Songs About Swallowing

These songs aren’t all about the act of allowing food or drink to pass down one’s throat. Some of them are about the metaphorical swallowing of intangible things, like pride and such. Still others are about swift-flying, migratory songbirds. Just call it Triple-Meaning Friday. Which isn’t a catchy phrase at all, actually. Enjoy?  ~  JH

1)  Bush  ~  “Swallowed”

2)  Rhys  ~  “Swallow Your Pride”

3)  NewSong  ~  “Swallow The Ocean (Coming Alive)”

4)  The Hearing  ~  “Swallow”

5)  Bombay Bicycle Club  ~  “How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep?”

6)  Jewel  ~  “Jupiter (Swallow The Moon)”

7)  The National  ~  “Don’t Swallow The Cap”

8)  Yo-Yo Ma & Wu Tong  ~  “Yanzi (Swallow Song)”

9)  Wailin’ Jennys  ~  “Swallow”

10)  Coldplay  ~  “Swallowed In The Sea”

11)  Crystal Fighters  ~  “Swallow”

12)  Toni Gibson  ~  “She’s Like The Swallow”

13)  Pearl Jam  ~  “Swallowed Whole”

14)  Judy Collins & The Muppets  ~  “Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly”

15)  morgxn  ~  “Hard Pill To Swallow”

16)  Wolf Alice  ~  “Swallowtail”

17)  Ramones  ~  “Swallow My Pride”

18)  brokeMC  ~  “Swallow You Whole”

19)  The Lennon Sisters  ~  “When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano”

20)  The Autumn Defense  ~  “The Swallows Of London”

21)  Souleen  ~  “Swallow”

22)  Hank Williams, Jr.  ~  “Pride’s Not Hard To Swallow”

23)  Teach Me Equals  ~  “Swallow The Smoke”

24)  Eve 6  ~  “Inside Out”  (Nope, the word “swallow” doesn’t appear in the title of this song. But it’s all over the place in the chorus, which is repeated multiple times, of course. So here it is…)

25)  Della Lupa   ~ “Storm Of Swallows”

26)  Brandon Flowers  ~  “Swallow It”

27)  Lorena B  ~  “Swallow My Gum”

28)  Lorena B  ~  “Swallow My Gum 2”  (Rarely if ever have I posted a “sequel” to a song, especially within the same post. But frankly, they’re fairly unusual, so I suppose it’s no real wonder after all.)

29)  Billy Bragg  ~  “Swallow My Pride”

30)  Hilary Grist  ~  “Swallow Me Up”

31)  Ólafur Arnalds  ~  “Gleypa Okkur (Swallow Us)”

32)  Shreddy Krueger  ~  “The Sky Will Swallow Us Whole”  (I don’t usually go for songs in the “screamo” genre – or whatever they’re calling it these days – but this was really well-done. Nice mix of “clean” and “unclean” vocals.)

33)  Laura Gibson  ~  “Crow/Swallow”

34)  Teenage Wrist  ~  “Swallow”

35)  Katie Melua & Gori Women’s Choir  ~  “The Little Swallow”  (You may hear the tune of this song and correctly recognize it as identical to the “Carol of the Bells.” However, this Ukrainian-language version came first. An American songwriter penned English lyrics to the tune sometime later.)

36)  Postcards From Mars  ~  “Swallow”

What Love Is, According To These Songs: Vol. 1

Just in time for Valentine's Day, we begin a three-part series featuring songs about what "Love Is." A wide variety of definitions are offered within – some good, some bad, and some downright weird. But all thoroughly enjoyable!  ~  JH

1)  Pat Benatar  ~  “Love Is A Battlefield”

2)  Johnny Mathis  ~  “Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing”

3)  Chrisette Michele  ~  “Love Is You”

4)  The Darkness  ~  “Love Is Only A Feeling”

5)  Frozen Cast  ~  “Love Is An Open Door”

6)  Steven Tyler  ~  “Love Is Your Name”

7)  Dolly Parton  ~  “Love Is Like A Butterfly”

8)  Christopher Cross  ~  “Love Is Love (In Any Language)”

9)  LeAnn Rimes  ~  “Love Is An Army”

10)  Muse  ~  “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)”

11)  k.d. lang  ~  “Love Is Everything”

12)  The Hollies  ~  “Love Is The Thing”

13)  Sophie Ellis-Bextor  ~  “Love Is A Camera”

14)  Phil Vassar  ~  “Love Is A Beautiful Thing”

