Friday, February 18, 2011

100 Years

Once upon a time, not too many months ago, Ryan fell in love with John Ondrasik. You know, the man that is Five for Fighting. Well, I guess I should say he fell for the guy's music.

Ryan listens to the radio on his way to and from work. Fed up with most songs that get played to death, he rarely heard songs he liked. I assume on one or more crummy drives home, choice songs like "100 Years" or "Superman" or "The Riddle" came on. He liked those. A lot. The voice, the meaningful lyrics, the catchy melodies. Not to mention John's rugged good looks. *giggle*

He looked up additional Five for Fighting tunes on YouTube to have a listen. He found printable sheet music for a few of his faves, including "100 Years" and "I Just Love You". It took him a while to do, but he learned to play them on the piano. He played them a lot at first, but that has tapered off a bit. Even when he would play them over and over, trying to get them just right, I never tired of hearing those songs. I love them!

I gave Ryan 3 F4F CDs for Christmas. We like them all, but the favorite album is the most recently released, Slice. It has been enjoyed numerous times by both Ryan and me, whether we are in the car together or separate. There isn't a song on there that isn't great. No "fillers" at all. And they are all so fun to sing along to. I would strongly recommend this album. Or any one of his. Long live Five for Fighting!

Let's close with Ryan's rendition of "100 Years". Feel free to hum along. He might be upset that I posted this unpolished video clip. (I wonder how long before he checks my good ol' blog.) He was nervous to be recorded, but I think he did just fine.



3 comments:

  1. I hope he's not upset, because he shouldn't be! That's SO awesome!! What I wouldn't give!! I love Five For Fighting too. He has such a good voice. Great Job Ryan!! Keep 'em coming!

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  2. Go Ryan! Barry really likes F4F as well. The kids love "Superman"...where did Ryan find the sheet music?

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  3. Ryan says: I've really been enjoying his music, though I can't say I know what it's all about. I can finish the song, but what you see is a weakness of sorts I've always wondered about. It seems no matter how much I practice, that I'm still very prone to mess ups. On parts that I've flawlessly nailed many times, I can still completely ruin. I wonder if that's the difference between the gifted performer, and the guy who tries hard. When it comes down to it, I've only seriously spent time practicing for a bit over a year, despite dinking around on the piano occasionally over the past decade we've owned it. I suppose if I really knew how much time and effort they spent, the reasons I still mess up would be clear.

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