6. On the Radio by Regina Spektor

And on the radio
You hear November Rain
That solo’s awful long
But it’s a good refrain
You listen to it twice
‘Cause the DJ is asleep
On the radio
(oh oh oh)
On the radio
On the radio - uh oh
On the radio - uh oh
On the radio - uh oh
On the radio

Last summer one of my best friends from college wrote me this message:

“I’ve decided that if you were a singer you’d be Regina Spektor.”

Regina who? So I youtubed her and began my new musical obsession. Quirky. That’s the only word I can think of to describe Regina Spektor. And I loves quirky. Watch this and tell me you don’t love Regina Spektor. And then leave my blog because we’re not friends anymore.

7. Blue Shadows by The Three Amigos

Goodnight, Ned.

8. Nine Times Blue - The Monkees/Mike Nesmith

Theres a certain something in the way
You looked at me and said you’d stay
That let me know that I was out of line
But I didn’t know what else to do
And like a fool I tested you,
By demanding things of you which weren’t mine…
I know that never in the world
That I have found me such a girl
Who’s there to pick me up before I fall
And if in the end we should go
Both our separate ways I know
The lesson I’ve learned here is worth it all.

This song captures marriage perfectly. At least in my mind. A good marriage is often a series of apologies, hopefully tempered with laughter and sexytimes. But ultimately, marriage is work. And this song, with its pretty melody and dense lyrics, reminds me why it’s worth all the work. And please skip through The Last Train to Clarksville. Please. Or anything else beyond the pretty song.

9. Thunder Road by Bruce Springsteen

Will and I have a fundamental rift when it comes to early Bruce Springsteen. His favorite is the epically sad song, The River. My favorite is Thunder Road. Even the title is hopeful and promising. It’s a song about the possibilities of the future whereas The River is about the mistakes of the past. And the lyrics are so perfect, every phrase is a promise of what’s to come. Which is why it’s hard to pick my favorite line. SO HERE’S ALL THE LYRICS, READ THEM, OK?

Except roll down the window
And let the wind blow
Back your hair
Well the night’s busting open
These two lanes will take us anywhere
We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheel

10. Breaking Up is Hard to Do - Neil Sedaka

Down doobie doo down down

Here’s what a dork I am, and dork that I’ve always been. My sister and I used to sing this song all the time. For fun. Loudly. As teenagers. And we thought we were so funny. There were other songs we sang, loudly, for fun, but this is my favorite. If my sister was in the room with me right now, and I said ‘Dum doobie doo down down’ (we always had the lyrics wrong) she would begin singing with me. Loudly. And p.s., how dorky is Neil Sedaka? Answer: not much. He’s pretty cool.