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Blog (3/22/10): Thoughts on "Furlough Friday" video
Blog (3/4/10): Thoughts on song for Ellen DeGeneres: mp3 & lyrics below...
Thoughts on "Furlough Friday" video:
A few months ago, I took a weekend trip with my good friends to Las Vegas and for whatever reason, we kept singing "Err' body in the club gettin' tipsy" which is a song by J-Kwon called "Tipsy". Every time we sang it, we laughed out loud...no matter how many times it managed to recycle itself throughout the weekend. When I returned to work on Monday (yes, I have a day job) at the university, my friend Josh and I were having lunch and I was telling him about my trip. We were also sharing some of our feelings about furloughs, and suddenly, I exclaimed to Josh "Dude, wouldn't that be the funniest song" and I started singing "Err' body on campus gettin' furloughed"! He and our other furlough counter-parts started laughing and I said "No seriously, let's do it"! We then talked about how great this song would be for people to hear as it might ease some tensions and anxieties that thousands of state employees are experiencing with furloughs. Psssst......in case you don't know, a furlough is when you take time off of work, but don't get paid for it. University staff don't work, students feel slighted, pay cuts ensue, you get the idea. I commence....
After our little lunch time pow wow, Josh and I had written the lyrics by the end of the day. Hence, a song was born! But wait, there's more! After recording the song in my studio, we decided to take things to the next level and make a funny video integrating the university community. We thought this would be a great way to bring some joy and laughter into peoples' lives who might be carrying heavy hearts about furlough related issues. So, I went to the thrift store to get some "gangsta' wear" and Josh, well, he let me borrow some props from his closet, and we went around to different offices on campus filming the video.
The video was released on Friday, March 12. Josh and I knew that the video would make some people around campus and the university community smile. But, here we are, 10 days later on March 22, and the video at this moment has reached 40,017 views and stories about it have been covered online at MSNBC, NBC San Diego, FOX News 5, The Sacramento Bee, the San Diego North County Times, etc. Something tells me the universe was really behind this one!
I have received a tidal wave of emails from people who have been touched by this video more than you can imagine. It's the everyday people that work hard in the trenches and who can't seem to get a break that have been reaching out to me expressing the impact the video has had on them. Yes, for many, it's a good laugh and a nice distraction in their day. But for others, they have seen the bigger picture which goes something like...
Maybe we're all going to be OK? Maybe we can find humor amid stressful situations? Maybe something like this can bring us even closer as a community as we have something to rally around? Maybe we've been taking life too seriously? This is based on the emails that I have been getting all day long. More than ever, this has helped me to see that people are thirsting to feel good and want to be connected through something that binds us. I have heard your voice. The one that comes from "the little guy" in all of us, just trying to keep moving forward with pride. For this, I thank you for sharing with me.
This is not meant to diminish the stress that people have felt from furloughs, pay cuts, and possible lay offs. But, if our little 3:55 video can create a ripple effect that has now reached an international scale, I believe the potential for all of us to shine is beyond imagination.
This makes me feel so alive and energized to know that I can influence a shift in consciousness...no matter how big or small. I invite you to contribute to the shift by sending our light-hearted video to the people you care about. Every tree of inspiration begins with the seed of possibility.
To watch the video, go here: Furlough Friday
To view the song lyrics, go here: Lyrics
Be the dream,
Tiamo :)
Thoughts on song for Ellen DeGeneres:
I was recently hired by Law of Attraction Coach, Christy Whitman, to write and record a custom song about Ellen DeGeneres as a dedication from Christy to Ellen. It's Christy's dream to get on the Ellen show to share her powerful insight with Ellen's audience and fans, so I'm hoping that this song catapults her to being invited as a guest on the show! And hey, if it gets me on the Ellen show, that would be magic too! Want to know the very special story behind the song? Keep on reading. Want to hear it? Go here: Courageously Fly MP3 To view the song lyrics, click on my private lyrics link: Lyrics
If you know my music well, you know that I go right for the heart. So, this song is not meant to tell you all the things about Ellen that you might already know. In the song, I write about things that are very personal to Ellen...including her dogs, her "Mama", her soul mate, and the positive impact that she has on others. It is my hope that when she hears it, she will be touched to the core. The CENTERPIECE of the song may surprise you...
In all the research that I did leading up to writing the song, I came across an interview of hers that really stood out for me. A few years ago, she had a dream about a bird in a cage. The cage was against a window that was open, and so was the door to the cage facing the window. As Ellen looked at the bird, it paused, looked at her, and after a moment of connection with her chirpy little friend, it spread its wings and flew out of the cage, out of the window, and soared into the sky. After waking from this dream, Ellen realized...
That she needed to liberate herself and express to the world who she really was. This is when she "came out" about her sexualty. Since then, her life has transformed. That's why I decided to call this song "Courageously Fly". Once you hear the chorus of the song, you'll understand how this story relates.
As always, I am so very grateful for your support. If you have any inside track to reaching Ellen, I'd love to hear from you in hopes of making Christy's dream come true...and for me to sing Ellen's song live on the Ellen show!
To learn more about my custom songs like the one that was written for Ellen, visit: CustomLoveSongs.Net
Stay tuned for the next Ellen update!
Be the dream,
Tiamo :)
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