The Soundtrack Of Your Life game, part I
Posted: November 1, 2012 Filed under: Fave raves | Tags: geekery, music 4 Comments
Image from wjbc.com
This game is music geek heaven. I’m one, and so are many of my friends and family. So I sent this message to several of them:
The rules are simple. They’re making a movie of your life, and they’ve asked you to pick the songs for the soundtrack. All you need to do is list a song for each category below. Be creative. Explain your choices if you choose.
The categories are:
| Opening Credits Waking Up Scene Average Day Scene Buddy/Sidekick Scene First Date Scene Falling In Love Scene Love Scene Fight Scene Breaking Up Scene Getting Back Together Scene Secret Love Scene Life’s Okay Scene Mental Breakdown Scene |
Driving A Car Scene Learning A Lesson Scene Deep Thought Scene Flashback Scene Partying Scene Happy Dance Scene Getting Shitfaced Scene Regretfulness Scene Hitting Bottom Scene Long Night Alone Scene Death Scene Closing Credits |
Gallantly I offered to show mine first:
| Opening Credits: “Try To Make It” by Sloan Waking Up: “Got The Time” by Joe Jackson Average Day: “New Slang” by The Shins Buddy/Sidekick: “Two Of Us” by The Beatles First Date: “Little Bit Of You” by Laura Cantrell Falling In Love: “My Lucky Day” by The Smoking Popes Love: “Sea Of No Cares” by Great Big Sea Fight: “If She Knew What She Wants” by The Bangles Breaking Up: “Someplace Love Can’t Find Me” by Marshall Crenshaw Getting Back Together: “I Will Hold On” by Moxy Früvous Secret Love: “Searching For A Heart” by Warren Zevon Life’s Okay: “Everybody’s Happy Nowadays” by Buzzcocks Mental Breakdown: “Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness” by Nanci Griffith |
Driving A Car: “Movin’ On” by The Rankin Family Learning A Lesson: “All The Things To Do When She Says No” by Eytan Mirsky Deep Thought: “I Will Follow You Into The Dark” by Death Cab For Cutie Flashback: “My Back Pages” by The Byrds Partying: “Eagle Rock” by Daddy Cool Happy Dance: “Banana Chips” by Shonen Knife Getting Shitfaced: “I Got Stoned And I Missed It” by Shel Silverstein Regretfulness: “Sad Sound Of The Wind” by Jules Shear Hitting Bottom: “Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues” by Bob Dylan Long Night Alone: “Hold On Hope” by Guided By Voices Death: “The Angels Wanna Wear My Red Shoes” by Elvis Costello Closing Credits: “All The Way Home” by Dry Bones |
Slowly, responses began trickling in. My friend Laura, creator of the excellent blog My Life As A Slinky, offered hers with comments:
| Opening Credits: “Blues Power” by Eric Clapton and Leon Russell Waking Up: “Boogie Down” by Al Jarreau Average Day: “Spinning Wheel” by Blood, Sweat And Tears Buddy/Sidekick: “Moanin'” by Charles Mingus First Date: “You Just May Be The One” by The Monkees Falling In Love: “Nice And Easy” by Frank Sinatra Love: “As” by Stevie Wonder Fight: “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” by Spin Doctors Breaking Up: “Unchain My Heart” by Joe Cocker Getting Back Together: “Dance Me To The End Of Love” by Leonard Cohen Secret Love: “Howlin’ For You” by The Black Keys Life’s Okay: “Have A Talk With God” by Stevie Wonder |
Mental Breakdown: “St. Matthew” by Michael Nesmith Driving A Car: “Baba O’Riley” by The Who (“just because it’s a kickass song”) Learning A Lesson: “The Ugly Duckling” by Danny Kaye Deep Thought: “Let It Be” by The Beatles Flashback: “Cherry Bomb” by John Mellencamp Partying: “Mercedes Benz” by Janis Joplin (“I’d be singing it!”) Happy Dance: “I Don’t Feel Like Dancing” by Scissor Sisters Getting Shitfaced: “Let’s Go Get Stoned” by Joe Cocker Regretfulness: “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” by Bob Dylan Hitting Bottom: “God Bless The Child” by Ella Fitzgerald (“it’s got to be Ella’s version”) Long Night Alone: “Black Coffee” by Rita Coolidge Death: “Gone At Last” by Paul Simon and Phoebe Snow Closing Credits: “The Weight” by The Band |
I’ve known my friend Cindy since we were in grade 7, back when Lyndon Johnson was President. So we definitely share some musical tastes. Curious though that neither of us featured Jim Croce or Gordon Lightfoot or Gerry Rafferty in our lists.
