The Soundtrack of Your Life

Via http://peopletoo.ru/index.html

I think about music almost as much as I listen to it. I concoct top ten lists in my head, I create themed playlists based on the tone of songs, moods, and lyrics, and I even think about how I can best describe my tastes in detail.

Along these lines, NPR recently posted a story about a project and story from The Guardian (a UK publication) called "Six Songs of Me." This project asks readers to pick six songs based on six criteria with the idea that the lists may somehow collectively begin to reveal why people feel strongly tethered to music. You can fill out the questionnaire here (I never finished because I couldn't find one of the songs and I can't decide about another yet), but the questions are as follows:

1. What was the first song you ever bought?
2. What song always gets you dancing?
3. What song takes you back to your childhood?
4. What is your perfect love song?
5. What song would you want at your funeral?
6. What is a song that makes you you?

I will spend more time thinking about my responses, and some of my responses may change, but here's what I came up with.

1. "Martha My Dear" by The Beatles
I have a very specific memory of going out to purchase my first CD around the age of 12. I was stressed out about it because I, of course, had very limited funds, so I wanted to get he most bang for my buck. I also remember thinking that I wanted to own all of The Beatles' albums, so I started with the White Album because it had the song with my name in it. (What? I was 12.) This wasn't the first music I ever owned (I had Care Bears record and a Michael Jackson cassette for sure), but it is the first music I purchased for myself. Funnily enough, I still don't own all of The Beatles' albums.

2. "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
As soon as the twangy, funky guitar comes in at about the 10 second mark, I've gots to move.

3. "The Washington Post" by John Philip Sousa
My dad had a Boston Pops record of Sousa marches that he would often crank up on Saturday mornings to blast us out of our beds. Somehow I don't ever remember feeling grumpy about this, instead I associate it with fun dad time.

4. "The Story" by Brandi Carlile
I don't know if this is my "perfect" love song, but I surely love it, and sometimes it gives me chills.

5. "Home" by Bonnie Raitt
This probably isn't my final decision. In fact I've started a playlist dedicated to this question. Since I will be dead at my funeral and won't care what happens there, picking a funeral song feels unimportant in many ways, but at the same time it's a nice contemplative exercise. There's lots of directions you can go for a funeral song: funny, sad, life descriptive, spiritual, hopeful, or simply something beautiful. Other songs in the running at the moment are "Red River Valley" by Riders in the Sky, "I Am Weary" by The Cox Family, "Duettino-Sull’aria" from The Marriage of Figaro (it's about zephyrs and anticipated joy), and the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing."

6. I have no clue. My first inclination was "Spooky" by Classics IV (or Dusty Springfield), but it's hard to commit when one song is supposed to basically represent you. It's a tongue in cheek choice, which certainly suits me, but I'm still not sure. I almost feel as though someone else should pick a song that represents me. Suggestions are welcome, but may be rejected without impunity. (I've already rejected the joke of "Super Freak" by Rick James, so don't even bother.)

Even though I still can't respond to comments, I would LOVE to see what's on part or all of your lists. Are there any questions you would add to this list?