Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time

i love lists
i know it's anal and dorky and ultimately flawed
but i still love them
and i love participating in making them
so when i heard that triple j are compiling a list of hottest 100 songs of all time
i got down to business

first i got a blank piece of paper and wrote down the first bands that came to mind that i'd want on such a list
then i wrote down songs
then i matched up bands with songs
then i thought about individual songs i personally overplay
and then i went to the jjj website to have a scout around

and then i got really annoyed when i read this, because it appears i am really, really protective of 'this mess we're in' and want to OWN it and he also has 'where is my mind' on his list, and a joy division song (though I'm tossing up between 'love will tear us apart' and 'she's lost control' not 'transmission') and Will Anderson is not someone i would have picked as sharing faves with

incidentally, here's my short list in progress:

• The Beatles - A day in the life
• Radiohead - Karma Police
• Joy Division - Love will tear us apart / she's lost control
• Pixies - Where is my mind
• The Clash - London Calling
• The Cure - Lovesong / Boys Don't Cry
• PJ Harvey & Thom Yorke - This mess we're in
• Janis Joplin - Try (just a little bit harder)
• Bob Marley &; The Wailers - Get Up, Stand Up
• Nina Simone - Here Comes the Sun

where i end and you begin

28. Stuff and Nonsense, Split Enz

As I stretch out my toes in a new home in a new city in a new country I am developing new relationships with everything from my local vegetable market stalls to my new flat mates and so many other things in between. That also includes my musical tastes. As is the case with all things in life, things change, and I have found myself suddenly having an overwhelming desire to listen to things like Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Tango in the night’ album (which I still don’t like) and Crowded House (which I like more at the moment than I ever have before). As I listened to songs about chocolate cake and the weather and other such melodic pop songs I could not shake the memory of this song.

‘Stuff and Nonsense’ is a song for a generation hell-bent on avoiding any sort of long term relationship whether it be with a lover, a land lord or a library. But what this generation will do is have brief yet intense ‘oh-i-really-really-really-mean-it-i-swear-on-my-brand-new-prada-handbag-i-do…..for-now’ relationship with, well, almost anything. At least once.

This is how people like Rhianna, of the ‘Umbrella-ella-ella-ella’ song achieve fame (google it if you don’t know what I’m talking about – I can’t bring myself to go any further). And it’s how things like slinkys and hypercolour shirts which change colour as you’re wearing them and teenage mutant ninja turtles become all the rage. So as someone who had brief love affairs with each of these, and yet watched them go with ease, I feel at one with lyrics like “And you know that I love you/here and now not forever/I can give you the present/I don’t know about the future/that’s just stuff and nonsense“. Not to mention that Neil Finn is so dorky he’s a just a bit cool which is another reason to love this song.

Disclaimer: I have never owned a prada handbag.

29. You Want The Candy, The Raveonettes

Guitar feedback does strange things to many people. Lou Reed, for one. He made a whole album using pretty much just guitar feedback. Of course it is awful and completely unlistenable, but maybe for the sake of ‘art’, almost anything is ok. In any case, I am partial to a degree of guitar feedback and general haziness from time to time.

‘Shoegazing’ as a musical genre itself is becoming more mainstream, and The Raveonettes are a prime example of this at the moment. This track is a pretty standard representation of their style. It doesn’t really leave a lot to the imagination (candy, after all, has many a connotation, but all of them well worn) yet for me it’s a pleasure to listen to the light fuzz going on as they lilt (?) about things I’m not really listening to. The whole album ‘Lust Lust Lust’ is an excellent example of why the album format itself is not dead also. It demands to be listened to from beginning to end, without pause.

I think another reason why I like it is because it is a more ‘listenable’ variation of what the Jesus and Mary Chain or My Bloody Valentine have done, yet I haven’t heard it all over movie soundtracks by Really Serious Move Directors. Yet.

30. Bloody Mother F*&^ing Asshole, Martha Wainright

Writing a song about your father that makes it onto radio station playslists the world over would be a great feeling, I’d think. Unless it was this song. As the title suggests, there’s a degree of…angst going on here, and I love it. I love the lyrics, I love her almost-gravel voice which is so different from her brother’s (sorry Rufus, but I’m not overly keen on your show tune vocal chords, and whish you’d never touched Hallelujah). Um, where was I?

