2011 Songs: 61-80

The next batch... 

80. "Victory Dance" by My Morning Jacket (from Circuital)

"Take machete into the brush / though at first there is no path"

I am usually onboard with an artist's maturation, but can't help but wish Jim James & co. would just rehash It Still Moves. Circuital is better than Evil Urges but it is increasingly clear that MMJ is not (and doesn't want to be) the band I once loved.

79. "Cold Feet" by Lost Lander (from DRRT)
" Too much conversation / too much information / I've got to turn it off"

Lost Lander is the new project from personal favorite Brent Knopf (Menomena, Ramona Falls). Debut album due in 2012. 

78. "Real is a Feeling" by Pictureplane (from Thee Physical)
"and we all feel real"

Pictureplane has now made the top 100 songs list twice ("Goth Star" in 2009). They would have easily made the list for ugliest album covers twice as well.

77. "Price Tag" by Jessie J (feat. B.O.B.) (from Who Are You)

"We're paying with love tonight"

Trite anti-consumerism sentiment plus obvious posturing on a track that is over-produced to the extreme.  What's not to like? Pitchfork called it "like Nelly Furtado fronting Sugar Ray." I can't defend this one, other than to say that B.O.B.'s pop-rap is likable to me where it is probably nauseating to most.

76. "Circle Married the Line" by Feist (from Metals)
"It's as much what it is as what it is not"

If the long-awaited follow-up to The Reminder didn't deliver as many Apple-tv-spot-ready songs it made up for it with admirable consistency.

75. "Exhaustible" by DeVotchKa (from 100 Lovers)
"There is no one that loves you better / than me my dear"

While some bands alienate old fans and/or attract new ones by constantly evolving (see #80 as an example), some are content to stick to their niche. DeVotchKa has been doing that wonderfully for nearly a decade.

74. "Cruel" by St. Vincent (from Strange Mercy)
"They were the zephyr blowing past you / glowing fiercely / so they can't see you"

When I reflect on this song, I am tempted to think that I admire it more than I like it. Then I listen to it again and realize that's bullshit; it's a pretty great song by any standard. 

73. "Hand It Out" byWoods (from Sun and Shade)
"I'll roll right over / if it makes much sense to you"

I'll praise one band for staying true to its niche (#75) and criticize another: if Woods doesn't evolve a bit (or at least stop putting out an album every year), fatigue is going to set in. Not there yet, though. Perfect Sunday morning music.

72. "Fresh Paint" by Pree (from Folly)
"Sorry only comes / when folly goes / and makes a habit out of leaving on the light"

After a phenomenal EP in 2009 (including song #16 on that year's list), Pree releases a pretty good piano-driven debut LP. You either love the voice or you will hate the music.

71. "Mermaid" by Okkervil River (from I Am Very Far)
"But my mouth / fills with both panic then prayer"

A slow builder from Will Sheff and crew. I enjoyed I Am Very Far but can't help but feel that the band misses Jonathan Meiburg (and, for me, Shearwater's output doesn't make up for the loss).

70. "I'm God" by Clams Casino (from Instrumental Mixtape)

<instrumental(ish)>

I believe those are Imogen Heap's vocals sampled on the track. Clams is part of an interesting group of DJs/producers that find success in songs that aren't quite mashups, aren't quite remixes, but yet aren't quite complete originals.

69. "Shuffle a Dream" by Little Dragon (from Ritual Union)

"You cruise around in your deluxe water craft"

Little Dragon wonderfully combines vintage-sounding vocals with modern electronic backing, no better than on this track. 

68. "America's Son" by Air Review (from America's Son)

"I am America's son / and I'm so inclined to run"

A pleasant enough, but forgettable, song -- until the chorus kicks in.

67. "Wait" by M83 (from Hurry Up, We're Dreaming)

"There's no end / there is no goodbye / disappear / with the night / no time"

While I personally don't get the universal acclaim for "Midnight City" (see #63; to my ear it has a faux urgency that is better suited to its Victoria Secret commercials than best-of-2011 lists), this gorgeous track unfolds with pain and grandeur. Crap, this song should probably be higher on the list...

66. "You Are A Tourist" by Death Cab For Cutie (from Codes and Keys)

"This / fire / grows / higher"

At this point, Death Cab is like the indie rock equivalent of Ed Zwick movies. They are pretty good. Everyone generally agrees that they are pretty good. But no one is ever asking themselves: "Damn, when is the next Ed Zwick movie coming out".

