Happy

After indulging myself with the Jonas Brothers, I told myself that I was going to listen to this Spanish album, albeit one with an English title-- "Rhythm of Life". (By Ray Barretto.) And that's still on my to-do list, but since "What Makes You Beautiful"-- "You don't know you're beautiful!", *got in my head* I just had to put this one in again. I know that One Direction isn't considered 'good' by people who think that Bach and sorta church-y music is the good kind, and maybe not by those not "people like us"-- I used to have a Spanish novel (that I could sorta read) called 'Gente como nosotros', and I'm still tickled by that phrase, "people like us", and this is-- fish and chips, please, but, still.

I think this is first-rate.

All of the songs are pretty catchy, but as a little experiment, I'm going to write the phrases that stick in my mind the most.

1. What Makes You Beautiful-- "You don't know you're beautiful.... that's what makes you beautiful."

2. Gotta Be You-- "..... you.... only you...."

3. One Thing-- "Get out, get out, get out of my head, and fall into my arms instead."

4. More Than This-- I'm not sure.

5. Up All Night-- "Up all night like this, up all night.... I wanna stay up all night..."

6. I Wish-- da-na-na-na-na

7. Tell Me A Lie-- The chorus is very good, but it doesn't quite have that over-the-top addictive quality of some of the others.

8. Taken-- "You only love to see me breaking; you only want me when I'm taken."

9. I Want-- "I want I want I want-- but that's crazy. I want I want I want-- and that's not me. I want I want I want-- to be loved by you." This is a great example-- this isn't just a chorus; they're deliberately trying to drive you insane. It's also somewhat representative of the album, I think. (Was this a single? No? Really?)

10. Everything About You-- ".... you, you, you, everything that you do, do do...."

11. Same Mistakes-- I'm not sure.

12. Save You Tonight-- "I.... I, wanna save you...."

13. Stole My Heart-- *funny electronic sounds*

So.

Also, while the Jonas Brothers are very good, it is true that One Direction is like a different restaurant entirely. And--

I guess that a real cynic would call this crass manipulation, but that's not me. Actually, more-- that's why I avoid cynicism. It really is.

.... And you could call it simple, but to me that just doesn't say anything negative about its worth.

And "Take Me Home" is more developed, but this one is just as good, and it is the first.

(10/10)

P.S. One word about music critics-- whom Sting decided were subject to being tossed into the fiery underworld in "Saint Augustine in Hell"; I'm only surprised that he didn't think to draw in Chaucer or the Venerable Bede but, what can I say, great contrasts draw me in. But, anyway.

A music writer is a little bit like a "foodie" of the Anthony Bourdain sort. (And maybe he would wave his arms in disgust at One Direction, but that's not the point.) Because that's what writing about music is-- deep thinking about what makes you happy. And good music really can be more nourishing than food.

And one other thing-- although it, this writing, does have a certain intellectual layer to it, that just doesn't mean that fish and chips can't be just as pleasing and just as worthy as the finest French or Mediterranean cuisine.

And, at the risk of being a little selfish, sometimes there's just nothing wrong with eating because you're hungry and eating to you're full, or in listening to ("fish and chips") music because it makes you feel good.

"I want I want I want, (but that's crazy); I want I want I want (and that's not me); I want I want I want-- to be loved by you."

I want apple pie and ice cream and muffins. ;)