Songs for Steve

Steve and I have so far avoided sharing music with each other. What can I say? We're shy, and music is personal. I think both of us feel like we have nothing to win, but everything to lose. I like my music and chances are Steve won't like it in the same way, chances are he won't like any of it very much at all. Of course this doesn't mean much, I'll just shrug and plug my iPod headphones in, listen on my own. And cry.

Not really.

I do know some of the songs Steve likes, he goes for rock classics, Bob Dylan or The Doors. He knows some songs I like too, a couple I've mentioned in my emails, and he's heard me whistling loudly when we've worked together at my place. I feel like it's time to bolder, so I've come up with some songs from my music collection that I like, and that he may like too. I hope he'll like them, I don't know if he will like any of them. And if he doesn't, that's ok. We'll still be happy. iPods have headphones. I can whistle quietly.

Stick a fiver into our favourite 'KGB approved' illegal download site and you can get this whole lot too!

Fill My Little World - The Feeling

The chipperest of bouncy, happy, silly, (magic,) fun songs! It'll stick in your head, and buzz around, like a buzzy 'Fill my little world right up!' bee. You'll tip your head on one side, tap the side of your head, hope to knock the stupid thing out of your ear, but it won't go. Instead it'll relentlessly buzz at your brain, occasionally escaping as a hum or an involuntary rhythmic tap of fingers or foot. 'Come fill my little world right up! Right up!'

Above The Clouds - Turin Brakes

My song of the moment. 'Up above the clouds, it is always a blue sky.' Ah, it's about being happy, and how hard that can sometimes be. And it's a love song too. It's sad and romantic. A bit like me? And it has a bit about rain - that's Steve's favourite weather. 'The rain came again, Cleaning the dream and it always makes me cry, oh my... Something about the rain, it sends memories through my veins...' Ah...

Girls - Nizlopi

Another moody song, he's just muttering a load of meaningful stuff. Not sure what he's singing to be honest, but it sounds good. And I imagine it's about being in love. Well that's probably a good guess, most songs are. It feels like a split up from a girlfriend song. It feels like it hurts. It's sad, but by the end you hope he'll make it on his own and be happy again with someone new. Rather like I did.

Handshake Drugs - Wilco

I like Wilco a lot, although they have that annoying, 'We're rock stars' thing of stupid wild, waily guitar for ages at the end of every song they make. I like this song because it's moody. Drugs and mean streets. Ooh! Cool! I'm not, but I can pretend when I listen to this.

Papa Was a Rodeo - The Magnetic Fields

I love this gibberish! 'Papa was a Rodeo' It means nothing - and everything! It's a song to think about. It's sad. How come I like so many sad songs? And it's a cowboy song. 'Never stuck around long enough for a one night stand..! Before you kiss me you should know... Papa was a Rodeo.' It's a Western in song. I don't need to visit Wyoming, I feel like I've been there when I listen to this.

Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day

Ooh, a single! And a band you'll have heard of! I just like this song. It's just a good song. It mentions rain again too. That's a good emotive weather for a song. Or a film. It's less good in books - makes the paper go soggy. It's an emotive song. Although I don't like the crashing drums bit. You know, when it gets loud? I like the quiet bits best. Yeah, just a good song. Nice memorable tune, all that. It's a 'feeling stuff' song too. Love as a big, fat, overpowering emotion. Perhaps you need the loud guitars to do that justice? Perhaps you need hard to listen to bits, to make you long for the easy happy quiet bits? Perhaps that's what it's trying to say?

I will Follow You into the Dark - Death Cab for Cutie

A song about being rescued by love. It's a bit over-wordy, but a fine tune. 'In Catholic school as vicious as Roman rule, I got my knuckles bruised by a lady in black...' I listen and muse on the fact that sad childhoods can fuck you up, but this song tells us there's faint hope of getting over all that. Just faint mind.

Hoppipolla - Sigur Ros

Rain again. I never understood how Steve could like rain so much... This music is dramatic, meaningful, like a walk in rain with a head too full of thoughts. It goes quiet, like those thoughts have calmed, then it goes loud like the thoughts won't go away. The rain showers, then pours, and by the end I'm praying for sunshine and a smile, but there's something about the rain and anger and pain that's beautiful anyway. And when it ends you don't know what happens, whether the sun comes out, or stays behind the clouds? You only miss the rain. Maybe I do understand why Steve likes the rain.

Buttons and Zips - Elbow

A few Elbow songs nearly made it to this list, this surprised me, I didn't notice that I liked Elbow. This song has great guitar squeaks and amazing muttery bits. More songs should have muttery bits. 'Will you ever get this song off my lips is what she said...' It's plodding, but it's still always moving along. I'd describe it as a calm practical attempt to undo buttons and zips, not a frantic, 'I can't get your fucking top off!' I love that. It's like a nice easy shag with a trusted boyfriend, once the passion has died down, but at least you're still undoing buttons and zips for each other. That's a happy thought.

Still Fighting It - Ben Folds

Probably my favourite Ben Folds song, although I like a lot of this band's stuff. 'Everybody knows it hurts to grow up'. It's a moving on from the past song, revisiting a home, memories overwhelming, 'You'll try and try, and one day you'll find a way...'

In The Aeroplane Over The Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel

I wanted to say it sounds like 'something' on acid, inserting the name of some famous classic rock band for the 'something'. Only there are loads of problems with describing it this way, there's the fact that loads of classic rock bands were on acid anyway, and there's also the fact that I've never done acid. There's also the thing that I don't listen to classic rock bands. Then there's the thing of losing track of what the fuck I'm going on about here, like there's a long whiney distracting instrument blowing through my musically-musing head. Is that like being on acid? I don't know. I just know it's a bit like listening to this song.