Martha. She’s a pretty cool chick who has a knack for saying what everyone else is thinking, and I have screamed along with her that: “No/I will not say I’m alright for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” because I’m not alright, and it’s because of you, and I’m not only going to tell you but everyone else within earshot and then some, and if that makes you feel bad then GOOD!

31. Protect Me From What I Want, Placebo

It has taken me the whole list to decide which Placebo song I was going to include, and in the end I couldn’t decide, so I went to my I tunes library and looked up the ‘times played’ list and decided it would be most honest to list the song I have listened to the most. Not an ideal process, but I’m happy with the outcome. Especially as a last song.

Because where do you end a list like this? It has taken me over two months and has made me over-analyse my musical choices as I chop veggies and knead bread and argue with my slow internet connection and pick a bindi to wear with my salwar kameez to work and and and and.

It turns out that I am ending the list not with the best or my favourite or colourful or bright or soppy song, but something which is probably very … me…

And I don’t think I’m going to think much about that here.

Who knew 31 could be so far away?

23. First day of my life – Bright Eyes

This is a track which I imagine features quite heavily on people’s wedding song lists, and for a very good reason. Quite simply, it sounds a lot like what being in love can sometimes feel like. I think it’s snuck its way into the list right now as some good friends of mine are about to get married and I’m just a little bit excited about this since I’ve anticipated their nuptials pretty much since the first time I saw them together. So now I have renewed faith in love, and feelings like this, and I like hearing the song. It’s also good to play around other people, well maybe not ones going through a break up, but people other than those people, because I’ve seen even hard-up thick-skinned cynical types tapping their feet along to Conner Oberst, despite their very best intentions not to.

24. Revolution 1, The Beatles

This year marks the 40^th Anniversary of the White Album and it would not be right to miss featuring at least one track from this double album loaded with rock and roll magic.

What I like so much about this track is just how understated it is. I mean, it’s about Revolution, man! And it features the lyrics ‘shooby doo’?  And it’s..well…slow. Way too slow for a revolution. And really ‘they say you want a revolution’ – but do you really? Because I sure as hell don’t. They’re chaotic and nasty and end in blood-shed and often get taken over by people who ‘change the constitution’, but not in the ways they probably should and it all gets a bit tiring. Just ask Robespierre. Or Lenin. Or Mao. Revolutions are not much fun, and really, sometimes people should just chill out a bit. And maybe listen to this song, which is very chill-out-able.

Unless a revolution is really what you need, then maybe go for The Clash.

25.  Thank You, The Whitlams

“I shouldn’t have driven/You shouldn’t have driven”, begins the song, and while I wish I could say I don’t know what this feels like – I do. And I also know what it’s like to say, “thank you/for lovin’ me at my worst”.

I also like that the potentially very sappy line is delivered in a very non-sappy way, with snappy piano playing and ‘little band’ sounds, which make me want to dance a bit, and sing along, and generally feel like having a good time.

The Whitlams are also a lot of fun to see live, and are much better suited to seeing in the flesh as you get to watch Tim Freedman spill more and more red wine down his front as the night goes on, and it all gets a bit rowdy and a lot like a really fun lounge room party full of people more fun than you except that you’re there and it’s someone else’s lounge room and you don’t have to clean up.

26.  Straight Lines, Silverchair

From the opening bars to the opening lyrics (yes you are a good looking cad Daniel, albeit a rather thin one) to the ‘belt it out at the top of your lungs with everyone else’ chorus which sees you set yourself on fire and waking up and doing very mundane yet difficult things like walking in straight lines… I think this is one of the best Australian pop songs to be written in a very, very long time. I’m also annoyed it didn’t make number 1 in the triple J (no, I promise they don’t give me cash for comment) Hottest 100 Countdown in 2008 so I am putting it in my top 31 songs among people like Lennon/McCartney and Tom Waits and Nina Simone because I think Daniel Johns has that ‘it’ factor which is so hard to come by. Oh fuck, I sound a bit like Dicko from idol, don’t I?

