I have been working on a new Listen post dedicated to a new favorite song (clue: it’s a new Foo Fighters song), but I’m setting that love letter aside momentarily. Why? I’m also mentally preparing for the Seoul trip with my family. Sure, the essentials have been assembled, and my flight attire is ready. But recently (I mean, tonight), I need to psych myself up for the upcoming trip through music, and that means a lot of K-pop.
Oh, yes… that’s a clue to what I listened to recently. With that, I kick off the second edition of The Recently (the newest blog series on The Diary), where I share whatthings I did recently (e.g., what I listened to, what I read).
Yes, you read the title right. And I promise you: there are no rickrolls here.
I definitely enjoyed listening to many Nine Inch Nails songs lately (notably “Every Day is Exactly the Same”, a previous Song of the Moment). But since last weekend, I needed to slowly step out of the darkness and enjoy more light. I enjoyed the light again by listening to upbeat songs ranging from “Walking on the Sun” by Smash Mouth to “Treasure” by Bruno Mars (my ultra-talented doppelgänger, according to many people).
But the most upbeat song that stood out for me is Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”, the most popular song not just in Mr. Astley’s catalog but also on the Internet. Many people have fallen into the rickroll trap, and I’m included on that list. But Internet history aside, I believe it’s one of the best pop songs ever, and I love the fact that the chorus is a written promise of total commitment. Who doesn’t want someone who will never give up on them? Those are the reasons it’s my Song of the Moment.
The music video of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”.
Oh, there’s another reason “Never Gonna Give You Up” is my Song of the Moment: Foo Fighters, my all-time favorite band, performed the song with Astley himself in 2017. Seriously, it happened! Please watch the video below. (And don’t worry, it’s a real live performance, not a rickroll. It’s more of a rickgrohl.)
Not a rickroll… Foo Fighters and Rick Astley really performed “Never Gonna Give You Up”.
I said I would listen to at least one different music artist per week, and last Monday I listened to all of Spice Girls’ studio albums. (Yes, I listen to Spice Girls. Deal with it.) But because January 14 is Dave Grohl’s birthday, I had to set the iconic English girl group aside and listen more to the bands throughout Mr. Grohl’s career – iconic grunge band Nirvana, my favorite band of all time Foo Fighters, and my favorite rock supergroup Them Crooked Vultures.
As I type this, I’m drinking my favorite Jack and Coke Zero while listening to “Mind Eraser, No Chaser”, the second song from Them Crooked Vultures’ self-titled debut (and only) album and my favorite song from them. Mr. Grohl’s team-up with Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin is mind-blowing. I hope they will reunite and make another record.
An audio of Them Crooked Vultures’ “Mind Eraser, No Chaser”.
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