If you read the first post in this whole series, you know that I really don’t consider myself a “music person.”

As such, I really don’t listen to music a lot. I can go weeks without hearing more than just whatever other people are listening to on the bus. (Because, really, half of them don’t use headphones and the other half have the music turned up so loud I can make out the lyrics.)

Over the years, the only time I’ve heard music regularly is when I was driving around locally… and even that was mostly in 10-20 minutes hops.

So this prompt gets a little tricky…

A song you never get tired of

The long and the short of it is: I don’t listen to enough music to get tired of most songs, ever.

There have been a few over the years that wore out their welcome for one reason or another. Usually because they were overplayed on the radio. In some cases to ridiculous levels. (Once time, on a long trip where we only had the radio, we hit the same song on three different stations at almost exactly the same time… there’s some network placement, for sure.)

So when it comes to any given song that I never get tired of… I really have nowhere to go with that. Since, y’know, that pretty much encompasses all the music I own and most of the music I’ve ever heard.

Not a small list.

Which leaves us with, I don’t know, a grab bag approach?

Sure, let’s go with that…

The Doors’ Strange Days is an alum I own and a song I’ve listened to a lot over the years. Especially back in the day when I was hanging out with the other miscreants and outcasts in my home town.

Like most teenager since forever, I felt like a bit of an outcast. Like many teenagers since the late 60s, The Doors music kind of spoke to some of the weird, proto-goth, not-quite-psychedelic feeling of “otherness” that I was rocking.

Not I know a lot of teens who were into the doors get all faux intellectual about the crafting of the lyrics and can go on and on about how Jim Morrison is the greatest ever… but… I never felt drawn to do that. For me, it was just another hint that there were, indeed, somewhere out there, people with ideas I could relate to more than I generally could with the people in my home town.

Even today, when I have firmly and near completely surrounded myself with people I challenge and support me in all the right ways, I still return to the songs on this album–and this one in particular–to remind myself how near-impossible it once felt to find a place where I at least kind of fit.

Also, I do really dig the lyrics, and the weird flow of the music (and the album as a whole).

https://youtu.be/TEZwjsSsSlU

Runners Up

• Weird Al Yankovic, The Saga Begins – I’m a Star Wars fan. I’m a classic rock fan. I’m a Weird Al fan. This song definitely never gets old. And it may be the best thing to come out of the prequels…
• They Might Be Giants, Birdhouse in Your Soul – Most things by TMBG never get old. This one never gets old and never fails to bring up a number of fun memories. Also, their dancing in this video makes mine look less awkward.
• Talking Heads, Once in a Lifetime – Did you ever ask yourself if this song’s been played enough yet? I haven’t. Always happy to hear it. And, man, is that video 80s-tastic, or what?

Look, I’m not saying that you’re definitely not human if there isn’t at least one song that makes you cry.

I’m just saying that if there isn’t, you may be an android impostor or heartless alien replacement pod person.

Much like there are songs that brighten days, there are more than a few that can bring us down. Or, when we are down, wrap us in their words and rhythms and sooth our saddened souls.

That’s where we’re going today…

A song that makes you sad

Having spent a lot of time being sad over the years, there are a plethora of songs that I’ve indulged in during those low times. Most of those songs don’t exactly make me sad…. it’s more they remind me of being sad. It’s a kind of subtle difference, but it’s an important one.

See, remembering what “sad” feels like can really help keep things in perspective. Barring issues like depression (which seriously skews your ability to perceive the reality of how good or bad things–and you–are), that perspective can show us how far we’ve come from our lowest points.

And, when we are low, it can remind us that there’s a path to being better. It may be along path. It may be an unsteady path, with lots of setbacks and obstacles along the way, but it’s one we’ve all walked numerous times before.

But then there are some songs that hit so hard, the resonate so well with the things about our lives that do make us sad, that they can bring us down a notch or two. Maybe it’s something associated with an ex (“Your” couple song, for example). Maybe it’s what you and a family member used to listen to all the time before they passed away.

Or, perhaps, like me, it’s one that reminds you of sacrifices made and deep feelings expressed that never quite went the way you expected. A reminder of how so very few things are certain in this life… and how, even if it hurts, the risk may be worth it if there’s really something you want… or someone you want to be with.

Back in April of 1998, a movie came out called City of Angels. It was a remake of a film from about a decade earlier, Wings of Desire. It was the story of an angel who literally fell for a human and chose to sacrifice his angelic nature in order to be with her. It’s one of the films, along with Leaving Las Vegas, that proves Nicholas Cage can be a serious actor when he tries.

I was still in college in April of ’98. I’d been there long enough, among good friends, to work through a lot of things and fall for a few people in ways that weren’t disasters. But the arc of that movie captured all of my hopes and fears for what a relationship could be (metaphorically, of course)… and just how cruel and random the Universe could be.

