Tag Archives: iPod

My iPod Has Issues – Part 5

14 Jun

Once again, it’s time to look into the psyche of my iPod. For those who don’t know, my iPod has split personalities. Sometimes it’s a punk rocker. Sometimes it’s a 50s crooner. Other times it sings the blues. Sometimes it plays songs that are known universally. Other times it plays songs so obscure that people wonder how they worked their way onto the list.

In short, it drives everyone crazy except me. In the past, I have shared some of the song titles to see if they drive you guys crazy, too. Here’s how this works. I put the iPod on random and list the first 20 songs that pop up. Afterwards, maybe you can play Sigmund Freud and help diagnose my iPod’s issues.Sigmund Freud

“Diga Diga Do” by The Mills Brothers

“Jackie Wilson Said” by Van Morrison

“The Wanderer” by Dion

“Rave On” by Buddy Holly and the Crickets

“It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry” by Bob Dylan

“Peaceful Easy Feeling” by The Eagles

“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” by The Propellerheads

“Same Old Lang Syne” by Dan Fogelberg

“Look to Your Orb for the Warning” by Monster Magnet

“What Do You Want From Me?” by Pink Floyd

“Also Sprach Zarathustra” by Deodato

“Carefree Highway” by Gordon Lightfoot

“Honey” by Bobby Goldsboro

“Monty Got a Raw Deal” by R.E.M.

“Maybellene” by Chuck Berry

“Mama Feel Good” by Lyn Collins

“Lost Again” by Yello

“Du Hast” by Rammstein

“Spanish Key” by Miles Davis

“The Sunset” by Ennio Morricone

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My iPod Has Issues – Rainy Day

22 Apr

Friday night, I went to a country concert with Necole and her mom. I am not sure what I was expecting, but it was the best country music concert that I have seen in a long time. Will Hoge opened for Gary Allan at the Ryman Auditorium, the Mother Church of country music. As one of the guys said, this was the room that made the music industry in Nashville.Ryman Auditorium

The Ryman is one of my favorite places, but this post is not about that. It’s about two performers, neither of which I had ever heard of, who restored my faith in country music. There was an entire concert with no songs about tractors, tailgates, back roads or any other southern stereotype that most people in this nation can’t relate to. These songs had depth and sophistication. They were filled with hope and despair. In short, they were what country music used to be and what is should continue to be.

Country music is filled with guys who sing about growing up on a farm when they probably grew up in some suburb. The performers I saw were true to themselves. Of course, the “fake redneck” brigade plays to sold out arenas, and these guys were in a small venue. I reckon that says something.

I liked most of the songs, but the last one by Gary Allan stood out to me. Songs About Rain is about a man driving around with heartache. The love of his life has married someone else, and his radio is playing nothing but songs about rain.

The song hit me because that is what a country song is supposed to be about.

It also hit me that there really are a bunch of songs about rain, and my mind started working. Why is that? It could be that rain depresses people, so it provides the appropriate feel for a sad song. It could also be that rain is an easy word to rhyme. Pain. Train. Plane. The word works on different levels.

Then, I started thinking about the songs on my iPod that are about rain. It is filled with them. There are songs about rain in different genres and from a wide variety of artists. Like other entries in the “My iPod Has Issues” series, I have put my iPod on shuffle to see what kind of rain songs come out.

“November Rain” by Guns N’ Roses – This one may have the greatest video ever.

“Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” by Willie Nelson – Now, this is a country song.

“Looking for a Rainbow” by Chris Rea – Not many people have heard of him, but he is one of my favorites.

“Crying in the Rain” by Whitesnake – It’s a little different from Willie’s song.

“Rainy Night in Georgia” by Tony Joe White – Georgia says they need water. Maybe this song will help.

“Rain” by the Beatles – This is not my favorite song about rain.

“Rainy Day People” by Gordon Lightfoot – He is one of Canada’s greatest exports.

“She’s a Rainbow” by the Rolling Stones – This one is better that the British Invasion one above.

“Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” by B.J. Thomas – They say it was my favorite song as a little kid.

“Purple Rain” by Prince – He ended his concert with this when I saw him.

“I Wish It Would Rain Down” by Phil Collins – I used to listen to this during every state of depression.

“Kentucky Rain” by Elvis Presley – No list is complete without an Elvis song.

“Early Morning Rain” by Elvis Presley – To prove the previous point, here is another one.

“Rainy Day Women #12 & #35” by Bob Dylan – I’m not sure what it has to do with rain.

“Rainbow Stew” by Merle Haggard – Now, here is a happy rain song.

