To all moms

This is one of my favourite songs and I want to share it with all you wonderful moms out there. It's a golden oldie, Peter Gabriel and Youssou N'dour - "Shakin' the tree". Listen to the lyrics and Youssous wonderful wonderful voice. Enjoy!!!



Souma Yergon, Sou Nou Yergon, We are shakin' the tree
Souma Yergon, Sou Nou Yergon, We are shakin' the tree

Waiting your time, dreaming of a better life
Waiting your time, you're more than just a wife
You don't want to do what your mother has done
She has done
This is your life, this new life has begun
It's your day - a woman's day
It's your day - a woman's day

Turning the tide, you are on the incoming wave
Turning the tide, you know you are nobody's slave
Find your sisters and brothers
Who can hear all the truth in what you say
They can support you when you're on your way
It's your day - a woman's day
It's your day - a woman's day

Souma Yergon, Sou Nou Yergon, We are shakin' the tree
Souma Yergon, Sou Nou Yergon, We are shakin' the tree
Souma Yergon, Sou Nou Yergon, We are shakin' the tree

There's nothing to gain when there's nothing to be lost
There's nothing to gain if you stay behind and count the cost
Make the decision that you can be who you can be
You can be
Tasting the fruit come to the Liberty Tree
It's your day - a woman's day
It's your day - a woman's day

Changing your ways, changing those surrounding you
Changing your ways, more than any man can do
Open your heart, show him the anger and pain, so you heal
Maybe he's looking for his womanly side, let him feel

You had to be so strong
And you do nothing wrong
Nothing wrong at all
We're gonna to break it down
We have to shake it down
Shake it all around

Souma Yergon, Sou Nou Yergon, We are shakin' the tree

And here's another one of my favorites with Youssou, "Seven Seconds Away".


Boul ma sene, boul ma guiss madi re nga fokni mane
Khamouma li neka thi sama souf ak thi guinaw
Beugouma kouma khol oaldine yaw li neka si yaw
mo ne si man, li ne si mane moye dilene diapale

Roughneck and rudeness,
We should be using, on the ones who practice wicked charms
For the sword and the stone
Bad to the bone
Battle is not over
Even when it's won
And when a child is born into this world
It has no concept
Of the tone the skin is living in

CHORUS
It's not a second
Seven seconds away
Just as long as I stay
I'll be waiting
It's not a second
Seven seconds away
Just as long as I stay
I'll be waiting (x3)

J'assume les raisons qui nous poussent de changer tout,
J'aimerais qu'on oublie leur couleur pour qu'ils esperent
Beaucoup de sentiments de race qui font qu'ils desesperent
Je veux les portes grandements ouvertes,
Des amis pour parler de leur peine, de leur joie
Pour qu'ils leur filent des infos qui ne divisent pas
Changer

CHORUS

And when a child is born into this world
It has no concept
Of the tone of the skin he's living in
And there's a million voices
And there's a million voices
To tell you what she should be thinking
So you better sober up for just a second

CHORUS

Mecano

Watching the videos of "Fame" I got into such a nostalgic state that I had to look for some of my favorite 80's groups.

Here are some great videos by Mecano, one of the best Spanish groups from that decade.

La Fuerza del Destino

Hijo de la Luna. This one is soooo beautiful, it gives me goose bumps.

Perdido en mi habitación. Oh, this brings back so many memories....

Hoy no me puedo levantar. This one is a classic, and it's still a great song.

Me cuesta tanto olvidarte. One of my favorite songs. A great song about broken hearts.

Another favorite

I'm a bit stressed right now. With the kids at home it's really difficult to study so I've been working a bit on my blog instead and looking for videos on YouTube (shame on me!). Well, I just found another of my favorite songs from my teen days - Siouxsie & the Banshees. It's called "Spellbound" and brings back so many memories of lonely days in my room making plans for the future. Enjoy!

The Cure in concert

I just found out The Cure is doing a concert in Stockholm in February. Oh, my heart is broken! I am so not in the right place right now. I would have loved to go to that (or any other) concert with The Cure!

The Cure used to be my favorite band for years, and although I kind of lost track of them a log time ago I'm sure their music is still great. I just had to check at Youtube and found this:


This is one of my favorite songs and it still sends me shivers down my spine. It's such a great love song. And I still love it!

Another of my favorites, from their early days:


I love their haircuts! *lol* I know someone with hair like Robert probably would have problems getting a job these days, but I still find it very attractive. And yes, I do like men with eyeliners. Yup, I do.