65. "Ghost Towns" by Radical Face (from The Family Tree: The Roots)

"All this time / I've been chasing down a lie / and I know it for what it is / but it beats the alternatives / so I'll take the lie"

I like the trend of one-man acts like Radical Face (aka Ben Cooper) still using band names rather than their given names. It's nice to know if I ever recorded something I could still call myself Jimmy Stewart's Fury or Covenant Breach or something. Not that I spend a lot of time thinking about these things...

64. "One Whole Year" by Bombadil (from All That The Rain Promises)

"But I'll tell you in a minute it was shorter than it felt"

Another odd song by this jokey band from Duke University ("Sad Birthday" was #88 on the 2009 list and "Honeymoon" should have been in the top 50).    

63. "Balance" by Future Islands (from On the Water)

"Because before the morning comes / there's a certain calm / and then there's light / it just takes time"

I feel like this song is a much more successful version of what M83's "Midnight City" is trying to be. And I am aware I am in the minority on this one. 

62. "Maybe Baby" by Blitzen Trapper (from Terminal Sales Vol. 4: Please to Enjoy)

"Set me free / but leave the key"

While nothing from the band's proper LP in 2011 (American Goldwing) stood out for me, this track from a Sub-Pop sampler is a new addition to my list of favorite tracks under 2:00.

61. "Tenere Taqqim Tossam" by Tinariwen (from Tassili)

< in Tuareg - mostly>

Tassili represents a "worlds colliding" event for someone that is an unabashed fanboy of both music from Mali (source of my #2 album of the 2000s) and TV on the Radio (Kyp Malone and Tunde Adepimpe appear on this track and others on the album).

2011 Songs: 81-100

After a dormant 12 months for this blog (other than a few top 10 lists for 1966, 1971, 1976... etc. up through 2001 as well as a few other random posts), I am happy to return with the first installment of our top 100 songs of 2011.

As before, the list is limited to one appearance per artist to maximize diversity.  If the very top of this list isn't quite as strong as past years, the list is certainly as deep as it has ever been. 

As in the past, immediately below is a Grooveshark widget with available songs. While I have posted the songs in the text below in descending order (100-81), they are in ascending order in the widget (81-100). This wasn't an accident, for some ungodly reason this is what makes sense t0 me. 16 of the 20 songs below are in the widget, while safe links to stream the other 4 are provided in their respective entries.

100. "I Wish I Was Jack Johnson" by Skee-Lo & Jack Johnson 

<Vico Ono mashup>

It is always a treat to hear two songs you never much cared for elevated into something better. The track isn't available through grooveshark but you can listen via youtube here.

99. "Trees Are a Swayin'" by Say Hi (from Um, Uh Oh)
"But I'll love you to the end of the world"

Say Hi (no longer To Your Mom) continues to churn out catchy music from Eric Elbogen's home computer.

98. "Black Night" by The Dodos (from No Color)
"When I wanted you / how I haunted you / all to myself"

Not having "Fables" from Time to Die on 2009's list was a mistake as it should have made the top 30 or so. No Color's lead single isn't quite as good but accurately represents The Dodo's brand of "aggressive folk"

97. "Oh My Heart" by R.E.M. (from Collapse Into Now)
"It's sweet / and it's sad / and it's true / how it doesn't look bitter on you"

While nothing off of the new album is a fitting epitaph for an amazing career, Collapse is a fine latter career effort by the boys from Athens.

96. "Video Games" by Lana Del Rey (from Video Games EP)
"Kissing in the blue dark / playing pool and wild darts"

Avoid the vapid discussion of the singer herself and simply enjoy the music.  I am looking forward to more in 2012.

95. "Tabby and Lucy" by Boston Spaceships (from Let it Beard)
"Something to take my blues away"

Robert Pollard had three shots at the list this year, with a solo album, a new GBV single and the last Boston Spaceships album. And yet all I think of when I see the album cover is this. (Not on grooveshark so stream on soundcloud here)

94. "Take Me Over" by Cut Copy (from Zonoscope)
"Did you see me falling?"

Cut Copy's second album of 80's nostalgia is as strong as their debut and features this Fleetwood Mac / Men At Work hybrid as well as perhaps my favorite album cover of the year. 

93. "Little Talks" by Of Monsters And Men (single)
"You used to play outside when you were young"

This song was the final addition to the list. While they are trying a little too hard to be the "Icelandic Arcade Fire" it isn't an entirely unfair comparison. Debut album due in the U.S. in 2012.

