Friday on My Mind: It's Cold!

It’s time again for Friday on My Mind. Our weekly blog post where we look at videos centered around one common theme. This is a collaborative effort between KEXP and King 5 News.

It’s cold. Damn cold. Not like Midwest cold, or Northeast cold, or even Canada cold, but Seattle cold. You know…a mid-20's at night type of cold. This is known as "balmy" in those areas previously mentioned, but imagine for those living in Florida or California… that's cold! Here in Seattle, we don't do cold well. The average high this time of year at SeaTac is usually around the 47 degree mark, with lows around 36 degrees. This week, we are a solid 10 degrees lower on both of those spectrums, which goes to figure since on average, the month of December is actually the coolest month in the city of Seattle. The lowest temperature recorded here took place in 1990 and was 10°F. Now while the cold is something we're not accustomed to here in these parts, cloudy days we are all old pros. Seattle sees an average of 220 overcast days per year, which is the most of any major American city. That leaves us with 145 clear days. Of those days, you have to figure that 90 of those are summer, which leaves us with 55 days like we’re seeing this week. It’s sunny outside, but too cold for anyone to enjoy it. Typically, snowfall is rare in Seattle, but we do receive at least some on an annual basis; it’s just not heavy snow, which is rare for us here. When measured at Sea-Tac Airport, average annual snowfall hits somewhere around 5.9 inches. Between October and May, Seattle is mostly or partly cloudy six out of every seven days. We all earn this people. We all earn this.Foreigner- "Cold As Ice”

Foreigner's guitarist Mick Jones, who formed the band in 1976, wrote “Cold As Ice” along with Foreigner front man Lou Gramm. This song is all about a selfish girlfriend who is all about money and possessions at the expense of her relationship. Gramm warns her that her behavior will come back around and bite her in the ass down the road. Now check out the video. Holy Hair!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAESnjvz3lQ

James Brown - “Cold Sweat”

Originally released in 1962 and considered to be the first true funk song, our next song choice is “Cold Sweat”. This song was written by James Brown’s band leader Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis and features the very first instance in which The Godfather of Soul calls for a drum solo and pleads,“give the drummer some”.

Coldplay - “Shiver”

Coldplay formed in 1996 while vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland were attending the University of London. Their debut album Parachutes was released in 2001, although “Shiver” was not originally included on the album. When it became a stand alone hit for the band, making it their first, it was decided to include it on the album.

Honorable Mention:

J. Geils Band- “Freeze Frame”

“Freeze Frame” is the title song from J. Geils Band’s 1981 album, which also featured one of their other biggest song, “Centerfold”. “Freeze Frame” was the 8th top 40 hit for the band. Their high charting more than likely had something to do with their success as early MTV superstars, which had a lot to do with timing since the album was officially released just months before MTV launched. Now let’s watch the band throw paint at each other in a way that could only happen in the 80’s.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHo43B6nu60

Tone Loc- “Funky Cold Medina”

“Funky Cold Medina” as well as Tone Loc’s other big hit “Wild Thing” we’re actually written by Young MC of “Bust a Move” fame. "Wild Thing" was the first ever Platinum-certified Rap single, and "Funky Cold Medina" was actually the second. Besides giving a shout out to Spuds McKenzie, the Budweiser chugging official party animal of the 80’s, classic rock permeates “Medina”. There are sprinkles of Bachman-Turner Overdrive’s “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”, “Christine Sixteen” by KISS, as well as a shout out and sample of “Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones. The cherry on top is the main guitar riff, which is from “Hot Blooded” by Foreigner, which brings us full circle in our Foreigner love fest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaRlPRxOqFs