The soundtrack of my drive to work this morning, with commentary:
“Mr. Blue Sky,” Electric Light Orchestra, Out of the Blue
(An all-time favorite of mine, and a great alarm-clock wake-up song)
“Gypsy,” Suzanne Vega, Best of Suzanne Vega: Tried and True
(Another all-time favorite, and not just because it shares a name with my dog; I enjoy the story and love the melody)
“Cool,” Gwen Stefani, Love, Angel, Music, Baby
(I’m pretty sure this one has autobiographical elements for Gwen. The subject matter – still being friends with your ex – makes me think of myself and First Husband, in our better moments)
“I Will Be Grateful for This Day,” Bright Eyes, Noise Floor
(This was part of a free sampler download for KCRW members last year, and it totally sounds like a KCRW selection; good instrumentation, not-so-hot voice, semi-downer lyrics. Coming soon to an indie-movie soundtrack near you, if it hasn’t already happened.)
“Take a Chance on Me,” Erasure, Pop!
(One of my favorite ABBA songs – which means that yes, I admit to having more than one! – in a dance-pop cover)
“Better Be Home Soon,” Crowded House, Recurring Dream: The Best of Crowded House
“Driftwood,” Travis, Sounds Eclectic version (originally from The Man Who)
“Up the Junction,” Squeeze, Greatest Hits
(The three preceding selections help me maintain my faith in pop songcraft.)
“Here Comes The Sun,” The Beatles, Abbey Road
(This is remarkable, showing up in the same set as “Mr. Blue Sky” – two songs that never fail to make me smile, and are on my “all-time Happy Music” list.)
“Mexico,” Jimmy Buffett, Barometer Soup
(James Taylor gets the Coral Reefer Band treatment. Jimmy’s always a great way to lead into the weekend. I particularly enjoy his trademark ramblings over the fade-out on this track.)
Happy Friday!
