April 23, 2013
The Collection Vol. 20 (Spring 1999)
Side A
The Beatles-Getting Better
Fastball-Out Of My Head
Redman-Let Da Monkey Out
Smashing Pumpkins-Muzzle
Sly & The Family Stone-Everyday People
The Jackson Five-ABC
Shawn Colvin-Sunny Came Home
Kid Rock-Bawitdaba
Live-The Dolphins Cry
Buckcherry-For The Movies
snippet of Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing"
Santana feat. Rob Thomas-Smooth
Smashing Pumpkins-Lily (My One & Only)
Side B
Mary J. Blige-All That I Can Say
The Cranberries-Linger
Sheryl Crow-My Favorite Mistake
Nine Inch Nails-Starfuckers Inc.
Blink 182-What's My Age Again?
Garbage-#1 Crush
Foo Fighters-Big Me
Christina Aguilera-Genie In A Bottle
Chris Isaak-Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing
Len-Steal My Sunshine
U2-Mysterious Ways
Kid Rock-Cowboy
The Beatles-A Day In The Life
I remember being in physics class and letting my lab partner look at one of the tracklists for my tapes (Vol. 9, to be exact) and her playfully giving her approval and disapproval one song at a time. To give you an idea of how our relationship worked, we sometimes flipped each other the bird in the hallways with straight faces initially and laughed about it right after. Her critique went something like this: "That's a cool one. That's cool. You put that on here? Hate that. They're cool. They're cool."
The one criticism she gave me that stood out was how random it was. "You can't follow up Cake with Barry White." Of course I can, I thought to myself! Only a passionate, open-minded, music-loving fanatic with taste as diverse as mine could stomach having genres crash into each other with very little care and gather enjoyment from it. My lab partner didn't know what she was talking about. I was being a typical defiant adolescent and just brushed it off.
Her words came back to me when I revisited this volume in the present day, specifically when it went from "Muzzle" to "Everyday People." It never bothered me as a kid because I thought of it as two songs I loved that were back-to-back, but now it brought attention to itself through the lack of cohesion. When my lab partner pointed out the randomness, it was something that couldn't be helped since it was recorded off the radio. I used CDs for that transition between Smashing Pumpkins and Sly & The Family Stone, so this was all my doing. I unknowingly, yet purposely, implemented that awkward transition.
Around this time, I was starting to put more care into how I began and ended a side as I bought more CDs (in my mind, I was doing something totally epic by including "A Day In The Life" at the end of Side B), so I obviously cared a little bit about building tension. How long it was before I started to care more is a question that future posts will likely uncover.
Song that became my motto based off of its first line: Smashing Pumpkins - Muzzle
"I fear that I am ordinary, just like everyone." Dear Billy Corgan, you nailed it. You got to the heart of me. When I was younger, I wanted anything but to be normal. I wanted to be an individual, different than those before and after me. There was no fun in being a conformist, but then again I can't think of many odes to being normal that sounded as anthemic as this.
Another adult alternative song that I was late to the party on because I was young and stubborn: Shawn Colvin - Sunny Came Home
For someone who was actually pretty mature for their age, I just could not get into some of the softer modern rock that would often get played on WTMX (The Mix) until months after it had peaked. I was young and needed guitars, angst, love, boom and bap. If I didn't get either one of those immediately from a song, it at least had to have a good chorus and melody. I wasn't terribly opposed to "Sunny Came Home" at the time, but whenever I came across it on the radio, I always felt that I could find something better to record. Then I actually listened to it, found there actually was some angst by way of arson and deemed it acceptable.
Let it be known that I think this is one of the greatest songs of the '90s and can debate anyone who thinks otherwise: Len - Steal My Sunshine
No one at school could believe I liked this song. On the surface, it was goofy, way too cheery and it had a white guy rapping, which was still seen as a negative back then even while Eminem valiantly fought against the tide. Sometimes as kids, embracing something with such a strong pop sound could be seen as a sign of weakness or lack of hipness, which is why I think "Steal My Sunshine" caused such a negative reaction in some of my circles. Still, if it's purpose was to make you smile yourself silly while giving you something to hum along to easily, few songs did it better during the decade than this one. I hate the notion that all songs need serious content for us to accept it publicly. Till my dying day, I will stand faithfully by "Steal My Sunshine," for the simple fact that I have two ears and I like fun.
And while I'm in a defensive mood...: Kid Rock - Cowboy
Another attribute of music that the general public won't champion is if it's presented in a manner they feel is lowbrow, which is also idiotic to me. The one question I always ask people concerning a song is "How does it make you feel?" I ask that to get past any preconceived notions or prior knowledge that might impact one's judgment. Regardless of what you've been conditioned to think will make you acceptable in front of your peers or who is singing, that question is the only thing that should matter once the song is over. If I wanted to maintain my "integrity," I had every legit reason to not be a fan of Kid Rock. His rhyme skills were elementary and he made music for numbskulls. Still, "Cowboy" made me feel something the first time I heard it. It was probably how Rock so effortlessly inhabited the character of sleazy Midwestern pimp trying to make a quick buck out west. Another unwritten rule I have about music is not to get too caught up in what is being said, but how it's being said. The execution in the music itself is something that should never be taken lightly. "Cowboy" was pretty refreshing at the time with its mix of Southern rock, hip hop and Western cues. The line that won me over came during the third verse: "I ain't no G, I'm just a regular failure/I ain't straight outta Compton, I'm straight out the trailer." I've never stepped foot inside a trailer park before in my life, but there was so much pride and bravado in that delivery that I couldn't help but get excited. It was such a great statement because it summed him up perfectly. I became a fan in that moment.
Not that I feel the need to defend my taste, but I think we can ALL agree this is definitely one of the best songs of the '90s: The Cranberries - Linger
What would one of these mixtapes be without a song of deep longing and pining? While "Linger" was a much older song by this time, its effect was still strong. Part of what made it one of the best songs of the 1990s was that it took that longing and pining to a level that few on MTV could match. I felt for Dolores O'Riordan every time the chorus came around: "You know I'm such a fool for you/You've got me wrapped around your finger." Add the strings along with that sorrow-filled voice and the melancholy was undeniable. It's still one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard.
I still haven't seen Eyes Wide Shut, but I was pretty much convinced that it would be the greatest movie ever based on this song in the trailer: Chris Isaak - Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing
Speaks for itself.
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