Favorites On My CD Shuffle

A good song is like a glass of good wine. It's priceless.

I love all kinds of music. When people ask what I'm listening to and I tell them they often distort their face like they've just sucked on a bad lemon. I just stare at them long and hard until they feel uncomfortable and begin blubbering about their own musical tastes (or lack thereof).

I used to have a friend who always sneered at pop music or anything she considered "mainstream." She was one of those transparent self-proclaimed "alternative" music lovers. She declared it was beneath her to listen to such trivial pop songs. Then one day I was at her rather dumpy apartment when I sneaked a peak at her CD collection. She was a closet Tiffany fan. I soon dumped the bitch from my roster of friends not because she loved Tiffany but because she laughed at people who did. I'm sure if I looked at the rest of her collection I would have found some Barry Manilow CDs stuffed in the Red Hot Chile Peppers CD box.

Here are a few songs (in no particular order) I cannot seem to get enough of. They take me out of the mundane and bring me to places I've never been.

Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart" and "Me and Bobby McGee:
Buffy Sainte-Marie's "Co'deine" and "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee"
Holly Cole's version of "I Can See Clearly Now" (slow and torchy and simply beautiful)
Sonny and Cher's "I Got You Babe" (a true classic)
Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man"
Madonna's "Ray of Light"
Paul Young's "Love of the Common People"
Tom Waits' "Martha"
Jennifer Warnes' "I'm Restless"
Marianne Faithfull's "The Ballad of Lucy Jordan"
Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue" (actually, almost everything from Bob Dylan)
Bette Midler's version of Tom Waits' "Shiver Me Timbers"
Kim Carnes' "Brass and Batons"
Dolly Parton's "Down From Dover"

So what are you waiting for? Go grab a glass of wine (preferably a nice Malbec), curl up on the couch, and check out these songs. Let them take you away. You might be surprised at where you go.

Comments

Owen said…
Have you heard Beverley Knight's version of 'Piece Of My Heart'? It's not her best track by any means but she gives a powerful live performance!