WE LOVE VERSIONS, DON'T WE?

In this entry, we are going back to music, but I have chosen a different way. Versions (or cover songs as they are known in English). Do you know what a version is, don't you? In any case, I am sure that many songs that you have listened to so many times are versions of older ones... we can mention some such as Madonna "Miss American Pie", Enrique Iglesias "La chica de ayer", the typical "I will survive" by Gloria Gaynor that we have sung in the disco when the night is about to finish, the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith, Elton John, U2... among others.

And my question is: who or what makes these songs come to life again? Programmes such as "Pop Idol" (Operación Triunfo in Spanish) which take the songs and adapt them to more modern rhythms, more lively and according to what is fashionable at the moment...

I have decided to focus on one, Soraya's "Self-control". You are going to see three different videos of the same song, completely different fashions, looks and dancers...

Which one do you like the most? Anything that caught your attention? Tell me soon...

Lyrics | Raf lyrics - Self Control lyrics

Bell'Italia

Many people love Italy and I am one of them. The reason is easy: nice people, nice weather, nice culture (very similar to ours) and even better food.

Italy is quite big and there are many famous cities that are worthwhile visiting, for instance, in the North we find Milan and Venice. In the Tuscany region (la Toscana), one of the most beautiful cities is Florence (Firenze per gli italiani) and Pisa, famous for its tower; in the South, Naples (Napoli) and the absolutely stunning island of Sardinia (with its crystal clear beaches) and last but not least, Rome, the capital city.

As I know many of you are going to Italy on the school trip, here are some "musts" (things you must do):

- Visit as many museums and churches as possible: you must see the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican City, Romulus and Remus being fed by the wolf, St. Maria Maggiore...

- Monuments you will like: the Colosseum, the Fontana di Trevi, il Foro, le Terme di Caracalla, the Pantheon...

- Squares and streets: Piazza Navona, Campo di Fiori, Via del Corso, Via dei Condotti, Piazza del Popolo, Piazza di Spagna...

- Italy is the home of pizza: there are so many different ones, try all of them. Also pasta: spaghetti, ravioli, penne, lasagna, tortellini... Ice-creams are incredibly tasty: lots of flavours, colours and textures... Limoncello and Fragolino are the typical liqueurs as well as the national beers Moretti and Peroni.

- Listen to the radio and Italian singers singing in Italian: it sounds so nice!!!

- And finally, try to speak... Italian is very funny! Buongiorno, buona sera, arrivederci, ci vediamo, mi piace, che bello!

By the way, any idea of the whereabouts of the picture??? It was taken in Italy... guess!

Here, in the video, some Italian music:

Travelling

As you already know, travelling is one of my favourite hobbies. Why? It's very simple. It's a way to get to know other people, other cultures, other ways of thinking and other places which are different to your hometown. If you haven't visited a place, you cannot say that you don't like it. First, visit it, then you can build up your own opinion.
I can say that every country and every city, and even every little village has something special. And of all the places I have visited, I have no favourite: I like all of them and I would visit them again.
In the following entries, I will write something similar to a quick travel guide of some fascinating cities in the world with some pictures and some advice to follow in case you decide to visit them.
Do you like travelling? What places would you like to visit? Why?

Successful black women

In this entry I'd like to talk about three women, or girls, because they are quite young -absolutely popular for the same reason: music. Guess who they are? Rihanna, Leona Lewis and Alicia Keys. Each one, although they look similar, are a bit different, at least when talking about musical styles. Let's see why.

Rihanna, born in 1988 (she's 20 years old), is a Barbadian singer who has become widely known for her last album "Good girl gone bad", a mixture of dance and pop which has made us dance more than one Saturday night. Who doesn't know "Umbrella", "Don't stop the music" and "Hate that I love you" with David Bisbal?

Leona Lewis is a bit older, but with only 23 years old, she is one of the most valued R&B singer -songwriter in the UK and beyond. Did you know that she was the winner of the third series of the talent show The X Factor? Of course, she has a beautiful voice and many of her songs are incredible. Just remember "Bleeding Love"

And last but not least, Alicia Keys is an American neo soul singer and songwriter, pianist and cellist. Born in Manhattan, this 27-year-old girl has sold more than 30 million albums, won 11 Grammy Awards, 17 Billboard Music Awars and many more prizes. The song "Fallin" is one of the most recognised songs.

And now your turn has arrived. Below, you can find one video of each singer, let me know your opinions about them.

Disturbia



Lyrics | Disturbia lyrics

Better in time (sorry but the official video is not available unless you watch it in YouTube)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWwYj6vf3c8

Superwoman (live for 40 Principales)



Lyrics | Superwoman lyrics

YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE

Time has arrived to talk about football. To tell you the truth, I'm not very keen on football, but as I know you are, I will try to do my best.
The title of the post belongs to Liverpool anthem, the song that all the fans always sing at Anfiend Road, the mythical Liverpool stadium. But what's so characteristic about this football team? What makes it special?

They are the most successful club in the history of English football because, among their trophies, we find 18 First Division titles, 7 FA Cups, 5 European Cups and 7 League Cups.

Liverpool FC is also known for their traditional colour: RED and ANFIELD, which will be substituted by a new stadium in Stanley Park by 2011. There is a quote which says "Anfield -the name alone conjures up a million and one memories; be they good or bad, happy or sad, tragic or triumphant". But did you know that between 1884 and 1892 it was the home of Everton? As Thierry Henry says: "It's the atmosphere that I love. It's unbelievable. I've played in a lot of stadia, but for me there is nothing like playing at Liverpool"

Important players have been Steve MacManaman, Fowler, Michael Owen and at the moment, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and the Spanish Torres, Reina and X. Alonso.

