Mess Of Me

I am my own affliction 
I am my own disease 
There ain't no drug that they can sell 
There ain't no drug to make me well 

There ain't no drug 
There ain't no drug 
It's not enough 
The sickness is myself 

- Chorus - 
I've made a mess of me 
I want to get back the rest of me 
I've made a mess of me 
I want to spend the rest of my life alive 

We lock our souls in cages 
We hide inside our shells 
It's hard to free the ones you love 
When you can't forgive yourself 

- Chorus - 
I've made a mess of me 
I want to reverse this tragedy 
I've made a mess of me 
I want to spend the rest of my life alive 

When I first heard this song I wasn't entire amazed by it. Perhaps it was because it was a live version of it. As soon as I heard the recorded version along with the video, I was amazed! It is such a great song and carries a great message. It doesn't speak to me personally but its just a great song to rock out to!
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Needle And Haystack Life

The world begins 
With newborn skin 
We are right now 

You're a needle girl 
In a haystack world 
We are right now 

You breathe it in 
The highs and lows 
We call it living 

- Chorus - 
In this needle and haystack life 
I've found miracle's there in your eyes 
It's no accident we're here tonight 
We are once in a lifetime 

No, don't let go 
Don't give up hope 
All is forgiven 

You breathe it in 
The highs and lows 
We call it living 

All is not lost 
All is not lost 
Become who you are 
It happens once in a lifetime 

Second in installment in the series of comments on Switchfoot's new album Hello Hurricane!
The first song on the record is Needle and Haystack Life. I first heard this song on youtube when they played it live in a concert. I wasn't overtly excited about this song as I was about Mess of Me or The Sound but its Switchfoot so I loved it just the same. When I first heard it on the album I thought it was the perfect beginning to a great album. It just puts you in the mood and gets you excited about it all.

The song particularly spoke to me because I felt like a needle in a haystack girl. Someone completely different from everyone around me. The truth is, I felt that way because I had been putting on a charade for so long and attracted the kind of attention that did not fit with who I truly was. This song encouraged me to just live life the way I would live it not how others would want. It's such an inspirational song. Of course it took more than a song to break me out of my behavior but this song definitely helped. It's utterly inspiring. Love it.

Go check it out! :)
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New Moon: Twilight Saga

Hey guys! So sorry that I haven't been keeping my promise in posting my thoughts on each of the Switchfoot songs. Let's just say that I'll do it some time ok? 

Now I need to talk about the amazing new movie of the Twilight Saga, New Moon!!!! I heard of Twilight through one of my favorite bands, Mute Math. They were doing a song on the movie and posted it on their blog. I heard the song and loved it (It's called Spotlight, be sure to check it out) and when I saw the movie was in theaters I decided to go see it just so I could see MM's song being played in the movie. I heard it was about a romance between a girl and a vampire and I was curious. 

I didn't think much of the movie before and I thought it was going to be lame. My friend kept telling me how good the books were. This was before any of the hype, btw. So I went to see it and I liked it. I liked it because it was awfully mature for a teen movie. Then the craziness set in and I was completely turned off by the fan craziness and all of that. But I still liked the movie. My sister got the books and everything and I wanted to read them but it took me months and months and months. 

I started watching the trailers for New Moon and the hype set in again! so I started to read the books and oh my goodness I completely understood why everyone was so crazy about them. I finished Twilight and New Moon and began Eclipse today. They are so raw, mature, and deep in a way. Totally not cheesy. I absolutely love the books (even better than the movies). The New Moon movie is better in terms of quality then the last movie. The last movie was awesome no doubt and the quiet essence about it is what I love the most. This one was more depressing but also louder and more active. I could tell the actors were really comfortable in their roles when playing them for the second time. 

I recommend the movie highly. I think you should all go watch it. It's a great story for an escape from reality for awhile. It's fantasy at its best! I've already seen it twice in the theaters (just like I saw Twilight twice). So don't miss it!

Here is a sneak peek!

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Jon's note: The story behind the record

Hey everyone! As I promised, over the next few days I will be going through each of the songs on Switchfoot's new album Hello Hurricane. I said I would start with Jon's note in the beginning.


I can't type it all out for you and I hope you get a chance to read it somehow. For now I will only put here some of my favorite parts of what he wrote.

