15 80s Songs I Love

Hi, I'm Stellar, and for the umpteenth week in a row, I've promised one post that was not the post I ended up doing. This week, I promised a countdown of my favorite Victorious episodes to build hype for Ariana Grande's new album. Then I went to a party at my family cottage where I listened to nothing but 80s music. This inspired me to think of 15 songs I love from the 1980s and write about them. Nearly all of these songs were chosen for sentimental reasons. My parents grew up in the 80s, and as a response, I've grown up listening to a lot of their favorites. One thing you might not notice is that a lot of the really famous artists from the 80s, such as Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Prince, aren't on here. The reason why is because my parents weren't as into the pop and R&B styles, so I didn't hear much of their music growing up. Naturally, I have a ton of respect for those artists and I'm sure I'd enjoy at least some of their work, but I'm just not as familiar with it as I am the rock classics on this list. I'm sixteen years old, so I don't know much about the 80s as a whole and I'm not trying to make this a definitive list of the Best 80s Songs Ever. These are just 15 songs from the decade that I really like and want to talk about, in no particular order.

#1. “Take On Me” by A-Ha
I think I said in a few other posts that this was my favorite 80s song. While I’m not sure if that’s still true (because there are some other songs on this list I love just as much), it’s still an amazing song. The main synth riff is one everybody can recognize, and the chorus has such a great, soaring melody and some pretty impressive high notes. The lyrics don’t really make sense when you look at them (what does “take on me” even mean?), but who cares when the rest of the song is so good? Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention “Mine Diamonds”, the Minecraft parody which might be even better than the original because it’s hilarious. At the very least, it’s more ear-splitting than the original.
#2. “Come On Eileen” by Dexys Midnight Runners
The 80s had a lot of bands who were one-hit wonders, and this is one of them. My mom and I like to joke they’re a one-hit wonder because you can’t understand anything the guy is saying other than “come on Eileen”, “you mean everything”, and “you wore that dress”. But I still love this song even if I don’t know what the words are. It’s just so upbeat and happy! I think it’s more of a folk-sounding song than a lot of what was popular in the 80s, which makes it stand out. The big sing-along at the end is amazing. And of course, I have to share my favorite memory of this song. My family and I were driving to a relative’s house for Easter, listening to it in the car. The people in the car in front of us were also listening to it, and we could tell because they were bobbing their heads perfectly in time to it. That’s one of my favorite memories with my family.
#3. “Time After Time” by Cyndi LauperI always find it amusing how the person who made “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, which might be my least favorite 80s song, also made “Time After Time”, which is one of my favorites. This is a pretty ballad and it has some beautiful harmonies. I’m also pretty sure there’s a male vocalist doing backing vocals, so it’s basically a male-female duet. Everything about it just screams my mom, which makes sense considering she’s the one who introduced it to me. My mom and I don’t always like the same music, but I think this is a gorgeous 80s classic. I can just listen to it and feel cozy.
#4. “Africa” by Toto
How could I NOT include this song? It’s one of those songs that’s a little cheesy but everybody knows and loves. I have a ton of positive memories with this song. I first heard it in fourth grade in some weird rain-dance video, and I liked it right away. I also remember singing it in biology when my teacher told us about how his brother or somebody would pronounce it as “Afarica”. It became a meme recently, and it’s one of those meme songs that also happens to be really good. The chorus is so catchy, uplifting, and dare I say beautiful. It’s one of those songs that can make me happy every time I hear it.
#5. “Your Love” by The OutfieldHonestly, I don’t have much to say about this one. I barely know the words. I don’t know any other songs from this band. In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ve only heard it in full a few times. But every time I hear “Josie’s on a vacation far away...”, my immediate response is “OH MY GOD I LOVE THIS SONG.” You can probably blame my parents for that, especially my mom. When I go driving with my dad, we often have baseball games on in the car. For a while, one of the players’ walk-up music was this song, and I could hear it faintly sometimes. Literally every time I heard it, I felt the need to point out that I loved the song. It’s just got a really nice melody.
#6. “Jessie’s Girl” by Rick Springfield
This song has been such a constant in my life to the point where I can’t remember a time where I didn’t know about it. One sort of silly but cute story from my childhood is that I played with Barbie dolls a lot and one of them was named Jessie. My little brother would pretend Jessie was his girlfriend and we would sing this song all the time. Even though it didn’t make sense in that context, because in the song, Jessie is the narrator’s (male) friend and in our situation, Jessie was the girl. It’s still a pretty cute memory, and it makes me like the song even more. Side note: one of my friends went to see Rick Springfield live with her mom, and she said he did a mashup of “Jessie’s Girl”, “Stacy’s Mom”, and “867-5309/Jenny”. I should try to find a video of that, because it sounds awesome.
#7. “Stone In Love” by Journey
Journey are one of my parents’ favorite bands, and I grew up with their music playing in the house and in the car. Hell, my parents even went to a Journey concert when Mom was pregnant with me, and Mom said I would kick her belly because I liked the music so much! Because Journey has been such an omnipresent band during my childhood, I could have put ten Journey songs here, but I decided to stick to just one. I could have chosen their biggest hit, the ever-popular “Don’t Stop Believin’”, but I think that song is pretty overplayed and overrated. (Thanks, Glee.) Instead, I went with a lesser-known song, “Stone In Love”. This is my mom’s favorite Journey song, and even after years of claiming “Separate Ways” was my favorite, I think it’s mine, too. I think I just like it so much because it reminds me of my mom, although it is a pretty great song in its own right. The chorus is great to sing along to and I love the guitar solo part at the end.
#8. “You Give Love A Bad Name” by Bon Jovi
Similar to Journey, there are quite a few Bon Jovi songs I could have chosen for this list. “Livin’ On A Prayer”, “Wanted Dead Or Alive”, “Little Runaway” or whatever that song is called, I like all of those songs. Yet it’s “You Give Love A Bad Name” I like best. The reason why is mainly because of pep band. I think this is the only song I’ve played all three years of my pep band experience (so far) and it’s one of those songs you can’t get tired of. The chorus of “SHOT THROUGH THE HEART! AND YOU’RE TO BLAME! DARLING, YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME!” is so much fun to scream along to. Plus the guitar riff is pretty awesome. When we play it for pep band, we have the trumpets do it and it sounds really cool.
#9. “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley
I actually didn’t hear this song much when I was really young, and I was way too young to experience the Rickroll phenomenon at its peak in 2008. I found this song on Just Dance 4, and I liked it because it was catchy and the dance was goofy. I think I was singing it around my parents and my dad told me about Rickrolling. Honestly, I think the meme is the only reason why I like the song, because this is pretty cheesy even by 80s standards. There was a period of time in 2015 where I would rickroll my friends daily, and they ended up memorizing the URL so my joke wouldn’t be funny anymore. Also, I need to share the video of Rick Astley’s appearance at the Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2008, because it is GOLD.
#10. “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
Similar to “Never Gonna Give You Up”, I didn’t really remember hearing this song much when I was really young. I was introduced to it from Just Dance 4, but it’s famous because it was in the movie Dirty Dancing. I actually haven’t seen Dirty Dancing before (nor have I seen a ton of other classic 80s movies), but I feel like both the movie and the song are so iconically 80s. The song is pretty cheesy in that signature 80s way, but it is a pretty nice duet. I like the way the two singers play off each other and the melodies are really nice. I remember this song was sampled in a Black Eyed Peas song from when I was in elementary school, but I greatly prefer the original.
#11. “You Can Call Me Al” by Paul Simon
I chose this one because it’s sentimental to me. You may be thinking, “Stellar, how is a song from 30 years ago about a guy going through a mid-life crisis meaningful to you?” To which I answer in two little words: PEP BAND. This isn’t just a song we play for pep band, it is the song we play. When the band and I go to local sporting events, this is the song everybody gets excited to hear us play. As soon as we start playing it, the grown-ups clap and nod their heads and the little kids start dancing. I bet that for a lot of people in my town, they hear the words “pep band” and immediately hear “DA-da-da-duh, DA-da-da-DA”. It’s also kind of bittersweet for me, as it was my late band director’s number one favorite pep band song, and listening to it makes me think of him. May he rest in peace.
#12. “Where The Streets Have No Name” by U2
I feel like U2 are one of the biggest bands ever, to the point where everybody knows at least five of their songs. They have quite a few songs that I always listen to whenever they come on the radio and I’m in the car with my family. I almost chose “With Or Without You”, but “Where The Streets Have No Name” is ultimately my family’s favorite. The reason why is mainly because it’s the walk-in song for our favorite college football team. Honestly, this song is a fantastic choice for that. The intro is nothing but this pretty, transcendent-sounding guitar and it keeps getting bigger and louder until the song actually starts. It feels larger than life and truly epic.
#13. “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses
Guns N’ Roses are one more band my parents really liked, so I ended up listening to them a lot as a kid. “Welcome to the Jungle”, “Paradise City”, “November Rain”, all of those songs get played a ton when we’re in the car. However, my favorite is, of course, their most famous song, “Sweet Child O’ Mine”. The guitar riff in this one is legendary, like one of the most famous riffs of all time (I think? I have no idea what I’m talking about when it comes to old music). It’s also fun to sing along to. I have distinct memories of this one kid in my middle school class singing “SHE’S GOT A SMILE THAT IT SEEMS TO ME, REMINDS ME OF CHILDHOOD MEMORIES” in a joking-whiny tone. I think it’s because he was in choir and they were doing that song at that point in time.
#14. “Here I Go Again” by Whitesnake
This might be the most quintessentially 80s song ever written. It’s big, cheesy yet unironically epic, and it was probably performed by a bunch of people with really big hair. I don’t know much else about this band, other than my mom said that the rest of their music was a lot heavier and it caught people off-guard. They would buy one of their albums or go to a concert expecting everything else to sound like “Here I Go Again”, and yet it apparently sounds like none of their other songs! I find that pretty funny. Even if this song is a little cheesy, it’s still a good one and it’s still pretty well-known to this day. You might recognize it from a Walmart commercial from a few years ago.
#15. “Don’t You (Forget About Me)” by Simple Minds
We end with another 80s movie theme, specifically the theme for the iconic film The Breakfast Club. That’s another movie I haven’t seen, but I really want to because I can tell that I would absolutely love it. I did, however, see the Victorious homage episode called “The Breakfast Bunch”, which is one of my favorite episodes of the show. The cast did a cover of “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”, and it’s actually how I first I heard the song. Despite the fact that Ariana Grande sings backup on the cover version, I prefer the original. It’s one of those songs that is recognizably 80s yet timeless. From what I can tell, it’s the perfect theme for The Breakfast Club, because to me it sums up the coming-of-age themes of the movie pretty well. This song also appears in Pitch Perfect, and the use of it there is pretty much flawless.

