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stormsewerThis playlist was actually completed quite a while ago, but it's only just now that I've gotten around to posting it. Upon trying to make this list, I realized that desire is the engine of pop music. Most pop songs deal with it to some greater or lesser extent, and there are songs about desire that could also easily fit under any of the other Endless playlists. We desire to attain our destiny and to avoid death. "Dream" can be a synonym for desire, and destruction, despair, and delight/delirium are often the results of desire. In fact, now that I think of it, desire is the catalyst for all human action, if not all biological action. Pretty pervasive stuff. It was also a huge pain to pare down; I could make this list 40 songs long without sacrificing the quality. Anyway.
1. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" U2 i have run, i have crawled, i have scaled these city walls only to be with you (Perhaps my favorite U2 song. For me, this song is about God.)
2. "Epic" Faith No More you want it all, but you can't have it (I don't think it would be wrong to say that this song changed my life and that this album warped my fragile eleven year old mind. "What is it?" "It's it!" How Zen.)
3. "Hope That I Get Old Before I Die" They Might Be Giants it's a long, long rope they use to hang you soon, i hope (This one could also easily go under Delirium or Death. A charming little ditty.)
4. "Fell In Love With A Girl" The White Stripes sometimes these feelings can be so misleading (I tried to limit the number of infatuation/lust tracks on here, because Lord knows we've heard that enough times, but I have to include the best examples of the genre. I mean, is it possible to rock any harder than this song rocks? I think not.)
5. "Commissioning A Symphony In C" Cake with money you squeezed from the peasants; to your nephew you can give it as a present (I love, love Cake and their subtle (and not so subtle) metaphors. This is probably my favorite Cake song (I've had dreams about this song) and definitely my favorite Cake album. I suppose it's about the music biz. Incidentally, this reminds me- a few months ago I was watching/listening to the director's commentary on Moulin Rouge, and during the scene where they pitch the play to the Duke they went into a big long spiel about how it was absolutely not a criticism of the film industry and the major studios, or of 20th Century Fox who bankrolled the film. And then at the end, this: "However, if there were such a message in the film, this might be a scene in which you would look for it." Awesome.)
6. "Cheerleader" Deirdre Flint you get to ditch all your old loser friends as soon as you make the squad (Not exactly well-known, but she has a few exceptionally charming songs, of which this is one. The Boob Fairy is lovely, as well.)
7. "Darts of Pleasure" Franz Ferdinand you can feel my lips undress your eyes (This song makes me want to rush out immediately and seduce someone. These guys are great, and you could pretty much just put on this album and you'd have an amazingly good Desire Playlist. I chose this song because I love the lyrics so much.)
8. "Shame" Stabbing Westward i pray for someone to ache for me the way i ache for you (In high school I bought the CD for this song and of course found that it was the only good track on the album. The extreme seriousness with which the lead singer takes himself makes me giggle a little now, but I still enjoy this song. If I were to make a list of my top five stalker songs, this would probably be at the top.)
9. "Paperback Writer" The Beatles i wanna be a paperback writer (I was quite tempted to put "Michelle" here, but in the interest of cutting down on the lust/infatuation songs, I decided to go with this little ditty instead. Really catchy hook. How many other bands have written songs about aspiring novelists? (Well, off the top of my head, Cake and The Decemberists both kind of did.))
10. "Man" Yeah Yeah Yeahs i got a man who makes me wanna kill (I really like this band, and I really like the yowling vocals. She really belts it out on this one.)
11. "Why Can't I Be You?" The Cure you're so perfect, you're just right as rain- you make me hungry again (This song... I dunno. It just gets its message across very effectively. A great deal of the songs on the dance playlist were strong contenders for spots on this list...)
12. "Snake Charmer" Rage Against The Machine sucking on a bottle of that sweet, indulgent fluid: oh greed oh yes oh greed oh yes (This is perhaps the Rage song with the most personal meaning for me. It could have been written about the people I worked for selling home security, the bastards. Actually, in a way I guess it WAS.)
13. "The Art Teacher" Rufus Wainwright he asked us what our favorite work of art was; never could i tell him it was him (I've been listening to this song a lot lately. I can't explain why, but it's just amazing and poignant and beautiful. Has there ever been a better depiction of longing?)
14. "Simple Kind Of Life" No Doubt and all i ever wanted was those simple things (I'm a big, big fan of this song. The lyrics perhaps aren't the most eloquent lines ever penned, but the sincerity and depth of feeling shine through. A lot people see it as one of those taking-feminism-back-fifty-years kind of songs, but the conflict between desire for a career and desire for a family is extremely relevant today, I think. I find this song touching and sad. Obviously such things no longer concern her, since she's gone to the Dark Side.)
