"Jaded" by Aerosmith

This song came up in a mix recently and I realized I'd forgotten how much I loved this song. When I was a kid, of course. It was released in December 2000 and was basically my whole soundtrack for 2001. I remember dancing around my living room whenever the music video came on MTV - this was before I was considered "responsible enough" to have a TV in my room. And yes, I know the MTV reference is instantly dated. I'm a member of the last generation who remembers when MTV only played music videos. And, I'm gonna tell ya, the world was a simpler place then. Or so it seemed. Yet, I still identified very strongly with this song - even though my (well meaning, Hanson-loving) friends didn't get it - at the tender age of 13....perhaps because I already understood the feeling back then. Of course, I'm not sure if I was jaded or if I knew it was unsafe to show emotion...so I didn't. Coping mechanisms are fun!

Your thinking's so complicated

I've had it all up to here

But it's so overrated

Love and hated

Wouldn't trade it

Love me jaded

I looked up the definition for "jaded" because I'm starting to feel like I know so many words but have lost touch with the true meaning. Linguistics is a true passion of mine (one of several). Apparently, the word originally meant "worn-out horse," possibly from the Old Norse jalda meaning "mare." Luckily, I've recently taken up Icelandic (apparently the closest language to Old Norse) so I know exactly how to pronounce jalda, in addition to several other words. I particularly enjoy saying the word for "mushroom," which is sveppur. Moving on in our explanation (rant....it's a rant at this point) about words, "jaded" has three meanings in English, all fairly similar. 1. Bored or lacking enthusiasm, typically after having been over exposed to, or having consumed too much of something. 2. Worn-out, wearied, exhausted, or lacking enthusiasm, due to age or experience. 3. Made callous, or cynically insensitive, by experience. I think it's something akin to that "emptiness" I'm always going on about. Nothing surprises you. In fact, the pettiness and predictability of human beings (including yourself) begins to get tiresome. It happens. Every so often, I stop believing in fairy tales and magic for a little while. At this point, I don't worry because it usually comes back. All you need is a little spark.

Hey j-j-jaded

There ain't no baby please

When I'm shootin' the breeze with her

When everything you see is a blur

And ecstasy's what you prefer

This songs meaning is somewhat layered. There's the most obvious layer, which is that it's about a complicated relationship with a younger woman who is just so bored with life already. But then there's the layer of what Steven Tyler was thinking when he wrote the song. He was thinking of his youngest daughter while developing "Jaded," about how he didn't feel as if he was there enough due to his lifestyle (not just the musician life, but drug addictions too). All of his relationships with his children are complicated like this. Liv Tyler didn't meet him until she was 9, when her mother took her to an Aerosmith concert. Bebe Buell didn't tell her that Tyler was her father due to his involvement with drugs but - to hear Liv Tyler tell the story - when she met Steven Tyler, she just "knew" he was her father. And I believe her. I think children always know about those kind of complicated things. They know when something's wrong, even when adults refuse to talk about them or straight up lie to their face. Over time, we teach them (and ourselves) that they're overthinking or they're "too sensitive" (that's my favorite one, can't you tell? I heard it a lot growing up), and so life slowly stamps out that intuition because we've learned to ignore it. And that shit is hard to grow back. Assuming that ignoring your intuition doesn't kill you first.

As I said, I loved the music video. It has a style about it - it's not creepy, but it's clear that the world is a little off. The girl (a young Mila Kunis, who looks as beautiful as always and weirdly reminds me of my older sister) is surrounded by a lavish lifestyle. Beautiful clothes, meticulous servants, every manner of entertainment at her slightest whim. She literally has it all but something is missing for her. Everything blurs together. There's nothing fantastical in her fantasy world. Then, a mysterious force asks her, "What do you want?" And she answers simply, "To Feel" (Oh. My. God. That is such a Cancer thing to say!) The mysterious force tells her to "Find the Forest" and she runs madly searching for it. For all her trouble, she finds the forest - which is quite a magical place - and she is finally touched to the point where she cries. I told you...she just needed a spark. A happy ending indeed. On a somewhat related note, YouTube has been suggesting a lot of psychology videos for me lately and I've taken the bait. Of course, I'm starting to realize that I've never strayed too far from my roots.

