We can never know why things happen the way they do, not entirely anyway, but God does offer glimpses, and if you'll hang on, you may even catch a sign that the clouds will break again soon. I can tell you, without question, those little glimpses sometimes come in something as simple as a song. Here's a list that will hopefully reassure you and help sustain you in some small way.
Whatever storms you may be weathering, I am praying for you - right now, that somehow, you will come through this whole.
Have one to add? Tweet me @Foster_Jam.
]]>We can never know why things happen the way they do, not entirely anyway, but God does offer glimpses, and if you'll hang on, you may even catch a sign that the clouds will break again soon. I can tell you, without question, those little glimpses sometimes come in something as simple as a song. Here's a list that will hopefully reassure you and help sustain you in some small way.
Whatever storms you may be weathering, I am praying for you - right now, that somehow, you will come through this whole.
Have one to add? Tweet me @Foster_Jam.
]]>Released at the end of 1994, "Gone Country" kicked off 1995 at #1.
Check out that hair, Alan. HOT. ;)
Danced many a high school dance to this tune.
To this one, too.
The early days of Tim McGraw. Strange it was seventeen years ago!
Biggest hit of that year. Drove me crazy by the end of it, too. I still can't listen to that song. (Love you, George Straight, but.)
My boyfriend at the time hated Shania Twain, but I loved her - serious girl power.
Any man of mine better be proud of me.
Even when I'm ugly, he still better love me.
And, I can be late for a date, that's fine,
But, he better be on time.
I wouldn't want to go back to '95, but I do miss the music.
I'm goin' through the big D
And don't mean Dallas.
I can't believe what the judge had to tell us.
I got the Jeep.
She got the two bedroom,
Mortgage is due,
Siding light blue palace.
I'm goin' through the big D
And don't mean Dallas.
Too sweet.
Have a song to add? Tweet me @Foster_Jam.
]]>Released at the end of 1994, "Gone Country" kicked off 1995 at #1.
Check out that hair, Alan. HOT. ;)
Danced many a high school dance to this tune.
To this one, too.
The early days of Tim McGraw. Strange it was seventeen years ago!
Biggest hit of that year. Drove me crazy by the end of it, too. I still can't listen to that song. (Love you, George Straight, but.)
My boyfriend at the time hated Shania Twain, but I loved her - serious girl power.
Any man of mine better be proud of me.
Even when I'm ugly, he still better love me.
And, I can be late for a date, that's fine,
But, he better be on time.
I wouldn't want to go back to '95, but I do miss the music.
I'm goin' through the big D
And don't mean Dallas.
I can't believe what the judge had to tell us.
I got the Jeep.
She got the two bedroom,
Mortgage is due,
Siding light blue palace.
I'm goin' through the big D
And don't mean Dallas.
Too sweet.
Have a song to add? Tweet me @Foster_Jam.
]]>I recently had the good fortune of stumbling on Brett Young after he followed me on Twitter, which led me to his and Katie Orlofske's rendition of Lady Antebellum's "Dancin' Away With My Heart."
Now, I love Lady A, but I'll admit, when the song originally released, I don't remember it striking the same chord as Brett and Katie's version. That realization, that the same song I'd heard dozens of times before with no effect and that now gave me goose bumps every time I heard it, made me see just how much it takes for a song to truly move its listeners.
Here's a list of ones I think do just that.
There's something very sexy about a strong man who's been brought to his knees by a woman, and when Brett Young sings this particular song, you feel it, his rugged and raspy voice lending just the right soul to "Dancin' Away With My Heart."
Add to that Katie Orlofske's beautiful, songbird of a voice, and you have the perfect balance of softness and gruff. Just as any good romance novel would, you're left convinced that the lead characters are head over heels for each other, and there's something very sweet and reassuring about a good love story.
