BACKSEAT BALLADS

Bon Iver | Woods

Raye’s Outdoors Mix

After our picnic at Maroondah Dam, we made a stopover at St Kilda to satisfy our gelati cravings. We made our way to the car where we unanimously reached a decision to play a few rounds of Monopoly at Peter’s house. On the way home, this song came on and I remember the car went silent as we all sat and listened to this haunting tune. Most of us first heard it when Kanye used it in his song ‘Lost In The World’ but it was refreshing to listen to the original version. It’s a beautiful song to drive around to at night and we all agreed it had been far too long since we had listened to Bon Iver.

Spandau Ballet | True

Raye’s Outdoors Mix

It seems if you have a listen to The Wedding Singer Soundtrack, 50% of the songs listed will appear on the Raye’s Outdoors Mix. This song in many ways encapsulates the music of the 80’s and funnily enough, I only began to listen to this song again when I heard it on that episode of Modern Family. Yep, the one where Edward Norton plays the bass guitarist of Spandau Ballet. 

Always makes me laugh just thinking about this image.

Whitney Houston | How Will I Know

Raye’s Outdoors Mix

I remember for a long time I use to know the first few lines of this tune because of a bloody dance song that sampled it. You know:

There’s a boy, I know, he’s the one I dream of
Take me to the clouds above

Anyway it was only years later when I found this song and boy did I have the biggest grin on my face upon discovery. Not too long ago some of the biggest pop songs incorporated a saxophone solo during the bridge (Lady Gaga’s Edge of Glory/Katy Perry’s Last Friday Night) but this song takes the cake. I mean, how could you not want to dance anytime you hear this song.

Hell I even put this on the playlist I made for work during their cluster feast day and I spotted a teacher dancing. Go figure.

Justin Bieber | Boyfriend

Raye’s Outdoors Mix: Whatevs, Wherevs Theme Song

It’s been far too long since we’ve had a Whatevs Wherevs session. I’m betting on July for our half yearly report of 2013.

Anyway I still to this day don’t know how we got sucked into the Bieber fever… I blame Mike. Though Beauty and the Beat is still the worst song ever (it’s Nicki Minaj).

Jagged Edge ft. Reverend Run | Let’s Get Married (So So Def Remix)

Raye’s Outdoors Mix

I have a family friend who every weekend I’d ride my bike to his place and hangout with during my primary school years. In many ways he was a mentor and idol to me: it was through him I got into anime, drawing, martial arts films and R’n’B music.

Having just started year 7 in 2001, it was he was the one who introduced me to this song and I remember being blown away. I even asked him if it was alright if I borrowed his portable CD player (no iPods back then kids) and he burnt me a cd with this song and many others. I don’t see him much anymore but I can’t thank him enough for this and all the other things he’s done in the past.

Damage | Forever

Raye’s Outdoors Mix

It must have been early 2011: I was picking John and Peter up for a late night catchup session on a Sunday. Driving along Kings Road, this song came on the radio and as per usual, we began singing along to it whilst remarking how we haven’t heard this song in so long. We debated who the band was before Peter took out his phone, shazam’d it and provided the answer. Damage.

Funny because I can still remember the meal I had at Chappelli’s that night. It wasn’t that great.

Gwyneth Paltrow & Huey Lewis | Cruisin’ Together

Raye’s Outdoors Mix

It was 2009 and we had hired out a house in Rosebud over the weekend to celebrate Kat’s 21st birthday. Tish and Fabian had konked out leaving me, Raye, Kat, Frannie, Age and Tom to drink up and play spoons. Whilst in a state of intoxication, we started playing some music and it was there Age and Tom decided to sing this song together. As a duet. 

Donna Lewis | I Will Love You Always And Forever

Raye’s Outdoors Mix

I never knew the title of this song for a long time (seems to be the case in general) though everytime I would hear it on the radio, images of waves crashing along the shore in the early morning come to mind. I find this song thearpetuic in some ways and it does make me feel tiny bit more hopeful about life.

Plus I tend to feel it works well with Sophie B. Hawkins ‘As I Lay Me Down To Sleep’ - like two sides of the same record. I can’t listen to one without listening to the other.

Lana Del Rey | Summertime Sadness

Raye’s Outdoors Mix: Daylesford Picnic Theme Song

In many ways, I feel we all romanticise the season of Summer. Most people are looking forward to summer holidays: long breaks, days spent in the sun, evenings that never seem to end. The list goes on and alot of it comes back to the summers we use to spend and enjoy during our childhood.

One watches as the days slowly get shorter and the sunsets that would feel like they lasted a lifetime now disappear so quickly in front of our eyes. Like the cherry blossoms in Spring or the falling leaves in Autumn, we begin to understand how precious these moments are. Nothing lasts forever.

We can try so hard to hold on, to let it linger just that tiny bit longer before it’s too late. But in the end all you really can do is sit back and appreciate the beauty in it’s transient nature - as it slowly fades away from our lives.

The Eagles | Take It To The Limit

Raye’s Outdoors Mix

Before Smooth FM came along, I use to rely on Gold FM for my daily dose of the classics back in the day. This song use to come on quite abit yet unfortunately I didn’t have the luxury of owning an iPhone so I would remind myself to try to download this song and simply forget it.

Oh Shazam, what a life saver… most of the time anyway.

Backstreet Boys | As Long As You Love Me

Raye’s Outdoors Mix

Maybe it’s just my generation but the Backstreet Boys had some of the most iconic music videos of that era. Mention Everybody (Backstreets Back) and I can guarantee you most will remember the Universal Monsters horror music video (with each member portraying a different monster). Larger Than Life had it’s futuristic space influenced music video to reflect the new millennium (also the name of that album).

And of course this song - the audition and the musical chairs. Classic!

Neil Sedaka | Oh Carol

Raye’s Outdoors Mix

This is one of those karaoke songs I use to adore singing back when I was a kid with my family friends on Friday/Saturday nights. Whilst the parents would be drinking and singing karaoke at Thao’s place, us kids would go over to my house where we’d set up the karaoke (which was a VHS player with microphone inputs) insert the VHS tapes and let the magic begin.

And as mentioned previously, I tend to get a wee bit excited when I find out someone else knows/loves the songs that I do as well. When we were walking back from Revolver to the car, Rodney started singing this song and when I joined in, we both looked at each other and knew.

It was magical haha.