92. "Mama" by The Very Best (from Super Mom Mixtape)
<in Chichewa>

Another mixtape from Malawi's Esau Mwamwaya, this time making good use of Tom Petty's "Don't Come Around Here No More".

91. "Lighthouse" by NewVillager (from NewVillager)

"Keep it up / don't stop / don't lose your place"

This was also a late add to the list. At this time next year I will almost certainly view this ranking as either too low or wonder what the hell I was thinking to include it all. So catchy, though.

90. "Call it Off" by Washed Out (from Amor Fati Single)

< ? >

I enjoyed the debut LP from one-man chillwave band Washed Out but didn't find an individual song to latch onto until I heard this slinky B-side from the Amor Fati single. No idea what the lyrics are.

89. "Waiting For Kirsten" by Jens Lekman (from An Argument With Myself EP)

"in Gothenburg we don't have VIP lines"

What starts as a strange song about Kirsten Dunst filming Melancholia in Sweden morphs into an even stranger discussion on the Swedish healthcare system. Combined with the EP's title track, Lekman is flaunting his goofball side while we wait for a proper follow up to Night Falls Over Kortedala

88. "Hits Me Like a Rock" by CSS (from La Liberacion)

"We have too many bruises / from too much kissing"

This catchy track by Brazil's CSS also features Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie. 

87. "Salesman" by Bruce Peninsula (from The Bruce Trail Fire Sale EP)

"From the bottom of our hearts / it's as evil as it gets"

I am a sucker for modern music that sounds authentically much much older. (Not on grooveshark so listen on their bandcamp page here)

86. "Against the Grain" by Hudson (from Open Up Slowly EP)

"And I know there's no direction home / it's right here where all the wild things grow"

The central riff to this song reminds me so much of Bottom of the Hudson's "Riot Act" (a personal favorite) that I wondered if maybe that band had pulled a Say Hi and shortened its name. Alas, Melbourne-based Hudson is definitely not the same band as the (defunct?) Brooklyn band.

85. "Hudson River" by The Duke & The King (from The Duke & The King)

"Don't run astray / don't you ever take your love away"

See comment above at #87. Unfortunately, nothing else on Simon Felice's side project is as immediate as this spot-on track. (Not on grooveshark, so listen on youtube here)

84. "Back Like 8 Track" by The Go! Team (from Rolling Blackouts)

"Counterclaims coming at us like a bullet train"

The Go! Team's debut was my #20 album of the last decade and their follow-up, while inconsistent, still featured a few greats tracks (and Chuck D!). Rolling Blackouts returns to the consistency of their debut, albeit at a lower level of excellence. Still, the retro sound coupled with Ninja's raps and cheerleader squads are aways a welcome sound.  

83. "Who Are You" by Kathyrn Calder (from Bright and Vivid)

"And when / we die / our arms will open up wide"

Since 2008, all four vocalists of the New Pornographers (Calder, Neko Case, A.C. Newman, Dan Bejar) have made one of our top 100 lists as a solo artist. That is pretty ridiculous.

82. "Blackout" by Pickwick (from Myths Vol 3)

"Sitting on the floor in the bedroom / spinning Bowie around"

Reminds me of Squeeze's "Tempted", for no readily discernible reason.

81. "Make My" by The Roots (from Undun)

"They told me at the end / don't justify the dreams"

While they may make questionable political statements (I am no fan of hers, but there is a time and place), The Roots's consistency over what is now a 20-year career is pretty singular.

Rewind: Top Songs of 2001

A 2006 list of top songs was compiled at the time (and reposted here), leaving the 2001 list as the last on our semi-decennial (not a word) march from 1966 to 2011.

In 2001, I was frequently working 90+ hour weeks as an M&A analyst, which left me with very limited free time. This sleep-deprived and emotionally-weakened state directly contributed to me falling hard for three things: my wife, SF Giants baseball and indie music. This isn't the place to discuss the first. The Giants were my constant companion in the office most evenings at 10:35 pm ET as they played out a frustrating year for the team and a magical one for my steroid-enhanced hero. But when I was in the office and there wasn’t a game on, I was listening to more music than I ever had in my life. As it was for the Giants, the excellent year in music in 2001 took what was in interest and made it a passion.

Looking back on the eight top 10 lists I’ve compiled over the past year, I’d put the 2001 list behind only the incredibly strong 1971 list.

