It was recently brought to my attention that I like "bad music." Huh? Are you kidding? When I walk the harsh streets of Chicago, I hear True by Spandau Ballet, I walk in time with Gangsta's Paradise by the legendary Coolio, and I have to refrain from singing along to Everybody Wants You by Billy Squier. What the hell are you other people listening to? Whatever it is, I'm probably not interested.

 

I 'd be willing to be that I am the only person my age that would be super jazzed to attend a Rush concert. Seriously, though, I would go in a heartbeat with bells on...and copious amounts of denim. Don't get me wrong Mama Cass (That's my iPod's name) is chock full o' goodness from today. I listened to the Shins when folks freaked out about them a few years ago. But I can't help it that my favorite songs of all time are the following: Watching the Wheels and Just Like Starting Over by John Lennon, Dancing With Myself by Billy Idol, and Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House. This is just how I roll.

 

Perhaps I am an old soul and, therefore, set in my ways. Keep in mind though, my parents were very young when they had me--not ancient and lame like your parents. So, the music they listened to while I was a kid, was pretty flippin cool at the time. Todd and Gina were hip. I was the coolest kid in town.

 

Just for kicks, I'm going to put my iPod on shuffle. I'm not even going to be embarrassed about it either. This makes me a very cool person.

 

1- Love Is Like Oxygen by Sweet--So poignant, so true. "You get too much, you get too high. Not enough and you're gonna die." Come on! Who hasn't felt like that? The first 17 seconds are pure, enigmatic, dramatics, then there's the guitar riff, which gets you pumped as all get out. Then...those vocals, and whoever said, "I hate it when my rocking vocalists harmonize"? No one. That's who. And if you've said it just now...I shake my head in shame at you. I'm loving it. I'm loving it right now! But, it is time to move on to...

 

2-  Heart and Soul by T'Pau-- One of the many songs that stayed stuck in my head during my ballet classes. I didn't hear this song at The Dance Academy, I heard it in the car on the way over. That monotone verses accompanied with the wailing, kickass chorus. Talk about 80's chicks at their finest! It'll stay stuck in my head all day now, and I'm not mad at it at all. Ah...I just hit the bridge! Hold on..."But love would never compromise...now this is the POLITICS OF LIFE, YEAH!" Oh, man! Are you pumped yet? Geez? Let's all put on pink leg warmers and plie together.

 

3- Ohio is for Lovers by Hawthorne Heights---prime example of a song I've never listened to but is in my iPod because I stole it from my "cool" friend's iTunes. Next.

 

4-  When I Get You Alone by Thicke-- Yeah, Alan Thicke of Growing Pains had a son and he makes you wanna dance. Thicke (before he was called by his full name, Robin Thicke) sampled a song that was already a sample. Follow me? Walter Murphy's A Fifth of Beethoven which was sampled from...you guessed it Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Who would have guessed that Ludwig would make us all want to get down in three separate eras of music? That dude was totally kickass. And then you have Alan Thicke's son singing about sex toys. It's a good time. I'm telling you! Listen to it and I dare you to not move.

 

5- Doll Parts by Hole-- Yeah, um, I was in middle school in the 90's and I wore a bit of flannel. This is my own, personal nostalgia. In no way, shape, or form do I find Courtney Love cool. I repeat: Courtney Love is NOT cool. When I think of all the "bad music" that I know, this is what comes to mind. Spandau Ballet still rocks the house.

 

6--  Better by Regina Spektor-- I can get behind this woman. She's brilliant. I don't care if I've just resigned myself to being associated with hipsters who spend their afternoons working on their screenplays in Starbucks. Regina Spektor's voice is amazing.

 

7--  Space is the Place by Spacehog-- You may all remember a little ditty called "In the Meantime" played constantly on alternative radio in 1995 (or was it 96?), but I was in love with their whole album. I saw them live too. And I lusted after them. They had the full package and it was superbly awesome. If it wasn't bad enough that I had to envy Liv Tyler for being gorgeous AND for being in Lord of the Rings, she had to up and marry one of these blokes. It's okay. They're separated or divorced now. He's probably a jerk, and this is not one of their better songs. Listen to "In the Meantime" or "Starside". That'll do ya. 
 

 

8--Dukes of Hazzard theme song-- Who doesn't like this? I also have the themes to The Jeffersons, DuckTales, Laverne and Shirley, and California Dreams.

 

9- Livin' Thing by ELO-- I don't even need to explain this to you. If you don't understand why a person with a heart and soul loves everything ELO ever recorded, then you may as well be dead to me.

 

10- Joey by Concrete Blonde--HELL YES!  What's not to like? So much emotion and passion in this song. She's really hurt by Joey's antics. She loves him, and if it weren't for all that pesky substance abuse, they may have a future together. Oh, Joey...hoooonney...

 

11--   World Turning by Fleetwood Mac--It's by Fleetwood Mac. Enough said.

 

12-- Swallowed by Bush-- (Please refer to song number 5 on the list).

 

13--  Here I Am (Just When I Thought I was Over You) by Air Supply-- Air Supply is sooooo cheesy, but I think their voices are good. I really do. And you love them! Don't try and deny it. This is another primo example of my iPod taking a turn toward Lamesville. And it was totally done intentionally.

 

14-- Laverne and Shirley! See! I told you it was in there.

 

15--Green-Eyed Lady by Sugarloaf--Horrendous. Partly because it reminds me of a show in college that starred my crush and soon-to-be psuedo-boyfriend who ended up being a huge waste of space. But I still like dancing to it.

 

I'm stopping there. I'm surprised no Journey or Chicago popped up. Or even Magic by America. All of those are totally up in the mix. So there it is, my musical "badness" the stuff that made me the coolest kid on the block (to my parents' friends, at least) and kept me at an arm's length from most of my peers. I like it though. I probably shouldn't enjoy half the "crap" I throw into iTunes every week, but who says? My playlist, my business. I'm not hurting anyone. You're still cooler than me, if that's what you want to believe.

 

Though, by thinking you're cool, you're really quite uncool, and you're the one that has to be you when you wake up tomorrow. I still get to be me.

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