Jan wanted somebody to ask a question, and though its not relevant to her journal entry today, I'm just curious...What is your favorite song?

-- Anonymous, February 03, 2000

Answers

Hmm. I have a lot of favorite songs.

When I was in junior high, my two favorite songs (this sounds so stupid) were "Lady in Red" and "The Glory of Love", which was on the Karate Kid II soundtrack. Yes, I was a big dork.

Lately I've been listening to my Crash Test Dummies CD a lot. I really like the song about coffee spoons and afternoons, that's based on a TS Eliot quote. But the whole CD is really good.

I'm also into They Might Be Giants just 'cause they're so funny. I haven't been listening to them a lot lately, though... maybe I will when I get home! Yeah! I'm a dork, aren't I?

-- Anonymous, February 03, 2000

Uh-oh.

I don't have a favorite song, since I'm totally schizophrenic when it comes to music. But you asked, so I'll try and come up with a few. Remember, *you* asked.

Classical

• Concerto No. 2 in G minor for Piano and Orchestra; Prokofiev. The first time I heard this was live at the Milwaukee Symphony. I literally hallucinated.
• 1812 Overture; Tchaikovsky. Yes, it's overdone, but my high school orchestra performed it. With live cannons. Can't beat that with a stick.
• Carnival of the Animals; Saint-Saens. This is the funnest piece to perform, ever. Well, that and Orpheus in the Underworld by Offenbach.

Clubbing Music, or Stuff To Dance To

• Just Like Heaven; The Cure. I double-dog-dare someone to find me a song that's funner to bounce around to.
• Dominion/Mother Russia; Sisters of Mercy There's something about the bassline to this song that just gets in my blood.
• Headhunter; Front 242 Again, it's that bassline.

Other, or Stuff I Listen To

• Insanity; Oingo Boingo Danny Elfman is my personal hero. And this song is amazing. Listen to the lyrics. Scary shit.
• I Wouldn't Normally Do This Kind Of Thing; Pet Shop Boys Such a happy bouncy song!!
• Welcome to Paradise; Front 242 Just a cool song.
• Everything They Might Be Giants did before trying to become a "real band." C'mon, John and John, you rocked before 1996. What gives? Dear Junkie who broke into my car during the TMBG concert in Milwaukee on 9/30/98 and stole all of my TMBG CDs: Fuck you. Love, carolyn.
• Everything by The Cure I tried to think of my favorite Cure song, and couldn't. MMMMMMmmmmmmmm. Robert Smith. 'Nuff said.

Are you sorry you asked yet? :) I'm sure I'll think of more.

-- Anonymous, February 04, 2000

Ooh! Ooh! 1812 Overture! When I was playing in my hometown's community band, we did this piece, and especially for it, we brought in a 16-piece brass band from Columbus to back us up. It was totally awesome. Oh, and we had the real cannons too. I think they were Civil War era, actually (not hard to come by that kind of stuff in the part of the country where I grew up). It was just the most awesome experience ever. OK, sure, the flute section was totally irrelevant during the entire last twenty minutes, but it was still awesome, and besides, I was on piccolo. It ruled.

-- Anonymous, February 04, 2000

Oh goody..an easy one...

Umm..brown-eyed girl..here comes the sun..pictures of you..angel-aerosmith...aint that a kick in the head-dean...anything by tom waits...so many..so many..so many...let's stay together-al green...crazy-brit spears ( oh sue me)...xanadu-olivia newton john..and the list goes on....

Miriam

-- Anonymous, February 04, 2000

I think "Lost Together" by Blue Rodeo is my favourite song. But if you ask me on another day, you'll probably get a different answer.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2000

Wow. Umm... Let's do categories. Classical :
Just about anything by John Williams, but especially the Theme from Midway. It makes me feel patriotic.
Mozart's Horn Concerto in E-Flat Major. Yeah, I'm a horn player. You got a problem with that?
Aaron Copland's Fanfare For the Common Man

Long time Favorites :
Lots of James Taylor. Sweet Baby James, One Morning In May, Fire and Rain, Shed a Little Light and others.
Marc Cohn's first album. Yes, the whole thing.
Just about anything by Barenaked Ladies. Except most of the stuff they play on the radio. :p

Broadway :
Ragtime
Crazy For You
The Civil War: The Nashville Sessions
Rent

Currently Listening To :
Maybe He'll Notice Her Now - Mindy McCready
It's Raining Men - The Weather Girls
The Flag - Barenaked Ladies(Yeah, so they're mentioned above, but it's an amazing song
When She Loved Me - Sarah McLachlan
Ok, there are so many others, but I'm blanking. And Jan, CTD's Superman Song is wonderful too. Not sure what album it's on though. Not the one you mentioned though, obviously.

