Making a case for the MOCKINGJAY soundtrack

I went with my husband to see Catching Fire for the second time yesterday. Even though I had already seen the movie the opening weekend, my husband hadn't and really wanted to see it. So I graciously told him I would accompany him even though I had already seen it. ;)  I am happy to say it was even better the second time around -- maybe because the first time I saw it I was so tired I kept nodding off. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the movie considering I really preferred the first book to the second, especially when they got to the Quarter Quell.

As the movie ended with its infamous cliffhanger and the last image you see is Katniss's fierce expression, I was reminded again how much I REALLY hope my favorite Muse song "Uprising" is on the Mockingjay soundtrack. I mean, that song is a slam sunk. Not only is the song a battle cry, but with a chorus like:

They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious

It's kind of perfect, don't you think?

And then there's my favorite line of the whole song:
Rise up and take the power back
It's time the fat cats had a hard attack
You know well
Their time's coming to an end
It's time we unify to watch our flag ascend
So I'm saying this now: whoever's responsible for creating the soundtrack to Mockingjay, you have failed if you don't include "Uprising" on the soundtrack, OK?

Oh, and as a side note, how many of you are totally coveting Katniss's scarf/shawl/thingie she wears in the opening scene of Catching Fire?

I know I am!

It's time for an educational "uprising"

As the results of a standardized test taken by adults in Rhode Island have proven today, along with the recent refusal of teachers in Seattle to give students the Measure of Academic Progress test, it's time for the teacher scapegoating to end and for us to make a real change in education that takes high stakes testing off the table.

A couple weekends ago I attended the Muse concert at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Muse has always been one of my favorite bands, and my favorite song of theirs is "Uprising." As I stood there in the arena singing along, I couldn't help but think how apropos the words ring true for the educational climate of today. I feel like this song should be the rallying cry for teachers against all the media, politicians, and "reformers" who do nothing but bash us and try to make it all about the test scores.

There was one part of the second verse that I initially didn't fit the rallying cry the way the rest of the song did:
"We should never be afraid to die"
But given our nation's current obsession with arming teachers after the tragedy of Sandy Hook, those words actually have kind of a sad irony to them.


"Uprising" by Muse

Paranoia is in bloom,
The PR transmissions will resume,
They'll try to push drugs that keep us all dumbed down,
And hope that we will never see the truth around
(So come on)

Another promise, another scene,
Another packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed,
Green belts wrapped around our minds,
And endless red tape to keep the truth confined
(So come on)

They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious
(So come on)

Interchanging mind control,
Come let the revolution take its toll,
If you could flick a switch and open your third eye,
You'd see that
We should never be afraid to die
(So come on)

Rise up and take the power back,
It's time the fat cats had a heart attack,
You know that their time's coming to an end,
We have to unify and watch our flag ascend

They will not force us,
They will stop degrading us,
They will not control us,
We will be victorious

Strange choice for the official song of the 2012 London Olympics?

So today I discovered that this is the official song of the 2012 London Olympics


Don't get me wrong, it's a cool song. I really like the syncopated piano notes at the beginning and the epic guitar riffs at the end. And I adore Muse; they are my favorite band after all. But when I think "official Olympic song" I think more this:

Not this:

I mean, the song starts off innocently enough, but then it gets pretty hardcore. I'm envisioning mosh pits at the opening ceremonies.

What do you all think? Is it an awesome song that will motivate the Olympic athletes? Or is it an unsuccessful attempt try to stand out and be different? I will say this: In a way I kind of like that they didn't just pick some cliche pop song. Despite the fact that I think the lyrics in this song are kind of cliche and hokey, the music is not and for that, I stood up and took notice. Maybe they were trying to ruffle a few feathers by choosing a more hardcore/alternative rock song because that gets more publicity. Then again, it can't be getting that much publicity if I'm just now finding this out and Muse is my favorite band. But I don't live in the UK where Muse is much more popular so maybe this has been brought up over there.