Personal Playlist Zone

Hi there.

Man with eclectic music taste speaking (I also fancy myself a karaoker; and neither Rockband 4 nor my MP3 Player have dropped their job performance to tell me, rather rudely, to "stick to my day job." Rude people think they're being clever by saying those exact words; and word people stink. [Wails out {Take On Me/Joy To the World/She Drives Me Crazy/Don't Take the Girl/Bringing on the Heartbreak/etc.}]).

Anyway, "journey" with me as I explore my favorite artists and SOME of their better songs. "Tommy and Gina" won't mind being on the journey. Please, if you recognize an artist or song, feel free to imagine singing along. Grab some friends for some car seat karaoke; maybe even "4 who wanna hold ya, 2 who stone ya, and 1 willing to still call themselves a friend of yours." (TW: "Singing along for too long may be Def-ening.")

Here we go:

EAGLES- PEACEFUL EASY FEELING

Music appreciation for me STARTED with The Eagles (as in, I liked most of their radio catalog).

I never much cared for all but three songs each from "The Beatles," "Rolling Stones," or "Pink Floyd;" and I'd be hardpressed to appreciate more than ONE song from Led Zepplin.

The Eagles, on the other hand, can always get me screeching along.

The problem here was narrowing this down to ONE song; ONE song that could have been "Take It Easy," "Desperado," "Best of my Love," "Take it to the Limit," "Hotel California," "Life in the Fast Lane," "Hole in the World," etc.

For some reason "I get a peaceful easy feeling" out of "Peaceful Easy Feeling" lately and it can make the Playlist to sub for ALL of the Eagles greats...

BOSTON- MORE THAN A FEELING

Again, THIS could be a handful of "Boston" songs (As far as those nauseating "Bands-Named-After-Places," BOSTON of all bands might be the best).

"More Than a Feeling" makes the list for its great guitar lick before each chorus; and for the fact that I can replace "Marianne" with the name of any high-class woman who ever turned me down for a guy closer to her own class...

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN- MY HOMETOWN/BRILLIANT DISGUISE.

There's no denying it; "Born in the U.S.A." is 95% a PERFECT, UNSKIPPABLE album (apologies to the creepy, cringey drek that was "I'm on Fire." Seriously, somehow, "Hey, little girl, is your daddy home?" and "...At night I wake up with my sheets soaking wet..." was marketed as radio-FRIENDLY).

But I'm losing track.

Save for "...Fire," "Born in the U.S.A." could have been PERFECT; and it left me with a lot of decisions to make between "Cover Me," "Darlington County," "Bobby Jean," "Working on the Highway," "Dancing in the Dark," and, the eventual pick, "My Hometown." ('Cause, darn it, South Haven is a great little hometown. Beside, "Born in the U.S.A" itself was ALSO out of contention, if only because that earworm is, to this day as the album approaches 39 years old, played WAY too often).

By the way, 1984 ("Born's..." release) was ALSO my birth year; my mom had this cassette, and, once I got a hold of it, I'm the one who could have easily worn it out; so a contender from the album is necessary.

Enter "My Hometown;" which I will sing along with such fervent emotion that, eventually, my tear ducts will "spring a leak."

...As for "Brilliant Disguise," that and "Tougher Than the Rest" were my favorite tracks off of "Tunnel of Love;" a tape that, tragically, DID suffer an incurable fate in the tape deck whilst in my presence.

Thank goodness for C.D.s; and digital MP3s.

DIRE STRAITS- "MONEY FOR NOTHING"

"Brothers in Arms" was an amazing album.

"Money For Nothing" simply wasn't a natural FIT for said album.

"Money For Nothing" (as I called it in my young, pre-reading years, "The MTV Song") was, however, a natural fit for MTV (gee, I wonder WHY...) and, to me, the music video was high-art. (By the way, I was probably 3 or 4 when I saw this video all of the time. By then it was '87/'88 and "Money For Nothing" as a radio hit and accompanying video was anywhere between 2 and 3 years old itself. THAT is staying power!)

