[I'm feeling very exclamatory today. Probably has something to do with a lack of sleep. Thanks a mil, boot camp. Now you're causing me to inappropriately use punctuation.]
So, here’s the first list- our most loved songs. Here’s how you figure out your most loved songs on iTunes. Open your music library, click on “plays” and it will list them by the most plays.
I was telling some friends on Tuesday night about doing this and I said, “the lame thing is that my first eight songs or so are from two bands, so I’m just gonna skip to the top 5 songs from different artists.”
Then Luke looked me dead in the eyes and said, “if you do that, I’m going to tell all your blog readers that you are a LIAR.” And I kinda think he would do it.
So I’m going to make two lists.
Here are my LITERAL top 5 most loved songs, even though it is a boring list because it is just Mumford and Brooke Fraser.
I don’t want you to judge me [reading this list or any in the future].
But I’m going to list the top 5 most loved songs from different artists.
1. After the Storm // Mumford & Sons (real #1)
This is true. I absolutely love this song. It makes me think of Heaven and it makes my heart feel light.
2. Shadowfeet // Brooke Fraser (real #2)
This actually isn’t my favorite Brooke Fraser song, so I think it is crazytown that this is #2, but it is the first song on the Albertine album. So. That’s that.
[now I will skip to the next top song from a different artist....]
3. You & I // Ingrid Michaelson (real #9)
This whole song is about falling in love and getting rich – two things I planned to do by 25 and now I’m just hoping to do before I expire.
4. Need You Now // Lady Antebellum (real #12)
I wish I could say this was in support of my friends. In all honesty, it is because I like to sing Dave’s harmony. Sue me.
5. Static Waves // Andrew Belle (real #13)
Laugh if you will. But I actually cannot really figure out what this song is about. But it sounds nice and Katie Herzig’s voice is cute as a button. So I listen to it a lot… approximately 43 times.
So there you have it!
Now. Your turn! In the comments, tell me your TOP 5 MOST LOVED SONGS!
[And there will be no judgement here. In fact, I may use up my iTunes gift card shopping for new songs all weekend because your favorites will become my favorite.]
Next Friday… TOP 5 FRIDAY: FAVORITE BOOKS! [So you can start your wheels a turnin'!]
There are a few musicians in town whose music I liked before I lived here. In most cases, becoming friends with the musician only made me like their music more.
[Except in one case when I was all, "Hey. I used to like your music but I think you are a total putz so I'm pretty sure your music is lame."]
But that wasn’t Wertz. I have nothing but the highest praise for Matt Wertz. He writes good music because he lives well. He is a good friend. He makes me laugh until my sides are totally aching. I absolutely adore him.
When I hear his music, it is who he is. It is true and honest. But it is also pop music and loud and a good time. This album is fun and deep and lovely and it is everything Spring. Your kids will love it. Your friends will love it. You will love it.
Speaking of Matt, here is something super cool. Like whoa cool.
Matt is an artist with Mocha Club. For $7/month, members on Matt’s team support the Women at Risk program. Through this program, former prostitutes in Ethiopia are given counseling and training and education so they are able to make an honest living.
And here’s what Matt is doing- anyone who joins Mocha Club and begins to donate $7/month to the Women at Risk program, he will give you a FREE COPY OF WEIGHTS & WINGS.
And I’ve got just what the doctor ordered. The spiritual doctor, that is.
[Not the witch doctor. Not that kind of spiritual doctor. Sheesh. Weird.]
Roll up your sleeve. Be brave. This won’t hurt.
. . . . .
Shot #1: New worship song
My worship leader from Atlanta, Daniel Bashta, released his first song on iTunes yesterday- it’s called Like A Lion. And listen, if you love a good 5 minutes of worship in your day, this is your song.
Or, if you want your kids to dance around the house to some good worship music, this is your song.
Or, if you [I] like to dance around the house [my house] to some good worship music, this is your [my] song.
And then my worlds collided when one of my dearest Nash-friends Andy did work on the album and I was all, “Gracious does everyone on the entire earth know each other because sometimes it feels that way and would you please sing ‘It’s A Small World With Me’ now?”
Wow. This sermon from Sunday is one of the most powerful I have heard in a while. I was lucky enough to hear it live, and I’m telling you, it was all.I.could.do. not to yell, “come on, Cory!” while he was preaching. It was that strong of a word.
I’ve known Cory for about ten years and he’s always been great, but I will tell you- there was something different on Sunday morning. Some Holy Spirit stuff. Some power of God stuff. Some victory talkin’ stuff.
