sooooo pretty

Grammys with BTS🤝Emmys with WV

Using their fandoms for publicity with no intention of giving them any awards or honouring them in any way

Erykah Badu at 43rd Annual Grammy Awards (2001)

🙄

So much fun tonight! Thank you so much! @fulloutcortland #vibe #raw #inspiration #theymad #keepgoing #❤️ #chloebailey #dojacat #vmas #billboard #grammys #underdog #booked #💫 (at Los Angeles, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUB2r8vFCDi/?utm_medium=tumblr

Billie Eilish's New Album Makes Me Happier Than Ever

First real post - here we go!

TW: mentions of abuse

On July 30, Billie Eilish dropped her much-anticipated second studio album, Happier Than Ever, ushering in a whole new era of Eilish. Billie is bolder than ever before. Frankly, she’s bolder than almost anyone else in the music industry right now. I listened to the album in its entirety on the day it dropped, and the thought I kept having was, “Billie’s out for BLOOD,” which doesn’t sound very intelligent or journalistic, I know. But truthfully, there is almost no difficult topic that goes unaddressed on this album. And, in true Eilish fashion, everything is handled with powerful, poetic grace. Eilish and Finneas (her brother, best friend, songwriting partner, and producer) crafted songs about everything from stalkers to body image to abusive relationships to unrealistic portrayals of women in pornography. This is an oversimplification of the album’s themes, but these are topics which stand out as the most striking, simply because they are so commonly avoided or mishandled in modern media. At only nineteen years old, Billie Eilish is re-shaping the norms and standards of her industry for the better. She gives me nothing but hope for the future of music, and art as a whole. This is my personal ranking of my favorite songs on Happier Than Ever, based purely on taste. Every song has a special place in my heart, and I connect with each in a different way, but for this list, each track is listed in an order based on how much I love it.

16. Everybody Dies

“Everybody Dies” felt a little flat to me in some respects. A few lines stood out as profound, such as, “It's just a lot to think about the world I'm used to/ The one I can't get back, at least not for a while/I sure have a knack for seeing life more like a child.” Otherwise, the song is basically just Eilish pondering death and the overall idea of losing things, such as the quieter, pre-fame lifestyle mentioned in the line quoted above. It fits with the other themes of the album, but it doesn’t shine quite as much as the other songs. However, I will give her and Finneas credit for their unconventional songwriting style: this song has four verses and no chorus. Even though this one isn’t my favorite, the music is still lovely, and they totally managed to pull of the unorthodox lyrical arrangement.

15. Male Fantasy

Lyrically, this song didn’t feel quite as strong as some of the other songs. But I appreciate how it starts off with Eilish calling out unrealistic depictions of women in porn, an industry infamous for catering to the satisfaction of male viewers, hence the name “Male Fantasy.” This idea connects to the larger meaning of the song: Eilish is coming to a disheartening realization about the superficiality of pornography, while simultaneously coming to a disheartening realization about the difficulties of moving on from someone. This song feels a little unexciting to me, but maybe that’s intentional. When we’re hurting, we use coping mechanisms that don’t always make sense to other people, or even seem boring to others. Eilish has said vulnerability is a big theme on this song, and maybe that’s also the point: she’s the one feeling vulnerable, not me, so it doesn’t matter if I enjoy it. It’s her moment, not mine. And I'm cool with that.

14. Halley’s Comet

This felt to me like a very basic love song, and Billie is far from basic. The song is named for a comet that is visible from Earth every 75 to 76 years. She sings, “Halley’s Comet comes around more than I do,” which is a play on words. “Comes around” means to physically visit, and also to change opinions. The song focuses on Eilish having trouble accepting her feelings for someone, while also acknowledging that she doesn’t physically spend much time with this person. I feel like the metaphor in this song could have been developed further. Eilish has shown her strength with extended metaphor in the past (see “strange addiction” and “all the good girls go to hell”), and I wish we’d gotten more in-depth usage of the comet metaphor. But that piano bit near the end is magnificent.

13. Your Power

The message of this song is undeniably important. There are far too many songs glamorizing adult men having relationships with underage girls (I have news for KISS and The Knack: pedophilia is never rock ’n roll). I think Eilish is a trailblazer for flipping around the narrative and giving the victim a voice. She switches perspectives throughout the song, sometimes singing from the viewpoint of a spectator, sometimes recalling her own experience. This ensures the emotional investment of all listeners, whether they are victims themselves or simply feel empathy for victims. Once again, I find this song groundbreaking. The only reason it has a slightly lower rating is that I sometimes find it harder to get into, but that’s just because it’s a slower song. That’s not a fault of the music - that’s just me being overactive and wanting to dance. This isn’t really a song for dancing.