15. "Hello, I Love You" The Doors sidewalk crouches at her feet like a dog that begs for something sweet (I don't know if anyone ever did lust songs better than The Doors. Great stuff. I wanted to get some Jimi Hendrix on here, too, but it didn't quite make the cut.)
16. "Ring My Bell" Tori Amos i'll bet you really missed me- i guess you did, by the look in your eye (Originally by Anita Ward. This song really gets my motor running. It really makes me want to ring someone's bell, you might say. There's so much testosterone induced lust songs out there; it's quite refreshing to get the estrogen version. )
17. "Debra" Beck i wanna get with you, and your sister (Unbearably clever lyrics. This song never ceases to make me laugh. Great, great stuff.)
18. "Creep" Radiohead i wish i was special; you're so fucking special (I've talked about this song at some length elsewhere. Great song.)
19. "Higher Love" Depeche Mode i surrender all control to the desire that consumes me whole (If you just read the lyrics to this song, it might seem ecstatic and exultant, but the music adds strong overtones of resignation and regret. I like that. This song reminds me of my state of mind almost exactly seven years ago.)
20. "Closer" Nine Inch Nails i want to fuck you like an animal (You know it. You couldn't possibly make such a list without including this song.)
Alright. Top Five Songs About Desire (which were really hard to choose):
5. Closer
4. The Art Teacher
3. Darts Of Pleasure
2. Creep
1. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
(I seem to like to put my favorite one first on the list, don't I?)
You know, I thought many of the songs on this list were a touch depressing. But next up is Despair.
1. "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" U2 i have run, i have crawled, i have scaled these city walls only to be with you (Perhaps my favorite U2 song. For me, this song is about God.)
2. "Epic" Faith No More you want it all, but you can't have it (I don't think it would be wrong to say that this song changed my life and that this album warped my fragile eleven year old mind. "What is it?" "It's it!" How Zen.)
3. "Hope That I Get Old Before I Die" They Might Be Giants it's a long, long rope they use to hang you soon, i hope (This one could also easily go under Delirium or Death. A charming little ditty.)
4. "Fell In Love With A Girl" The White Stripes sometimes these feelings can be so misleading (I tried to limit the number of infatuation/lust tracks on here, because Lord knows we've heard that enough times, but I have to include the best examples of the genre. I mean, is it possible to rock any harder than this song rocks? I think not.)
5. "Commissioning A Symphony In C" Cake with money you squeezed from the peasants; to your nephew you can give it as a present (I love, love Cake and their subtle (and not so subtle) metaphors. This is probably my favorite Cake song (I've had dreams about this song) and definitely my favorite Cake album. I suppose it's about the music biz. Incidentally, this reminds me- a few months ago I was watching/listening to the director's commentary on Moulin Rouge, and during the scene where they pitch the play to the Duke they went into a big long spiel about how it was absolutely not a criticism of the film industry and the major studios, or of 20th Century Fox who bankrolled the film. And then at the end, this: "However, if there were such a message in the film, this might be a scene in which you would look for it." Awesome.)
6. "Cheerleader" Deirdre Flint you get to ditch all your old loser friends as soon as you make the squad (Not exactly well-known, but she has a few exceptionally charming songs, of which this is one. The Boob Fairy is lovely, as well.)
7. "Darts of Pleasure" Franz Ferdinand you can feel my lips undress your eyes (This song makes me want to rush out immediately and seduce someone. These guys are great, and you could pretty much just put on this album and you'd have an amazingly good Desire Playlist. I chose this song because I love the lyrics so much.)
8. "Shame" Stabbing Westward i pray for someone to ache for me the way i ache for you (In high school I bought the CD for this song and of course found that it was the only good track on the album. The extreme seriousness with which the lead singer takes himself makes me giggle a little now, but I still enjoy this song. If I were to make a list of my top five stalker songs, this would probably be at the top.)
9. "Paperback Writer" The Beatles i wanna be a paperback writer (I was quite tempted to put "Michelle" here, but in the interest of cutting down on the lust/infatuation songs, I decided to go with this little ditty instead. Really catchy hook. How many other bands have written songs about aspiring novelists? (Well, off the top of my head, Cake and The Decemberists both kind of did.))
10. "Man" Yeah Yeah Yeahs i got a man who makes me wanna kill (I really like this band, and I really like the yowling vocals. She really belts it out on this one.)
