Music Friday: Uncle Kracker Shines Like Gold in His 2009 Crossover Hit, 'Smile'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you super songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today we feature Uncle Kracker singing his 2009 crossover hit, "Smile." In this sing-along ditty about a head-over-heels infatuation, Kracker confesses that his new girlfriend has him dancing like a fool, forgetting how to breathe, shining like gold and buzzing like a bee.

The single, from the artist's 2009 album Happy Hour, peaked at #31 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #6 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

Raised in Michigan, Uncle Kracker — then known at Matthew Shafer — experienced a life-changing twist of fate as a 13 year old in 1987, when his older brother, Mike, brought him to a DJ competition at a local club. There, he met a 17-year-old Kid Rock, who was competing against his brother.

Kid Rock and Shafer became best friends, and years later, in 1994, Kid Rock asked Shafer to play turntables for his band called Twisted Brown Trucker. He continued working with Kid Rock as both a DJ and as a featured vocalist on some of Kid Rock's albums.

In 2000, Kid Rock produced Uncle Kracker's first album, Double Wide, which peaked at #7 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

Check out the official "Smile" video at the end of this post. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"Smile"

Written by Matthew Shafer, Blair Daly, J.T. Harding and Jeremy Bose. Performed by Uncle Kracker.

You're better than the best
I'm lucky just to linger in your light
Cooler then the flip side of my pillow, that's right
Completely unaware
Nothing can compare to where you send me,
Lets me know that it's OK, yeah it's OK
And the moments where my good times start to fade

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed, sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head, spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh, you make me smile

Even when you're gone
Somehow you come along
Just like a flower poking through sidewalk crack and just like that
You steal away the rain and just like that

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed, sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head, spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh, you make me smile

Don't know how I lived without you
Cuz every time that I get around you
I see the best of me inside your eyes
You make me smile
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild

You make me smile like the sun
Fall out of bed, sing like a bird
Dizzy in my head, spin like a record
Crazy on a Sunday night
You make me dance like a fool
Forget how to breathe
Shine like gold, buzz like a bee
Just the thought of you can drive me wild
Ohh, you make me smile

A Valentine's Day First: French Man Will Deliver a Marriage Proposal From Space

French men are arguably the most romantic in the world. So isn't it appropriate — even expected — that on Valentine's Day 2013 a 35-year-old French suitor named Sebastian would make history by becoming the first man ever to propose to his girlfriend from space. Specifically, we mean the stratosphere, 30 km above the Earth.

Here's how it works...

For a modest investment of $6,700, Sebastian hired a French company called ApoteoSurprise to release into the sky a giant, unmanned helium-filled balloon, similar in size to a weather balloon.

But instead of being loaded with weather-monitoring devices, it will be equipped with a video camera focused on a photo of the loving couple, along with Sebastian's printed proposal (in French), "Vanessa, I love you! Will you marry me?"

During its three-hour skyward journey, the video camera will be capturing the couple's photo/proposal against a backdrop of breathtaking and ever-changing views of the earth below.

“At this altitude, the scenery is just amazing, and the blue planet is just the most beautiful thing ever seen,” said ApoteoSurprise founder Nicolas Garreau, whose company specializes in super-creative and super-romantic marriage proposals.

When the balloon reaches an altitude of about 30 km, it will explode, a parachute will open and the video equipment will gently return to Earth. ApoteoSurprise will recover the footage and edit it into a proposal DVD.

The DVD message will prove to Vanessa that Sebastian was willing to go to the ends of the earth — and space — to make his proposal a one-of-a-kind, memorable experience.

“In France, we have an expression which says that when we are really in love, we must be able to ‘unhook the moon from the sky.’" Garreau commented. "So, I said to myself, 'OK, I’ll do it!'"

Apart from ApoteoSurprise's space proposal, there are other romantic offers from which to choose. There’s the Cinderella carriage at Moulin Rouge with a magical shoe ($2,670), an airplane displaying the proposal message on its wings while flying over Notre Dame ($5,360), and even a shower of 1,000 red roses fully covering a yacht during a VIP dinner-cruise on the Seine river ($7,380).

Not too shabby.