Top 10 Songs of 2001

1. "Someday" / The Strokes / Is This It
   "Oh my ex says I'm lacking in depth / I will try my best"
2. "Johnny Appleseed" / Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros / Global a Go-Go
   "If you're out to the get the honey / then you don't go killing all the bees"
3. "Okkervil River Song" / Okkervil River / Don't Fall in Love With Everyone You See
   "Then I woke up one cold morning, felt an absence at my back / and I searched and stared but only the river stared back"
4. "Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell" / The Flaming Lips / Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
   "I was wanting you to love me / but your love it never came"
5. "New Slang" / The Shins / Oh, Inverted World
   "Hope its right when you die / old and bony"
6. "Penelope" / Pinback / Blue Screen Life
   "Don't want to see you floating upside down / on the top of the bowl when I come 'round to visit you"
7. "As If You've Never Been Away" / Ulrich Schnauss / Far Away Trains Passing By
   <instrumental>
8. "Way Down in the Hole" / Blind Boys of Alabama / Spirit of the Century
   "Don't pay heed to temptation / for his hands are so cold"
9. "We're Going to Be Friends" / The White Stripes / White Blood Cells
   "And when I wake tomorrow I'll bet / that you and I will walk together again"
10. "Tribute" / Tenacious D / Tenacious D
    "the song we sang on that fateful night it didn't actually sound anything like this song"

Rewind: Top Songs of 1996

1996 was the year I graduated high school and started college, so this should be a nostalgia-heavy list. And yet it isn’t. I was listening to a lot of 70’s rock then and did not have yet have any interest in (or much access to) the indie music scene. Of the list below, only a handful of songs (2Pac, Sublime, Tom Petty, Optiganally Yours) were songs I listened to extensively at the time. The rest are tracks I have learned of or learned to appreciate since.

Top 10 Songs of 1996

1. “Get Me Away From Here, I’m Dying” / Belle & Sebastian / If You’re Feeling Sinister
   "At the final moment I cried / I always cry at endings"
2. "Lord Only Knows” / Beck / Odelay
   "There’s nothing dead left to kill"
3. "California Love” / 2Pac (ft. Dr. Dre) / All Eyez on Me
   "The track hits your eardrum like a slug to the chest"
4. "Santeria” / Sublime / Sublime
   "Tell Sanchito that if he knows what is good for him he best go run and hide"
5. "California” / Tom Petty / She’s the One
   "It ain’t like anywhere else"
6. "One Day” / UGK / Ridin’ Dirty
   "The only thing that’s promised to a player in the penitentiary"
7. "Upfield” / Billy Bragg / William Bloke 
   "That’s where you’ll find me / over the blue horizon"
8. "Midnight in a Perfect World” / DJ Shadow / Entroducing…
   <instrumental>
9. "Waving at You” / The Mountain Goats / Nothing for Juice
   "Die hard / die kicking / old habit of mine"
10. "Wichita Lineman” / Optiganally Yours / Spotlight On…
    <Glen Campbell cover>

 

Rewind: Top Songs of 1991



By definition, every grouping of songs I have covered in 2011 (1966, 1971, 1976, 1981 and 1986 to date) is celebrating a round number anniversary. Despite this, the 1991 releases are the only ones I have seen widely revisited this year. Chief among these are Pearl Jam's Ten and Nirvana's Nevermind, which have both been celebrated with documentaries and deluxe reissues. I think the special notice paid to the 1991 vintage is both a function of how highly regarded  these releases are and the relatively "down" years some of the other groupings (notably 1976) have represented.

But I think it also ultimately has to do with the fact that a 20th anniversary is an effective demarcation point between recent and old and therefore worthy of special attention. As I listen to the songs below, I can't quite reconcile how fresh they still sound with how old they actually are. When these songs were new in 1991, I was listening to tracks from 1971 (then 20 years old) on the "oldies" station. Are Ice Cube and My Bloody Valentine now playing on an AM radio somewhere?

This is a deep list, but not a very top heavy one for me. I love B.A.D.'s "Rush" because it is plays like a last great Clash pop song (Strummer's solo output, while very good, never really sounded like the band). Ice Cube's screed against his former bandmates is controversial (and uncomfortable after Easy-E's early death), but I've always enjoyed it's sampling of "Dazz" and raw anger up there with 2Pac's "Hit 'em Up". Overall it's a strong rap showing (and Public Enemy just missed the list) -- this was the launch of a great era in rap that ran through most of the 90's.

