Avril Lavigne - "When You're Gone"

In honor of First Daughter's birthday on Sunday, this week's pick is one of her all time favorites - "When You're Gone" by Avril Lavigne. She's six and she loves to belt it out along with this ballade. I love it when she does too.

I can't help but share the video.

Beware::you will probably cry.

This song is also featured on this year's Girl Mix. You can request a copy over at So Buttons if you're interested.

Hope you enjoy!

Happy Birthday First Daughter!

Led Zepplin - "Fool in the Rain"

One of my favorite songs of all time.

I saw Jimmy Page & Robert Plant in concert summer of my freshman year. I had no idea how lucky I was to go. My cousin and I scored the tickets from a friend of mine. When I went to the concert, the only Led Zepplin song I knew was Stariway to Heaven. In fact, I didn't even know Jimmy Page & Robert Plant were in Led Zepplin until they started playing that song. Embarrassing.

I don't remember much of the concert. I remember Stairway to Heaven and I remember Jimmy Page playing his guitar with a violin bow. Crazy good.

I just wish so badly that I had gone to this concert a couple years later, because Led Zepplin turned out to be one of my most favorite bands and one I listened to most often. Fool in the Rain could frequently be heard in my car.

It just makes me happy.
Everything about it.
And I can't help but get a little giddy and start to dance every time I hear it.

Hope you enjoy!

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - "Free Falling"

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers.
Another annual summer concert in MA.
I went to this concert at least once {maybe twice} in high school.
So much fun.

Anything by Tom Petty reminds me of high school, but Free Falling is the ultimate high school tune. It makes me think of warm sunny afternoons before a soccer game, driving with the windows down, feeling the wind in my hair and the sun on my arm hanging out the window. I felt on top of the world.

And the best part about this song - it always sounds better if you sing along at the top of your lungs. No matter how bad your voice is - it always sounds awesome.

And it feels awesome too.

Check out the John Mayer cover too.
I've added it to the playlist.
Oh! And Stevie Nicks. I love her.

Paul Simon - "You Can Call Me Al"

I can't remember if I was junior or senior in high school, but one day at the dentist's office I scored two tickets to the Paul Simon/Bob Dylan concert. Good seats. I can't remember all of the circumstances, but I remember I ended up going with my Mom and we had a great time.

I was (and still am) a Simon & Garfunkel fan. At that time I was actually going through a Simon & Garfunkel kick, and was constantly listening to their Greatest Hits albums. Again, one of my favorite albums ever.

I'm not very familiar with much of Paul Simon's solo work. In fact, You Can Call Me Al is one of the few that I actually do know well because 1) it is played at almost every sporting event, including our lowly Needham High football games, and 2) Chevy Chase is in the video and that always caught my attention. He's a funny guy! (plus I was a huge SNL fan)

I was bummed that it wasn't actually a Simon & Garfunkel reunion concert, but I was psyched to see Bob Dylan, since I was a fan of his as well. I actually know more Bob Dylan songs than Paul Simon's solo songs.

The coolest part about the concert (which I was desperately hoping for) was that they actually performed quite a few Simon & Garfunkel songs together - Sound of Silence, Bridge Over Troubled Water, the Boxer, Scarborough Fair - all favorites of mine. It was pretty awesome. And I was far enough away that I could just pretend that Bob Dylan was actually Art Garfunkel (minus a few inches and some crazy curly hair).

Good times.

Allman Brothers - "Sweet Melissa"

Allman Brothers Band is another annual summer concert in MA.
I saw them summer after my senior year.
It happened something like this:

"What should we do tonight?"
"I don't know."
"Isn't there an Allman Bros concert tonight?"
"Ya, we should go."
"Alright. Let's do it."

It was that kind of concert. So laid back. And I loved it. Sitting out on the lawn on a hot summer night, listening to an old school legend of a band jam. It was awesome.

You don't hear much about the Allman Brothers, but their music is so familiar. Sweet Melissa is an all time favorite of mine. So smooth. It just feels like home.

Hope you enjoy!

Aerosmith - "Dream On"

One of the best songs ever written.
You can never go wrong with this song.

I saw Aerosmith in concert summer after my senior year in high school. I saw them in Boston {their hometown} and it was incredible. My friends and I showed up hours before the show without tickets in hand. We were banking on someone selling tickets out front. Luckily, we scored some lawn seats and got in to the show. The concert was three hours long. Incredible.

Halfway through, after an intermission, the band came back on stage, but on another stage out on the lawn. We had nearly front row seats for the second half of the show! The first half of the show consisted of all their new stuff {which I'm not very familiar with} and the second was all of their old stuff. Score!

Steven Tyler was rockin' his Red Sox cap {backwards} to "Dream On," "Come Together," and "Living on the Edge," as well as many other classics. It was unbelievable. Easily one of the best concerts I've ever been to and easily one of the best front men in history. Absolutely love Aerosmith.

And I must add, I am loving Steven Tyler on American Idol. He is rockstar through and through and I love it! And watching him week after week has solidified a place for him in the top 10 famous people I would like to meet.

Hope you enjoy!

Bush - "Machinehead"

This song is eighth grade for me.
I was the ultimate Bush fan. And that's a major understatement.
My small room was plastered with pictures of the band and Gavin Rossdale himself. I was in love. I was obsessed.

Sixteen Stone is another one of my all time favorite albums. I can still listen to it start to finish and sing you every word. In eighth grade I could listen to it in my head. Every chance I had I was listening to this album.

It was that year that their second album, Razorblade Suitcase, was released. I remember listening to the radio faithfully, waiting to hear a glimpse of their newest single "Swallowed." My heart skipped a couple beats when I heard the DJ announce that it would play "within the next hour." I kept my finger on the "record" button and caught it all on my cassette. It was an exciting day.

I did the same thing with music videos and television appearances. My friends and I compiled a video of all their performances, interviews, awards, TV specials, and videos. We would get together every Friday night, eat snacks, and watch the video.

Bush was the second band I saw in concert - shortly after No Doubt. 4/12/97. At thirteen, I was one of the crazy obsessed fans. I screamed and cried when I heard the opening chords to "Machinehead." {I don't admit that to too many people, but I thought it would give you an idea of how much I loved this band...} That night was a night to remember - seeing my favorite band in person, hearing my favorite songs live, running up to the stage multiple times and being tackled by security, scoring a backstage pass from a sympathetic stranger {only one of us could go back, and my friend was the lucky one. boo}, getting autographed tickets, T-shirts, and more. It was pretty awesome.

I heard this song at the gym the other day and have decided there are few things better than hearing an old favorite song on the radio.
And this is one of the best songs to run to.
Besides being one of the best songs ever...

I couldn't find it on playlist.com, so I'll just share the video with you.
I love it just as much. Gavin is ever so dreamy... {and possibly one of the most attractive human beings alive}

Hope you enjoy!