so this conversation evolved into, “ok, so if you were stranded on a deserted island and could make just ONE CD to bring, what songs would be on there?” the only self-imposed rules to this assignment were: 1) just one song per band or artist and 2) it had to fit on an audio CD (1.2 hours.)
in looking at it now, i had forgotten how detailed it was and how much work i put into it. the front and back covers are albums/songs/bands that i wanted to represent that didn't make it to the cd. then the first inside gatefold is a little tia-personality-via-aquarian-stereotype-background info. then the next gatefold is why i like music so much, and how i narrowed down the songs. then all of THAT opens up to this HUGE poster, where i explained why these particular tracks made it to the island... lord. i think i spent about a week writing it, then i met mark in his office one sunday so we could put it all together.
my friends and i joke about the fact that emotionally, i’ve pretty much always lived in a castle... one out in the middle of nowhere, drawbridge up, guards on duty, fire-breathing dragons...ok, ok, so it’s not that bad. (see? how aquarian of me. instead of immediately pouring my soul into this intro, i have to sidetrack you first.)
honestly, it’s a very safe place to reside, but i don’t always want to be “safe.” because feeling one way, yet presenting something entirely different, gets to be exhausting after a while. but sometimes crossing the gap between the castle and the outside world seems far too wide to think about, let alone attempt. so i guess it’s no surprise then that music has always been such a huge part of my life, and very often fills that void. it’s been my link, my release, and many times, my escape.
in some ways it’s more interesting to note what i left off of this cd rather than what i’ve put on it. i’ve obviously veered away from the ‘extremes’ of my moods: metallica (wretched day at work, angry stage of break up.) the smiths (wallowing endlessly in dark and cavernous mind space.) dj manny lehman (circuit world, the ultimate escape.)
so these had to be more than just favorites. they had to be songs you could listen to over and over, yet still love and/or relate to as much as you did that very first time. (and i’m pretty confident that limp bizkit’s “break stuff” is not one of those songs.)
(don’t fear) the reaper/blue oyster cult
i didn’t discover this song until fairly recently. i was too young when it was first released, and was never a big fan of 70’s rock in general. then a few years ago, i heard a cover version as the credits were rolling over the end of a movie. wow. right then and there it vaulted straight to the top of my list.
sympathy/goo goo dolls
i can completely relate to anything that johnny reznick writes; after eight or so albums it’s obvious that he and i live in the same conflicted state of mind. i love the simplicity of this song, but ultimately chose it because i feel like i could have written it. because i could hand these lyrics to someone i’ve known for ten years or ten minutes and say, “here, this is me. totally. thanks for coming to the castle."
i will follow/u2
1981. KROQ just went on the air, and when i tuned in that old-school dial to 106.7, this was the first song i heard. loved the song, loved the band, loved the station. this is also the same year that MTV launched, and both turned out to be a huge influence on my taste in music for many years.
heaven must be missing an angel/tavares
in my late twenties, my friend stephanie and i would go to the diamond club every saturday night, drink far too many vodka cranberries, and dance to disco music until 3am. hearing this song reminds me of one of my very best friends, and very best years, of my life.
good/better than ezra
funny that i put these songs next to each other, because on the rare saturday nights that we weren’t at the diamond club, steph and i were at dragonfly, a small bar/club way on the outskirts of hollywood. we usually only broke routine and went there because better than ezra was performing, back when they were just a struggling band from new orleans.
crackin’ rosie/neil diamond
my mom loooved this album, and i used to BEG her to play this song first. then we’d sing along at the top of our lungs, while dancing around in our oh-so-70’s living room, complete with navy blue shag carpet. (you know, the kind you had to rake instead of vacuum.) in fact, i can still belt this tune out and sound just like neil! but admittedly only when i’m surrounded by the safety and privacy of my car stereo.
alex chilton/the replacements
nothing truly deep and meaningful to say about this one, but it obviously made it to ‘the island’ for a reason.
