Don't Believe Everything You Think

Before I owned an MP3 player, I burned a spindle full of unmarked CD-R mixes, and I thought it would be fun to randomly re-visit one track by track.

1. Aaron Carter – "That's How I Beat Shaq"
[blushes]

Okay, I would date this mix Q1 2001.

The video for this song was the first thing I downloaded after moving in to my freshman year dorm room at UCLA, and the speed at which it downloaded astounded me. I had been using free, ad-supported NetZero dial-up at home.

2. American Hi-Fi – "Flavor of the Weak"
An unfortunate song title, with an irritating pun.

I remember lolling when Eric Mika told me that American Hi-Fi was playing welcome week at Northwestern in, like, 2004.

3. Backstreet Boys – "The Call"
Probably the group's best up-tempo song, and probably because it sounds like one of *NSYNC's up-tempo songs.

4. Bob Dylan – "Blind Willie McTell"
I discovered this gem through a uni class on the 1960s, never mind that Dylan recorded it in 1983 (with Mark Knopfler on guitar), or that McTell died in 1959.

5. Britney Spears – "…Baby One More Time"
I don't know why I included this song, but it holds up.

6. CKY – "96 Quite Bitter Beings"
Shopping carts. Jackass.

7. Crazy Town – "Butterfly"
Just re-watched the video. Lulz at "Shifty Shellshock" willing his two star tattoos up into the sky.

I'll cop to digging Jewish Shinoda's bridge solo.

Trivia: It was between Leonardo DiCaprio and Monsieur Shellshock for the role of Luke on Growing Pains.

8. Dangerous Darrin – "The Only Man I'd Have Sex With"
I first heard this ode to Wayne Gretzky on Loveline.

You may know Darrin as Goldfinger's drummer. Conan O'Brien is the only man he'd recklessly flip.

9. Dave Matthews Band – "I Did It"
Youthful indiscretion.

Matthews heard The Offspring's "Original Prankster" and thought, "I can give away a shittier lead single, and I'll do it via Napster!"

10. Destiny's Child – "Independent Women Part I"
For some reason, Jord haaaaaates this song. You can't play it around him.

11. Evan and Jaron – "Crazy for This Girl"
Orthodox Jews, right? And twins, identical twins. Identical twin, Orthodox Jewish, ephemeral pop stars.

In March 2006, the pair appeared on ABC's reality TV show, American Inventor, showcasing their Pit Port, a container for discarded seeds and pits in various fruits and nuts. [source]

12. Incubus – "Drive"
Halcyon days.

13. Linkin Park – "Runaway"
I remember Adam Robot boasting to me that he knew of Linkin Park when they were still Hybrid Theory. [rolls eyes]

14. Linkin Park – "Papercut"
I love the first 22 seconds of this song. In fact, I wish the whole song was just the first 22 seconds looped repeatedly.

15. Linkin Park – "In the End"
The video with the flying whale kinda ruined this song for me. It's still the band's most palatable ballad, however.

16. Our Lady Peace – "Life"
"In Repair" was the first single off Spiritual Machines in Canada, but "Life" was the first single in America. Similarly, "Supermassive Black Hole" was the first single off Muse's Black Holes and Revelations in Europe, but "Knights of Cydonia" was the first single in America. I would like to know the logic behind such decisions.

17. Space Monkeys – "Sugar Cane"
A British "Semi-Charmed Life."

Trivia: The Space Monkeys' DJ designed the current Doctor Who logo.

18. Taproot – "Again and Again"
I miss songs that sound like this, songs like Pitchshifter's "Genius" and Stabbing Westward's "Save Yourself."

19. Weezer – "El Scorcho"
Typically, a band's output grows more sophisticated, but Weezer's output has curiously regressed, as if Rivers is Benjamin Button.

20. Xzibit – "X"
One of my favourite rap lyrics: Xzibit use his dick like a Visa / I run it through and money come out.


My Superpower Is Being Alone Forever

4 Comments

  1. Adam 15 Sep 11 at 12:35

    Thanks for getting me in on one of these. I should be hit in the face for my boasting. I appreciate you admitting to some of these tracks. Make sure you do this again.

    Reply
  2. Danielle 15 Sep 11 at 13:37

    oooo would love more of these

    Reply
  3. Matt Adams 15 Sep 11 at 14:16

    Ahh…Flavor of The Weak. I remember a kid in my high school making a comment on how the video was a parody of Heavy Metal Parking Lot and I said oh yeah of course! I had no clue what he was talking about.

    Reply
  4. dedleg 18 Sep 11 at 05:03

    Man, and I thought I listened to some questionable shit.

    Reply

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