That's Me Trying - William Shatner

A sad-clever song, with Ben Folds and also Captain Kirk. I told you I like Ben Folds, right? Nice chorus. And it feels clever like poetry, because it's not a song, it's a monologue with a tune for a background. How arty art moi..?

Winning Days - The Vines

Ooh swoopy bits! Aren't swoopy whoopy bits in songs just the best? And harmonies too. Whooooo-oooo! I wish I knew the words so I could sing along. Dar dar dar dar dar dar (guitar bit now) Oooh, diddle-diddle-dar-dar - you get a fiddly with knobs on guitar bits there - and then you think it's ended with another swoooooopy bit..!

But NO!

Wait... There's more! It starts up again. Quick, I'm Googling the lyrics. Need to sing..!

Cause I know where there's gold
I didn't know when I was flying
I'm sinking like a stone
I can dream
I've been trying...

Crap lyrics. But I still enjoyed that!

Grrl - Dios Malos

Really I just picked this one so you'll go, 'Who the fuck are Dios Malos?' I haven't got a fucking clue, but this song is alright. It's about 2 minutes long, and I get to look like I know about obscure music. And it's kind of jolly. Can't think of much more to say than that. It's only short, you can't hate two minutes of poppy jollity, from a 'who the fuck are they?' Indie band, can you?

White Houses - Vanessa Carlton

Great squeaky little girl voice. It's about excited teenage girls, it's gossipy, gushy, girls, thinking non-stop about crushes at surburban school. It's Pretty in Pink. It's first love, it's fumbling with training bras and hoping your mum won't ever find out. It's talking non stop about him at school, then going back home to parents, and suburbia, to white houses where you'll think your first dirty thoughts.

Fishing for a Dream - Turin Breaks

I think this is the first song I liked that I mentioned to Steve. It was playing as I typed an email, and I wasn't scared to mention it. It's a laid-back cool song. And of course he downloaded it, as I downloaded any music he ever mentioned. He said he liked it too.

Mardy Bum - Arctic Monkeys

Arctic Monkeys are great! Sheffield accent, lyrics that about life, just ordinary life, described in a way that makes you want to know more. This is a song about someone 'argumentative who's got the face on'. And yes, it's some Sheffield slapper girl, but still I want to know more. It's a Ken Loach film in song, they're just a couple and they just have a row, but here it's working class life as art. And I think he loves her, and I want them to be happy... But I'm middle class so I'm also thinking, 'She's probably a bit common.' So I think I'm better than them, and I frown - a frown that's like looking down the barrel of a gun.

Sad Eyes - Josh Rouse

Ouch, this song hurts. So I can't write about it. It's a song I wish someone would write for me. It's a song for everyone who's loved someone sad and tried to help. It's 'Everybody hurts' sung by your lover to cheer you up when you think there's no hope. It might just work.

Turtle and the Flightless Bird - Devin Davies

'Awake to the sound of the sad city sleeping, I turned out around to find out who was speaking, but there was no one there...' It's a dark twisted fairtyale. It's a silly nonsense fantasy myth. I love the creepy madness of it. There's a logic there. A crazed logic. It's tells you you can lose it and still be happy. A terrific foolish guilty pleasure of a mad song. Sometimes I think it makes sense. And that's the crazy thing.

I see you, you see me - The Magic Numbers

A duet. There's something especially romantic about pop songs duets. I'd use 'Fairytale of New York' on my list if it wasn't such a very 'Christmasy song'. It's smoochy coupley, it feels like more than just a love song, mmm a song about love. It's sharing an Innocent Smoothie with a lover on the beach.

But it's flawed, and goes nowhere... I don't like it once it gets onto the speedier bit. Oh well. Nearly hit 'delete'. It's only still here because 22 seems like a good number of songs. And because I like Innocent Smoothies.

Portions for Foxes - Rilo Kiley

Feels like a bit of an odd inclusion this. I just think this is a good pop song, and there are good rude bits, and some great wailey, 'This Is What It's Like To Be A Woman' bits too. And I like that I haven't got a clue what the name of the song means, or has to do with the waily, woman, sex talk bits.

'It's bad news! Baby I'm bad news! I'm just bad news. Bad news. Bad news!' Great chorus too! 'Cos we'll all be portions for foxes!' Yes, of course we will dear. And it sounds like bad news to me.

'And the talking leads to touching and the touching leads to sex!' And there's a heavy breathing section! wooohooooo! '..Baby I'm bad news. Mmmm bad news... You're bad news..! I don't care, I like you, I like you. ' Yeah it's all about shagging. It's shaggerrific!

Don't get the fox thing though.

Hey Man (Now You're Really Living) - Eels

I added this because it's the chipperest-est-est song off of the latest Eels offering. (Look, I used the word 'offering' there, did you see?) And it's bubbly, kick drum, shout 'hey', clap-a-long, gratuitous-key-change, wooohoooo! music. And because I wanted to share this gossip with you about the lead singer. Did you know that since his last album his mother has died of cancer, his sister committed suicide, and his cousin was on the plane that crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. Hey Man (Now They're Really Dying) That's sick sick sick... But listen to this and you'll be chipperfied, 'all better'. Ah.

Well those are songs. If you want any of these e-mail me, I might send an MP3 your way.