Okay, so that's all I have for now. Next week, I'm actually going to keep my promise and do the review of Sweetener, Ariana Grande's new album. I'm too excited for it to not review it. That will be on Wednesday. On Thursday, I'll also have a post, because it's my one-year anniversary on Blogger. I'm still not sure of what I'm doing for it, but I will at least post something for the occasion. I'm Stellar in Neverland, and I'll see you next Wednesday. Peace!

Stellar

10 Stupidly Funny YouTube Videos That Make Me Smile Every Time

Hi, I'm Stellar, and anxiety is a pain. My anxiety has been pretty horrible these past two months, and a side effect of that is a lack of motivation. I have ideas for posts, but I don't have any motivation to write them. I had this post ranking the Disney Princesses planned, and I wanted it to be this super-insightful and important thing, but I didn't have any motivation to do it. I had time, I just didn't want to write it. So I figured I needed to dumb it down for a week. Today I'm going to talk about ten YouTube videos that maybe aren't the most intelligent things on the Internet, but can certain make me laugh every time. When I'm having a particularly crappy day, I turn to these wonders of the Internet. This isn't gonna be anything super deep, because most of these videos are short yet funny (to me, at least) and speak for themselves. I might make a sequel to this because there are a ton more stupid videos on the Internet that I enjoy, but I'm just starting out with ten. Also, I will be linking each video for you to watch, if you so choose to. So let's go.

#1. HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA
Out of all these videos, I think this is ultimately my favorite. It's at 141 million views as I write this, so you've probably already seen it. But in case you haven't, basically it's He-Man and his friends singing the 90s song "What's Up" by 4 Non Blondes. I know this song and pretty much all the words entirely because of this video. It's just so weird, random, and dare I say gay (I don't mean that as an insult, I mean it's so over-the-top and stereotypically gay) I can't watch it without busting out laughing. The song is so catchy and the He-Man voice is so weird yet funny it makes me laugh every time. A true Internet classic.

#2. HOW FAR I'LL TOAD
I think the title of this one speaks for itself. It's a cover of "How Far I'll Go", the signature song from Disney's Moana, with a twist- it's performed by Toad from Super Mario. Obviously, it's not the real voice actor of Toad, but the person impersonating Toad does a pretty accurate job. The voice is pretty high-pitched and it's yelling the entire song, so I could see how this one would get annoying fast, but I find it hilarious. The funniest part of all is the oinking every time Moana's pet pig is on screen. "Oink oink oink oinkity oink."

#3. Toto- Africa on a budget
I've watched this video so many times it's unhealthy. "Africa" by Toto became a meme pretty recently for some reason, and there are a ton of goofy covers on the Internet. This one, performed by Joe Jenkins, is by far my favorite. It's the song performed on a plethora of cheap dollar-store instruments, like a $1 piano that sounds like its battery is dying, a duck-fart-kazoo thing, and a really cheap slide whistle. I like how the cover is legitimately pretty good, even if the instruments are horrible quality and Joe looks dead inside in every single frame of the video. I've seen a bunch of Joe Jenkins' other videos, and from what I've seen, it appears he does nothing but parody covers of popular songs on crappy instruments. I like him.

#4. Bart hits Homer with a chair but it's Despacito (or as I call it, "Simpspacito")
I initially saw this video on Instagram, but it's on YouTube as well so I had to mention it. The title explains perfectly what it is. It's a clip from The Simpsons where Homer is taking a bath when his son Bart hits him with a chair for no reason. Once Homer gets hit with the chair, "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi plays for some reason. The first time I saw this video, I was blown away by how something could be so stupid and unfunny it could turn around and end up being funny. I think when I saw it on Instagram, the caption was "before I used to laugh at jokes, but now I find this hilarious" and yeah that's pretty accurate. Ah, Simpspacito. How I love you so.

#5. Yee
Despite being only ten seconds long, this video has quite possibly the most baffling backstory out of all these videos. It was taken from the Italian version of Dinosaur Adventure, a low-budget knockoff of The Land Before Time. It's a clip of one dinosaur singing a song and another dinosaur says "Yee" in a really weird, almost defensive voice. Like all these other videos, it's so stupid I find it amusing. The song is cute and catchy (fun fact, I taught myself how to play it on piano. It's actually really easy!) and it's a bop. Plus this video is the first in the legendary important videos playlist!

#6. You on Kazoo!
This video might be my seven-year-old brother's favorite video ever. Every time I show him it, he just laughs the entire time. My brother isn't known for having a sophisticated sense of humor (this is a kid who thinks farts and poop jokes are the pinnacle of comedy, after all), so it's impressive that I think You on Kazoo is hilarious as well. This one was taken from some weird kids' show called Special Friends, and it centers around this way-too-hyper kid. He likes to SIIING, DAAANCE, PRETENNND, AAAND...KAAAAA-ZOOOOOOO! He plays kazoo a few times, dances around to attract a "pretend spirit", and sings a terrifying song. I'm pretty sure some mind-altering substances were used during the making of this video. Not by the kids, of course, but by the producers.

#7. Double Take - "Hot Problems"
I discovered this one from the Teens React video where they react to it. At first I was sort of afraid to watch it because my nine-year-old brain assumed it would be really vulgar and inappropriate for some reason. Then I actually saw it, and it's not really vulgar or inappropriate. It's just a really, really terrible song. It's such a terrible song that some people think it's worse than "Friday" by Rebecca Black, one of the most infamously awful songs of all time. I don't think "Hot Problems" is worse than Friday, and I don't even hate it a little bit. Yeah, it's terrible, but you can tell it's terrible on purpose. The girls aren't even trying to hide the fact that they can't sing, and the lyrics are stupid and shallow, but that's the point. The girls have outright said they just wanted to make a funny song to show their friends, and I don't know why everyone got so offended when like...it's clearly a joke!

#8. "Shia LaBeouf" Live- Rob Cantor
This one is significantly less stupid than the others, but it's still hilarious to me. It's a song about being stuck in the woods with famous actor Shia LaBeouf...who is actually a psychopathic serial killer. The song would be hilariously bizarre enough without the performance video, but the video makes it so much better. It's so over-the-top it's incredible. They got a string quartet, multiple choirs, multiple dancers, and ribbon acrobats...all to perform a song about Shia LaBeouf being a serial killer. My favorite moment is when it's revealed Shia isn't dead and it just says "SHIA SURPRISE!" Well, that or the twist at the end. Watch the video if you haven't seen it, it's amazing.