"Jaded" Video

"Twenty Two" by Taylor Swift

I've chosen a somewhat obnoxious song for my birthday, because I can. I know the song is actually "Twenty Two" but, lately, I've been singing it as "Thirty Two" because that's how old I am today (and I'm a dork who makes up lyrics to songs just for fun). As of 3:45 am, which you will notice is when this post was uploaded. No, I am not awake that early - I'm an old woman and I need my beauty sleep - but I did schedule it to post at precisely my birth time. Yep, I'm a little extra. When I got my first cell phone, my best friend in high school used to call me at exactly 3:45am every birthday, which made me feel super special. Lately, I feel like I'm lucky if The Husband remembers without looking at Facebook (but I'm sure a lot of people are in that boat with me....that's why I've been loudly hinting that my birthday is coming up for the last two weeks).

Anyway, even though I kinda/sorta think this is a terrible song, I still love it because it's hella catchy. Taylor Swift is (also) weirdly obsessed with her birthday and her age, so this is one of multiple songs she titled after the age she was at the time she wrote it. Additionally, her fifth studio album was named "1989," after the year she was born. She has a song named "Back to December," which is the month she was born in. And her next album is going to be released on 8/23, which is "13" if you add up all the numbers (this isn't just supposition - she straight up pointed this out when she did an Instagram video announcing the release of "Lover"). All of this makes me think she might be super interested in numerology which, quite frankly, just makes me love her even more.

It seems like one of those nights

This place is too crowded, too many cool kids uh uh, uh uh

It seems like one of those nights

We ditch the whole scene and end up dreaming instead of sleeping

Yeah

We're happy free confused and lonely in the best way

It's miserable and magical oh yeah

Tonight's the night, when we forget about the heartbreaks, it's time uh oh

I don't know about you but I'm feeling 22 32

Everything will be alright if you keep me next to you

You don't know about me, but I bet you want to

Everything will be alright if we just keep dancing like we're 22 32

I know I ranted about Taylor's Cancer moon a couple weeks back, but let's not forget, she's a Sagittarius, which is one of my favorite signs. You know why? Because, it's the sign of hope and optimism and I have a lot of Sagittarius placements (couldn't you tell?) And, as far as songs go, hope and optimism is the energy that "Twenty Two" most embodies. So - if I really believe in all this magic and setting intentions stuff - that's the energy I want to embrace for my 32nd year on this floating rock. In my recent astrological studies, I've been reading a lot about annual profections, which is that specific houses (and any planets that fall within them) are activated during each year as we grow older. The age of 31 falls in the 8th house, which is the House of Death and Rebirth. It's a house of hard lessons, hard realizations, and a lot of soul growth. I feel like that was very true for me. I also kind of feel like I'm not done with it, yet, but that doesn't mean I'm not looking forward toward what awaits me in the 9th House. The thing I love most about astrology is that everything is connected within the framework, so it should seem absolutely natural that the hard lessons and awakenings we encounter in the 8th House, are solidified into Wisdom during the transit of the 9th House. Ninth House years are full of discoveries and adventure (it's naturally ruler is Sagittarius), and it portends (or at least, I really hope it portends) lots of travel, learning, and expansion. The 9th House also indicates publishing and themes of spirituality and self-improvement. Well, I'm already on that bender so....Bring it on!

Side note: The more I read about profections and compare them to my life circumstances, the more creeped out I get. I met my Husband during a 7th House annual profection, became pregnant with my son shortly after I moved into a 5th House year, and I started my first real job during a 2nd House year. I know it's probably not this accurate for most people, but I find this is a common thing with astrologers. They start learning about astrology because it sounds fun and esoteric, but they keep with it because - when they start to apply it to their own life - it gets scary accurate. Just trying to keep my wits about me.

Anyway, I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 32. Which means that it makes me super anxious that she jumped into the pool wearing a sweater and mini-skirt that I'm almost certain cost like $800 for this video. Damn kids.

"22" Video

"Giver" by K.Flay

My son and I love K.Flay. She's one of the only artists he knows by name - every time one of her music videos comes on, he gets all excited and shouts "It's K.Flay." I feel that way, too, baby. Based on her music, I feel like we've had similar life experiences. She's a fellow Cancer and she also majored in Psychology during university, which explains the introspective nature of a lot of her lyrics. This particular song came up in my playlist and it's had me thinking a lot lately. I don't know why I listen to music that makes me ruminate so hard on my existence. It just happens.