27.  Cry Baby, Janis Joplin

Once again, a song that opens with a bang, or rather a throaty/scratchy/desperate lament that makes me wince and fall apart just a little bit until she brings me back in with the ache of the blues.

Despite my love of Radiohead and The Cure and more recent bands like The Wombats and The Grates, I will always be more than a little bit disappointed I wasn’t alive for the summer of ’67 when Sgt Peppers was released, and I missed out on tickets to Woodstock, and that I missed free love before things like AIDS and LSD before Jim Morrison and crocheted hats before… Ok, that last one is a lie. I also note that both Janis and Jim are part of ‘Club 27’ which in 17 days I will never be able to become a part of, which is a good thing. 

But, if I could get a time machine and go back anywhere, it would be to the late 60’s/early 70’s when there was so much going on that would inspire so much that is going on right now. I definitely want to be a hippie WAY more than I want to be an emo. Instead I will just satisfy these cravings with hours spent being dragged through heartache and back with Janis rolling around in my ear canal. Gross mental image, isn’t it?

sleeping with ghosts because without you, i'm nothing

16.  Here Comes the Sun – Nina Simone

Remember when you first found out Nina Simone was a she and not a he? What a pleasant revelation. Gender confusion aside, this was one lass with a set of lungs. If you’ve ever been brave enough to move through ‘Blue For You’, you will also know that she knows a lot about a lotta things, and especially the ones you can sing about.

Here Comes the Sun, while not a traditional Motown number, nor arguably is it a representative tune for Nina, is one of the songs I love best. I think it would make a brilliant funeral song (even pre-Heath, I thought this, I swear) and it’s on my list (note to self, write down list and pass on to reliable family member/s). 

17.  F.I.G.J.A.M. – Butterfingers

If you are not familiar with Butterfingers, an Aussie hip-hop/rock band (to wander precariously into the murky waters of genre-assignment which the boyz from Brisbane would most certainly not appreciate) that have had success in the indy music charts. Having seen them live a couple of times (2006 and 2008) I can attest to their ‘rock the house’ attitude, and their crowd pleasing antics. These guys are a lot of fun to sing along to (and yes, their lyrics made me ‘want to read the book-a-let’) and I have been known to headbang/thump the steering wheel/sing aloud to this track while waiting in traffic lights in Sydney’s peak hour traffic. Be warned, their lyrics are not for everyone, contain explicit content, and may offend some listeners. Which is a prerequisite for any hip-hop-ish band, I would think. I mean, where would Eminem be without his scandalous yet cleverly rhyming beats? Oh, the pondering...

18. Scared As You – The Cure

Ah, Mr Smith and his spikes are back at number 18. This track is one I heard first in the “join the dots: rarities and b sides” collection, and it was stuck on repeat (even I’m sensing a pattern here…) for a number of weeks. The fragility of relationships has been providing inspiration and content for The Arts for as long as I can remember, and even longer than that, and for even longer than I think even history can remember if I start thinking about things like The Bible, the Valley of the Kings, Urdu poetry, November Rain etc. etc. etc. While my timeline might be a bit skewiff, I think we’re heading in the same direction.

Now also might be the time for me to mention that when I’m down and out, feeling like I’m being kicked and trodden on, or have been shoved in the washing machine on the Super Spin Dry setting even though I come with a label saying Delicate Material: Hand Wash Only And Dry In The Shade, I like listening to songs which prove to me that someone else knows exactly how I feel, and often with much more clarity, self-expression, humour and self-pity. While the humour bit is missing in this tune, all the others are there.

I also like that this track is not fussy, and doesn’t carry a lot of The Cure’s bells and whistles, though does not sound acoustic in any way. It’s what I would call a good “Beginners Guide to The Cure” song as it won’t offend most viewers. And let’s face it, Pornography is really hard to like the first, fourth, fifth and even fortieth time round unless you were alive when it came out and if you were alive and able to choose your own music you were probably so out of it that frankly anything would have sounded great if it made a lot of noise and blended in and out of your skull. Not to make sweeping generalisations or anything.

