everyone else is doing it!

i have thus far resisted this latest facebook thing where people tag you in a note and you then have to return their note with a note of your own, constructed of 25 random things about you. i have resisted for 2 reasons: 1. it’s dumb and 2. anything i would put on that list, i can guarantee my sister would already know about me, and that sort of takes the fun out of letting the world know how exciting and truly original you are. so i figured i would generate my own random list, but i would call it something else and make the subject different but the same. i’m making a list of 25 songs that i could (and often do) listen to on repeat, day after day, for the rest of my life. you can tell a lot about a person by the music on their ipod, and if they like it enough to play it over and over and over, then i figure that has to be the same kind of announcement to the world as posting something on facebook like, “at the age of 12, i was completely obsessed with abraham lincoln, dinosaurs, horses, and the titanic, and spent most of my free time reading books on any of those subjects” – cause see, niki already knew that anyway.

so here i go. here is my list of 25 random songs to listen to on repeat:

1. somebody to love, by queen: this could perhaps be the best song on the planet ever, but i’m still waiting for the results on my research to come back

2. slow ride, by fog hat: i don’t care if it makes me sound like a toothless redneck, i want to make babies and live in a trailer park with this song

3. magic man, by heart: cause there is this one part with the drums that gets me more excited than i should mention on the interwebs

4. edge of seventeen, by stevie nicks: if you have to ask why, you obviously don’t deserve to know

5. oh! darling, by the beatles: did you know paul went into the studio early every day for like a week to give his voice that scratchy/smoky bar singer affect? and every time i hear that song, i thank him for his dedication to his craft. that actually may be my favorite beatles song.

6. love thy will be done, by martika: yes, that’s right. martika. as in, toy soldiers. as in, kids incorporated. drive to and from school every day for 3 years with niki clark and see if this song doesn’t become a part of your bloodstream

7. feels like the first time, by foreigner: i swear, every time i hear it honestly feels like the very first time

8. faithfully, by journey: loving a music man ain’t always what it’s supposed to be, but i will stand by steve perry until the end of time

9. take a bow, by madonna: the one and only madonna song on my ipod. she is a kook. but that song kicks ass.

10. stay with you, by john legend: cause if i’m gonna be listening to 25 songs on repeat, at least one of them needs to be a babymaking song

11. africa, by toto: another one i don’t think i need to explain

12. baraccuda, by heart: another song that gets me all kinds of worked up…ann and nancy 4 eva

13. yeah, by usher and co: i am probably going to regret saying this on the internets, but only like 2 people read this anyway, and i know niki agrees with me. i never, ever, ever get tired of this song. i know it’s sad, but my inner cocktail waitress hears it and wants to get up and dance on the tables, every time

14. movin’ out, billy joel, and

15. don’t ask me why, billy joel: both of these songs have gotten me through multiple long distance solo car trips. yes, on repeat. i see nothing wrong with listening to the same 2 songs over and over for 5 hours.

16. blackbird, by the beatles: really, i could listen to the whole white album on repeat, minus revolution 9, which still annoys me/gives me the creeps, but blackbird especially (or maybe martha my dear…or happiness is a warm gun…)

17. blaze of glory, bon jovi (see reasoning behind # 6)

18. what a wonderful world, louis armstrong: never fails to remind me of home, and now, dancing with my dad at my wedding – both of which simultaneously make me want to smile and cry

19. ne me quitte pas, nina simone: no idea what she’s saying, but listening to this on my ipod makes me feel like i should be wearing a trench coat in paris, walking around in some noir film where it is always raining but i am never wet and perpetually smoking one of those skinny cigarettes, trying to find my long lost love who ends up being the private detective that i hired…a feeling i don’t mind experiencing over and over into eternity

20. bohemian rhapsody, queen: wayne’s world aside (and i’ve actually never seen that movie, anyway) this must be one of the most fun songs on earth to sing in the car (or airport, on the metro, in the store, wherever), and i have choreographed an amazing performance to accompany the song. you should be so lucky as to be stuck in a car with me when that song comes on the radio.

21. 25 or 6 to 4, chicago: the freakin horns in this song are enough to carry me through the end of time, no problem

22. sultans of swing, dire straits: cause it’s an effing great song

23. walking in memphis, marc cohn: because i am cool enough to cruise around in the car with the windows down and this song blaring on the radio

24. something, the beatles: this song clearly was not written for me (actually, it was written by george harrison about patti boyd), but even that does not stop me from listening over and over and over…and wishing that someday, someone actually will write a song like that about me

25. higher love, steve winwood: just because niki knew i would

now, i’m not saying this is ALL I WOULD EVER LISTEN TO. i’m just saying these are 25 of possibly more songs i could listen to from here on out. don’t judge me. although, i guess the entire point of exercises like this is that you will.