Day 8 - Sing. Sing a Song. Sing Out Loud. Sing Out Strong.
If you were on American Idol and were going through auditions, what song would you choose to sing to clinch a spot on the show? My choice used to be The Rose by Bette Midler. Now it’s Chasing Pavements by Adele.
ONE of the reasons why I work out on my elliptical in my basement is because I can sing as loud as I want. I LOVE to sing. Most of the songs on my iPod are on there because their singable…plus they have a good beat and you can dance to them (Remember American Bandstand, Gen Xer’s and older?).
I can totally understand how people who sing really bad think they sound good to their own ear.
I’m the same way…or was. My step sister once told me I was a bad singer back in 1980-something. I thought she was crazy until she pulled out her boom box, inserted a blank tape and recorded a song I chose to sing (I think it was The Rose by Bette Midler).
When we played it back, I couldn’t believe I was able to hold a note…the one and only note I held while singing the entire song. It was then I realized my singing sucked.
I guess I should’ve been clued in to how lousy I was back in the day when I was a latch-key kid and my neighbor came over to get his screwdriver back that my father borrowed. I was belting out songs from Side A of the Grease soundtrack when he came to the door.
“Hi Shannon. I came to get the screwdriver back that your dad borrowed. Is everything OK, here?”
“Yeah. Everything’s fine.” Why wouldn’t it be fine?
I later found out he used the screwdriver as an excuse to come over to see if I was OK. He thought I was being raped.
Another time, during a beautiful summer Saturday, I was singing my heart out in the shower…with the window open. This time I was singing the Star Spangled Banner with vibrato no less.
I soon heard:
“SHANNON!!! SHANNON!!!!”
I looked out the window and saw my brother and his friends looking up to where I stuck my head out.
“SHANNON…SHUT THE **** UUUUP!!!!”
I was appalled, but soon thankful, for when I looked to the side into our neighbor’s yard, I saw a group of people looking toward the window laughing heartily. There was a BBQ going on and they could hear me!!
I still love to sing and sing out loud!
My kids ask me a million and one questions whenever we’re out driving. As soon as a singable song comes on, I say “Shh. Mommy wants to sing this.” And they let me. In fact, if I’m not singing, they request that I do so.
“You like when mommy sings?”
“YEAHHHH!”, they cry out in unison.
My heart melted and I said, “You think mommy is a good singer?”
“NOOOOO. We think it’s fuh-nny.”
HIIT: 28 minutes, 504 calories
Breakfast: 1 whole egg, 4 egg whites
whole wheat toast
Snack: apple
Lunch: Mahi mahi
steamed spinach
romaine salad
Snack: 10 almonds
Dinner: Chicken and pineapple fried rice (homemade…not fried at all…no oil used…absolutely delicious…and CLEAN)
October 27, 2008 at 5:48 am
HA!
One time when I was doing some consulting, the group I was working with would have this rule, that if you were late coming back from breaks, or from lunch, you would have to sing in front of the group.
I was puzzled. I told them "but hey, I sound good to me, so who is the one that is going to be punished"
Knowing me, like they did, they changed the rule (because I would have been late everyday)
October 27, 2008 at 5:52 am
LMAO…You are just like me. I would’ve said the same thing and been late too.
October 27, 2008 at 5:59 am
My daughter on the other hand says Mommy "Stop singing…don’t sing that". I think I sound bad to her….but it is good to me! I wish she would lie and let me sing b/c it was FUNNY!
October 27, 2008 at 6:04 am
Heh heh… My dad’s a voice instructor. I’ll leave it at that
October 27, 2008 at 6:11 am
Hook me up Trixter. haha.
October 27, 2008 at 6:41 am
Perhaps you should sing at weddings- everybody’s drunk so they’ll think your good.
October 27, 2008 at 7:27 am
Which is why I only sing in church. The pipe organ belting out ‘A Mighty Fortress Is Our God’ covers up a lot of voice. And it not, the remainder of the congregation drowns me out.
Plus the kids hate it when I sing in the car. But I’ll get a ‘Dad turn it up. It’s AC/DC your favourtie group’. They just don’t want me singing to it.
October 27, 2008 at 8:24 am
Your kids crack me up. I have learned to be an outstanding hummer. I have spent years working on my craft. You might want to try workin on it too. LOL.
October 27, 2008 at 8:28 am
I whistle all the time, especially when I get to a part where I don’t know the words.
October 27, 2008 at 10:05 am
Shoot, I just make up my own words if I don’t know them. And that is probably about 75% of the time. My kids get a kick out of it
October 27, 2008 at 10:07 am
I do too…and some of them aren’t even words….just random noise that sounds like the word.
October 27, 2008 at 10:19 am
I used to be a Bartender and we had Kareokee night….. I was always in popluar demand to sing…… then I started thinking… Hell they are all drunk…. of course I would sound good compared to other drunks…lol
Real Men Have Mass & Sing!……lol
October 27, 2008 at 10:20 am
That’s the beauty of YOUR OWN music.
October 27, 2008 at 10:22 am
Little known fact - if you don’t know the words to a song just keep saying "watermelon" to the verse. It always works & fits….eerie.
October 27, 2008 at 10:27 am
I’m going to try that watermelon trick.
October 27, 2008 at 3:53 pm
I’ve just noticed that whenever I read your blogs I have a big goofy grin on my face the whole time…you have an awesome way of telling a story. Btw…..sing like no one is listening!
October 27, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Your blogs are great to read! This one definitely agrees with me. I am the best damn singer when no one is around. "I got chills. They’re multiplying. And I’m losing control"… Thanks again for a enjoyable read.
October 27, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Great comment. I love to sing, but with my family I use it as a threat. Their punishment is to have to listen to me singing. When I run, "The Boomtown Rats, often invade my runs. Good luck, keep eating clean, and writing such interesting blogs.
October 27, 2008 at 9:31 pm
LOL about the guy thinking you were being raped while all the while you were just singing!
So while you are burning 600+ calories on the elliptical, you also sing at the top of your lungs! That’s quite a feat! I think you are ready to go on tour–or at least American Idol! 
October 28, 2008 at 12:33 am
If I can’t sleep, I might as well be laughing my ass off! (and here I thought the Nerd Girl video was tonight’s topper!)
Fazer