April 2015 - Run by Snow Patrol

Second inductee to my song hall of fame:

Run - Snow Patrol

Why?

Since I've been working chronologically so far, let's take a step back. We started off my song list with "Don't Panic" by Coldplay, which was the first band that really impressed me emotionally and made me think more about exploring music. This craving led me to surface-scratching in many different genres: reggae, electronica, R&B, Enigma (which, as we've seen here, has its own category), and others. All of that aside, my musical taste came to revolve around what I call my four core bands, upon which my young musical taste was based. Those four bands are Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Death Cab for Cutie, and Keane. I know now that I had the promise of longevity there. Keane and Snow Patrol released music in 2012, Coldplay last year, and Death Cab for Cutie last month.

Out of those four, the next one to blow away ten-year-old me was Snow Patrol with their masterpiece "Run" in 2003 from the album Final Straw. "Run" is the first love song that I fell in love with. It wasn't superficial. It wasn't arrogant. It wasn't constructed to appeal to the masses, but it still did because it was sincere both in prose and in composition. If you know the album, then you might remember that this song came right after "Chocolate", another massive hit. Those two songs together were an audible powerhouse for the giddy listener I was.

"Run" varies quite a bit from my first choice. Most noticeably, it's slower, moving from a 2-minute to a 6-minute duration, leaving plenty of time for us to revel in the harmonies. It also added strings to the mix, which I always love to death, and it used them very well. I'd say the biggest difference, however, is its shift to a romantic theme, while quite brilliantly maintaining the element of inspiration in the meantime. As somewhat of a hopeless romantic, I appreciate the words and what meaning they might take on later in my life. I'll highlight my favorite lines, but I truly like each one.

I'll sing it one last time for you

Then we really have to go.

You've been the only thing that's right

In all I've done.

And I can barely look at you,

But every single time I do

I know we'll make it anywhere

Away from here.

(Chorus)

Light up, light up

As if you have a choice.

Even if you cannot hear my voice,

I'll be right beside you dear.

Louder, louder

And we'll run for our lives.

I can hardly speak. I understand

Why you can't raise your voice to say.

To think I might not see those eyes

Makes it so hard not to cry

And as we say our long goodbye

I nearly do.

(Chorus)

Slower, slower,

We don't have time for that.

All I want is to find an easier way

To get out of our little heads.

Have heart, my dear.

We're bound to be afraid,

Even if it's just for a few days,

Making up for all this mess.

(Chorus)

I think Snow Patrol's always been good with lyrics, particularly in their love songs. Here, the singer reaches a helping hand to his/her lover, addressing both the uplifting strength of their love and the fearful pressures of the dire situation they're caught in. The title shows up in a line we may take for granted because we hear it so much: "We'll run for our lives." They're running together and that makes all the difference. A beautiful concept.

There are two music videos for the song, both of which use the shorter, single-edition. The first is my favorite because that's the one I remember seeing when I was young.

Here's the original-length version, which has some extra space between the verses and a longer finale.

Leona Lewis liked the song enough that she covered it five years later. This is one of the best covers I've ever heard of any song and you may decide you like it better. Not me, but it's excellent.

"Have heart, my dear. We're bound to be afraid."

Run - Snow Patrol

Song #2

March 2015 - Spirited Away

And the first movie on my list is...

Spirited Away

Why?

"Spirited Away" was the first film I saw from Japanese mastermind Hayao Miyazaki ("Howl's Moving Castle", "Princess Mononoke", etc.). That was 14 years ago in 2001. I remember it quite simply blowing my mind with how strange it was. First of all, it was the first foreign film I ever saw, which was an experience in itself. Then there's the long list of ridiculous things that happen in the film, some of which I still roll my eyes at. With that outlandish edge to the side, however, I came to deeply appreciate the movie for how extremely imaginative it was. It was original in character design, in art style, and in storytelling. At that point in my life, its immense and bold creativity was unmatched by anything else I'd ever seen, and certainly not neared by any of the dozens of animated Disney films I'd enjoyed. In a way, it opened my mind to possibilities within the film industry that I didn't expect to ever experience or I didn't know were there.

And I'm not the only one who holds it in such high regard. Users of Metacritic put it at #1. That means that, according to at least one reliable account, "Spirited Away" is the best movie of all time.

The story follows young Chihiro, who's travelling with her parents to a new home at the film's start. They get lost on their journey, stumbling upon an abandoned, carnival-like establishment in the middle of a forest. Chihiro's parents are attracted to a wealthy amount of food at one of the abandoned stores and start chowing down despite Chihiro's warnings. She goes exploring and returns to find that the temptation turned them into pigs and they don't remember her.

Chihiro panics as night falls, bringing with it the frightening spirits who travel to this place, which,  as she discovers, is a vacation spot for phantoms and other strange creatures. One of them, a young man named Haku, befriends and protects her. He introduces her to the spirit spa. The master of the spa, a creepy old woman named Yubaba, promises to return her parents to her in exchange for a period of service at the spa.

