Well, I start off depressing, but I end with music?
My dad's been dead for ten years today. It kind of sucks a lot, and well, it just sucks. I have a lot I want to say about my dad, but I don't think I can right now. I'm good most of the time, and it's been ten years, but every once in a while, it hits me and it's overwhelming and terrible. So I'll go with this: My dad was a bass player. When I was 18, I got my first tattoo. It's an alien head on my thigh. When I came home and showed it off, my dad said 'Why did you get a tattoo of a guitar pick on your leg?" It was kind of hilarious.
My dad was probably my biggest musical influence, in positive ways (liking good music, the ability to hear a decent bass line, the knowledge that loud, heavy classic rock helps put screaming babies to sleep just as good as lullabies, and since I don't know many lullabies but I know an amazingly useless amount of loud, heavy classic rock, this was an invaluable lesson.) and negative ways (refusing to open myself to anything he might not approve of, constantly having to justify my sheer glee for trashy pop music). I always saw my dad in the summer, and most of my dad-type memories involve the summer, so here. Have a list of songs that mean SUMMER! to me, regardless of whether my dad would have liked them. (Most of them he wouldn't have.)
This can also serve as my contribution to the Summer Roadtrip Playlist Mixtape Request that, uh, no one has asked for but that I put out there anyway.
One last note about this mix - I usually put my mixes in a particular order - the way they sound best together and flow right and the way that makes sense in my head. This one is straight up alphabetical. Because, um, there's a lot. Like, 50 songs worth of a lot.
Anyone wanting uploads, just ask! (I don't automatically do it, because it's time consuming and when I peruse other people's lists, I just make a note of what I want and download it from my downloady place. It's more convenient for me that way, so I figure it might be for you, too.)
Fifty Songs That Scream Summer
1. Alesana - Congratulations, I Hate You
Sometimes, when it's hot? I just need to scream a lot. IDK.
2. Alkaline Trio - Hell Yes
Like I could put together a mix and not include Alkaline Trio. Hell Yes is just, I don't think it's their summeriest song, but it's the first one I go to.
3. Ben Folds Five - The Battle of Who Could Care Less
This song screams summer 1997, honestly, and nothing, nothing else.
4. Britney Spears - Toxic
I blame the video.
5. Cake - The Distance
6. Chicks On Speed - Art Rules (Rock mix)
Okay, so all I can think of anymore when I hear Chicks on Speed is that part of Veronica Mars where the caller for the techno show is all, 'Do you have any chicks on speed?"
7. Cobra Starship - Pleasure Ryland
I wish I could spell my own name into songs.
8. Coheed and Cambria - Blood Red Summer
It's right there in the title!
9. The Dandy Warhols - Every Day should Be a Holiday
This whole album, really. It's summery.
10. Dashboard Confessional - Where There's Gold
Box up your gloves and your
Down coats
Bound for the sun and the
West coast
Where upper crust tragedies abound
11. A Day To Remember - I Heard It's the Softest Thing Ever
Again with the screaming. Sometimes summer does this to me. (PS If you get a chance to see them, go go go.)
12. Fall Out Boy - GINASFS
This one is cheating a little bit, because I listen to it ALL THE TIME. But I still feel like it's summery, so I put it on here anyway. Besides, without it, I'd have a mix of 49 songs, and who does that?
13. Family Force 5 - Love Addict
I first saw them at Warped last year, when it was nine billion degrees, and they were fantastic enough to make me want to dance.
14. Fountains of Wayne - Radiation Vibe
15. Fun Lovin Criminals - Scooby Snacks
I can handle this song once, MAYBE twice a year, but when I do stumble across it, I grin like a grinning thing, and sing along.
16. The Gamits - Like White Noise
17. Gratitude - Drive Away
18. Gravity Kills - Guilty
19. Green Day - Church on Sunday
I always forget how much I love Green Day - but that's the subject of a future post, so I'll leave it at that for now.
20. The Hippos - Lost It
Summer time is ska time!
