Music Friday: 'Sapphire and Faded Jeans' Star in 2006's ‘Put Your Records On’

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you sensational songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the lyrics or title. Today we feature Corinne Bailey Rae’s quintessential summer singalong, “Put Your Records On,” a tune that urges the listener to “let your hair down” and references the September birthstone — sapphire.

In this song about casting away worries, taking time to relax and embracing one’s inner beauty, Rae repeats the catchy phrase, “Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams / Just go ahead, let your hair down.”

Although the “sapphire” in the verse is likely referring to a particular shade of blue jeans, we’re still excited to feature this song because Rae’s message and performance are so uplifting.

The 42-year-old British singer-songwriter and guitarist scored a huge hit with “Put Your Records On” in 2006 when it was released as the second single from her self-titled debut album. The song charted in 17 countries, sold nearly two million copies and was nominated at the 2007 Grammy Awards for “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year.” She also received a third nomination that year for "Best New Artist."

Incidentally, the song’s opening lines, “Three little birds sat on my window / And they tell me I don’t need to worry,” is a reference to Bob Marley & The Wailers’ 1977 hit song, “Three Little Birds.”

“Put Your Records On” returned to music charts in 2020, when it was covered by indie rock performer Ritt Momney. His version charted in 15 countries and peaked in the top 10 in Australia and New Zealand.

Born Corinne Jacqueline Bailey in Leeds, England, in 1979, the multi-talented artist was inspired as a teenager by the music of Lenny Kravitz, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.

Please check out Rae’s live performance of “Put Your Records On.” The lyrics are below if you’d like to sing along…

“Put Your Records On”
Written by Corinne Bailey Rae, John Beck and Steve Chrisanthou. Performed by Corinne Bailey Rae.

Three little birds, sat on my window.
And they told me I don’t need to worry.
Summer came like cinnamon
So sweet,
Little girls double-dutch on the concrete.

Maybe sometimes, we’ve got it wrong, but it’s alright
The more things seem to change, the more they stay the same
Oh, don’t you hesitate.

Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,
Just go ahead, let your hair down.

You’re gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow.

Blue as the sky, sunburnt and lonely,
Sipping tea in the bar by the roadside,
(just relax, just relax)
Don’t you let those other boys fool you,
Got to love that afro hair do.

Maybe sometimes, we feel afraid, but it’s alright
The more you stay the same, the more they seem to change.
Don’t you think it’s strange?

Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,
Just go ahead, let your hair down.

You’re gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow.

‘Twas more than I could take, pity for pity’s sake
Some nights kept me awake, I thought that I was stronger
When you gonna realize, that you don’t even have to try any longer?
Do what you want to.

Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,
Just go ahead, let your hair down.

Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,
Just go ahead, let your hair down.

Oh, you’re gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow

Credit: Screen capture via Youtube.com.

Has There Ever Been Life on Mars? 'Rochette' Core Sample Could Hold the Answer

A core sample extracted on Monday from a flat, briefcase-size Mars rock nicknamed “Rochette” could hold the answer to the ever-vexing question of whether there has ever been life on the Red Planet.

In February, the unmanned Perseverance rover completed its seven-month, 293 million-mile journey to Mars and landed safely in the Jezero crater, which contains fields of opaline silica, better known as opal.

NASA scientists purposely targeted the Jezero crater because it was a rich source of a mineral that was likely to preserve microbial or plant material.

On Monday, NASA’s engineers celebrated as the Perseverance rover collected the first sample of Martian rock. The core sample — just slightly thicker than a pencil — was enclosed in an airtight titanium sample tube, making it available for retrieval in the future.

“With over 3,000 parts, the Sampling and Caching System is the most complex mechanism ever sent into space,” said Larry D. James, interim director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Through the Mars Sample Return campaign, NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) are planning a series of future missions to return the rover’s sample tubes to Earth for closer study. These samples would be the first set of scientifically identified and selected materials returned to our planet from another.

"Using the most sophisticated science instruments on Earth, we expect jaw-dropping discoveries across a broad set of science areas, including exploration into the question of whether life once existed on Mars,” commented Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC.

According to NASA, the now dry and dusty 28-mile-wide Jezero crater shows unmistakable signs of having been filled with water billions of years ago. As part of its two-year mission, Perseverance has begun exploring an ancient river delta that once flowed into the basin. Jezero means “lake” in many Slavic languages.

Credits: Images courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech.

2021 Edition of Miami Hurricanes' 'Turnover Chain' Is Emblazoned With 2,754 Sapphires

The Miami Hurricanes unwrapped the 2021 edition of their famous "turnover chain" during the team's season opener against the #1-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in Atlanta on Saturday afternoon.

Despite being behind at the time by 27 points, the defensive unit celebrated when Kamren Kinchens forced a fumble during the second quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. As part of a tradition started in 2017, any Hurricanes player who creates a turnover gets to wear a massive, gem-encrusted pendant to celebrate his accomplishment. This year's design is in the shape of a Miami Hurricanes helmet and is emblazoned with 2,754 sapphires.

The pendant is set with 2,245 white sapphires, 366 orange sapphires and 143 green sapphires to mimic the helmet colors. The pendant is fabricated from 1,000 grams (2.2 pounds) of gold and dangles from a massive Cuban-link chain that weighs 3,500 grams (7.7 pounds) and is roughly 34 inches long. The university reported that the piece took three months to complete.

After the fumble, Kinchens bounded to the Hurricanes' bench, where he posed for the fans and TV cameras with the over-the-top jewelry hanging from his neck.

Unfortunately, officials on the field were reviewing a video of the play and decided that the offensive player had recovered his own fumble. The decision on the field was reversed and Kinchens quickly removed the jewelry and ran back on to the field. TV cameras followed the path of the bling as coaches returned it to a secured case.

During the third quarter, Hurricanes lineman Chantz Williams stripped the ball from Alabama's quarterback and fellow defensive lineman Jordan Miller jumped on the loose ball, netting the defensive unit's first official turnover of the season. Finally, the players got to show off the 2021 version of the turnover chain.

The celebratory turnover chain is the team’s fifth design in five years. The first incarnation of that chain, in 2017, featured a diamond-encrusted “U” hanging from a Cuban link chain. The 2018 edition highlighted a jeweled Sebastian the Ibis, the team’s mascot, but no “U” logo. The 2019 version was a diamond-adorned “305,” a number that refers to the South Florida area code. In 2020, the university rolled out a Florida-shaped pendant that weighed 300 grams and was dotted with 4,000 sapphires set in 10-karat yellow gold.

The Miami Herald reported that since the chain's creation in 2017, the Hurricanes have forced 92 turnovers, which is third among the "Power 5" teams. Only Clemson (97) and Alabama (95) have had more. The Power 5 conferences are the highest rated in the country and include the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and ACC.

The #15-ranked Hurricanes were defeated by the Crimson Tide 44-13, but return to Miami's Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday, September 11, to face the Appalachian State Mountaineers in their home opener.

Credits: Images courtesy of Miami Athletics.