Kiss my ass/I bought a boat/I’m going out to sea
So, I dated this guy one time (lots of my stories start like that) who stood in front of my CD collection (this was pre-downloading, folks. Back in the day, we had CD’s. Lots of them. We bought special shelves for them at IKEA) and shook his head, slowly, like some disappointed dad. “What?” I said, worried. He was (airquotes) IN A BAND, so he obviously knew what was up, right? “Nothing,” he said. “It’s just … you can tell so much about a person by their music.” To this day, I contend that he saw the Alanis album (I shelve alphabetically) and stopped there, never getting to the Flaming Lips or Dismemberment Plan or Guided By Voices or Modest Mouse or Chin Up or anything that would’ve shown him that I was, indeed, solid indie rocker girlfriend material and, let’s get real, people: I’m thirty years old, and I am DONE apologizing for that fucking copy of Jagged Little Pill. I am PROUD of that copy of Jagged Little Pill. I loved it, love it, and WILL love it, and I don’t care how friggin’ mainstream she got—how many times do I have to keep EXPLAINING this! (note: if you’d like to hear more on this story, there’s one weekend left of my show at Neo Solo)
That said, I just finished one of those little blog-questionaire things (thanks, Carolyn!) about this very same issue: What can our music tell us about our lives? It was very interesting and very creepy and if you need to sit and veg out for an hour, I’d say give it a go (make sure you give yourself an hour, though, 'cause you have to google lyrics and contemplate your inner self and all that shit). Here are the rules:
1. Put your music player on shuffle.
2. Press forward for each question.
3. Use the song title as the answer to the question.
HOW AM I FEELING TODAY? If I had a Boat, Lyle Lovitt
("Kiss my ass/I bought a boat/I’m going out to sea")
WILL I GET FAR IN LIFE? Redemption Song (live), Lauryn Hill ft. Ziggy Marley
HOW DO MY FRIENDS SEE ME? Canary, Liz Phair
("I work up to my potential/I earn my name/I come when called/I jump when you circle the cherry/I sing like a good canary/I come when called")
WHEN WILL I GET MARRIED? Yesterday, Eva Cassidy’s cover
WHAT IS MY BEST FRIEND'S THEME SONG? I Got that Feeling, James Brown
WHAT IS THE STORY OF MY LIFE? Only You, Yaz
WHAT WAS HIGH SCHOOL LIKE? Kung Fu Fighting, Jefferson Airplane
HOW AM I GOING TO GET AHEAD IN LIFE? A Song for You, Donny Hathaway
WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT YOU? Somewhere That’s Green, from Little Shop of Horrors
HOW IS TODAY GOING TO BE? The Times They Are a-Changing, Dylan
WHAT IS IN STORE FOR THE WEEKEND? Submarine, Bjork
("Do it now/Do it now/Shake us out of the heavy deep sleep/Shake us now/Do it now!")
WHAT SONG BEST DESCRIBES YOUR PARENTS? Piano Concerto No. 21 Mozart
WHAT SONG BEST DESCRIBES YOUR GRANDPARENTS? Road to Joy, Bright Eyes
HOW IS YOUR LIFE GOING? Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), Arcade Fire
WHAT SONG WILL PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL? Come Together, Beatles
HOW DOES THE WORLD SEE ME? Suddenly Everything Has Changed, Flaming LIps
WILL I HAVE A HAPPY LIFE? Just Like u Said it Would Be, Sinead O’Connor
WHAT DO MY FRIENDS REALLY THINK ABOUT ME? Combat Baby, Metric
DO PEOPLE SECRETLY LUST AFTER ME? I Want Candy, Go Go’s
(HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!)
HOW CAN I MAKE MYSELF HAPPY? Amazing Grace, Ladysmith Black Mombaza
(?)
WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY LIFE? Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
WILL I EVER HAVE CHILDREN? The Night Descending, Iron and Wine
("Trust that I'm still hoping, darling/Wooden coin, he called my daughter/No good knowing what came after")
WHAT IS SOME GOOD ADVICE FOR ME? Where does the good go? Tegan and Sara
WHAT IS MY SIGNATURE DANCING SONG? I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet, Carole King (AWESOME)
WHAT DO I THINK MY CURRENT THEME SONG IS? Crash, Dave Matthews
(Did I just lose some street-cred? Who the hell cares, the song’s right on)
WHAT DOES EVERYONE ELSE THINK MY CURRENT THEME SONG IS? Let’s Get Retarded, Black Eyed Peas (I swear I didn't make that up)
WHAT TYPE OF MAN/WOMAN DO YOU LIKE? Close Your Eyes, Bebel Gilberto
(you need to read the whole thing. Actually, download it, it’s a great tune)
WHAT KIND OF KISSER ARE YOU? Everybody’s Gonna Be Happy, The Kinks
WHAT'S YOUR STYLE? Lyla, Coco Rosie
WHAT KIND OF LOVER ARE YOU? Tsunami, Res
WHAT WOULD BE PLAYING ON A FIRST DATE? Into the Mystic, Van Morrison
WHERE DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN TEN YEARS? I Can Hardly Wait, PJ Harvey