simple, and I thought that I don't belong.
*You say, I only hear what I want to; I don't listen hard, don't pay attention to the distance that you're running to anyone, anywhere. I don't understand if you really care...
*I turned the radio on, I turned the radio up and this woman was singing my song- lover's in love and the others run away; lover is crying cuz the other won't stay.
*You said that I was naive, and I thought that I was strong.

Soulful Saturday- Fiona Apple Edition

Instead of picking three different artists for Soulful Saturday, I have decided to dedicated this Saturday's edition to Fiona Apple. Haven't heard much from her in a while, but I owned Tidal and I am not afraid to say that she is AMAZING. Maybe it is because she is full of surly delight, or because we are the same ago, or she has figured out the best way to say "F you" in a song about her ex (and guess who I want to dedicate those songs to?) Either way, I rock out to this on the iPod to this day. By the time we were 18 Fiona had made it big with a lovely, sultry voice. She sounded like no one else in 1996, and there are ton of girls that have followed that have used the Fiona Apple formula- one of which is Amy Winehouse (although I do have friends that disagree with that assessment).

First video- her critically acclaimed Criminal. It is a good song, but surprisingly, I do not think it is her best. The 70s scenery in this video is funny, but I love her voice.

Key Lyrics:

* It's a sad, sad world when a girl will break a boy just because she can

* I know tomorrow brings the consequence at hand/ but I keep living this day like the next will never come

Second video Shadow Boxer- like this song better than Criminal... dedicated to... he knows.

Key Lyrics:

* what a cunning way to condescend- once my lover, now my friend.

* darling I just want to say... Just in case I don't pull through. I was on to every play... I just wanted you.

* It is so evil, my love, the way you've no reverence for my concern. So I'll be sure to stay wary of you, love, to save the pain of once my flame and twice my burn.

Third Video- Sleep to Dream. This video kicks ASS!!! The lyrics say exactly what I have wanted to say on several occasions.

Key Lyrics:

* You say love is a hell you cannot bear. I say give me mine back and then go there for all I care.

* This mind, this body and this voice cannot be stifled by your deviant ways. So don't forget what I told you, don't come around- I got my own hell to raise.

* First you run like a fool just to be at my side, now you run like a fool, but you just run to hide and I can't abide.