Playlist

You may have noticed the playlist I recently added to the left sidebar of this page. Music is a huge part of our lives and it seemed unnatural not to have some sort of inclusion of this aspect since I'm sharing almost everything else. Each one of the songs I picked has a special meaning for me as it relates to my relationship with J.J.:

1. Such Great Heights, The Postal Service: In addition to being a generally awesome song, this reminds me of the road trip we took in September 2007 to Madison, Wisconsin to attend the Southern Comfort Music Experience. Neither one of us is a big drinker (I might have a few drinks a year, J.J. doesn't drink at all) but the allure of a free music festival was too much to resist! This song was on the CD we listened to almost the entire six hour drive up there and will always remind me of that awesome trip. J.J. and I have always had so much fun road tripping (if you haven't heard about it already, ask me about the trip that ended in Canada!)

2. Pinch Me, Barenaked Ladies: We both like Barenaked Ladies (the band, folks, the band), and I certainly feel like this whole thing has been a dream. Nuff said.

3. Today, Smashing Pumpkins: J.J. REALLY hates Smashing Pumpkins. REALLY. But he didn't object to this being the first song he, Eli and I played together on Guitar Hero World Tour. We rather kick booty as a band.

4. Everlong, Foo Fighters: Right after J.J. had his stroke, it seemed like I couldn't escape this song--it was on every time I turned on the radio! And each time it made me get a lump in my throat; something about the lyric about wondering if it will ever feel this real forever just slays me.

5. In Your Eyes, Peter Gabriel: I've spoken before about my feelings about this song, so I won't go into great detail. Suffice it to say that this song has a lot of meaning for me now.

6. Not Fire, Not Ice, Ben Harper: In the first few days after J.J.'s stroke, he was having a lot of trouble sleeping. I would sit at his bedside and sing to him until I was hoarse in the attempt to drown out the beeping of the machinery, the whirring of his IV pump and the bustling of the nursing staff right outside his door. This song was in heavy rotation.

7. No One Knows, Queens of the Stone Age: Awesome song. Played it lots right after we moved to Indianapolis. It will always remind me of that first dumpy apartment we lived in as a new family.

8. You're the One, Tracy Chapman: There werepeople who were rather skeptical of our relationship in its early days. This song resonates with me because I had several of these types of comments made to me (and I know he heard them about me) but we knew we knew better than everyone else.

9. Jenny Says, Cowboy Mouth: Obviously no playlist would be complete without a track by our favorite band! We've seen Cowboy Mouth live in concert seven times since September 2007. I chose this particular track because of the chorus--I need to remember to "let it go" right now! This is all temporary, I can't let it bring me down too far...

10. Like a Stone, Audioslave: Another road trip song, this one to Chicago on Spring Break with the kids a few years ago. I remember both of us belting this out while both of the kids slept in the backseat.

11. Ice Cream, Sarah McLachlan: Not long after we started dating, J.J. made me a mix tape (remember those?) This was the first song on it. I wore that sucker out listening to it on my Walkman while I hiked around campus.

12. Only One Friend Left, Dan Seals: My parents were country fans when I was growing up, so I know a lot of old-school country. I've sang this one for J.J. probably hundreds of times since our relationship started, including in the ICU. It just fits.

13. I Want You, Elvis Costello: One of J.J.'s favorite performers, and one of his favorite songs by that performer. This was also on that mix tape he made me, by the way...

14. What It Is, Mark Knopfler: This is another of J.J.'s favorite songs--in fact, he walked by as I was adding it and said, "That's such a great song". It always reminds me of him.

15. Cry Love, John Hiatt: J.J. is a big John Hiatt fan. Cry Love is, in my opinion, one of the best John Hiatt songs ever. And there's been a whole lot of crying happening lately along with lots of love, so it fits!

16. Send Me on My Way, Rusted Root: Ah, the quintessential college band! I bought this CD the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college when I stayed with J.J. in Columbus. This song will always remind me of that sun-drenched, carefree summer when we were so young.

17. Surround Me, The Why Store: We love this band and are so happy they seem to be performing on a regular basis now! I couldn't find the actual album version but this live version is good too.

18. Hush, Angie Aparo: J.J. loves this song. I could take it or leave it. But I remember very vividly listening to it right as we pulled into our driveway when we were bringing Leah home from the hospital.

19. As Tall As Cliffs, Margot & the Nuclear So and So's: I heard this song and loved it. I wanted the CD, didn't want to order it online but was having trouble finding time to go shopping for it. J.J. bought it and loaded it into the CD player in my car the next day as a surprise. He's extremely thoughtful like that!

20. Ride Forever, Paul Gross: I HATE THIS SONG!!!! J.J. loves it; I think it either was featured on the TV show Due South or is by the person who did the theme music for the show? Don't care enough to look it up, I just remember gritting my teeth and smiling on many occasions while he had this track on repeat...

21. Calling You, Blue October: While I was finishing college, J.J. and I were in a long-distance relationship for over two years. He was working from 6:00 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. then and would call me every day when he got home from work (at like 3:00 in the morning!) I hated being woken up but loved getting to wake up to hear his voice. Even though this song didn't come out until after those days were over, the chorus reminds me of how cute and young and in love we were back then!

So much of the music I wanted to put on this list wasn't available--bad thing about having obscure and diverse taste in music, I guess--but you get the drift. Enjoy!