11. "Why Can't I Be You?" The Cure you're so perfect, you're just right as rain- you make me hungry again (This song... I dunno. It just gets its message across very effectively. A great deal of the songs on the dance playlist were strong contenders for spots on this list...)
12. "Snake Charmer" Rage Against The Machine sucking on a bottle of that sweet, indulgent fluid: oh greed oh yes oh greed oh yes (This is perhaps the Rage song with the most personal meaning for me. It could have been written about the people I worked for selling home security, the bastards. Actually, in a way I guess it WAS.)
13. "The Art Teacher" Rufus Wainwright he asked us what our favorite work of art was; never could i tell him it was him (I've been listening to this song a lot lately. I can't explain why, but it's just amazing and poignant and beautiful. Has there ever been a better depiction of longing?)
14. "Simple Kind Of Life" No Doubt and all i ever wanted was those simple things (I'm a big, big fan of this song. The lyrics perhaps aren't the most eloquent lines ever penned, but the sincerity and depth of feeling shine through. A lot people see it as one of those taking-feminism-back-fifty-years kind of songs, but the conflict between desire for a career and desire for a family is extremely relevant today, I think. I find this song touching and sad. Obviously such things no longer concern her, since she's gone to the Dark Side.)
15. "Hello, I Love You" The Doors sidewalk crouches at her feet like a dog that begs for something sweet (I don't know if anyone ever did lust songs better than The Doors. Great stuff. I wanted to get some Jimi Hendrix on here, too, but it didn't quite make the cut.)
16. "Ring My Bell" Tori Amos i'll bet you really missed me- i guess you did, by the look in your eye (Originally by Anita Ward. This song really gets my motor running. It really makes me want to ring someone's bell, you might say. There's so much testosterone induced lust songs out there; it's quite refreshing to get the estrogen version. )
17. "Debra" Beck i wanna get with you, and your sister (Unbearably clever lyrics. This song never ceases to make me laugh. Great, great stuff.)
18. "Creep" Radiohead i wish i was special; you're so fucking special (I've talked about this song at some length elsewhere. Great song.)
19. "Higher Love" Depeche Mode i surrender all control to the desire that consumes me whole (If you just read the lyrics to this song, it might seem ecstatic and exultant, but the music adds strong overtones of resignation and regret. I like that. This song reminds me of my state of mind almost exactly seven years ago.)
20. "Closer" Nine Inch Nails i want to fuck you like an animal (You know it. You couldn't possibly make such a list without including this song.)
Alright. Top Five Songs About Desire (which were really hard to choose):
5. Closer
4. The Art Teacher
3. Darts Of Pleasure
2. Creep
1. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
(I seem to like to put my favorite one first on the list, don't I?)
You know, I thought many of the songs on this list were a touch depressing. But next up is Despair.
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no subject
Date: 2005-07-01 09:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-02 05:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-01 01:29 pm (UTC)Easily on the shortlist of my favorite U2 songs. I don't quite know what this song is about for me, but I find it almost unbearably full of yearning. That loping guitar figure and the way Bono belts out the words like he has to or he'll die gets me every single time.
One of their most underated songs! This was indie rock before indie rock existed.
I love this song, it's one of my favorites from that phase where they were simultaneously heartbreaking and infectiously danceable.
It used to crack me up to hear this played on the radio during the day. Our local alt-rock station wouldn't bleep out 'fuck', they'd just do that thing where they mute the word out, leaving a totally noticeable blank spot. It used to be a favorite game of mine to solicit ansnwers to my question of "what does he want to do??" to whomever was in the car or wherever with me. To this day when I listen to the song I think to myself "I want to...hug?...you like an animal". Sorry, I know that was geeky but I couldn't help myself.
Great mix as usual, my man.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-02 05:20 am (UTC)"I want to hug you like an animal." I'm definitely going to use that one.
You don't need to apologize for your geekiness to me, friend.
Once I get all these things finished, I'm thinking of burning them all to CD and mailing them, with my track commentary, to Neil Gaiman. It'd be cool if I could come up with some cool labels, too, but graphic design is not exactly my forte.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-01 05:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-02 05:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-07-02 06:03 pm (UTC)How are you? I should email you or text you a line or something. Dude, you should totally send me your cell number so I can text you witty observations (everyone who has international texting, raise your hand... *raises hand*) at completely random times.
no subject
Date: 2005-07-03 04:09 am (UTC)And FF is awesome dance music! Take Me Out is as good as it gets, man.
In Japan, you get an email address for your phone. So if you send a message to greyarea (at) ezweb.ne.jp, I'll receive it on my cell phone! And do drop me a line; that would be lovely.