Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
In these frigid months, it’s important to remember the warm things of life. Like… the sun. Remember that ol’ thing? Keeps us kinda warm on cold days and scorches us in the summer? Yeah, the sun. As a way to remind you that summer is only *Googles “when does summer start”* holy crap it’s still 5 months away!? Well, that’s a bummer. As a way to brighten your cold days for the next 5 months, here are a few fantastic versions of “You Are My Sunshine.” Which is your favorite?
One of the earliest recordings from way back in 1939 by the Pine Ridge Boys.
Relatively new country singer Zach Bryan…
Singer/songwriter band Shovels and Rope…
The Man in Black, Johnny Cash…
“Jar of Hearts” singer Christina Perri…
Alternate take by The Dead South…
Obviously there are many, many performances of this song. It’s been a classic for decades. My favorite version is Johnny Cash with his soulful, haunting version. Which is yours?
Taco Bell has cheap tacos, we all know that. But maybe the message needs some star power. Enter Portugal. The Man to reiterate the low-cost menu where you have an assortment of options for $3 or less!
The Music. Appropriately using a Portugal. The Man song as the soundtrack of the commercial, here’s the full song called “Grim Generation.”
Taco Bell has been using popular music in a few of their recent commercials like this one featuring Green Day. It’s not a bad idea to try advertising by association. In an ideal world, poeple will hear the song by Portugal. The Man (or Green Day, of course) and think of Taco Bell. But there’s a fine line, just like with the music itself, between satisfaction and oversaturation. You know those songs you hear on the radio way too much? Even the best of songs can become annoying when it’s played too much. The same is true with commercials. Have you seen the Verizon commercial with the dramatic dad? I’ve seen it enough to want to mute the TV when it comes on. A lot of people would say the same thing about Burger King commercials, too.
I’ll be totally honest… I had no idea who Benson Boone was until I sat down to write today’s blog post. *Ahem* I post every day at 1pm central, subscribe below for notifications* …I was kind of in the mood to write about a music video so this was perfect timing.
I saw the thumbnail for a music video by some guy named Benson Boone. The thumbnail is what drew me in because it reminded me of my camping trip to Texas. Did you know northern Texas has canyons? I didn’t know that but with God as my witness, I’ve never seen anything more beautiful. Here are 3 of my favorite pics from that trip (more stories from Texas here).
Of course, at this point I’ve got to watch Benson’s video to see if it was shot in Texas. It looks a lot like what I saw in the state parks. Take a look…
After some research, I’m making a calculated guess that this wasn’t shot in Texas, but near St. George, Utah with part of the Grand Canyon as the backdrop. Stunning, no matter where they chose to shoot the video. Also, here’s another favorite pic from Texas because I just could’t leave it out…
So that’s how it’s going for Benson. A new music video with over a quarter million views in just one day (at the time of this post). But let’s see how it started, shall we?
I was surprised to find out he was on American Idol a couple of years ago. He chose to leave the show early but obviously his talent and determination have propelled him to the national stage anyway. One of the reasons I love the “Beautiful Things” video is because of Benson’s passion, which is why I became such a big fan of Judah & the Lion, too. Not only is the music really good, but seeing someone passionate about what they’re doing, especially as musicians, has always been something I admired very much. It also makes me secretly super jealous. God made me left-handed, creative, and a lover of animals, but He didn’t give me the talent to sing well. Ugh.
What do you think about Benson’s new video? Have you been new on your musical radar? Chime in below and also follow Benson on Instagram: @BensonBoone and if you enjoyed today’s post, send a quick note of encouragement by donating $1 so I can continue posting daily…
For Christmas I got a nifty gadget that’s made removing dog poop so much easier. Before, I was using latex gloves and picking it up not just for the sake of keeping the area clean, but mostly because my dog will eat almost any poop she comes across.
How old were you when you realized a “pass interference” penalty in football is really “catch interference”? 🤯
There could be someone alive today in the genealogical line of Jesus himself. I don’t know if that possibility has quite sunk in to my brain yet.
In movies starring Kevin Hart, all I see is Kevin Hart, not the character. Just watched Lift. Surprisingly, I liked it.
If he were alive when Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie, Elvis Presley would’ve been Michael Jackson’s father-in-law.
I know where Columbia got the idea for flaps on the back of their shirts. Have you seen the backside of dogs’ ears? Check. There’s a flap.
Capitalizing the word ‘black’ but not ‘brown’ is actually more racist than anyone thinks.
Also while we’re at it, there’s no such thing as reverse racism. It’s just… racism.
NFL players wearing helmets with “Be Love” on the back, then proceed to get in fights, is awfully ironic.
Take a few minutes to listen to your dog snore. Your day will improve almost immediately.
THere’s a funny actor in the new Wendy’s ad campaign. Actually all of the actors portraying Wendy’s employees are funny but Tyler is my favorite. Tyler is played by actor Bill O’Neill… and no, he isn’t also a professional bowler. But actor Bill does deliver strikes in the Wendy’s commercials that have been airing in the last year or so. You’ve seen him tugging Santa’s beard, doing an improv rendition of “Bad Boys,” and now he’s promoting the Baconator…
Actually, it sounds like the posters are doing all the baconator promotions but as Tyler, Bill delivers his lines so well. It’s easy to tell he’s a seasoned actor. Check out his resume on IMDb here and follow him on Instagram: @_billoneill.
My favorite line in all of these ads so far is when he approaches Santa to find out if he’s the real Santa. He tugs the beard and says, “Yeah, that’s real!” I love how he says it.
I know not everyone’s a fan of this group of happy Wendy’s employees. But they make me laugh. How do you feel about the ads? Chime in below!
Out of the Wilderness 