"Giver" is about that phase after what could be loosely termed a "spiritual awakening" (or a Dark Night of the Soul, more like....been through plenty of those), where you realize you've got to be different in some way. You've got to be better, or else you won't survive. But there's an insecurity that comes along with it, that you don't know how to be, that you're just going to fuck it up and it's not even worth trying. Maybe you treated others pretty shitty in the past. Or - just as bad - you've been selling yourself short. You start questioning your intentions, especially when you're trying to "make good" by being a kinder, more generous version of yourself. Or you have to fight falling back into old submissive patterns when you assert your needs and boundaries, because you immediately get pushback from those who were taking advantage of you. That's okay - keep going. That means the change is truly taking root. Because if you can't acknowledge that you were different in the past, have you really evolved? Maybe it's because of the experiences I've had, but I can always tell when someone is changing their behavior as a manipulation tactic. Perhaps it's because they become defensive when you point out their past bad behavior. If the shift was genuine, they'd be able to acknowledge and apologize for how they acted or the things they've said before. Otherwise, it's just gaslighting.

I'm learning to live

I'm trying to be better

I'm learning to give

But I don't know if I'm a giver

I don't know if I'm a giver

I don't know if I'm a giver

I got so much soul in my body

But no one keeping me honest

And whole days turn into holes in my mind

I got high hopes lots of potential

I'm high, broke, searching for symbols

And I will not let go of what is mine

This song, in particular, recently got under my skin because of something a tarot reader/social worker/counselor I follow on Twitter/Instagram, Jessica Dore, wrote for one of her daily draws. It was about gift giving as manipulation. I've always felt kind of uncomfortable with receiving gifts, because they always seemed to come with strings attached. As a result, I've always been fairly self-sufficient. If I want something, and I can afford it, I buy it. I don't need anyone to buy me anything and that's how I assert my freedom. No one owns me. And then it occurs to me - maybe the mere fact that I don't want to be owned means I can't be.

So what happens when you realize that you want gifts from certain people - especially people you feel you give a lot of time, energy, and care to - and you don't get them? I find myself saying "It's fine" a lot. And then I wonder if it's maybe my own fault - I've pretended that I'm this low-maintenance person who doesn't need or want to be spoiled for so long, people actually believed me? But asking for what I want feels burdensome and I fear that being honest about what I want will cause people to abandon me. (That's where the insecurity comes in.) Then I'm surprised when I feel depleted and resentful, because I'm still over-giving in hope that I receive a little bit in return, but it doesn't work that way. I would argue I have the opposite problem of K.Flay - I know how to give, I just don't know how to receive.

But that's part of the enlightenment and recovery. Realizing the person you pretended to be isn't who you are and navigating the obstacles you face trying to embody your authentic self. The scary thing, though, is that you will lose things along the way. Friends, lovers, addictions, coping methods, parts of your personality that you believed were "you" for so long. It's a shedding of everything that doesn't work anymore, if it ever really worked at all. The only thing to do is just trying to be that best version of yourself every day. Like K.Flay says in the song, you can't let go of what is yours.

"Giver" Video

"The Good That Won't Come Out" by Rilo Kiley

Rilo Kiley is one of my favorite bands. More music that got me through the toughest parts of my life (thus far). They broke up in 2011 (and I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who cared) but they still hold a special part of my heart. Rilo Kiley's music is very much like Lana Del Rey's, in that it can sound whimsical and chipper, but the lyrics tell a story that's so much deeper than the surface. Rilo Kiley was started by former child stars Jenny Lewis ("Troop Beverly Hills") and Blake Sennett ("Boy Meets World"). True to form, I was oddly attracted to Sennett's character, Joseph "Joey the Rat" Epstein, which is how I discovered Rilo Kiley. Chronic boy craziness had its advantages - I kinda miss it sometimes. "The Good That Won't Come Out" was the first Rilo Kiley song I'd ever heard and - while it's not my favorite ("Does He Love You?" wins that title) - I would certainly count it in a list of their Top 10 Greatest.

"The Good That Won't Come Out" is about mental illness - specifically depression and anxiety, especially among high-functioning individuals. It's a lament about how that, even if you want to do something about it, there's this fear that keeps you from seeking help. Even though you know it's keeping you from enjoying your life, keeping you from doing the things you love, preventing you from being there for the people you love, and stopping you from accomplishing your dreams. All the good that won't come out of you. Let's dissect it a little bit.