| Opening Credits: “Ode To Joy” by Ludwig van Beethoven Waking Up: “Morning Has Broken” by Cat Stevens Average Day: “Ordinary Day” by Great Big Sea Buddy/Sidekick: “One Friend” by Dan Seals First Date: “I Want To Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles Falling In Love: “Gone Too Far” by England Dan and John Ford Coley Love: “By The Time This Night Is Over” by Kenny G Fight: “No Surprise” by Daughtry Breaking Up: “Almost There” by The Swift Getting Back Together: “I’d Really Love To See You Tonight” by Dan Seals Secret Love: “To Love Somebody” by Blue Rodeo Life’s Okay: “Cast Your Fate To The Wind” by George Winston Mental Breakdown: “Losing My Religion” by R.E.M. |
Driving A Car: “I Walk The Line” by Rodney Crowell Learning A Lesson: “Forty Days And Forty Nights” by The Rankin Family Deep Thought: “If Tomorrow Never Comes” by Garth Brooks Flashback: “You Should Have Been There” by Marshall Crenshaw Partying: “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper Happy Dance: “Hurts So Good” by John Mellencamp Getting Shitfaced: “Me And The Moon” by Gaelic Storm Regretfulness: “Mellow Doubt” by Teenage Fanclub Hitting Bottom: “Drifter” by Decemberadio Long Night Alone: “Far Away” by Nickelback Death: “Fly Away” by John Denver and Olivia Newton-John Closing Credits: “Looking For Space” by John Denver |
My friend Ann gently nudged the categories, to good effect. She melded two of them together, and added the “Plucky Single Mom Scene.” She also suggested we turn these into playlists and post them on Spotify.
| Opening Credits: “That Don’t Make It Junk” by Leonard Cohen Waking Up: “Bright Light Of Day” by Anne McCue Average Day: “The Best Day” by Atmosphere Buddy/Sidekick: “Summer Of Drugs” by Victoria Williams First Date: “Pressure Drop” by Toots and the Maytals Falling In Love: “Fearless Heart” by Steve Earle Love: “This Must Be The Place” by Talking Heads Fight: “I Don’t Like You” by Stiff Little Fingers Breaking Up: “Let Him Fly” by Patty Griffin Getting Back Together: “Mineshaft 2” by Dessa |
Secret Love: “Knapsack” by Amy Rigby Plucky Single Mom: “Dreamer” by Atmosphere Life’s Okay: “Brass In Pocket” by The Pretenders Mental Breakdown/Hitting Bottom: “Lord, I Have Made You A Place In My Heart” by Greg Brown Driving A Car: “Road Runner” by The Modern Lovers Learning A Lesson: “Boys Will Be Boys” by Gear Daddies Deep Thought: “Unsatisfied” by The Replacements Flashback: “Yesterday (Circa Summer 80 Something)” by Cory Branan Partying: “Let’s Take Some Drugs And Drive Around” by The Silos Happy Dance: “Save It For Later” by The English Beat Regretfulness: “For Shame Of Doing Wrong” by Richard and Linda Thompson Long Night Alone: “Holocaust” by Big Star Death: “Angel From Montgomery” by John Prine Closing Credits: “American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers |
I’ve invited other friends and family into my particular brand of geekery. I hope to include their lists in parts II, III, and so forth. Wanna play too? Drop me a line, send me your lists. (Don’t be listless.) I’ll post the ones I like. Note, though, that sending me a list indicates your permission to post it.
Name-Brand Ketchup. 
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