30 Day Song Challenge By tastyjules 

"Even the Losers" - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1979)

The summer after 8th grade, I went to Israel and Italy with my Poppy Ivan, Nanny Lu and cousin Noah. It was the first time I’ve left country. Needless to say, walking down Ben Yehuda Street and seeing soldiers with machine guns was quite jarring. Poppy reassured me that they were there for our safety. I have a photo somewhere of me with one of the (hot) soldiers.

Anyway, I brought my Discman and a few discs with me on our trip. I listened to Tom Petty’s Greatest Hits on repeat. Although Tom Petty is true Americana, to me, he reminds me of my trip to Israel.

Especially "Even the Losers." Perhaps because it’s lesser known (and played) than "Learning to Fly" or "Running Down a Dream

"What Difference a Day Makes" - Dinah Washington (1959)

This song distinctly reminds me of the day I found out that I was accepted — and would be attending — Princeton.

I had applied to 7 or 8 colleges and had heard from all of them, except for Princeton. I really really really wanted to go to Brown — I had applied early, got deferred, then wait listed. At the time, my top choices were Wesleyan and the honors program at University of Michigan, both of which I was excited about. I genuinely had no expectations whatsoever about Princeton. Unless you’ve cured cancer or created some language or are the son/daughter of someone rich/famous (and I know some cases where that doesn’t cut it), I don’t think anyone can say they "nailed it" when they applied. Mind you, these are the days before online applications and before Princeton took the Common App. (I’m not THAT old, but applying in 1998 for the class of 2002 was a different time. It was pre-Friendster!)

Anyway, I lived in an apartment building, and my mom had asked the doorman to call up as soon as the mail was delivered. It was Saturday. My dad went downstairs to get it and my mom reminded him to check the 2nd mailbox that the mail people sometimes used. I remember my dad coming upstairs and yelling "It’s a big envelope!"

"Shut up Dad…so mean."

"No really! It is!" As he walked in the room and held up the envelope, I knew it couldn’t be any answer other than "YES!" which is exactly what was written on the admissions letter.

I couldn’t believe it. My parents couldn’t believe it. I cried. They called everyone. My dad went down the street to get a bottle of Perrier Jouet and was gushing to the liquor store guy. I remember driving to pick up my younger brother later that day at a Bar Mitzvah, then going out to dinner to celebrate.

Not only was it a momentous occasion for me, but it’s also one of the last times I remember my parents being truly happy together before they got divorced.

Any time I’m stressing about something or waiting for something to happen, my mom always reminds me that you never know what 24 little hours can bring.

"Let It Be" - The Beatles (1970)

"Let It Be". The Beatles. John Lennon. Peace, love, harmony. Exactly the kind of message that should be sent to the world on a day like today.

I’m cheesy, I know. But it’s true.

(Written on the day Obama announced bin Laden's death).

"Bonafied Lovin’" - Chromeo (2008)

I heard Chromeo for the first time at Coachella 2011. This Montreal-based duo (an Arab and Jew, no less) put out the most fun set of the festival by far. I dare you to try not dancing to this track.

"I Fall in Love Too Easily" - Keith Jarrett (2000)

Generally, music doesn’t make me fall asleep. However, planes — especially right after takeoff — do make me fall asleep. I have a jazz playlist that I listen to when I’m flying that helps me relax. My dad is a jazz pianist (not professionally, but he could be), so I have lots of Keith Jarrett. Here’s Jarrett’s "I Fall In Love Too Easily" from Standards Vol. 2.

"Great Gig in the Sky" - Pink Floyd (1973)

I wouldn’t say that I have a favorite band. I’m so bad at playing those "Island" games where you have to pick the five songs/albums/movies you’d bring with to a deserted island. I like too many things, can be indecisive and easily influenced by my current mood.

That said, Pink Floyd would have to be included. I’ve seen Roger Waters live four times (3 times for Dark Side of the Moon tour, once for The Wall — Dark Side was WAY cooler). So maybe the Floyd is my favorite band. Discovering and exploring yourself through music is the whole point of this challenge, right?

"Wish You Were Here," "Comfortably Numb," "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," "Another Brick in the Wall" are rightfully some of the Floyd’s best known songs. I really can’t pick a favorite, though I think "Animals" is their unsung best album.

And if you haven’t watched Dark Side of the Moon with the Wizard of Oz, I highly recommend the experience. Some of the synchronicity with images/beats/lyrics are uncanny. Yes, Nick Mason said it wasn’t intentional, and I believe him. (See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Side_of_the_Rainbow). It’s just once of those phenomenal pop culture coincidences that should be seen. Here are the instructions on how to snyc it:

www.everwonder.com/david/wizardofoz/

Side note: my boyfriend from college actually burned a disc of Dark Side with Wizard of Oz — perfectly synched — so we wouldn’t have to f*tz around with it. I have it somewhere.