-- Anonymous, February 06, 2000

Ooooh.. lists!!

Classical: Trepak (otherwise known as The Russian Dance), The Chinese Dance, and basically anything else from The Nutcracker Suite, but those 2 are the best. Umm.. also, Ode To Joy.. I don't kow by who. The one they sing in 'Help' to save one of the Beatles from the tiger. And Canon Pachabel D or whatever. I'm so bad with the names.

Rock: Anything by Everclear. God Gave Rock N' Roll To You by KISS, Livin' On A Prayer by Bon Jovi, Love Song For A Vampire by Annie Lennox, and anything by U2.

The Mushy Songs: Anything by Sarah McLachlan, With or Without You by U2, Always by Bon Jovi, Moon River (favourite being Audrey Hepburn's version), and Walking After You by the Foo Fighters.

The Embarassing: That's The Way It is by Celine Deon, and Take Me Home, Country Road by John Denver. Oh, boy.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2000

Beethoven wrote the Ode to Joy, and it rules. And, I love Pachelbel's Canon in D too. I played it once as part of a flute choir and it was so awesome that I cannot even describe how awesome it was.

I am totally going to buy another Crash Test Dummies CD this week, too. I can't even believe they have 3 CDs and I didn't even know it.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2000

Oh, I forgot one more thing -- Ariana, I am right with you on the Take Me Home Country Roads thing. I mean, how can I like a song that has the lyric "West Virginia Mountain Mama" in it? How can I? And yet, I do.

When I went on a road trip to Colorado last year, we put a John Denver CD in while we were driving through the Rockies, and sang along at the top of our lungs. Thank God nobody had a camcorder.

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2000

in 6th grade, every Friday afternoon we would be taken to the auditorium and sing a bunch of songs, but it was always the same ones. We sang some pretty screwed up things like My Saviour God To Thee. I think that's the name.. it had lyrics like "how great thou art" and I really had no clue why we sang it, we definately weren't a religious school.

Country Roads was one of them, and after Whitney Houston's One Moment in Time, it was the most modern song we ever sang. Then it was American Pie (our teacher was really mean for making us sing that. How do you expect 12 year olds to memorise a near 10 minute song?).

Jan - Are you sure it's Beethoven? Because I found an Ode to Joy midi file by Beethoven and it was just piano music. What's the Ode To Joy they used in the trailers for Die Hard 2? That song is driving me crazy :)

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2000

"Ode to Joy" is definitely Beethoven. It's from one of his symphonies, but I can't remember which one now. It's an orchestral piece -- somebody later tacked some words on it and then translated them into English, I believe. I know a lot of churches have an arrangement of it in their hymnals.

There are a gazillion various arrangements, too, so it doesn't surprise me that you found one that was just piano.

You guys who are into the classical stuff should go listen to some Aaron Copland. He's my all time favorite composer, ever. Listen to "Appalachian Spring" first and then move on to the other stuff. You'll like it! I promise!

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2000

OK, so I just checked the Internet Movie Database, and the only classical songs they list in the Die Hard 2 soundtrack were "Carol of the Bells", and "Finlandia" by Sibelius.

Are you sure Ode to Joy was on it? (I saw Die Hard 2 so long ago I can't remember.. and frankly I've done my best to forget.)

-- Anonymous, February 07, 2000

I think that one of my favorite songs is Pachebells Canon. I never ever get tired of listening to it no matter how many times I do. I don't really know why I love it so much, but it always just makes me happy in an emotional kind of way whenever I hear it.

-- Anonymous, February 08, 2000

I've actually never seen 'Die Hard 2', but I did see a trailer for it once, and they used Ode To Joy in the background (the trailer kicked ass, even if just for Ode to Joy).

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

OK, I got another Crash Test Dummies CD last night. It's the one with "Superman's Song" on it, and you're right, it totally rules. I made Keith listen to it with me and he thought it was hilarious and yet somehow touching.

Also, on this CD they have a female vocalist doing backup vocals, and it sounds really cool. Does anyone happen to know what happened to her in the later CD(s)?

-- Anonymous, February 09, 2000

I finally got the Crash Test Dummies CD with "Superman's Song" on it a few weeks ago.

Then this morning the radio station was taking requests for a "super fat" theme park -- songs dealing with either "super" or "fat". So I emailed in and requested "Superman's Song" and they played it! Woo- hoo! I love when the radio plays my requests.

OK, just wanted to share.

-- Anonymous, March 07, 2000

american pie

betcha'll didn't know that.

K.

-- Anonymous, March 24, 2000