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About This Author
I am SoCalScribe. This is my InkSpot.
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Blogocentric Formulations
Logocentric (adj). Regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (especially applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics).
Sometimes I just write whatever I feel like. Other times I respond to prompts, many taken from the following places:
Thanks for stopping by! 
February 28, 2014 at 4:30pm February 28, 2014 at 4:30pm
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DAY 28
Song: "Wavin' Flag"
Artist: K'Naan
Album: Troubadour (2009)
So anyone who follows soccer is probably familiar with this song. Even though it was originally written for Somalia citizens as an anthem about their aspirations for freedom, it was picked up and popularized as a theme song for many different occasions including, most notably, the last FIFA World Cup (2010) and for the relief efforts in Haiti following their massive earthquake.
The lyrics are a powerful call to action, reposted her from Azlyrics.com:
[Chorus:]
When I get older
I will be stronger
They'll call me 'Freedom'
Just like a wavin' flag
And then it goes back, and then it goes back
And then it goes back, and then it goes...
Born to a throne, stronger than Rome
But violent-prone, poor people zone,
But it's my home, all I have known,
Where I got grown, streets we would roam
Out of the darkness, I came the farthest
Among the hardest survival
Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat
[Bridge:]
So we strugglin'
Fightin' to eat
And we wonderin'
When we'll be free
So we patiently wait
For that fateful day
It's not far away,
But for now we say:
[Chorus]
So many wars, settlin' scores,
Bringing us promises, leaving us poor,
I heard them say, love is the way
Love is the answer, that's what they say
But look how they treat us, make us believers
We fight their battles, then they deceive us
Try to control us, they couldn't hold us
'Cause we just move forward like Buffalo soldiers
[Bridge]
[Chorus]
This has been such a fantastic blogging activity this month (special thanks to lizco252 for putting it together!), I wanted to end it on a high note, with a song (well, two songs if you count the one from yesterday too: "I could really use a wish right now, wish right now"  ) that embody the human spirit for aspiring to something greater. As writers, whether we're bloggers, novelists, essayists, journalists, lyricists, screenwriters, or whatever... we have the power to create something with our words. We have the power to shape a reader's perspective and, in addition to entertain, to communicate with them about issues we think are important. Don't let that opportunity go to waste. As we've seen and heard in the songs that have been posted all month, there's a real opportunity to create something that has real significance and lasting effect. |
February 28, 2014 at 4:14pm February 28, 2014 at 4:14pm
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DAY 27
Song: "Airplanes"
Artist: B.o.B. featuring Hayley Williams
Album: B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray (2010)
I'll admit that I'm partial to this song because I really, really like the band Paramore and the song features their lead singer Hayley Williams. The other reason this song is so resonant for me is because I found it at a time in my life where I was unemployed, having a hard time finding a job, and wondering if my decision to work in a difficult industry like the entertainment business was worth it. I really identified with the idea of wanting a wish so I could go back to a simpler time when it wasn't always about the glitz and glamour and money.
More importantly, though, is that even B.o.B. is singing about the music - and specifically rap - industry, the lyrics are remarkably relevant to any creative endeavor, including writing. Here are the lyrics courtesy of Azlyrics.com:
[Chorus: Hayley Williams]
Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky are like shooting stars?
I could really use a wish right now
Wish right now
Wish right now
Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars?
I could really use a wish right now
Wish right now
Wish right now
[Verse 1: B.o.B]
Yeah, I could use a dream or a genie or a wish
To go back to a place much simpler than this
'Cause after all the partyin' and smashin' and crashin'
And all the glitz and the glam and the fashion
And all the pandemonium and all the madness
There comes a time where you fade to the blackness
And when you starin' at that phone in your lap
And you're hopin' but them people never call you back
But that's just how the story unfolds
You get another hand soon after you fold
And when your plans unravel in the sand
What would you wish for if you had one chance?
So airplane, airplane, sorry I'm late
I'm on my way so don't close that gate
If I don't make that then I'll switch my flight
And I'll be right back at it by the end of the night
[Chorus: Hayley Williams (B.o.B)]
Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky are like shooting stars? (Shooting stars)
I could really use a wish right now (Wish right now)
Wish right now (Wish right now)
Wish right now (Wish right now)
Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars? (Shooting Stars)
I could really use a wish right now (Wish right now)
Wish right now (Wish right now)
Wish right now (Wish right now)
[Verse 2: B.o.B]
Yeah, yeah, somebody take me back to the days
Before this was a job, before I got paid
Before it ever mattered what I had in my bank
Yeah, back when I was tryin' to get a tip at Subway
And back when I was rappin' for the hell of it
But nowadays we rappin' to stay relevant
I'm guessin' that if we can make some wishes outta' airplanes
Then maybe yo maybe I'll go back to the days
Before the politics that we call the rap game
And back when ain't nobody listen to my mixtape
And back before I tried to cover up my slang
But this is for the hater, what's up Bobby Ray?
