Singing my way to work

This means nothing other than me thinking about what I already know I like.  Every once in a while, I play a fun game while driving with the “random” music that plays through my iPhone.  I try to see if I can deal with what it thinks I deserve hearing.  To be fair, it wouldn’t be on my iPhone if it were unlistenable (to me) in the first place.  That said, I’m sure, if you play the same game; that there are times when the wrong song comes on and you just need to forward out of it…which then results in “nexting” for 5 minutes until you land on something you really feel like listening to.  As my commute is over 45 minutes, I thought I’d share the list of songs that turned up on this morning’s drive as a case-study of what I consider worthy to bless my iPhone.

Sultans of Swing, Dire Straits

I’m a huge fan of Mark Knopfler ever since, when hearing that Weird “Al” was going to parody “Money for Nothing” he insisted in reprising his guitar work along with Straits synthesizer master Guy Fletcher.  Plus, this song references creole music.  It’s a fun listen and a good story from great lyrics, and it makes my brother-in-law Jesse giggle.  As I’ll be seeing him soon, this will certainly get a re-listen.

Battle for Endor II, John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra

Uh, yeah, so we do Star Wars in my house.  It’s an illness that I have that I can pretty much recreate the scene based on the background music playing.  It’s a telling statement that Williams’ music is as much a character in movies he scores as any of the actors by the fact that when Jude isn’t humming Star Wars, he’s humming Harry Potter or Superman.  In this track, we find our heroes on the far moon of Endor trying to disable the shield generator complete with speeder bike chase in Return of the Jedi.  Duh. 

Stand, REM

Is there a song that Weird “Al” can’t parody?  With a catchy beat and uplifting lyrics this song was extremely popular back in the day…almost to the point of overplaying by the local radio stations.  OK, it was definitely overplayed which is why “Al” was able to jump on the music and bring us “Spam.”  REM, you lob them up, and he’ll hit them down.

A Go Go, Medeski, Scofield, Martin and Wood

I always liked MMW.  Maybe I’m oversimplifying, but they bridge the gap between the instrumental jam-band scene, prog rock and avant garde jazz.  Sometimes they are way out there.  When you add John Scofield to the mix, the music becomes more beholden to the melody.  Scofield has an unmistakable sound as the pedals he uses borders on a “toy piano” vibe for his guitar.  This is the title track of their live album of the same name that was released in 1998.  

Silver Lining, Rilo Kiley

I was originally drawn to Rilo Kiley by their lead vocalist, Jenny Lewis.  I don’t remember where I first heard her, but I bought her solo album “Rabbit Fur Coat” before I realized that she was part of a larger ensemble.  This track is from the band’s 2007 release “Under the Blacklight,” and due to the more collaborative effort, is less wordy than her solo albums.  Also, she’s a really hot red-head.  I guess I have a type.  (Yes, the same Jenny Lewis as the child actress from Silver Spoons.)

Delirious, Prince

I think many of us posthumously loaded up heavily on the Prince when he passed.  I knew I had the album, but hadn’t moved it to my phone until the man was gone.  That said, the lyrics and music hold up.  However, like many of his hits from the 1980s, I don’t think the instrumentation holds up well.  Far too many silly synthesizers squealing on this track…which I, for the most part, like, but feel it needs to be updated.  Dude held on to his music rights with an iron grip.  Now that he’s dead, maybe someone will record a tribute album.

Death of a Clown, The Kinks

Ironically, what spurred my interest in the Kinks was the fact that “Picture Book” was used in a very smart HP Printer commercial, back in the day.  This track comes from their album “Something Else” which is probably their album I listen to most.  For 1968, it’s fairly progressive in lyrics and mood of the traditionally inspired rock music.  That said, the rest of the album is fun and has some of my favorite Kink’s songs including “Harry Rag,” “Lazy Old Sun,” and “Afternoon Tea.”  Silly, and simply effective.

Star Man, David Bowie

Similar to Prince, Bowie has seen a resurgence on my iPhone due to his early departure from this Earth.  However, unlike Prince, I’ve been a huge Bowie fan for a while now.  A true musical chameleon, Bowie was able to actively produce relevant music from 1967-2016.  Me, I’m partial to the 1970’s Bowie which includes everything from “Heroes” to “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars” where this track is obviously from.  Consistent through the entire album, “Star Man” talks mostly about an alien bringing salvation to Earth’s youth, told from the perspective of Ziggy.  The music is a slow-paced “pop” song with a strong mix of acoustic guitar and string arrangements.  All in all, it works.  If you want to get more into Bowie, this is a fine place to start.

And then I got to work.  Strangely absent from this mix were works by either the Grateful Dead or Phish, which I’m sure take up almost half of the space on my phone.  As I’m scheduled to see iterations of both groups, I’m sure this trip was my phone telling me that “it’s time to take a break of things we know you love, and remind you of the things you may have forgotten.”  Well played, phone…well played.