Psst. It’s me, Ri.
I’m not the one writing this post.
Well…yes – OBVIOUSLY I’m writing THIS part, (smart ass!)
…but the rest is brought to you by the always charming, ever-awesome Melisa With One S from Suburban Scrawl ~ Enjoy!
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Friday, December 4
National Dice Day? You Bet!
Today, as you have no doubt already surmised from the title of this post, is National Dice Day. I like goofy holidays like this one and enjoy imagining how they came about.
Picture it: Dogs playing poker. The St. Bernard says…
Wait a minute. Forget that thought, on the grounds that dogs don’t talk.
On second thought, they don’t play poker either. Let’s start again.
Picture it: Dogs playing poker.
The St. Bernard says, “Hey, this is really fun, playing cards with you guys. I wish we could do this everyday.”
The cigar-smoking bulldog responds, “Yeah! Or it should be a holiday! How about National Card Playing Day?”
The German Shepherd, on his third beer, says, “Cards are fun, but you know what is really fun? Dice. National Dice Day: I love the sound of that. How about December 4th?”
Whether this highly imaginative version of how National Dice Day came about is true or not (she typed, with a little chuckle), doesn’t really matter, does it? What’s truly important is this:
What the heck kind of music would I listen to on National Dice Day?
Las Vegas-themed songs, of course! Grab this playlist along with your favorite Elvis impersonator, and have fun with it!
A Little Less Conversation (Elvis Presley): You have to start any Las Vegas playlist with Elvis Presley, for sure. This song is one of my favorites, and it’s also on the “Ocean’s Eleven” soundtrack, which gave it a rebirth of sorts a few years ago.
Waking Up in Vegas (Katy Perry): The perfect expansion on the motto “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas”. This ditty, sung by the girl who kissed a girl (and liked it), is the story of a blackout the night before and all the questions that come with it in the morning. My favorite line? “Get up and shake the glitter off your clothes now.” Awesome.
Pretty Vegas (INXS): The lyrics of this song were actually conceptualized by JD Fortune, the guy on the reality show “Rock Star: INXS” in 2005, when he was trying to become the replacement for the late, great Michael Hutchence. JD was not popular with the rest of the cast; it probably had something to do with the fact that, from the very beginning of the show, he proclaimed that he was the only true INXS fan and thus the only one who deserved to win. One night, during what was supposed to be a team writing challenge, JD went out on his own and penned the chorus of this song. It later turned out well for him; the band was impressed. JD was eventually picked as Hutchence’s replacement, and “Pretty Vegas” became their first single released with JD on lead vocals.
Viva Las Vegas (Elvis Presley): Come on, need I say anything about this one? I thought not.
Danke Schoen (Wayne Newton): Wayne Newton IS “Mr. Las Vegas”. He is currently celebrating FIFTY YEARS on the Vegas strip. I was going to list the tv shows and movies in which he’s guest-starred as himself, performing in Vegas (like “Roseanne” or “Vegas Vacation”), but I went to his website to look them up and the list was just far too long. That says something in itself, don’t you think? This is one of my favorite Wayne Newton songs, and it has NOTHING to do with the fact that it is lip-synched by Matthew Broderick in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. (okay, maybe a little.)
The Gambler (Kenny Rogers): I had to go there. Because you’ve got to know when to hold ‘em AND when to fold ‘em.
Leaving Las Vegas (Sheryl Crow): This haunting song off Crow’s “Tuesday Night Music Club” is supposedly a loose interpretation of her life (when she left the Midwest for L.A.), but there was a dispute with a friend of one of her Tuesday Night Music Club members, because it was apparently about his life. I guess it could be a little like astrology: easy to read some of yourself into it if you want to. Whatev. It’s a great song.
Queen of Las Vegas (The B-52’s): For such a peppy song, this is actually about a mother who is dying and giving her child some final words of encouragement. As it is with many of the songs by the B-52’s, it’s a little weird. But I like weird. (Try “Party Out of Bounds” as an alternate!)
When You’re Smiling (Dean Martin): The member of the Rat Pack most known for his mad drinking skillz, Dean Martin’s voice is silky, and soothingly old school. The song was originally performed by Louis Armstrong, but I enjoy this version as well.
Poker Face (Lady Gaga): If any of you out there read my blog, Suburban Scrawl, you’ll know that the addition of this song to the playlist was a no-brainer as I am currently in the throes of Lady Gaga adoration. (I even dressed my dog up as Lady Gaga for Halloween. Check it out here.) I can’t say enough about how much her music makes me happy, so I won’t even try. I do want to point out some “fun” lyrics in this song though; they make me smile. She says, “I won’t tell you that I love you, kiss or hug you, cause I’m bluffin’ with my muffin. I’m not lying I’m just stunning with my love-glue-gunning.” Where else will you get lyrics like that? (Answer? Nowhere.)
Rods and Cones (Blue Man Group): Ahh yes, the cobalt kings of performance art. There’s nothing like Blue Man Group, especially from the front row while wearing a poncho. (My husband and I have seen them in Chicago five or six times. Big fans.) What do you get when you attend a Blue Man show? I can’t tell you specifically; that’s part of the fun, the surprise of it. What I can say is that you will get comedy that seems dumb yet is very, very smart. You will get silliness. And DRUMS. You will get percussion like you’ve never heard before. It’s mind-blowing. I love the power in this song.
SNL Star Wars (Bill Murray): I couldn’t do a Vegas playlist in honor of National Dice Day without searching playlist.com for this (and squealing upon my discovery). In the 1970’s, one of Bill Murray’s most popular recurring characters was Nick the Lounge Singer. There’s a Nick everywhere you look in Vegas, and if this clip teaches us nothing else, it’s that you can make ANYTHING sound a little Vegas-sleazy with a little bit of effort.
