30 days ~ 30 songs

Music is the only religion that delivers the goods.
~Frank Zappa

I was lucky to find this challenge at Art Expedition just in time while it’s still June, not to take part regularly by posting a song every day, but – as I promised Sarah – by doing one post with thirty songs.

It’s always precious when somebody chooses music for you, be it a deejay, radio editor, your loved one or a person that is still to be known and you do so through their choices. Here is Sarah’s first post and you can follow her June selections to this day. Die Ärzte were the biggest surprise. 😀

This is one reason why I’m doing it. If anybody would really want to, I’m easily get-to-knowable through this compilation. (Is this why I’m blogging?)

As for the other reason, I did it for me. It’s good to have these songs together. Actually, it’s so good that I put them all in a Youtube playlist “30 summer songs“. Here they are. Click and be transported to my world:

I have chosen some of the songs that I return to the most from a wide variety of styles and eras. It starts off with some Slovenian favourites since today Slovenia celebrates 28 years of independence. I’ve just seen the last night’s State festivity on the theme of science. The last song on the programme (not on my list) included the lines: “When we are gone, the pink sky shall remain”. Ain’t that just so.

Instead, here is Vlado Kreslin, the singer of the Pannonian plain, singing his old song in the good company of another Slovenian guitarist Igor Leonardi and a couple of guests, brothers from Senegal. As you will see throughout my list, I’m all in favour of mixing things:

Then we cross over to a couple of ex-Yugoslav republics and pop up in Italy but then hop to California and the world and come back home to local heroes via some harder rhythms. The last song is… acquired taste. The very first song is about Italian food, though. Whattt? One’s got to eat… 😀

Two covers are here for their soul, not the quality of recording. You know, like my blog in general. Here is one, by my favourite sister duo apart from me and mine:

And here is special moment caught on video: During Ljubljana Marathon 2015 a local band was doing the American Idiot by Green Day and this MARATHON MAN STOPPED TO SING WITH THEM!!! I only found his name: John Seller. And he finished the half-marathon too!

Here is the list with some info on each song. Half of them I have posted already on this or one of my previous three blogs. In such a case I add the link to the original post. Chances are you will find more music if you follow it there. If there is no link, you will have to go through the list to find the tune. 😉

Happy listening and thank you, Sarah, for making me do this! 🙂

1. Renzo Arbore & L’ Orchestra Italiana: A nuje ce piace ‘e magna’ ~ This Neapolitan song’s lyrics consist only of Italian dishes which “we like to eat,” as the title says.
2. Danilo Kocjančič & Tuljo Furlanič: Si še jezna name ~ “Are you still mad at me?” asks the author, begging for the second chance. So charming that he will get it.
3. Bakalina velika: Čudežn sviet ~ Other songs are not particularly new but this is the song of the year so far for me. Sung in the dialect of western Slovenia about nature and our miraculous world.
4. Guissé / Kreslin / Leonardi: Dekle moje ~ See the second video from the top. A cool mash-up of Slovenia and Africa.
5. Brina: Poletje ~ One of my favourite songs ever. There is something in the beat and the words: she doesn’t have a man to write to like all the other girls have but it sounds like all these men are only writing back anyway.
6. Melodrom: September ~ An old haunting tune.
7. Jelena Petošević: Nikola ~ A wicked Serbian with lyrics too hard to handle here.
8. Bad Copy: Kafa ~This one is also Serbian but is only about coffee. Well, and tits on Skype.
9. Brain Holidays: Tik Tak ~ This is choice Croatian reggae. Tick tock.
10. TBF: Grad spava ~Also from Croatia, but from Split by the sea. “The city is sleeping and I can hear it breathe.”
11. Daniele Silvestri: Argentovivo ~ My favourite last Sanremo song. Not your classical canzone. This singer is pretty smooth.
12. Bossa de novo: Selma (Bijelo dugme cover) ~ Slovenian high-quality musicians get together for some bossa nova. This is a cover of an old classic by the legendary Bosnian band. We grew up on this. Selma – do NOT lean out the window on that train!
13. Oto Pestner/Pliš: Mati, bodiva prijatelja ~ I got upset because this beautiful cover of an old classic (“Mother, let’s be friends”) by duo Pliš is only available on Facebook so I couldn’t include it in my playlist (I had to use the original). Try the cover here.
14. Lucio Dalla: Futura ~ Oh yes, a favourite since I moved here. Sadly he is no longer but his music remains. “If it’s a daughter, we’ll call it Future.”
15. Edoardo Bennato: È stata tua la colpa ~ He says that it was your fault. I love the harmonica.
16. Albert Hammond: It Never Rains in Southern California ~ I don’t even know the singer but this song spells happy times to me. Before, you know, the rain stopped.
17. Pearl Jam: State of Love and Trust ~ This was the first song of their MTV Unplugged live performance that I watched over, and over, and over again. It takes me right there.
18. Janis Joplin & Tom Jones: Raise Your Hand ~ I just LOVE it how she completely blows his mind in the scope of one song.
19. Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain: Dancing Barefoot (Patti Smith cover) ~ Of course, Sheeeee sounds good on everything.
20. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: Almost Cut My Hair ~ Well… almost. It was getting kinda long.
21. Johnny Cash: Mercy Seat (Nick Cave cover) ~ This video was a neat find: my favourite Nick Cave song done by Johnny Cash to the photos of Charles Bukowski.
22. Jardier: Sailor ~ I would never believe this was a Slovenian singing. Listen to this. Star potential!
23. Siddharta: Kloner ~ One of Slovenian biggest bands with a song about erection. Really. I mean, okay, but I’d love this blood-pumping beat anyway.
24. Sublime: Doin’ Time ~ I’ve seen a clip of Lana Del Rey doing this song live and it had me reaching for the original immediately. Was nice to hear the crowd singing with her though.
25. Primus: Tommy the Cat ~ Weeeeee, Tommy the Cat is out to get you. Eternal favourite. (This link is especially worth clicking. More favourite tunes hiding within.)
26. VestriPullum & John Seller: American Idiot (Green Day cover) ~ Singing marathon man! You need to see the video (forth from the top)!
27. Audrey & Kate: Take the Power Back (RATM cover) ~ See their video (third from the top). They depict what I’d be doing if I was able when I hear this song. Love love love them!!
28. Caparezza: La ghigliottina ~ One of the first songs by amore’s favourite crazy man that I loved. The video is fun! Don’t lose your head!
29. Senser: Age of Panic ~ I’ve seen The Age of Stupid this weekend. Nothing else to say.
30. Matter & persons from porlock: Safari ~ Live, “unplugged”, Slovenian trap sensation Matter (with added instruments by friends) are even crazier than normal. The host of this programme told the band after the performance that they still had a lot to learn. Mhhh. It was you who invited them in the first place, čičo. For me they are cooking.

And if anybody is missing more photos in this post, you can try to answer this question: How is it possible that the manual focus (of the borrowed pro Nikon) only took care of the trees on the left and not of the ones on the right in the featured photo? The distance is the same!

Slovenia, happy birthday! Those on the right are out of focus but we knew that.