Music Friday: Twenty One Pilots' Frontman Tyler Joseph Dedicates 'House of Gold' to His Mom

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you fun songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Twenty One Pilots' frontman Tyler Joseph delivers an uplifting tribute to his mom in the 2013 release, "House of Gold."

In this song about the fear of aging, Joseph's mom asks her singer/songwriter son if he'll take care of her in her twilight years. Written as an exchange between him and his mom, Joseph sings, "She asked me, 'Son, when I grow old / Will you buy me a house of gold? / And when your father turns to stone / Will you take care of me?'"

Joseph responds that he will not only make her the "Queen of everything you see," but he'll also bring her fame and cure her of disease.

"House of Gold" is the fourth track of the indie pop group's third studio album, Vessel. The song, which features Joseph on the ukulele and bandmate Josh Dun on the drums, became a top-10 hit on Billboard's U.S. Alternative Songs chart. The album ascended to #21 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and was certified "gold" with more than 500,000 copies sold. The song had initially appeared as a bonus track on Twenty One Pilots' second studio album, Regional at Best.

The name Twenty One Pilots was derived from an Arthur Miller play called All My Sons, in which a World War II contractor knowingly delivers defective airplane parts, reasoning that fixing the problems would be too costly. The tragic result is the loss of 21 pilots. Apparently, the bandmates were inspired by the lessons of the story — to avoid shortcuts and always act with integrity.

Hailing from Columbus, Ohio, Twenty One Pilots' early fan base was made up of Ohio State University students.

The video below was shot against the stunning backdrop of Sydney Harbor during the group's Australian Tour. The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"House of Gold"
Written by Tyler Joseph. Performed by Twenty One Pilots.

She asked me, "Son, when I grow old,
Will you buy me a house of gold?
And when your father turns to stone,
Will you take care of me?"

I will make you
Queen of everything you see
I'll put you on the map
I'll cure you of disease

Let's say we up and left this town
And turned our future upside-down
We'll make pretend that you and me
Lived ever after, happily

She asked me, "Son, when I grow old,
Will you buy me a house of gold?
And when your father turns to stone,
Will you take care of me?"

I will make you
Queen of everything you see
I'll put you on the map
I'll cure you of disease

And since we know that dreams are dead
And life turns plans up on their head
I will plan to be a bum
So I just might become someone

She asked me, "Son, when I grow old,
Will you buy me a house of gold?
And when your father turns to stone,
Will you take care of me?"

I will make you
Queen of everything you see
I'll put you on the map
I'll cure you of disease

Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.

Shirley Temple's 9.54-Carat Blue Diamond Ring Comes Up Short at Sotheby's New York

Shirley Temple's 9.54-carat blue diamond ring was billed as the star of Sotheby's New York auction on Tuesday, but went unsold when the bidding stalled at $22 million, short of the reserve price and well below the high estimate of $35 million.

"The Shirley Temple Blue Diamond is an exceptional stone in quality, rarity and provenance. It has been an honor to share its story with collectors, connoisseurs and Temple's loyal fans over the past few months," Sotheby's noted a statement. "Unfortunately, tonight wasn't its night in the salesroom, but we remain fully confident that it will find a buyer."

Temple was nearly 12 years old and had just wrapped up her new film, The Blue Bird, when her father, George Francis, surprised the box office phenomenon with a cushion-cut fancy deep blue diamond in an Art Deco-inspired platinum setting. George Francis paid $7,210 for the ring 76 years ago, which is equivalent to about $122,000 today. The diamond had earned a grade of VVS2 and was presented at the auction in its original platinum setting.

As an adult, Shirley Temple Black became a diplomat, serving as a United Nations delegate, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and later as the U.S. Ambassador to Czechoslovakia. She reportedly wore her blue diamond ring throughout her life. She died in February of 2014 at that age of 85.

The poor showing for Temple's blue diamond came only two weeks after the slightly larger and internally flawless 10.10-carat “De Beers Millennium Jewel 4” set an Asian auction record at Sotheby’s Hong Kong when it sold for $32 million. The pre-sale estimate for the fancy vivid blue gem had been $30 to $36 million.

On May 18 at Christie’s Geneva, the 14.62-carat rectangular-cut “Oppenheimer Blue” has a chance to set a new record for the highest price ever paid for a diamond of any color. The current record of $48.5 million is held by the 12.03-carat cushion-shaped internally flawless “Blue Moon” (now called “Blue Moon of Josephine”). The Oppenheimer Blue boasts a VVS1 clarity and is the largest fancy vivid blue diamond ever offered at auction.

Images courtesy of Sotheby’s. Shirley Temple promo shot ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection.

Lakers Present Kobe Bryant With 4.87-Carat Diamond Retirement Ring

Kobe Bryant added another diamond ring to his collection of Lakers bling. Before his final game as an NBA player, Lakers owner and president Jeanie Buss presented the 20-year superstar with a dazzling diamond retirement ring in a private ceremony with his wife, Vanessa — who received a matching ring — and their daughters, Gianna and Natalia. Bryant, in true Hollywood style, scored an astounding 60 points in his final contest.

“You changed history," Buss told Bryant in a segment captured by Time Warner Cable SportsNet. "There is no going back and comparing you to anybody, because nobody’s ever been like you. And we’re so fortunate that you were part of our franchise and part of our history.”

According to a Lakers press release, the ring was designed by renown jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills and features round white diamonds with a total carat weight of 4.87 carats set into 70 grams of 14-karat yellow and white gold.

On the sides are Bryant’s two jersey numbers and his nickname “Black Mamba” with a swirl of black snakeskin. Between his first and last names on the front of the ring are 20 diamonds representing every season Bryant spent with the Lakers. The top depicts the Larry O'Brien championship trophy and five larger diamonds for each title won.

On one side, "TWENTY YEARS" sits above a No. 8 Lakers jersey along with the years 1996 and 2005, the timeframe during which it was worn. The other side features a No. 24 jersey and the years 2006 and 2016.

Bryant remarked, "Wow, are you kidding me?" while opening the ring box.

Buss' brother and Lakers co-owner, Jesse Buss, honored Bryant on Facebook with a heartfelt tribute. Reflecting on his youth, Buss recalled a family trip to the beach when he was 8 years old. His dad, then-owner Jerry Buss, was walking to and from telephones talking to then-general manager Jerry West, who was raving about a draft prospect named Kobe Bryant. When he returned to his family, Jerry Buss told them, "There's this kid, Kobe, who is going to be the next great player, and I think we can get him."

“At the time, I didn't realize what the business of the NBA really meant, or how teams were put together, so it didn't really dawn on me how much this would mean for the @lakers," Jesse Buss wrote. "I can tell you now that watching Kobe play for the last 20 years has been nothing but jaw-dropping and inspiring to me, and to so many basketball fans around the world and especially amongst the Purple and Gold. I'm thankful for everything Kobe brought to our beloved franchise and to the game of basketball... The one thing that saddens me is that I wish my Dad was here for this moment, and that he could give Kobe one last hug on his way off the court. I hope he leaves the game with no regrets, and truly from the bottom of our hearts: THANK YOU KOBE! We all love you. #kb20 #lakers"

Credits: Lakers.com; Jason of Beverly Hills.