#9. HUMBLE but Kendrick has a mental breakdown
"HUMBLE." by Kendrick Lamar was easily one of the most popular and talked about songs of 2017. What if this song was performed while Kendrick was having a mental breakdown? Then, of course, you'd get this video. It's the song remixed to feature lots of random yet funny moments, and it just appeals to my weird sense of humor. My favorite part is when it says "Rice, rice, I want to eat some rice". Not only does it show a pretty funny edited picture of Kendrick marveling at a bowl of rice, it also shows a picture of the YouTuber RiceGum. This video contains a lot of explicit language, so proceed with caution, and don't watch it when your parents are around.

#10. ariana grande's new song is so good
Pretty much all of these videos are stupid in some way, shape, or form, but this one may take the cake for the stupidest of all. It's literally just a version of "No Tears Left To Cry" by Ariana Grande where it's edited to sound...wiggly? Is that a good way to describe it? I feel like it is. All this video is is the song edited to sound funny. It shouldn't even be that funny, but I laugh so hard every time I hear it. It just sounds so weird! My sense of humor is the worst oh my god.

Okay, so this was the most random post I've ever done, but I wasn't in the mood to write anything more thought-provoking. Next Wednesday, we're talking about the Nickelodeon show that defined the childhood of a lot of Gen Z kids (such as mine) and made Ariana Grande famous: Victorious! I'm listing off my top ten favorite episodes of the show and talking about them. Hopefully it's better than the last time I did a Top Ten Episodes of a Nickelodeon show (the SpongeBob one on my old blog, which isn't even worth linking because it SUCKS). Then next week we're talking about Ariana's new album on Wednesday, and surprise! I'm doing a post on Thursday for the first time! Thursday, August 23rd is the one-year anniversary of Stellar in Neverland, so I'm planning to do a special thing for it. But first, I'll see you for the Victorious post on Wednesday. Peace!

Stellar

Stellar's Current Favorite Songs (Summer 2018)

Hi, I'm Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland. So, last week I said I was doing this post that was "both lengthy and concise". What did I mean by that? I was going to sum up 50 currently popular songs in a single sentence. I'm not doing that, though, because I didn't have enough time to listen to 50 songs. Instead I'm going to make a list of some songs I really like at the moment. During the vacation I went on and was talking about last week, I used a free trial for Spotify Premium. I downloaded a ton of songs I really liked onto my phone, and I listened to those songs all throughout the trip. A bunch of them I've already talked about in other posts, but there are some that I haven't discussed yet! This is gonna be like all the other posts (tagged under "playlists" for your convenience) where I talk about songs I like or am currently obsessed with. Pretty self-explanatory.

#1. "God Is A Woman" by Ariana Grande
This song came out the first day of my trip (July 13). Despite the fact that I would have to wake up early the next morning, I stayed up until midnight like a good Ariana stan to listen to it as soon as it dropped, and I downloaded it instantly. This is my favorite song to come out this year so far, and if the new album Sweetener is anything like it, it will be an amazing record. I'll save my full thoughts for the album review, but for now I'll just say it's a sexy, empowering BOP with amazing vocals and a visually stunning music video.
#2. "Fade" by Kanye West ft. Post Malone & Ty Dolla $ign
I should write a thinkpiece called "Can I Call Myself An Intersectional Feminist And Still Listen To Kanye West?" Oh wait, I shouldn't do that because I would be in way over my head. He's a fantastic producer and true visionary. He also supports Donald Trump, has used misogynistic lyrics in his music many times, and thinks slavery was a choice. It's a battle of "Do I separate the art from the artist and listen to Kanye's music, even though his actions are morally incorrect?" or "Do I 'cancel' him because listening to his music is giving him power to say stupid stuff?" It's a tough question that I'm not sure I'm ready to answer, but I guess I'm leaning towards the former viewpoint. "Fade" came out two years or so ago, but I'm just now reluctantly getting into it. It's got a really cool beat and has some interesting uses of sampling (although I'm not sure what song/s it samples and I'm too lazy to look it up). I also really love all of Post's contributions, especially the part when he's like autotune-yelling "I BEEN ON MY SH*T, WHOLE WORLD ON MY D*CK, I JUST NEED TO KNOWWWWW". That part makes me happy. Also, I could have easily put "Black Skinhead" on here, but I already felt wrong for putting one Kanye song on here, I'm not gonna add a second.
#3.  "Often" by The Weeknd
Okay, I already talked about this one in some other post, but I didn't go into detail much about it. And I'm probably not into go into much detail about it here, either. It's dark and seductive, one of those songs that makes me feel like a stripper every time I listen to it. The lyrics are pretty much about sex and drugs, which are The Weeknd's two favorite topics to sing about, based off of what I've heard from him. I don't really care about what a song's about (unless it's about killing or raping someone or something else I find morally offensive. In that case it makes me hate the song), so I can get into this one easily.
#4. "Consideration" by Rihanna ft. SZA
I know I've been all "AHH 'DISTURBIA' IS RIHANNA'S BEST SONG EVER OMG" in the past, but I think this song's taken its place at the top for me. This song was the opener to Rih's most recent album Anti, and I think it's fantastic. It has a killer laid-back groove and I love how Rihanna and SZA (more on her in a minute) play off each other. There's sort of a reggae hint to it, specifically in the way Rihanna sings it. I also think the lyrics and message are pretty cool. It's about how Rihanna wants to take creative control over her career, and considering she has writing credits on nearly every song on Anti, it's nice that she did get that control. Also worth mentioning, I love the line "Let me cover your sh*t in glitter, I could make it gold". It's basically saying "Let me take your mediocre song you wrote for me and make it a chart-topper", and it's kind of awesome how she's being so blunt. It's also a pretty witty lyric IMO.
#5. "Drew Barrymore" by SZA
Confession time: When it comes to music, I like to say I don't care about lyrics, but it's more that I'm too stupid to understand what makes a "good lyric". I can tell what a bad lyric is (either it's grammatically incorrect, mind-bogglingly stupid, or horribly offensive), but when it comes to good lyrics, I'm lost. Most lines that people cite as "good" usually have metaphors that go way over my head. I guess if you want to have a well-written song in my book, either a.) be straightforward, raw, and relatable, b.) be witty and/or quotable (see that Rihanna lyric above), or c.) just use words I like. I bring this up because "Drew Barrymore" by SZA is a Type A well-written song. The song's about SZA's insecurities, and the lyrics are straightforward and specific but universally relatable. My favorite lines are "You came with your new friends and her mom jeans and her new Vans and she's perfect and I hate it" and "I'm sorry I'm not more ladylike, I'm sorry I don't shave my legs at night". The song also has a chill, laid-back groove that makes it easy to get into. I've heard SZA's album is really good, and if this song is anything like its parent album, I should check it out.
#6. "Under Your Skin" by Seeb ft. R. City
I can't even remember how I found this song, but it's a bop. It's a remix of the song "Make Up" by R. City, a song I vaguely remember getting kind of popular in 2015. The remix spins the original (a catchy, reggae-esque pop ditty) into a tropical house banger that wouldn't sound out of place among big hits from 2016 and 2017. I didn't really care for the original that much for some reason, but this remix is amazing to me. I think it's just because I like the production more. The chorus is still really catchy and it all-around sounds like a summer hit.
#7. "Crew" by GoldLink ft. Brent Faiyaz and Shy Glizzy
I think I found this one in some "Try Not To Rap Along" video and I thought it sounded really good so I added it to my playlist. Apparently this one was a minor hit (peaking at #45 on the Hot 100), but I had never heard of it, or any of the artists on it, until that video. I'd recommend it if you like Drake or Post Malone. The chorus is effortlessly catchy and cool, and both GoldLink and Shy Glizzy have pretty solid rap verses. It's just a really nice song to vibe out to, not much else to say about it.
#8. "The Man" by The Killers
This is probably the number one song I listened to most on the road trip. In some other post, I said I was going to make an effort to listen to more of the Killers' work, and while I haven't really done that much, I have been listening to this song for pretty much the entire summer. The funny thing is, this song doesn't sound like "Mr. Brightside" or "Human" or any other songs from them I've heard, but it's still amazing. For whatever reason, this song reminds me of like...cowboys and old Westerns, and I have no idea why that is, because it isn't country at all. It's this upbeat disco-rock jam that's very egotistical, but in a joking way. You just feel awesome and like you can take on the world while you're listening to it. Plus, it's fun to sing along to and pretty quotable, especially the "USDA CERTI-FIED LEAN!" part. That part is amazing.
#9. "Done For Me" by Charlie Puth ft. Kehlani
I still think it's insane how much Charlie Puth has improved since his career began. He started out with a feature on Wiz Khalifa's "See You Again", a song I initially loved but grew tired of quickly. After that, he released "Marvin Gaye", "One Call Away", and "We Don't Talk Anymore", three songs that were just boring to me. His first album was one of the worst-reviewed ever on Metacritic, so I'm guessing he took the immense criticism he got from it as a message of "Hey, I need to make better music." He started releasing more 80s/90s R&B-inspired songs like "Attention", "How Long", and "Done For Me", and the results were actually pretty great. "Done For Me" is a duet with R&B singer Kehlani, and I love how the two singers play off of each other. Basically Charlie's like, "You cheated on me and treated me horribly" and Kehlani's like, "Um...no I didn't". It works well as a concept for a song and it makes perfect sense as a duet. Combine that with a great, 80s-inspired beat and you get a killer pop song.
#10. "Sad Story (Out of Luck" by Merk & Kremont ft. Ady Suleiman
This may be the single most obscure song in my playlist. I had never heard of any of these artists or any of their songs until I found this one in a video about 50 underrated songs from 2017. I love watching videos containing "underrated songs" because it's a great way to find songs I maybe would have never noticed. This song is an EDM banger, but more on the chill, tropical-house side of the spectrum. It's got this really cool, laid-back guitar riff and the chorus is a complete earworm. It's also one of those songs where the music is happy but the lyrics are downbeat. This song is about some guy who had a bad childhood, didn't have many opportunities in life, killed a man, and ended up in jail at 21. Well...at least it's catchy. Also one last thing worth mentioning: I find the Genius page for this song hilarious because, well, Genius is a resource site, and I don't think resource sites are supposed to be biased. Yet the page for this song (at least the "about" section is, I think the annotations were deleted. I remember them being pretty biased too, though) is completely biased and goes on about how great it is. I quote:

