For dinner tonight, we decided to go to our local Cuban restaurant, CasaBlanca Cuban Grill. It had been a while since we last time there. Still, we were greeted as if it was yesterday the last time we were there. They even recognized the girls and pointed out how much they have grown since the last time they had seen them.

The girls order their usual, chicken strips, Marley opted for rice and Luna for fries. Annie had her grilled chicken breast with rice and beans (moros con cristianos) and a side of yuca. For me, well, they have this sandwich, puerco con pan (pork with bread) which I haven’t had in a long, long time, and oh boy have I forgotten how big it was. I can’t believe I used to eat one of these for lunch!

It has been a long time since I’ve had the food coma I am having right now. I May just pass out on the couch.

Modern Classics: Seal - Kiss From a Rose — Switched on Pop Podcast-radio-show episode.

If you have never heard of Switched on Pop, you should definitely check it out.

Chatting with leading artists, songwriters, and producers, Switched On Pop breaks down pop songs to figure out what makes a hit and what is its place in culture. Listeners will come away finding “a-ha” moments in their favorite music.

I discovered this one during the pandemic I remember and have been a fan ever since. On this episode though, they chat about one of my favorite songs of all time, Kiss from a Rose by Seal, released in 1994, and featured in the Batman Forever movie ending credits, which according to the podcast, is what made the song a huge hit.

I remember exactly the first time I heard this song, I was on my way to school, most likely elementary, and I was in my dad’s car, we were waiting at a stop sign by Chico’s Pizza when the announcer on the radio said: “here’s Kiss from a Rose by Seal, featured in the Batman’s Forever movie.”

I am not sure what it was that first captured me about it. If it was the oboe and that initial Ba-ya-ya, ba-da-da-da-da-da, ba-ya-ya at the beginning of the song, the sentiment that inspired, there was also some sadness and melancholy to it. Whatever it was, this song has been a favorite of mine ever since, and also a mystery, because the lyrics don’t make much sense but you can’t stop listening to it.

Fans have made all sorts of speculations or have tried to explain the true meaning of it, but that’s all there are speculations and theories. In fact, he has never fully explained it either so it is all up for interpretation.

Anyways, this was a good episode to listen to, I truly enjoyed the conversation and the story behind this tremendous piece of music history.

So, if you all excuse me, I’ll go ahead and listen to it on repeat for a bit.