The songs that move me are the ones that reach across the boudnaries. And those are the songs we've tried to sing: music that creates a communal experience, a shared journey in the form of folk music&pop. Music, transcendent truth that somehow finds it's way between the notes, between the lines. We've never been cool, never  been trendy. And that, in many ways has been the secret to what we do. Because we never quite fit in, we could sing about God, girls, and the postmodern reality with our own unique perspective. The trends will always be coming or leaving. Beware. in trying to fit in you often end up sacrificing a part of yourself in the process. All the rough edges that you polish off are the only things that make you unique, that make your story what it is. You're the only one who can tell your story - don't let anyone take it from you. Everything has an expiration date except The Truth. I bleave great art is telling The Truth. The plain-speak of this incredibly intricate world we live in. Transcendent beauty in a form that we can taste and feel in the present tense. For "Hello Hurricane" I was (and hope to always be), pushing for new vehicles to talk about the human heart. Simple ideas fthat mirror the complexity I see in the world. 

I just love it when Jon writes about the album or about his songs. It gives me yet another chance to get into his brain. It's quite a lovely process! I love this album so much and I truly believe that so far it is my favorite Switchfoot album. This deals with the topic of storms and of God's love transcending those storms. It talks about the struggles of being human and I love that. The fact that the human heart is so often addressed in the songs makes it relatable to all and to me. 

The bold section is the one that stood out to me the most. Not only because it was directed towards the reader but because it is something that I needed to hear and still need to hear. I have been hurt many times in my life. I was never taught how to deal with the pain correctly so I hid behind coping mechanisms and survival skills. It was just how I was and how it all went down. Some people do drugs, others drink, I perform. I have performed for a very long time, some periods with more intensity, others with less intensity. When I say perform I mean putting on a persona. Knowing what everyone wants and performing up to those expectations. So much that I wasn't necessarily the same with all types of friends I had. I became likeable and had all types of friends and everyone liked me. I was so scared of what people might think of me so I became a trendy person. I followed what others would want. As I said before, the intensity of the performance has diminished but its not totally gone. I believe that it will take a very drastic situation orchestrated by God to completely break me out of it. God has always been a constant in my life even when the trends would change and me with them. He has never let me down and I know He'll break me out of this cycle. He does it partly by exposing me to alternatives. Like the one that Jon is talking about.

Why would I want to be unstable? Why would you want to be unstable? Why not just live your story according to how your story is supposed to be lived, not what others would want? I definitely lost myself in the years of performing. Today, I do not know who I am. It's partly why I cry out to God to sing out my song (more on that on Sing It Out). I don't know what my song is. I feel empty and I feel disconnected from myself. I'm close to God and He has been the rock that I have been holding on to, but He's helping me not only to feed off of Him but to stand on my own as well. And I'm not standing on my own at this point. 

In the end I'll have to learn that those horrible moments that lead me to protect myself are the moments that will define me and make me unique. They are the moments that will make me greater and better and higher. They are the moments that will help me find myself. In the end I'll have to learn that no one else can live my story but me. What happens when everyone is gone and I'm alone? Who am I? That's what I have to find out and I have to live out that person with no fear! I cannot do that without the The Truth and I know He'll continue to be faithful to me and not let me down. :)

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Hello Hurricane!

Hello everyone!

Today is the best day of the year for me! This because I finally received my Switchfoot package! The new album Hello Hurricane is in my possession! I got a neat photobook with all the lyrics and names of songs there with some explanations and a letter from jon. I also got a poster! Within the book were the cd, a dvd with behind the scenes footage, and a cd with extra stuff.

So I sat for an hour and listened to the whole album while going through the photobook (like a journey) and I thought of so many things as I went through each song! I decided to share those thoughts with you bit by bit! I first will start with jon's letter, then each song and talk about the dvd and then the bonus cd. 

I hope you enjoy it! 

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New Switchfoot album!

Hey everyone! 

Sorry for the delay in posting! so much has been going on in my life and I've been super busy with work and school and college applications! I hope to be more frequent in my posting from now on!

Just wanted to drop a word on Switchfoot's new album Hello Hurricane!!!! 

Check out their video Mess of Me on youtube and go to their website: www.switchfoot.com!!!
you can listen to the whole album on www.myspace.com/switchfoot. 

My package was shipped, its still not here yet but when it does arrive I'll be sure to write a review for the album or something cool!