The Goo Goo Dolls’ Iris was the hit single on the soundtrack. It managed to sum up all that same stuff–and more that resonated with me–even better.

It starts right with the first verse:

And I’d give up forever to touch you
‘Cause I know that you feel me somehow
You’re the closest to heaven that I’ll ever be
And I don’t want to go home right now

And the chorus just brings it all, painfully, home:

And I don’t want the world to see me
‘Cause I don’t think that they’d understand
When everything’s made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am

Even now, nearly 20 years later, it still pulls at… everything.

And it all still rings so very true.

It’s still how I feel.

Perhaps even more so.

Runners Up

• Gordon Lightfoot, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald – The real life tragedy that this song tells of never fails to bring some tears to my eyes. Somehow, Lightfoot managed to capture everything that everyone on that shore must have felt knowing their loved ones weren’t coming back. It’s also the first song my Amazon Echo played for me, right after I plugged it in and asked it to play some music. And then followed it up with three more super depressing songs. I’m still pretty sure it’s trying to kill me.
• Sarah McLachlan, Angel – This song had a sad story to it to begin with. But once McLachlan started working as the spokesperson for the ASPCA in 2007 and it got paired with all the abused animals waiting for adoption… well… get some tissues.
• Terry Jacks, Seasons in the the Sun – As long as you don’t listen to the lyrics, this song sounds plenty happy. Once you actually do listen to the lyrics… it’s like an onion chopping festival.
• Elton John, Daniel – We sang this one in elementary school. I kind of credit our music teacher for giving us all a bit more understanding about life and death by doing that… and talking about what goes on in the song (a guy who’s very ill, going off to Europe for a treatment that doesn’t save him). It’s really stuck with me over the years. Doesn’t make it any happier of a song, really. (Granted, if the Wikipedia article is correct, that’s not at all what the song was about… I think the version we were told makes more sense.)

Music triggers memories and emotions.

Some are near universal in the emotion department.

Not always–personal experience can make the happiest song something that brings tears, and something oh-so-maudlin trigger giggles.

Sometimes the joy is in sharing the song with others. Other times it’s just enjoying it all on your own.

But these prompts aren’t about you or everyone…. they’re about me.

A song that makes you happy

There are a lot of songs that make me smile. There are some that make me laugh. There are bunches that make me nostalgic in a good way.

I can’t even remember some of them until they randomly come up. Then it’s all “OMG! I LOVE THIS SONG! SQUEEEE!” (And, yes, sometimes there is, indeed a “squeee” involved… I am not ashamed.)

This particular one goes way back, but it recently came back big time thanks to a surprise hit of a movie.

From the first “ooga chaka” all the through the last bit of horns, Blue Swede’s Hooked On a Feeling never fails to bring me joy from pretty much every direction.

It’s a song that’s just fun and bouncy, musically. Those bright horns cut right through any gloom that may be lingering. The silly bits in the lyrics (all those “ooga chakas”) conjure memories of cartoons and Muppets.

And then there’s the actual substance of the song: that sudden discovery that the person you dig, digs you right back.

Been there, done that, on both sides, and it is amazing.

This song brings back every good memory of all that.

Now, there’s also the small fact that it was an integral part of one of my favorite Marvel movies, Guardians of the Galaxy, as part of the marketing campaign and in the movie as part of Starlord’s “Awesome Mix” he got from his mom before she died.

Well, if that doesn’t put a whole new level of nostalgia and joy into the song, nothing will.

It’s the next best thing to a dancing baby Groot.

In short, this one’s got it all and it recently got more than it had before. I can’t not love it. And you’ll usually find me singing along. (Because the words are simple, too.)

I’ll also note that David Hasselhoff did a cover of this… but I’ll let you find that yourself if you really want to. It adds a whole ‘nother level of amusement, as only The Hoff can.

Runners Up

• Lady GaGa, Bad Romance – I didn’t want to like Lady GaGa, but songs like this made it impossible for me not to like her at least a little bit. And then my friends’ band, Since Antarctica, did a cover of it and it just got even more fun.
• The Monkees, Daydream Believer – Look, I’m a hopeless romantic. And a decent Monkees fan. This song always makes me smile at the possibilities out there.
• Weird Al Yankovic, Dare to be Stupid – First and foremost, anything by Weird Al makes me happy. But this one also showed up in Transformers: The Movie and it’s a useful reminder of how absolutely absurd life often is.
• Pharrell Williams, Happy – Look, this one was the easy answer. But it’s also a true answer. It’s a catchy tune and it really curls the corners of my mouth toward the sky.

If I were more punk, I’d say I’m pretty straight edge.

But I’m nowhere near punk enough to get away with using that term anywhere real punks could hear it. So let’s just say I don’t drink and I don’t smoke stuff.

That’s just how it’s always been.