The Cure - In Between Days

yesterday I got so old
I felt like I could die
yesterday I got so old
it made me want to cry
go on go on
just walk away
go on go on
your choice is made
go on go on
and disappear
go on go on
away from here

and I know I was wrong
when I said it was true
that it couldn't be me and be her
inbetween without you
without you

yesterday I got so scared
I shivered like a child
yesterday away from you
it froze me deep inside
come back come back
don't walk away
come back come back
come back today
come back come back
why can't you see?
come back come back
come back to me

and I know I was wrong
when I said it was true
that it couldn't be me and be her
inbetween without you
without you

Music classes

My kids study music at school, one hour a week, and they learn how to play the flute. They love it! I think it’s great that they learn to play an instrument at school. I’ve read somewhere that a person with a good ear for music has a good ear for languages as well and that you can actually improve that skill. I hope it’s true because my kids already speak many languages and I hope they will learn some more as they grow up.

I’ve been thinking about taking them to guitar classes, but I’m not sure if they are still too young. G is 8 and B is 10. B talked about learning to play the guitar before summer vacation but then he changed his mind. I don’t know why. I guess it’s normal in a kid his age. They change their minds all the time.

I think I’ll have a little talk with them tonight. My kids don’t have any activities outside of school and I think that maybe it could be good for them. And since they are not much into sports and such, music might be what they need. Actually I’d prefer to take them to yoga, but since there is no such thing around here I have to look for something that might be available.

There are 2 music academies in Tetuán. One is the Conservatory and it’s very expensive. I couldn’t afford that one. Then there’s the non official one, which still is expensive but not quite as much as the Conservatory. And then there’s the cultural center where I work. I’m not sure there are going to be guitar classes this year, it depends on if my boss finds a new teacher. The classes are affordable and the best thing is that it’s within walking distance from home.

Discoyoga? What's that?

I just read an article in a Swedish newspaper about a new type of yoga - discoyoga. It does sound a bit strange to me, like the opposite of what yoga is to me. To me yoga is a way to get rid of the stress and clear your head. Dancing is a way to clear the head, that's true, but how do you combine disco dancing with yoga? I guess that's some sort of yoga-aerobic combined with disco steps. I don't know.... It might be a fun way to keep in shape. According to that article, Reese Witherspoon, Cindy Crafoord and Britney Spears are into discoyoga.... I've been googling for a while now and haven't found any information at all. Do YOU know anything about this?

This is a hilarious video! Finish disco dancing at its' best. Watch the whole thing, you won't regret it. And there you have the answer why disco isn't the thing anymore. Thank God! *rotflao*


I got a pilates/yoga DVD and a pilates ball for my birthday. I can't wait to try it out! It seems like a fun way to get in shape. Of cause, I'll keep on doing my Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga routines a couple of times a week (at least I hope I will *lol*). My goal for this fall is to get in shape and loose some of the belly fat.

One thing I really would like to try is Afro dance. I guess you don't need a class or DVD to do that. Just put on some nice African music, like Angelique Kidjo, and just feel the music:

Looking for musicians?

When you need musicians for a party, wedding or engagement there are several places to go. This is the sign for one of those shops in the Medina (old town). Most signs are hand written and include lots of drawings, because there are still lots of people who don't read or write. Only about 20 % of the Moroccan women read and write and about 50% of the men.

This particular shop is one of the most important ones in Tetuán and their musicians are famous for being great performers. You can also hire the little box where the bride rides to her husbands house/party after the wedding.

In Tetuán the heritage from AlAndalus is still very strong so a wedding without Andalusí music is not considered a wedding. *lol* And then there's the gnawa music, which is a mix of Berber and Black music (mainly from the Mali region). I really do like gnawa, it has a great beat.



Wedding gnawas, who differ a bit from the original gnawas. This is in my opinion the best part of the weddings.


This is The Box, where the bride has to go so she can go to meet her husband. Moroccan weddings are divided in two - the bride has her party and the groom has his and at the end of the party the bride goes into the box, is carried to her husbands party/house and on her way to her husband she is taken to the mosque in order to get lots of luck for a happy marriage. I've been to a wedding in the mountains where the bride was too big for the box and had to go to her husband's on a donkey. I'm glad I didn't have to go into the box, it would give me claustrophobia!

Happy ending

This is favorite song right now, I listen to it about 100 times a day:



The lyrics:


This is the way you left me.
I'm not pretending.
No hope, no love, no glory,
No happy ending.
This is the way that we love,
Like its forever.
Then live the rest of our life,
But not together.

Wake up in the morning,
Stumble on my life.
Can't get no love without sacrifice.
If anything should happen,
I guess I wish you well.
Mm A little bit of heaven,
With a little bit of hell.

This is the hardest story that I've ever told. (ooooo)
No hope, no love, no glory.
A happy ending gone forever more.
I feel as if I'm wasted,
And I'm wasted everyday.

This is the way you left me.
I'm not pretending.
No hope, no love, no glory,
No happy ending.
This is the way that we love,
Like its forever.
Then live the rest of our life,
But not together.

