Those You've Known by John Gallagher Jr., Lea Michele, and Jonathan Groff



There are many songs I could listen to endlessly. I can often be found looping my favorite artists, listening to my favorite songs over and over again. But I suppose if I had to choose one, it would have to be my favorite song from my favorite musical.

I feel a need to post these lyrics, because to me the are so stunningly beautiful and truthful. Yes the music is beautiful as well, with its amazing string section and piano arrangement, but what makes this song so meaningful to me is the lyrics.

"Those you’ve known
And lost, still walk behind you
All alone
They linger till they find you

Without them
The world grows dark around you
And nothing is the same until you know that they have found you

WENDLA
Those you’ve pained
May carry that still with them
All the same
They whisper: “All forgiven.”

Still your heart says
The shadows bring the starlight
And everything you’ve ever been is still there in the dark night

WENDLA
When the northern wind blows
The sorrows your heart holds
There are those who still know –
They’re still home
We’re still home

MORITZ (Sung In Counterpart)
Though you know
You’ve left them far behind
You walk on by yourself, and not with them –

Still you know
They will fill your heart and mind
When they say there’s a way through this

MELCHIOR, MORITZ AND WENDLA
Those you’ve known
And lost, still walk behind you
All alone
Their song still seems to find you

They call you
As if you knew their longing –
They whistle through the lonely wind, the long blue shadows falling

MELCHIOR
All alone
But still I hear their yearning
Through the dark, the moon, alone there, burning

The stars too
They tell of spring returning –
And summer with another wind that no one yet has known

(MORITZ and WENDLA Join with Counterparts)

They call me –
Through all things –
Night’s falling
But somehow I go on

You watch me
Just watch me –
I’m calling
From longing

WENDLA (Sung in Counterpart)
When the northern wind blows
The sorrows your heart’s known –
I believe…

MORITZ (Sung in Counterpart)
Still you known
There’s so much more to find –
Another dream, another love you’ll hold

Still you know
To trust your own true mind
On your way – you are not alone
There are those who still know

MELCHIOR (Sung Alone)
Now they’ll walk on my arm through the distant night
And I won’t let them stray from my heart
Through the wind, through the dark, through the winter light
I will read all their dreams to the stars

I'll walk now with them
I’ll call on their names
I’ll see their thoughts are known

WENDLA
Not gone –
Not gone –

MELCHIOR
They walk with my heart –
And I'll never let them go

I’ll never let them go
I’ll never let them go
You watch me
Just watch me
I’m calling
I’m calling –
And one day all will know"

Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) by Florence + the Machine



This is a very cute story. Warning: All the "adores" lie ahead. So I had been wondering for a while what song I was going to use for this challenge. Apart from maybe prom, I have never really danced with my friends. I mean I suppose there was some point in which I did, but none that particularly stood out. I was talking to Shelby, explaining to him how no matter how much I tried to think of a song nothing was coming to my mind. So suddenly, with his cute little idea face, he told me not to worry because I was going to dance with him. And he sent me a link, before clicking it I knew that naturally it was florence. I hit play and he jumped up and instantly started dancing like, well a fool, an adorable, wonderful, spectacular fool. The sight of his cute little face and his smile and him jumping around, practically re-enacting this video brought the biggest smile to my face. And so I danced with him. <3

I cant bring myself to notice the omen of his song choice either. What better song for my blog challenge, than the one for which it is named? Shelby, you are a gift that comes with no price. <3

Time by Pink Floyd



This post is actually quite humorous because in all actuality, I really like a lot of Pink Floyd's music. Wow, that was nice to get off my chest, but never bring it up again I'll deny ever typing it! You see when I was younger, my mother would listen to Pink Floyd ALL the time. I was a pretty open child and liked most of the music my mother listened to, however Pink Floyd, along with the Beatles I could not stand. You see this was my mother's "down" music. When she was upset or really depressed, those were the cds she would run to and me being a very young impressionable child, made that connection and grew to seriously dislike both bands. It actually was so bad that my mother would threaten me with listening to pink Floyd instead of chores! Crazy right!? Well as I grew older I actually started listening to some of this music, a song here or there. Finally I decided to delve into each band, since I liked a bit of what I had heard. The Beatles came first, due to my ginger friend who constantly praised them as if they were they best band of all time. And I liked them, I really liked them. They had uplifting lyrics and fantastic harmonies, so I went home and burned a bunch of their songs. My mother had always said how one day I would grow an appreciation for these bands and she saw this as opportunity to remind me. It was then that I vowed to never no matter what like Pink Floyd. Of course you and I know the truth and even somewhere inside my mother does to, but for purpose of keeping up with tradition in public, I will never like them. So here is a song from a band that I cannot stand that I can stand to listen to :)

Your Song by Ewan McGregor and Alessandro Safina



There really is no story to say with this song. Just listen to the song and know how amazing this boy is and how lucky I feel.

