Pump Up The Jam

I am not exactly a big fan of dance music but in my growing up years, there had been a few dance tracks that had stuck with me till now. Technotronic's 1989 dance hit Pump Up The Jam remains at the top of my list. 20 years on, it still sounds fresh and infectious as ever.

Turn up the volume, groove along to the strong beat and set your heart and feet a-tapping to this great great track.

Beds Are Burning

Midnight Oil is an Australian rock band. In 1987, they released the single "Beds Are Burning". I chanced upon this song back then and it has never left my head since. This powerful song has political overtones which talks about oppression. Below is an extract taken from wikipedia about the origins of the song :

"Beds Are Burning" is a political song about giving native Australian lands back to the Pintupi, who were among the very last people to come in from the desert. These 'last contact' people began moving from the Gibson Desert to settlements and missions in the 1930s. More were forcibly moved during the 1950s and 1960's to the Papunya settlement. In 1981 they left to return to their own country and established the Kintore community which is nestled in the picturesque Kintore Ranges, surrounded by Mulga and Spinifex country. It is now a thriving little community with a population of about 400.

Midnight Oil performed the song in front of a world audience of billions (including then Prime Minister John Howard) at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The whole band were dressed in black, with the words "sorry" printed conspicuously on their clothes. This was a reference to the Prime Minister's refusal to apologize, on behalf of the government of Australia, to the Aboriginal Australians for the way they have been treated over the previous 200 years, particularly in relation to native title and the government-sanctioned removal of Aboriginal children of the Stolen Generations from their families.

On a personal level, i always relate this song to certain periods of my life where obstacles and difficulties need to be overcome. Listening to this tune always encourages me to push and soldier on no matter what.

This music blog turns ONE YEAR OLD today. Many thanks to everyone who reads this blog and enjoys the music within.

'How can we dance when our earth is turning,
How do we sleep while our beds are burning' - Beds Are Burning

When I'm With You

This power ballad by Canadian Band Sheriff has been on my playlist for the past few weeks. Originally released in 1983 and then re-released in 1989, it reached #1 in the US charts. I remembered hearing it on the radio on the music chart show and liking it instantly. This is just such a sentimental and emotionally-charged song with very powerful vocals.

Interestingly, Freddy Curci, the lead singer's amazing high vocal at the end of the song is being listed in the Guiness Book of Records for holding the longest note in a song. It just feels like heaven whenever he hits the end of the song with that angelic vocal that seems to go on for eternity. Take a listen here.