“Just Walkin’ in the Rain” by the Prisonaires – This song has a sad true story behind it.

“Fire and Rain” by James Taylor – I have always found this song haunting.

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My iPod Has Issues – The Top 25

10 Dec

iPod’s have all kinds of lists, and one of them is the “Top 25 Most Played”. This could mean a few things. These are the ones that I like the best and tend to play over and over. Or, some of them are dialogue samples that are really short (which have been omitted and made the Top 25 more like the Top 19). Or, these entries have offered payola to the iPod shuffler to get more airtime.

If payola can get Alan Freed, then it can get anybody.

If payola can get Alan Freed, then it can get anybody.

Either way, here is the “Top 25 Most Played” on my iPod.

“Way Down Under” by Charles Bernstein

“Across 110th Street” by Bobby Womack

“For a Little While” by Bobby Goldsboro

“Father Ramirez” by Ennio Morricone

“Arriving in Deadwood” by Michael Brook

“Numb” by Linkin Park

“Alone Again” by Dokken

“A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum

“Ballad of Gator McCluskey” by Jerry Reed

“Running Like the Wind” by The Marshall Tucker Band

“New Dawn Fades” by Moby

“Sons and Daughters” by The Neville Brothers

“Take You Back” by Valentine

“Anvil of Grom” by Basil Poledouris

“Wasted Time” by The Eagles

“Early Morning Rain” by Elvis Presley

“Still…You Turn Me On” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer

“Ecstasy of Gold” by Ennio Morricone

“In My Life” by Jose Feliciano

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My iPod Has Issues – Heaven Help Us

24 Aug

I have publish several posts about the deeper meaning of the music on my iPod. The first, second and third were examinations of the overall playlist. The other was a more nuanced study of the “What’s In a Name?” playlist. A quick review of those posts will show that my iPod is bipolar, OCD and a little schizophrenic.

Tonight, I have decided to shuffle the “For God’s Sake” playlist and see what pops up. This grouping contains selections with religious titles or themes. I find these types of songs interesting, especially the old spirituals. This is surprising because of my lack of spirituality. Religious folks will say that I like these songs because I have an internal need to connect with a supreme being. I think I like them because, well, I like them.

Here is a sampling of my heavenly collection.

It’s weird that people correlate gold with heaven when you can’t take it with you.

1. “Knockin’ On Heavens Door” by Guns n’ Roses

2. “God and Man” by Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee

3. “Body and Soul” by Diana Krall

4. “Save a Prayer” by Duran Duran

5. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2

6. “Judgement Day” by Whitesnake

7. “Heaven and Hell” by Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter

8. “My Sweet Lord” by George Harrison

9. “This Train” by Sister Rosetta Tharpe

10. “Superstar” by Ben Vereen and Marc Pressel

11. “Old Rugged Cross” by John Prine and Mac Wiseman

12. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” by The Fairfield Four

13. “Hallelujah” by Sweathog

14. “Chapel of Love” by The Dixie Cups

15. “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin

16. “The Man Comes Around” by Johnny Cash

17. “Backwoods Preacher Man” by Tony Joe White

18. “Amazing Grace” by The Beeston Pipe Band

19. “Who’s to Bless and Who’s to Blame” by Kris Kristofferson

20. “Angel Eyes” by Scott Hamilton

We will now pass the plate before offering the benediction.

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My iPod Has Issues – The Name Game

16 Jul

It’s been a while since I delved into the psyche of my iPod. For those who don’t know, my iPod has no direction and is misunderstood by a lot of people. It is filled with music from different genres and time periods. It has been told that it contains nothing less than 20 years old. I’m not sure that is true, but it definitely has an old soul. Most people who listen to my iPod have a difficult time understanding how such a collection could have come together in the first place.

This blog is littered with posts about my iPod, and you can psychoanalyze it yourself here, here, and here. In these couch sessions, I simply hit shuffle and list the songs that pop up. Indeed, it is a wide variety, but I still can’t see why people say “can we please listen to something else?” when my iPod is trying to entertain them.

In this post, I am looking at my iPod from an altered perspective by focusing on one of its playlists. This one is called “What’s In a Name?” and contains selections that have the names of people in their titles. Clever, huh? So, a dosey-doe and here we go.

