I’m in charge of the stereo whenever I’m in the car with my best friend, so I make 26 song mixes that use one song from each letter of the alphabet while following a theme, like musicals, angry girl music, weird boy music (Neil Cicierega, Jonathan Coulton, the like), or rock in general. It’s an easy way to sort songs, and is just predictable enough to be a dependable source of car music.
I used to try to keep every song new from mix to mix. I’ve found that I can’t. I’ve only got 7 songs that start with Q, 4 that start with X, and 5 that start with Z*. Even with about 57 songs that start with J and 47 that start with K, those letters are problematic too. We’ve listened to the Me First and the Gimme Gimmes’ cover of Jolene about a bajillion times, not to mention the Mitch Hedberg track “X”- which isn’t even a song, but is much better than Xanadu, one of the other options, and less irritating to other passengers, which the Xena theme can be.
So- do you know any really great songs, preferably with lyrics in English (French, German, and Japanese could be fun too)? If they’re available free online legally, that’s extra great, but I’m willing to buy anything that starts with a Q or an X.
*Six if you count “Zed’s Dead, Baby [Skit]/Bullwinkle, Pt. 2,” but I don’t.
I listen to a huge selection of music (and I’m stalling on doing my homework), so here you go (I’m leaving out the random anime and cartoon stuff)
J
Jack - AC/DC
Jailbreak - AC/DC
Jailhouse Rock - Elvis
Johnny B. Goode - Elvis (and half a dozen other covers)
Jean Genie - David Bowie
Joe the Lion - David Bowie
Jerry Springer - Weird Al
Jesus of Suburbia - Green Day
Join in the Chant - Nitzer Ebb
Jug of Punch - err, probably any folk group. Mine’s by the Clancy Bros.
Just Around the Riverbend - Disney’s Pocahontas
Just Like Jesse James - Cher
Just You - Sonny & Cher
K
Karma Man - David Bowie
Keine Lust - Rammstein
Key West - Village People
Kick It - Nitzer Ebb
Killer Queen - Queen
Kind of Magic - Queen
King of Hearts - KISS
King of Suede - Weird Al
Kung Fu Fighting - err, mine’s from Mulan
Jackson - Johnny Cash
Jagged - Old 97s
Jane - Barenaked Ladies
Jane Says - Jane’s Addiction
Jealous Girls - The Gossip
Jeannie’s Diary - Eels
Jesus on the Radio - Guster
Jesus Wrote a Blank Check - CAKE
Jesus, etc - Wilco
K
Kamera - Wilco
Karma Police - Radiohead
Kate - Ben Folds Five
Keep it Together - Guster
Keep the Car Running - Arcade Fire
Killing an Arab - The Cure
King of all of the World - Old 97s
Kiss Off - Violent Femmes
Q
Quicksand - Seu Jorge (David Bowie cover from Life Aquatic sessions)
Question - Rhett Miller (or Old 97s)
Quattro - Calexico
Quality - Barenaked Ladies
X
X-Ray Eyes - Guster
Z
Zak and Sara - Ben Folds
Ziggy Stardust - Seu Jorge
Zina-Marina - Gogol Bordello
feppytweed- I should have already thought of Jesse’s Girl- it was playing today in the scene shop, and everyone was singing along.
Silver Tyger Girl- I’ve already got Jerry Springer, Killer Queen, and Ziggy Stardust on mixes, and King of Suede on my computer, but everyone I know likes Rammstein and the rest of the list sounds great too!
chicken wire?- Zombie Eaters is such a totally awesome name that I will use it one day no matter how it sounds. Also, ooo, a Beck song that starts with Q. I haven’t gotten a Beck album since I was 16 or so (okay, so that was only 4 years ago, but whatver) and I don’t have that song, but I was thinking of buying more Beck soon.
Lucky 13- Your K list looks especially nice- not that’s there anything wrong with the Js!
Everyone else who posted between me starting this and me hitting post- Thanks so much! I didn’t expect such an overwhelming response.