I really can’t say this strongly enough and if I capitalize this whole section you won’t read it. [I know your ways, blog reader.] Just let me say- if you are a Christian and you are pursuing a stronger relationship with God, you should absolutely make time to watch this and take notes and pray through it.
It is worth thirty-two minutes and fifty-seven seconds of your Wednesday.
Seriously. How many Sundays have I had a blog? [You do the math- this little corner of the internet sky has been alive since November 2006.] And how many Sundays have I told you to listen to the sermon from this week?
ONCE.
TODAY.
. . . . .
Shot #3: Time in the Word
I am happy [and shocked] to report that I am two months into reading the Bible in a year and I am [gasp] still on track.
If you recall, I am using this Disciple Journal Bible Reading Plan that only makes you read 25 days each month. And that has made all.the.difference for me. Just having those 3-5 extra slack days has made this task feel less like a race that I am losing. [That's not until Saturday.... sheesh.]
The second thing that has made this successful is that I read a little portion of four different sections of the Bible every day. So I don’t feel exhausted before I even start, like “Huh? 45 chapters of Leviticus? Save me.” Instead, it’s a piece of the OT, the Psalms, the Gospels, and Paul’s letters. Easy stuff. Fancy stuff.
If you want, join in now! Start in March. Let’s do this thang in 2011!
. . . . .
I know this post ran long, and I know that it is all about God stuff and I don’t often do that. But I guess there are times when the thing that is absolutely most important in my real life deserves to be the center of my bloggy attention. It’s all for Him anyways.
1. Thank you for all your prayers on Saturday. It was a good day. It wasn’t perfect. It wasn’t my best showing. It was a good reminder that God’s strength is made perfect in my weakness. [It feels stupid to say that; I know it is true, but it feels like a cop-out way of saying "I failed."] It just could have gone better- my part, that is.
To say it politely- I’m not perfect. And I got a four star reminder of that.
BUT. It was great to see my friends and it was a wonderful event. I was super glad to be there.
[Big sigh. Moving on.]
2. I drove back to Nashville on Sunday night and for once, I decided that I would make myself listen to FULL albums, no skipping, no This American Life, just albums start to finish. And I made myself sing every song. [I love singing. So this was the easier of the two requirements.]
I don’t know that this list matters to you at all. But here it is. It felt like a real accomplishment to listen to five straight albums. Very un-Annie. [I'm a shuffler. A major shuffler.]
3. My (in)courage friend, Heather, is raising money for her daughter. Some of our (in)courage sisters got together and donated a few items. The (in)courage email said “if you have a craft or a book you’d like to donate…” and I was looking to my right and to my left and then suddenly I was like, “Oh, you mean ME? Oh yeah! I have a book.” It my pleasure to donate a few books to help– so check out Heather’s Etsy site and buy some stuff, yo.
4. Speaking of books, my friend Seth Godin has a new book called Poke the Box releasing this week and the KINDLE VERSION OF POKE THE BOX COSTS ONLY ONE AMERICAN DOLLAR [until the end of TODAY]! $1.00. Seriously. So buy that puppy- it will change how you do business. I promise. [You may know the girl he talks about on page 1. I'm just saying. I died- in the good way.]
5. Also- this happened on the drive yesterday. Hair mustaches are all the rage in 2011.
[Do you love my serious face or what? I know. I'm a class act. Fully deserving of being in Seth Godin's book. Or. Possibly. This picture may cause him to rewrite the first two pages of the book, because I'm a nut job.]
6. Speaking of people who shouldn’t associate with yahoos like me, my (in)courage friend Ann Voskamp hit the NYT Best Sellers list last week with her AH-MAZE-ING book One Thousand Gifts. You need to read this book.
This is the best $7.99 you are going to spend today. Get Barton Hollow by The Civil Wars. Please. It’s like turning on your grandma’s radio in the kitchen. It makes you feel like wearing an A-line dress and writing on a typewriter.
It makes you want to hear it again and again.
Here they are singing the title track, Barton Hollow, on Jay Leno. [Yes, Nashville collectively pooped their pants in excitement the night this happened.]
#2. SETH JONES
I love this guy. And the music he writes is insane. That’s the only way to describe it. I remember being in a living room with some musician friends one night and when it was Seth’s turn to play, he sang one of the most heart-wrenching songs I have ever heard. I think the line was something about how being on a plane would be the only time he would be “over” the girl who just broke his heart.