I’m the one who remembers what goes on at parties. Everything that goes on.

If I didn’t have this moral compass of mine, I’m sure I’d be rolling in the dough… and probably have many fewer friends… and not getting invited to the interesting parties.

Point being, this is another case of me appreciating songs and whatnot about stuff I don’t partake of.

A song about drugs or alcohol

If you’ve heard any music ever, you know that there are no shortage of songs about drugs and alcohol. Throw relationships in there and you cover pretty much every song, ever… and some of them three times over.

We all know that the rock and roll lifestyle is defined by excess. Today not as much as, say, the 70s and 80s. I’m not sure most newer rock bands could really keep up with the likes of the Rolling Stones in their prime. But there’s still a reputation for being able to party hard.

And where would country music or the blues be without a good number of people being drunk at some point? Or, at least, hanging out at the bar, grabbing a beer.

That lifestyle inevitably spills over into the songs in one way or another. If not in the lyrics themselves, then in the stories behind some of the songs. (Like the story behind that Iron Butterfly song that everyone knows.)

When this prompt came up, there’s one song I thought of right away. It’s got great guitar work and it’s another song that tells a great little story. It’s Eric Clapton’s Cocaine.

One of the interesting things about this song, of course, is that it can be ambiguous about whether it’s for or against cocaine. Clapton maintains that it’s an anti-drug song. But it’s not really “his” song, even though he’s the one best known for it. It was written by J.J. Cale.

Regardless of meaning, it’s a great song and definitely fits the “about drugs” bill. I mean, it is right there in the title and all.

Runners Up

• The Pogues, Whiskey You’re the Devil – Really, you can go with any cover of this classic. And pretty much any other classic drinking song.
• Marilyn Manson, I don’t Like the Drugs (But the Drugs Like Me) – Definitely one of the more disturbing videos (all those big eyes!), but that’s to be expected from Manson, especially in a song about drugs.
• U2, Bad – This is one of those where if the lyrics aren’t enough to let you in on the fact it’s about drugs, the backstory makes it pretty darn clear. Pain and suffering–and compassion for those in pain and suffering–often breed great art.
• George Thorogood, One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer – Yep. It’s about drinking. Surprised?
• Peter, Paul, and Mary, Puff the Magic Dragon – Is it? Or isn’t it? I mean, it was the 60s… and they were pretty laid back… and singing about dragons… and paper boys… (I don’t actually care, I just love the song… and the old cartoon movie.)

Ah, the open road.

It calls with a cry so specifically American. Lauded and romanticized in writing, film, television, and music for decades. (Pretty much since there were cars to drive.)

I remember when the soundtrack for driving long distances required either a satchel of cassette tapes or playing the “Gee, let’s see what kind of radio stations come in here” every hour or so (I was usually driving through mountains).

These days, I just link up my phone to the car audio system and put my entire music collection on random.

Needless to say, I kind of have a mile long list for this particular prompt.

A song to drive to

I’ve noticed that a good bunch of the music I’ve been listing is from the 70s. As I explained right up front, that’s the stuff I grew up on. It’s also the stuff that’s most deeply set in my mind.

I know there’s a lot of newer stuff that I’ve heard that would fit great… but I can never remember any of it when I sit down to crank out one of these posts.

But this time around, I really do think most of the really great driving music is from the heyday of muscle cars and drive-ins… so, between the 50s and mid-80s. And most of the stuff from the 50s isn’t exactly “driving music” so much as it’s “music about driving, cars, and parking.” The 60s has a lot of “road trippin’ music.” It’s when the 70s come in and rock takes a much more rough roll that I think we hit that sweet spot for really being behind the wheel.

Granted, the best driving music isn’t always the best music to keep you obeying all the rules of the road. (Just ask Sammy Hagar about that.)

I’ve always really liked Golden Earring’s Radar Love. The beat and lyrics are literally driving and the whole subject of the song is getting from point A to point B… quickly. With some complications, of course. It tells a good story and that’s important to me. Even when I’m behind the wheel.

The funny thing about all this, if you’re not aware, is that I’m really not a car guy. I don’t really like driving (but I dislike not driving a bit more… or so I’ve been reminded for a while now). And driving music is just awesome.

Runners Up

• Roger Miller, King of the Road –  One of the original road-trip songs. Also a solid pick for karaoke. Plus I’ve known the lyrics to this one since I had my first car. It was on one of the tapes I used to listen to while driving long distances.
• Dire Straits, Calling Elvis – A more laid back driving song, but still one that pushes you forward. Plus, the video has the Thunderbirds in it. No, not the stunt-flying jets, the marionettes.
• Henry Mancini, Peter Gunn – Yes, I’ve seen episodes of the show. But I put a lot more quarters into the Spy Hunter game in the arcade. Most importantly, I’m a fan of The Blues Brothers.