Okay - have to go to bed! I appreciate ALL the suggestions, but definitely looking within that certain genre (although I might use some of the other suggestions for other “girl name” mixes - like an 80s one with Roxanne, Joanna, Sara, Gloria )
Here is the playlist so far:
Jenny - Mountain Goats
Jezebel - Iron and Wine
O Valencia - The Decemberists
Lily 2 - Matt Pond PA
Ramona - Guster
Hey There Delilah - Plain White Tees
String Bean Jean - Belle & Sebastian
Sweet Jane - Cowboy Junkies
Jamie - Weezer
Anna Begins - Counting Crows
Ben Folds Five - Kate (Gracie was a close one, but the intended recipient has a ticking biological clock and I didn’t want to make her all teary-eyed)
Allison Road - The Gin Blossoms
Margaret vs. Pauline - Neko Case
Come Away Melinda - Uriah Heep
I have Hannah Jane by Hootie & The Blowfish in reserve, if I don’t get enough songs to fill the CD. Oh, and I plan to end with Brandy - You’re a Fine Girl because I love the song and know it will annoy my friend
There were a couple of songs that looked really interesting (Anything Box - Lucy, Kate Bush - Lily) that I couldn’t find. I will keep looking! I really do appreciate ALL the suggestions!!
Actually, I was just scrolling through my singles database, which has been a work in progress for eight years. That’s why there are lots of titles missing from my list - either I don’t have them on a single, or I haven’t listed them as singles on an album or CD yet. So, no Martha My Dear, Julia, The Lovely Linda, etc. - those are album tracks.
Oh, I attempted to do something like this for Mother’s Day, making a mix CD featuring the name of my siblings, but could only find songs where the boy dies at war for my youngest brother’s name. Not cool, I decided.
Artist
Song (Album)
Sarah McLachlan
Mary (Fumbling Towards Ecstasy)
Adia (???)
Ben Folds Five
Kate (Whatever and Ever Amen)
Cash Box Kings
Sarah (Black Night Fallin’) – This is a great, great blues song.
Cowboy Junkies
Sweet Jane (???)
Fleetwood Mac
Rhiannon (The Dance)
James McMurtry and the Heartless Bastards
Rachel’s Song (Live in Aught-Three)
Natalie Merchant
Ophelia (Ophelia)
Frozen Charlotte (Ophelia)
Pretty Balanced (They are oh-my-god-amazing. Web site with samples.)
Emyli (Icicle Bycicle)
Miriam (Icicle Bycicle)
Simon and Garfunkel
Cecilia (Best of album)
Tori Amos
Mrs. Jesus (Scarlet’s Walk)
I maintain that the last one can be argued to be a woman’s name.
Warren Zevon - Carmelita Billy Bragg and Wilco w/ Woody Guthrie - Ingrid Bergman. John Denver - Annie’s Song The Beatles - Lovely Rita Tom Jones - Delilah Paul McCartney - Jenny Wren The Band - Ophelia
Barenaked Ladies - Jane, Enid, and Be My Yoko Ono
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary Don Henley - Lila Jackson Browne - Rosie (well, it’s a girl’s name, anyway)
Okay, a quick scan on the music collection on my laptop (mostly country) reveals the following:
Adalida - George Strait
Black-eyed susan - Prairie oyster. (Not JUST a name, but close )
Carlene - Phil Vassar
Emily - Beth Nielsen Chapman
Fancy - Reba McEntire. (not a common name, but it’s a name in the context of the song)
Jezebel - Chely Wright (different from the ‘iron and white’ one I think)
Jolene - Sherrie Austin’s cover of the Dolly Parton song
Josephine - Collin Raye
Sarah - Sherrie Austin
Trudy - Dan Bern
Damien Rice - Amie
Aimee Mann - Good Bye Caroline
Goo Goo Dolls - Iris
I’m also making a CD called “Love and Loss”:
First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes
Wake Up - Coheed and Cambria
Beautiful Day - U2 (the person the CD is for loooves U2)
Popular Mechanics for Lovers - Beulah
Swing Life - Rise Against
Such Great Heights - Iron and Wine
Ben Folds Five - Gracie
Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol (the person the CD is for loooves Snow Patrol)
Upside Down - John Jackson
Dusk & Summer - Dashboard Confessional
Breathe Me - Sia
Hey Ya - accoustic version
I am Always the One That Calls - Pedro the Lion
Rest of My Life - Unwritten Law
Last Goodbye - Jeff Buckley
No one will Ever Love You - Magnetic Fields
You will be Loved - Deathcab for Cutie
Hope that it will all fit!
Putting these 2 together has been really fun! Still happy to get more suggestions and find new songs/artists to love!
Jessica — Bloodrock (not the same song the Allman Bros sing)
Mary — Sarah McLachlan [already mentioned upthread]
Mary — Tori Amos
Guinevere — Crosby Stills & Nash
Judy Blue Eyes — Crosby Stills & Nash [already mentioned]
Pocahontas — Neil Young
Marianne — Tori Amos
Talula — Tori Amos
Yes, Anastasia — Tori Amos
Martha’s Foolish Ginger — Tori Amos
Ruby Tuesday — Rolling Stones [already mentioned, dangit]
Vera — Pink Floyd
Julia Dream — Pink Floyd
Emily’s Song — Moody Blues
Okay! After a couple of last minute great suggestions (big thanks to Omega Glory for Josephine, Fearless Leader for Mary and Jophiel for Eleanor), the CD is burned. Final track list:
Hey There Delilah - Plain White Tees
Anna Begins - Counting Crows
Sweet Jane - Cowboy Junkies
Amie - Damien Rice
Ramona - Guster
Jezebel - Iron and Wine
Eleanor - Low Millions
Lily 2 - Matt Pond PA
Carmen - Anything Box
Adia - Sarah McLachlan
Josephine - Teitur
Annie Waits - Ben Folds Five
O Valencia - The Decemberists
Jamie - Weezer
Iris - GooGoo Dolls
Mary - Scissor Sisters
String Bean Jean - Belle & Sebastian
Goodbye Caroline - Aimee Mann
Jenny - Mountain Goats
Lots of great songs suggested, I just ran out of space. Loved both versions of Ophelia by Natalie Merchant and The Band. Loved Come Away, Melinda. Loved Kate and Gracie by Ben Folds but didn’t want to have multiple songs by the same artist (that was a tough decision!). Loved Suzanne by Leonard Cohen but not sure if the CD recipient would like it as much.
Never did find the Nick Lowe song suggested, but did find Switchboard Susan and it’s awesome, but really doesn’t fit the rest of the songs. Ditto Rachel’s Song by by James McMurtry and Dani California by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Rapunzel by Dave Matthews Band almost made the cut (along with Allison Road by the Gin Blossoms, Hannah Jane by Hootie & the Blowfish and JLo’s Jenny from the Block for the pure amusement factor - since my name is Jennifer).
I was also tempted by Veronica/Allison but finally just thought they were too well known. I found a great song - Mishale by Andru Donalds that didn’t sound right for this CD, but a really fun song. I tried to find the Barenaked Ladies songs suggested, but couldn’t find them! I will keep looking for myself.
A lot of the songs mentioned didn’t fit the “low fi genre” I was looking for, but I appreciate all the suggestions and read all the posts! Thanks again! I have some new favorite songs and new artists to explore. This was a GREAT thread.
Sorry–I think I overlooked the “low fi” part. I actually just found out what low fi was (thanks to wikipedia)…I think I just glossed by it, not knowing what it means.
Sounds like a great mix CD. I’ll have to check out some of the other songs mentioned in this thread.
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