The Princess's Top 10 Songs of the Moment

The Princess and I had some free time again this past week.  So we decided to collaborate for a second installment of our ongoing musical experiment.  If you haven't seen this post then please allow me to give you a quick run-down of what we're doing.  My music collection contains just over 7500 songs and I keep it all on my portable mp3 player.  My collection has selections from nearly every genre of music, and I am often surprised by what pops up when we shuffle through the whole caboodle.  I've downloaded music at the request of my wife, my kids, and my friends, so I'm not necessarily a fan of everything on there.  So when the Princess and I have the time, we hop in the car and put the mp3 player on shuffle.  Princess has the power of veto, and the first ten songs she approves get published here with my commentary.  This time I changed the rules a bit by making her listen to each song for at least a minute before allowing her to go to the next song.  I really think this provides some insight into her tastes in music and allows her to broaden her horizons a bit.

So without any further ado it is my great pleasure to present:

The Princess's Top 10 songs of the moment.

#1 The Kinks | The Contenders | Lola Versus Powerman and The Moneygoround, Part 1
What a band! What an album! I cannot begin to tell you how I swelled with pride when Princess gave the okay to this song.  There's so much to love about this song, from the bluegrass opening to the rollicking piano line.  This coming from a girl who still would list the Jonas Brothers as her all-time favorite band. Perhaps the next generation isn't completely lost after all.

#2 Garth Brooks | We Shall Be Free | The Hits
I'm confused about why I even have this song in my collection.  Granted I was a teenager in South Dakota during the 90's, and owning a Garth Brooks album was practically compulsory back then.  But   GB never tripped my trigger.  I think I may have downloaded this album in an effort to put some country/rock playlists together for work, but who knows.  Anyway I liked this song better when John Lennon released it as Imagine.

#3 Nick Drake | Bryter Later | Bryter Later
So Princess is now 2 for 2 on her 1970 imports from across the pond.  Drake has grown on me steadily since I was introduced to this album a year or two ago.  I gave a friend of mine a hard time for putting this song on one of his top ten lists, but after hearing it a few times I'm probably going to have to eat my words.

#4 Dominic Miller | February Sun | First Touch
Between this and the previous song, I needed a cup of strong coffee just to stay awake.  I shouldn't have been surprised to see Princess's tastes lean toward laid-back guitar melodies, as she is quite possibly the most laid-back little kid I've ever met.  When the mood hits her she can be the apotheosis of merry tranquility.


#5 Traveling Wilburys | End of the Line | The Traveling Wilburys, Vol 1
One of the most likable songs ever recorded.  Possibly the greatest musical supergroup of all time.  I've never met anybody who doesn't like this song.


#6 Queen | Seven Seas of Rhye | Greatest Hits Volume I
Queen is a tough band to put into a single genre.  This song does a pretty good job of covering the bases of what makes a Queen song.  Freddy Mercury is larger than life with his vocals and lyrics, and Brian May rocks the guitar solos.  I really dig Queen, especially their "epic fantasy" songs.


#7 Kidz Bop Kids | One Thing | Kidz Bop 7
I've had a lot of time to regret obtaining the Kidz Bop albums for the Princess.  Still, they are her most frequent request when we have the opportunity to listen to music together.  Anyway this is a soulless cover of a soulless single from the Canadian rock (*cough*) band Finger Eleven.  


#8 Better Than Ezra | Breathless | Before the Robots
I've gotten to hear this band live a couple of times and I've always liked their sound.  This is one of their more generic pop-sounding songs, but I think that is what appeals to Princess.  Still, my opinion on  Before the Robots is that is was a strong release from a band that has yet to sell out to "big music" despite countless opportunities.


#9 Bad Religion | Won't Somebody | The Dissent of Man
I am completely dumbstruck with this.  My little girl digs her some Bad Religion.  I can forgive every doe-eyed sigh at the synthetic Disneyco pop icon du jour as long as she keeps punk rock alive in her heart.


