I Love Music (Volume One)

Amongst the several series of "theme" mix CDs that I make for myself and my sister (she got me into the habit) is a series I call "I Love Music". In case you couldn't guess by the title, the subject of that particular series is songs about music. I've managed to gather together four discs' worth of such songs so far, and I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you. (There'll probably be a "part 2" to this post sometime in the near future.)

1) "Sir Duke" by Stevie Wonder -- Stevie's tribute to Duke Ellington is a classic, and simply had to be included. You might not know it by its title, but you will by the chorus ... "You can feel it all o-o-over!"

2) "Until The Record Breaks" by Wave -- This is one of my favorite songs by Canadian pop duo, Wave ... and it was one of the very first songs I thought of when my sister presented me with the idea of a CD of songs about music. I love it!

3) "Rock & Roll Is King" by Electric Light Orchestra -- How can anyone dislike not only this authentic-sounding slice of '50s rock-and-roll, but also the fact that it came out of the middle of the disco era?

4) "Pop" by NSYNC -- This just might be my favorite NSYNC song ... even more surprising considering I don't like electronica, which this song borrows heavily from. If only the rest of the album it came from lived up to the incredible freshness of this song ... but, that's a subject for another time.

5) "Everyone Deserves Music" by Michael Franti & Spearhead -- Another unlikely inclusion of mine, since it's kind-of heavy on the hip-hop, another genre that I don't care for. But this song has a special place in my heart, 'cause it was the song I heard the last time I stepped into a local CD store I visited every day -- it closed that weekend. The irony of hearing that song at that time still makes me stop and think.

6) "Oh No The Radio" by Owsley -- One of the most underrated power-pop artists of all time put out a killer album in 1999, and it turned out to be his only major-label effort. This was track one, and the entire album kept the momentum, offering one hooky, hum-along song after another.

7) "Old Time Rock & Roll" by Bob Seger -- Yes, the song that Tom Cruise lip-synched to in his underwear in "Risky Business". Could I seriously do an "I Love Music" CD without this song? Puh-leeze...!

8) "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" by Cass Elliot -- She was one of the most amazing female vocalists of all time, and she lived a terribly short life in the spotlight. If you don't own any of her stuff, you owe it to yourself to change that.

9) "Who Stole My Radio?" by Shemekia Copeland -- I happened upon this one on a CD sampler from "Paste" magazine, and I loved it. A great, old-school soul song about the state of modern radio -- and why I don't listen to it anymore.

10) "The Heart of Rock & Roll" by Huey Lewis & The News -- Another classic, from one of the great bands who've never forgotten what good old fashioned rock & roll is all about.

11) "Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)" by Barry Mann -- An irresistibly catchy chorus makes this song one of the best songs about music -- not to mention one of the best songs, period -- to come out of the '50s!

12) "Just Push Play" by Aerosmith -- Another kick-ass rock band that I've only recently come to really appreciate. I'm still not sure if this song is about music or not, but it's a whole helluva lot of fun!

13) "Can't Stop The Pop" by A-Teens -- Pure ear candy, but also purely irresistible. The Swedish pop troupe nearly out-Jackson-Fives the Jackson Five on this one!

14) "I Love Rock & Roll" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts -- This is another one of those songs that simply can't not be included on a compilation like "I Love Music" ... everyone knows it, and for good reason.

15) "Sing" by The Carpenters -- Sure, it's schmaltzy, but it's also timeless ... and if the "la la la" of the children's choir doesn't at least put a little bit of a smile on your face, you need to check for a pulse.

16) "Achy Breaky Song" by "Weird Al" Yankovic -- I almost can't make a mix CD without putting a little "Weird Al" in it ... okay, maybe that's a slight exaggeration. But this one was a must-have ... not only does it name-check every cheesy musician in the book, but it also parodies a song that got way too much attention!

17) "The Motown Song" by Rod Stewart -- I don't think I've ever heard a nicer tribute to Motown than this, in both lyrics and melody ... "Bring over some of your old Motown records..."!

18) "Listen To The Music" by The Doobie Brothers -- This one is such a classic that I almost shouldn't be allowed to call myself a music fan for having forgotten to include it until Volume 4!

19) "Box Set" by Barenaked Ladies -- This tongue-in-cheek satire of self-indulgent musicians who put out multi-disc box sets is one of the Ladies' forgotten masterpieces ... I love it!

20) "Pop From Hell" by Espen Lind -- Not only is this song about music (though perhaps not as drectly as most songs here), but it's incredibly interesting to listen to, with its Andrew Lloyd Weber meets Freddie Mercury style ... definitely like nothing else out there.