12. GOLDWING

This song is about a young woman - the “gold-winged angel” - who has yet to be traumatized or exploited in life. Eilish once again brings up the vicious nature of celebrity culture and abuse when cautioning her subject about the cruelty of the media, or just life in general. Eilish considers her subject “sacred” - this person is lovely and genuine, and Eilish fears these traits will make it easier for others to manipulate her. The feeling of this song is angelic and hymn-like, which really helps to drive its meaning home. The message, musical style, and lyrics are all very solid.

11. Oxytocin

This song is so intense, I love it! Oxytocin is sometimes called “the love hormone,” as it’s released during various sexual and reproductive activities. Eilish claims to “need” her lover for this hormone, and describes feeling very possessive of this person - her passion borders on violent. Considering that women are typically depicted as meeker and more submissive in romantic relationships, I liked seeing Eilish channel her dominance and ferocity. And, she refers to God using female pronouns (iconic), as well as saying that She would want to get involved in the romantic activities of Eilish and her lover. Billie knows she’s hot. Good for her.

10. Not My Responsibility

9. OverHeated

I know, technically “Not My Responsibility” isn’t a song, it’s more like spoken word poetry. It was first shared as a visual and musical interlude on the world tour for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?. I think it was a brilliant choice to include it on the album, with a seamless transition into OverHeated. Both address the toxic and impossible beauty standards placed on women. Eilish discusses the controversy around the baggy, shapeless clothes she used to wear to hide her body and save her from judgement, remarking on how she would probably be judged no matter what she wore. OverHeated pertains more to an incident in which paparazzi captured a picture of Eilish in a tank top, and the internet immediately labeled her curvy figure as “fat.” These two tracks contain some of the most powerful lines regarding body image I’ve ever heard - especially concerning celebrities’ bodies. In “Not My Responsibility,” she says, “The body I was born with - is it not what you wanted?” In OverHeated, she points out, “And everybody said it was a let down/I was only built like everybody else now.” Eilish seems to come to the important realization that there may be no satisfying people. Someone will always have something ugly to say about your body. But with these two tracks, Eilish establishes a boundary: she’s distancing herself from the negativity, and she’s learning not to care what everyone else thinks.

8. Lost Cause

This is truly such a fun song. The music video is iconic. I’m honestly offended that I didn’t get invited to that slumber party. I love how this song balances addressing relationship issues while being super playful. She’s ending the relationship, she’s calling her partner out on their BS, but she’s having a lot of fun while doing so. The bluesy music only adds to the sass. It’s the ultimate “you-weren’t-good-enough-for-me-anyway” song.

7. Billie Bossa Nova

First of all, I’m a sucker for alliteration, so naturally, I’m quite fond of this song. “Billie Bossa Nova” marks a more mature shift in Eilish’s music as she discusses a new relationship, singing about “that heavy breathing on the floor” and wanting to "make a movie…that we'd have to hide.” But, as always with this album, themes of celebrity are brought in as she describes using “different names at hotel check-ins” and how “nobody saw me in the lobby, nobody saw me in your arms,” revealing her intention to keep this relationship fairly private. This song, paired with Billie’s British Vogue issue, in which she wore a variety of pink and tan lingerie, marks her fully embracing adulthood and the sensuality that comes with it. We stan a queen who owns her sexuality!

6. NDA

5. Therefore I Am

I HAD to put these two songs next to each other; they are inseparable. The transition is flawless, and it gave me chills the first time I heard it. First, she reckons with the more personal struggles of fame, such as legal documents preceding hookups, stalkers, and overbearing paparazzi. Next, "Therefore I Am" takes a broader look at fame - it delves more into Billie’s relationship with the public and other celebrities. Recently, the news has been filled with discussion of parasocial relationships, thanks to John Mulaney’s fans’ shock at some of his recent behavior (parasocial relationships are a fascinating concept - I would recommend reading a few articles about it). I feel like "Therefore I Am" touches on parasocial relationships, even among celebrities. Everyone thinks they know a celebrity, when we don’t - we only know the image he/she/they present. Just because you are a fan doesn’t mean you are a celebrity’s friend. Eilish vents this frustration in “Therefore I Am,” named for the philosophical phrase, “I think, therefore I am,” which states that just being able to contemplate existence means one actually does exist. In the context of the song, Eilish refutes the assumption that admiring her and her music is enough to establish a friendship. Yet again, a profound and refreshing message. And I think I need to get the line, “Get my pretty name out of your mouth,” tattooed on my body, ASAP.

