My Celebrity Playlist

I was bored this afternoon and decided to play with my iTunes library. As a college student, I am addicted to my iPhone, but particularly to the iPod feature. I also love my Pandora and AOL radio apps, but that's a topic for another blog. Listening to music helps me to respond to the literature I read and the history I study. In fact, my favorite way to de-stress (which my roommates often mistake for brooding) is to turn all the lights off, light a candle, and blast old-school Johnny Cash. It may seem counterproductive, but sometimes forcing yourself to feel worse works paradoxically to make you feel better.

Today when browsing, I discovered this feature on iTunes called "Celebrity Playlist." Basically a celebrity tries to promote the latest season of their TV show or the opening weekend of their latest movie by giving readers a peek into their iTunes library in the hopes that readers will not only watch said TV show or movie, but also buy said music. It's a shameless form of self-promotion. The celebrity tries to appear edgy and current by picking the most obscure music possible. But since music is so personal, maybe the obscure music is a way for the celebrity to safeguard what little privacy they still possess?

For my playlist, I did not intentionally pick music that makes me appear edgy or sophisticated, just music that speaks to me right now. So here it is.

My If-I-Were-A-Celebrity-But-Hope-To-God-I-Never-Become-One-Playlist.

1. "Lemon Tree" by Peter, Paul, and Mary: An absolutely beautiful portrayal of love and innocence lost that perfectly encapsulates my life at this moment in time.

2."A Good Man is Hard to Find (Pittsburgh)" by Bruce Springsteen: I've loved the boss since I discovered my parent's copy of his Greatest Hits CD at age 10. In this song Bruce tells the tale of a doomed romance amidst the backdrop of a decaying steel town.

3. "Wishing" by Sugarland: Every time I hear this song I think of my dad. It perfectly captures the cycle of grief because for "every step I take that leads me away/ just circles back to your door/wishing I didn't love you anymore."

4. "I'm Alive" by Kenny Chesney: This song makes me appreciate life's small blessings.

5. "Whiskey Lullaby" by Brad Paisley: The angels sang a whiskey lullaby after war and infidelity pulled two ill-fated lovers apart.

6. "Dance with My Father" by Luther Vanderos: To this day I can not listen to this song without feeling a strong urge to call my mother.

7. "Be Thou My Vision" Beautiful hymm, timeless classic. Reminds me where my focus should be.

8. "American Pie" by Don McLean: "Something touched me deep inside/ The day that music died."

9. "Break Each Other's Heart's Again" by Reba McEntire and Don Henley: Every time I hear this song I think of my sister.

10. "Right Side of Wrong" by Bon Jovi: Very similar to Bruce Springsteen's "Meeting's Across the River." I like the idea that a right side of wrong can exist because I have found that the world often operates in shades of gray.

11. "Micah 6:8" by Charlie Hall: The quissesential contemporary Protestant worship song.

12. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Glee Cast: I am obsessed with Glee. The reason I chose this song is because it epitomizes Spring 2010 semester as well as my current relationship with elliptical machines.

13. "Last of the American Girls" by Green Day: I hope I never stop putting my make-up on like grafetti on the walls of my heartland.