One of the other spirits she meets, No-Face, becomes her silent sidekick as she works to save her parents and learns more about her own identity and that of Haku.

The rest is for you to find.

Truth is, "Spirited Away" is definitely not my favorite movie or very close to it, but when I discovered it at a young age, it was stunning; I haven't experienced many entertainment shocks like that since. I still place high value on it as an important part of my uprising as an aspiring creator. Miyazaki's other films are also impressive and bold in other ways, but none of them come close to having the sort of emotional impact that Spirited Away has for me.

And there's my first Hall of Famer from the world of film.

"Nothing that happens is ever forgotten, even if you can't remember it"

February 2015 - Enigma

And the first inductee into my artist hall of fame is...

Enigma

Why?

I remember exactly where I was when I first heard Enigma. It was roughly 14 years ago. I was riding in the car with my dad and we had just turned off of Highway 89 by Slim Olson’s gas station in Bountiful when my dad switched to another radio station. I was dumbfounded by the song that waited there. It was extremely different from anything I’d heard up to that point. It was weird, but I thought it was great. I told my dad not to change the station, which is where his trustworthiness as a music lover proved itself.

“You like it? It’s Enigma. I have a few CDs.”

Enigma is a new age/dance music project, a moniker for mastermind Michael Cretu. Cretu is a Romanian-German born in ’57 who, after proving his talent from a young age, made a breakthrough on a global level with his creation of the Enigma project. Enigma was begun with the help of Danish Jens Gad while Cretu was working in Germany. Enigma’s first album, appropriately titled MCMXC a.D. (1990 AD), ultimately led to six more and they, in turn, to 50 million record sales worldwide.

Enigma is truly unique. The 100+ songs, remixes aside, include gothic vocal choirs, beat boxing, guitar solos, Native American chanting, string compositions, English, French, Spanish, Latin... Cretu's Enigma is so vastly diverse, yet uncompromisingly original that I'm certain I'll never find anything quite like it. Even within the foreign 'new age' genre it's usually tied to, it stands far away from everything else. With religion and philosophy as some of its core subjects, Enigma brings some memorable messages into the mix as well, some of which have had an impact in my own creative endeavors.

I want to share some of Enigma with you, of course. I suppose we'll work chronologically based on his run of albums.

MCMXC a.D. (1990) established the enigmatic sound that would hold for years to come. Now I didn't find Enigma until over ten years later, but a couple of the songs Cretu debuted with in this collection were still some of his most popular by the time I knew about him. Among them, that first song I heard in my dad's car, titled "Sadeness" (a referrence to Marquis de Sade of France). When this single came out, it hit #1 in 24 countries.

The Cross of Changes (1993) moved away from the lengthy, slow progression seen in much of the first album in favor of more concrete, stand-alone songs. If there's any Enigma song you've heard, it's probably "Return to Innocence" from this album. It has great lyrics, several catchy rhythms, and one of the best music videos of all time, which plays out the life of a man from end to beginning.

Le Roi Est Mord, Vive Le Roi! (1996) continued the same formula with, in my opinion, a stronger aim to tap into listeners' emotions by generally pulling down the tempo and volume and focusing on moving lines. Strange enough, this was the last CD I got a hold of and I was touched to find this slightly different side of Enigma in songs like "Why!".

The Screen Behind The Mirror (2000) is arguably the strongest, most pivotal collection here. It certainly was for me because this is about the time I first came into contact with the project. This album brought in enough additional hits for a greatest hits CD with 18 songs to be released a year later. "Push the Limits" was one of the many highlights.

Voyageur (2003) is my personal favorite. At this time, I think Cretu knew that it was time for Enigma to evolve more dramatically than it had up to this point. It's hard to pinpoint what he did because the songs are so different from one another, but I think Voyageur was more welcoming to a broader audience because of simpler composing with fewer components. Melodies and beats were emphasized, like in "Incognito". Cretu, by the way, is not the male singer you hear in these songs.

A Posteriori (2006) is bittersweet. By this time, Cretu divorced his wife Sandra, who had been the voice of Enigma up to this point (literally, the first song on the first album is "Voice of Enigma" and she's it). Thus, this is the only album of the project that's primarily instrumental, with only two tracks including lyrics. Cretu took on outer space as his central theme and that's exactly what this album sounds like. "Sitting On The Moon" is my favorite from this one.

Seven Lives Many Faces (2008) seemed like an experimental group of pieces, some of which worked better than others. In his search for things he hadn't yet done, Cretu came up with some great new music like the stunning "Seven Lives" 

There was another greatest hits batch that came out in 2010, but due to the lack of recent material and Cretu's age of 68, I think the end has already passed.

If nothing here has piqued your interest so far, try these, my five favorites.

"Beyond The Invisible"

"Prism of Life"

"Gravity of Love"

"Boum-Boum"

"Following the Sun"

I love Enigma more than I love any band or musician. It's my #1. I don't think I've ever told anyone that and I'm still somewhat apprehensive about letting it out. I used to think it was because Enigma is so different, so eccentric, and I was worried about what others would think. In reality, it's because Enigma is so precious to me. It's one of my greatest musical treasures, one I wouldn't casually pass on to just anyone. I'm thrilled, however, to do so in this personal hall of fame's first seat.