21. James - Say Something
I have no idea why, but this is a summery song.
22. Jason Mraz - Curbside Prophet
Road trip song if I ever heard one.
23. Jethro Tull - Locomotive Breath
24. Less Than Jake - Overrated
This whole album, too.
25. Ludo- Summertime
26. Mad Season - Long Gone Day
Specifically, Summer Tuesdays at 4am, a long, long time ago.
27. Meat Puppets - Lake of Fire
28. Motion City Soundtrack - The Future Freaks Me Out
29. MxPx - Chick magnet
30. Murder By Death - '52 Ford
31. My Chemical Romance - Dead!
I got into this band via this song last Summer. In my head, every time I hear this song, I'm right there in my kitchen, barefoot and in cut offs, making potato salad and catching myself singing along with guitar hero. Getting pissed when Goob would lose the song and it would end before the song was over. Realizing, sonofabitch, I'm into MY CHEMICAL FREAKING ROMANCE.
32. Nerf Herder - Golfshirt
33. New Found Glory - It's Been A Summer
34. Paramore - That's What You Get
I actually don't like Paramore. But I can tell this is going to be one of those songs that is indellibly linked with this summer, whether I like it or not. Also in this category: 34b. We The Kings: Check Yes Juliet, and 34c. All Time Low: Dear Maria, Count Me In
NOT CHEATING!
35. Pavement - Stereo
36. Poe - Hello
Mostly just because the show I was at where she hugged me was in the summer.
37. The Posies - Dream All Day
38. Rancid - Olympia WA
39. Randy Travis - King of the Road
40. REM - Try Not To Breathe
41. Reel Big Fish - Sell Out
What? It was the Summer of Ska. It was important to me. And a lot of other people my age!
42. Saves The Day - Third Engine
42b Alternately, also by Saves the Day - Radio. That's not cheating!
43. Smashing Pumpkins - Rocket
44. Social Distortion - Ring of Fire
45. Steriogram - Walkie Talkie Man
46. Streetlight Manifesto - We Will Fall Together
47. Suicide Machines - the Vans Song
48. Superdrag - Sucked Out
49. Taking Back Sunday - MakeDamnSure
Last Summer. Me and Bruce. Long breaks between actually working. This song.
50. Weezer - Susanne
My dad was probably my biggest musical influence, in positive ways (liking good music, the ability to hear a decent bass line, the knowledge that loud, heavy classic rock helps put screaming babies to sleep just as good as lullabies, and since I don't know many lullabies but I know an amazingly useless amount of loud, heavy classic rock, this was an invaluable lesson.) and negative ways (refusing to open myself to anything he might not approve of, constantly having to justify my sheer glee for trashy pop music). I always saw my dad in the summer, and most of my dad-type memories involve the summer, so here. Have a list of songs that mean SUMMER! to me, regardless of whether my dad would have liked them. (Most of them he wouldn't have.)
This can also serve as my contribution to the Summer Roadtrip Playlist Mixtape Request that, uh, no one has asked for but that I put out there anyway.
One last note about this mix - I usually put my mixes in a particular order - the way they sound best together and flow right and the way that makes sense in my head. This one is straight up alphabetical. Because, um, there's a lot. Like, 50 songs worth of a lot.
Anyone wanting uploads, just ask! (I don't automatically do it, because it's time consuming and when I peruse other people's lists, I just make a note of what I want and download it from my downloady place. It's more convenient for me that way, so I figure it might be for you, too.)
Fifty Songs That Scream Summer
1. Alesana - Congratulations, I Hate You
Sometimes, when it's hot? I just need to scream a lot. IDK.
2. Alkaline Trio - Hell Yes
Like I could put together a mix and not include Alkaline Trio. Hell Yes is just, I don't think it's their summeriest song, but it's the first one I go to.
3. Ben Folds Five - The Battle of Who Could Care Less
This song screams summer 1997, honestly, and nothing, nothing else.
4. Britney Spears - Toxic
I blame the video.