[I just butchered that. But Seth didn't.]
You should spend $4.99 on Seth Jones EP today. You won’t be mad about it. Great cooking music. [Do you listen to music when you cook? I do.]
#3. DREW HOLCOMB & THE NEIGHBORS VIDEO
Drew and Ellie’s new album comes out next week [don't worry- I'm remind you], but today they released the video for their song “Fire and Dynamite” and I. Love. It. [And a bunch of our friends are in this video, but my friend Andy wins for looking supes cute at 2:22. He used to be a model. He can't help it.]
My favorite lyric: “You are a novel in a sea of magazines.”
Sheesh.
Sigh… I love Nashville. I love that Nashville talent stretches over the ocean and joins me in the UK.
Hope y’all enjoy these artists. I mean, I’ve never led you astray before, have I? [uh... have I?]
Did you watch The Sing-Off these last few weeks on television? It’s a great show. Acapella groups competing against each other. Beautiful stuff.
Some local Nashville dudes called Street Corner Symphony came in second. [But they are winners in our hearts.]
And Tuesday night, they performed here in Nashville.
Now, it’s not every day that acapella groups sell out venues. But SCS did it. Twice.
I watched the show enough that I probably would have gone to the concert either way. But then, when I checked the website, it was not only Street Corner Symphony, it was also the YALE WHIFFENPOOFS.
Listen. Do I have any Gilmore Girls fans out there? Because if you recall, Mr. Gilmore was a Whiffenpoof. Sure, I knew he wouldn’t be there tonight [not because he is fictional, more because of his age], but it was very exciting anyways.
My mother is a totes maj The Sing-Off fan and her favorite group happened to win- Committed. And then, they appeared on stage.
And I sent a picture and a text to my mother saying, “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU ARE MISSING THIS!” and that is truly the first time I’ve ever been at a concert in a bar and known beyond a shadow of a doubt that my mother would rather be there than anywhere else in the world.
The show was insanely good. A surprising number of our friends were there [secret lovers of acapella jams] including the birthday girl, Hercules! And the early show had a… how do I say it… “older crowd” feel, so it wasn’t quite so packed or obnoxious. [Read: lots of parents at the 8pm show.]
Sweet Marisa put two videos on twitter [sigh... iPhone4, you are so good.] but I can’t get them to upload. So. Check out these links–
Street Corner Symphony + ALISON KRAUSS [I died a little in the good way] + Committed = http://yfrog.com/4cgshz
Street Corner Symphony + Committed + Whiffenpoofs + “Fix You” by Coldplay = http://yfrog.com/3wk0uz
Please tell me you watched those. I mean, sheesh. They are so.so.so. good.
Also. I totally have a crush on the guy with the hat and I am not afraid to blog about that.
When he sang, “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone,” it was so amazing that I blacked out for a minute and then I came around and screamed out, “I’M RIGHT HERE! MOURN NO MORE!”
For starters, I missed my blog birthday. And if you recall how I feel about my REAL birthday, it is absolutely ridiculous that I would forget my blog birthday.
Apparently I forgot in 2007, in 2008, and believe it or not, I forgot in 2009.
[If this blog were a child, she would need a serious amount of counseling.]
Well, AnnieBlogs, sorry I missed your birthday(s). Happy 4th year o’ blogging.
[We'll really celebrate one day next week. Don't worry. I love any quasi-legitimate reason to throw a party.]
Just for kicks and giggles- here’s the link to that first post, on November 8, 2006, when you literally had no clue who I was. [Ah, the good ole days, when you didn't associate with the likes of me. I'm bringin' ya down. Sorry.]
I’m so excited about my weekend- heading out of Nashville for a little R&R&Laughs with my friends Emily and Nester. It was so sweet of Emily to invite me [I invited myself] to hang with her and her people for a few days. I cannot hardly wait.
It might be true to say that this weekend is a bit of rehab for my heart.
I leave you with this- LADY ANTEBELLUM! So so proud of my friends. Really. Deeply proud. Sure, partly because they brought home two CMAs, but more because of this performance. Tears, I tell you. Every time.
“Maybe talk to God like He is there. Oh I know He’s there, yeah I know He’s there.”
Sorry ’bout it. I just have an absolutely insane week and to try to compose anything more than a list would cause my head to explode.
Yuck.
List. Here we go.