"People talk too much for what they have to say." -"Silence Must Be Heard"

"Let the rhythm be your guiding light." -"Voice of Enigma"

"Old rules and habits have to be rejected and dismissed so that something new can be created."

"Never stop having ideas."

-Michael Cretu

January 2015 - Don't Panic by Coldplay

Congratulations to my very first hall of fame member ever:

Don't Panic - Coldplay

Why?

Parachutes, Coldplay's first full-length album, came out in 2000 with Don't Panic as its opening track. It was the first song I ever heard from Coldplay, a band that still releases great music that I enjoy today. It was also my introduction to the genre, that sort of alternative soft rock, or whatever you want to call it, that many bands at the time fell into. This led me to many other songs and artists that ultimately became the core of my musical interest in the decade to follow.

More than that though... I was seven years old when Don't Panic came out. What were you listening to at seven? I had a lot of children's songs, of course. Church songs, nursery rhymes, Disney, country hits from my mom, whatever was on the radio ... nothing too spectacular that I can remember. Music was something fun, something to sing or dance along with. As I grew older, the songs my dad, a music addict himself, would find became my pathway to my own taste in more mature music.

When Parachutes came out, my dad would play it in his office a lot. I remember him playing Don't Panic more than any other, which probably wasn't what actually happened, but that songs sticks out in my memory because it made me feel differently about music. Don't Panic was the first song that ever made me feel something beyond physical energy, beyond the feel-good vibe of an uplifting melody. It was the first song I had a real passion for. I didn't just enjoy it, it really meant something to me.

And that's why Don't Panic is here.

My iTunes shows Don't Panic as my 10th most-played song, but I've only had iTunes since about 2006. I'm quite certain Don't Panic is the #1 most-played song in my life.

It's not a long song, lasting 2:17, which happens to be my lucky number. A nice addition! It's not all that complex either. If there's anything I've learned when it comes to music, however, it's that simplicity is often the way to go. I'm a big fan of lyrics in general so let's take a look...

Bones sinking like stones

All that we fought for

Homes, places we've grown

All of us are done for

And we live in a beautiful world

Yeah we do, yeah we do

We live in a beautiful world.

Here we go,

Here we go...

And we live in a beautiful world,

Yeah we do, yeah we do

We live in a beautiful world.

Oh, all that I know,

There's nothing here to run from

Cause yeah, everybody here's got somebody to lean on

Isn't that sweet? A little 'this world's going south' talk to begin with, but you know what? This world's still a beautiful place. There's no reason to worry, nothing to be afraid of. We each have someone by our side. Ultimately, our thoughts are led back to the song's title: don't panic.

The official music video expands a bit, showing us common society in two forms. First, the individual, represented by the band, in day-to-day life. Second, society at large represented by cars, power lines, skyscrapers, and oil wells. When natural processes threaten the two, the society is wiped away, but the band survives. A nice look at where the strength of humanity truly lies. Terribly animated, but, you know... we get it.

Here's cleaner audio with the album cover

Here's Ellie Goulding's rendition, which is the best cover I've heard.

Don't Panic by Coldplay (2000)

A good start.

Intro to Kyle's Hall of Fame

Let's not waste any words here.

I love the world of entertainment. Not because of the money involved or the fame of leading stars or the occasional craze of the general public. I like it for the endless creativity and passion that go into it, especially when immense cleverness, unmatched talent, and even heavenly inspiration are revealed in the artwork and concepts that seep from our minds and hearts.

I love it so much that I've become somewhat obsessed. At this point in my life -- age 21 -- I've already become exposed to so much of it that I feel heavily overwhelmed. I'm continually anxious to see what coming years have to offer, but with each new masterpiece I find, I'm drawn further and further away from my favorites of the past, both in terms of time since they were released and how much time I have to go back to them, if ever.

A couple months ago, I decided to start this 'Hall of Fame' blog, mainly to pay tribute to the great artists and thinkers who have changed my life through various media. I love being able to pick something out and praise it as my favorite, to set it apart as something of particular importance, and then to tell whoever cares that I've never experienced anything better. I hope this list will also help me remember what those things are. If making it public aids anyone else in their search for beauty and enjoyment, I'll be overjoyed.

Logistically, the hall of fame will move forward as follows:

One inductee will be added near the midpoint of each month into one of several categories:

January - Song
February - Band/Artist
March - Movie
April - Song
May - Album
June - Video Game
July - Song
August - Movie
September - Song
October - Album
November - Video Game
December - Song

Effectively, 5 songs, 2 albums, 2 movies, 2 video games, and 1 band/artist each year
chosen from my entire collection since the beginning of time, including roughly
10,000+ songs, 1,000+ albums, 600+ movies, 400+ video games, 700+ bands/artists

Enjoy!