Top 10 Songs of 1991

1. "Rush" / Big Audio Dynamite / The Globe
   "And of all my friends / you've been the best to me"
2. "No Vaseline" / Ice Cube / Death Certificate
   "Light 'em up / burn 'em up / flame on / 'til that jheri curl is gone"
3. "Alive" / Pearl Jam / Ten
   " 'Is something wrong?' she said / of course there is"
4. "Foot of Pride" / Bob Dylan / The Bootleg Series
   "But he drinks / and drinks can be fixed"
5. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" / Nirvana / Nevermind
   "With the lights out / it's less dangerous"
6. "I Only Said" / My Bloody Valentine / Loveless
   <instrumental> (well, not really, but effectively)
7. "Nitty Gritty" / KMD / Mr. Hood 
   "I smacked a man / 'cause he tried to serve a plate of ham"
8. "Mysterious Ways" / U2 / Achtung Baby
   "If you want to kiss the sky / better learn how to kneel"
9. "Loaded" / Primal Scream / Screamadelica
   "Oh yeah!"
10. "My Mind's Playing Tricks On Me" / Geto Boys / We Can't Be Stopped
    "My hands were all bloody from punchin' on the concrete"

Introducing: S3

After reviewing the first two Scott family CDs here and here, it is time to unveil the newest addition to the library and, much much more importantly, to the family.  

Samantha Sinclair Scott was born on September 1, 2011 at just past 7:00 in the morning in Palo Alto, California. Mom, baby and big sister are all doing well and happy. In celebration of her birth, below is the S³ playlist.

Tracklist:

1. "Perpetuum Mobile" by Penguin Cafe Orchestra
   <instrumental>
2. "Mother's Sick" by Horse Feathers
   " We're beat, beat, beat / asleep on feet"
3. "Bellyfulla" by Ramona Falls
   "More happiness than a body can hold"
4. "Your Were Born" by Cloud Cult 
   "But I'm here with you now"
5. "Baby" by Devendra Banhart
   "I'm learning to let in all the laughter"
6. "Sister" by Vetiver
   "Too young to be treated fairly"
7. "I Know You've Come to Take My Toys Away" by Mountain Goats
   "Sun flashing red and then orange / then opting for secession"
8. "City of Daughters" by Destroyer
   "A city of daughters / is that what you want this to be?"
9. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Starfucker
   <Cyndi Lauper cover>
10. "Take Care" by Beach House
    "I'd take care of you / if you ask me to"
11. "The Golden Age" by Beck
    "Put your hands on the wheel / let the golden age begin"
12. "Scott" by Fanfarlo

Bonus Tracks

1. "Beginner's Luck" by Eels
2. "California Stars" by Billy Bragg & Wilco
3. "Born With Things To Do" by Zookeeper

Rewind: The ELS CD

As we put the finishing touches on the newest Scott family CD, it is an opportune time to revisit the first two. Wedding CD review was here.

ELS was born in March 2009 and is now a two-and-a-half year old about to start the first week of preschool and welcome home a baby sister.  We didn't hold much good baby stuff back for a future CD, using favorite lullabies from the Pogues and Tom Petty and making the not-so-bold prediction that she would stay up late and make a mess. She did.

Tracklist:

1. "First Sight" by These United States"A generation would follow in the path that we'd charted"
2. "Chemicals Collide" by Cloud Cult"It's unforgettable / unpredictable / the way our chemicals collide"
3. "It's Growing" by Otis Redding"And every day / it grows a little more"
4. "This is the Day" by The The "This is the day / your life will surely change"
5. "New Soul"  by Yael Naim"I'm a new soul / in this very strange world"
6. "I Live in the Mess That You Are" by Zookeeper"We are on the road to something / we are sleeping still inside / we are name idea children / we are thinking how we might / believe in the mess we are / conceive in the mess we are / find peace in the mess we are / I live in the mess you are / I'm in love mess you are"
7. "Stay up Late" by Talking Heads"Mommy had a little baby / there (s)he is / fast asleep / (S)he is just / a little plaything / why not / wake (her) up"
8. "Me and the Bean" by Spoon"She don't know anything / but she's beautiful to me"
9. "My Girls" by Animal Collective"With a little girl / and by my spouse / I only want a proper house"
10. "Lullaby of London" by The Pogues"So I pray now child / that you sleep tonight / when you hear this lullaby"
11. "Alright for Now" by Tom Petty"So sleep tight my baby / unfurrow your brow / and know I love you / we're alright for now"
12. "Slow Show" by The National
    "You know I dreamed about you / for 29 years / before I saw you"
13. "Flood of Love" by Zookeeper"When you sail into the world in a flood of love..."