1. CMAs
It is a big week in Nashville- CMA Awards and the like. Make sure you watch the awards tonight on TV! I could not be more proud to tell you that one of my dearest friends is the SESAC Songwriter of the Year. I squealed. A lot. Hillary is an absolute gift in my life. And I’ll tell you this- the amazing songwriter she is pales in comparison to the woman of God she is in her normal life. But they don’t give awards for that.
2. CHRISTMAS TUNES
Mi amigo Dave Barnes released a Christmas album yesterday and it.is.deliciously.Christmasy. May I humbly, but highly, suggest you purchase one for yourself.
3. CHRISTMAS FOR YOUR EYES
Dave and Hillary [see how I did that? combining #1 and #2? Skillz, y'all. Skillz.]… well, they sang a song together on Dave’s album and it’s the cutest thing going. And there is a super holiday-ey music video that is totally worth a watch. Not to mention that JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT stars in it.
That’s right. Kids Incorporated… looks like you made it, JLH.
Also. Please check out the Top 10 Albums right now.
Taylor Swift + Dave + REBA! + Mumford & Sons? That’s my kind of Top 10, iTunes. Well played.
5. LIKE ME?
It’s time. With a book coming out soon [Like, surprisingly soon. *faint*] and a need to find a place for students who read the book/hear me speak to congregate, it was time to make a Fan Page on Facebook.
Though the content and conversation will be geared towards my book’s audience [which is Christian girls 15-25 yrs old], you are ALL welcome on the facebook page. There will be some exclusive book stuff going on there, so that’ll be cool.
Also. And you are really going to enjoy this, I liked myself first.
And it showed up on all my friends’ newsfeeds.
“Annie Downs likes Annie Downs.”
Oops. That could have gone better. The good news? Unlike Annie Downs 1990-2002 who did NOT like herself one bit, I actually do like myself. So at least it was true.
[By the way, y'all are awesome. I love having friends walk this author road thingy with me. It feels like we are one big happy. So thanks.]
Don’t forget to watch the CMAs tonight- go Lady Antebellum!!
It’s been three days and I still don’t know how to write this blog post.
Let’s just start. Okay? Okay.
I love going to concerts. But here’s something you probably don’t know about shows in Nashville- the crowd is snobby. Because, you know, 3/4 of the audience is in “the biz.” The crowd crosses their arms or stands still or nods their heads. But the crowd doesn’t lose their collective mind.
Until Monday.
When this happened. [Please watch. Please please watch. And no- you can not find me in the crowd, though I'm standing towards the front. Trust me, I tried.]
[PS- I didn't record this. Krazlilangl, whom I do not know, did. So that is not me screaming. Sounds like a crazy little angel.]
[PPS- this is the final encore. Hence the reason that every band on this roster is on the stage.]
And let me tell you, I had a blast. And I have never (no not ever) seen a Nashville crowd love a show like this crowd loved this show, from start to finish.
This band is Mumford & Sons and their folk music destroyed Nashville that night, in all the right ways.
While I highly recommend their music, let me go ahead and warn you that one of the songs has the F-word in it a lot.
And it has been on my mind constantly. [Not the F-word. Sheesh.] The idea of whether or not I can blog about a band that says cuss words in one of their songs. And here is what I decided- you are old enough that you know how to read [I know this because you read my blog]. So you are old enough to make choices. And I’m telling you it is a bad choice to use the F-word or listen to songs with the F-word. But you can listen to the rest of the album.
[Phew. That may be the most controversial thing I've written in a while. I am, if nothing else, polarizing with my opinions. ]
I have to tell you about this band. Not because they have the greatest album ever. [But it is really good.] But I have to tell you about Mumford & Sons because I watched one of their dreams come true.
They had never played Nashville before and apparently rumors of our snobby show behavior proceeded us. But once the show started and the crowd totally embraced them in a way I’ve never seen us do, they were in hog heaven. And they were having more fun than we were.
And I thought about my writing friends. And I thought about my musician friends. And I thought about the first day that they became brave enough to do their art in public.
And I thought about the day, probably hundreds of days later, that your art makes people lose their minds. And how that has to be the happiest moment in your artistic career.
I loved being there with Sarah, Clare, Marisa, Lauren, and Lyndsay. Something beautiful happens when friends live those times together.
And it was the greatest concert I’ve ever seen because it was music and art and dreams coming true and inspiring and I am still in awe of the entire thing.
Check out Mumford & Sons …. just avoid the song Little Lion Man.
releasing this week and the 
. You need to read this book.
