Two weeks ago, I went through a desperate search of our collection for the latest Gorillaz CD. I had heard the last half of "Feel Good, Inc." on the radio and suddenly HAD to hear that song. When I found the CD, I immediately put it in the car so that I could listen to it on the way to work. Nine days later, when I was still listening to that song, I realized that I had probably listened to "Feel Good, Inc." 30 times in a row (quite an accomplishment, considering that my commute is less than ten minutes) by hitting the back button every time I got to the end of the song. I guess I really like that song.
I have a habit of listening to music this way. Although I have an equally long list of CDs that I have listened to all the way through multiple times in a row (there are at least 10 CDs that have stayed in my CD player non-stop for a month each during my commute to work; during college, U2's Zooropa was the album I did all my paper-writing to -- I had listened to it so many times that it was less music and more pleasant noise to me, used to block out the rest of the paper-writers in the computer lab), my ability to listen to the same song over and over and over again without getting tired of it seems weirder. How many of you do that? Can we start a club?
I thought it would be interesting (well, to me at least) to compile a list of these "favorite" songs of mine. I can't remember what songs fell into this category back in the day, so this is a more current list from the last couple of years and probably makes me look less dorky than if I were able to remember songs from my high school and college days. I do know that two of my college songs were Ace of Base's "All That She Wants" and House of Pain's "Jump Around." What can I say? Those were popular songs back in 1992!
So, here is my incomplete list of songs that I have listened to more than 15 times in a row:
Aqualung: 7 Keys
Aphex Twin: Girl/Boy Song
Avalanches: Gimix (it's a whole CD, but a live mix -- the Bob Dillon part is my fave)
Badly Drawn Boy: Once Around the Block
Badly Drawn Boy: River Sea Ocean
Beastie Boys: Intergalactic
Bebel Gilberto: August Day Song
Bjork: Joga
Bob Marley: Is This Love
Bob Marley: No Woman No Cry (live)
Bob Marley: Three Little Birds
Bob Marley: Redemption Song
Bob Marley vs. Funkstar De Luxe (remix): Sun Is Shining
Coldplay: Don't Panic
Coldplay: Speed of Sound
Cure: Friday I'm in Love
Daft Punk: Harder Better Faster Stronger
The Darkness: I Believe In a Thing Called Love
DMX Crew: Good Time Girl
Doves: M62 Song
Dykehouse: Map Ref 41 degrees North, 93 degrees West
Elbow: Asleep in the Back
Handsome Boy Modeling School: I've Been Thinking
Handsome Boy Modeling School: Breakdown
Handsome Boy Modeling School: The Truth
Handsome Boy Modeling School: Sunshine
The Irresistable Force: Natural Frequency
Jack Johnson: Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
Jay-Jay Johanson: I Want Some Fun
Jeff Buckley: Hallelujah
Keane: This is the Last Time
Larry Karpenko: Lighthouse
Maroon 5: This Love
Paul Weller: Wild Wood
Phoenix: Everything is Everything
Phoenix: If I Ever Feel Better
Ray and Christian: Play On (Featuring the Jungle Brothers)
REM: Nightswimming
Richard Ashcroft: Song for the Lovers
Squarepusher: A Journey to Reedham (7 a.m. mix)
TMBG: Meet James Ensor
TMBG: Ana Ng
TMBG: Dr. Worm
TMBG: Yeh Yeh
Tiga: Hot in Here
Tilly and the Wall: Fell Down the Stairs
Tilly and the Wall: Bessa
Tom McRae: Draw Down the Stars
Travis: Why Does It Always Rain on Me?
U2: Beautiful Day
The Vines: Get Free
The Vines: I'm Only Sleeping (cover)
Ween: Ocean Man
Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Maps
Zero 7: Destiny
That seems like kind of a long list (especially since it's fairly incomplete), but I guess that when you have an hour commute each way and then live by yourself for six months, you have a lot of time to play whatever music you want to. In my case, I guess this leads to playing a few songs over and over and over again.
6 comments:
I'm on my way to joining your list with Iron & Wine/Calexico's History of Lovers. Such a good song.
I'm totally picturing you acting out I Believe In a Thing Called Love in your car and it's cracking me up.
Any song you can listen to more than once isn't worth listening to begin with. Wait, what?!
YO! I have a cd that has become that kind of 'background' white noise. I've used it at work for 9 years. not all the time of course, but it's just right. it's a collection of classical music. I got it free when I bought my Bose Wave Radio - back in the days when they were new. )I like to call it 'the world's most expenisve clock radio'.) but it kicks out the jams and is small -- that's what I was looking for.
And then there is Pink Flyod - Dark Side of the Moon. I've been listening to it for 30 years now and still love it. The first album that I thought of as an 'album', not just 'a fine collection' of songs. (get it? ' a fine collection'? I crack myself up! To Borders employees that will be funny and make sense. to others.... not so much.)
sorry - that prior comment was from Jane in A2 -- not from anonymous. ;-)
I posted before but it didn't seem to post. Check out http://www.radioparadise.com/
Look at the "playlist" and give it a listen sometime... I promise you will not be wasting your time.
I"m with ya there friend! I do the same thing. Especially if it's a "psych up" song-i.e. one you play when you're nervous and need to get pumped up.
Two of my recent ones:
"Scared Straight" the Long Winters
(I played this one 18 times before the Pelecanos dinner cause 18 is my lucky number)
"Expressway to Your Heart" the Soul Survivors
This is in the first scene of my book so I've been playing it nonstop cause it's gets me in the necessary mindset.
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