Writer Brainradio

Kelly's got her Brainradio. I desperately need one.

I've tried writing to music before, but never found my groove. I'm not sure music with words will do it for me. But I love running to music, so here's my secret playlist.

I'm putting it out here in exchange for your suggestions as to a writing playlist. I need song, artist, and what aspect or genre of writing work it's good for---warming up, plowing on through, delicate word manipulation, blasting out a draft, cleaning up rough edges, etc.

Come on, tell me. Make something up if you have to.

A sampling of Sara's run playlist*

*to save time with the linky-links, I published it as a Sports iMix on iTunes. For some reason, it wouldn't pull up the CCR tune as part of the mix, but that's on iTunes, too.

Lyle Lovett: She's Hot to Go "You don't have to care who sees your hair..." (gets me out the door. Plus the bit about "she's UGLY" makes me laugh every time.)

Steppenwolf: Magic Carpet Ride (convinces me running might be fun if I just get in the zone.)

Elton John: The B**** is Back. "I can b*****. I can b***** 'cause I'm better than you." (Gets me up hills.)

Tracy Chapman: Talking About a Revolution "Don't ya know ya better run, run, run, run..." (Cruising)

Usher: Yeah! (So I can distract myself by rocking the dance floor in my head.)

Stevie Wonder: You are the Sunshine of My Life. (Downhill. I don't care if you see me smiling like an idiot. I'm happeee!)

Nickel Creek: The Fox (Mr. Fox saying "a couple of you are gonna grease my chin" makes me pick up the pace. Am I the fox or the chickens?)

CCR: Bad Moon Rising "I know the end is coming soon. I feel rivers overflowing. I hear the voice of rage and ruin." (Hills again. But really, any time you need to whup something.)

Aretha Franklin: Freeway of Love "How'd ya get ya pants so tight?" (Ha!) "I kinda think we're going for an extended throwdown...let's cruise on into to Better-Than-Ever Street." "Drop the pedal and GO, come on, now...GO!" If you won't run for Aretha, you won't run for nobody.

And if I'm wiped out and still have 8:29 to go, I recommend Meat Loaf. You know the one.

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Thanks to Buzz, Balls & Hype for the post on music to surf to, with specifics for the exact day and type of waves. My favorite of his suggestions? Once in a Lifetime, Talking Heads (recommended for much bigger surf as in the line: ‘and you may say to your self; my god! What have I done?’)

So, let's hear it...real or imaginary...what songs could you write to? Bonus points if you make your Writer Brainradio into an iTunes mix and post it.

UPDATE! Adrienne just posted her mix! TRIPLE Bonus Points to her! Here's her blog entry. If you have iTunes, you can download it here:

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It's just a step to the right...

Have you seen the "top 100 songs for the year you graduated" meme that's going around? I was so relieved when Kelly didn't tag me. Oh yes, I had fun looking at her list, and I knew almost all of the songs. But the truth is, there was only one gut level check I had for each song:

Does it have a good beat and can you dance (or work out) to it?
---American Bandstand

From Kelly's year:

#51. Raspberry Beret, Prince (Just typing that makes me break out in a dance sweat.)

#38. Neutron Dance, Pointer Sisters (Come on, it has DANCE in the title!)

#43 Freeway of Love, Aretha Franklin (Even an idiot can groove to this one. Just imagine you're in that pink Cadillac and careen on down the dance floor.)

From my year:

#57. De Do Do Do, De Da Da, The Police (What can I say? The title IS a dance beat.)

#94. Whip It, Devo (I can feel my head starting to bang already)

#68. While You See A Chance, Steve Winwood (Imagine me doing an embarrassing interpretive dance. Or running. Or cranking out pushups. Hey! Bonus! The YouTube video has Muppet commentary at the end!)

So there you have it. I'm a dunce, musically. My whole family discusses bass lines, chord progressions, and the histories of individual musicians in various, ever-shifting band incarnations. Yesterday, my husband helped my son re-build his guitar so the strings wouldn't buzz against the neck. My daughter sang a Latin mass last year. Me? I jokingly tell people that I'm "the audience." I absolutely adore music, but I can't discuss it intelligently at all. The only way I can express what I think about a song is to move to it. Which might explain why I've always wanted to learn how to...

Oh, yeah!

(link found courtesy of BB-Blog)