1. “All About Clovis Ledbetter” by Jerry Clower

2. “Rocky’s Reward” by Bill Conti

3. “Rhiannon” by Stevie Nicks

4. “Sheena is a Punk Rocker” by The Ramones

5. “Ziggy Stardust” by David Bowie

6. “William, It Was Really Nothing” by The Smiths

7. “Jack & Coke” by Lynda Kay

8. “Truck Turner” by Isaac Hayes

9. “Bennie and the Jets” by Elton John

10. “Sonny Got Caught in the Moonlight” by Robbie Robertson

11. “Jack & Diana” by John Mellencamp

12. “Willie, Waylon and Me” by David Allan Coe

13. “Marriage of Dale and Ming” by Queen

14. “Death of Floyd Collins” by John Prine and Mac Wiseman

15. “Jolene” by Dolly Parton

16. “Father Ramirez” by Ennio Morricone

17. “Ruby Tuesday” by The Rolling Stones

18. “The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde” by Merle Haggard

19. “Caroline No” by The Beach Boys

20. “The Ballad of Jed Clampett” by Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs & The Foggy Mountain Boys

I really don’t think my iPod is all that strange.

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My iPod Has Issues (Well, maybe it’s me.)

10 Dec

When people listen to my iPod, they immediately make strange faces and want to know why I would listen to something like that. I reply that I have eclectic musical tastes and that I believe that makes me a well-rounded person. They look at me like I’m some kind of idiot, but they can’t help but explore its deep recesses. That’s when I am usually told that they would rather just listen to the radio.

I understand that I am weird when it comes to music. I am part OCD and part schizophrenic. For example, I bought “Rolling Stone: 500 Greatest Songs of All Time” and became obsessed with having each song on my iPod. I don’t necessarily agree with the list, and it seems a little self-serving. After all, “Like a ROLLING STONE” by Bob Dylan is #1. “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction” by The ROLLING STONES is #2. There is no way that two songs that include the name of the magazine should rank as the top two. Surely, there are tunes more deserving that include the names of another magazine.

Despite my disagreement with the list, I simply had to put the songs on my iPod. I already had a bunch, but I am currently on #445, “I Wanna Be Your Dog” by The Stooges. I figured it was financially prudent to download them slowly, so it has taken a while to get through it. This means that I have a lot of songs that I don’t particularly like, but I am learning some cool info and expanding my musical palette.

Therefore, while my tastes are schizophrenic the 500 Project causes the list to be more eclectic than it would naturally be. When I explain that nobody understands. In fact, they think downloading all of those songs is totally off the wall. Unfortunately, putting the iPod on random often proves them correct. Let’s try it and see. I will randomize the iPod and list the first 20 songs it plays.

1. “I Walk the Line” by Johnny Cash

2. “The Boxer” by Simon and Garfunkel

3. “Wild Night” by Van Morrison

4. “Setting Sun” by The Chemical Brothers

5. “Get Back” by The Beatles

6. “Theme from Truck Turner” by Isaac Hayes

7. “When Doves Cry” by Prince

8. “Wonderful Remark” by Van Morrison

9. “Walk Away Renee” by The Left Banke

10. “Dancing With Myself” by Billy Idol

11. “Blow On ‘Em Baby” by Stacy Mitchhart

12. “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart” by Elton John and Kiki Dee

13. “Streets of Bakersfield” by Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens

14. “River Deep, Mountain High” by Ike and Tina Turner

15. “Sugar Vols – 1985” by John Ward

16. “Star Trek Theme” by Alexander Courage

17. “The Final Countdown” by Europe

18. “Josephine” by Snooks Eaglin

19. “Osborne Interview (The History of Rocky Top)” by The Osborne Brothers

20. “Welcome to My World” by Jim Reeves

So, there is a small sampling of the 2,809 songs on my iPod. That 20 would force my girlfriend to jump out of my moving car.

In an attempt to get away from the randomness of it all, my musical guests limit their exposure by surfing my playlists. Their attitudes don’t get much better. My playlists are titled:

1. For God’s Sake – a list of religious themed songs (weird since I don’t believe in God. That is another subject for another post.)

2. Gridiron – a list of football based music and dialogue

3. Laugh Track – a list of comedy routines

4. Location Location Location – a list of songs with place names in their titles

5. Metal Shop – a list of hard rock and metal songs

6. Print The Legend – a list of songs from western movies or with western themes

7. Psyche Out – a list of songs that just sound weird

8. Something Wicked – a list of songs about Satan, Hell or anything in connection with them

9. Soul Train – a list of soul songs

10. Tennessee – a list of songs about my home state (You would be surprised how many there are.)

11. What’s In A Name? – a list of songs with a person’s name in the title

See. that’s pretty OCD and schizophrenic at the same time. What does your iPod sound like? Does it belong in the mental ward too?

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