5. Cake - The Distance
6. Chicks On Speed - Art Rules (Rock mix)
Okay, so all I can think of anymore when I hear Chicks on Speed is that part of Veronica Mars where the caller for the techno show is all, 'Do you have any chicks on speed?"
7. Cobra Starship - Pleasure Ryland
I wish I could spell my own name into songs.
8. Coheed and Cambria - Blood Red Summer
It's right there in the title!
9. The Dandy Warhols - Every Day should Be a Holiday
This whole album, really. It's summery.
10. Dashboard Confessional - Where There's Gold
Box up your gloves and your
Down coats
Bound for the sun and the
West coast
Where upper crust tragedies abound
11. A Day To Remember - I Heard It's the Softest Thing Ever
Again with the screaming. Sometimes summer does this to me. (PS If you get a chance to see them, go go go.)
12. Fall Out Boy - GINASFS
This one is cheating a little bit, because I listen to it ALL THE TIME. But I still feel like it's summery, so I put it on here anyway. Besides, without it, I'd have a mix of 49 songs, and who does that?
13. Family Force 5 - Love Addict
I first saw them at Warped last year, when it was nine billion degrees, and they were fantastic enough to make me want to dance.
14. Fountains of Wayne - Radiation Vibe
15. Fun Lovin Criminals - Scooby Snacks
I can handle this song once, MAYBE twice a year, but when I do stumble across it, I grin like a grinning thing, and sing along.
16. The Gamits - Like White Noise
17. Gratitude - Drive Away
18. Gravity Kills - Guilty
19. Green Day - Church on Sunday
I always forget how much I love Green Day - but that's the subject of a future post, so I'll leave it at that for now.
20. The Hippos - Lost It
Summer time is ska time!
21. James - Say Something
I have no idea why, but this is a summery song.
22. Jason Mraz - Curbside Prophet
Road trip song if I ever heard one.
23. Jethro Tull - Locomotive Breath
24. Less Than Jake - Overrated
This whole album, too.
25. Ludo- Summertime
26. Mad Season - Long Gone Day
Specifically, Summer Tuesdays at 4am, a long, long time ago.
27. Meat Puppets - Lake of Fire
28. Motion City Soundtrack - The Future Freaks Me Out
29. MxPx - Chick magnet
30. Murder By Death - '52 Ford
31. My Chemical Romance - Dead!
I got into this band via this song last Summer. In my head, every time I hear this song, I'm right there in my kitchen, barefoot and in cut offs, making potato salad and catching myself singing along with guitar hero. Getting pissed when Goob would lose the song and it would end before the song was over. Realizing, sonofabitch, I'm into MY CHEMICAL FREAKING ROMANCE.
32. Nerf Herder - Golfshirt
33. New Found Glory - It's Been A Summer
34. Paramore - That's What You Get
I actually don't like Paramore. But I can tell this is going to be one of those songs that is indellibly linked with this summer, whether I like it or not. Also in this category: 34b. We The Kings: Check Yes Juliet, and 34c. All Time Low: Dear Maria, Count Me In
NOT CHEATING!
35. Pavement - Stereo
36. Poe - Hello
Mostly just because the show I was at where she hugged me was in the summer.
37. The Posies - Dream All Day
38. Rancid - Olympia WA
39. Randy Travis - King of the Road
40. REM - Try Not To Breathe
41. Reel Big Fish - Sell Out
What? It was the Summer of Ska. It was important to me. And a lot of other people my age!
42. Saves The Day - Third Engine
42b Alternately, also by Saves the Day - Radio. That's not cheating!
43. Smashing Pumpkins - Rocket
44. Social Distortion - Ring of Fire
45. Steriogram - Walkie Talkie Man
46. Streetlight Manifesto - We Will Fall Together
47. Suicide Machines - the Vans Song
48. Superdrag - Sucked Out
49. Taking Back Sunday - MakeDamnSure
Last Summer. Me and Bruce. Long breaks between actually working. This song.
50. Weezer - Susanne