Liverpool also hosts Rafael Benítez, former Valencia C.F. coach, with whom they have won several titles

Here there is a video of Liverpool history and some of the goals. Hope you enjoy it!!!

Stop & Stare

Yes, we are going to continue with more music following the suggestions of some of you (if you don't make suggestions, I won't write about the things you are interested in) and the winner is "One Republic". I have listened to many of their songs lately, but I didn't know anything about their origins.

From Colorado Springs in the USA, this band of five boys started to deal with music at high school, where Tedder and Zach knew each other. Together and with a small group of friends put a band known as This beautiful mess, performing in local bars of the area. They separated and after a couple of years, they met again and Eddie Fisher, Brent Kutzle and Drew Brown added to the group, former called Republic.

After years of moderate success, they have drawn mainstream attention after the release of their widely-known single "Apologize", selling nothing less than seven million singles worldwide. But I think that their second single, which gives the title to the post, is going to be even more successful. In the UK and the USA, they have already released the third ("Say all I need") and the fourth single respectively ("Mercy"). Nowadays, they have often been compared to Maroon 5, The Fray, Keane and Coldplay, which means they make really good music.

In the video, you can watch Stop and Stare, the last single released in Spain. I prefer it to Apologize, I think it's more rythmic, though slow, sentimental but very sweet to listen to alone or with someone... What do you think?

Lyrics Stop And Stare lyrics

Jonas Brothers

Sorry girls, but we have to move on!!! I know that there’s nothing better than opening the blog and watching El Duque, but we have to post more interesting entries…

I didn’t know exactly what yo write about (because your comments have not been very explicit) until Elena suggested me writing about Jonas Brothers… and the question is… Who are they?

Though not very well-known in Spain yet, they are a VMA-nominated American boy band in the USA, becoming one of the most popular bands at the moment. As many American children, they gained popularity thanks to Disney Channel. Born in New Jersey, the band consists of three brothers: Kevin, Joe and Nick. But do you know that the original name of the band was “Sons of Jonas”? Fortunately, they decided to change it. They have published several albums before and they have also participated in famous soundtracks, adverts and even TV. But on August 12, 2008 they released their third studio album –A little bit longer –a tremendous success, as all their singles have occupied the number 1 spot on iTunes for at least three days. Incredible! But there is more coming: Disney has signed the brothers to two Disney Channel Original Series, a 3D concert film, a behind-the-scenes book and a sequel to their hit Disney Channel Original Movie.
And now is your turn… what do you think of the group??? And about their singles??? Here I include one, but is this the best one??? I’m looking forward to hearing your opinions….

Lyrics S.o.s. lyrics

Specially for girls

"Oh, my God!" that's what we said when we first saw "Sin Tetas no hay Paraíso", but this exclamation was not for the TV series, no no no... the reason was the appearance of one of the most attractive actors at the moment. Guess who I am talking about? Yes, of course. The mysterious Miguel Ángel Silvestre, known as "el Duque" in this successful series. Born in Castellón, this 26-year-old boy, has appeared on the cover of many magazines and many pictures of him are distributed through the Internet. Obviously, his well-built body has contributed to this, but also his talent has helped him to find a place in the world of TV and the cinema.

And my question is: why do we -girls -go mad when we see him? Why are we waiting for Thursday night impatiently just to see him? Why do we look for his pictures on the web? Certainly, his character is not a good one: a drug-dealer whose main importance is to make money no matter the price, a person with no feelings if you are his enemy, a person ready to kill if necessary. But we melt when we listen to his hoarse voice whispering "I love you" in Cata's ear or when he tenderly holds Cata's face in his hands.

And now, boys and girls, tell me: why do we like bad boys? Do you like "El Duque"? Why? Why not? Can you guess the end of STNHP? I'm looking forward to hearing your comments.

If you missed the 1st chapter of the 2nd season, this is a good summary. Music by Leona Lewis

Viva la Vida

Coldplay is one of the most popular British groups at the moment. This alternative rock band formed in London in 1998 and the group comprises Chris Martin -vocalist, pianist, guitarist, Jonny Buckland -lead guitarist -Guy Berryman -bassist -and Will Champion -drummer/ multi-instrumentalist. Coldplay have sold nearly 40 million albums, among them, we can highlight their hit singles "Yellow", "Speed of Sound", "Fix you" and "Viva la Vida".

The band's fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), is somehow different from their other albums, as Hispanic influences are present in many of their songs. In fact, they have been recorded in churches and other areas of Latin America and Spain.

If you like their music, you can attend some of the concerts of the Viva La Vida tour. If not, click on the video below to enjoy one of their best singles so far.

Did you like the song? Why?

http://www.coldplay.com/index.php


Lyrics Viva La Vida lyrics

Welcome!

Welcome! September has started and with it, the end of summer and the beginning of school. This year apart from the books and the classes, we have the blog where we will do activities and share our opinions about different topics such as music, fashion, cinema, TV, sports...

To start with, the first question: what would you like to read about??? The Simpsons? Leona Lewis? MP3s? New York?

Let me know!!!

By the way, anyone knows the name of the monument that appears next? Where is it located?