#10 Eric Clapton | Change the World | Phenomenon Soundtrack
Here Princess shows that she is a girl after her mother's own heart.  I have long since come to grips with the fact that, should Mr. Clapton express an interest, The Trophy Wife would abscond so fast that a cloud in the shape of her body would materialize.  But I can't fault her; he's a hell of a guitar player. Am I the only one who noticed that, for a brief period in the late 90's, every movie was a heartfelt and generally appealing John Travolta vehicle and every song was a heartfelt and generally appealing Eric Clapton single?


So that wraps up this edition.  In honor of baseball season, I give Princess an .800 average for this showing.  Those are Hall of Fame numbers so I'll definitely be happy if she can keep it up.

Top 10 Songs Of The Moment: The Covers

I have always had a soft spot for a well made cover song.  There is something I respect about an artist who can take a well known song and pay homage to the original while still making it their own.  There are some legendary covers that have eclipsed the original in terms of quality and public recognition.  Aretha Franklin's rendition of Otis Redding's "Respect" is one excellent example, and Jimi Hendrix's version of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" is another.  For this list I tried to stick to songs that earned more recognition in their original form, thus maintaining the "homage" aspect that I feel is critical to a good cover song.


Zox | Canon | Take Me Home 
This peculiar little band released a reggae version of Pachelbel's Canon in D Major as part of their freshman album. Although the wedding circuit has ground away most of my enjoyment of the original song, I still like this fun and fresh rendition.


Type O Negative | Cinnamon Girl | October Rust 
It took me a very long time to appreciate this band.  In most circumstances I wouldn't consider myself a fan of their dark, gothic-metal sound.  The fact that they included a cover song on both October Rust and Slow Deep and Hard made me take a closer look at them and their music, much to my benefit.  


Me First and The Gimme Gimmes | Rainbow Connection | Are a Drag 
I don't know if it is fair to put a covers-only band on this list, but these guys are really good.  Their albums are well themed and fun to listen to, but it is their choice of songs that makes them a top-tier cover band.  When punk rock meets The Muppets, magic happens.


Anberlin | Enjoy The Silence | Lost Songs
I like the pop-punk feel that Anberlin does so well.  Their version of this oft-covered Depeche Mode hit adds a nice rock feel without making it too dark or heavy.


Authority Zero | Drunken Sailor | 12:34 
About ten years ago I heard a really fantastic punk cover of the famous sea chanty "What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor", and since then I have been looking for the band that made it with no luck.  Since this album wasn't released until 2007; I doubt this was it.  But it is a very good version and is absolutely worth a listen.


Alien Ant Farm | Smooth Criminal | Anthology 
I really do believe that there is something about Michael Jackson's music that lends itself well to the rock genre.  I offer both this song and Fall Out Boy's cover of Beat It as proof of this hypothesis.  But it must suck to be a one-hit-wonder for doing a cover of somebody else's song.


Metallica | Astronomy | Garage Inc.
I'll admit that I had not heard this song until I heard Metallica's version.  But the esoteric lyrics and far out references are classic 1970's prog-rock fare typical of Blue Öyster Cult.  After hearing the original version of this song, I realized that Will Ferrell truly captured the spirit of the band in the famous "More Cowbell" sketch. I especially like the references to various celestial bodies. 


Muse | Feeling Good | Origin of Symmetry
I love the sultry, jazzy feel that the band added the the Nina Simone version. (Itself a cover of a 1965 show tune.) While I am not a fan of Simone's voice, I do enjoy Matt Bellamy's nasal falsetto, especially when paired with Muse's synthetic-alternative sound.  The Muse version captures the feel of the original far better than the soulless Jennifer Hudson Weight Watchers ad ever will.


Johnny Cash | Hurt | American IV: The Man Comes Around
I almost didn't include this song on the list, because it very nearly eclipsed the original in the same way I mentioned at the beginning of this post.  Thanks to the radical difference in genres and audiences between this and the original version, I felt it safe to include this legendary cover by a legendary artist.  I love Reznor's reaction to this after seeing the video, "that song isn't mine anymore..."  a classy reaction by a phenomenal artist.


Marilyn Manson | Personal Jesus | Lest We Forget: The Best of
Marilyn Manson is unique among artists in the fact that I am more familiar with his covers than with his original works.  This song really suits his style, and he didn't add too much to the Depeche Mode original other than increased distortion, but somehow he made it his own.  I don't know how to address the fact that there are two D.M. songs on this list except they must produce excellent cover fodder.