Oh, you're almost home

I've been waiting for you to come in

Dancing around in your old suits, going crazy in your room again

I think I'll go out and embarrass myself by getting drunk and falling down in the street

You say I choose sadness, that it never once has chosen me

Maybe you're right...

In the first verse, Jenny has been invited to meet up with friends and they get into a discussion about climate change. And she's struck by the futility because, while they're all claiming how concerned they are about it, they're not doing a damn thing to make it better. She wants to do better, she wants to be a better person, but she finds herself doing the same thing. A lot of outrage, not a lot of action. She's just watching things crumble around her but she can't bring herself to do something about it. Which leads us to our second verse.

She knows there is something wrong with her. Otherwise, she wouldn't be so miserable....but she won't go to a psychologist/psychiatrist. Because then she'd have to face the things that are causing her to be so miserable, including the things that are her fault. There's nothing more infuriating/disappointing than knowing the biggest obstacle holding you back is your own insecurities and fears. Besides that, in order to get better, she'd have to allow herself to become vulnerable to someone, even if it's just a medical professional. And that's scary for a lot of people. Letting someone in that far, allowing them to see those ugly bits, means they have all the ammunition they need to hurt you. Really hurt you. And you just have to trust that they won't. Very few people have ever experienced that level of trust. People think they have, but they haven't. There are people who go to therapy every week and they talk, but they don't really say anything. Then they stop going because it's not working. How could it? They didn't even try.

The bridge is my favorite part, though. She's in a conversation with someone - the person she's singing to - perhaps a lover, perhaps a friend. The talking is therapeutic for her and she's getting close to a few breakthroughs. She's allowing herself to be vulnerable. And that's what she wanted ("I've been waiting for you to come in"). But then she goes back to her same old self-destructive habits and pushes the person away. The killing blow, though, is when the person says that she's choosing to be sad, in the face of all the good things in her life. And a final, reluctant admission - maybe there's an uncomfortable truth to that. In the last verse, she starts thinking of her other friends, friends that never recovered from their depression, some of whom committed suicide ("all our friends who lost the war"), and she's at a crossroads. Let this person - who cares about her enough to try and break down her walls - walk away. And, thus, truly be lost. Or admit she needs help and actually follow through this time.

"You say I choose sadness, that it never once has chosen me...." That line has stuck with me for the past decade and a half. This can mean many things - choosing to stay in situations we know make us unhappy, choosing to think badly of ourselves, choosing to not stand up for our own needs and boundaries. It seems inevitable - because we've convinced ourselves this is just who we are - but it doesn't have to be. Thoughts are a choice, feelings are a choice. It may not seem like it in the moment, but they are. And it takes a long time and a lot of hard work to transform them into something more positive, something akin to happiness, but it's worth it. You just have to get over the fear and try. It may take a couple of tries, to be honest. I feel like it's Millennial Culture to compare our misery - my childhood was sadder than yours, I'm more broke than you, I've sacrificed more, et cetera. And then we wonder why our generation's drug use, depression, and suicide rates have sky-rocketed. I'm not saying life isn't hard - it is. But we don't have to see it that way. And we certainly don't have to accept misery as our permanent reality. Just let someone in.

"The Good That Won't Come Out" Video

July Theme: "Ladies' Choice"

For July, I wanted to work on some projects I've been avoiding for a while so, instead of pushing myself to follow a theme and exerting extra brain power searching for songs that fit a vision, this month is going to be mostly random choices. There probably won't be too many rants, either, as I'm going to try to keep things short. I only have so much writing time in a day, unfortunately.

To be honest, June felt extra heavy for some reason. I was feeling unappreciated, unloved, uninspired - just a lot of "uns" in general. And, while I'd like to say I'm feeling better, the fact is that in July, I still feel all the feels, I just have more energy and motivation to be....mean. I've still got a lot of righteous anger and I'm ready to burn a few bridges, if necessary. But for now, I'm trying to fly under the radar because, occasionally, the pain subsides and the rage passes. It is, indeed, Cancer season - in honor of my birthday month, I've been dipping into the Cancer playlist curated by Spotify and I've found some gems. Some of the songs hit a little bit too hard but that's why I like them. The artists have put the intensity I'm feeling into the words I couldn't find. I'm still trying to find them. While I do that, there's plenty of darkness I have left to transmute.

