The Saweetie Christmas Song is Stuck in My Head!

I was fully prepared to not like this song at all. I mean, when has there ever been a successful rap/hip hop Christmas. Never. And don’t you dare bring up *NSYNC! I guess it’s possible, maybe, to suggest a song like Justin Bieber’s version of “Drummer Boy” featuring one of the best rappers of all time– Busta Rhymes. But remember that one’s not an original. Can you name any others that have become an ornament on the Christmas tree of popular holiday songs?

Saweetie has entered the chat. Honestly, I have no idea who she is but this Christmas song has kinda been stuck in my head for days and days.

By reading a lot of the YouTube comments, she clearly has loyal fans… and new fans, too. There are a few things I love about “I Want You This Christmas.” It’s a little bit old-fashioned and that’s a little bit refreshing, right? Her line– Back rubs and five star cookin’, you deserve that king type treatment, feel good just to be your woman — it’s not really in line with feminism 2024. No modern, capable woman wants to “be your woman” like it’s a possessive thing, like the man owns the woman. “This isn’t the Handmaid’s Tale,” they’d proclaim. Well, it’s silly to even suggest any worthy man would think that way, anyway.

The other infectious part of the song: That chipmunk chorus. I don’t know who decided to do it but I LOVE IT. It’s enough to break away from normalcy, helps the song stand out, it’s memorable, and who the heck knew Alvin could sing like that? Or maybe it was Simon or Theodore. Who knows.

But the vibe is a good one. Just a woman making her man feel appreciated and now I ask the liberal feminists, is there really anything wrong with that?

-Out of the Wilderness

What’s that song from the KIA K4 commercial? Full track here!

Someone REALLY likes the way Frankie looks because this song we all thought would be some variation of a title like “Like the Way You Look” is actually called… *drumroll please*…

“Frankie” is performed by The Solar Syndicate and you’re probably here from hearing the song in this KIA commercial, right? Folks have been asking for the full track and finally, we have it! You’ve heard it on Spotify (above) but if YouTube is more your jam, listen below.

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Frankie is one lucky person, having a song named after them! Better than a tattoo, I guess? Is there anything out there in the great big world named after you? Share in the comments below!

-Out of the Wilderness

New Running Shoes, New Insoles, and a Farewell Tour

Let’s play a little game of “Never Have I Ever…” I’ll go first. Never have I ever… owned two pairs of running shoes at the same time on purpose. You see, the story goes that I basically always have a pair of running shoes and when they wear out I get another pair. There’s some overlap, I suppose, but for the first time in my adult life I now have two pairs of new running shoes, each for a specific purpose. I wrote a little while ago that I need a new pair of running shoes now that my Brooks Hyperion Tempo are on their farewell tour… aka using them for the rest of my December runs.

[aka Christmas jogging in Florida]

I searched around and even tried on a pair of On Cloud running shoes but my heart (and my feet) belong to Brooks. I found two pairs that should be perfect for training in 2025. I went with pink Hyperion Tempo’s for race day– short races like the sprint triathlons I’m so fond of– and for longer runs, the Adrenaline GTS 23 in yellow. I’m not saying an Ironman 70.3 is in my future but I’m not not saying that either. I’d like to sort of start the process of running longer distances and see how my body holds up, so the Adrenaline GTS 23 shoes should give me a lot of cushion for the days I do more miles.

Oh, also, I can’t forget to mention I took the plunge on two sets of insoles, as well. I mean, what is a good pair of shoes if they aren’t fitting just right, right? I went with Tread Labs custom insoles for a medium arch. One pair is the “Dash Thin” and the other is the “Ramble.” Both in bright colors, of course.

Pictures will be posted when all the shoes and insoles arrive, but for now I’ll end with these pink panthers… my new Hyperion Tempo shoes. 🩷🐆

Ok, your turn… never have you ever… ?

-Out of the Wilderness

American Express Commercial – The “Love You More” Music

Every time this American Express commercial comes on, my head involuntarily starts bobbing up and down with the rhythm. How can 30 seconds from a credit card company almost immediately change my mood for the better? Song choice, it’s all about song choice. Check out the ad then scroll down for the big reveal…

The Song. The soundtrack is called “Love You More” by Tess Henley, released in 2021. Listen to more of Tess and see a few pics on her Instagram @TessHenley. This isn’t the first time Tess has been included in a product commercial, either. Listen to another song of hers in this Truly commercial. Here’s the full track of “Love You More”…

I might not have remembered the AmEx commercial had it not been for the song they used so kudos to the advertising team. Do you like the commercial? Do you like the song? Comment below with your thoughts!

-Out of the Wilderness

Ben Stiller’s “Nutcrackers” – A New Christmas Classic?

It’s been out for a few weeks now so I finally queued up the Hulu Christmas movie Nutcrackers starring Ben Stiller. I think we’re always hungry for a heartwarming holiday movie, right? It’s rare that a modern movie comes along and becomes an instant Christmas classic. Elf is a great example. So is Nutcrackers the next one?

Pardon my French, Santa, but heck no it isn’t! Do yourself a favor–if you’re dying to watch it–by watching the trailer instead, then go do something else for an hour and a half. It’ll be more productive. My favorite movies have a little bit of everything — drama, comedy, action, romance. This movie barely had any of that and I found myself yawning………….. a lot.

When the credits began to roll, I had more than a few unanswered questions and you will, too, if you decide to watch this movie. I’ll be honest, there were one or two times I chuckled– Elizabeth the chicken (which is part of the trailer) being the biggest laugh. Most of the attempts at humor were pretty pathetic and predictable (Ben Stiller falling off the paddle board, the “how babies are made” conversation, stepping on poop).

This movie is a dud. No laughs. No holiday cheer. In fact, except for the title and a few brief ballet scenes revolving around the original “Nutcracker” musical, it had nothing to do with Christmas at all.

Give yourself a gift this year and skip this one.

-Out of the Wilderness