So can I get a wish
To end the politics
And get back to the music
That started this shit?
So here I stand and then again I say
I'm hopin' we can make some wishes outta' airplanes
[Chorus: Hayley Williams (B.o.B)]
Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky are like shooting stars? (Shooting stars)
I could really use a wish right now (Wish right now)
Wish right now (Wish right now)
Wish right now (Wish right now)
Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars? (Shooting stars)
I could really use a wish right now (Wish right now)
Wish right now (Wish right now)
Wish right now (Wish right now)
[Outro: B.o.B {Hayley Williams}]
I could really use a wish right now {oh, oh-oh oh}
I-I-I could really use a wish right now
Like, like, like shootin' stars {oh, oh... oh}
I-I-I-I could really use a wish right now
A wish, a wish right now
{A wish right now}
I can't speak for everyone, but there are definitely times in my life where I'm bouncing from project to project, hustling for a paycheck, taking endless meetings, grinding away on one project after another hoping something finally comes together and breaks out... and times where I need to be reminded that writing wasn't always about getting paid for it, or writing something for the largest possible audience. Sometimes I need to write because I love it and write because I have something to say. Sometimes I have to write without a head full of all the logistics and strategies and plans for what to do with it.
Sometimes, I think we have to write just for the sake of the writing itself, and forget all the other background noise.
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February 28, 2014 at 3:45pm February 28, 2014 at 3:45pm
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DAY 26
Song: "Here I Go Again"
Artist: Whitesnake
Album: Saints & Sinners (1982)
When I was growing up, my best friend lived in a housing community just down the street. We went to elementary school, junior high, and high school together before his parents eventually decided to move. His dad was a very, very successful technology engineer/executive and decided at one point to cash out and "retire" to a consulting position that didn't require so much time in the office. Since he was no longer required to live in the town where he grew up, he and his wife bought a huge house on a lake several hours away. (My friend stayed in town to finish out high school since this was during his senior year.) Anyway, long story short, they bought a large house in a very exclusive lakefront community where several celebrities and VIPs lived... including the lead singer of Whitesnake.
My friend invited a few of us up to the house for a weekend one time and his stepmother, in honor of their new neighbor, blasted this song as we arrived at their housing development. My friend, who only really listens to classical music, was mortified and said, "She does this every single time." Everyone else thought it was hilarious, and now that it's a few years later, I can't help but wonder if she was the exact person Bowling for Soup wrote their song "1985" for. Here's that video and pay special attention to the lyrics from about 0:30-0:45:
 I love that video because it's also great to watch it and try to figure out all the videos they're spoofing.
Anyway, an interesting fact about Whitenake's song is that the chorus to the original version was:
An' here I go again on my own
Goin' down the only road I've ever known,
Like a hobo I was born to walk alone
An' I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time
The lyrics were later changed, though, to the now-familiar:
An' here I go again on my own
Goin' down the only road I've ever known,
Like a drifter I was born to walk alone
An' I've made up my mind
I ain't wasting no more time
Lead singer David Coverdale attributed the change to the fact that he didn't want people to misinterpret the lyrics and think he was saying "homo" instead of "hobo."
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February 28, 2014 at 3:22pm February 28, 2014 at 3:22pm
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DAY 25
Song: "Miss Invisible"
Artist: Marie Digby
Album: Unfold (2008)
Even though she was originally known for posting an acoustic version of Rihanna's "Umbrella" on YouTube (video below), my favorite song from singer/songwriter Marie Digby is "Miss Invisible" from her debut album.
Fun fact about this song: it actually helped get her career started, as she wrote it for a vocal competition (that she went on to win) which had a grand prize that included the services of a music producer and money to help pay for recording time and performances. Since her debut album she's released several others and has never really made much of a splash on any charts or anything, but I've always found something soothing (and a little sad) about her voice, especially on this song.
I actually discovered this song during one of my past jobs where my company shared office space with a music attorney. I saw a poster of her album cover on the wall and told him I really liked her cover of "Umbrella," which was the only song I had heard at the time. He told me to check out her album, and I wasn't disappointed, especially by this song!
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