A Lady of Breeding and Refinement

I have always been fascinated by the way my daughter's mind works.  She is now eight years old, which means that my wife and I are now facing the fact that we must give over some of the influence that we have enjoyed these past years to the outside forces of teachers, school friends, television, and of course the internet.  This is not something that we will relinquish without a fight, although we recognize and take some pride in that fact that the choices she now makes reflect the quality of our parenting over the years.  And she has not let us down.

My wife and I are both trained musicians, but our tastes in music differ greatly.  We manage to agree on a few artists, enough so that we can listen to the radio together without any major meltdowns.  We also strive to influence our daughter's tastes in music.

 

We have tried to influence her tastes before.  As a baby and toddler, we did not dress her in pink.  My wife is a somewhat reformed tomboy herself and wanted to pass that on to our little girl.  However, when she was old enough to communicate her own choices on clothing and decorations we found ourselves inundated with goods and clothing in every shade of pink imaginable.  Her room right now is enough to strike a unicorn blind.  When asked about her choice in hues, she gave an answer as profound as it is innocent: "Pink makes me happy."  And as her father, that's enough for me.

Which brings me to the point of this post.

I like recurring themes in blogs.  A friend of mine over at the professional appreciator frequently posts his "Top 10 Songs of the Moment" which I often use as a compass for groups I should listen to.  His taste in music is pretty similar to mine.  So I'm stealing his idea and making it my own.  Since this is a blog about parenting and family, the music selections will be my Princess's, not mine.

My iPod contains some 7000+ songs at the moment, so what Princess and I decided to do was listen to music together, and she would have veto power over any song she didn't like.  So we put on some headphones together, hit "shuffle all songs" and started listening. Here are the first ten songs she liked, and my comments.

Princess's Top 10 of the Moment 1/24/10

Artist | Title | Album

#1 Moxy Früvous | River Valley | Bargainville

I was introduced this this little known Canadian group during a high-school trip to North Dakota.  I like their harmonies and their humor.  For those who don't know their style, think of early work by Barenaked Ladies.

#2 Budapest Symphony Orchestra | Ride of the Valkyries | Watchmen Soundtrack

I was kind of proud that she picked one of my few orchestral pieces.  She told me that she recognized it from a video game she has.

#3 Lauryn Hill | Tell Him |  The Mis-Education of Lauryn Hill

I got this CD in college from one of those "Buy 12 for $1" record company deals.  I forgot to send this one back in time.  

#4  Kidz Bop Kids | Girlfriend | Kidz Bop 12

With a spot of particularly effective manipulation my Princess coerced me into obtaining the Kidz Bop musical anthology.  For those who are unfamiliar with Avril Levigne's Girlfriend it contains such poetic lines as, She's like, so "whatever".

#5 Pulp | Cocaine Socialism | This is Hardcore (Deluxe Edition bonus disc)

Pulp is a really excellent brit-pop band who hit their stride in the 90's but went on hiatus in 2003.  I was very pleasantly surprised by my Princess's inclusion of this song.

 #6 Taylor Swift | Forever and Always | Fearless

Don't judge me.

#7 Big & Rich | Filthy Rich | Comin' To Your City

My wife is more of a country music fan than I am, but I like some of their stuff too.  Though Horse of a Different Color was by far their best album.

#8 The Dixie Chicks | Godspeed | Home

One of the sweetest lullabies ever written.  I can't help it, I'm kind of a big old softie where this song is concerned. 

#9 Elton John | Your Song | The Very Best of Elton John

This is just a pleasant song.  I defy you to argue that point.

#10 Elton John | Rocket Man | The Very Best of Elton John

I only have this one EJ album, so I was somewhat surprised to hear two songs from it.

So all in all I think Princess did pretty well for her first time out.  She isn't much of a hard rocker, but then anybody who knows her wouldn't be surprised by that fact.  Luckily, I don't have any Jonas Brothers music on my iPod, otherwise that would have definitely dominated this list.  And for the record, during the process of picking out the 10 songs for this list, 114 songs were vetoed.

This was a lot of fun, so you'll probably see another top 10 list from the Princess soon.