I promise, this is nothing like Pornography, and hints at the magic The Cure are really capable of.  Oh, and it made me cry a bit.

19. Innocent When You Dream – Tom Waits

I guess this is the place where I thank Mr Waits for removing from me the desire to ever eat an ashtray full of stubbed out cigarettes after going on four benders in a row with no sleep while suffering an extreme bout of tonsillitis and perhaps a bit of TB as well. 

Pathetic jibes about the ratchety nature of this man’s voice aside, this is a man who knows how to cobble together a good tune while managing to avoid the excessively cheesy nature of so many late night blues-bar tracks. ‘You’re Innocent When You Dream’, apart from having a great title, is a great lullaby that starts out in a tune which takes me back to traveling side shows or carnivals, the kind where 'persuasive' ringmasters coaxed people to part with their hard-earned cash to leer at David Lynch’s Elephant Man. Or maybe it doesn’t take me back exactly, but I do picture Tom in a top hat when I hear this. A spectacular image.

Finally, some of the lyrics are great too, like ‘it’s memories that we’re stealing’, and a stack of others I will leave for you to discover. At only 3mins10, it won’t even take up your whole lunch break!

20.  Heroin – The Velvet Underground

Once upon a time I had four little tropical neon fish named John, Maureen, Sterling and Lou. It wasn’t long before trouble brewed, and I was down to three little neons. I am sure you can see where this story is headed, much like this track when all you can hear is Lou’s voice somewhere in the background between screeching strings.

Sometimes it’s important to remember just where things can lead.

21. I Wanna Be Adored – The Stone Roses

Pray do tell, who doesn’t want to be adored on their coming of age??? I most certainly did, and there is something so very earnest, so very “can I sit at the big people’s table now? Puhleeeaassee….” about this song. It is perfectly placed as the opening track to the brilliant debut album by The Stone Roses who made music in that bubble of the ‘music scene’ yet still managed to do what no one else was. Even more remarkable is the listenability (not a word but it stays) of this album even before 80’s music was cool again.

22. Off You – The Breeders

It’s time for a bit of girl power (can you tell I was a teenager before Posh Spice became one half of the world’s most well-matched matrimonial unions?).  Thought Not. Oh how the Deal sisters would curse at me for that little segue.

In any case, I am a Breeders fan, and this song is perhaps one of the first by The Breeders to strike a chord. It’s simple, slightly obscure, not fussy in terms of instruments or playing and is not pretentious in the slightest. No lofty ideals to be found anywhere here. It’s really just a good song. Their new album “Mountain Battles” is also a gem. Go on, give them a go. I did!… do you trust me??? (Ok, it’s late, or early,  and I should be tucked up in bed since it won’t be long before the call to prayer can be heard through the early morn sounds of the holiest day of the week where I am, and if I’m not well asleep by then I won’t be getting any sleep and a plumber is coming to fix my loo before 12 so my chances of getting a decent bash at sleep are becoming ever slimmer so I wouldn’t trust me either. But rather than reading this you could have already listened to a sample of the song on the ‘preview’ feature of itunes or something similar since I don’t promote music piracy and discovered for yourself that this is a good song, or at least has the potential to be a good song since you only hear a snippet.). Ok, I’ve stopped.

I’ll have half a dozen, thank you, or maybe even less

12. She’s Lost Control, Joy Division

Ever since I found out what brought JD to a grinding halt I’ve had a desire to momentarily become part of the “back to the future’ series so Doc can send me back in time to whisper in young Ian’s ear “it really does get better”, or, “this too shall pass” [insert appropriate reference], or “you really need to save the world from New Order, and this is your big moment”. Alas, this opportunity has yet to present itself, so instead I’m left enjoying the high points of this talented yet tortured young man’s career. On the plus side, it also means I’ve never had to exchange pleasantries with Michael J Fox so every negative situation has it’s up side. In this case, the upside for me comes in three words (albeit they include a contraction which could technically be counted as four) ‘she’s lost control’.

