I can remember times in my life when I simply fell in love with a song. I would press the “Repeat” button over and over and listen to the song non-stop. I don’t know how common this is but here are a few that I can remember…Please contribute your own.
“Anna Begins” - Counting Crows
“Blue Moon Revisited (Song for Elvis)” - Cowboy Junkies
“Wild Horses” - The Sundays
“Goodnight Georgie” - Clinic
“Love Is Stronger Than Death” - The The
“Sleepwalker” - The Wallflowers
“One” - U2
“Book of Love” - Peter Gabriel
“Catch” - The Cure
“Dance With My Father” - Luther Vandross
“Nessun Dorma” - Pavarotti singing
“Con Te Partiro” - Andrea Bocelli
I do this all the time. I fall in love with a song and just put it on repeat till infinity. Way too many to write down but a few favorites are:
Gimme Shelter - The Rolling Stones The Big Ship - Brian Eno (Another Green World) Third World Lover - Kid Koala And Dynomite D (Bombay the Hard Way, Vol. 2: Electric Vindaloo) Broken Heart - Spiritualized (live version from Royal Albert Hall October 10 1997, not the studio version)
Two days ago, it was the wonderful The Hanging Tree by Marty Robbins. Had to wait until everyone else in the office left before I could though, since I’m sure it would have otherwise driven them nuts.
Let’s see…here’s some of the songs I can’t help repeating when they come up (from the CD I’ve currently got in the car):
“The Things I Didn’t Say” by Dr. Hook (actually, most of their Sloppy Seconds album)
“Only Women Bleed” by Alice Cooper
“Never Been Any Reason” by Head East
“Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley
“Going Down to Texas” by Shel Silverstein
“I Hope That I Don’t Fall In Love With You” by Tom Waits
“A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procul Harem
“My Ride’s Here” by Warren Zevon
“Keep Me In Your Heart For A While” by Warren Zevon
“Numb As A Statue” by Warren Zevon
“Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead” by Warren Zevon
“Mr. Bad Example” by Warren Zevon
Recently I’ve fallen in love with the CD Beautiful Dreamer - The Songs of Stephen Foster, a contemporary tribute to Foster. The two songs that I tend to hit the replay button most often for are “Hard Times Come Again No More” (Mavis Staples) and"Old Folks at Home" (David Ball). This is an amazing CD with some surprises from artists you love, plus an introduction to some artists you didn’t yet know you loved.
This thread got me thinking that I wanted the Clash’s “Clash City Rockers” in my iPod. I just downloaded it from iTunes this morning and listened to it four times (but not all consecutively) during my commute. This is the song that made me hate the Clash when they first came out because it was such a blatant rip-off of the Who. (I got better. Or they did. Or something.) Never noticed before that there are actually bells during the “bells of old Bowie” section.
Lately, it’s been “Halleluia” by the Reeltime Travelers. Great slow bluegrass. One night last week I must have listened to it ten times in a row. Beautiful.
Others that have occupied that spot for me in the (more or less) recent past:
“Hate to Say I Told You So” by the Hives
“Miss Independent” by Kelly Clarkson (shut up!)
“We’re an American Band” by Grand Funk Railroad
“Queen of Hearts” by Juice Newton (see two lines up)
“Hello Operator” by the White Stripes
When I find a song I really like, I’ll listen to it on repeat four or five times. Some songs I currently listen to like this:
“Alive” by Ima Robot
“Mr. Brightside” by the Killers
“The Promise” by When in Rome
“Baby, Can You Dig Your Man?” by Self
“How We Know” by the Thermals
Anything from Doolittle (Pixies) or Slanted and Enchanted (Pavement). These are probably my two favorite albums ever but I’ve been exceptionally obsessed with them lately.
Also, all the Jonathan Richman songs I’ve been able to (legally!) download I’ve been listening to on repeat. I can’t wait until I can afford one of his albums for real.
Because of a “most beautiful” song ever thread here, I listen to “A Rainy Night in Soho” by The Pogues again and again. That’s after repeating “Fairytale of New York” a couple of times.
One worth rewinding the cassette for is “If I Were You” by Collin Raye. And I have “Marching to Zion” by Amy Grant on CD for easy repeatage (it’s the drum and bugleness at the end that I love).
And the finale of Les Miz.
I usually have to train myself to stop listening as much (OK, this is the last time, I promise) or I will OD on the song and lose the magic. I came pretty close on “All I Want is You” by U2.
High and Dry - Radiohead Regret - New Order You and I Both - Jason Mraz Call Me Mellow - Tears for Fears Why Can’t I - Liz Phair Hands Clean - Alanis Morrisette Throw it All Away - Toad the Wet Sprocket 6th Avenue Heartache - The Wallflowers Talk Shows on Mute - Incubus
My Happy Ending by Avril Lavigne. Does my Straight Dope membership get revoked?