I turn 40 next week. Shelby asked me to come up with a playlist for my party. Here it is. Don’t laugh.
I Wanna Hold Your Hand— The Beatles: it’s the 1st song I remember loving. Once, at the hotel, Top, Sandy, George, me and some other people circled the fireplace holding hands and singing and dancing to this song on the radio. Pure joy.
Lots of U2—but all of Joshua Tree: it created me.
Prince—Purple Rain: he taught me lust.
The Police — Synchronicity: it was my first vinyl purchase.
Tom Petty—my constant
Bob Dylan: for my life of alone that I learned in Italy.
Erin McKeown: for Shelby, Tallahassee and healing after heartbreak.
David Bowie: it’s Bowie.
Depeche Mode—for Karen’s car, tinted windows, high school & a friendship of youth and a lifetime. Long roads ahead.
Pink Floyd’s “Mother”: for Duncan and all that he is and so much that I know.
Buddy Holly: he’s what Dad sings to me. He would pull my ears and sing “Hey Little Girl”. I think he did it to make my ears long like his. That and Hank Williams, Sr.
Patsy Cline: For Joyce Walden and instant coffee and cigarettes.
Soundtrack to Pretty in Pink
The Stones— their old stuff. I bought their greatest hits and that double disk was the first CD I bought. I was with the Odom guy and I think somehow he was disappointed in me.
Cowboy Junkies–Trinity Session: Dad introduced me to this by walking into a record store in NYC and asking a guy “what would my teenage daughter like?” and he handed dad that CD. Smart guy.
Jane’s Addiction—XXX: Best segue into a song ever incorporates “Jane Says” and “Sympathy For the Devil”. Awesome.
The Pixies: no explanation needed.
Willie Nelson–especially the Padgett theme song “On The Road Again”
Brown-Eyed Girl—It’s my birthday.
Librarian Song by My Morning Jacket — it’s about a sexy librarian.
Wilco, REM, so many others I can’t think of for Lori.
Avett Brothers, Gorillaz, Lucinda Williams, Fleetwood Mac, “Stuck in the Middle W/ You”, Journey and Queen (for Dee), Random Rod Stewart (it’s my secret pleasure), Bob Marley (at least Redemption Song), Nirvana (really like the acoustic), REM (I know I mentioned them, but they deserve another mention and if “Night Swimming” isn’t on there then you don’t know me.
Random 80s: “I Melt With You”, etc. And there are a lot of versions of “Satellite of Love” but I love Frank Black. And Mendy should really help with this part.
Some Jimi Hendrix and The Doors and of course Janis— I remember wanting to be her when I was little and looking at my dads old album of Pearl.
Mazzy Star . . .
Actually, there’s no end. All the bits of memory come with some kind of soundtrack. Traffic, crickets — even now the air is blowing, my neighbor upstairs creaks in their bed and the beat goes on. Even future has a song.
Hello 40.