"Great sounds from Italian duo Merk & Kremont! They’re back with a magnificent tune that everybody will enjoy. Sad Story (Out Of Luck) is a beautiful soundscape that brings a delicate beat combined with a smooth guitar lick, glorious basslines and luscious vocals that tell an amazing story."

This is like if the Wikipedia page for, say, The Lion King, was an essay about how it is the greatest Disney movie of all time. Oh well, the song's still a banger.
#11. "Hold Me Tight Or Don't" by Fall Out Boy
That "50 Underrated Songs" video also inspired me to add "Hold Me Tight Or Don't" to my playlist after I first discovered it for the Every Fall Out Boy Single, Ranked Worst To Best post. Initially, I thought it was good but nothing special, but it's grown on me a lot since then. It probably won't make the Top 20 Fall Out Boy songs post I'm doing at the end of the summer, but it is a pretty nice, lightweight summer jam. If you're not a fan of Fall Out Boy's poppier songs, you won't like it and you'll think it's a sellout move, but I'm more open-minded. The chorus is really catchy and the whistling melody is infectious. I also love Patrick Stump's voice on this song, especially the way he sings "down" in the chorus and the way he belts on the bridge. I would bump this up in the ranking post if I were to write it now, and it kind of makes me want to listen to the album Mania in it's entirety. Except I'm not gonna do that, because I don't want to listen to "Young and Menace" ever again.
#12. "Heatstroke" by Calvin Harris ft. Young Thug, Pharrell Williams, and Ariana Grande
Collaborations in music, especially with a larger amount of artists, can be tricky. You have to make sure every single artist on the track is pulling their share, and if even one of them isn't up to par, it can ruin the song. However, "Heatstroke" is a song where every single artist pulls their share and does amazingly well. Pharrell's chorus is pretty repetitive but it's really catchy, and his falsetto sounds light and breezy and pretty wonderful for the song's mood. Ariana's voice sounds buttery and smooth, and even though she just repeats "When you do things like this, and you set me free" throughout the song, she sounds gorgeous. I'd love to see her do more disco-style songs like this. Then we have Young Thug, whom I'm discovering I like quite a bit, considering his vocal stylings are comparable to an autotuned squawking parrot. I love the way he says "darlin'" on the intro, where he has sort of an over-the-top Southern accent. And finally we have Calvin Harris, the glue who holds all three of our performers together with a funky disco beat. I've said it before: every Calvin Harris song released from 2017 onward is perfect for summertime, and I'm quickly discovering that I might like this song more than "Slide", my other favorite Calvin Harris song. Everybody just sounds like they're having so much fun and it's a breezy, light, and fun summer song.
#13. "No Problem" by Chance the Rapper ft. 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne
One thing you're going to notice about this playlist is that a lot of these songs are from 2016 and 2017, which is to be expected from me. I usually add songs to my playlist way after they get popular, because there's only so much for me to listen to. In 2016, I was primarily listening to Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco, so I missed out on some pretty great songs from that year, such as "No Problem". This song combines rap with gospel and is about how Chance the Rapper isn't going to sign to a big record label. It's immensely catchy, likable, and fun, and I think it should have charted a lot higher than #43 on the Hot 100. Another side note: I'm not too familiar with his music, but I have nothing but respect for Chance the Rapper as a person. I read that he donated $1 million to Chicago schools, and I think that's awesome.
#14. "Dancing On My Own" by Robyn
There was a stripped-down ballad cover of this song that got popular a few years ago, but I greatly prefer the original. In my humble opinion, the sad lyrics are way more effective when you combine them with upbeat synthpop. I'm such a sucker for songs that contrast happy music and sad lyrics! Robyn sounds utterly heartbroken and the lyrics are the depressing story of watching your ex be happy with something else. However, the beat is so glittering and happy-sounding so you can't tell. I think this is another example of a perfect pop song.
#15. "Better Now" by Post Malone
We started with a newer hit, and we're going to end with one, too. I'm just gonna quote that unpublished post I intended to write this week, the 50 Popular Songs Described In A Sentence thing. I talked about, like, a third of the songs I intended to write about, and "Better Now" was one of them. Basically, all I have to say is "Breaking news: Stellar continues to eat up every song she hears from Post Malone, and she continues to feel guilty about it. 9.5/10."

Okay, that's all I have for this week. Next week, I'm either going to review the Teen Titans Go movie or rank the Disney princesses, but both should be a nice departure from my usual music ramblings. I'm Stellar in Neverland and I'll see you then. Peace!

Stellar

Vacation Recap/ Updates

Hi, I’m Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland. Today I’m going to recap the recent vacation I took. I had originally planned on writing this beautiful, thrilling narrative story to tell about the trip, but my anxiety has been horrible lately so I haven’t had much time to write. I’m going to briefly sum up every day of my trip. This probably isn’t the post you were expecting about my trip, but I just haven’t had time to write that amazing narrative. I will always put my physical and/or mental health first, and I want you to do the same, whoever you are that is reading this.

Day 1 (Friday, July 13): We weren’t even sure if we were going on the trip at first, because my youngest brother (he's seven) was sick the day before. Luckily, he was feeling better by the time we left Friday morning. The highlight of today was going to the Field of Dreams. This is a baseball field in the Middle of Nowhere in Dyersville, Iowa, and it’s where the 1989 sports fantasy movie Field of Dreams was filmed. They have a field you can play baseball on, a cornfield, and I'm pretty sure you can take a tour of the house used in the movie, but you have to schedule it beforehand. I had only seen the movie once, but it's one of my family's favorites, so they were more excited about it than I was. It was probably my least favorite part of the trip because I'm not a huge baseball fan and it was around 90°. Another "highlight" of the day was when my youngest brother got sick again at a Culver's. He had a sore throat and was tired. He was fine after taking some medicine for the time being. We stopped in Fairmont, Minnesota that night, at a Holiday Inn. The hotel was right next to a Perkins', which is one of my favorite breakfast restaurants. We went there in the morning. 