I’m going with "The Great Gig in the Sky" for my choice today, if only because the female vocals are unbelievable. And during Wizard of Oz, this song comes on during the tornado scene. (Great gig in the sky. Get it?)

Enjoy!

"Like a G6" - Far East Movement (2010)

Sorry, Far East Movement - I don’t like you at all. I get that you’re all about showing that Asians can rap and do hip hop and all, which is cool. What isn’t cool is you’re completely monotonous, annoying rap and hip hop. "Let’s get drunk at da club and fly on a G6" etc etc. Original? Fun? Cool? Don’t think so. I’ll change the station, thanks very much.

"7 Days" - Craig David (2001)

A good portion of my iTunes collection is comprised of guilty pleasures. Two of my favorite stations on SiriusXM Radio are the 80s and 90s, so I have plenty to choose from. Britney Spears? Kenny Loggins? American Idol Season 4? Baby Face? 3T? So many good choices!

I’m going back to college and picking Craig David’s "7 Days." I studied abroad in London and he was HUGE in Europe. I saw him live in Philadelphia. He’s so hot.

""Look At Me Now"" - Chris Brown (2011)

I’m not the biggest fan of mainstream rap and hip hop these days (see Day 12), and I’m even less of a fan of men who are rightfully accused of beating women and then having a resurgence in their career and then breaking s**t on a morning TV show. Which is why today’s song — "Look At Me Now" by Chris Brown — is an unlikely choice for me. I’m totally in this song, especially Busta’s rap. I downloaded Brown’s "Deuces" as a single. And paid for it.

You’re welcome, Breezy.

"The Logical Song" - Supertramp (1979)

This vague description for a song was quite annoying. To me, any song that I like or don’t like describes me in some way. But I’m probably just overthinking it. So I’m going with Supertramp’s "The Logical Song" as a song that describes me. While I may be emotional at times, I’m hardly ever illogical. I took the "logical" path, working to be logical, dependable. I realize that this song may be about following a "structured" path that takes creative and artistic people away from their magical view of the world, but I think it’s possible to be creative and artistic within a logical world.

Call me sensible.

"I Gotta Feeling" - Black Eyed Peas (2009)

Let me clarify that I NEVER LOVED the Black Eyed Peas’ "I Gotta Feeling," but when it first came out I thought it was super fun and catchy. I found myself singing "woo hoo!" a lot. Then, as it came on the radio again, and again, and again, and again, I found myself immediately turning it off as soon as I heard the first few notes. Ugh.

Please let me never listen to this song — or anything else by the Black Eyed Peas — in its entirety again.

"Rolling in the Deep" - Adele (2011)

Thankfully I have satellite radio in my car.

Thankfully the pop stations I listen to carefully curate top 20 lists of other radio stations.

Thankfully I hear Adele’s "Rolling in the Deep" often on these stations.

Thankfully I love Adele and am glad that she’s getting so much radio play.

Thankfully she broke up with this jerk:

www.popeater.com/2011/05/11/adele-ex-boyfriend/

"Hey Mr. DJ" - Zhane (1994)

What ever happened to Zhane? I feel this gorgeous female hip hop duo never got their due. They’re AWESOME. Even almost 20 years later their album "Pronounced Jah-Nay" gets regular play in my iTunes collection.

I commence the Zhane resurrection movement.

"Where the Streets Have No Name" - U2 (1987)

To pick a song off a favorite album is no small task, especially since my tastes range wildly. It’s difficult to pick a single album from some artists (see: The Beatles and Frank Sinatra) since their canon is so deep. Some of my favorite albums include (in alphabetical order by artist):

Aretha Franklin, "30 Greatest Hits"

Beach Boys, "Sounds of Summer"

Any Beatles album, with particular fondness for "Rubber Soul"

Bob Seger, "Greatest Hits"

Broken Social Scene, "Forgiveness Rock Record"

Counting Crows, "August and Everything After" (I’m not embarrassed or shy about this)

Dave Matthews Band, "Crash"

George Harrison, "All Things Must Past"

Grateful Dead, "The Best of Skeletons from the Closet"

Indigo Girls, "1200 Curfews"

Justin Timberlake, "F*turesex/Lovesounds"

LCD Soundsystem, "Sound of Silver"

Led Zeppelin, "The Song Remains the Same"

Madonna, "The Immaculate Collection"

Michael Jackson, "Thriller"

Miles Davis, "Kind of Blue"

The National, "High Violet"

Pearl Jam, "Ten"

Pink Floyd, "Animals" and "Dark Side of the Moon"

Prince, "The Hits/B-Sides" and "Sign O’ The Times" and "Purple Rain"

Radiohead, "The Bends"

Ray Charles, "Genius! The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection"

Rolling Stones, "Exile on Main Street"

Simon & Garfunkel, "Bridge Over Troubled Water"

Steely Dan, "Showbiz Kids"

Stevie Wonder, "The Definitive Collection"

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, "Greatest Hits"

U2, "Joshua Tree" and "Achtung Baby"

Van Morrison, "Astral Weeks"

Warpaint, "The Fool"

The xx, "xx"

And I’m still leaving out so many (Ella Fitzgerald, John Fogerty…)

I’ve already picked a Pink Floyd song and I feel that picking a song off a "Greatest Hits" album isn’t fair.