ENJOY!

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Forrest Gump

...is officially my favorite movie. I just finished watching it and it is the most intensive movie that I have ever seen. It touched me in the deepest parts of my life. It's amazing to see life through the eyes of an innocent but not so innocent man. It inspired me to be inspired by my life. To carry forth my destiny and what I was created to be. To not be afraid to be who I am. And that it doesn't matter what people say or want from you. You just have to do what you have to do.


God has blessed me greatly through this movie. It's amazing. 

There is this amazing video done by some Switchfoot fans with Jon Foreman's song on this movie. It's awesome so watch it. Also watch the trailer of course.


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Three Great Movies

Just wanted to stop by to recommend three awesome movies!


1. Step Up 2: The Streets - great dance movie! watch it if you love dance! 
2. Confessions Of A Shopaholic - its a nice romantic comedy but it also has some reflection on our failing world economy. 
3. The Holiday - amazing romantic sort of comedy. I loved it its such a sweet innocent light movie. Great date movie, I would say! :)

Trailers:


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Mess Of Me

The best band ever.
The best upcoming album of this year.
The best single of this year.
Three words: Switchfoot. Mess Of Me. Hello Hurricane.

Go. Now. Share. Spread. The. Word. Now. Goooo!

Here are a few words by Jon explaining the song and then watch the video to hear the song!

Lyrically the song is yearning for abundant life to spring from past mistakes. The song attempts to explore the darkest parts of the human animal and transcend them, rising above these gloomy moments to find true life. If you're Freud, you call these darker urges the death drive. If you're St. Paul, you talk about doing the things you don't want to do. Whatever you call them, these dark places destroy us if we leave them unchecked. I feel that tension everyday, between the right and the wrong, between life and death. And yet there is no easy path to freedom from self. It’s a narrow road and few find it. We've all thought about the quick fix: that special something/someone that could take the pain away. Yet the problems in my life are much bigger than any temporary solution. We die a little everyday- physically, spiritually; we are in sorry shape. Ain't no drug to make me well. Ain't no drug that can relieve me from the monster of myself. Ain't no one to blame. But my decision is made. I want to follow this through... I want to spend the rest of my life alive. 

This tune has lived several lives all revolving around the guitar hook. It started out as a song called "I Saw Satan (Fall Like Lightning)" I wrote it a couple years back when I was stealing heavily from scripture. We dragged it into the studio with Charlie Peacock for a week of recording at Big Fish Studios and came out with a really great bridge. Then we wrote a new chorus, called the song "There Ain't No Drug" and built the verse lyrics around the new chorus. We made the bridge the chorus after that. (And at this point I was about as lost as you, dear reader. These are the limitations of having no limitations!) So we stepped away from this song. We knew it was a great one, we were just too inside it. When we came back to it we realized that we were really close... we just needed the final push- so we re-tracked everything at Mike's place. Tim was the champion of this tune: lifting it from one phase to the next, never giving up on the riff. I'm really proud of Tim for pushing through till the final version that ended up on the record.  [source]

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Switchfoot Saga (DVDs) Part 2

Soooo, I went through some Switchfoot DVDs last night! 


The first one was the live show at the Ventura Theatre!

I take back what I said in the last Switchfoot Saga post about it being a bit less enthusiastic then watching a show from a youtube video. I started getting a lot more into it and started seeing the true qualities of the live show. My favorite song live, officially is This is Your Life! I think it has so much power! The rest of the songs are just so amazing and I love how they perform with passion and obvious talent. I'm so proud to be a fan of this band. They are the best band in the world! (sorry if I'm biased but I am a hard core Switchfoot fan, can't help it! It's in my genes! haha). It was amazing concert and I can't wait till Im actually live seeing it!! 

Then I watched the Limited Edition DVD of Nothing Is Sound. The making of the album. 

When this album first came out I was still a fresh Switchfoot fan so I watched this dvd about 50 times! I was still about 6 months into being a fan and still excited about their new album. Watching it now after not watching it for over 3 years I think, I reminisce about it and I understand it much better. I understand Jon's words and the process of making music better. It's a great account of the making of the album. I have to say that Nothing Is Sound is my favorite Switchfoot album. The songs are so dark and bright at the same time. Heavy riffs of guitars and just great songs!!! I love it. ;)


ahh Switchfoot! akee!

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