Listen Closely Wednesdays (LCW) # 3

  
   Hi everyone! As my followers have by now learned, I am passionate about Young Adult books. But I also love many other forms of expression, including music. I truly believe in the quote that is pictured above and as such have decided to create a weekly meme that is dedicated to sharing music that I believe in, music that has touched me, made me laugh/cry or just plain feel something more. Every week, Listen Closely Wednesdays will talk about five songs that have been important to me that week, why they made the list and I will post all pertinent info about the song itself as well. If you wish to do this on your own blog, please credit me. It is something that I would love to share but I do want to be recognized as this having been my own, original idea. On that note, feel free to comment about the things I share with you or about the music that's on your mind at the time. I'd love to hear all about it! Without further adieu, let's kick off this weeks Listen Closely Wednesday!

Five Songs That Have Been Played Over and Over Again This Week

1.  'Words I Couldn't Say' Sung by: Leighton Meester
- This song is available on the soundtrack for the movie Country Strong, which can be found on iTunes.  Also can be heard on YouTube.

-Reason Behind It: Leighton Meester's normal style of music is dance/pop and this definitely off the beaten track for her.  That said, I love this song.  It's absolutely gorgeous and if you like ballads, you'll enjoy it whether or not you like her other music, or watch her on Gossip Girl.

2.  'Black and Gold' sung by: Ellie Goulding
- This is NOT available legally in the United States as far as I know.  Ellie Goulding is an amazing British artist and you should all listen to this song on YouTube.

-Reason Behind It:  This song is SO CATCHY.  Ellie is awesome to begin with, but the lyrics to this one flow down in a way that makes you want to dance and sing along.  How many technoy-pop songs manage that?

3.  'These Times' sung by: SafetySuit
- This song is available at most places music are sold in the U.S. (not sure about other countries).  SafetySuit's new album finally dropped yesterday! :)

-Reason Behind It:  SafetySuit is a band that does NOT get enough recognition.  They have wonderful lyrics and melodies, with this song being no exception.  For some reason they always make me feel like I'm floating under water.  It's beautiful.

4.  'Happy Days Are Here Again' sung by: Johnny Marvin and Leonard Joy Orchestra

- This song should not be too hard to find, considering it's from the Flapper era (1920s/1930s)!  All you really need are the name of the song and the artist.  I bought it from iTunes.

- Reason Behind It:  Swing/Ragtime/Blues music is awesome.  I love this song because it speaks of a bygone era and with the current economic slump, it fits right in with the times.  I can totally relate to the Great Depression y'all.  I couldn't find an upload of this song, so I just found one of Johnny singing.

5.  'Never Grow Up' sung by: Taylor Swift

-This song is available on the album "Speak Now" pretty much everywhere music is sold in the U.S. and many other countries! :)

- Reason Behind It: I am not as much of a Taylor Swift fan as some people, but I'm not a hater either.  This song has to be my favorite though, because it really captures the pain of growing up and losing the innocence that comes with being little.

   That's all for this weeks edition of Listen Closely Wednesdays. I'm honored if you decided to read this post and I would love to hear your thoughts. Happy listening my friends! :)