Because, quite frankly, I get it. I get the layers of instruments being controlled by the beat. I get ‘the confusion in her eyes’, and I really get what it’s like to feel completely out of control. The magic for me in this particular tune though is how controlled the vocals are the whole way through. She’s lost control, and not for the first time, but he’s standing by, in the middle of it, drowning in it and all the rest yet she’s lost control. Really, boys, has she?

13. Dickhead, Kate Nash

Subtle title, I know, but this is one smooth track that takes me straight to a crowded pub on a Friday night where I’m rolling my eyes at That person in the room. Sometimes that person is me.

This isn’t exactly a complex song, and Miss Nash won’t win any awards for having the best voice or lyrics or musical ability in the industry, and that’s what works for her. She is you, she’s me, she’s everyone who has ever had to Put Up With Shit from someone, and perhaps especially a significant other who is being, quite simply, A Dickhead. It’s not rocket science. It’s not fussy. There’s a few strings, backup humming, some clicking, and her in an open declaration. Brilliant therapy to sing along to quite loudly in the car too, by the way, if you’ve got a long drive ahead of you. Or the shower if you don’t have a car. Probably not the bath though, since baths are quite calming, unless they’re too cold, or too hot…

14. Jewel Box, Jeff Buckley

There is something I should declare right here and now. I am an Australian, and Jeff, for some reason, has captured the hearts of Australians more than any other nation. Album sales of Grace are higher per capita (how lame does that phrase sound when referring to music. And it might not even be completely accurate but I don’t have access to the net right now and I know this is pretty close to the mark anyway so I’m going to add to this to the ether of inaccurate information on the internet by leaving the statement in). So, in declaring my hand, I am providing forewarning that Jeff Buckley would probably most certainly not (oh I’m great at commitment, really!) feature in my top artists list, but I am a fan, and I have been biased by years of Triple J Radio listening, and this song is stunning.

It is also not his best song, and it’s from his unfinished album (which I know is now linked with BrAngelina via a motorcycle but I won’t waste too much time there for the dual reasons that it is an embarrassing ‘fact’ I wish was not taking up valuable space in my consciousness when I can’t even remember essential things like “I want” in another language; and it means I must have read a women’s magazine a little closer than I would like to admit somewhere along the line) ‘My Sweetheart the Drunk’ which is also not his best album (that would be the aforementioned Grace).

Now I have mentioned all the things which should exclude it from a list such as this, here are a few of the reasons why it is here.
1) the vocals and guitar are hauntingly unusual, faster than the lyrics would imply, and carry you on a journey you simply must go on
2) the mix of surreal metaphors and earnestness is captivating, and
3) “you left some stars in my belly” is a sensation I think we all want. Never mind the butterflies, let’s just go straight to the skies, nudge around in the universe, and find a few of the milky way’s best stars on offer, and put them right there, right in the middle of my belly. Yes please, uh huh, right there, I’ll have what she’s having, that’s just perfect.

And this is what this song makes me think of, every time, a handful of stars in my belly.

15. Paper Aeroplane, Angus and Julia Stone

It turns out that writing a list like this is significantly more challenging than first appears. Getting a mix of genres and eras and genders seemed so very important when I started out and then as it got bigger and fatter and well fed with Songs I Love, it began to dawn on me that … it’s full of Songs I Love which in turn makes it all a bit sameish, no matter how hard I tried to make it not so. Which brings me to the Stone siblings and their EP “Chocolate and Cigarettes”, a delightful way to spend an hour or so.

Paper Aeroplane is from that EP, and is a pleasant little ditty which I think stands out amongst the crowds of singer/songwriters clogging the airwaves at the moment. ‘Clogging’ may appear too harsh a word, and I by no means want to imply I’m not a fan of this genre as I have my fair share (and then some, probably) of the acoustic bunch. And the middle of the road is not a bad place to be sometimes, so it’s going to take the place of the middle of this list, and I’m going to paint the picture of a balcony, a bottle of red, and the afternoon sun for you too, just because I can. Or can't right now, to be more truthful.

counting to ten

I left off last week at song no. 5. A very deserving number by the Beatles, no less. Lurking just over the horizon at a cozy number six is...