By the way, this particular song ALSO cemented ITS legacy on my personal playlist because (you guessed it), the mean old tape deck destroyed (this time, my dad's copy of) "Brothers in Arms" whilst I was present to see it happen...

FINE YOUNG CANNIBALS- "SHE DRIVES ME CRAZY."

This time, I was 5 and I thought THIS looked like an AMAZING video and catchy song (thanks to YouTube, I know how poorly the video aged. The song, however, remains just as infectious).

...As for the poor "Raw and the Cooked" cassette and how "She Drives Me Crazy" REMAINS on the list, well...let's just say that I tended to overly-enjoy my music in the same way that I overly enjoyed my favorite cartoon VHSs until such a time that I had to say good-bye to them...

TOM PETTY- "I WON'T BACK DOWN."

...If I wasn't borrowing mom's copy of Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." or Huey Lewis's "Sports," it was Petty's "Full Moon Fever."

How to pick ONE song from, again, a NEARLY perfect album like "Full Moon Fever?"

(Hint: "Dancing at the Zombie Zoo" was the outlier that dinged THIS album out of an otherwise worthy 100% perfect status. Easily removed from contention).

"Free Falling," "Love is a Long, Long Road," "The Apartment Song," and "Yer So Bad" were all great tracks; "I Won't Back Down" is EPIC!

To this day, I'm not always as respected or taken as seriously as I'd like to be. I still have hopes/plans/dreams/ambitions to pursue! It may seem that I'm "trapped" here but I am going to proceed to pursue and I will WIN one day!

In a world that keeps on pushing me around, I will STAND my ground;

and I won't back down!

(P.S.: THEN, I was introduced to "The Waiting...," "Don't Come Around Here No More," "Refugee," "American Girl," "Break Down," and "Even the Losers." GREAT songs all; but "I Won't Back Down" still takes it).

JOURNEY-FAITHFULLY

GREATEST Ballad of ALL time! #DontBotherEvenTryingToChangeMyMindYourArgumentisNullandVoid

REO SPEEDWAGON- CAN'T FIGHT THIS FEELING/KEEP ON LOVING YOU

...Need I repeat the same tired anecdote of THIS cassette once I got my little hands on it and heard "REO..." for the first time? I mean, THAT story is getting as worn out as...well, an overplayed tape...

Anyhoo, the piano instrumental to "Can't Fight This Feeling" is still one of those musical stings that I imagine playing whenever my desired woman du jour enters the room.

VAN (...HAGAR-BY-NOW?)- LOVE WALKS IN

...The OTHER instrumental sting that I consistently place with the arrival of the latest girl-who's-a-friend-though-I-desire-more-as-privately-as-I-can.

HUEY LEWIS- DO YOU BELIEVE IN LOVE?/HEART AND SOUL/WALKING ON A THIN LINE/IF THIS IS IT.../HAPPY TO BE STUCK WITH YOU/IT'S ALRIGHT

...Sometimes, you just get tired of picking ONE (and, despite my love for "Sports" as an album when I was little, "The Heart of Rock n' Roll" barely misses contention; and I was NEVER a fan of, oh say, "The Power of Love"...)

"Not being able to choose" brings me to...

RANDY TRAVIS- I TOLD YOU SO/FOREVER AND EVER, AMEN/SOMEWHERE IN MY BROKEN HEART/HARD-ROCK BOTTOM OF OUR HEARTS/HE WALKED ON WATER.

Anyway...

GEORGE STRAIT-OCEAN FRONT PROPERTY/ALL MY EXES LIVE IN TEXAS.

DEF LEPPARD-PHOTOGRAPH/HYSTERIA/BRINGIN ON THE HEARTBREAK

"...Excuse me as I practically BREAK the volume button to crank the (radio/tape deck/computer speakers) up loud enough fast enough; if it's any consolation to your ears, the radio may even drown ME out!"

If I must pick, then I'm a sucker for a good power ballad and "...Heartbreak" it is. Besides, it's the only Def Leppard track that I ever attempted, and subsequently butchered, at karaoke...

TIM MCGRAW- "DON'T TAKE THE GIRL."

