Zehn kleine Jägermeister by Die Toten Hosen
Anytime I hear this song, I am back in Düsseldorf, rooting for Fortuna 95 and drinking Gatzweiler Alt. Die Toten Hosen have a song about Bayern that pretty much sums up how I feel about the Sounders.
Freemasons of Enochian Magick by Penal Colony
Since Robert Anton Wilson and Richard Dawkins didn’t put out any tracks, I’ll go with a musical inspiration. This one is easy, and close to home. My old friend and sometimes musical cohort Dee Madden. Give him any instrument and he’ll be able to play it. Name a genre and he’s been in a band that kicked its ass. His latest Mimeograph recordings keep me plugging away at my projects. In return, I gave him an unhealthy fear of the number 23. It’s a fair trade.
Uncertain Smile by The The
There are plenty worse earworms that infect my brain from time to time, but for an actual song that will pop in and stick around for awhile, this one takes the cake. In fact, tracks 1 – 4 of the Soul Mining album have been known to play on repeat here for loops on end. Part of the appeal of this song, for me, is that it “feels” like it should have been in a John Hughes movie, so even though I know it wasn’t, my brain stumbles trying to place it.
Now for a few real earworms:
Blister in the Sun by Violent Femmes
It is a near visceral reaction that I have to this song. A bad one. I was tempted to not even post a link to a video, but this Grosse Pointe Blank version takes some of the edge off.
Nellie The Elephant by The Toy Dolls
The Toy Dolls are amazing but this live version from Top of The Pops puts them over the top.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go
Hurt by Johnny Cash
Cry? Not really. It’s just not who I am. This song however does sting. When Trent Reznor first put it out, it was a good song. Fit into his catalog. Made perfect sense. It didn’t become a great song until Cash covered it. He gave it such weight and meaning. When I am at the end of my story I can only hope to put out something like this.
We Walk The Same Line by Everything But The Girl
When the darkness descends this is one of my go to songs for mood re-alignment. Plus EBTG is so close to EGBT…
Surrender by Cheap Trick
I was in sixth grade and the album was Cheap Trick At Budokan. At the time, there was some minor scandal going on with the band. They had either not played a show, or hadn’t delivered some merchandise, or something of that nature. During a local newscast, Los Angeles anchorman and broadcasting legend Jerry Dunphy reported on the story. Jerry was the inspiration for Kent Brockman on The Simpsons, and in that slightly bombastic tone, ended the piece with “It appears it was a very ‘Cheap Trick’, indeed!”.
Ceremony by New Order
There are a handful of bands that would count as my favorite, including The Jazz Butcher and The JAMMs, but throughout the years, it always comes back to New Order. Throw in their related acts – Joy Division, The Other Two, Electronic, Revenge, Monaco, and Bad Lieutenant - and the choice is easy.
This song is the natural choice. First recorded by Joy Division, then later recorded and released by New Order after Ian’s death, it was the transition from one group to the next.
Orgasm Addict – The Buzzcocks
“Favorite song” is such a nebulous term. I love music. Different songs have different purposes at different times. This one, then is a strictly by the numbers choice. According to iTunes, this is my most played song. While I am sure that it being the first track on a fantastic album has something to do with it, it is one of my favorites.Edgy, upbeat, fun and sometimes just the kick I need to get going in the morning.
