I like the songs the whole world sings

It all started with an innocent question, and much like the Watergate hearings, that innocent question led to thousands of hours of research, and several high-ranking officials were forced to leave office in disgrace. All right, not so much that last part, although there has been some talk of the Parks Commissioner of Albert Lea, MN, abdicating over the bogus Milli Vanilli concert held on his watch.

The innocent question came from friend Jonie, out in California: What are your 100 favorite songs? I took it to mean, if you had an mp3 player that could hold 100 tunes, which songs would you load on it before taking a three hour tour? (A three hour tour!)

I was a DJ, which means that my basement holds about 10,000 45 rpm records, most of them with white labels bearing the inscription "Radio Station Copy - Not For Sale." Albums? Got to be a couple thousand of them down there. Audio cassettes - a veritable plethora. CDs - almost five hundred purchased, plus another 200 or so home-burned. In other words, if I started listening to every recorded song I have right now and never did anything else again until I had played the very last record ("Jim Dandy", Black Oak Arkansas) I would be listening for a long long time. And I don't talk about all this music to brag - there's a lot of OCD in all those CDs. Chances are that I will never want to hear "Jim Dandy" again, but I just can't start throwing records out. And don't even get me started on my elementary school report cards, all downstairs in a box.


I'm pleased to share the songs with you, ten at a time, and this is coming in no particular order, except in the order in which I thought of them. I'll be tickled to hear your opinions!

1. Dear Hearts and Gentle People - Bing Crosby The perfect example of someone supremely talented in show business and totally lacking in human relations, "der Bingle" sure could sing, even though he was quite the patootie in his personal life.

2. He Stopped Loving Her Today - George Jones Talk about perfect examples - this is a perfect example of the good old country music so fervently mourned by many of us. It's the story of a guy who never got over getting dumped until he moved into a one-man bungalow with silver handles.

3. She Loves You - Beatles - 1964, we had just lost JFK, plunging the nation into a torpor. Timing being everything, the Beatles' popularity across Britain had reached fever pitch in time for their arrival here in February. They did this one on The Ed Sullivan Show, and for all we know, the other networks had a reanimated George Washington wrestling rebirthed Abe Lincoln that Sunday night.

4. Yes It Is - Beatles - Not a big hit, the flip side of "Ticket to Ride" featured what music experts call dissonant three-part harmony. I like it because it makes a stark emotional appeal, so rare today.

5. White Room - Cream - Not a one of us had any idea what they were talking about - In the white room with black curtains near the station. Blackroof country, no gold pavements, tired starlings, huh now? Proves that sometimes it's the song, not the lyrics. How do you know if a starling is tired?

6. Norman - Sue Thompson - (Didn't I tell you there would be some doozies on this list?) In this song, written by John D. Loudermilk, who also sent us "A Rose and a Baby Ruth," Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye," and "Indian Outlaw," Miss Sue is fending off offers from Jimmy, Joey and Billy, but she's holding out for Norman. Bonus: this is the intro music the Letterman band plays when Norm MacDonald saunters out on the show to prove once again why he is the funniest Canadian in America.

7. Surrender - Cheap Trick - I promised a guy I worked with at 911 that I could arrange to hear this song at least once a day for the rest of my life. There couldn't have been but a handful of days that I missed. Everything about Cheap Trick appealed to me: the stupendous playing of drummer Bun E. Carlos and guitarist Rick Neilsen, the semi-operatic singer Robin Zander, and the interchangeable bassists. The sound, the lyrics, the way Rick looked like Huntz Hall, and the fact that no less a critic than Homer Simpson says, "I prefer to listen to Cheap Trick." And "Surrender" has this deathless line: "When I woke up, Mom and Dad were rolling on the couch....rockin', rollin', rollin' numbers, got my Kiss records out..." We're all all right!

8. California Man - Cheap Trick - I burned a CD with the studio version of this followed by the live version from Budokan. I often play them back-to-back and over again, listening for the subtle nuances, and I can't choose a favorite recording. They didn't write this one, but The Cure got healed for the line "I don't care if your legs start aching, I'm a California man!" Whatever that means.

9. Statesboro Blues - Allman Brothers Band - Gregg Allman has seen his share of sorrow. The death of his brother Duane, his own descent into drug addiction, marriage to Cher: it's a blues festival weekend whenever he looks back. But this live version of an old blues number features Duane's amazing slide and Gregg's keyboard and vocals, all stunning.

10. Road Runner - Joan Jett Maryland's own Joan, from Rockville, and a huge Orioles fan (and there aren't that many huge Orioles!) It's easy to forget that she was a leather-clad trailblazer, not quite like Daniel Boone, but she did some great things. A lot of people will put "I Love Rock and Roll" on their list, and that's a cool song too, but I'm partial to this one and Joan said it's ok to be yourself in these matters.