Springsteen's Got A New Backup Singer. She's Four Years Old (Just One Concert, Though)

Bruce Springsteen recently got help singing
"Waiting On A Sunny Day" from, a four year
old girl duiring an Oslo, Norway concert  

Recently, the tireless rock star and top tour draw Bruce Springsteen was in Oslo, Norway, giving one of his epic performances.

He was singing "Waiting On A Sunny Day" when he spotted a particularly enthusiastic (and cute) fan in the audience.

What choice that Springsteen have? He had to invite the girl on the stage to help sing "Waiting On A Sunny Day."

The newly-formed duet singing together was an absolute delight

At the end of the song, Springsteen sent the girl back into the audience, but not before giving her his harmonica for a keepsake.

Watch:

Justin Timberlake Already Gave Us Summer Anthem 2016

Justin Timberlake in his "Can't Stop The Feeling"
music video. The song shot to Number One already 

The pop song that you will always associated with the summer of 2016 is already out.

You know those songs. The big hit of the summer, the breezy fun pop fluff that you can't get out of your head when you remember the beach trip or vacation that summer.

This time, it's Justin Timberlake's "Can't Stop The Feeling"  It's a confectionary piece of glee and freedom.

It's not deep. It's not breaking new ground. But gawd that song is catchy! As Slate noted, "Can't Stop The Feeling" is the 2016 version of "Happy"

"Can't Stop The Feeling" has already debuted at Number 1 on Billboard's Hot 100, so you know you're going to hear this song a lot for a long time.

This Justin Timberlake song is from the upcoming DreamWorks animated film "Trolls"

Many of you will get sick of it. Some of you already are.

But kudos to Justin Timberlake for putting out nice Summer of 2016 anthem. Good work by him!

The goofy video, with clips of regular everyday people dancing (they're actors, not everyday people) has already racked up 3 million hits after just two days on YouTube.

Here's the video, but to watch, you'll probably start with a black screen and will have to click "Watch on YouTube"

A Strange Barbie Moment In The Russian Military

Are these Russian Barbie Girls? Find out!  

When marching, military units will often have a big macho chant to accompany their parade around the base.

Sometimes they get weird, though. A group of soldiers in Russia a few years ago had a Barbie moment, given their chant of the awful 1997 novelty song "Barbie Girl" by Aqua.

So we hear the big bad bear Russian army unit marching and chanting:  "I'm a Barbie girl, in a Barbie world. Life in plastic, it's fantastic! You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere....."

Uh, yeah.

The video was uploaded to YouTube in 2012, but seems to have gotten more viral life lately.

Join the Army! Because life in plastic is fantastic! Or something.

Watch and cringe:

ANOTHER "Got Talent" Winning Moment: British Boys Battle Bullies

In my never ending obsession with those TV talent shows, especially the "Got Talent" franchise that seems to be in every country, I bring you a new, new favorite of mine.

Bars and Melody on "Britain's Got Talent."  

                                       
The two teen boys, who call themselves Bars and Melody, changed the lyrics Faith Evans and Twista's "Hope" to make it a powerful anti-bullying statement on "Britain's Got Talent."

Their appearance on the show made for an awesome moment and even melted Simon Cowell's cold, cold heart.

Watch:

Stevie Nicks, Jimmy Fallon Drag My Heart Around In A Good Way

One of my extreme favorite songs ever is the 1981 duet by Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around."  

Jimmy Fallon, dressed as Tom Petty, joins
Stevie Nicks in re-creating the "Stop Draggin' My
Heart Around" video. 

It's ominious and dark and dramatic and cynical, with it's minor chords and full throttle, echoing tone.  Every time it comes on the radio when I'm driving around, I blast the sound as high as it will go and sing along.

I like the complicated relationship the lyrics describe, a relationship that's not exactly love, but tired, world weary duty:

"People running 'round loose in the world
Ain't got nothin' better to do
Than make a meal of some bright eyed kid
You need someone looking after you."

The original music video for the awesome song is no great shakes. Just Petty and his band, the Heartbreakers, and Nicks in the studio singing.  But it's such a great song the video is fine.

This week, Jimmy Fallon, who often does this sort of thing, re-created that video by dressing up as Tom Petty and joining the real Stevie Nicks for another round of "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around"

And I do like the original video and version of the song better than Fallon/Nicks, this is still a treat.

Below, the first video you'll see is that Fallon/Nicks re-creation, followed by the original video. Whatever you think of this all, you know I'll be singing the song in my head all day.

Watch:

Jamaican Bobsled Song Almost As Much Fun As Jamaican Bobsled Team

A video surfaced of a song celebrating the Jamaican Bobsled Team at the winter Olympics at Sochi, Russia.

The watermelon pattern on the Jamaican bobsled
team's helmets is kinda fun.  

It you start the video while simulataneously watching a clip of their run at the Olympics bobsled race, the video matches the run of the course almost precisely.

Even if you don't have a video of the bobsled race, that's OK. The video and song will brighten your mood.

At last check, the Jamaican bobsled team was in last place among the 30 international competitors. But that doesn't mean incompetence. They know what they're doing. But a few seconds makes a huge amount of difference in this sport.

By the way, I love the watermelon pattern on the Jamaican bobsled team's helmets. Nice touch.