Bonus Tracks

1. "Foxes Mate for Life" by Born Ruffians
2. "Strangers" by The Kinks
3. "Five Years Time" by Noah and the Whale

Rewind: The Wedding CD

As we put the finishing touches on the newest Scott family CD, it is an opportune time to revisit the first two.

Our wedding was 6 years ago last week and when I revisit the track list from our wedding CD today, there isn't much I would alter. There are a couple songs that are either new or new-to-me since 2005 that would have been nice to include, but that is cheating. We entered the wedding reception to Talking Heads and had our first dance to the Magnetic Fields, neither of which I would change. The mini-suite of tracks 5-8 represent our departure from New York and our cross-country journey to our new home in San Francisco, with a proposal along the way. If pushed, I would probably pull either David Byrne or Shuggie Otis from the bonus tracks, if only merely to streamline the thing a bit.

In the Grooveshark playlist below I was not able to include the Norah Jones track (the Tom Waits original is substituted) or the Shuggie Otis track.

Tracklist:

1. This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) by Talking Heads
2. Thirteen by Big Star
3. Wild West End by Dire Straits
4. This Time by Los Lobos
5. Leaving New York by R.E.M.
6. The Long Way Home by Norah Jones
7. Question by Old 97s
8. California by Tom Petty
9. Beautiful Girl by INXS
10. The Book of Love by The Magnetic Fields
11. How Sweet It Is by Junior Walker & The All Stars
12. Your Song by Elton John
13. Moonlight Mile by The Rollings Stones
14. I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever) by Stevie Wonder

Bonus Tracks

1. Emma Blowgun's Last Stand by Beulah
2. Sweet Thang by Shuggie Otis
3. Loco de Amor by David Byrne
4. Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

Rewind: Top Songs of 1986

As someone born in 1978, I can assess pre-1983 music like a historian, appraising something that has effectively always existed without bias or emotion. Similarly, I can organize my thoughts on songs post-1992 (or thereabouts) without being distracted by the haze of nostalgia or lost youth. But for that interim period of the mid 80’s through early 90’s, all bets are off.

The list below actually isn’t too shameful, with only Bon Jovi making the guilty pleasure cut (Huey Lewis and Billy Joel just missed). Future lists for this period won’t be so pristine, however. I can’t even say with certainty that Billy Ocean won’t show up at some point. What can I say? I was a kid and didn’t know any damned better.

As for the below, 1986 is a return to form after relatively down years in 1981 and 1976. Three inner circle bands (for me) take the top spots. “Wild Wild Life” was the last great Talking Heads songs. “The Body of an American” was somehow left off of Rum, Sodomy & the Lash and was instead relegated to the Poguetry in Motion EP (and Baltimore police wakes). And while it is certainly deserving of its spot, “It’s Tricky” gets an extra lift because Raising Hell was the first rap album (cassette!) I ever bought.

Peter Gabriel is not on Grooveshark, but you know that song already.

Top 10 Songs of 1986

1. "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" / The Smiths / The Queen is Dead
   "To die by your side / is such a heavenly way to die"
2. "Wild Wild Life" / Talking Heads / True Stories
   "Check out Mr. Business Man / he bought some wild, wild life"
3. "The Body of an American" / The Pogues / Poguetry in Motion EP
   "And as the sunset came meet the evening on a hill / I told you I'd always love you / I always did / I always will"
4. "Graceland" / Paul Simon / Graceland
   "I am following the river / down the highway / through the cradle of the civil war"
5. "It's Tricky" / Run DMC / Raising Hell
   "They even bother my poor father 'cause he's down with me"
6. "Hymn to Her" / The Pretenders / Get Close
   "I dress as your daughter when the moon becomes round / you'll be my mother when everything's gone"
7. "Livin’ on a Prayer" / Bon Jovi / Slippery When Wet 
   "We're halfway there"
8. "No Sleep Till Brooklyn" / Beastie Boys / Licensed to Ill
   "Like a lemon to a lime / a lime to a lemon / I sip the def ale with all the fly women"
9. "Sledgehammer" / Peter Gabriel / So
   "I've kicked the habit"
10. "E=mc2" / Big Audio Dynamite / This is Big Audio Dynamite
    "Timeslide / place to hide / nudge reality"