simpleek

A few months ago I decided to add an About The Girl page to my blog as a way for people to get to know more about me through my interests. You may have noticed I didn’t really list what artists and songs I generally call my favorite in the music portion of my page. As I have mentioned on the page, I don’t really have a particular favorite. I tend to add songs to my iTunes and iPod library based on what I find to be aurally pleasing to my ears. To me, almost all songs on my iPod are songs I like. My music taste is so varied it’s really hard to pin me down to one specific genre of music.

When I read Cary’s post at Recollections of Play about the 15 songs that came up on her iPod in a shuffle, I thought it was a fun little post she did and it gave me an idea of what kind of music she liked. I decided I wanted to do a post like that one and to see what songs would come up among the 200+ or maybe 1000+ songs I currently have (I really don’t know how many songs I do have and don’t expect me to count them either) on a shuffle. I was quite surprised by what songs came up in the shuffle.

You may find these songs that came up at random to be really cool or horribly bad. Either way, we all like what we like. You can judge me for my choices, but I don’t really care. I will discuss the first 10 songs and I will display the last 5 tracks that finish up my 15. This will give you an idea of what songs get me going, depending on my mood.

1. Never by The Roc Project feat. Tina Arena

I looked up the year this song came out and it turned out it was released back in 2003, the year I graduated from high school. God, I feel old now. I tend to be drawn to dance/electronic music with haunting vocals, like Tina Arena provides in this song, more than straight up club beats with no vocals. I also want songs that make me get up and dance when I’m in a happy kind of mood, even though doing the club scene isn’t my thing and hasn’t been since my early college days when I was trying the scene out. While the lyrics to the song is more sad and talks about a relationship that has ended, it is a club dance track. I like to think that even in sadness, you can find a reason to dance again.

2. Cough Syrup by Young the Giant

I’ve never heard of this band from Irvine, CA before until the TV show Glee did a cover of this song. I really liked the way it sounded and I sought out the original artist. While Glee’s version of the song was pretty good, I prefer the original song. What I find funny about discovering most indie bands that wind up in my songs library is I tend to find them in the oddest places, like TV shows, eating at a McDonald’s, or shopping at an H&M store. With the age of smartphones I have a nifty app, like SoundHound, where I can tap a button and find out who the artist is, favorite it, and then come back to it later to search for the song on my iTunes for download. No matter how I discover these songs, it just goes to show there are so many great indie bands out there that don’t get enough mainstream airtime like they should.

3. I Melt With You by Modern English

I may have been born in the ’80s, but I do appreciate a ton of the music and artists that came out of that decade. This song, by British post-punk and New Wave band Modern English, is one of many songs from the ’80s I love to listen to from time to time when I’m in a retro music type of mood. The music video is strange, but what music video from the ’80s isn’t weird? It’s complete with the ’80s hair and clothes, but it’s a great danceable, kind of a love song. Although, according to the Wikipedia page for the song, it’s originally about “a couple making love as nuclear bombs fall.” Boy, am I sure not going to look at this song the same way again. I guess there’s something about a nuclear war that gets two people hot and bothered. Uh…right…

4. Paper Gangsta by Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has been considered the new Madonna of our generation with her hit after hit of dance/pop songs and her risque fashion choices, but it’s hard to deny this girl has talent. She writes her own songs, has amazing vocals (when it isn’t drowned out by synthesizers and heavy bass), and plays piano like a fiend. This song off of her The Fame album may not have gotten as much airtime as Just Dance or Paparazzi, but it’s Gaga. It’s catchy and at times I feel like it makes me as sexy and confident as her when I listen to her stuff.

5. Au Revoir by OneRepublic

From the moment I heard their hit single Apologize, I have pretty much bought up all the full albums of OneRepublic’s music. There are few bands whose album I enjoy so much that I buy the whole thing. OneRepublic is one of them. Aside from having melodic piano chords, a cello, and other lovely instruments that come together to make a beautiful sound to accompany lead singer Ryan Tedder’s voice, I love listening to the lyrics of each song. There’s something very meaningful in each song that I relate to. A lot of their songs inspire me and kind of gets me in an introspective type of mood. Au Revoir from their Native album is no different.

