I’ve been away too long to bother trying to catch you all up. (In fact as I post this I am astonished to realize that this will have been my one and only post for the month of November. How can this be?)

Cliff Notes Version: Life is busy. I am forcing myself to take a break right now because I need it before my head explodes. Rather than a “Dear Diary, This is what I’ve been up to” sort of entry (which I think I gave up in about the 4th grade) I will just jump back in.

Earlier this week, my good friend Kevin Smith posted his Ultimate Playlist
with a request for his 150,000 (give or take) readers to send back their top ten songs. Although I highly doubt that he will read it, I will probably be a huge geek and send him this link. And regardless of whether anyone reads it (adorable film maker who looks like my husband or otherwise), I find the project intriguing. So, admittedly more for my entertainment than yours, here follows Helena’s Ten Desert Island* Songs (ten songs is hard but it’s much more generous than the five Nick Hornby/John Cusak/Jack Black would have given me, and for that I am grateful):

Disclaimer: This list was made without the benefit of having my actual music library on hand, so I really don’t consider it to be totally definitive. But it was much easier to do while on the clock than it would be to try to do at home. I guess if I couldn’t think of it off the top of my head, it’s probably not going to be one of my top ones anyway.

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Simple Joys (Pippin Soundtrack) – A list of my favorite music would not be complete without including the Pippin soundtrack. This song sums up my world view, dresses it in tight pants, puts it in a pretty box, ties it up with a sparkly ribbon and adds a funky bass line.

Tears (Rush, 2112) – At last count I believe there are approximately 47,000 Rush songs. I love them all, but I have put this song on repeat and listened to it all night long while I slept. I have laid on my bedroom floor with my eyes closed and felt the experience gained from all my sorrows washing over me in a three-minute, thirty-one-second long sigh.

I’ve Got A Crush On You (Sinatra Version, I forget the name of the CD I have this on because I am a bad person) – I have written before about the fact that this song contains the perfect note. When he sings, “Could you coo, and could you care,” the “and” has a resonance that can only be achieved by a true master. For most people, that word would have been a throwaway, but he turns it into magic. It gives me goose bumps every time.

Straight To My Heart (Sting, Nothing Like The Sun) – So many Sting songs from which to choose, but while I desperately want to shake a tambourine for “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free”, for the purposes of this list I have to go with the one that’s in 7/8.

Rockin’ The Suburbs (Ben Folds, Rockin’ The Suburbs) – This song is great for when I start taking myself too seriously (which happens a lot). It rocks hard and has a good time doing it. Plus when singing along in the car, one gets to yell “FUUUUUUUUCK” at the top of one’s voice. Extremely cathartic. I imagine that when I am stranded on an island I will need to be reminded not to be so serious about it all, so this track will really come in handy.

More Than A Feeling (Boston, Boston) – The Ultimate Feel-Good Song. Cheesy, but there you have it. I tried not to include it but I just cannot top this song for pure make-me-smile, hand-clapping, guitar-solo-singing happiness (yes, I do sing the guitar solo).

Somewhere Only We Know (Keane, Hopes and Fears) – So desperate, so melancholy. I totally relate to the feeling of being at the end of something and wanting to hold on just a bit longer.

I Cannot Believe It’s True (Phil Collins, Hello I Must Be Going) – So peppy in its disbelief at the stupidity of people. Like me! Great horns and it’s in a great key for me to sing along.

Follow You, Follow Me (Genesis, …And Then There Were Three) – Yes, yes. I know it’s kind of lame to have Phil Collins and Genesis both on the list. Especially since I am really not a huge flaming fan, like some people I know. But when I think of songs that I don’t want to never hear again, this one keeps coming back no matter how hard I try to shake it from the list. I guess I am just a romantic at heart.

Sappy F*****g Love Song (The Man, Some Tape That’s Lying Around The House) – Assuming that I am really and truly alone on this island, I would want to be able to hear his voice. He didn’t know it at the time, but he wrote this song for me.

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As I was thinking of songs for this list, I thought of many, many songs that I adore and/or that have special meaning for me. But what made the difference between making the cut and not came down to artistry. I can sing all of TMBG’s Flood from memory, so I don’t need to hear it. I could keep myself entertained for a long time on that desert island by singing that album backwards, forwards and inside out.** But there is no way I could ever recreate the feeling of hearing Sinatra’s perfect note or Geddy Lee’s raw sweetness (yes, I just used “sweetness” to describe Geddy Lee – so sue me) when he sings Tears. And I think we can all agree that I am a poor replacement for Sting, whose voice I cannot imagine never hearing again.

I admit I am a little disturbed by the lack of contemporary songs that made the list. Reading it over, I realize that most of them are from the 70s or 80s. I think this is because a song takes time to really take hold. There are many newer songs that I considered, but then I thought maybe in a few years I’d be sick of them. These are the songs that (for the most part) have stood the test of time. I mean, if you had asked me in 1985, I would have said “Save a Prayer” was number one on the list. But now, while it’s still a good song, and with apologies to my one true love, John Taylor, I know I can live without it.

So, I showed you mine. Won’t you please show me yours?

* Why is it always a desert island?

** Hopefully I am alone on the island or hate the people I am with, because once Istanbul (Not Constantinople) gets stuck in your head, there is no way to get rid of it. Either that or The Man would have to be with me so we could harmonize.

Reading:
Not much, you?

Hearing:
Miles Davis, Sketches of Spain
Keane, Hopes and Fears

Needing:
To go home soon.

In My Car CD Player:
Cake, Prolonging the Magic