4. my future

Honestly, this might be one of the most gorgeous songs she’s ever written. The message is truly perfect. This is the song any lonely person, heartbroken person, or person on the verge of adulthood needs to hear. I think it’s a crime that there aren’t more songs that impart the importance of the relationship one has with one’s self - after all, that’s a relationship you’re going to have for the rest of your life!

3. I Didn’t Change My Number

Am I biased because I just got out of a relationship that occurred primarily over text? Yes. Yes I am. But, I love how confident Eilish is in this song. She knows she hasn’t done anything wrong. She knows she’s making the right choice by breaking off the relationship. She knows her ex-lover is clingy and overly demanding. This is an excellent moving-on song. I also love how to mentions her manager and best friend by name, because, y’know, women supporting other women in the face of awful men warms my heart. There’s also a part towards the end of the song when she sings, “Maybe you should leave/Before I get too mean/And take it out on you/And your best friend, too.” The last line is sung in this funny, higher-pitched voice, and I always get a huge kick out of it.

2. Getting Older

When Billie sang the opening lines of this in her Disney+ concert (more on that below), I honestly almost cried. This song is stunning. The lyrics are straightforward but reflective. The music is soft - not enough to get lost in the background, but just enough to provide gentle but un-distracting ambience for Eilish’s thoughtful singing. This song means a lot to me, because it feels like many of the internal conversations I’ve been having with myself lately. Very wise choice for an opening track.

1. Happier Than Ever

Without a doubt, this is my favorite song on the album. It feels like a marriage of some of her old musical styles and new techniques. It starts with a guitar or ukulele that we heard so much of in her first two albums, and then transitions into a full-out rock anthem. I love that when the song begins, the slower, softer singing and music seems to indicate she’s feeling quite calm about the end of the relationship…but she quickly proves to still be furious and heartbroken when the drums and electric guitar kick in. This feels like such a realistic way to portray the end of a relationship. One moment, you’re fine. You’ve totally moved on, you’re completely over the other person - but if you think about it too long, you’re not fine. You still feel broken and angry inside. My favorite lyrics are, “I don't relate to you, no/'Cause I'd never treat me this shitty/You made me hate this city.” Those lines give me such an adrenaline rush. Once again, she brings up the idea of first and foremost loving yourself. And the idea of someone traumatizing you to the point where you despise an entire city is one of the saddest sentiments ever - especially considering how openly Eilish admits to loving Los Angeles. If I could only pick one song to save from the entire album, this would be it. This is an extraordinary song.

If you get the chance, check out Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles on Disney+, a recorded, audience-less concert Eilish performed at the Hollywood Bowl. The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus both make appearances, plus some other impressive musicians - and Finneas, of course! Some people called it underwhelming, but I found it genuinely enjoyable. It’s not the movie of the year or anything, but if you like Eilish’s music, it’s nice to watch her perform in a slightly more traditional concert setting after being deprived of almost anything resembling a concert for more than a year. If nothing else, watch it for the adorable animated Billie Eilish.

And, if you made it this far, your reward is this photo of my aesthetically arranged Billie Eilish paraphernalia! On the top left is the July-August issue of Rolling Stone, featuring Billie on the cover and in a wonderfully insightful interview. All the photos are gorgeous. Top right is a spread from her photo book, which I also highly recommend checking out. On the bottom is my Happier Than Ever page in my poetry journal! This song is super long, so I didn’t include the entire thing, just my very favorite verses at the end. And, I threw some nail stuff into the photo, because I always think of Billie when I’m doing my nails. She has really great nails. 💅🏻❤️

Closer look at the journal page ↑

Thanks for reading this monster of a post! I hope you enjoyed. And if any of these gifs belong to you, thanks for letting me use them! Feel free to give yourself a shoutout in the notes. Keep checking in for more awesome content this week!!