When I listen to this song, I can't stop smiling.

You Can't Always Get What You Want by The Rolling Stones



When someone asks me what is your favorite song, this one will always come to mind. I would dance and sing to this song as a kid, for hours. And as I got older the song started to mean more and more. There is something hopeful about it. Life throws us hardships, but thats no need to fret because in the end if we keep our positive outlooks, we get what we need.

Grr. I'm really hating this last two songs challenges. I feel like I have nothing to say about them and they are just kinda filler... But the show must go on.

Gimme all your Lovin' by ZZ Top



Whenever I listen to this band, I always am reminded of my childhood days at Strawberry Park. My dad will crank the stereo to classic rock in the down time, its probably where my love of classic rock came from. I really loved Strawberry Park. It was a campground we went to often, which I can honestly say Ive never had a bad memory of. <3

What I Wouldn't Do by A Fine Frenzy



So my itunes has kind of gone haywire sooooo, from last.fm! Its separated by artist so not exactly the same but hey its the best I could do! :)

I don't really have a cute story to go along with this song, sadly. But it is a cute song :)

Nothing Else Matters by Metallica



I choose this specific video because the s&m album is by far their greatest. Symphony and Metallica. Perfection.

I really can't give this song it's justice with any words. Those of you who know me, know that this was the band I was raised on and I couldn't be more thankful.

Just listen to the song, then listen to the lyrics. It promotes a message we all need to embrace.

"So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
and nothing else matters

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say
and nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us something new
Open mind for a different view
and nothing else matters

never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
but I know

So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
and nothing else matters

never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
but I know

Never opened myself this way
Life is ours, we live it our way
All these words I don't just say

Trust I seek and I find in you
Every day for us, something new
Open mind for a different view
and nothing else matters

never cared for what they say
never cared for games they play
never cared for what they do
never cared for what they know
and I know

So close, no matter how far
Couldn't be much more from the heart
Forever trusting who we are
No, nothing else matters"

Your Love Is My Drug by Ke$ha



I don't care however many of you judge me. When I hear this song I can't help but feel all happy in my body, so naturally I want to dance! It has a catchy beat, cute harmonies and is about LOVE <3

Vienna by Billy Joel



Now their are two very distinct reasons as to why this song made me cry, although I suppose the two are somewhat linked.

My junior year of high school I went on a retreat and on this retreat there were speeches made by each of our leaders on different topics and each had a corresponding song.

I was very reluctant to go on this retreat. For one it was 3 days long, and spending time with some schoolmates I hardly found favorable, besides one close friend who would actually be a retreat-ant and not a leader, didn't seem like my idea of a good time. But still I was begged and hassled to go. It wasn't until my friend Stes came to me that I really listened and decided to take a chance. She was going to be a leader on it. Stes had always been a friend I admired greatly. She was down to earth and always knew exactly who she was and didn't let any one else dictate it.

Well by the middle of day 2, I was so thankful to have gone on this retreat. I was learning so much about other people and myself. It was a really great experience to just step back from the pressures of school and peers and parents and sit in this beautiful setting, growing to understand how much we all have to go through. We were broken up into groups and told to walk paths together discussing the most fantastical, philosophical things. We were split into pair and told to sit out in nature and just learn more about each other. But the most important part of the retreat, besides the surprise, was the speeches each of our leaders. Some leaders were better than others, there is a truth to that, but the best speech was that of my friend and inspiration Stes. Her topic was on living in the moment and how focusing on all the small trivial details of your life keeps you from helping others, by hindering yourself. Basically, that we all have things that distract us from living in the present, but those distractions only lead us to pain. So Stes began her speech and she told us of her worries and her hardships and the toll they had on her. She told us how she was distracted, by the past and the things which had happened, and by her future, afraid of what might be there. And I wont go into details, but there was not a single person who wasn't in tears by the end of her speech.

I just remember being so surprised.

But then she told us of how she went on this retreat when she was a junior and how it really opened her eyes and the letter she had gotten from her estranged father. She grew to realize that living in the past will only do her harm, because she has already taken all she could from it.

And she started playing her song. No surprise to you it was this song. I will just always remember the look she had on her face while we all listened to this song. It was one of complete happiness, the most sincere, heartfelt, subtle smile. It wasn't that her body was smiling. It was her soul.

