Music Stories

Kelly tagged me for a music meme, and I'm gonna do it all wrong, because I'm annoying like that. :) Here goes!

Name 10 songs, and tell the story of each:

1. Most frequently played in iTunes (or the equivalent).
In iTunes (which I don't really use alone), Haley Bonar, Daisy Girls: my favorite track on her second album, Lure the Fox. On iPod, Jason Mraz, The Boy is Gone, from his first album. I like his softer stuff a lot.

2. Set to skip in iTunes.
I heart Billy Joel and Simon & Garfunkel, but I skip Piano Man and Mrs Robinson, respectively, because they've been massively overplayed and I much prefer the other tracks.

3. A lyric you love.
God, so many! I even started a list in a notebook back in high school. Here are three that come to mind as still being great:

I ain't gonna be the same,
but who's to say that's a bad thing?
--Deborah Falconer, Tabs

A restaurant that never has to close
Breakfast every hour,
it could save the world
--Tori Amos, Purple People

that god damn bitch of life she made me cry,
so I'd like to poke her squarely in the eye
--Groove Armada, Think Twice

4. Makes you dance.
I can't not bop around to Jack Johnson. Ask my students! Though, they can't help bopping too. Same with all Grammar Rock. Coolness goes out the window once they hear those catchy tunes!

And you can't forget about Justin Timberlake. Ooh, does he know how to make you move.

5. Different from the rest of your musical taste.
I own an Eminem album, but it's not on my computer. I have a cheesy French rap-type song called "Sexy Pour Moi" by Tragedie that entertains me to no end.

6. You know all the words.
Like all true members of my generation: Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot.

And way more. Like, I sing along with all my favorite albums. Come on, people! What a silly question!

7. Have liked for the longest amount of time.
I was going to say Whitney Houston's pop album, My Name is Not Susan. She was my favorite singer of all time in elementary school, and probably one of the few contemporary artists I was even aware of at the time.
But then I realized that the music I was exposed before then to was folk rock like Neil Diamond, John Denver, Simon & Garfunkel, and Billy Joel. So I suppose they're the ones I've liked the longest.
Other than that, I've loved Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, and Alanis Morrissette since high school. Little Earthquakes and Fumbling Towards Ecstasy got me through the end of high school and are in my Top Ten Albums list.
Uh oh, that made me think of my other Top Albums, and so actually Pearl Jam's Ten has to be the one I've loved the longest. Represented by Jeremy, of course. That came out in sixth grade and I came to love it in eighth and ninth grades. I bought Nirvana's Unplugged album during either junior or senior year, and that's the second of my favorites of All Time.

I told you I was going to do this thing wrong. :)

8. Most recent addition.
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat. I bought the album after hearing this song. I'm a sucker for clear, acoustic melodies.

9. Reminds you of a relationship.
The slower Grace is Gone, Dave Matthews Band: Takes me right back to Chimney Corner with my AmeriCorps team. I can see the rafters (critters Mo and Fo and all) and smell the fireplace, everything. That whole album (well, it was the Lost Lillywhite Tapes, most of which became faster and the album Busted Stuff), plus Poe's Haunted, can do that as well. But also, my teammates turned me on to Jack Johnson and Pete Yorn, for which I am quite grateful.

10. Played at a memorable concert.
Hm. I was going to be at a loss for this one, because I've been to only a handful of concerts: Whitney Houston in 6th grade, Janet Jackson in 8th (velvet rope tour), and Smokey Robinson (at the Puyallup Fair). But I've seen a couple live shows in my post-collegiate life, and a couple songs do stand out.

First is Show of Hands, by Deborah Falconer. She played a benefit show of the Groundlings that I got to attend (very cool!), and later we saw some of her shows at the Coffee House, where Kirsten Dunst and Tobey Maguire, plus Leo DiCaprio and his posse, were in attendance (star-struck! squee!). But that first song was lovely and melancholy, which are two of my favorite qualities in a song. And she's put it on a couple of her indie discs, so I've got several versions.

Next is Drinking Again, by Haley Bonar. I saw her sing that one song, and Mason Jennings was singing with her, harmonizing (it was his show; she was his opener, but I missed her set). It was gorgeous enough for me to remember for a year, when I finally got around to buying her album. And she has become one of my all-time favorites.

See? All done wrong, but I can't help myself. I love to talk, and I love to jabber on about my favorite songs. Check out my list/links in the sidebar.