Melissa Haggart

Just a little nod to the GNR mania taking over the world again. And sure, we all thought this day would never come, except of course it did, because money! But also, these guys are legitimately talented and always made better music together than apart. Loving GNR was a huge part of my youth. Their posters commanded by bedroom walls, and Slash commanded many a teenage daydream. However, as I am old now, it’s too late for a loud and raucous tune, and my head hurts way too much anyway. Good grief. So this beautiful acoustic tune is perfect, and a little patience would go a long way in most of our painful experiences, right? With love, light, and song… ~Melissa~

Listen here: Patience * by Izzy Stradlin * from the EP G N’ R Lies (1989)

Well, it’s snowing in rather dramatic fashion here tonight! How’s the weather in your neck of the woods? Rain or shine, there is always beauty to be found in Mother Nature’s variety of talents! Every “first” snowfall feels fresh and lovely to me, and while this isn’t the first of the year, it’s definitely the first one for April! Hahaha…I know, no one is laughing with me! And I probably won’t be laughing going out in the cold in the morning. But for now, while looking out the window, I’m just hearing this beautiful tune over and over again.

This iconic Christmas melody was written in 1945 by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne, famous Broadway songwriters. This is Dean Martin’s impeccable version from 1959. Perhaps my grandmother listened to and liked this version. Today would have been her 89th birthday, but she passed away almost six years ago, a week after my wedding. I miss her very much. It’s always great to remember the nicest times we had with her, and the one Christmas we spent at her house instead of our own was one of my favourites. So yes, Christmas music in April it is! With love, light, and song… ~Melissa~

Listen here: Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow! * by Sammy Cahn & Jule Styne (1945) * as recorded by Dean Martin (1959)

So I thought about it, and my challenge for this month will be to post a song every other day. April is busy with taxes, concerts, a short trip, and a music festival, and every other day is still a challenge in itself! What if I really want to write something, and now I can’t?! Oy vey! Anyway…

This is all I want to share today. The glorious, soulful, goddess Alanis. Someday I’m going to post this song again and go through what each line means to me because I love it so much. But for today, just this. And a million of my own thank yous to everyone and everything in my life: good, bad, and as yet uncategorized. With love, light, and song… ~Melissa~

Listen here: Thank U * by Alanis Morissette & Glen Ballard * from the album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie (1998)

NB: This performance is from a 2001 concert in Germany.

“I used to think I knew what I was waiting for; I don’t think that anymore.” Well, I did it. I’ve given myself two challenges so far this year, and I’ve met them both. It feels pretty good, this ebbing away at self-doubt thing. My first personal challenge was a homemade juice-or-smoothie-only day, tea, water, etc. based on a holistic nutritionist’s cleanse program. The goal wasn’t so much to “cleanse” as go one day without eating. I love food too much, and receive major emotional comfort from it, so making it through this day was meaningful to me, and I should do it again soon. The actual cleanse is three days, so maybe next time I’ll at least try two! It made me more aware of when and why I reach for food, but also to be more grateful for my easy access to it. My other goal was to start a song blog on my birthday, and blog every day for the month of March. I’m a terribly inconsistent journalist, so this was huge for me to prove I could commit to constantly dealing with my own thoughts, and the immense amount of music that plays relentlessly in my head. To lovingly and graciously accept this music even when it just feels like a barrage of noise is difficult; for sometimes it’s earworms, sometimes it’s from teaching, but sometimes the songs I hear are rife with messages from the guiding hand of The Universe. “I used to think I knew what I was fighting for; I don’t think that anymore.”

Today was one heck of a rainy day. Pretty much all day the clouds kept at it, including a few thunderous booms that shook our whole house. For years I couldn’t help but associate rain (no matter how much we needed it outside) with major migraine pain. I still do actually, and truth be told, I had another massive one today (though I don’t want this to be a complain-about-migraines-blog!). But through two years of spiritual journeying and recovery, it’s now impossible to ignore rain as a bringer of renewal and rejuvenation, of cleansing and releasing. Is it the tears of the sky, shedding its pain? Is it the hydration so very needed by all living things? Is it simply a soothing rhythm in your soundscape? And without the days of rain, can you truly appreciate the glory of a day like yesterday?

There are many rain songs I could share today, but I’m going with Rain Down On Me by Blue Rodeo. The song is great, Jim Cuddy has an excellent lead vocal, Greg Keelor’s guitar solo is one of my favourites of his; but, I’m picking it for the gorgeous and moving Juno-nominated video. Over 20 years later and it still holds up. Tremendous thanks to anyone (*cough*Paul*cough*) who has actually read my 31 days of posts, and I hope you’ll keep reading and listening with me as I continue to explore our connection to The Universe through music. With love, light, and song… ~Melissa~

Listen here: Rain Down On Me * by Blue Rodeo * from the album Lost Together (1992)

Confession: I love to laugh. Your question should be “who doesn’t?” But it sure seems like a lot of people go through life without much of a sense of humour. Boo to that! Life is definitely far from sunshine and roses every day, so I highly recommend laughing your ass off at least once a day to stay balanced and let in lots and lots of light! And breath! And vibration! And let’s be honest…most days… laughing is my only ab work-out! I think tonight we’ll have a great opportunity to laugh a lot when James Corden’s special airs. Did you know he’s not just a late night host? He’s a Tony-award-winning Officer of the British Empire, a hilarious comedian and excellent singer. My very favourite of all the Carpool Karaoke sketches was, of course, Adele’s. Have I mentioned I like Adele? Three posts in one month, but who’s keeping score. Her laugh! Her rapping! Oh my gosh, it’s too much! Here’s her appearance from the January 13th show. With love, light, and song… ~Melissa~

Confession: I love tv. I especially love awesome musical moments that, you know, before the interwebz, couldn’t be seen anywhere but on tv! Special event broadcasts, awards shows, live concerts, and talk shows! That’s right, watching the musical guests on talk shows is a not-so-secret pastime of mine. This is also a great way to keep up on artists my students love, who would otherwise have escaped my notice! One of the most awesome sketches running on late night tv right now is James Corden’s Carpool Karaoke on The Late Late Show on CBS. I love the candour and ‘talent-show’ of the guests, and I really love their surprise when they find out that James Corden is an excellent singer and harmonizer! Looks like other people love this, too, and you can catch a primetime special tomorrow night! If you haven’t seen any of the bits before, check out the amazing Jennifer Hudson from the April 13th episode. Enjoy! With love, light, and song… ~Melissa~