Day 2 (Saturday, July 14): We left Fairmont in the morning and headed to Sioux Falls, South Dakota around noon. We decided to do one tourist-y thing while in the city. Mom had heard that the butterfly house and aquarium was cool, but it cost money to get in. Instead we checked out the Falls Park, which was free. My family enjoyed exploring the park and seeing how powerful the waterfalls were. The park is really big (it spans 123 acres) and the falls are pretty cool, so I'd recommend this one if you just want to walk around and see the sights. There's one part where you can see fish jumping out of the water, trying to get food. That part is awesome. We took a detour in Pierre for dinner and went to a sports bar called Drifters'. After that, we went to the Wall Drug because a friend of mine recommended I go there to try their donuts. The funny thing about the Wall Drug is that they have signs for it like 500 miles away. Like, you'll be just barely into South Dakota and you'll see "Get your free ice water and homemade pie at the Wall Drug!" My brothers decided against Wall Drug donuts and wanted to stop at the Dairy Queen nearby, which was fine with me. We ultimately stopped in Rapid City, where we stayed for three consecutive nights- in three different hotels! The first Rapid City hotel we stayed at was the Baymont, and this was probably my least favorite one because I had to sleep on the floor :(

Day 3 (Sunday, July 15): This day is ALL OVER THE PLACE. So it turns out that youngest brother had a virus similar to strep throat, and he had to go to an urgent care clinic. He was prescribed to take three pills a day for ten days. After that dilemma, we headed to Mount Rushmore! Except this was a total disappointment, because my other brother (he's thirteen) got carsick on the way up the mountain and puked thrice. It was probably because he didn't take his medication beforehand. Also disappointing was the fact that it was FOGGY. You couldn't see ANYTHING at Mount Rushmore, and we were incredibly disappointed. Because my other brother and my mom weren't feeling well, we stopped at the second Rapid City hotel early. This hotel was a Home2 Suite by Hilton, and it was the best hotel we had stayed at to that point on the trip. It was the first hotel we had stayed at with a pool, and it had a nicer TV, access to restaurants, and access to a WATERPARK. The waterpark was called WaTiki, and although the cost of $18 per person was a little expensive, my dad and brother went and had a great time! There was one waterslide which featured a funnel-like tube and it was an incredibly fun ride. This day was all over the place because the fun stuff was really fun and the not-as-fun stuff was horrible. I felt so bad for my brother!

Day 4 (Monday, July 16): The other brother was feeling a little better and was ready to try Mount Rushmore again. This was great because today it was actually clear and we could see everything! You'd be tempted to shrug Mount Rushmore off before seeing it because it's just four faces in a rock, why is that interesting? But once you see it in person, you're awestruck. It's amazing how much work and detail was put into it, and it can really bring out feelings of patriotism in anybody. After Mount Rushmore, we went to the nearby Custer State Park. This was one of the lesser parts of the trip for me because there was a massive drive up a hill that was even higher up than Mount Rushmore that really triggered my anxiety. Once we got to the park, it was kind of nice just to drive around, and I had my favorite music playing the entire time. However, I was expecting to see a lot more buffaloes than we actually saw. On this night we stayed at the Comfort Suites in Rapid City, and it was probably the best hotel of the three we stayed at in Rapid City. True, it didn't have the waterpark the Home2 did, but my parents had their own separate room and the kids all got their own beds. We went to Olive Garden for dinner and it was the best meal I had all trip. They've been doing this "Build Your Own Lasagna" thing, and I decided to give it a try. It was a four-cheese lasagna with alfredo sauce topped with cheese ravioli and a generous portion of Parmesan- hands down the cheesiest thing I've ever eaten, and one of the best. Although it was ENORMOUS so I barely made a dent in it before getting too full.

Day 5 (Tuesday, July 17): Today we stopped at the Badlands National Park. I didn't know what to expect from the Badlands, but I had heard from some friends that they were really cool and pretty so I was excited. The Badlands are these giant rock formations that were amazing to see. You can take a drive through the park, stopping to take a hike or look at the views whenever you want. My dad, thirteen-year-old brother, and I went on a very short hike and saw some cool views. My favorite part of the Badlands were the rocks that had all different colors, reds and yellows, in them. They were gorgeous. After the Badlands, we drove for some time and I had gas station mac and cheese (which was better than I expected, but still nothing special). We stopped for the night back in Sioux Falls, where we stayed in the StayBridge. My family decided this was the best hotel room of the trip because it had...wait for it...TWO bathrooms! All of the kids also got their own beds once again, which was nice. I tried Ruby Tuesday for the first time in Sioux Falls, and I got this peach tea-marinated chicken that was really good. 

Day 6 (Wednesday, July 18): This was the last day we were in South Dakota, because we spent the first part of the day driving into Minnesota! We stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge in Minneapolis, because it was right by the Mall of America. Originally we planned to go to the Mall of America today but we decided to just check out the stuff at the Great Wolf Lodge instead. The room we had at this hotel wasn't the best, but there's so much stuff to do there I can't help but recommend it, especially if you're in a family with younger kids. My youngest brother had a ton of fun there. The whole family got to spend time at the waterpark there. Despite the fact that I had a panic attack at the waterpark (the less said about it, the better), I had a great time there! There was one group tube slide where you get to go in the dark, and it was so fun I rode it three times. After the waterpark, we got dinner at one of the on-location restaurants and I tried Ben & Jerry's for the first time. It was a life-changing experience. 

Day 7 (Thursday, July 19): Last day of the trip, sadly. Fortunately, it was probably the best day of the trip. We checked out the Mall of America and it was kind of overwhelming in how much stuff there was to do. We spent four or five hours there and we barely even made a dent! At first my youngest brother was disappointed that we weren't doing the Nickelodeon Universe theme park, but he forgot all about it once we went to the aquarium. My family really enjoyed the aquarium. We got to touch coral, see sharks, and marvel at the beauty of sea turtles! Sea turtles are my favorite aquatic animal because I just think they're so cool to watch. After the aquarium, we went to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. for lunch. I didn't know what to expect considering the fact that I've never seen Forrest Gump (yes, I know), but it was pretty great. I ordered this shrimp mac and cheese and it was amazing and so flavorful. I let both of my parents try it and my dad said it was the best mac and cheese he had ever had. We actually didn't buy much at the Mall of America. We mostly just looked around at the many, many stores there. I did get a souvenir: I shamelessly spent $25 on a Mall of America-exclusive Build-A-Bear. It's a moose and I named her Maggie and I love her to death. We also tried this one place called Dough Dough, which is a place where they have nothing but cookie dough. We got seven different flavors to see which one was the best. I'm partial to the puppy chow flavor, so get that one if you're not allergic to peanut butter. After our amazing time at the Mall and on this trip, we had to head home. We drove for four or five hours to get home, only stopping at Subway for dinner and a gas station for gas and snacks. All in all, we spent 40 hours in the car. 

So that's about it for my trip experience. Honestly, there were some not-so-fun things that happened on this trip (both of my brothers getting sick, Mount Rushmore being disappointing on the first day, etc.), but it was all worth it for the fun moments. Besides, even if the trip ended up being a total failure, I'd still be grateful for it because I love traveling and I love spending time with my family even more. On that note, I'm gonna end this with a few updates, basically telling you all about my planned schedule for the rest of the summer. 

Wednesday, August 1: A music-related post that will be both lengthy and concise. How is that possible? Tune in next week (winks)!
Wednesday, August 8: I'm planning on taking my youngest brother to see Teen Titans GO! To The Movies at some point, so I should have a review then. Otherwise, I'll find something else to do.
Wednesday, August 15: To build up hype for Ariana Grande's new album Sweetener, I'm counting down my top 10 favorite episodes of Victorious, the Nickelodeon sitcom on which she got famous. It might be a collaboration with one of my friends, but I have to ask them tbh.
Wednesday, August 22: I'm reviewing Sweetener. My expectations are so high for this album I swear to God.
Thursday, August 23: Surprise, I'm posting on a Thursday! This is for my one-year anniversary of making Stellar in Neverland, so I'm going to do something to celebrate!
Wednesday, August 29: I sort of owed it to myself to end the summer with my Top 20 Favorite Fall Out Boy songs, considering the fact that I'm pretty sure I outright promised it in some other post. Get hyped.

Okay, so that's all I have for today. See you next week, everyone!

Stellar

Stellar's Music Tag

Hi, I’m Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland. I’m going on vacation in a few days and it will last a week, so I’m letting you know ahead of time that I’m skipping next week’s post. I also knew I wanted to do an easier post this week because I knew most of my week would be taken up by preparing for the trip. This is sort of similar to some other posts I’ve done and don’t feel like linking, and it is a Music Tag. It’s just going to be me answering 31 music-related questions, which I found from here. I think you’re supposed to “tag” people and ask them to do it, but I’m not going to because I don’t really have any blogger friends.

#1. The last song you listened to?

“No Tears Left To Cry” by Ariana Grande, because I am a good stan.

#2. Last song you purchased?

I don’t buy music usually. I use Spotify or YouTube.

#3. Song you discovered on YouTube/Tumblr?

I discovered “Reminder” by The Weeknd from a “Try Not To Sing Along” video. Issa bop.

#4. Favorite soundtrack piece?

Based off of what the person I stole this from put for their answer, I’m guessing this question is referring to like, instrumental scores. I don’t listen to scores outside of the movie, TV show, or video game they come from. Most of the Mario Kart songs are pretty awesome, especially when it’s on the last lap and it speeds up.

#5. Favorite band?

Fall Out Boy or Panic! At The Disco. I genuinely can’t decide which of the two I like more, because they both have really special places in my heart.

#6. Favorite solo artist?

