Top Played Music #2

Back on November 21st I wrote a blog of my top played music at the time according to my iTunes. It’s almost four months later and I’m wondering if my top played list has changed much. So it’s time to find out. I suggest reading the previous entry as well. This time I’ll only comment on the songs that I didn’t comment on earlier.

1. “Heartbeats” by Jose Gonzalez — This song has come up several times on the trip, The Knife version was playing on another passengers laptop while waiting to board the plain in Hawaii, we talked about it over and over at Happy Narwhal Records, and today it was being played on Current TV (my favorite channel that was introduced to me by Debby in Arkansas, a must see channel for anyone who hasn’t).
2. “Magnet” from a Nike commercial — featuring Lance Armstrong
3. “Kentucky Avenue” by Tom Waits — Thanks to my great friend Devon I am familiar to Tom Waits. Devon introduced me to Tom Waits during our 4th year at Michigan State. Kentucky Avenue quite possibly has my favorite lyrics of any song I’ve ever heard. And wow, what a soft and beautiful song. The mix of the soft music, Tom Waits’ raspy voice, and these very imaginative but realistic lyrics makes for one of my favorite songs of all time.
4. “All I Need” by Air
5. “Forever” by Ben Harper — I can’t recall who told me to purchase this song from iTunes. It was during college and it was a cute blonde, but not someone I keep in touch with anymore, or not regularly anyways. But thank you!
6. “Going Nowhere” by Cut Copy — Once again this is another snowboard video inspired song. Those guys who make snowboard videos come up with some great soundtracks. Fortunately, I’m going lots of places, sometimes I just don’t know where but that’s different than nowhere.
7. “Ariel Ramirez” by Richard Buckner — I originally heard this song in a Volkswagen commercial a few years ago. I immediately got on the web to research who it was.
8. “Clubbed to Death” by Rob D
9. “Golden Brown” by The Stranglers — More snowboard video inspired music. Great stuff, just a fun, happy, loving life kind of song.
10. “Comtine d’un autre ete” by Yann Tiersen — This song is from the movie Amelie and is my favorite piano song, period. But it’s because of more than how good it is and the movie. My brother started playing it at home during Christmas break one year. And what was already one of my favorite songs became much more sentimental.
11. “Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler — Most people would laugh that this song makes my list, however it’s one of the best roll-down-your-windows-and-belt-out-the-words songs there is for driving. It’s a classic song to drive to.
12. “Motion Picture Soundtrack” by Christopher O’Riley
13. “Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap — I’m still not sure where I first heard this song. It’s from the Last Kiss soundtrack, but I haven’t seen the movie. Rice’s mother, Jen, did give me the soundtrack, but I was already familiar with it at that point. I also heard it on the day Andrew and I were driving around, quintessentially.
14. “Bhindi Bhagee” by Joe Strummer & The Mescarleros
15. “Man of the Hour” by Pearl Jam — This is the closing song from my favorite movie Big Fish. I saw it a couple times at the theater and my brother and I both started to love this song which plays during the credits. The version from the movie is a softer version than the standard song.
16. “Yours to Keep” by Teddybears — More snowboard video inspired music.
17. “Genetic World” by Telepopmusik — Sorry, even more snowboard video inspired music.
18. “La Furie Et La Foi” by Fonky Family — This is a nice break, this is a skateboard video inspired song. This is a French rap group from Southern France. Of course I have no idea what their lyrics are, but they sound great. MY freshman year at MSU there was a guy from France living next to us and he could believe that I listened to Fonky Family, it blew his mind.
19. “Hallowed be thy Name” by Iron Maiden — Skateboard video stuff.
20. “Razor Love” by Neil Young — This is another song where I don’t know when I first heard it, though it goes back to high school. Good stuff Neil, good stuff.

Some hosts I have stayed with have music playing in the background all the time, some have none. Either way music is a huge part of this world. It goes so much further than the top selling records and what’s played on MTV. Most of that stuff is junk. There are over 1,000 bands who have all come together for SXSW in Austin just 30 miles away. That’s impressive. Though I have no musical talent, it no doubt puts me in awe. Recently when I was in Stillwater, OK I stayed with the most musical family I’ve met on the trip. It was an honor to sit there as a guest and listen to classical music as students came in and out. Music makes driving something more than what driving is by itself. And oh yes, it makes the drive a lot easier, much more fun, it goes by faster, and who knows what else. Lately I’ve been in a bit of a slump, so going to bed at night I turn on a few songs to just help me wind down. It’s magical.

Thank you to these musicians and so many more!

*Time for a side note. It’s still ridiculous how much I hear the song “How Bizarre” by OMC. Out of songs just randomly heard here and there it takes the gold, which is really quite bizarre. I’m still listening to Dayton Hicks all the time. However, I listen to all of his songs so much, that none of them come to the top of the list, it’s just spread out. RJD2 has great new tunes that I’ve been introduced to on this trip, they’ve come up a lot more. And anytime I hear the song “Seeds 2.0” by The Roots it reminds me of driving with Dixie while in Sioux Falls.