We signed up for the iTunes Match service a decade ago. All the genres I had accumulated over the decades were now available to play in the latest lossless codec. With a new phone with lots of storage and 5G connectivity, I decided earlier this year to run through the whole library while I was in the car.
It has taken a while but thanks to the handy "next" and "previous" buttons on the steering wheel and Bluetooth connectivity I have navigated the whole collection. When I hit something I liked, the previous button got used multiple times. Below is what I remember of those that qualified for repeated runs - in alphabetic title order with some commentary.
Big revelation - I had forgotten how much stuff my kids had bought on my account. Most of that got the "next" treatment:) In fairness they did introduce me to Mumford & Sons, Outkast and Justin Timberlake (way back to his NSYNC boy band days).
Were there patterns in the selection below? I am sure an algorithm could reverse engineer this list but many involve trains and time on the water - reflecting my life constantly on the move. Several are featured in movies I enjoyed. And many involve an unusual instrument like a sitar or a banjo.
Angie, Rolling Stones
There is plenty of speculation that Keith Richards is immortal. I credit Angie, whoever she is, for some of his durability.
Ashes to Ashes, David Bowie
I didn't particularly care for Space Oddity where Major Tom was introduced, but took to him right away in this one.
Bailamos, Enrique Iglesias
I know this is supposed to get you on the dance floor, but remember I was driving:) Ricky Martin, J-Lo and others were hugely popular in Florida in the late 90s as Latino music crossed over, but to me this tune still stands out
Blinded by the Light, Manfred Mann
Bruce Springsteen recorded the original version, but the Manfred Mann version a few years later was much more popular. The lyrics have a colorful history - especially the confusion between deuce and douche. Google for that if you are curious.
Blue Skies, Willie Nelson
I heard plenty of Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and other country during my time in Texas, but particularly love this celebration of the cowboy life.
Mr. Bojangles, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Jerry Jeff Walker deserves original credit. He said "Bojangle's a little bit of several people I met for only moments of a passing life. He's all those I met once and will never see again and will never forget." I just happen to like the Nitty Gritty version.
Brandy, Looking Glass
Ah, the loneliness of the nomadic life on the seas
Brown eyed girl, Van Morrison
I used to sing this to my daughter, Rita when she was a year old and she would coo back from her car seat.
City of New Orleans, Arlo Guthrie
"And the sons of engineers
Ride their father's magic carpets made of steel."
Steve Goodman's lyrics have been covered by others including Willie Nelson, but I particularly like the Arlo Guthrie version
Cool Change, Little River Band
"The albatross and the whales, they are my brothers" - great song on the water.
Come Sail Away, Styx
Another water setting, the transition from ballad to strings and chorus and the guesswork - angels or aliens in a spaceship?
Desert Rose, Sting
Even more than Sting's great voice, it is Algerian singer Cheb Mami's lyrics that make it memorable. Always takes me back to a few years I spent in the Middle East.
La Donna e Mobile, Luciano Pavarotti
Factoid - when Verdi's opera, Rigoletto premiered in Venice in 1851 this number was an instant hit and people were heard singing it in the streets the next morning. Talk about going viral without a digital medium. Ask your gondolier in Venice or in Vegas to play it for you!
The Entertainer, Marvin Hamlisch
The Newman/Redford classic movie, The Sting was made even better by the ragtime and other period music including this one
Extreme Ways, Moby
Moby is a staple in Jason Bourne movies and I particularly like the acoustic version.
The Finer Things, Steve Winwood
Good memories of Holland. I spent a few months there in late 80s and for some reason I listened to quite a bit of Steve - "While you see a chance" et al.
Fire Lake, Bob Seger
I like most of what Seger has recorded and especially this. How can you go wrong with this one with backup singers like Glenn Frey, Don Henley and Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles?
Here you come again, Dolly Parton
It's unbelievable how much Dolly has done for music - not just country, but pop, bluegrass, Christian music and for society - through her many charities and her support of Appalachia.
Hey ya, Outkast
To me, Andre 3000 (part of the lead duo) is a creative genius, and I love the irreverence throughout the song. Factoid - Polaroid issued a statement warning, "Shaking or waving can actually damage the image." in response to the famous line in the song.
I will wait, Mumford and Sons
What a combo - the reverence in words like "paint my spirit gold", the rousing banjo and upright bass, and especially the backdrop of playing live at Red Rocks
In the summertime, Mungo Jerry
Warms you up no matter what the season
Kashmir, Led Zeppelin
I love most of Zep's work but Kashmir stands out. Sounds like a dirge, but they invoke so many mythical places like Shangri-la (even though it was written around Morocco and titled Kashmir)... "I'm a traveler of both time and space"
Kentucky Rain, Elvis Presley
A different, sentimental side of Elvis.
Let’s go crazy, Prince
Crazy beat, crazy lyrics... "So when you call up that shrink in Beverly Hills...You know the one, Dr. Everything Will Be Alright"......love it
Light me up, Bronze Radio Return
"If you are feeling good, that's all I need to know"....just such a happy tune
Marche - The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky
Not just for Christmas, I can listen to this anytime, anyplace.
Moonlight feels right, Starbuck
Oh that marimba, but even more that celebration of Southern belles
Morning has broken, Cat Stevens
I spent a couple of years on a project in the 80s in Saudi Arabia and used to hear of Yusuf Islam, the name Cat adopted when he converted to Islam. That lost him countless fans in the West. Didn't bother us - Margaret and I had it played at our wedding in 1990. So much optimism.