Now the second part, that makes this song so meaningful to me is somewhat silly. You see, I'm not the the sort of person who really lets people in, so I really never had any one to talk to. I'm have my strong beliefs in who I am and the type of person I want to be, but even a warrior of light has he moments of mistakes. I can often be very doubtful, of myself, of my future, of, well everything about me. And it was a time in my life where I was beginning to feel so much pressure. Pressure to be perfect, to succeed in my life in the way that everyone expected me to. And I listened to this song, remembering and having it favorited from Stes's speech, and well I felt as if it was being sung to me. That someone was there to tell me that everything will be okay. and I cried. I cried for at that moment what I needed was a little faith in myself, but hey leave it to Billy Joel to keep the faith ;) (cwutididthar?)

So yes this song will always hold a special place in my heart, because I know that whenever I need a little faith, I just have to listen to this and look into myself.

Oh dear, this is difficult. I love singing along with, well, EVERYTHING! But Im gonna cheat again and choose 3 songs that I can help but sing along to. (HEY! be thankful that I didnt post every song Ive ever heard!)

The Imperial March by John Williams



Now I know this isn't conventional, choosing a song with no words to sing along to, but admit it. There is not one of you who upon hearing this song didn't start immediately going "DUN DUN DUN DUN DA DUN DUN DA DUN!"
...Yeah thats what I thought.

The Bitch of Living by The cast of Spring Awakening



Really this is representing every Broadway song known to man but this happens to be my most played of the genre and from my favorite musical, so the choice seems right :D
I can't recall how many times I have sung this song. I mean I would break my chair out and perform this in my living room even. Not to mention all the times sang in the green room or in the car. And I almost never sing the same part, god dont harmonies ROCK!

Belle by Paige O'hara



Like the previous song, this is representative of every Disney song known to man. I choose this one because I have often found myself singing along to this randomly. I remember walking in a field with Rachael singing at the top of our lungs, only to be interrupted y Jim and his dead baby jokes. Seriously though I sang this song a lot randomly with her and continue to do so with Shelby who is sweet enough to tell me I sound just like her when I know he is just being adorable <3

Drumming Song by Florence + the Machine



Yesterday marked 3 months. I don't know how I became lucky enough to have him wander into my life, but I have never felt more graced with something as special as this in my life. He has become my best friend, my one person I confide in above any other. He knows of my fears and my insecurities and the ramblings that go on in my head that I often just muffle. He knows my dreams and better yet, desires to share them with me.

Its not how I expected it. I feel a real connection to this boy. And they way he makes me feel like the most important thing in his world, just touches me so. The thought of him makes my heart flutter. Its cliché I know but it does.He makes me want to be what he sees. He makes me start to believe that I am. But most of all, he makes me believe. He alone has restored my faith in humanity. Ive never known someone to be so compassionate, so loving, so much of everything. I admire him dearly. He is the most fantastic person I have ever known.

We have a love unlike anything I have ever experienced. I known he loves me and he knows I love him. Its like this drumming sound inside my head that starts when he is around. It can not hid my love for him, nor can he hide his love for me. I swear that you should hear it!

Shelby, Shelbly, Penishead, Mumble, my love, you are sweeter than heaven and I am so lucky to have you in my life.

I was tempted to keep listing nicknames cutie :P

and I mean honestly, are you really surprised at my choice? :P

I Saw the Sign by Ace of Base



Here I have the option to write a horribly depressing entry on how I lost a good friend or I can take a more positive route, and I choose the latter.

7th grade. I would have to say that is when I met I became close with my first REAL best friend. We had been in the same group for a while but it wasn't till this year that we actually became close. It started with us sitting next to each other at our lunch table, so we would have funny side conversations. We were also the only two who knew about anything sexual, so our other friends would come to us for knowledge, and we would talk about the things we thought to inappropriate for their ears :P (basically we rubbed it in their faces that we knew shit and they didn't, but we always answered any of their questions.) So we became really close, started hanging out more and we sit next to each other in every class we had together. I still remember the time we were working on a history project with two of the boys from our equal group (god middle school was so clique-y) and she got so mad at one them and slapped him across the face and walked out. The other boy and I just covered her ass when the teacher asked where she went. Such a fun time. But the time I discovered how close we really became was when she told me about losing her virginity to her boyfriend from Germany. He was visiting and somehow it just happened. I was young. This was my first friend to ever tell me they lost their virginity. I still remember it vividly. We were on a roller coaster of all things and she was worried because she hadn't gotten her period. She tolled me how she feared what could happen, how her mother would disown her and she would have no place to live and I remember telling her she needn't worry, I would never let her not have a place to live. Thats when we knew that we were best friends. She could open up to me about her fears, knowing I would not judge her and I was there for when she needed support.I also remember vividly they day she got her period, she ran from the bathroom and hugged me.