15)  Rod Stewart  ~  “Love Is”

16)  Girls Aloud  ~  “Love Is The Key”

17)  Styx  ~  “Love Is The Ritual”

18)  Katie Melua  ~  “Love Is A Silent Thief”

19)  DC Talk  ~  “Luv Is A Verb”

20)  Sheryl Crow  ~  “Love Is A Good Thing”

21)  Lou Rawls  ~  “Love Is A Hurtin’ Thing”

22)  Linda Ronstadt  ~  “Love Is A Rose”

23)  Aloe Blacc  ~  “Love Is The Answer”

24)  Mickey & Sylvia  ~  “Love Is Strange”

25)  Arctic Monkeys  ~  “Love Is A Laserquest”  (Wait…WHAT?)

Frightening Songs

In keeping with my weeklong tradition of Halloween-related tunes, here's a rousing set of "Frightening" Songs you're sure to be creeped out by. Enjoy?  ~  JH

1)  Katie Melua  ~  “The Love I’m Frightened Of”

2)  Rise Against  ~  “Life Less Frightening”

3)  Blondie  ~  “Love Doesn’t Frighten Me”

4)  Robert Calvert  ~  “We Like To Be Frightened”

5)  The Voids  ~  “Frightening Ways”

6)  Divided Minds Band  ~  “Frightened”

7)  Natalie Imbruglia  ~  “Frightened Child”

8)  Sniff 'n' The Tears  ~  “Don’t Frighten Me”

9)  Diana Lee & Jerry Whitman  ~  “I Might Frighten Her Away”

10)  David Bowie  ~  “Lightning Frightening”

11)  Toby Lightman  ~  “Frightened”

12)  White Rabbits  ~  “It’s Frightening”

13)  Phil Gerus  ~  “Love Is Not So Frightening”

14)  The Shadows  ~  “Frightened City”

15)  Xyla & Verborgen  ~  “Frightening Beauty”

16)  Paul Weller  ~  “Frightened”

17)  Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit  ~  “Basically Frightened”  (This is some oddball stuff right here – but it’s also pretty darn good music!)

18)  Kelly Moneymaker  ~  “Frighten Me”

19)  Riverside  ~  “Lost (Why Should I Be Frightened By A Hat?)”  (That’s a veryy good question, actually.)

20)  Ophelia  ~  “Not So Frightening”

21)  The Hollies  ~  “Frightened Lady”

22)  The Rodeo  ~  “Frightening Symphony”

23)  Randy VanWarmer  ~  “Frightened By The Light Of Day”

24)  The Feeble Contenders  ~  “Frightening Youth”

25)  The Hold Steady  ~  “I Hope This Whole Thing Didn’t Frighten You”  (It didn’t. I don’t scare easily.)

"Scary" Songs

How many music blogs do you know of where you can find songs by Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Björk, Skrillex, Belinda Carlisle, Will Smith, Steam Powered Giraffe, and Witches In Bikinis all in the same post? Yeah…I didn’t think so. Sounds pretty “Scary” to me, too! Enjoy?  ~  JH

1)  David Bowie  ~  “Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)”

2)  Belinda Carlisle  ~  “Big Scary Animal”

3)  Michael Jackson  ~  “Is It Scary?”

4)  Jessica Mauboy  ~  “Scariest Part”

5)  Dokken  ~  “Mr. Scary”

6)  Skye Sweetnam  ~  “Scary Love”

7)  McFly  ~  “Silence Is A Scary Sound”

8)  Leila Adu  ~  “Scary Love Monster”

9)  Colors And Carousels  ~  “Scary”

10)  Björk  ~  “Scary”

11)  Will Smith  ~  “Scary Story”

12)  George Lynch  ~  “Son Of Scary”

13)  Witches In Bikinis  ~  “A Scary Kind Of Love”

14)  Villagers  ~  “Hot Scary Summer”

15)  Katie Melua  ~  “Scary Films”

16)  Andrew Gold  ~  “Spooky, Scary Skeletons”

17)  Butterfly Boucher  ~  “Scary Fragile”

18)  Skrillex  ~  “Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites”

19)  Peter Lara  ~  “Scary Love”

20)  Steam Powered Giraffe  ~  “Scary World”

21)  Grace Jones  ~  “Scary But Fun”

22)  The Lobbyists  ~  “Scary Night”

23)  The 1975  ~  “Scary Monsters”

24)  Lindbergh Palace  ~  “Scary”

25)  Romain Virgo  ~  “Scary Movie”