Music Blogs

Welcome again to 2009, readers! Even though we brought in the new year last week, we'd like to punctuate the festivities by offering U2's classic "New Year's Day" this week.

U2, as everyone knows, is the greatest band that's ever been. They've won more Grammys--22!--than any other artist, and are widely known as the greatest humanitarians in music history. Bono is the only person ever to have been nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Grammy, and the Nobel Peace Prize. Plus, he's only got the one name.

"New Year's Day" has an interesting place in the band's history: it was their first big hit, way back in 1983. Although it only made it to #53 in the US, it hit #10 in the UK and paved the way for the many successes that would follow. The video--shot in the Swedish winter, for some reason--cuts between the band, who are clearly frozen out of their minds, and black-and-white shots of some of the many wars of the 20th century. It's pretty good!

The real message of the song, of course, is that "nothing changes on New Year's Day." Could this be true, or did Bono just make that up? Of course, we welcome your always friendly and articulate comments.  

Important blog note! This year, we've decided to use our vast internet presence to "make a difference," and we're starting by bringing Framed into the classroom! Below are some suggested topics for teachers to broach with their students, thus enriching their education almost beyond belief. Let's all get behind a better tomorrow!

Activities for young people:

1. Is Framed primarily a music video blog or a humor blog? Why?

2. List three reasons you've bookmarked Framed and hate your parents.

3. How do you think Gummo, The Sentient Bubble, would have voted in 2008? Defend your choice.

4. What classes and extracurricular activities would be useful in preparing yourself to work at Framed, thus showing everybody?

5. If Framed were any funnier, would you actually die? Discuss.

1 -- Minutes before the Tunguska event, U2 formed!

2 -- "Let the word be spread to all the shires and hamlets! It's really bleeping cold!"

3 -- "I'll bet the sky would look better if it were, like...oh, I dunno. Blood red, say."

4 -- "Steady, men. The effects of global warming are around here somewhere."

5 -- Once again, the crowd demanded that U2 play as little as possible! 

6 -- "It wasn't that I hadn't found it.  Incredibly, I actually forgot what I was looking for!"

7 -- "Now that the Nazis can send us into the Phantom Zone, I'm guessing it's anybody's war."

8 --" Look, we agreed we'd either fight the tsar's troops in the sub-zero cold or we'd listen to the Irish rock group." 

9 -- "Send out The Edge without a hat or cap! Do it!"

10 -- "Well, what the hell. We've already surrendered our pride."

11 -- "People do yakkity yak a streak and waste your time of day. A streak, I tell you!"

12 -- "Alright, alright, I'll say it! Shooting your video in Sweden in the winter is stupid!"