She was the first person to show me what true friendship was, with her i could talk about anything and vice versa. We separated in high school when she went to another school. But I will always remember our friendship fondly. :)

I still remember how on the the night we got our eighth grade yearbooks she told me to turn to a certain page, it was one of the pages with the ads on it and she told me to look on the very bottom. Sure enough there was a post for no name from no name, it said " Thank you for the laughs we shared, for always having my back, and thank you for being my TRUE friend. I'll NEVER forget you...You know who you are."

And I will never forget her as well :D

And well for the song.... you had to know us.

Halo (cover) by Florence Welch



So today, I was kinda cheating. I was listening to my Itunes on shuffle hoping for a good song to show up, that had a good story to go along with it, and I found one. Halo is not that song.

But halo did come up in my very long search of music, you see im kinda like a binge eater with music, if i go s long time without a good listening session,well i just cant stop! So yes Halo did come up, but the Beyonce version and Shelby and I sang the entire thing together.

But given Shelby's love of Florence he and I listened to this, right before I went out.

Let me tell you put put golfing to halo is fun! This song was certainly stuck in my head the entire evening. And when I got home much later that evening, I was pleasantly surprised to see Shelby posted it on my Facebook. :) Needless to say this was the song of the day for sure :) And I dont have to feel guilty about cheating on this challenge! :D

Now I know it says a song from your favorite movie, but that is just far to difficult! My favorite movie changes daily! HOURLY even! So instead, I will share with you a few of my favorite scores. This was difficult to though because I have so many which I love dearly! So I tried to pick 3 which differed a bit, but are all breathtakingly beautiful in their ways.

One Summer's Day by Joe Hisaishi - from Spirited Away



I was lucky enough to be introduced this movie this year by Shelby. This movie has one of the most beautiful scores. Its peaceful, even when the music is dramatic the overall effect is quite serene. I love to put this movie in to sleep actually because of that.

Main Theme by Alan Silvestri - from Forrest Gump



Forrest Gump has not only one of the best scores around but best soundtracks in general. But i chose tis piece because I can still remember the first time seeing this, crying my eyes out hysterically at the ending scene because of how beautiful and perfect it all was. This is definitely one of my all time favorite movies.

Time by Hans Zimmer



Another movie I just watched this year and wow. It was stunning. Han Zimmer is a favorite of mine, I cant lie. The way he brings the emotion of everything going on into this culmination of notes and rhythm, its overwhelming. I could listen to his music and feel the emotion.

Cheated Hearts by Yeah Yeah Yeahs



This one was difficult because well, Im not a favorites gal. I dont like to commit myself to one band or artist, but when i thought about it one band initially came to my mind above any others, so I suppose thats good enough for me. :)

Now this isn't my favorite song by them, in fact I have no idea what my favorite song by them is, but this one along with "Gold Lion" is probably one of their songs most found stuck in my head. I even got caught singing my conversation to this beat. :)

Feeling Good by Muse



Ive blogged this song before, but i couldn't deny it its place as the song that makes me hopeful.

"Its a new dawn, Its a new day, Its a new life, for me and I'm feeling good."

Come What May by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman



"Never knew I could feel like this, Its like Ive never seen the sky before..." A feeling unlike any other, I will never forget it. He will forever be my first love and I will always love him for that no matter what.

It also has another reason for fitting so perfectly. When we just started talking we watched this movie together and we got to talking about love and relationships. I told him that it would take someone really special, my own "Christian", to get me into one. He succeeded in proving that was him. Suddenly the world seemed such a perfect place. <3

Weightless by All Time Low



I first actually heard this song on spring break about two years ago and instantly fell in love with it. For me it perfectly describes my summer mood, which is pretty much just my mood in general. In summer though it all feels possible <3

Ok so I'm cheating. But its impossible for me to choose just one person. <3

Cameras by Matt & Kim



This is one of my favorite songs ever and it was introduced to me by Tyler. I cant help but think of him whenever I hear it. I feel like the vibe it gives truly models our friendship. When I hang out with Tyler its like a lot of stupid shit doesn't matter and we can just live in the moment. Also, we will have an epic battle, just like this.

Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus



Definitely a top guilty pleasure song, but I cant help it. When this song comes on all I can think about is all the fun times Ive had with Jessica.It just totally sums up our attitudes when we are together. Life is a party and we just want to have fun and look great while doing it :D

I Was Made For You by She & Him



For my newest best friend and his pikachu sneezes. This song pretty much perfectly describes us. <3