I might not be the best at singing the first two verses/choruses of "Don't Take The Girl" and even I'll admit it.

That said, one does not simply SING the third verse; he weeps it as "Jonny" must say his goodbye to his devoted wife and the mother of his newborn.

GARTH BROOKS-FRIENDS IN LOW PLACES/CALLING BATON ROUGE...

Blame it ALL on my ROOTS; I showed up in BOOTS

and ruined...

...Karaoke night; on two separate occasions...

COLLIN RAYE- ONE BOY, ONE GIRL/LITTLE ROCK

I think I was 10 around the time that "One Boy, One Girl" was getting popular. Let's just say that I was a lad whose sensitive side was never well buried.

...Which brings me to the fact that I think I was 32 when I first discovered "Little Rock."

Both beautiful ballads that belong here...

BRYAN WHITE- "SOMEONE ELSE'S STAR"

Story of my life then; story of my life today...

SAMMY KERSHAW-VIDALIA

For my history of hearing Sammy over the radio, I almost picked "She Don't Know She's Beautiful," "Meant to Be," or (my personal historic favorite) "Politics, Religion, and Her."

...This one I finally first REALLY listened to maybe a couple of weeks ago; and it distinctly fits with what my mind and heart are constantly going through because of (you guessed it again) a girl...

This brings us to...

BACKSTREET-AS LONG AS YOU LOVE ME/I WANT IT THAT WAY

7th and 8th Grade ('97-'98/...'99).

Two seperate talent shows and my buddy and I pretending to be a two-part ensemble "harmonizing" to music meant for five.

Did I mention that I connected late 90's pop to the sensation of my desiring to pursue a certain female classmate (while, consequently, memorizing late 90's pop to not only pursue the young lady of my fancy whilst convincing her and her other scintillating gal pals that I LIKED girls).

Hey, at 14 and 15 years of age with my head and heart in pursuit of a pretty, popular girl, I wasn't thinking especially clearly...

N'SYNC- TEARIN UP MY HEART

...I did it; I was off to my first school dance with my unrequited crush du jour.

Her "reward" for her and her friends: To be snuck out of the cafeteria and into the gym for my performance-buddy and I to split "Tearin' Up My Heart."

My buddy covered the first verse; I did the second and...out came the voice of an animated rodent (NOT named Kent Brindley, NOR "Justin Timberlake")

PUBERTY; NOW???

(No; come to find out later that, when I perform in public, if I don't concentrate, my singing voice STILL climbs about two octaves higher than I think I naturally sound).

CHRIS LANE/GRYFFIN-HOLD YOU TONIGHT

...This time, I'm not imagining the music.

My favorite waitress (at the time) at my favorite waterfront bar played this song ALL OF THE TIME around two summers ago when it was really popular.

After a while, it just made me think of her. Still kind of does...

KEITH URBAN- YOU'LL THINK OF ME

...Well, I don't know about my ever manifesting her thinking very highly of me; but as with time (and brand-new crushes to desire) healing all wounds, well, I'm ready to only think of "Hold-You-Tonight-Bar-Beauty" as a great friend who I rarely see, even during the Summer season; nothing more.

JUST KIDDING *ALSO* KEITH URBAN- TONIGHT I WANNA CRY/STUPID BOY

...WANT to cry; accidentally will anyway; what's the difference? Just thinking about... (you guessed it again) and, well into my adulthood, well...excuse me; my eyes have a strange leak; and my voice a strange quiver...

SURVIVOR- BURNING HEART/DOKKEN-DREAM WARRIORS/JOHN PARR-ST. ELMO'S FIRE/BON JOVI-YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME/LIVING ON A PRAYER

My FitBit/Jogging tracks. Also double as "great" for karaoke.

Anyway, thanks for listening (and, admit it, for singing along) and reminiscing with me here. Crank up some music and make some memories...

https://music.amazon.com/user-playlists/bac69396ba324b1b91620e98e0c24e8bsune?ref=dm_sh_f398-4c6d-96aa-ea5b-c9888