For fun, I scoured the internet for a truly Cancerean quote. Naturally, it came from Pablo Neruda, a poet known for his love sonnets: “If nothing saves us from death, at least love should save us from life.”

I also scoured the internet for Cancer memes - there were a lot, mostly involving Sailor Moon (the show was highly astrology based - all the Scouts were based on their planetary ruler. Sailor Moon was a Cancer, Sailor Mercury was a Virgo, Sailor Mars was an Aries, etc.) Sharing a few to lighten the mood.

"Puttin' on the Ritz" by Irving Berlin (as performed by Shiny Toy Guns)

Shiny Toy Guns is a synth-pop band from California. As a rule, the most retro they get is their heavy 80s influence but they have some really great covers of older songs. Most notably, they did a really brilliant version of David Bowie's "Major Tom" that had me wanting a Lincoln MKZ for the longest time. In fact, I'm pretty sure that commercial was my first introduction to Shiny Toy Guns and, not-so-coincidentally, they started getting fairly well-known after it aired during that year's Superbowl.

The original song, "Puttin' on the Ritz" was written by Irving Berlin for the classic Fred Astaire film of the same name. Although the movie came out in 1930, Berlin wrote it in 1927. After the movie came out, this song quickly became the number one song on the radio. It's emblematic of an era. The title and lyrics are derived from 1920s slang meaning "dressing fashionably," as if you were dining at The Ritz Hotel in London, a popular establishment for the jet set of the 20s and 30s. And here is where we meet a particular branch of dieselpunk, known as Decopunk.

Have you seen the well-to-do?

Up and down Park Avenue

On that famous thoroughfare

With their noses in the air

High hats and arrow collars

White spats and lots of dollars

Spending every dime for a wonderful time

Decopunk derives its name from the Art Deco style that was popular during the 20s and 30s. Although during the same time frame as regular Dieselpunk, Decopunk tends to be cleaner and shinier. It tends to focus on the wealthier, freewheeling times of the 1920s. Everything has a sleeker, more glamorous look to it. Like all retro-futurist genres, it's highly influenced by the fashions of this time period. Flappers in fringe and gentlemen wearing top hats and tails are the hallmarks of the style. This time period also encompasses the Jazz age and prohibition, so stories based in this era tend to revolve around lavish parties and bootlegging operations.

The 1920s is one of my favorite eras, along with the French Revolution and La Belle Epoque. Also not-so-coincidentally, French culture is a heavy influence in all three of these time periods. The French had an insatiable appetite for importing Jazz music from the United States and, in return, they provided us the simplified fashion and the foundations of Art Deco. Art Deco heavily influenced American architecture - the clean lines and rounded arches that are indicative of the style can be seen in everything from the Empire State Building (and pretty much the whole New York skyline) to high schools in California. It eventually evolved into the softer, more understated Streamline Moderne of the 1920s.

So, you're intrigued by Decopunk and would like to absorb it into your aesthetic? You have plenty of examples to choose from. My favorites are definitely the first two Bioshock videos games, which are fun to play and beautiful to look at (if you're a gamer). You can enjoy some electro-swing, courtesy of artists like Caravan Palace, Parov Stelar, and Caro Emerald. There's plenty of films you can enjoy from the 1920s (all of which are pre-Code) like "Metropolis" or modern films with a heavy decopunk influence like "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," the Batman movies directed by Tim Burton (and, honestly, Batman in general is on the darker side of decopunk), and the "Fantastic Beasts" films (if you're a Harry Potter fan, like myself). I always recommend "The Great Gatsby" to read, because I love F. Scott Fitzgerald (who doesn't?). I haven't seen the Baz Luhrmann film starring Leonardo DiCaprio but it looks pretty good and has that glamorous-ness Luhrmann injects into all his work. If you really want to get into it, you can spend the better part of a month watching the last three seasons of "Downton Abbey" and "Boardwalk Empire." Or, you can just sit back in tuxedo and enjoy a classic Gin & Tonic. As it is my favorite drink, I've hunted down a recipe to share.

Classic Gin & Tonic

2 oz gin

4 oz tonic water

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 lime wedge (for garnish)

Place ice cubes in a tall, narrow glass with the ice coming near the top. Pour gin, tonic water, and lime juice over the ice. Stir well with a long-necked spoon. Garnish with lime wedge, and serve immediately.

