My iPod Top 40, part 4

I've noticed that a lot of artists I really love, like David Bowie, Cat Stevens, Stevie Wonder, Blondie, Paul Simon, and Prince aren't on this list. Partly that's because I still pop full-length albums these folks into the CD player now and again, so I may not have as many songs by them on my iPod. Of course, another factor is that there are 2800 songs on my iPod. Here's the final 10, all of which had about the same amount of plays (between 22 and 20):

31. Valotte -- Julian Lennon: He sounded just like his late dad in this debut single; that fact combined with the solemn tone of the song makes this a sad listen, but like most of the other songs here, it's a great sing-along, even if lyrics are so personal that they don't make much sense--are he and his girlfriend breaking up or getting back together?

32. Watching Xanadu -- Mull Historical Society (a one-man band composed of Colin Macintyre, at right): A chimy, Spectoresque pop song; like "Valotte," rather impenetrable lyrically, but more concretely about heartbreak (though in the happiest way).

33. Elenore --The Turtles: This band had a great run of almost-bubblegum hits in the late 60's; I say "almost" because, although they are sonic cotton candy, the lyrics were usually a little sharper or more satirical than the average hit of the day. This one has some great lines: "Your looks intoxicate me/Even if your folks hate me"; and in the chorus, "You're my pride and joy, et cetera." Happy Together and She'd Rather Be With Me are just below my top 40.

34. Song on the Radio -- Al Stewart: His time in the white heat of the pop spotlight was short (1976-1980) but he produced good literate folk-pop, with the emphasis on pop radio production. Year of the Cat is his best known song, but my favorites both come from the album after that, Time Passages (the title song and this one).

35. Oh Girl -- The Chi-Lites: Smooth old-school soul harmonies in the service of an exquisite expression of heartbreak--one of the best cathartic sad songs I can sing along with.

36. Aja -- Steely Dan: Eight minutes or so of pop/jazz heaven which make my fingers and feet go crazy (so I have to be careful in the car). Also a damned great album.

37. I Can't Get Next to You -- The Temptations: When I've a beer or two in me (never while driving!), I sing all five parts, high, low, and otherwise, louder than anyone wants to hear. I *am* The Temptations! ("Never while driving" refers to the drinking part--I always sing all five parts alone in the car)

38. Take On Me -- A-Ha: Beautiful crystal-clear singing, perfect glossy pop production, sheer happiness.

39. Nathan Jones -- The Supremes: After Diana Ross left, it was mostly downhill for the Supremes, but this chunky slice of kiss-off to a man who's been gone too long ("The key that you're holding/Won't fit my door") with some pseudo-psychedelic phasing effects is fabulous. Bananarama's version may be more famous, but the original can't be beat. The sentiments here would be more forcefully echoed a few years later in "I Will Survive."

40. Hey Jude -- The Beatles: The ultimate Beatles sing-along, and one of the few rock songs that give me a happy memory of my father. He was definitely not a fan of rock & roll--his tastes ran toward Frank Sinatra and Dixieland--but in the late 60's, in his last year or so of Air Force duty, he was in Southeast Asia as a navigator of fueling planes and when getting some R&R at the local bars, he became very familiar with "Hey Jude" as, so he told me, every night, someone would eventually put it on the jukebox and everyone in the place would stop and sing along. The thought of my old man singing along woozily with the "Na-na-na-nas" at the end, along with the younger guys and the hookers, gives me pleasure, both perverse and familial.

Below, the Temptin' Tempts. Picture me three sheets to the wind.