Bio Playlist - Disc One

Disc One:

1. Paperback Writer - The Beatles: I remember the Beatles being played very early on in my life... Honestly, there are dozens of Beatles tunes that could have made this list, but when I think about my childhood this one always pops into my head first. Why? Well, when I was super young, I thought he was saying "Paper back Rider." Like it was some kind of horse riding. There's bare-back riding, and there's paper-back riding. It makes perfect sense to a 6 year old, okay? Anyways. The opening riff is still bad ass today.
   
2. The Rainbow Connection - Kermit the Frog: This could be one of the earliest songs that I remember. I don't know if its a cover or what, but its a great song.
   
3. You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon: This song was played a lot by our mom growing up, too. There was a lot of Simon and Garfunkel, but just the era that I grew up was when Paul Simon was on his own again and this song was my personal favorite.
   
4. Oh What a Night - Four Seasons: Another tune with a lot of plays by mia madre. It also happened to be my senior prom theme.
5. Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler) - Alabama: I'm not sure if this came from mom or Eron. Either way, this is a fantastic song. Its a bit long, but listen to the whole thing and listen to the words. I dare you not to tear up at the last verse. Try it. I'll bet you can't do it. I cried at Panera Bread this weekend listening to it. "Roll On, Daddy, till you get back home"
6. He Ain't Heavy - The Hollies: You can't have brothers like mine and not love this song.
7. Dance, Dance, Dance - Steve Miller Band: The Greatest Hits 1974-1978 album could be one of the best albums ever. I didn't realize it at the time, but Steve Miller is a pretty cool guitarist. He did the reverse headstock strat before Stevie Ray Vaughan. Great songwriter, too. This one made the list because of the play it got growing up. "Pick on!"
8. Renegade - Styx: I remember sitting in my brothers' rooms listening to this song. That and REO Speedwagon, Whitesnake, and Guns n' Roses. Oh, the 80s.
   
9. To Be With You - Mr. Big: Ha, I remember singing this at a birthday party with a bunch of other people. We thought we were cool. Psh, the girls loved it.
10. The Ghost of Tom Joad - Rage Against The Machine: This song came from a compilation album that Jake had for a benefit of some kind or another. I remember thinking that this song was just too bad ass for me to wrap my head around. "No job, no home, no peace, no rest.... NO REST! UGH!" or "sleepin on a pillow of solid rock, bathin in the city's aquaducts.... ROCK!" Its a cover of a Bruce Springsteen song, believe it or not. Tom Joad is a character from The Grapes of Wrath, and the main quote/lyric is something he says at the end of the book before he has to leave the broken remains of his family. (Ma)"but Tom where will you go?" (Tom)"I'll be all around in the dark - I'll be everywhere. Wherever you can look - wherever there's a fight, so hungry people can eat, I'll be there. Wherever there's a cop beatin' up a guy, I'll be there."
    
11. Basket Case - Green Day: Another song that I remember listening to in Jake's room. It was my first illicit taste of punk rock. Mom didn't like me seeing the album cover. (the name of the album is Dookie) There were so many good songs on that album, I think I even may have "borrowed" (read: stolen) that CD from him. I still have it, if you want it back, man.
    
12. Thunderstruck - AC/DC: The black album was in the weightroom all through highschool and since there were only about 4 CDs in there that worked, we got to hear it a lot. Thunderstruck was the first track so since I was usually one of the first ones there, I associate it pretty strongly with waking up and working out in HS.
    
13. All Mixed Up - 311: Obviously 311 weighs huge on my musical roots, but this song in particular was on the radio a lot. Summer in the Omaha area = 311 on the radio with the windows down.
14. American Music - Violent Femmes: Ha, this song still makes me laugh. My circle of friends in HS listened to this album quite a bit. I asked Beth to the prom via this song, ha. We were already dating, but still. And like the lyrics, everytime I think of this ugly song, it reminds me of them.
15. Mable - Goldfinger: Oh, 89.7. Used to be the best radio station ever. This got a lot of play, and the memory that stands out for me was my friend A. Dreyer changing the lyrics to, "I gotta say that Mable - she's my dog." (He had a dog named Mable) Rabies didn't get his dog, though.
16. Pure Morning - Placebo: One of the first songs I ever downloaded with Napster. Man, listen to that opening riff and drum fill! So simple, but it just sound hot and sweaty. I associate this one with driving out to a friends pool on hot summer days.
    
17. Forgotten - Linkin Park: Jake got Hybrid Theory and I pretty much instantly ripped it to my computer. Rock guitar with hip hop lyrics? Yes please. "Hoo-wah!"
18. Shine All the Time - Blue Moon Ghetto: I've yet to meet anyone who has heard of this song from outside the Doyle, Castle, and SW Iowa crew. But man, it blew my mind and we played the hell out of this song. They might have been a local band.
    
19. Sheep Go to Heaven - Cake: That same crew got me into Cake. Really it was Becky and Beth. This got yelled a lot driving down gravel roads in shitty cars. A great example that songs dont need to make a lick of sense to be good.

End of Disc One.