Two o'clock in the morning,
Something's on my mind.
Can't get no rest,
Keep walking around.
If I pretend that nothing ever went wrong
I can get to my sleep
I can think that we just carried on.

This is the hardest story that I've ever told. (ooooo)
No hope, no love, no glory.
A happy ending gone forever more.
I fell as if I'm wasted,
And I'm wasted everyday.


This is the way you left me, (Oh I fell as if I'm wasted)
I'm not pretending.
No hope, no love, no glory,
No happy ending.
This is the way that we love, (And I'm wasted everyday)
Like its forever.
Then live the rest of our life,
But not together.

Little bit of love

...

Once a punk rocker, always a punk rocker. *lol*

Am I the only one who grew up in the 80´s and still think that the best music was done back then? These past days I've been in a very nostalgic mood and surfing YouTube I've found so many of my old favorite songs. And they are still great! I know lots of people are ashamed of what they used to listen to but I'm not. I can't think of any group from back then that I don't like anymore. Maybe because I somehow got stuck in the 80´s and never really got out of there. *lol*

I was a punk rocker. Oh yes, with multicolored hair, LOTS of makeup, black nailpolish, and 3 earrings in each ear. My biggest dream was to go to London and start a band. You really didn't need to know how to sing or play an instrument to start a band in those days and some of the best bands really didn't know how to play but somehow they managed to create great music.

I guess you all have heard of the Sex Pistols, haven't you? Oh,maybe not... If you haven't, I'll spare your ears. And if you have and you did love them back then you can easily find their music on the net.

One of the first groups I fell in love with was Adam & the Ants, a group of "pirates". *lol* I don't know if they were that famous outside the UK. I think they made some really, really good songs. I guess I still have all their LP:s somewhere. *lol* They also made some very funny videos. This is the one for "Stand and deliver". listen to the lyrics, this is what I grew up with. Maybe that's why I live my life like a modern Robin Hood.*lol* Listen to the drums! Just brilliant!



One of my favorite groups was The Clash. This is a great song! I hadn't heard it for years but it still makes me feel soooo good! It gives me so much energy. And I LOVE Joe Strummers voice.


But my obsession for many years was The Cure. Oh, I had a mayor crush on Robert Smith. I thought he was so cool and the cutest thing on Earth. Oh well, times change... Here's a funny video for "Close to me".


And for all of you cat lovers, here's "Love cats". Just listen to that bass!!! This is great music. Why don't they make music like this anymore? Besides Mika, who makes music like this these days?

More Mika *lol*

I just discovered that there have been over 25.000 visitors to another of my blogs and that made me very happy. So I decided I had to celebrate... And since I'm a complete Mikamaniac I have to jump around the living room listening to Mika himself. *lol*

Here's a great video from a French interview:


And another interview with more songs:


And a Japanese interview. I LOVE Japanese interviews, i think they are hilarious. *rotflao*

Arabic Music - Cheb Mami

I know that Arabic artists aren't all that famous outside the Arab speaking world and that really is a pity, because there are many, many great Arabic artists who really deserve to get more fame. And since I'm a music freak and I LOVE Arabic music I just have to share some of my favorite songs with you.

Today I want to introduce you to CHEB MAMI (real name Ahmed Khelifati Mohamed), an Algerian raï singer born in 1966. Raï is a very popular music style in North Africa and France today and the songs are sung in a mix of Arabic, French and Berber. Visit Mami's official website.

First of all, this is a great song by Cheb Mamy. The song is called "Douhi Aliya" and was released as part of the soundtrack for the French/Arabic film "100% Arabic". A great movie!!!! It also featured Cheb Khaled, my all time favorit Arabic artist.



Sting is an artist who knows how to appreciate good music, no matter the origin. Here's Sting singing a duet with Cheb Mami.



Samira Said is a Moroccan singer who is very famos in the Arabic world. Here's one of my favourite songs, a duet with Cheb Mami.



Cheb Mami also sang a duet with Italian singer Zucchero (Remember him???) and here's the result:

So much in love...

Looking back at my posts these past days I can see there is a lot of love here and there. *lol* No, I'm not going crazy. I guess it's just because I got YouTube back so I listen to Mikas "Love Today" all the time. Oh gosh, I really really like this guy!!!!



I just love his voice. It's so powerful. I wish I could sing like that..... Actually I used to sing in different choirs and I did pretty well, until I became a punk rocker and screamed at the top of my voice all the time and just destroyed my vocal chords.:-( I wish i could take up singing again, and maybe start a band.... Oh yes, sure. Probably when I'm a granny because my life is way to hectic at the moment. Granny and her wild kids - that could be a great band, don't you think? Like Tina Turner but without the high heels. *rotflao*