Ariana Grande.

#7. Favorite album?

Folie a Deux by Fall Out Boy.

#8. Best live gig/ act you want to see?

I’ve never been to a concert, so I’ll do artists I want to see live before I die. Outside of the artists I listed as my favorites, I want to see Beyonce, Bruno Mars, and Lady Gaga because they’re all really great performers. On the other side of the spectrum, a Twenty One Pilots show would be pretty cool. From what I’ve seen on YouTube, they do a great job of getting the crowd hyped.

#9. Guilty pleasure song?

I know I gave it a 5/10 when I reviewed the album, but “Swish Swish” by Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj has become a guilty pleasure for me. Like yeah, Katy’s lyrics are baffling and embarrassing and the music video is unbelievably stupid, but everything else is actually pretty good. The 90s-house beat is awesome, the melody is catchy, and Nicki’s verse might be my favorite she’s ever done. It’s just so over-the-top and has some great lines (the Offset line is hilarious) to me. My favorite moment is when Nicki’s like “damn man, this b***h is a stan” because I find it really funny. I think this song’s just grown on me because it’s on Just Dance 2018 and I have fun playing it, but it’s still a guilty pleasure for me.

#10. Song you used to hate but now like?

“XO TOUR Llif3” by Lil Uzi Vert. I didn’t really hate it, but I wasn’t exactly a fan at first because I thought Uzi’s voice was annoying. The more I listened to it, the more I liked it.

#11. Song you used to like but now can’t stand?

“One Dance” by Drake and some other people. When it first came out, I was like OMG THIS IS THE BEST SONG EVER. Then it got massively overplayed and dominated the charts for way too long. I also just realized it’s not that great of a song, at least compared to some of Drake’s other work.

#12. Group you wish had never split?

Does One Direction count? I know they’re all doing solo projects now, but I think they’ve broken up for good now. I like their solo projects fine (especially Harry’s), but I’d love more cheesy bubblegum singles from the whole group.

#13. Favorite song from a video game?

The Just Dance games have a lot of really great songs. I don’t know what my all-time favorite is, but for now I’m just gonna say “Hey Ya” by Outkast because everybody loves that song.

#14. Favorite song from a film?

“I’ll Make A Man Out Of You” from Mulan. Best Disney song ever.

#15. Favorite song from an advert (commercial)?

“24K Magic” by Bruno Mars. I’m pretty sure it was in some Hershey commercial. Not necessarily my all-time favorite song, but I do like it a lot.

#16. Song you grew up with?

“The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. I was so obsessed with it when I was six or seven. I’m pretty sure the only reason why I still like it now is because of my nostalgia.

#17. First song/album you ever bought?

I’ve never bought an album for myself, but somebody bought me a High School Musical soundtrack album when I was little.

#18. Album you accidentally found and love?

I don’t know if I’ve ever “accidentally found” an album. Most albums I’ve listened to, I’ve done so because either A. It is by a band/artist I like, B. It’s by an artist I’ve heard a little bit from and think I will like, or C. It is by a huge pop star and I’m listening to it for my blog. I’m skipping this.

#19. Favorite foreign language song?

The Spanish national anthem: “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, obviously. There’s also this one song I discovered from Just Dance 2017 called “Bonbon” by Era Istrefi. I don’t even know what language it’s in (Wikipedia says Albanian, also holy crap there’s a Post Malone remix) but it’s got a cool beat.

#20. A song from the year you were born?

“Clocks” by Coldplay. Wikipedia says it technically wasn’t released as a single until 2003 but the album it’s on (A Rush of Blood to the Head) was released in 2002 so it counts.

#21. Song from your favorite music genre?

I think ultimately my favorite genre is pop. I obviously don’t love every pop song out there, but when pop is good, it’s simply stellar. It’s also the most fun to talk about for me. A random pop song from my playlist is “Touch” by Little Mix.

There was no question #22 so I’m making one up. A song you like by an artist you normally don’t?

I have so many opinions on Taylor Swift and a lot of them are negative, but “Delicate” has really grown on me. I gave it a 6.5/10 initially when I reviewed Reputation, but I’d probably upgrade that to a 9.5/10, if I’m being honest. I think it’s now my favorite Taylor Swift song at this point.

#23. Most overrated song?

“Havana” by Camila Cabello. Fight me.

#24. Song you would recommend to everyone?

Skipping this one, because music is so subjective. I have songs that are very close to my heart, but I wouldn’t share them with every single person I know. The idea of playing a song I love for someone close to me, only to have them say “this is annoying” or “you like this?” gives me anxiety.

#25. Song that reminds you of a specific event?

“Sugar, We’re Goin Down” by Fall Out Boy. The event? Waiting to get out of shop class in middle school, hearing one of the workshops playing “Sugar, We’re Goin Down”, and subtly losing it. And by subtly losing it, I mean “keeping calm on the outside, but dying of excitement and happiness on the inside”. The song still gives me a massive rush of happiness to this day.

#26. Song you can’t help but sing along to?

“Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond. I’ve read that one of the most telling signs that somebody is white is if they go “BA BA BA” during the chorus of “Sweet Caroline”. And going by that logic, I am whiter than mayonnaise.

#27. Favorite parody song?

I know I said in some other post that thecomputernerd01’s parodies aren’t actually parodies. To quote that post: “Google defines a parody as "an imitation of the style of a particular writer, artist, or genre with deliberate exaggeration for comic effect" which isn't really what his videos are. They're more just random funny sentences set to the tune of various popular songs.” But in hindsight, that quote was really dumb. I mean, Weird Al is the most famous and beloved parody maker ever, and "Word Crimes" doesn’t make fun of Robin Thicke or his “Blurred Lines” song at all. (That’s not a dig at Weird Al at all, I think “Word Crimes” is hilarious. It’s a dig at my stupid quote more than anything.) So I’m going to pick "Froot Loops", thecomputernerd01’s parody of “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. I like it a thousand times more than I like the original, and I can rap the entire verse on command.

#28. Favorite slow song?

“She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5 will always be my favorite song of theirs. I just find it really sweet and charming. I don’t know if it’s my absolute favorite slow song, but I’m too lazy to think of what my absolute favorite slow song would be.

#29. Favorite fast song?

I like a lot of uptempo songs so I don’t know what my absolute favorite is. I’ll just name a random fast song I love, which is “Time to Dance” by Panic! At The Disco. I feel like that song goes at a particularly fast speed, but I don’t know how to tell a song’s exact tempo.

#30. Favorite song at the moment?

“Nice For What” by Drake. I don’t even know why, it just makes me happy every time I hear it.

#31. Favorite song of all time?

“Shut Up And Dance” by Walk The Moon. It’s not always the song I want to listen to most, but in the grand scheme of things, it is my favorite song.

That’s all I have today. This is one of the shortest posts I’ve done, but I didn’t have the motivation to write anything super complex this week because of my excitement for the trip. As I said at the beginning, I’m not posting next week because of my vacation, but the week after that, I’ll have a post recapping my adventures. I’ll see you then. Peace!

Stellar

Album Review #4- Panic! At The Disco's Pray for the Wicked

Hi, I’m Stellar, and welcome to Stellar in Neverland, where we talk about music. We talk about other things on occasion, but mostly music. I was gonna do this post last week, but I skipped for reasons I talked about in that brief post I did last week. But now I’m here, and I’m going to review Pray for the Wicked by US alternative-rock-electropop-whatever-you-want-to-call-them band Panic! At The Disco. I haven’t done an album review since what, December? Plus I get to talk about a band who’ve pretty much defined my teenage years thus far, like it or not.

Before we talk about Pray for the Wicked, let’s talk about the band and how they’ve evolved. Originally I was going to write this lengthy intro, but halfway through I decided: Stellar, you don’t need all this exposition. I’ll sum up each album in a short paragraph instead.

A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out: It came out in 2005 and was polarizing to critics but beloved by fans. It went double platinum and is probably their most successful album, containing their biggest hit “I Write Sins Not Tragedies”. I was three at the time, so I can’t speak from experience, but I know Panic! were a love-it-or-hate-it thing early on in their career. Some thought OMG I LOVE PANIC! BRENDON URIE IS SO DREAMY!, and some thought oh my god you guys panic! at the disco is so gay. I discovered them years after this album came out, so I fell in love with the music before anything else. This album is a weird mix of electronica-infused pop punk and baroque-inspired pop. I love it and consider it my favorite Panic! album. Six of the album’s thirteen tracks are in my top 20 for the band, which is more than any of their other albums. (Which six, you ask? READ THE LIST.)