Zelda Rap - Benefit
Zion - Fluke
Zombie - Cranberries
Zombie Dance - The Cramps
Q
Quando, Quando, Quando - Englebert Humperdinck
Queen For A Day - Dance Hall Crashers
Queen of Hearts - Juice Newton
Queer - Garbage
K
Kalifornia - Fatboy Slim
Keep Their Heads Ringin’ - Dr. Dre
Kick Drum - G. Love and Special Sauce
Killing In The Name Of - Rage Against The Machine
Kinda I Want To - NIN
Kinder Words - Mighty Mighty Bosstones
King Of Rock - Rum DMC
King Without A Crown - Matisyahu
Kiss And Say Goodbye - The Manhattans
Knights Of Cydonia - Muse
Kodachrome - Paul Simon
J
J.A.R. - Green Day
Jam-Master Jay - Run DMC
Jamiaca Ska - Desmond Dekker and The Specials
James Bond Theme - Moby
James K. Polk - TMBG
Jamie - Weezer
Jesus Built My Hotrod - Ministry
Jimmy James - Beastie Boys
Johnny 99 - Bruse Springsteen
Judy Is A Punk - Ramones
Julia - HorrorPops
Just For You - Sam Cooke
Just Like Honey - Jesus and Mary Chain
Just My Imagination - Temptations
Just Wait - Blues Traveler
Justice For All - Social Distortion
J
Jacquiline - Franz Ferdinand
Jamie - Weezer
Jane - Jefferson Starship
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine - The Killers
Jesus Walks - Kanye West
Jetpack - The Flobots
Jimmy - The Living End
Judy Is A Punk - The Ramones
Jump Around - House of Pain
Just A Friend - Biz Markie
Just What I Needed - Cars
K
Karmacoma - Massive Attack
Keep Fishin’ - Weezer
Keep The Car Running - Arcade Fire
Kick Out The Jams - Presidents of the USA
Kelly, Watch the Stars! - Air
Kickapoo - Tenacious D
Kids Don’t Know Shit - Islands
Killing the Right - The Living End
King of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1 - Neutral Milk Hotel
Kissing the Lipless - The Shins
Know Your Onion! - The Shins
Knee Deep - George Clinton
Q
Questions and Answers - Apples In Stereo
X
X Amount of Words - Blue October
Z
Zombie - Cranberries
Apparently theres also a lot of names that start with J
Jack & Diane - John “Cougar” Mellencamp
Jackie Blue - Smashing Pumpkins (cover song, don’t know the original)
Jacob’s Ladder - Rush
Jailbreak - AC/DC
Jailbreak - Thin Lizzy
Jamie’s Crying - Van Halen
Janie’s Got a Gun - Aerosmith
Jawbreaker - Judas Priest
Jeremy - Pearl Jam
Jeremy Bender - Emerson Lake & Palmer
Jerry Was A Race Car Driver - Primus
Jesus Built My Hot Rod - Ministry
Jesus He Knows Me - Genesis
Jesus Saves - Slayer
Jet Airliner - Steve Miller Band
Jet City Woman - Queensryche
There’s tons and tons of “J” songs, same with “K”
Queen of Hearts - Juice Newton
Queen of Spades - Styx
Queen of the Broken Hearts - Loverboy
Queen of the Reich - Queensryche
Question - Moody Blues
Quiche Lorraine - B-52s
Quicksand Jesus - Skid Row
Quiet - Smashing Pumpkins
Quiet World - Katatonia (beautiful song!)
X Offender - Blondie
Xanadu - Rush
Xnoybis - Godflesh
X-Ray Mirror - Voivod
XXX - Nasty Savage
Zanzibar - Billy Joel
Zero - Smashing Pumpkins
Zero Signal - Fear Factory
Zero the Hero - Black Sabbath
Zerox - Adam & the Ants
Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie (or Bauhaus, or Def Leppard)
Zodijackyl Light - Dark Tranquility
Zombie - The Cranberries
Zombie Attack - Tankard
Zombie Stomp - Ozzy Osbourne
Zoo Pie - Guided By Voices
Zoo Station - U2
Zulu Lulu - Bruce Dickinson
Zuviel Hitze - Falco
Z:
Zephyrus–Bloc Party
Zero–Smashing Pumpkins
Zero-Sum–Nine Inch Nails
Zona de Promesas–Soda Stereo
Zoom–Soda Stereo
Q:
Quarter to Three–Sleater-Kinney
Queen is Dead–Smiths
Quicksand–Travis
Quiet–Smashing Pumpkins (they’re quite good with the obscure letters, no?)
Question of Time–Depeche Mode
and my personal favorite, Quiero Vino Por Favor–La Mar’K
Queen of Cans & Jars - Guided By Voices
Quittin’ Time - Mary Chapin Carpenter
Seasonal use only:
X-Mas in Jail - Asleep at the Wheel (no idea where or how I obtained this song, and I wouldn’t call it a favorite, but it’s kind of funny and is the only song I own that starts with an X)