Here's the Jamaican bobsled song/video to improve your mood for the rest of the day.

Great Song, Great Video About The Importance of Photos In Our Lives

Over at the other blog I operate, Matt's Weather Rapport, which caters to anyone interested in the weather, I touched on efforts to return photographs to their owners after the momentos were scattered far and wide by tornadoes that struck the Midwest last month.

This man saved a wedding photo from the wreckage
after a tornado hit Washington, Ill. last month.
Other people lost important photos in the storm.  

All the more reason to store our photos in "the cloud" so if our houses burn down or get blown or washed away in a disaster, we don't lose these important documents and touchstones.

In my Weather Rapport post, I included a wonderful music video by Laura Marier for her song "Running For Photographs" which is a great song and great video in its own right, whether or not you're interested in the weather.

So I decided to included it here, too, because the song is definitely worth listening to and the video is totally worth watching.

Indiana Radio Station Loses A Listener Over Macklemore, Radio Station Is Thrilled

I'm not a big fan of Top 40 radio station deejay chatter, but it was fun to listen in on a station in Indiana, via YouTube video.

One radio listener in Indiana, hilariously, stupidly
hates Ryan Lewis, left, and Macklemore.  

Like many hit radio stations, the Artimis Radio 92.9 has been playing "Same Love" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis to death. It's a huge hit, and resonates with many people for its positive outlook on same sex relationships and marriage.

"Same Love" has been praised by a lot of critics, but one caller to Artimis Radio, named Craig, hates, hates, hates "Same Love" because of its pro-gay slant.

Craig is entitled to his opinion, of course, but I just love it when idiots speak out, and how easy it is for a nice, simple radio deejay to swat the ignorance away.  I just feel sorry for Craig's kid. The video will explain why I say that.

Craig says he will never listen to the radio station again, and the deejay said he and his general manager are  thrilled by that bit of news. Who could blame them?

Here's the really funny video of the "conversation" between the deejay and Craig about "Same Love:"

Best Song About Lost Love Ever

I'm still in the afterglow of my first wedding anniversary, so maybe I'm being too sentimental about things like marriage.

96-year-old songwriter and devoted
husband Fred Stobaugh. 

But I love this story. Fred Stobaugh's wife recently died after the two had been married for 75 years (!!!!)

He misses her terribly, and one day, lonely, he sat down and wrote the lyrics of a love song to her. It's called "Oh Sweet Lorraine." Trust me, it's a beautiful song.

Here's some of the lyrics:

"Oh sweet Lorraine
I wish we could do
All the good times all over
Again

My memories will always
Linger on
Oh sweet Lorraine."

"It just fit her," Stobaugh said of the song he wrote.

Meanwhile, basically in another world, a music studio out of Illinois, Green Shoe Studio, was holding a contest to find some undiscovered great musicians.

Stoubaugh came across an ad for Green Shoe Studio's contest, so he sent his lyrics in.  He didn't think it would amount to much. By his own admission, Stobaugh isn't much of a singer. Plus Green Shoe was looking for submissions via email. And videos from YouTube. Stobaugh wasn't exactly into either.

Indeed, what Stobaugh sent wasn't exactly what Green Shoe was looking for to include in the contest, but the people there were blown away by Stobaugh's love, and lyrics and music.

They had to make the world hear this song.

So they brought him in, hired some professional musicians, a good lead singer and did all the bells and whistles to cut a record of Stobaugh's beautiful song. 

Stobaugh said the song brings him some degree of comfort. According to Green Shoe Studio's web site, he said:

"The song really helps me. It really helps me. It just seemed like she's just sort of with me. Which I know she's smiling, she's smiling down and she likes that song, I know."

"Oh Sweet Lorraine" is now available on iTunes, so go ahead and buy.

Stobaugh was there to hear what Green Shoe Studio came up with for "Sweet Lorraine." Here's the video, but a warning: There is a MAJOR Kleenex alert here. You'll need them.

Air Passengers Will Always Hate The Woman They Met On Their Flight

News outlets were abuzz Monday about the world's least welcome rendition of the popular song "I Will Always Love You."

It turns out the song by Dolly Parton and popularized by Whitney Houston, was on this woman's heart and mind as she traveled on an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New York.

The problem was the woman sang the song, repeatedly and loudly, surely enough to make other passengers want to bust open the windows and leap out of the airplane high over Colorado or something.

Here's a brief video of the performance:




This was bad enough, of course. But it could have been worse. Imagine if she sang "Crash Into Me." or   "Free Falling" or even "Leaving on a Jet Plane"

The plane with our "I Will Always Love You:" lady  finally made an emergency landing in Kansas City and the woman, still belting out "I Will Always Love You," was escorted off the plane.

I suggest the surviving air passengers listen to something by Nirvana or Guns N Roses to finally get "I Will Always Love You out of their heads.

She was not arrested, but American Airlines, probably wisely refused to let her set foot on another of their planes so she could continue her trip. And her singing.

Media reports suggest she blamed her diabetes for the episode. Low blood sugar can cause odd behavior, it's true, but geez, somebody give her a cookie or something!

But then, she'd probably start repeatedly singing "Sugar Sugar by The Archies, and another flight would have to make an emergency landing, probably in Sugarland, Texas.