@NoLossForWords,

Katie

not watching award shows is the best form of self care i’ve ever participated in

i do the squidward dance when listening to toby fox’s music

Michael with Whitney Houston at the 30th Grammy Awards Ceremony, Radio City Music Hall, New York, 2 march 1988.

i have a theory. what if, the three actually means three albums this year, fearless (taylor’s version), red (taylor’s version), AND 1989 (taylor’s version)? i mean we all know she dropped two albums last year, so nothing really is impossible for this woman anymore.

in this case, it probably never meant woodvale. yes i’m still not over how invested i was.

We Are The World (1985)

Artista: U.S.A. for Africa

Álbum: We Are the World

Año: 1985

Premios: Premio Grammy a la Mejor Grabación del Año

Compositores: Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie

Géneros: Pop, Gospel

Sellos: Columbia Records, CBS

Detalle: Contrariamente a lo que muchos pensaron, el nombre de la superbanda no alude a Estados Unidos (USA) sino a “United Support of Artists for Africa”. El listado de los artistas involucrados es impactante. Entre ellos:

Conductor • Quincy Jones

Solistas • Lionel Richie • Stevie Wonder • Paul Simon • Kenny Rogers • James Ingram • Tina Turner • Billy Joel • Michael Jackson • Diana Ross • Dionne Warwick • Willie Nelson • Al Jarreau • Bruce Springsteen • Kenny Loggins • Steve Perry • Daryl Hall • Huey Lewis • Cyndi Lauper • Kim Carnes • Bob Dylan • Ray Charles

Coro • Dan Aykroyd • Harry Belafonte • Lindsey Buckingham • Mario Cipollina (Huey Lewis and the News) • Johnny Colla (Huey Lewis and the News) • Sheila E. • Bob Geldof • Bill Gibson (Huey Lewis and the News) • Chris Hayes (Huey Lewis and the News) • Sean Hopper (Huey Lewis and the News) • Jackie Jackson • La Toya Jackson • Marlon Jackson • Randy Jackson • Tito Jackson • Waylon Jennings • Bette Midler • John Oates • Jeffrey Osborne • Anita Pointer (The Pointer Sisters) • June Pointer (The Pointer Sisters) • Ruth Pointer (The Pointer Sisters) • Smokey Robinson

Letra

There comes a time When we heed a certain call When the world must come together as one There are people dying Oh, and it's time to lend a hand to life The greatest gift of all

We can't go on Pretending day-by-day That someone, somewhere soon make a change We're all a part of God's great big family And the truth, you know, love is all we need

We are the world We are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving There's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

Oh, send them your heart So they know that someone cares And their lives will be stronger and free As God has shown us by turning stones to bread And so we all must lend a helping hand

We are the world We are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving Oh, there's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

When you're down and out, there seems no hope at all But if you just believe there's no way we can fall Well, well, well, well let us realize Oh, that a change can only come When we stand together as one, yeah, yeah, yeah

We are the world We are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving There's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

We are the world We are the children We are the ones who make a brighter day, so let's start giving There's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives It's true we'll make a better day, just you and mee

We are the world (are the world) We are the children (are the children) We are the ones who'll make a brighter day, so let's start giving (so let's start giving) There is a choice we're making We're saving our own lives It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

Oh, let me hear you!

We are the world (we are the world) We are the children (said we are the children) We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let start giving (so let's start giving)

There's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me, come on now, let me hear you

We are the world (we are the world) We are the children (we are the children) We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving) There's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me, yeah

We are the world (we are the world) We are the children (we are the children) We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)

There's a choice we're making And we're saving our own lives It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

We are the world (are the world) We are the children (are the children) We are the ones who'll make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)

There's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me

We are the world, we are the world (are the world) We are the children, yes sir (are the children) We are the ones that make a brighter day so let's start giving (so let's start giving)

There's a choice we're making We're saving our own lives It's true we'll make a better day, just you and me, ooh-hoo!

We are the world (dear God) (are the world) We are the children (are the children) We are the ones that make a brighter day so let's start giving (all right, can you hear what I'm saying?) There's a choice we're making, we're saving our own lives

Harry Styles performing at the Grammys 2021 🤩

@tsnation event 02 | favourite outfits - part 2 (1, 3)

"No album till further notice" — Burnaboy

“No album till further notice” — Burnaboy

Nigerian singer and Grammy awards winner, Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burns Boy, has said that he won’t drop any album until further notice. He shared this on his Instagram story yesterday, September 18. While one cannot determine if this is real or him just casually writing, it is known that his contract with popular record label, Atlantic Record, has expired and as such, he has been…

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frightened by my own reflection, desperate for a new connection, pull you in, but don't you get too close