The soundtrack of my life

I was going to wait to post this until Adem posted a review of my CD (from ST's shufflethon), but I think he's so enthralled by it that he forgot. So here's my explanation and track listing for the CD I sent out. If you would like a copy of it, I made a bunch - just e-mail me and I'll send one out.

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I was trying to figure out how I would decide what to put on to the CD and decided to go with songs that remind me of people or events that are representative of certain periods of my life. I start way, way back in my childhood.

1. Angie Baby – Helen Ready: I used to spend a week or so during the summers with my aunt. She had Helen Ready’s greatest hits, and I’m not sure why I got drawn to it, but I did. I’d put on the album, pull out the upright vacuum to use as my mike, and I’d perform for anyone who would be sitting in the den. Interestingly, this was not a song that I would perform to – some of the words went too fast for me to get them. As a consequence, it ended up being the song that was my favorite of the bunch.
2. Big Shot – Billy Joel: Again this one is all about the performance! My neighbor, Tessa, choreographed a dance for us to perform to this song. We tried it out on her mother, who was appalled at the innuendoes of the choreography and forbade us from performing it again. Suddenly this song took on a lovely illicit nature for me…
3. Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Queen: My sister was a huge Queen fan, and she would play those albums as we fell asleep. Again, I have a performance memory of this song. She and I would sing it to one another, and I remember singing it, with her, to my parents one evening. I think this is the closest I’ve ever felt to my sister.
4. Stand and Deliver – Adam and the Ants: My sister was a huge musical influence on my in my younger years. One night watching Solid Gold, she told me to stay up and see this performer with her. From the first kick of his thigh high boots and flip of his cape, my 12 year old heart was stolen.
5. Bad Reputation – Joan Jett: My first real taste of anything resembling punk rock. I heard her on a mixed tape of my sister’s which also had the Ramones and a number of other classics on it.
6. Let’s Go Crazy – Prince: Yeah, so I grew up in Minneapolis during the 1980s. It’s sort of a prerequisite that I have some Prince on here.
7. Closer to Fine – Indigo Girls: I don’t know who first introduced me to the Blue Chicks, but thus commenced a love affair that would last nearly a decade. Their lyrics are absolute poetry, and the way they play together is magic. They are also just really amazing activists.
8. I’ll Take Your Man – Salt-N-Peppa: During my first year in Lutheran Volunteer Corps, my good friend (better known as WritingInAK) had this Salt-N-Peppa CD that we would play over and over. This song is just hilarious…although not the best of the bunch.
9. Send Me on My Way – Rusted Root: This reminds me of the crazy group house that I lived in in DC post-LVC. I would often wake in the middle of the night to find that a spontaneous party was happening downstairs. Thank the gods for solid, sound-proof housing!
10. La Grippe – Squirrel Nut Zippers: Another DC related song…about the time I learned to swing dance is when they got to be big.
11. By Myself - Linkin Park: Somehow moving out to the hippyland of the Bay Area catapulted me into darker, harder core music. This song, and in fact this album, became the top pick for listening whenever I was PMSing.
12. Spun – Flipsyde: This song feels so like Oakland…I just can’t describe it…the mix of hip-hop, alt rock, and latin and lyrics. Well, it’s just what Oakland feels like to me.
Bonus track 1 Joker and the Thief – Wolfmother: What can I say? I dig this band and I just wanted to share the joy. I went to see them in concert recently and they are fantastic live.
Bonus track 2 Tear You Apart – She Wants Revenge: Again, another track that I’m loving these days. This also has some personal significance, which I don’t believe I’ll share at this time. ☺ But really, you should check this band out!

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P.S. It's still hot, but not so bad today...And I was a good little commuter and walked to work for the Spare the Air day.