Pentatonix Made Me Cry Today (In A Good Way)

A Pentatonix cover of "Can't Help Fallin In Love" has me
thinking of my late dad, my marriage and how well things have
worked out. An essay in this post. 

I totally admit I'm a Pentatonix fan boy, having posted a few entries into this blog thingy about them and their a capella music.

Today, Pentatonix made me cry a bit.

Because I'm a sentimental fool.

Pentatonix dropped a new video today. It's their rendition of "Can't Help Falling In Love."  You can see and hear the video at the bottom of this post.

Zillions of people have performed this song.  Perhaps Elvis Presley is the most famous example.

"Can't Help Falling In Love" was one of our wedding songs when me and Jeff got married. As I like to tell anyone, my wedding was by far the best one I've ever attended. (Duh!) And I'll always remember like it was yesterday that moment when they sang "Can't Help Falling In Love" at our wedding.

So yeah, I've got an attachment to that song, to say the least.

I think it's interesting that Pentatonix released this video today on what would have been my father's 97th birthday.

Dad died a year and a half ago.  But here's the thing. Dad always worried about me. Would I do OK? I had some rough times as a kid. Would I slip back into trouble? Would anybody be there for me if I needed someone?  Would someone catch me if I fell?

There was a very noticeable change in how my father regarded me after I connected with Jeff, and after he met Jeff.

Dad still loved me as much as ever. But I could tell dad had stopped worrying about me.  Because I had Jeff. Jeff would protect me. Jeff and I would protect each other. Everything would be OK. And it is.

When I watch the video of my wedding, there's a great moment before the ceremony started. My dad was already seated, and Jeff's dad came in.  You can hear my dad loudly and warmly greeting Jeff's dad by saying, "I saved a seat for you."

Jeff's dad and my dad instantly connected and bonded. They were fast friends.

Jeff's dad is now gone, too. I like to think that my dad and Jeff's dad met up again somewhere in the afterlife, and they're having a great time. And neither of them is worried about us because Jeff and I are doing just fine.

And here I am on a routine day when nothing special is going on, and I'm getting teary-eyed over Pentatonix singing "Can't Help Falling In Love."

It's 5:15 in the afternoon as I write this. I can hear Jeff snoring softly as he takes an afternoon nap. The dogs are curled up with him, just quiet and happy. I'm trying to summon the energy to go out and work in the garden, a garden that both Jeff and I love and are building together.

Everything is OK. I can't help falling in love with Jeff every day.

Dad was right, as always. I'm OK. I guess I'm writing this because I miss my dad on his birthday. But everything is OK. Dad and Jeff made sure of that.

So watch the video below and if there's anybody in your life that you love, and makes everything alright, hug them and tell them everything is OK.

Pentatonix's Version Of "Imagine" Heals A News-Wounded Soul

Pentatonix performs a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine"
that soothes a soul made raw by watching too much news.

Cooped up by a large 30-inch deep snowstorm that buried my town here in Vermont, I've been watching even more news shows than I usually do - which is a lot to begin with.

The news these days can be soul-sucking: All the cruelty, scandals, nastiness, pettiness that seems to be a big growth industry can get to you.

Makes you want to dive into one of the giant snow banks outside and abandon this world.

So, I was pleased to find the new song and video by Pentatonix, the famed (mostly) a cappella group.

They do a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" which feels totally needed right now.

I'm being all Kumbaya by liking this song, and Pentatnonix is probably being all Kumbaya by performing it, and exchanging warm "humanity" placards in their music video.

Still, I can't resist.

So here it is. Hope it helps:

Pentatonix And Dolly Parton Break The Internet With "Jolene"

Pentatonix and Dolly Parton sing an a cappella version
of Parton's classic "Jolene"  

Well, this went viral, and for good reason.

The awesome a cappella group Pentatonix reworked the Dolly Parton classic "Jolene." And they got Parton to do the reworking with them.

The result is this great performance and now viral video. - 5.2 million views as of Sunday morning and it was only just posted on YouTube Friday. Wow!

In case you missed it, here it is.  Enjoy!

Pentatonix Puts Awesome New Twist On A Dance Track

OK, the song, to my mind, is just OK at first listen. A dance track, pretty decent grooves. It would certainly work in any decent dance club.  

They've been done up in some strange makeuAdd caption

But then you realize the band is the a capella group Pentatonix.

All the seemingly computerized, synthesizer, synthetic sounds you hear, that are standard for dance tracks, don't come from any machines or electronics at all.

It's all human voices. Yep. Completely a capella. Which turns the standard dance track "Love Again" into something really cool.

The members of Pentatonix met a few years ago, just 24 hours before their auditon on NBC's "The Sing Off," an a capella music competiton.

They ended up winning Season 3 of that show and have gone on to fame and fortune.

The video for Love Again is below. Yeah, the makeup is a little weird and those who aren't fans of dance music might be forgiven for feeling like they've been unwittingly taken to a club.

But remember, no electronics. Just voices. Really, really cool: