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  • A shameless plug for Five Song Project

    I just wanted to say a great big thank you to all of you who have participated in and are reading Five Song Project. It has been so great to hear all of the positive feedback and how much you are enjoying reading this. This is a project that I have had on my mind…

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  • Song 15: I know karate and voodoo too

    “Goin’ Out West” by  Tom Waits.   Kelley: I didn’t like him (Tom Waits) for the longest time. I would think this guy is so weird, what is up with his voice? Then I listened to the podcast on NPR, Tiny Desk Concerts, and it was a live recording of one of his shows. It…

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  • Song 14: Covers done well

    “Love is the Drug” by Grace Jones. 5songpjct: Let’s talk about Grace Jones’ cover of “Love is the Drug.” I discovered Grace Jones because I was a huge James Bond fan in high school. There was a marathon on TNT one day, the 007 days of Christmas, or whatever. I had decided to watch A…

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  • Song 13: When someone can change your mind, even for one song

    “Mysterious Ways” by U2 Kelley: U2 is a band I have only just tolerated. 5songpjct: I think all of their songs sound the same. Kelley: Honestly they are just awful. I watched MTV a lot growing up, like everyone else, and that is how I discovered Tom Petty, Snoop-Dog, and Smashing Pumpkins. When U2 came…

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  • Song 12: The purple one

    “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince Kelley: I had always kind of known Prince was out there and how important he was to the music industry, especially being known to help female artists get their break, but when I met him in 2011, it put things into a different perspective. I was working at a movie…

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  • Song 11: Something positive out of something negative

    “No One Lives Forever” by Oingo Boingo. Kelley: My Ex-Fiance, who was a crazy dude. 5songproject: Sorry for the interruption. Do you mean crazy fun or crazy not right? Kelley: Crazy, not right. Just to give you some background, we had both worked in film and met on a film set. Two weeks later he…

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  • Assignment 3: It is never too late to learn new things

    Name: Kelley Baumgartner Place: Santa Monica, California Your relationship to music: Listener and casual guitar player Industry: Hair Colorist/Stylist in Santa Monica…@kelleybaumgartnerhair on Instagram When I met Kelley it was at a time when I was meeting 50 other people at a networking dinner. I have to say that Kelley stood out. She reminded me…

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  • Song 10: Music can change the world

    “We Are the World” by U.S.A for Africa Fact: The US population is 325 million, give or take a few hundred thousand. Fact: the population of California is 39.5 million, which means nearly one in eight Americans is a Californian. No other country serves as a microcosm for the world than America, no other state…

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  • Song 9: A Song That Is Beyond What Divides Us

    “My Girl” by the Temptations These are fractured times we live in. The nation is as polarized as ever, with open acrimony spilling out in discussions with friends and family online and in person. We are divided by politics, by philosophy and by generational lines, having grown up in different Americas. Sometimes you want a…

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  • Song 8: Everyone Loves a Show-off

    “Uptown Girl” by Billy Joel Written by Kevin If you’re of the mindset to show off, regardless of your singing ability, this song plants a stake in the ground. This is your night and everyone else is a guest in it. I love this song not only because (once again) everyone and their mama knows…

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