Thread: what are you listening to???

Day 3 - Song that makes you think of summer.

This one is difficult because there's so many songs and moments. I immediately think of songs that were on the radio during all of my road trips to visit family in Nebraska, so pretty much any popular song on the radio during the late 90s/early 2000s qualifies. I then think of what me and my cousin used to listen to when he would visit in the summers - mostly classic rock with some more modern rock thrown in. I specifically remember listening to the Stadium Arcadium album when he bought it one summer. I then could go towards more recent songs that remind me of good summers, or songs that just in general sound summery. There are a lot of angles here.

I'm gonna have to get a little weird with this one and go with a nostalgic pick. Always on the radio that summer, and my other littler cousin was in love with it and sang it nonstop. Can't listen to it without hearing her 8ish year old voice singing it. Reminds me of simpler times and the innocence of summer - which is really what it's all about.



Honorable mention to Icky Thump of which I have fond memories.

Day 4 - Song that makes you think of someone you'd rather forget.

You know how when you get on an airplane and hope you sit next to a cute girl? On the flight from Sacto to Denver my junior year at the Academy this actually happened. CU coed who was super cute and playful and it was an empty flight so we had this entire row to ourselves. We ended up flirting and it leads to a lot of physical contact, tickling, pinching and crap like that. Super cool flight. She tells me to come visit her up at CU as soon as I can. So this happens a couple of weeks later, some kind of college party thing. So we are kicking around the dorms before heading to the party and someone is playing loud music for the whole dorm. Like a pre-party party. This song comes on, and I say 'yes! Descendants!' having never heard this version. Some random girl gives me the stinkeye and says condescendingly words to the effect of you loser this is Sublime. It was obvious she had no idea what I was talking about. Not sure if that a net cool or not. Well, obviously not, but for my own accounting.



So the night and relationship were a bit of a disaster. At the party they had this everclear bobsled chute thing that really f*kked me up. My academy training prepared me for much, but not this. I was still an alcohol noob. I end up crashing in homegirls dorm, but her roommate was kind of freaked, especially when I yakked out the window. Got to meet a lot of people that night, including dorm security. Slept it off in the camaro. I'd rather forget the whole thing, but I'm reminded of it sometimes when I hear this version. (original in spoilers for purists to cleanse the palate)

 

The upshot is I learned about 40 oz to Freedom.

I don't have anybody I would like to forget so I skipped yesterday. Plus I can't beat that story.

Day 5 - song that needs to be played loud

Again so many good choices. This song goes to 11 when it comes on.

Song that needs to be played loud: Pink Floyd - Time

Really brings out the dynamics & brooding/ominous bass, the delta between the alarm/clock noises in the beginning and the desolation afterward, makes the heartbeat thingy palpable

Day 6 - Song that makes you want to dance.

Pass

Originally Posted by Hawgdriver

Day 6 - Song that makes you want to dance.

Pass

Too cool for dancing?

Day 6 - Song that makes you wanna dance.

There's some fun options here, but some of us teachers danced to this song for a talent show a few years ago so it's forever ingrained in my brain. Bruno Mars is a baller.

'Cause yo if I look and see another brother
On the video trying to out-dance each other
I'ma tell T-Bone to pass the bottle

I could dance to this I guess, some kind of emphatic head nod type dance.

Bruno Mars is baller.

Day 7 - Song to drive to

Man, I feel like I own the market on this one because much of my life is songs to drive to, always driving and listening. But this question evokes more of a road trip feel. That's where I'm going to go with it. While I've put tens of thousands of miles on various cars during multi-state trips, mostly solo, the ones that really stand out are the trips to Gila Bend Arizona for Wings of Blue training over spring break. It's a 12-ish hour drive that I'd make in one haul with a single fuel stop if I could. Prior to the trip I'd stop by a local CD place like Independent Records or Zia's or something like that. Find out who knows about the good stuff. Sometimes just a Borders or B&N when they had listening stations.

One trip in particular stands out, I had *just* purchased Death Cab's Transatlanticism, Shins Chutes Too Narrow, The Stills Logic Will Break Your Heart, Sun Kil Moon's Ghosts of the Great Highway, Modest Mouse's Building Nothing Out of Something, and a couple of others that didn't hold up. Then set out toward New Mexico and the setting sun. I love to drive at night.

The first song to come to mind was Transatlanticism. On a road trip you have time. So if a song takes its time, that's ok. This song takes its time. If Ben Gibbard wants to take his time and paint, well, it's about 30 miles until Rock Canyon, the next random place I'll pass. What else is there to do? Nothing. Entertain me, Ben. Gives you time and reminds you about those holes you never managed to fill. In that song, the simple guitar riff is so present and expressive. That song stood out from the trip, but it was overshadowed by another one, if we are talking about driving songs.

I'm late to this party, but there are no real rules:

Day 1

Purple Haze, Jimi Hendrix Experience. That guitar riff is so dirty.

Day 2, number

Two Of Us, Beatles (Lennon and McCartney). One of their best album tracks, which is saying something in my opinion (suck it haters).

Day 3, summer

Summer of '99.

Day 4, someone to forget

College girlfriend, sophomore year

Day 5, play it loud

I was tempted to be super douchey and say Lynyrd Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama just because Van Zant says "turn it up" at the beginning of the song. But...let's do this instead...

Day 6, dance

Come at me, haters.

And since it's already tomorrow:

Day 7, song to drive to

No competition.