Life On Shuffle 08.26.10: Michael Jackson, Beastie Boys, Wale, Aaliyah

Posted by Julian Williams on 08.26.2010

We've got pop icons, hip-hop legends and fallen R&B princesses in this week's edition of Life On Shuffle. What else could you possibly want you greedy bastards? Click the link!

Happy Thursday folks and welcome to another sweet edition of Life On Shuffle. I'm sure you all know the rules by now. I set the iPod on shuffle, pick the first 8 songs and then rate & review them. Simple as pie. Not exactly rocket science. Let's do this thing!


Song #1: Sure Shot – Beastie Boys



There are a few artists that whenever a song of theirs appear on my iPod, I know there's no chance I'm skipping it. The Beastie Boys are one of those artists. They just continuously make entertaining music that is easy to listen to repeatedly. The thing about The Beasties is that none of them will ever be considered great lyricists. In fact, a good portion of their lyrics are usually remedial and unimaginative. But what makes their songs so good is the energy that they bring to them. You can be the greatest lyricist who ever lived, but if you don't have the right amount of energy to connect with an audience, nobody will ever care about you. The Beasties display their energy perfectly on "Sure Shot" which is ironically one of my least favorite Beastie songs and yet I can never turn away from it. It's just a great song that makes you want to jump all over the place like a damn fool whether you're a teenage boy or a retired grandma.
Rating: ***1/2
Status: SAVED




Song #2: Boys Will Be Boys – Panic At The Disco



Panic At The Disco is one of those bands that I want to hate, but can't. From their lead singer who I want to punch in their face to their desperate attempt to be a modern day version of The Beatles, everything about this band irks me. And yet, I like a lot of their songs. A lot more than I'd like to admit. This song I'm on the fence about, though. Sometimes I listen to it and I dig it. Other times, I reach for the skip button almost immediately. So with this song, it honestly depends on my mood for the day whether I want to keep it or not. It's an alright song. Brandon Urie does his usual whiny shtick here and the music is pretty entrancing. It sucks you in and although you want to skip it, you can't help but to listen for a little longer. I'm pretty sick of listening to it, though. It's not a bad song. It's just not a very good one. No room on my iPod for songs I'm iffy about. Get it out of here!
Rating: **1/2
Status: DELETED




Song #3: 90210 - Wale



In the latest flux of new MC's, Wale seems to get lost in the shuffle. He doesn't have the popularity of Drake or the lyricism of J. Cole or the weirdness of Kid Cudi, but Wale does have is a unique storytelling ability. He's able to paint a vivid portrait through his words to let his listeners understand exactly what he's talking about. In this song, he talks about a girl who's obsessed with fitting into the glamorized and wealthy lifestyle of Beverly Hills. Whether it takes plastic surgery, sleeping around, or being bulimic, she'll do anything to be part of the in-crowd. The great thing about this song is that everything Wale says is completely true. There really are people out there who are so obsessed with fame and fortune that they will literally do anything to attain it. The breezy beat fits Wale's laid-back approach easily and it feels like you're listening to a friend telling you a story. Great song by a great up-and-coming artist.
Rating: ****
Status: SAVED




Song #4: Bad Girlfriend – Theory Of A Deadman



Think you've had one or two bad girlfriends in your past? Theory Of A Deadman beg to differ. Honestly, the titular girlfriend doesn't sound to bad. After all, she likes to party, get drunk and have non-stop sex. Sounds like any red-blooded man's dream right? Except for the fact that she is an uncontrollable flirt who seems to exist only to get you as angry as possible. Not so fun. I think we've all had girlfriends in the past who have driven us crazy (and maybe a few of you unfortunate souls are still dealing with one). This song is an anthem for you poor, poor bastards. Just resist the urge to f*ck her again. Because then you'll never get rid of her.
Rating: ***
Status: SAVED