There's a certain swagger about Jerrod Niemann's "What Do You Want." It beats with your heart, and you can almost imagine the feeling of it falling to the floor the second you come across an old flame who still has a hold on you. We've all been there, jilted and powerless, wondering if the other person thrives on knowing we can't let go.
(Pity also increases, I believe, in direct proportion to cuteness. Biased maybe?)
And my mates are all there
Trying to calm me down,
'Cause I'm shouting your name
All over town.
I'm swearing if I go there now,
I can change her mind,
Turn it all around.
And, I know that I'm drunk,
But I'll say the words,
And she'll listen this time,
Even though they're slurred.
Dial her number and confess to her,
I'm still in love, but all I heard
Was nothing.
Ouch. The Script's "Nothing" makes your heart ache, and it's so easy to relate to that feeling of desperation. The lyrics and emotion of this song grip me every time I hear it. (I'd go back to him after hearing this. How could you not? Poor guy.)
I have died every day waiting for you.
Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you
For a thousand years.
I'll love you for a thousand more.
And, all along I believed I would find you.
Time has brought your heart to me,
And I have loved you for a thousand years.
I'll love you for a thousand more.
Maybe it's just the dreamer in me, but I think we all hope for the day when that one great love finds us somehow. "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri makes you believe again that that kind of love is possible - or at least dream that it might be.
(And, for all the Twilight fans, I'm sure it doesn't hurt that it's used here as the wedding song for Isabella and Edward.)
I first heard Joshua Radin's "What If You" on the movie Catch & Release (which I love, by the way). That scene kind of sums it up, right? Sexy much?
I love Amos Lee. If you're gonna have a break-up song, let it be "A Little Bit of Rain."
Is there a better love song than this one by Van Morrison? I don't think so. First line, enough said.
When I hear this song, I only wish I had a slow-dance partner nearby, and the living room floor will do just fine. There's nothing better than a song that makes you smile and sway. "You" does exactly that. Reminiscent of Josh Turner, Chris Young's crooning voice is certain to make any girl's heart melt. Slow dance, anyone?
A list of songs to move you wouldn't be complete without a Craig Morgan hit (or two). I can't think of another artist who has the ability to put you right in the moment than Craig Morgan, and "Almost Home" is my favorite. No other song plays on the senses quite like it.
I just climbed out of a cottonwood tree.
I was runnin' from some honey bees.
Drip-drying in the summer breeze,
After jumping in to Calico Creek.
I was walkin' down an old dirt road,
Passed a field of hay that had just been mowed.
Come on, you can smell the freshly-cut hay. Doesn't get much better than that.
And, he did it again with "That's What I Love About Sunday."
Go home, into your blue jeans,
Have some chicken and some baked beans,
Pick a backyard football team,
Not do much of anything,
That's what I love about Sunday.
So much of mainstream music seems churned out and phoned in. To create something truly moving takes digging deep, being vulnerable and exposed. We have to feel it. We have to empathize, be in the singer's shoes, fall in love (or out of it). We want to be convinced, to believe. If you want to move us, you have to get to the soul.
Have a song to add? Tweet me @Foster_Jam.
]]>I recently had the good fortune of stumbling on Brett Young after he followed me on Twitter, which led me to his and Katie Orlofske's rendition of Lady Antebellum's "Dancin' Away With My Heart."
Now, I love Lady A, but I'll admit, when the song originally released, I don't remember it striking the same chord as Brett and Katie's version. That realization, that the same song I'd heard dozens of times before with no effect and that now gave me goose bumps every time I heard it, made me see just how much it takes for a song to truly move its listeners.
Here's a list of ones I think do just that.
There's something very sexy about a strong man who's been brought to his knees by a woman, and when Brett Young sings this particular song, you feel it, his rugged and raspy voice lending just the right soul to "Dancin' Away With My Heart."
Add to that Katie Orlofske's beautiful, songbird of a voice, and you have the perfect balance of softness and gruff. Just as any good romance novel would, you're left convinced that the lead characters are head over heels for each other, and there's something very sweet and reassuring about a good love story.