Honestly, as with every retro-futurist aesthetic, the point is to have fun. And there's a lot about decopunk to enjoy. However, you will have to do some digging - as a subgenre, decopunk is relatively new so there's not a whole lot of information out there compiled into a single place for folks to discover. But maybe that's a good thing - it just means you'll have to do some exploring to find out what you like. Happy flapping!

"Puttin' on the Ritz" Video

"Style" by Taylor Swift (as performed by Postmodern Jukebox)

I managed to fit in some Taylor Swift, even though (by definition) she does not fall into the retro-futuristic genre. But she is quite old-fashioned. Cancer placements have that effect. We tend to have a rosy picture of the past and a significant nostalgic streak. Especially relationships, even when (in saner moments) we're able to acknowledge that the other person never really gave a shit about us but about how we made them "feel." This results in what can look like we're going in circles, playing out the same stories hoping to get different results. Loving and giving and getting nothing in return, letting go because we're drained, exhausted and not getting what we need, then letting them back in because of some misplaced hope that things will work out. All love stories should have happy endings or some bullshit. I submit T-Swift's music (and love life) as Exhibit A. And poor Taylor is a Cancer moon, which I would argue is just as bad (possibly worse) as a Cancer sun because the moon is Cancer's ruler. But, that being said, her lyrics paint a pretty picture of young romance, the epic quest for True Love, and life in general. Every verse evokes a scene from a movie - replete with camera flares and fourth wall breaks - which appeals to me because I have a tendency to imagine myself as the heroine in my own suspensefully tragic romantic dramady.

"Style" is about one of Swift's on-again-off-again relationships. More specifically, about a having a connection with someone that is so special and seems to click so well that you keep coming back to them ("We never go out of style"). However, she's well aware of how things ended in the past (i.e., terribly). She just doesn't care. She'll keep letting this dumbass break her heart every time because it feels right when she's in it. We call that not learning the lesson. The lesson being - walk away, he's clearly not good for you because there was a reason you broke up with him in the first place.

So it goes, he can't keep his wild eyes on the road

Takes me home, lights are off he's taking off his coat (Hm yeah)

I say "I've heard that you've been out and about with some other girl, some other girl"

He says "What you've heard is true but I

Can't stop thinking about you" and I

I said "I've been there too a few times"

As I said, Taylor Swift's language is classic romance films circa 1935-1955, the Golden Age of Hollywood (because the dieselpunk era was a "golden age" for a lot of things), so let's just take a brief look at the lyrics. Her love interest has that "James Dean, day dream look in his eye" (a dangerous look indeed - a solid right hook usually does the trick). The James Dean reference doesn't end there - he's picking her up in his car and she mentions that their dalliance could end in "burning flames." A subtle - albeit mildly distasteful - nod to James Dean's death when he crashed his beloved Porsche 550 Spyder. It's a misconception that he died in an automobile fire - he snapped his neck on impact. Moving on, she says she has that "red lip, classic thing" about her, a look that Golden Age film sirens wore so well and that I have a hard time picturing Taylor Swift without. Finally, as with all her songs (because she made her name first as a country singer), the verses tell a clear story. He's called her out of the blue and is actually trying to keep their date a secret (no one picks a girl up with their headlights off unless they're trying to be sneaky - it's a rookie teenager move). It's pretty clear he's just wanting to get her in bed. She mentions that she heard he was seeing someone else. He admits he is but he "can't stop thinking about you and I." And she gives in because she's been fantasizing about the same thing. Fin. Sounds like a recipe for heartbreak but at least she got a killer single out of it. And I have no doubt that a scenario similar to this actually played out in her life. Swift has a tendency to take "write what you know" a little too seriously.

I like the Postmodern Jukebox version because it's a duet (the original is not). It's also higher energy - something you can dance to (PMJ says it's in "Grease"-style, which involved perhaps too much dancing). The original is more of a ballad, and not as fun to run to. The retro-futurist version replaces the synthesizers with brass, which naturally gives the whole piece a brighter sound. Also - and this is not remotely relevant - but the tenor who sings the male part (Von Smith) reminds me a little bit of Mr. Nice Guy. Just in the face. Von Smith is not quite as tall. And I'm pretty sure Mr. Nice Guy couldn't sing and didn't own a leather jacket. Including the T-Swift version, just because I can. She helped me make it through June alive - the least I can do is pimp her music videos.

"Style" PMJ Version

"Style" Original Video