Frankenmix: when the warm wind comes again

A Frankenmix for ‘s Frankenmix challenge.

1. A song you would use to pump up a sports arena :: Run Run Away, Great Big Sea. [Up]
   This is an incredibly joyful song, written for dancing jigs, drinking Guinness and singing along with a large group of people.
2. A song you dance to when you’re alone :: Beloved, VNV Nation. [Futureperfect]
   It’s the techno beat, mostly: it’s made for waving your arms and pogoing like a little rave kid.
3. A song that makes you drive faster :: Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, AC/DC. [Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap]
   I’m not a rock chick–I prefer acoustic guitars to electric ones–but I still love a song that’s dirty and rough and a little dangerous. (Though I hardly need an excuse to drive fast.)
4. A song with a title that ends in n :: Star Me Kitten, REM. [Automatic for the People]
   It ends with an N :D. Mostly I like this song because of the soft dreaminess of the music, though the lyrics sound more like a stalker than a lover.
5. A song you completely misunderstood the first time you heard it :: Come Pick Me Up, Ryan Adams. [Heartbreaker]
   I first heard this when Ryan Adams performed it on Letterman, and thought, Oh, that’s pretty, it’s about being uplifted by love. And then I bought the Elizabethtown soundtrack, which contains this track, and . . . well, considering one of the choruses goes “I wish you would come pick me up, take me out, fuck me up, steal my records, screw all my friends behind my back . . .” It’s more about wanting a healty relationship than actually having one.
6. A song you only like half of the time :: Closer, Nine Inch Nails. [The Downward Spiral]
   Remember what I said above about needing songs that are dirty and rough sometimes? It doesn’t get much dirtier and rougher than this one, which is great when one’s feeling dirty and rough . . . the rest of the time I feel pretty much just, Trent, get over yourself already.
7. A song that mentions gambling :: Gamble Everything For Love, Ben Lee. [Awake is the New Sleep]
   Ben Lee is one of my new favorite singers, though he’s been around for a while and I’ve been vaguely aware of him for a few years now. He’s one of those guys-with-guitars that I just adore. And since this song matches the element and I like it, there you are.
8. A song that could inspire a novel :: Talk Tonight, Oasis. [The Masterplan]
   It actually did, in a way: this is a song for one of my ‘ships in an RPG I play, and was one of the songs I listened to over and over when I was writing a NaNoWriMo novel based on them. I particularly like these lyrics:

   You make sure I eat today and take me walking somewhere you played when you were young
   I’ll never say that I won’t ever make you cry, but this I say I don’t know why
   I know I’m leaving but I’ll be back another day

   That’s a lot of story there.

9. An educational song :: The Galaxy Song, Monty Python’s Flying Circus. [The Meaning of Life]
   Dimensions of the known universe? Yup. Rather cynical view of intelligent life in the universe? Yup. Truthful represenatation of how amazing and vast the universe is? Yup. Works for me.
10. A song you know is a cover song, but for which you’ve never heard the original :: Jersey Girl, Tom Waits. [Used Songs (1973-1980)]
    The original, I believe, is by Bruce Springsteen. And I’ll take any excuse to include Tom Waits in a mix.
11. A song that made you cry shamelessly when it was used on a TV show :: Full of Grace, Sarah McLachlan. [Surfacing]
    Buffy the Vampire Slayer, “Becomming Pt. 2.” Just . . . wept and wept the first time I saw it (which was not the initial run, so I knew what was going to happen anyway, but that’s never stopped me from having a good cry. I like being moved by my entertainment.) Also the episode that had the little logo monster say “I need a hug” instead of his usual “grr argh” because it was just that painful. But so necessary for the development of the BTVS universe, and that’s what makes it more than mere manipulation.
12. A song you wish TPTB would use on a TV show :: Hurt, Johnny Cash. [American IV: The Man Comes Around]
    I am a huge fan of Lost (and not just becase my lustpuppy is on it, though that is why I started watching it). It’s an amazing show, and the character of Charlie fascinates and enthralls me. This is my song for him, particularly this version: the world-weariness of Johnny’s voice, the “I’ve seen everything and perhaps I’ve learned something” quality to his delivery. The first time I heard Johnny sing this I was stunned by the power of it.

    Miss you, Man in Black.