There's a certain swagger about Jerrod Niemann's "What Do You Want." It beats with your heart, and you can almost imagine the feeling of it falling to the floor the second you come across an old flame who still has a hold on you. We've all been there, jilted and powerless, wondering if the other person thrives on knowing we can't let go.
(Pity also increases, I believe, in direct proportion to cuteness. Biased maybe?)
And my mates are all there
Trying to calm me down,
'Cause I'm shouting your name
All over town.
I'm swearing if I go there now,
I can change her mind,
Turn it all around.
And, I know that I'm drunk,
But I'll say the words,
And she'll listen this time,
Even though they're slurred.
Dial her number and confess to her,
I'm still in love, but all I heard
Was nothing.
Ouch. The Script's "Nothing" makes your heart ache, and it's so easy to relate to that feeling of desperation. The lyrics and emotion of this song grip me every time I hear it. (I'd go back to him after hearing this. How could you not? Poor guy.)
I have died every day waiting for you.
Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you
For a thousand years.
I'll love you for a thousand more.
And, all along I believed I would find you.
Time has brought your heart to me,
And I have loved you for a thousand years.
I'll love you for a thousand more.
Maybe it's just the dreamer in me, but I think we all hope for the day when that one great love finds us somehow. "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri makes you believe again that that kind of love is possible - or at least dream that it might be.
(And, for all the Twilight fans, I'm sure it doesn't hurt that it's used here as the wedding song for Isabella and Edward.)
I first heard Joshua Radin's "What If You" on the movie Catch & Release (which I love, by the way). That scene kind of sums it up, right? Sexy much?
I love Amos Lee. If you're gonna have a break-up song, let it be "A Little Bit of Rain."
Is there a better love song than this one by Van Morrison? I don't think so. First line, enough said.
When I hear this song, I only wish I had a slow-dance partner nearby, and the living room floor will do just fine. There's nothing better than a song that makes you smile and sway. "You" does exactly that. Reminiscent of Josh Turner, Chris Young's crooning voice is certain to make any girl's heart melt. Slow dance, anyone?
A list of songs to move you wouldn't be complete without a Craig Morgan hit (or two). I can't think of another artist who has the ability to put you right in the moment than Craig Morgan, and "Almost Home" is my favorite. No other song plays on the senses quite like it.
I just climbed out of a cottonwood tree.
I was runnin' from some honey bees.
Drip-drying in the summer breeze,
After jumping in to Calico Creek.
I was walkin' down an old dirt road,
Passed a field of hay that had just been mowed.
Come on, you can smell the freshly-cut hay. Doesn't get much better than that.
And, he did it again with "That's What I Love About Sunday."
Go home, into your blue jeans,
Have some chicken and some baked beans,
Pick a backyard football team,
Not do much of anything,
That's what I love about Sunday.
So much of mainstream music seems churned out and phoned in. To create something truly moving takes digging deep, being vulnerable and exposed. We have to feel it. We have to empathize, be in the singer's shoes, fall in love (or out of it). We want to be convinced, to believe. If you want to move us, you have to get to the soul.
Have a song to add? Tweet me @Foster_Jam.
]]>You don't have to be a foster or adoptive parent to make a very big difference in the life of a foster child. Here are just some of the ways you can help.
It doesn't take much to light up the face of a foster child (or foster parent, for that matter). The things we so often take for granted are, many times, out of reach or have never even been experienced by foster kids. They very much just want to feel "normal," and there's nothing at all normal about life in foster care.
]]>You don't have to be a foster or adoptive parent to make a very big difference in the life of a foster child. Here are just some of the ways you can help.
It doesn't take much to light up the face of a foster child (or foster parent, for that matter). The things we so often take for granted are, many times, out of reach or have never even been experienced by foster kids. They very much just want to feel "normal," and there's nothing at all normal about life in foster care.
]]>