Song #5: We Need A Resolution – Aaliyah ft. Timbaland



It's kind of strangely fitting that I would get an Aaliyah song for this week's list seeing how this week marks the 9th anniversary of her tragic death. Aaliyah was a great talent who made some of the most enjoyable R&B songs of the late 90's and early 00's. The real tragic part about her death is that Aaliyah didn't even reach her prime yet. Although she was a vet in the industry since she was signed as a teenager, she was just beginning to hit her stride and release some truly great songs when she met her untimely demise at age 22. "We Need A Resolution" is a perfect example of the work that Aaliyah was beginning to put out n her more mature age. No longer was she making songs trying to be grown and assertive as she did when she was a teenager. Now, she was fully grown and that confidence shone through on her songs. "We Need A Resolution" is a song for all those couples who go through arguments, whether big or small, and the need to come to a resolution rather than just brushing it off. Aaliyah came across as a strong, assertive young women in this song rather than a young girl trying to act as an adult. I really envisioned big things for Aaliyah and felt that she had all the necessary tools to become the next big pop star. Unfortunately, we never got to see if that prediction would have come to fruition. At least we have great songs like this to remember her by, but it still doesn't take away from the sting of such a talented artist being taken away so soon.
Rating: ****
Status: SAVED




Song #6: Butterflies – Michael Jackson



I think this song is probably the most underrated song of Michael Jackson's career. Of course we all now the heavy hitters like "Bad", "Thriller", "Man In The Mirror", "Rock With You", "Remember The Time", "Smooth Criminal", etc. But this is a song that I rarely hear people mention when talking about him and for the life of me I cannot understand why they omit this beautiful song. Maybe it's because this song came out during the later stages of Michael's career when many fans had abandoned him and he had become more of a punchline than a musical icon. Or maybe it's because people were so busy trashing the Invincible album (which I still think was pretty damn good), that they wouldn't admit that such a great song as this one was on it. Whatever the reason may be, it's criminal that this song isn't mentioned more often. It's such a beautiful song about how one feels when they meet that perfect mate for them. People always rave about MJ's dancing moves, but he always had a beautiful singing voice which is on full display here. This song literally gives me goosebumps when I listen to it sometimes. It's such a great song and I hope that people will begin to appreciate this song more as time goes by.
Rating: ****1/2
Status: SAVED




Song #7: Metal Health – Quiet Riot



BANG YOUR HEAD!! Yup, this is definitely a guilty pleasure song. Everytime it pops up on my iPod, I feel ashamed and feel like I should delete it. But within 30 seconds, I'm banging my head and rockin' out. There's just something about this song that's so distinctively cheesy and yet, you can't deny it. That's actually a recurring theme for most 80's band. Many people like to sh*t on the hair metal era and act as though it only produced crap music, but nothing could be further from the truth. A good portion of those songs are some of the most catchy and recognizable rock songs ever. Are they a little corny? Sure. But are they instantly replayable and fun? Yup. "Metal Health"definitely fits that criteria and you should not hang your head in shame if you want to throw on some leather pants and a cut-off shirt to rock out to this. Ok, maybe you should feel a little ashamed.
Rating: ***
Status: SAVED




Song #8: Vivrant Thing – Q-Tip



Honestly, I have fond memories of this song more because of its video than the song itself. Don't get me wrong, I love the song. Great beat, nice lyrics, awesome vibe. There isn't much to dislike about the song. But as a horny teenager, the video for this song was the greatest thing I had ever seen. It consists of nothing but big breasted women dancing around for absolutely no reason. And there is nothing wrong with that. So while this song is certainly a damn good song that could get any party started, I think the thing you will remember most about it is its video. Don't believe me? Watch the video below and then tell me if you remember the song or the video more after watching it. I'll wait.
Rating: ***1/2
Status: SAVED

Q-Tip - Vivrant ThingUploaded by universalmusicdeutschland. - Explore more music videos.


The Log-Off

7 Saves and 1 Deletion this week. Pow! Take that shuffle gods! Be sure to leave your own shuffle lists and come back next week to see if I give another ass-beating to the shuffle gods. Until then, go wash your ass!




Amerie bids you adieu