So I’m going with a U2’s "Where the Streets Have No Name". While I don’t listen to "Joshua Tree" often, it’s an album that I’ve always loved and will continue to love.

Song begins at the 2:45 mark.

"Knives Out" - Radiohead (2001)

I don't like to listen to music when I'm angry, since songs that I usually love tend to annoy or piss me off. If anything I try to find music that will calm me down.

But if I had to listen to music while wanting to bite off everyone's head, Radiohead is perfect multipurpose, multi-mood music: for relaxing, for dancing, for romance, for deep thought, for background.

"Knives Out" from Radiohead's "Amnesiac" will do just fine for my angry mood and to help calm me. Thanks Thom Yorke!

"Chain of Fools," Aretha Franklin (1967)

Sexy, sultry, awesome. All hail the Queen of Soul.

"The Promise," Tracy Chapman (1995)

I listened to this song (and Tracy Chapman) quite a bit in high school. Her genuine voice of loss and longing always touched me. I rarely listen to this song because it makes me so sad.

"I Get A Kick Out of You," Frank Sinatra version (1953)

Written by Cole Porter for Anything Goes, "I Get a Kick Out of You" is a great love song. I better get a kick out of whoever I marry.

Sinatra’s "The Way You Look Tonight" is a close runner up.

"That’s Life," Frank Sinatra (1966)

I want my funeral to be a meaningful celebration rather than a sad affair. When it’s over, it’s over. I’ve already used Frank Sinatra choice for a song I want to plat at my wedding (although technically it's a Cole Porter song), but he’s perfect for a funeral too. He’d be pleased, I’m sure.

Some other fun ideas are:

"Hit the Road Jack," Ray Charles

"All Things Must Pass," George Harrison

"Someone To Watch Over Me," Frank Sinatra

"Come Fly With Me," Frank Sinatra

"There Will Never Be Another You," Tony Bennett

"Put It In Your Mouth," Akinyele (1996)

Best song about oral sex ever. Instructive too. Loves it!

"Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber (1986)

I took piano lessons from about 4 years old through 10th grade, when I decided that playing on the bench of the high school basketball team was cooler than piano. I was so terrible that I even finish the basketball season. But I was good at piano. I could play almost the entire Phantom songbook.

I thought about putting Chop Sticks here too.

"Cocaine," Eric Clapton (Cream), (1976)

Any song could fit here: something on the trumpet by Louis Armstrong, guitar by Bruce Springsteen or Led Zeppelin, bass guitar by Roger Waters, drums by Phil Collins.

I don’t think it’s farfetched that I could learn the basic chords of "Cocaine". Seems like a song that would be impressive ("Wow! So cool you know how to play that!") and be a party hit all at the same time.

"Baby," Justin Bieber (2010)

I don’t know what the difference is between a song that makes you feel and a guilty pleasure, but yes, I guess I feel guilty that I like Justin Bieber. I saw "Never Say Never" twice — once in the theater, once on a plane. It was my decision to see it in the theater because the choice was between that or something that I knew I would hate, like a crappy fantasy movie or unfunny comedy. There were girls screaming in the theater. It was cute. I watched it on the plane because I was bored, but I still enjoyed it.

"The Sign," Ace of Base (1994)

This song has a particular place in my heart because it was the inspiration for a song we created as part of Color War at my summer camp, Forest Acres in Fryeburg, Maine. I was 13 going on 14 when this song came out. The five summers I spent at Forest Acres were probably the most formative of my life. I was on the Tan team (it was Tan vs. Green — we never lost when I was there, but I think we tied once) and we had to write songs for The Sing, which was by far the biggest, most important event of Color War. I wish I had my song book so I could copy the lyrics we wrote to this Swedish pop tune, because they were awesome and touted the Tan team’s virtuous, winning qualities.

"VCR," the xx (2010)

I gather this means the song I was listening to the most at this time last year, rather than my all time favorite song as of the spring/early summer of 2010.

So, at this time last year I was listening to my favorite bands from Coachella 2010. I was simply blown away by the xx. Definitely one of the best sets of the weekend.

Other contenders for this category:

LCD Soundsystem, "All My Friends" (I already used a LCD Soundsystem song, so according to my made up rules, this doesn’t count).

Jay-Z, "99 Problems"

Phoenix, "Lisztomania"

Passion Pit, "Smile Upon Me"

Sia, "Breathe Me"

Miike Snow, "Silvia"

I’m sad I didn’t see Gil Scott-Heron (RIP).

This concludes my 30 Day Song Challenge. It’s been real. I highly recommend taking the time to do it!