Pretty. Odd.: In 2008, the band dropped the exclamation point in their name (Panic! At The Disco became Panic At The Disco) and switched up their style. They went for a more psychedelic-Beatles-inspired thing on this album. It bamboozled everyone and wasn’t as successful as their previous album, but now it’s something of a cult classic. I think this album is good, but I prefer most other Panic! albums because this one’s style just isn’t for me. However, it has a couple songs (there are two in my top 10, and “Nine in the Afternoon” is pretty awesome too) that I love. While touring for Pretty. Odd., guitarist and songwriter Ryan Ross, as well as bassist Jon Walker, left the band due to disagreements over how their next album would sound.

Vices & Virtues: After Pretty. Odd., lead singer Brendon Urie and drummer Spencer Smith continued releasing music as Panic! At The Disco. They took the band in a new direction: timeless-sounding, vintage-esque power pop. They released Vices & Virtues in 2011, and it was kind of a commercial failure. I think it’s probably their most underrated album and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes good, solid pop music. It does have “Let’s Kill Tonight”, which I’d consider one of their worst songs, but everything else ranges from pretty good to awe-inspiring. The only complaint I have is that the bonus tracks should’ve made the album proper, because they’re all pretty awesome. In a perfect world, “Bittersweet” would be track 2 instead of “Let’s Kill Tonight”, but I digress. One last thing worth mentioning about the Vices & Virtues era is that the band got a new bassist, Dallon Weekes. He originally joined only as a touring member, but he got promoted early in the era.

Too Weird to Live, Too Rare To Die!: With their 2013 album Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, the theme was Vegas-inspired 80s synthpop. This style appeals to my tastes the most of all the styles they’ve tried on. 80s throwback pop (both songs from the 80s and more recent songs that sound like they are) is like crack for me, so I really enjoy this album. It’s more mainstream, but it’s not really a sell-out, as songs like “Nicotine” and “This Is Gospel” are still traditional Panic! pop-rock. The thing that really appeals to me about this album is how cohesive it is, and it does what it tries to perfectly. Plus it has a little song called “Collar Full”, which may not be the best song they’ve ever made, but it’s certainly my favorite in their discography. This era brought the band back to success, with the album peaking at #2 and songs like “Miss Jackson” and “This Is Gospel” being some of their most famous songs.

Death of a Bachelor: In 2015, both Spencer Smith and Dallon Weekes left the band (the former left for good, the latter was just demoted back to a touring member), meaning Panic! at the Disco is basically just a Brendon Urie solo project at this point. With the band’s 2016 album, Death of a Bachelor, Brendon had complete creative control, so he made an album that sounds like the lovechild of Frank Sinatra and Queen. It’s my least favorite album of theirs, because sounds less like a cohesive album and more like a collection of random songs. It’s all over the place sonically and lyrically, and at times (specifically the song “Victorious”), it can be pretty obnoxious. But it does have its moments (like “House of Memories” and “LA Devotee”), and it brought them a level of success they hadn’t seen since the Fever era. They got their first #1 album and Grammy nomination, and I heard their songs on the radio a lot more than before. I became a fan of the band about two months after Death of a Bachelor came out. I had gotten into Fall Out Boy, the band who signed Panic!, a few months prior, and one of my friends played me a few songs from DoaB that I ended up loving.

I haven’t heard any of the songs from Pray for the Wicked yet because I purposely avoided them for this post. This is the first First Impressions post that can truly be called a First Impression, because I have heard about 30 seconds of “Say Amen” and NOTHING ELSE. What do I expect? With Brendon having creative control once again and with the success of Death of a Bachelor, I’m expecting it to be similar in style to that album. I’m also hoping Pray for the Wicked is better than Death of a Bachelor because it’s his second time doing this, which means he can learn from what he did wrong on that album (lack of cohesion, some songs are loud and obnoxious) and make improvements. Lastly, Brendon had a stint on Broadway last year, appearing in the musical Kinky Boots, so I wouldn’t be surprised if some show-tune elements come into play, nor would I be surprised if the Broadway training helped Brendon’s (already great) vocals improve even more. As per the usual, I’m going to talk about each song on the album and give each a score out of 10. When that’s finished, I’ll give some final statements on the album as a whole, score the whole thing out of 10, and list my favorite and least favorite tracks. So I’m done with my rambling: here is Pray for the Wicked by Panic! At The Disco. At least in my opinion. You might disagree and that’s fine!

On an unrelated note, I think this album cover is pretty sweet. I like how it looks like he's a giant, towering over the city buildings, and I think the hand-painted font is cool. Not my favorite Panic! album art (I'll always be partial to that of Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die), but it's pretty cool. Panic! At The Disco's album covers are pretty consistently awesome for me. 

1. “(F**k a) Silver Lining”

I believe this song and “Say Amen” were the first two songs released from the album, but I haven’t really listened to either until now. The intro to this one caught me really off-guard. It has a slow, dreamy, oldies-inspired intro with a deep voice that says “Ode to the old and to the new, we rededicate this song to you”...and then Brendon Urie starts dropping f-bombs. It’s a weird intro, but the song itself is pretty good. It wouldn’t sound out of place on Death of a Bachelor, and the chorus (especially the “it’s just cherries on top” part) are insanely catchy. The lyrics are about how he wants nothing but the best in life, and they have a playful shoutout to Beyonce and her Lemonade album. One thing worth mentioning is Brendon’s insane high notes in the song’s outro. The band’s music as a whole can be love-it-or-hate-it depending on your tastes, but I think Brendon Urie’s talents are undeniable. 8/10

2. “Say Amen (Saturday Night)”

This was Pray for the Wicked’s lead single, and I’ve heard maybe 30 seconds of it. Do you ever have a song where it’s like, you like it a lot but there’s that one element that prevents you from loving it? That’s “Say Amen” for me. The melody in the verses has a Broadway-ish feel that I’m totally on board with, the chorus is bombastic and fun, and Brendon sounds great as always. That one high note at the end is awesome. This might be one of their best songs ever...if it weren’t for that damn high-pitched sample that appears throughout the track. Apparently it’s sampled from a song called “Aphasia” by the Budos Band, and it just gets on my nerves. It’s annoying and repetitive, and I’d enjoy the song so much more if it wasn’t there. That sample prevents me from wholeheartedly embracing the track, but I can’t get too mad at it since it doesn’t take up the entire song. Still, it would’ve been a 9 or higher without that sample. 7.5/10

3. “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”

As you can probably guess from the title, this song is Brendon celebrating his success in the music industry. Lyrically it’s sort of a sequel to “Silver Lining”. There are some good lines here, like “In the garden of evil, I’m gonna be the greatest”, but there are some lyrics where I can’t help but think, “Brendon, you know I love you, but why would you write that?” The two big ones are “I’m a hooker selling songs and my pimp’s a record label” and “If you lose, boo-hoo”, which are corny and juvenile, respectively. This one has a catchy chorus, but it’s not as catchy as the previous two. Sonically, I would describe it as a lavish, jazzy party. I can dig it. This is probably my least favorite of the three songs I’ve heard, but it’s still fine enough. Blame (or whatever the positive version of “blame” is) Brendon’s confident vocals for holding the song together. 6.5/10

4. “High Hopes”

This was the second single released from the album. It’s sort of like “That Green Gentleman” from Pretty. Odd. in the way it’s so damn positive and just puts a smile on your face. I’d say the message of this song boils down to “dream big and expect the best, cuz then you’ll get the best”. It’s inspiring to see how Brendon’s come so far from dreaming big, and it can give you the motivation to make your dreams come true like he did. The chorus is really catchy even if it does feel like it repeats a lot, and the lyrics are pretty good. My favorite line is “Burn your biographies, rewrite your history”, which is not only good advice, but also makes sense in the context of the band, who is constantly rewriting their history and changing. For lack of a better term, this one’s a bop, and I hope it does well on the charts. If it gets the right promotion, it could be really successful for the band. 8.5/10

5. “Roaring 20s”

Time to be honest: the first ten seconds or so of this song are unbearable. It starts off with this loud, obnoxious, and extremely high-pitched saxophone that hurts my ears. Other than that, the song’s pretty good. Lyrically, the song is about Brendon’s Kinky Boots stint and the anxiety he felt going on Broadway. It’s a good example of that show-tune vibe I was expecting the album to provide, complete with a dramatic tempo change. I like how the “roaring 20s” in the title refers to both the 1920s, the decade which the song sounds like, and how Brendon was ending his twenties when he took on the Kinky Boots role. There’s also a reference to the book Lord of the Flies (which I read in English last year!) and some good SAT words like “tourniquet” and “inebriate”. Once again, Brendon’s vocals are probably the highlight, because his vocal style is just naturally really good for Broadway-style music and he approaches the song with tons of gusto. This isn’t one of the better songs I’ve heard from the album (because of that damn intro), but it’s still solid. 7/10

