November 14

 

You all are some REO Speedwagon loving freaks!! Why do so many of you know the words to that song? WHY? Holy hell! Anyhow, as promised, here's the list of songs on my itunes playlist that I love, but that I also don't think are cheesy or dorky. Well, okay, maybe dorky. I was going to exclude Tom Waits and Radiohead because they're both my givens, but there are a few Radiohead songs I am not in love with, and the Tom Waits song that everyone in the entire world has covered, Downtown Train, gives me the hives. So, here you go. And these are just in the order I find them, there's no special treatment:

 

1.) Root Down (free zone mix): Beastie Boys. I mean, there are a million B Boys songs I could list, and there still may be more, but this is a great song and whoever did the mix made it way better than the original.

2.) Nebraska: Bruce Springsteen. This whole CD is amazing and makes me feel like I'm hearing a train whistle off in a distance late late at night. Nebraska is a perfect song about desperation.

3.) Alone Again Or: Calexico. Nick has way better and hipper taste in music than I, and he played this for me in the car one summer afternoon this summer and from the moment I heard the horns, I knew I was a goner.

4.) Tears: Chameleons. This is one of my very favorite 80s songs. I love it so much, I posted the mp3 on the page a while ago and yet none of you were cool enough to comment on it. There are two versions of this song, both are great, but the original is better.

5.) Cocteau Twins: Iceblink Luck. I was very, very into the Cocteau Twins in the late 80s and early 90s. I bought all of their CDs (okay, tapes) and tried to figure out what they were saying, just like everyone else who loved them. For some reason, I never tried to figure it out with this song. My only complaint is that it seems way too short.

6.) Please Forgive Me: David Gray. Although the background music sounds like it's being played on one of those little Casio keyboards, the lyrics kill me.

7.) Love Will Tear Us Apart Again: Joy Division. There are no less than 8 covers of this song, including a really good one by The Cure, but the original is by far the best.

8.) The Fear is On: The Hidden Cameras. Go look them up and listen to this song, you'll thank me [note: you'll be needing to thank Nick because once again, I found them through him].

9.) Maps: Yeah Yeah Yeahs. You know this song, don't you? The summer before this one, it was played quite a lot on the radio. And you've seen the video, right? It's intense and I remember the first time I saw the video was the first time I'd heard the song and I felt like no one had ever nailed the feeling of loving someone more than they can even imagine as well as Karen O.

10.) 99 Problems: Jay Z. I love rap. You all know that. When Rick Rubin mixes anything, it turns into a giant vodka tonic for my SOUL and I can't help but power it down until I'm bent over the toilet [note: I have no idea what that meant]. This song is another example of taking on emotions for something I will probably never have to deal with, however, much like "Up In Here", this song makes me want to throw a punch. It's also on my short list of songs that make me drive way too fast. I love Jay Z. I think he's an incredibly gifted lyricist as well as being so ugly he transcends ugly and travels back over into cute as a button.

11.) Whispering Wind/The Great Escape: Moby. I can't even believe I included these songs! I totally wasn't going to! Because, MOBY!! Really!! I'm sorry. These are a little embarrassing, but not in the same way admitting that I rock out with my cock [note: metaphorical cock. I do not possess a penis of my own] out to TOTO or SLADE. I put them together because you get the idea.

12.) Time Has Told Me: Nick Drake: What's WITH this list?! One would think that I was manic or something. My highs! So high! My lows! SO LOW!!!!

13.) America: Neil Diamond. I went back and forth about putting this on yesterday's list, but then realized that there is nothing to be embarrassed about with regards to this bar room gem. Not one damn thing. And I'd be totally lying if I didn't get a little choked up when he scream sings 'MY COUNTRY TIS OF THEE!!'.

14.) True Love Waits: Radiohead. This song isn't played a lot, but god, it's gorgeous. And true.

15.) Unpretty: TLC. Although I adhere to my policy statement of loving Salt n Pepa more than TLC, I still love TLC a whole lot, and this video as cheesy and stupid as it seems was a brave thing for them to sing about and the song has that beautiful guitar in it. On the down side, I can't get past thinking that they're singing "You can fix your nose if it says so" which makes sort of an interesting mental picture for me.

16.) Decision at Midnight: The Toasters. From about 1989-1991, I was a HUGE ska fan. I mean, my friends and I would go to any ska show we heard about and skanked our little heads off. Decision at Midnight reminds me of being 20. If you like the crap that passes for ska these days, I invite you to look into the past. When I saw the Toasters play with the Skatalites, I thought someone was going to have to take me to the hospital, I was so damn happy.

17.) Lonely: Tom Waits. This is a strange song, like "Hold Me" because of the key or something. It's also a little creepy, but I couldn't explain why.

18.) Sweethearts on Parade: M. Ward. Go buy his CDs. Do it right now. I mean it.

19.) Bittersweet: Big Head Todd and The Monsters. I said it 6 year ago and I'll say it today. I can not for the life of me figure out why BHT aren't hugely famous.

20.) The Last High: Dandy Warhols. And I'm not just saying this because the CD has the word MONKEY in it. This is the best song off a great, great CD. I defy you to tell me otherwise.

21.) Let Me Get What I Want: The Smiths. See the life I've had could make a good man bad. That summarizes this year. NO ONE sings glum like Moz.

22.) The Police: Every Little Thing She Does is Magic. I admit it. I like the Police. I don't much care for Sting, but the Police? Yes, please. It IS a big enough umbrella, and it IS always me getting wet!! How the fuck did they know?!?!

23.) I'm Having Trouble Picking a Song; Leonard Cohen. So: Take This Waltz, Tower of Song, Dance Me to the End of Love, Who By Fire, Chelsea Hotel. So Long Marianne, and every song from "New Skin For the Old Ceremony" and also Hey, that's No Way to say Goodbye"

24.) Avalon: Roxy Music: And I'm not just including it because it was my wedding song. See also: "In Every Dreamhome a Heartache". The songs couldn't be more different.

25.) Bete Noire: Bryan Ferry. I always forget that I love him and then I remember and I'm happy.

26.) Dolittle: Pixies. Yes, the whole CD.

27.) On the Sentimental Side: Bing Crosby. When I was growing up, I had a crush on Bing even though he was dead and beat his children with socks filled with pennies.

28.) It's Tricky: Run DMC. It IS tricky. Believe me, I've tried!

29.) Anni: Paolo Conte. There are no songs of his I don't love, practically.

30.) Pressure Drop: Toots and the Maytals: If you don't love Toots, you have a black, black soul.

31.) Natural Mystic: Bob Marley: I love Bob Marley, and I love this song the best.

32.) Spirit of the Radio: Rush. This, like 99 Problems is a song that makes me drive too fast. For the most part, I am ok to not hear Rush, but this song? THIS SONG?? Trips my WOOO AIR GUITAR trigger.

 

So there you have it. 32 songs I am not ashamed to blast in traffic and I've got to say that it took me way longer to put together this list than yesterday's list. Tell me, gentle readers. What are the songs YOU love that you know are kind of sucky? What songs do you love and are NOT sucky? I'm interested to hear, after the outpouring of REO Speedwagon love.

 

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