Ultra-Rare 5.3-Carat Fancy Blue Diamond Ring Headlines Upcoming Bonhams Auction

An ultra-rare 5.3-carat fancy deep-blue diamond ring, which is expected to fetch upwards of $2.4 million, will be the top lot at Bonhams Fine Jewelry sale in London on April 24. Designed circa 1965 by Bulgari, the renowned Italian designer, the distinctive Trombino-style ring features a cushion-shaped blue diamond set horizontally. The ring is accented with pavé-set brilliant-cut diamonds and courses of baguette-cut diamonds.

The upcoming sale is already causing a buzz in jewelry and auction circles. Blue diamonds are extremely rare in the market and command some of the highest prices at auction worldwide. The term “fancy” refers to the intensity of color and the rating of “fancy deep-blue” is one of the rarest — and most coveted. 

The extraordinary blue hue is derived from small atoms of boron mixing with the carbon atoms in a diamond. This anomaly affects the absorption of light passing through the stone and gives it a blue appearance. 

"Blue diamonds, especially those over 5 carats, are extremely rare to see on the market and continue to be highly sought after," said Jean Ghika, Director of Bonhams Jewelry Department for the UK and Europe. "During the 1960s and 1970s, Bulgari was well known for its imaginative settings and use of colored diamonds. This ring epitomizes that 'golden era' of elegant simplicity and we are honored to be handling the sale of such a unique gem."

Despite their extreme rarity, other blue diamonds have been in the news recently. In November 2012, Sotheby's Geneva sold a 10.48-carat fancy deep-blue briolette-shaped diamond for $10.9 million. In April of 2012, Sotheby's Hong Kong was the site of another high-profile blue diamond sale at which an 8.01-carat emerald-cut fancy vivid-blue diamond ring fetched $12.7 million.

Carrie Underwood Rocks the Grammys With $31 Mil. Show-Stopping Necklace

Country superstar Carrie Underwood rocked the 55th annual Grammy Awards Sunday night with a magnificent diamond necklace valued at $31 million. She also snared two of the prestigious gilded gramophone statuettes.

Her show-stopping necklace, by Beverly Hills designer Johnathon Arndt, featured 381 carats of oval, pear, marquise and round brilliant white diamonds, People magazine reported. Roberto Cavalli designed her mermaid-style strapless gown.

The 29-year-old Underwood described her necklace as 318 carats of gorgeousness. "It's heavy on my soul," she told People. "I’m afraid someone is going to tackle me and steal it. It’s worth more than me."

Underwood had a great night. She wowed the audience with her performance of “Blown Away” and “Two Black Cadillacs,” wearing a full ball gown on which images were projected. She also took home prestigious Grammys in the categories of Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song for her hit, "Blown Away."

On the red carpet, Underwood proudly displayed her halo-style engagement ring, which was also designed by Arndt. It features a round flawless yellow diamond center stone encircled with smaller white diamonds, and accented with a diamond band. The ring is estimated at 5-plus carats and valued at approximately $150,000.

Survey: Women Prefer Jewelry to All Other Valentine Gifts, and Men Want... Food

A Shoppers Trend Report released by online coupon site RetailMeNot.com confirms what most of us already knew: When it comes to Valentine's Day gifts, women prefer jewelry by a large margin over all other categories, and men prefer... food.

According to the national survey of 1,000 adults, 24% of women said they would love to receive jewelry, compared to a trip (18%), flowers (14%), a meal (13%) or tickets to an event (7%).

The old proverb, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach," is affirmed by the survey results. Twenty-eight percent of male respondents said they would like to receive a meal, followed by tickets to an event (19%), jewelry (15%) or a trip (12%). 

The survey also revealed that couples seem to be very much in tune with the desires of their significant others. More women than men are planning to gift a meal this year (36% vs. 23%), and more men than women plan to give jewelry (28% vs. 16%).

And what would be the most disappointing gift to receive? Exactly 25 percent of women surveyed said that a gym membership or exercise equipment would be the biggest downer. Men, on the other hand, would be most disappointed with flowers (13%).

The average person in a relationship plans to spend about $226 to celebrate Valentine's Day this week, with men budgeting $287 and women about $164.

The survey was conducted between January 24 and January 30, 2013, among 1,000 United States residents ages 18 and over.