6. Karma Police, Radiohead

Ok, yes, what a surprise... I'm a Radiohead fan. And hey, I say if you're going to go for a cliche, you may as well own it, so I've gone with Karma Police, though it could just as easily have been No Surprises, House of Cards, All I Need, or ... you get the picture. And it would be lame to list entire albums (another list opportunity?! Hold back your enthusiasm please, I'm not even half way through this one) but if I was going to list entire albums, I'd have to list In Rainbows, which would just sneak ahead of Ok Computer. Just. Anyway, back to Karma Police. It's anthemic for Gen Y, I reckon.

As an aside, I have a rather fond appreciation for this tune which came over the radio (Triple J, since you asked) recently after I lost my wallet in the middle of the street, complete with cash, a gift voucher, a brand new bus ticket, and all the cards I own. I took note and figured I was on the wrong side of the karma cycle until a lovely man called me with the very welcome news that he had my wallet, complete with cash and cards. Karma Police indeed. And I'm not sure if it's a good thing that I'm astounded at the honesty and good will of other people, or it's a sad indication of my expectations of society that I was so astounded, but that's a whole other bottle of red just there.

7. With My Two Hands, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals

So says she who's volunteering for 12 months. And won't no one tell me any different.

8. Where Is My Mind, The Pixies

Because who, tell me who, doesn't secretly want to be Kim Deal screeching on stage with her dodgy bass guitar??? Who??? (drug addiction and unsavoury penchant for tracksuit pants aside). In particular this song is a testament to Ms Deal and Mr Black who influenced Kurt Cobain so much he admitted to trying to rip them off. Unfortunately for The Pixies, Kurt tops the list of top earning dead celebrities, and The Pixies are most certainly nowhere near topping any such list. On the other hand, they're still around to bask in the glory of bands covering them left right and centre (Placebo's version of this tune is also worth a night in), and Kim has managed to kick the gear, and nicotene. Not bad. As for Kurt, well we're all a little too familiar with what happened to his mind.

As an interesting aside, pay attention next time you watch Fight Club (and everyone should watch Fight Club more than once. Edward, Brad and Ab King Pro combined...every boy's dream).

9. The Ship Song, Nick Cave

I was always going to be nervous about a religious song, and I'm nervous putting this here. But it would be lying (and lying does awfully unattractive things to you like making your nose grow and puts boils on your tongue etc etc) not to include it so here it is. I love the build, I love the lyrics, I love the intimacy, and I love the line "come lose your dogs upon me" in particular.

10. Wendy – Concrete Blonde

I admit now that this is a hangup from my teenage years where a friend and I spent many a depressed 'so wish I was emo but we're 10 years too early' night playing this tune relentlessly nodding to each other with the seriousness only other sixteen year olds can really understand. It was also the first song I heard which made me consider the people who lose loved ones to HIV/AIDS. And it's just so sincere, and a little bit terrible. But it never ceases to throw me right down to the depths of heartfelt sadness when I hear it now, and all of a sudden I'm thanking my multi-coloured burkenstocks that I made it through that one unscathed. (being sixteen and serious, that is, not...)

::peers over shoulder at the uncomfortable silence in the room::

11. Let's Dance to Joy Division, The Wombats

Ok, so there's no way this song deserves to be this far down the list, and to be blatantly honest it in no way should feature before Joy Division themselves (oh come on, don't look so surprised. As if The Cure, Nick Cave and Radiohead didn't give you enough warning) and i've gone past number ten which I wasn't planning to do but it's my list and I'll change the rules if I want to (oh, I get lamer, don't worry. especially considering I doubt 'lamer' is even a word, technically, and if it is it shouldn't be).

But everybody wants to dance to joy division, especially in summer when this song was a bit of an anthem for me, and when you're from dreary old London. Which I'm not, but I'm sure I'm from convict stock somewhere along the line which gives me some surrogate rights to bitch about bad London weather even though I've never been there. And leaving it on this upbeat, boppy, and fun tune is much better than the alternative. It's no doubt these marsupials know how to have fun (see, lamer already) and it's good enough to remind me the best bits of being silly. Sometimes it makes people smile, which is nice.