6. “Dancing’s Not a Crime”

For every album I listen to, I try to guess which song’s gonna be the best based on the title. My guess for Pray for the Wicked was “Dancing’s Not a Crime”, and honestly...I’m not sure if I’m right or not. Let’s start out with the positives. Brendon sounds great as always, dipping into his falsetto in the chorus and generally sounding like he’s having a blast. I like the catchy, energetic chorus and the use of horns. I also like the main lyric “dancing’s not a crime unless you do it without me” and how the song is just a light-hearted banger you don’t really need analyze to enjoy. Sometimes you just need one of those. However, there are some negatives. The biggest one is the pitch-shifted vocals that appear throughout. They kind of give me flashbacks to “Young and Menace” by Fall Out Boy, if I’m being honest. It’s not as bad as that song (Can any song use pitch-shifted vocals to a worse effect than “Young and Menace”?), but the fact that I’m even suggesting it to be in the same ballpark as the song I have indirectly called FOB's worst ever should raise a few eyebrows. Another problem I have is the part where he says something about “throwing shade”. I’ve never spoken about this, but using modern slang in music is a pet peeve of mine. It makes the artist sound like they’re trying too hard and it will inevitably come off as dated ten years from now. So all in all, “Dancing’s Not a Crime” has a lot of good qualities but some really bad qualities that prevent me from giving it anything higher than a 6.5/10.

7. “One of the Drunks”

And we go from one song which uses pitch-shifting to its disadvantage to another. This album’s making me realize that I kind of hate pitch-shifted vocals, if I’m being honest. The pitch-shifting isn’t as annoying as it was on “Dancing’s Not a Crime”, but it still ruins any potential the song had for me. And that’s a shame, because this song could’ve maybe been a nice throwback to the Too Weird to Live era. It weirdly reminds me of “Can’t Fight Against the Youth”, a bonus track from that album I like quite a bit. Also, the vocoder at the end could’ve been cool but it’s a little too distorted to the point where I can’t understand what it’s saying. Lyrically, this song is about the dangers of alcoholism, and it had potential, but I’ve seen this theme done better. “Swimming Pools” by Kendrick Lamar and “Chandelier” by Sia are two songs that talk about this topic in a much more affecting way. This song’s lyrics are kind of repetitive and generic, and the song is overall probably my least favorite on the album thus far. At least “Dancing’s Not a Crime” was upbeat. 6/10

8. “The Overpass”

The opening of this song assaults you with horns, so to speak. I dig it, though. The horn melody reminds me of the one in “Confident” by Demi Lovato, which is a good thing in my book. This song has more of a rock vibe than the others on the album, but it mixes it with an old-school funk and soul vibe. It’s my favorite on the album so far. I see the lyrics as being about a secret lover Brendon hasn’t talked to in a while, and how he wants to meet up with her at an overpass, where no one can see them be themselves. This song has the best lyrics on the album thus far, because most of the other songs are Brendon bragging and this one’s about his love for another person. My favorite thing this song is the interplay between Brendon and an uncredited female vocalist (at least I think it’s an uncredited female vocalist. I can’t tell if it’s a girl or just him using his falsetto tbh) in the verses. It’s playful and fun. I would say the only negative about this song is that the line “everything about you is perfect, down to your blood type” is kind of creepy, but that’s just me nitpicking. This song is great. 9/10

9. “King of the Clouds”

This song’s intro is acapella, in what Genius says is a homage to “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. I’m fond of spontaneous acapella moments in music, so I enjoy the intro. I also like the outro, where Brendon shows off with some pretty solid vocal runs and subtle falsetto. I just wish everything in between the intro and outro was better. “King of the Clouds” has a dreamy vibe that feels like you’re floating on a cloud (naturally), but the chorus is too repetitive for me. The most noteworthy thing about the lyrics is that they’re all things Brendon said when he was high, which is an amusing idea, but I don’t think they should’ve actually gone through with it. Yeah, when you’re drunk or high, you can say stupid and occasionally hilarious things, but I don’t get why he’d essentially troll the listener by making the lyrics stupid/funny. The vocals are also pretty good up until the worst moment in the song, which is (surprise surprise) the pitch-shifted vocals! I sound like such a broken record complaining about pitch-shifted vocals, but I find them really grating and not a good fit for Panic! At The Disco at all. 6.5/10

10. “Old Fashioned”

If you to remove the horns (which I’m pretty sure are in a different key than the rest of the song), you’d get something that sounds like it’s from Vices and Virtues. The melody on the chorus is classic and the song just overall has that retro pop-rock vibe found on that album. The throwback to an earlier Panic! is appropriate, considering the lyrics are about reminiscing about the best times of your youth. I will say it’s hypocritical to have a song that is in part about drinking (hell, the song is named after a popular cocktail) three songs after a song about the dangers of drinking, but I digress. This is one of my favorite songs on the album, but it’s not perfect. That “get boozy, boozy, boozy” bridge is pretty awkward and even a little cringeworthy. 8.5/10

11. “Dying in LA”

After ten mostly upbeat, catchy songs, we end with a downer piano ballad about how LA can be misleading. Many people come to the city because they want to be famous and they love the glamorous facade, but all they find is rejection. It’s also about the struggles and sacrifices people make to be famous. I’m normally not huge on Panic!’s ballads, but I really like this one. Lyrically it’s one of the best songs Brendon’s written and his vocals are restrained but still packed with emotion. The stripped-back instrumentation is gorgeous, and I actually really like the outro. Sonically this song reminds me of the piano version of "This Is Gospel", and that is 100% a good thing. This album has had some of the worst Panic! songs I’ve heard (not saying much since I really like this band), so it’s nice that the album ends on a high note. 8.5/10

So...that’s Pray for the Wicked for you. I’m not gonna say this album is a huge disappointment or it’s the worst album I’ve ever heard, but it’s easily my least favorite Panic! album to date. Comparing it to their last record, it’s more cohesive, but is an overall weaker collection of songs. Death of a Bachelor was my least favorite Panic! album before this one, but at the very least, it had songs like “LA Devotee” and especially “House of Memories” which were indisputable 10/10s. Pray for the Wicked’s best song is a 9/10, which is nothing compared to the highlights of the band’s previous works. Some of the musical elements (every time a high-pitched, chopped up vocal sample comes into play on this record, I feel like a hole is being drilled through my brain) can be pretty obnoxious, the lyrics can be embarrassing and feel like they’re trying too hard, and far too many songs are Brendon bragging about how great he is. One or two bragging songs is fine, but it’s excessive and tiring when he’s doing it in Every. Freaking. Song. It’s like they took “Victorious”, an obnoxious song about how amazing he is, and stretched it out into an entire album. Once again, there are good songs, but overall this album doesn’t do it for me as much as the band’s past works have. I really want them (or just Brendon) to go into another direction on this album, but I’m not sure if they/he will. Overall I give Pray for the Wicked a 6.5/10. If you’re a diehard Panic! At The Disco fan, you’ll love it, but if you’re looking to get into the band, choose a different record. I’d recommend either Fever or Vices as a good starting point :)

Best Songs (or at least my favorites): “The Overpass”, “Old Fashioned”, “Dying in LA”,  and “High Hopes”

Worst Songs (or at least my least favorites): “One of the Drunks”, “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”, “Dancing’s Not a Crime”, and “King of the Clouds”

This was a lot more negative than I expected, considering it’s a new album by one of my favorite bands. But reminder: just because I love an artist doesn’t mean I think they’re incapable of releasing less-than-stellar music, nor does it mean I’m going to blindly say every song they’ve made is wonderful. I love Panic! At The Disco because they’re responsible for a bunch of my favorite songs ever and I think Brendon Urie is an extremely talented and charismatic individual. But as the legendary prophet Miley Cyrus once said, nobody’s perfect, and frankly, expecting anybody to be 100% perfect all the time is ridiculous. And more importantly: a true fan of an artist (or really anything) enjoys the majority of their faves’ work, but can admit when they screw up. The fact that Pray for the Wicked was not my favorite album does not take away from the fact that I still really love a crap-ton of Panic! At The Disco songs.

So on that note, I know this post was somewhat negative, and I’m hoping next week’s post will be more positive. As for what next week’s post will be, I have no idea on that. I kind of wanted to review the new Drake album because it’s a huge commercial success and a lot of people are talking about it, but then I realized it was 25 songs long. I can’t handle that much Drake. And besides, I already know that there won’t be a single song on that album I’ll like more than “Nice For What”, which is still my Song of the Year™, in case you were wondering. So anyways, I’ll see you next week. Peace!

Stellar