Mood Music

Yesterday? I’m putting that down to a bad hair day.

That’s been fixed. The bob’s lookin’ fab today, which improved my outlook tremendously.

But the song from yesterday’s post has stuck in my head.

That song made me feel hopeful in the middle of a bad self-pity party when Mrs. McWhiny reared her ugly head, even when I thought I’d kicked her to the curb; the song  helped me pull myself together this morning to fix the hair and face, and generally get back into compliance with the Middle-Aged Woman Rules.

Everyone has their “cryin’ songs” There are just some songs that make me bawl every time. Cathartic.

In addition to “cryin’ songs,” there are songs that are just really fun, there are “guilty pleasures,” those songs you’d be embarrassed to tell a friend you like, but you rock on with them in the car. There are songs that inspire, that make you laugh, that give you hope.

They can be in any genre from country to classical to rock’n’roll.

Beloved Chicago songwriter (and really one of the best songwriters ever) Steve Goodman wrote some unbelievably touching songs – just try to get through “My Old Man,” where the recording keeps the bridge where he got choked up, without crying. Good luck.

He also wrote a lot of really funny songs – and they’re funny largely because they touch on something that is true – or at lest “truthy,” to paraphrase Stephen Colbert.

For example, Goodman, with John Prine, another best songwriter ever, wrote a song to illustrate that a true country song had to have trains, Momma, dead dogs, divorce, drinkin’, trucks and prison, plus farms and Christmas. The story goes that David Allen Coe, who was the first to record it, and Prine, both complained to Goodman that these things were missing when he originally finished the song.  So Goodman (and Prine) wrote an extra verse (watch the whole thing to the end, it’s worth it, but if you’re in a hurry it’s at about 2:18):

Read the lyrics, and the song notes linked in the upper left here, for the story as told by Prine.

So, how about you name your favorite:

• cryin’ song
• guilty pleasure song
• song that you just have to sing along to in the car

OK, I’ll go first:

I did my cryin’ songs a while ago.

Guilty pleasure: The Calling, Wherever You Will Go

Sing Along Song: It has to be “Bohemian Rhapsody,” right? At least the Wayne’s World head-banging part? No? Ok, let’s see – Oh, another for the guilty pleasure list, I guess –

Bon Jovi, “Livin’ on a Prayer” Roll down the windows and wail that sucker!

Um, but as far as rolling the windows down, you should probably wait until spring comes again.

In the meantime here’s a cute scene from the Big Bang Theory where Howard and Amy discovered a mutual guilty pleasure (for those of you in need of instant gratification, it starts at about :58):

Go ahead – what are your cryin’ songs, guilty pleasures, rock-out-in-the-car songs?

You don’t need an account to play – you should be able to submit your list in the comments. Or you can use the contact page to send your list.

Looking forward to your song suggestions,

I remain,

Your well-coiffed, snapped-out-of-it, sings-at-the-drop-of-a-hat,

Ridiculouswoman