10 TRACK MIND: I thought Tracy Chapman was a man ...

POSTED: Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 10:00 AM

Intern Diana Palmieri put her iPod on shuffle. This is where it led her ...

1. Matchbox Twenty, “How Far We’ve Come” – Exile on Mainstream (2007)
I loved this song when it first came out and I loathed it a week after that. It probably didn’t help that I made it my ring tone, simultaneously pissing myself off and everyone else around me whenever my phone rang. The rushed beat and hectic pace makes me feel like I’m on speed whenever I listen to it.

2. Michelle Branch, “Breathe” – Hotel Paper (2003)
If there is such a thing, this is the epitome of white girl music. From Branch’s Hotel Paper album, it is a definite mood lifting kind of song. If I could drive or had a car, this would be playing with the windows down on an open road.

3. Strays Don’t Sleep, “For Blue Skies” – Strays Don’t Sleep (2006)

This is a song that doesn’t need anything but soft music to accompany the powerful lyrics. Although written about the sentencing of lead singer Matthew Ryan’s brother to 30 years in prison, this is one of those songs that can be placed in almost any context and still be relatable to anyone having a hard time with forgiveness or acceptance.

4. South, “Paint the Silence” – From Here on In (2001)
Whenever I hear this song, only one thing comes to mind: Ryan and Marissa’s first kiss on the Ferris wheel. I still remember the moment that my 14 year-old self, wide-eyed in front of my TV and sighing with a pillow clutched to my chest, was watching The OC when South’s lead singer belted, “How can you say your life is empty?” as the characters locked lips. It was a great television moment, but it was one-upped by an even better song.

5. The Cure, “Pictures of You” – Disintegration (1989)
I’m a big fan of The Cure although I usually can’t get behind a song that doesn’t actually start until nearly two full minutes into the track, but this is the exception. The melody has just the right amount of whimsy and really prepares the listener for the lyrics that are to come.

6. Guns N’ Roses, “Sweet Child O’ Mine” – Appetite for Destruction (1987)

Classic rock at its best, this is one of those songs that everyone should have on their iPod, even if they don’t have any other by that artist, kind of like AC/DC’s “You Shook Me all Night Long” or Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’.” It is from the band’s 1987 debut album “Appetite for Destruction” and was their first and only #1 single.

7. Rihanna featuring Drake, “What’s my Name?” – Loud (2010)
Part of me hates me for loving this song since it is so over-played, but I can’t help it. Everything Rihanna’s been putting out lately is about sex, either blatantly or not so much, and this one is no different. I’m usually not one for updating my music library too often, but I couldn’t help fork over the $1.29 (damn inflation) iTunes demands in exchange for this pleasantly obnoxious repetition of lyrics and beats.

8. Sister Hazel, “Elvis” – Fortress (2000)
This is in my iTunes library because I accidentally bought the whole album, instead of only purchasing “Change Your Mind” off of Fortress. It is too country-sounding for me, and I’ve never listened to it in its entirety until now. It isn’t about Elvis, but about separating belongings after a break-up, including one person’s “big painted velvet Elvis.” Who would want that?

9. Tracy Chapman, “Fast Car” – Tracy Chapman (1988)
I’ve loved this song ever since I heard it when I was younger on radio stations my dad always had on in the car. For the longest time, I thought that Tracy Chapman was a man. My world was officially blown when I found out that the manly-ish voice behind “Fast Car” has lady parts. Either way, “Fast Car” has such beautifully poignant lyrics that make me pause whenever I hear it.

10. Dashboard Confessional, “The Brilliant Dance” – The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most (2001)
I’m shocked that Dashboard only made one cameo appearance on this shuffle, because I own just about every song they’ve ever put out. This song, which is such a lovely track with lead singer Chris Carrabba’s dreamy voice solely accompanied by an acoustic guitar, has such simple lyrics about a jaded heart after a break-up. Every time I hear it, I can’t help emit a mental ‘aww’ when he belts, “This is incredible, starving, insatiable, yes, this is love for the first time.” It’s a little emo, even a little whiney, and probably mostly reserved for people who eat that crap up. (Guilty.)

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