Easy Listening

I've recently emerged from a music rut.
You know what I mean?  Like when all music starts to feel old and played out?  Sometimes it happens with food too -- nothing sounds good (except chocolate, let's be real.)
It was Paul Simon who helped me out of my rut.  I've found there is always another Paul Simon song to discover.  This time it was Slip Sliding Away, which I'd forgotten existed.

My musical whiz of a husband makes playlists with me on my beloved music app Rhapsody.  If you don't have Rhapsody and you're still dinking around on Spotify, YouTube or heaven help me Pandora then you are on the wrong App. http://www.rhapsody.com/  (Dear rhapsody, pay me money.  I stunt for you all the time.)

It costs a little bit of money.  I think it's less than $10 a month, can't remember.  But Hush and I use the same account and we have saved playlists from the last few years.  The way the playlists are generated is just by whatever we happen to be listening to that month, so if I go back to June of 2013 I am transported by songs into memories.  The lists ideally tie together, but lots of times they're just songs we are into that month or that we want the kids to know.  Or it's what we've Shazam'd.  Or a song we'd forgotten that needs to be part of our lives again.


June 2013:
Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard
Abandoned Love -- Bob Dylan
Situation -- Yaz
White Lines -- Grandmaster Flash
Jesus was Way Cool -- King Missle
Teenage Dirtbag -- Wheatus
Gimme Shelter -- Rolling Stones
Begin the Beguine -- Artie Shaw
You Got the Silver -- Rolling Stones
Domino -- Van Morrison
Baba O'Riley -- The Who
When the Music's Over -- Doors
Patience -- GnR
Don't Fear the Reaper -- Blue Oyster Cult
Champagne and Reefer -- Muddy Waters
Hurt -- NIN
The Beautiful People -- Marilyn Manson
The Man Who Sold the World -- Nirvana
Debaser -- Pixies
The Black Jack White -- Spirit Animal
Crazy Baby -- Joan Osborne
Carry that Weight -- Paul McCartney
212 -- Azealia Banks
The Final Countdown -- Europe
Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth -- Primitive Radio Gods
Christiansands -- Tricky
My Name is Trouble -- Keren Ann

Last month Hush hit me with this mix which included covers by people I like more than the original bands.

The Scientist -- Willie Nelson
Satellite of Love -- (Betty) Lou Reed
Mary Ann with the Shakey Hand -- Petra Haden
Mozambique -- Bob Dylan
Bang the Drum all Day -- Todd Rundgren
Eminence Front -- The Who
Go Down Gamblin' -- Blood, Sweat, Tears
One Toke Over the Line -- Brewer & Shipley
Low Rider -- WAR
Riptide -- Vance Joy
Other Side -- Family Portrait
Don't Sweat the Technique
All Night Dinner -- Modest Mouse
Stuck in the Middle With You -- Stealers Wheel

Our musical taste is very similar with Hush (and Mimi) tending more toward country influences like Johnny Cash and Classic Rock like David Bowie and Queen.  There's a pretty sweet playlist they made around the time Lou was born including Golden Years and Way Down Yonder in the Minor Key by Billy Bragg/Wilco.  If you don't know that song you should.  Jude and I prefer the harder rocking songs like Green Day and Beastie Boys.  Silas just likes The Final Countdown.  I feel a moral responsibility to my children to provide them with a vast and thorough musical education. It cracks me up when their friends are around and they demand to rock out to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons like it's a favorite amongs the kindergarten crowd.  Well, it should be.  And sometimes they come to me asking for a Nickle Bag of Funk from Digable Planets.

Right now I'm putting together "Shameless Pop Songs that are Just Great Songs"  and these have to meet both mine and Hush's satisfaction to be on the list.  Right now the list has:
Jessie J -- Bang Bang
Britney -- Toxic
Katy Perry -- Roar
Timber -- Kesha/Pitbull

Got any idea of other songs that need to be on there?  Anything garnishes a listen and we're fairly accepting.  I have even gotten sucked into a Jonas Brother's version of Poor Unfortunate Souls.

This month it's all about Mr. Paul Simon in all his many varieties for me.  Sometimes you just need to go back to the classics.
But that doesn't mean that some completely weird song will suck both of us in as the witching hours approach.  And on those days you get a little something like this:

Just Me Myself And I.  My favorite line is the end when Hush says, "That has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever done."