Nightshift, Commodores
Nice tribute to soul/R&B singers, Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson
Norwegian Wood, Beatles
George Harrison's sitar does it for me. Even makes up for Lennon's meanness at the end of the song.
On and on, Stephen Bishop
I used to challenge Rita and Tommy when they were tiny to hit the high notes at the end. Our car sounded like we were killing each other... Good times!
On and on and on, ABBA
The band was considered lightweight, but to me they were quite the philosophers. They taught me to ask negative folks "Who are you to talk about impending doom?" It's a great time to be alive, folks.
Peg, Steely Dan
I enjoy most of Steely Dan but this video about the making of Peg shows you how technically fastidious they were
Queenie Eye, Paul McCartney
The title is about a game Paul played when he was a kid but here he has with Johnny Depp, Meryl Streep, Jude Law, Sean Penn, Kate Moss and other big stars at the studio rocking to him live
The Rap, Secret Garden
Norwegian Rolf Lovland of the lead duo with Irish Fionnuala Sherry explained "I originally wrote it as a Norwegian traditional tune in 4/4 time. One night during the recording of the CD in Iceland, I heard the tune in 5/4 time in a dream....The subconscious had been making a successful twist and all of a sudden, The Rap began to swing. We welcomed the Irish influence with the use of whistles, pipes, and drums."
Rhiannon, Fleetwood Mac
I have long been a fan of Mick Fleetwood and Lindsey Buckingham, but Steve Nicks has had a prolific career both solo and many other artists. Her live performances of Rhiannon, an old Welsh witch, were legendary.
Running on empty, Jackson Browne
Celebration of the open road - and the related loneliness. Jackson has such a wide body of work - he has collaborated with the Eagles, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and many other groups
Same Old Lang Syne, Dan Fogelberg
Yes, a holiday staple and a romantic true tale but also about life on the road. I particularly relate to "The audience was heavenly. But the traveling was hell."
Scarborough Fair/Canctile, Simon & Garfunkel
Love the Medieval roots of this classic. Factoid - the herbs mentioned in the song stand for virtues: parsley for comfort, sage for strength, rosemary for love, and thyme for courage.
Sexy, Black Eyed Peas
Cool to see Will.i.am and Sergio Mendes together. Uma Thurman and John "I am from Brooklyn" Travolta took it to another level in Be Cool - see vid below
SexyBack, Justin Timberlake
Always enjoy the energy in Justin's music and dance moves, and Timbaland takes it up a notch.
Seven Bridges Road, Eagles
The band used it as a warm up act to sync harmonies before live acts. Glad someone pressed record.
Sinnerman, Nina Simone
Memorialized by the Pierce Brosnan bowler hat scene in The Thomas Crown Affair
Sloop John B, Beach Boys
Lots of good memories of the Caribbean. One of the best numbers from their Pet Sounds album.
Star Spangled Banner, Whitney Houston
One of the most inspiring renditions of the anthem. Super Bowl 1991 - in my home town, with the backdrop of the patriotism around the Persian Gulf war. Of course, story of my life - I watched it in a hotel lounge in Los Angeles.
Sweet Talkin' Woman, Electric Light Orchestra
I loved ELO's use of cellos and violins. This song always takes me back to a communist era train in E. Europe (somewhere in Slovakia). I had my headphones on and an official was talking to me. I instinctively reached for my passport, and he said "Don't worry, I just wanted to say I love ELO - keep listening'. I started to breathe again.
Take it to the limit, Eagles
Randy Meisner's high notes at the end - which he had a hard time hitting in live performances - stand out. And for me, more of the metaphor of the open road.
Time passages, Al Stewart
"Buy me a ticket on the last train home" and Phil Kenzie's solo sax stand out
Took the last train, David Gates
St. Tropez. A experiment with a "cognac high". Lost in translation. What could possibly go wrong? :)
Up around the bend, Credence Clearwater Revival
John Fogerty's swamp rock is always a pleasure, but the guitar riff makes this even more enjoyable.
Viva la vida, Coldplay
"Be my mirror, my sword and shield". Rousing chorus. Redemption for someone who falls from royalty to sweeping the streets. Very liberating.
Walking on Sunshine, Katrina and the Waves
Pure unadulterated joy...
We are young - Fun, featuring Janelle Monáe
I still laugh thinking about the Spanish version below that Taco Bell ran in the 2013 Super Bowl. Did you know Janelle also played Mary Jackson, NASA's first black female engineer in the movie Hidden Figures?
What you won't do for love, Bobby Caldwell
I was in Vegas for an event and this song came on. I asked a lady on the event staff if she knew the title. She said it was such a happy song but didn't know who sang it. I Googled it and tweeted Bobby Caldwell, saying he had two fans in Vegas. Bobby tweeted back very graciously. Later that day, I saw the events lady and showed her the tweet. Made her smile and made me a bigger fan of the number.
Will the circle be unbroken? Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff, Mother Maybelle Carter, Bruce Hornsby, Emmylou Harris and so many other greats brought together by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band play this American classic - part tearful dirge, part optimistic prayer
You sexy thing, Hot Chocolate
Factoid - almost was number 1 in the UK charts in November 1975, but Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen shot ahead. It has been featured in countless commercials and TV episodes.
Your latest trick, Dire Straits
I can listen to Mark Knopfler on strings all day long, but it is the solo sax here that is mesmerizing. It always takes me to a square in Athens, Greece. A street busker was playing the instrumental and I just stood there in awe. Pretty sure my tip was generous.
Comments