Ok, so I started this “Love Story” cover in defense of Taylor Swift. Yes, for some reason, this past week, I found myself in multiple conversations about her music, whether it’s any good, whether it’s worth listening to, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. 

My personal opinion has always been: look, girl’s the youngest songwriter that Sony’s publishing house every hired. Her songs aren’t T.S. Elliot, but they’re authentic, they resonate with what a girl of her age group then and now would want to say and sing. Of course, we don’t always want to hear that (I shudder to think of myself at 13, and all the things I used to make people listen to me say—yikes), not any more than we always want to hear our friends wax lyrical about their lives/troubles (come on, admit it, we want to be there for them all the time, and we certainly do try our best, but we’re human, am I right?), but don’t we all need to get something off our chest sometimes? So am I going to judge anyone who wants to put up her Taylor Swift CD (or should I say MP3?) at full blast and scream “WE ARE NEVER EVER EVER GETTING BACK TOGETHER”? No, because she/he might need to do that. 

Besides, her songs are hard. To sing. Melodically/Range-wise, I find them pretty challenging. Could be because I’m not a country singer. Where do you breathe? And do you belt it, or do you lock into your head voice? All these questions!

That being said… after singing “Love Story” a few times for the recording, I’m thinking to myself, “I’m 10 years too old to be singing this.” And that’s true. I should be singing any one of the other songs found here, which I normally do. That’s true. But so is the song. It’s true. Kind of a silly story, doesn’t give great advice maybe, but it’s true. 

Back to ol’ Johnnie Mayer! “In Your Atmosphere (LA Song)” 

I don’t mean that first line. Everything else, maybe, but not that first line. That would break my heart! 

Somewhere in London, a good friend of mine should hopefully be very pleased? ;)

It’s so crazy to me, that this man managed to write a song about that nebulous feeling, of wanting to see someone so badly, yet not wanting to see that same someone so badly, all at the same time. 

I have this theory about Mr. Mayer’s music: I haven’t connected as deeply with his music post-Continuum—is it because Continuum rocketed him into a place of superstardom, a place from which his writing just became that much less of a mirror for the everyman? 

Someone come speak for me.

Back with a cover! Feist’s “So Sorry,” perfect for a cool, rainy monsoon day in Singapore. 

Again, forgive the poor guitar playing.

More people need to heed the message of this song. 

PS: I snuck something in here that shouldn’t be here.. see if you catch it! 

We don’t need to say goodbye.
We don’t need to fight and cry.
We could hold each other tight tonight.