Scrambled - Songs I Like

If you haven't figured out by now, music is an incredibly important part of my life. Yes, I know, some people cannot stand country, but one of the reasons it's my favorite genre is that it's main emphasis is on the lyrics. I'm of the belief that lyrics are what make the song. Yes, I listen to classical too and enjoy the occasional instrumental, but most country songs are actual stories. And with being a music lover, I've also been known to be a very emotional person. So I figured I'd make a page to list some of my favorite songs and what they mean to me. I may or may not actually put the lyrics up on here... once I figure out the legality of doing so.

The current, running favorite(s)

Maybe I have an all-time favorite song, but usually I hear one or two on the radio that end up getting stuck in my head for the next couple of months (thanks, Clear Channel programming). Here, I'll list my last couple of current favorites of the month/week/day. Maybe I'll put the old ones on a seperate page... or else probably just file them around this page.

• 80's Music - I was working out the other day when VH1 was playing a special on the top 100 songs of the 80's when I realized I really like many 80's songs. Probably (as a keyboardist) due to the awesome synths that dominated the era.
  • Jump - Van Halen - Case in point: guitarist-turned-keyboardist turns out the number one song. Might get me to listen to more Van Halen.
  • Anything by Huey Lewis. What got me was that they were featured in Back to the Future (trivia point: they were the band on-deck when Marty's band tried out), and then did the song 'Back in Time' which is about Back to the Future. Excellent!
  • Michael Jackson - I don't know whether it's Amanda's liking him, his appearance on the list, or a Simpsons episode I saw featuring him (probably the latter), but I just can't get his songs out of my head.
• You Never Even Call Me By My Name, David Allen Coe (Oct. 13, 2008)
  Mainly for the 'perfect country song' verse quoted (and mildly edited) below. It's also great that Amanda loves this song and belts it out with me whenever I play it.
  Well I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison
  And I went to pick her up in the rain
  But before I could get to the station in my pickup truck
  She got runned over by a danged old train
• Anything by Weird Al Yankovic (Feb, 2008)
  Thanks to US Cellular's unlimited Napster subscription, I finally culturalized myself in the genius that is Weird Al. Prior to this, I had only really known of 3 songs, and those were only second-hand. Now I have a better understanding of which ones I really like and don't like. Among the top contenders:
  • Amish Paradise - Learned this when Russ and Amanda were talking over my head about some kid blaring this over their speakers one day in college
  • All About the Pentiums - My first ever Weird Al song... I liked it awhile ago... now it's just annoying
  • Hardware Store - I feel if I could memorize "the list" and sing it at the same speed as the song, I would feel complete in my masculinity.
  • White and Nerdy - The song that kicked me into investigating Weird Al. Me to a T (except for the bubblewrap... that stuff's a little too bizarre. I like popping it though... :-) )
    • Plus, it gave me the tip-off to the Star Wars Holiday Special, which I downloaded with delight.
  • Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota - I've actually started a google-map of weird places I want to visit some day. This is now top of the list
  • Canadian Idiot - Actually, because I wouldn't mind being one... with their national healthcare, cheaper meds, low crime rates and clean air. (Had to go to a lyrics site at one point to figure out what he was saying there....)
  • Here's Johnny - Because I loved both the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson AND the Short Circuit moves
  • The Saga Begins - Sang this one with Anna Weber at a wedding. Fun times
  • Truck Drivin' Song - Just something about it.....
• Dixie Rose Deluxe's, Trent Willmon (Nov. 1, 2004)
  I try to memorize songs, and this one posed a slight challenege... So I finally bought it on iTunes and listened to it about 10 times in a row on my last Wisconsin trip. I think I have it down now... including the extended chorus!
• Hey, Good Lookin', Jimmy Buffet & Friends (Nov. 1, 2004)
  Saw this one on CMT and thought it was neat that a whole bunch of big names came together for this old classic. Sure, I like the old Hank Williams version, but this one was more readily available for me to purchase online.

Songs that can make me cry

Yes, I have been known to tear up at a good movie or song from time to time... my wife thinks it's cute. I don't ever cry like a baby, mind you (at least, not that I'll admit), but there are some songs that "tug on my heartstrings." Some, I agree may be on the cheesy and even unrealistic side. But I try to listen to the music as if it's a true story that's happening right in front of me.

• Does Anybody Hear Her, Casting Crowns
  I heard this the other day, tried singing with it, and couldn't make it through. It's another song where the video really puts it into perspective. It breaks my heart to think there are people out there just searching for acceptance and (sometimes) can't even find it in the place it should always be: God's house. At the end of the video, someone finally turns around and reaches out to the girl. If I haven't lost it by that point, I do there. I remember another video they played at church once of someone irritably going through his day until he receives a pair of glasses that lets him see the needs around him: someone's relative going through cancer, the skateboarding kid in the neighborhood who just wants a friend, someone whose heart has just been broken. I really wish I had a pair of those glasses.
• Roses For Mama, C.W. McCall
  I just got this CD from Amanda's mom for the purpose of listening to Convoy. As I listened through the CD, I hit this song. Even though I predicted the end before the song finished, it was still a sweet song with a good ending.
• She's Gonna Fly, Collin Raye
  Actually, Collin Raye has a bunch of them, including The Eleventh Commandment that are really powerful. But I remember hearing this song as my grandmother was in the last few months of her life. Grandpa had gone on and she, left all alone, was sometimes confused about where she was or even if her Earl was still around. I never knew any of my grandparents very well, but she was probably the one I most looked up to and miss the most.

Changed my mind on favorites last on January 24, 2009

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