6. Til Kingdom Come by Coldplay

I don’t always like everything from Coldplay, but there are a few albums and songs from their music catalog I don’t mind coming back to from time to time. Til Kingdom Come from their Mylo Xyloto album feels like a good road trip song when I listen to it. When I’m off traveling somewhere, I usually like listening to songs where it gets me in that jet setting/road trip mood. This song has a feel of adventure and of the unknown with a hint of mystery and romance. The song has a bit of a country sound to it, which is different from the usual Coldplay fair. Perfect for those driving/plane trips and fulfilling your lust for life.

7. I Hate Myself For Loving You by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

When I think of Joan Jett, I think of my longtime best friend who has been a fan of hers since we were kids. I remember how she wished to be like her, and I could honestly see it, considering my friend has always been a bit mischievous and a rebel. Joan Jett has that rebel spirit in her and she rocks out like no ones business. She’s also one of the few female rockers to come out of the ’80s when female rock stars were a rarity in that decade. I may not be a super fan like my best friend, but Joan Jett came out with some pretty killer songs, like this one, and you have to appreciate a woman who pursued her dream in spite of the barriers men tried to put in her way from becoming a girl who can rock out just as hard as the guys.

8. I Grieve by Peter Gabriel

I stumbled upon this song back when the CW’s Smallville was still airing. The song was featured in an episode where Clark’s father Jonathan Kent had passed away and everyone was attending his funeral. It was one of those beautifully set up scenes with snow falling in the background, contrasting with the sea of black clad mourners. It’s one of the saddest, but most moving songs I’ve heard. I always liked Peter Gabriel’s voice, especially since his most famous song, In Your Eyes will forever be synonymous with the scene of John Cusack as Lloyd Dobler holding a boombox over his head with In Your Eyes blaring through the speakers to woo Ione Skye’s Diane Court in the 1989 film Say Anything.

9. My All by Mariah Carey

I haven’t been a huge fan of Mariah’s stuff in recent years, except maybe her most recent single Beautiful with singer Miguel that has been playing on the radio a lot lately. I think her best music came out of the early to mid-90s. What is undeniable is her powerful, smooth voice that hits all the right notes. It sends shivers down my spine because of its raw emotion. I also tend to listen to a ton of love songs, whether it’s about a breakup, falling in love for the first time, or the struggle of maintaining that love. Love is a complex emotion, one I haven’t experienced myself yet, but I like to sort of get an idea of what it must feel like through song.

10. Mamma Mia by Meryl Streep

You might think this is an odd one to come out of my randomized shuffle. Academy Award winning actress and multiple nominee Meryl Streep sings? She does indeed, at least just for the 2008 film Mamma Mia! based on the hit Broadway musical. ABBA’s songs have always been pretty catchy if you’ve ever heard Dancing Queen being played on the radio a thousand times like I have. The fact you have Meryl Streep singing ABBA and this being one of the many songs from the ’70s she does sing is quite fun to listen to and watch in the movie. Meryl Streep may not be a trained singer, but because she is Meryl Streep, the woman can do anything. Even sing! I like listening to the cast soundtrack from the film when I’m in a “dancing queen” kind of mood.

Here are the rest of the songs that rounds up my remaining 15:

11. Snow Angel by Tori Amos

12. Apologize by OneRepublic (the non-Timbaland version)

13. Die Another Day by Madonna

14. Landslide by Glee Cast feat. Gwenyth Paltrow

15. You’re Having My Baby by Glee Cast

It’s funny how another OneRepublic song snuck into the shuffle, but it was Apologize that got me to listen to them in the first place. I actually prefer the non-Timbaland version of the song over the one with Timbaland in it. I mean, the guy hardly sings in it other than throwing out the occasional, “Eh, Eh, Eh” in the background. That’s singing?

The last two I was shocked to have come out of the shuffle. Two Glee songs made it in back-to-back? I was almost tempted to skip the last Glee song to get a different one, but I want to be fair and honest in this post. If my iPod wanted me to end my 15 song shuffle with two Glee songs, then so it shall be. Gwenyth Paltrow does a decent cover of Landslide with the cast of Glee when she guest starred on the show a few seasons ago. The last song You’re Having My Baby comes from the first season soundtrack, but it isn’t my favorite song from the bunch. Looks like my iPod has outed me as a Gleek! Ah whatever. This is what I listen to, so get used to it.

Hope you enjoyed this post. I’m not advocating for any of my readers to listen to these songs. I know some of them may be terrible. At least you know I wasn’t kidding when I said my music taste is all over the place. My ear takes me to the music it likes and no matter what the genre is, it’ll have a home on my iPod. Or at least until I run out of space on it.