31 Songs - Nick Hornby

There are many, many things I love (passionfruit, chocolate, red wine, cologne...) and among them are two particular things that, when combined, I can barely resist. One is music, and the other is lists. Now, not to confuse things, I like the kinds of lists other people write, rather than my own and have been known to read news items about dust particles on the moon (or lacktherof) rather than write a list of things I have to actually do...but I'm getting all sidetracked. What I'm trying to say is that when someone else puts together a list about music, I'm likely to pay attention. And this brings me to Nick Hornby's book about a list of his 'selected' songs which he likes for a variety of reasons which are entirely personal yet fascinating. At least to me.

So after making through the other side of On the Road, I decided something a little lighter was in order, and dived right into 31 Songs. Yes, it was as fun as it sounds!

After reading about Teenage Fanclub, Nelly Furtado (?!), Patti Smith, The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Ani Di Franco and others I was inspired to start a list of my own. But what kind of list would I put together? 31 seemed like a good number, being one for every day of the month if I was in, say, December, and I quite like December since it's full of holidays and summer and things. But that was about as far as I got initially, as I couldn't decide whether I wanted a list of songs which reminded me of things, or a list of songs I have liked from as young as I care to remember songs I've liked, or a list of my favourite songs from my favourite albums (i.e. one song per album, 31 different albums, 31 different songs) and on and on and on it went. Which meant that though i finished the book weeks ago, I only started my list last night because I couldn't decide which rules I wanted for this list. And that's when the genius struck! I could write as many different lists of songs as I wanted, with all different rules! Oh, the prospect! The joy! The fun!

And without further ado, here is my very first song list. Rather than writing it all at once though, I think I'll add 5 songs at a time. 31 is quite a long list, after all.

31 songs from my itunes library I never want to do without (notice the rule???)

1. Pictures of You, The Cure
Yes, The Cure are my favourite band. No, this is not my favourite song of theirs. This song is, however, the first introduction I had to Mr Smith and his lipstick lips. I listened to it over and over and over one afternoon on the lounge room floor until I am sure my father wanted to rush out and buy 'How to know if your teenage daughter is depressed - reconigisng the signs and other useful tips for Concerned Fathers'. Lucky for him I discovered much more than Disintegration, unlucky for my flat mates, I still know where the repeat button is.

2. This Mess We're In, PJ Harvey and Thom Yorke
While Thom tells me everything is going to hell, PJ lilts in the background about the city's sunset and tries to distract me from the truth. It's an unusual duet that has me vowing to get to New York one day, and play this song as the sun sets over the skyscrapers. (no, this does not count as part of a 'to do' list, in case you were getting suspicious. It just doesn't).

3. Sunny Road, Emiliana Torrini
Ok, even I suspect this subconsciously could have something to do with me being in my late 20's, single, footloose and fancy free, in that I can picture myself one day uttering the lines "I've never married/never had those kids" but that isn't the reason why I like it. I still remember the first time I heard it (when I wasn't so single) and her voice pulled me up from the edges of sleep until I was wide awake by the end. Ever since, I have always enjoyed taking the journey of this song with her, and that's why it's here.

4. One Crowded Hour, Augie March
It's funny how when I set out to write a list like this, how suprised I am by what has mdae it on here, and by what hasn't. This song is one of those surprises, but now it's made it I'm quite glad. Who, after all, doesn't know the feeling "for one crowded hour/you were the only one in the room"? I do, and I think Glenn and the boys have done an outstanding job here of capturing that exact feeling. The build throughout the song is engulfing, and I'd be enourmously proud of even knowing someone who has produced such a brilliant song, let alone being someone involved in its creation. Which I'm not, just for the record.

5. I Want You (She's So Heavy), The Beatles
The fab four were always going to feature, the question is how many times. Picking just one or two of their tunes proves immensley difficult for me, but here is my first selection. Put yourself in a room, all alone. Find the song. Turn out the lights. Enjoy.