reptile/the church
a completely intoxicating, beautiful, and mesmerizing song. the cd overall wasn’t very interesting (nor was the band for that matter) but this track is eternal.
sky high/jigsaw
this is one of those songs that you secretly love, but always forget about because you rarely ever hear it. and if/when you finally do, you’re usually around other people so you have to act cool and pretend like you’re not really listening. so when this song came on the radio recently, i was thankfully and finally alone. sweeeeet! which of course made me want to sing along, but since i haven’t heard it enough to do so, this resulted in the standard making up and/or ‘guessing-the-lyrics-as-you-go-along’ thing. (always very comical.) so this whole faux-singing episode resulted in me now being desperate to find out who the artist was, which was immediately followed by insane amounts of research to discover that it was… “jigsaw? WHO?!? how is it possible that i have NEVER ONCE heard of this band? are they from, like, iceland or something?”
reap the wild wind/ultravox
in high school, sneaking out of my house to go dancing on a school night was a pretty common occurrence. but don’t even ask me how we danced to songs like this, though i vaguely recall a lot of lip-synching and acting out the lyrics, a very popular “dance move” at the time. yikes.
just in time/tony bennett
love him.
spiderwebs/no doubt
gwen, gwen, gwen… i definitely want to be her in my next life. i absolutely love her voice; it’s beautiful, but has just enough of an edge. she’s feminine, but still totally kicks ass. obviously she’s gorgeous, but she’s not some generic by-product of the OC. and lyrically she’s an open book, but when she gets up on stage to perform, you forget all about her vulnerability and how deeply personal it is. she’s the coolest chick, ever.
rain in the summertime/the alarm
if you simply asked me, “do you like this song? what does it mean to you?” my answer would be “yes, and i have absolutely no idea.” however, when i hear it, instantly i feel as if i’m lying on my bed after high school, probably in one of my “moods”, when all i could deal with was writing in my diary and listening to KROQ. then this song would come on and make me really happy. for about five minutes.
livin’ on a prayer/bon jovi
i used to have a life-size poster of jon bon jovi in my bedroom. he was leaning against a brick wall in an alley, one foot up, big teased hair, ripped jeans and oh that smile … ok, stop laughing! i obviously wasn’t the only girl that thought he was hot. but hey, at least i actually liked his music too. i’ve seen them in concert six or seven times, but am always extra geeked out when they play this song.
but not tonight/depeche mode
this song almost makes me want to put down the drawbridge for good. almost.
on with the show/motley crue
i was clearly absorbed by KROQ music and silly dance songs up until late 1984, which is when i moved in with my dad, his wife, and her 14 year-old son, bill. bill was a total stoner, a royal pain in the ass, and a huge fan of “the crue.” he’d play this tape endlessly until it drove me insane, but apparently i was subliminally being brainwashed at the same time. because next thing you knew, soft cell was out and motley crue was in. my favorite band. lord. it was like jumping off of a cliff.
in between days/the cure
ok, at this point it’s obvious that i have a few common denominators going on: 1980-something? check. melodic and semi-depressing lyrics? check. lead singer who is either hot and/or has big hair and/or wears make up? check.
don’t change/inxs
oh brother. “please see notes on previous track”? how lame is that!?!?
the zephyr song/red hot chili peppers
when you’ve liked a band for 25 years, it’s exceptionally difficult to narrow it down to just one song, especially when that band created a new genre of music that was a fusion of so many others before it. but ultimately i chose this one because i think it best embodies the evolution of their style, even though truly i’m a fan of the old school chili peppers, when their albums sounded like demo-tapes.
moon river/henry mancini
remember when mr. big was about to move to napa, and he and carrie were slow dancing to this song in his empty apartment? sniff sniff. wait, i never cry. how did that happen!? maybe it was too much chardonnay. or maybe it’s because i don’t know if this song makes me utterly happy or completely depressed. either way, i love how dreamy the music is. also, anything that can get that deep into the castle is quite impressive, isn’t it?
