Music Me and My iPod Down by the Schoolyard
Mudede’s post yesterday about standing at the Pearly Gates and glancing at the list of songs he listened to most in his life has made me think about what my own list would include. My iPod’s Top 25 Most Played list is helpful, but weirdly there’s no Paul Simon, and that’s insane—Paul Simon is a staple. (Paul Simon Is a Staple. That’s the title of my next mix CD.) According to my iPod, my most-played song is “I’m Looking Through You” by the Beatles, which is from Rubber Soul, the best album by the Beatles, no matter what Dave Segal or Sean Nelson say. These 10 songs would all be on my Pearly Gates list:
1) “I’m Looking Through You,” The Beatles
2) “Dirty Dream Number Two,” Belle & Sebastian
3) “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” Paul Simon
4) “When My Boy Walks Down the Street,” Magnetic Fields
5) “Sea of Smiling Faces,” The Bee Gees
6) “Son of a Preacher Man,” Dusty Springfield
7) “People Die” (Medley), Kiki & Herb
8) “The Village Green Preservation Society,” The Kinks
9) “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” Mormon Tabernacle Choir
10) “There’s Always Music,” United State of Electronica
Although that’s a bullshit list, because I listen to plenty of other songs by Belle & Sebastian or Magnetic Fields more than I listen to the “Battle Hymn of the Republic.” But the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” takes me back to being in church as a kid. I’d also have somewhere on the list: “This Charming Man,” The Smiths; “Ziggy Stardust,” David Bowie; “Killer Queen,” Queen; “Care of Cell 44,” The Zombies; “You and Whose Army?” Radiohead; “My Name Is,” Eminem; “New Slang,” The Shins; “Plague of Locusts,” Harvey Danger; “C’mon, Mom,” The Elected; “Dreams,” Fleetwood Mac; “Other Girls,” Eux Autres; “Nightswimming,” R.E.M (though I listened to it so much in high school I can’t listen to it anymore)… I’ll stop. This is undoubtedly making you crazy.
On an only-slightly-related note: Is your iPod weirdly freezing up? Mine does this thing where, after I hit play, it stalls, and then the screen info jumps to the next song, and the next one, but nothing’s playing, and then when I shut it off (holding down MENU and the center button at the same time) it treats me to an alarming graphic with a file folder and exclamation point. Here’s what you do: You spank it. Hard. A couple times. Until it works again. Amazing.
The Battle Hymn of the Republic by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir is SO good. I don't listen to it much either but I'm always happy when I do.
My itunes top 25 is all screwed up, since I got a new computer recently, but it used to be "Paper Tiger" by Spoon. And then "Heavy Metal Drummer" by Wilco.