The Y! Music Playlist Blog
  • alaska.jpgalaska.jpgAs some of you may know, my brother Joe and his family have moved to Alaska while my brother works on a medical airlift team. A seriously cool job, the kind you only hear about on Discovery Channel documentaries.

    I was trying to determine when and how to get out there for a visit. Alaska has been a place I've always wanted to see for it's natural beauty. But unfortunately, I couldn't make it happen this summer due to work and other travel commitments.

    As I live vicariously through my brother's blog, it hit me that I have yet to create a playlist for our largest and most pristine state. So I started searching through our never ending library of tracks for songs about Alaska. There were a few no-brainers like Johnny Horton's "North To Alaska" and the excellent "Talkin' Goin' To Alaska Blues", which appears on Shawn Mullins latest effort 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor.

    The playlist contains other well-done songs inspired by Alaska, but I was soon to discover that songs about Alaska are not

    Read More »from Ode To Alaska
  • The wedding reception tradition of tossing the bride's garter to a crowd of bachelors was actually started in the 14th century. And over time it has become a very popular event at wedding receptions.

    The idea is that once the groom removes the garter he can throw it blindly to a collected group single guys from the wedding party. The lucky man to catch it will be the next in line to marry. It's always fun to watch the bachelors move from the garter's path as if it were a severed head, but we all know the real reason for this ritual is to embarrass the hell out of the bride.

    It usually never fails to be a crowd pleaser.

    The sexual undertones, bridal embarrassment, and superstitious back-story creates a lot of opportunity for a wedding DJ to add to the fun. Usually the DJ will play a song during the removal of the garter, and one during the actual garter toss.

    This playlist contains some of the most popular songs a DJ can play during this wedding reception event. If you have a wedding

    Read More »from Popular Garter Toss Songs For A Wedding
  • Nine years after John Lennon was brutally murdered by Mark David Chapman the famous auction house Christie's auctioned off a jukebox owned by Lennon. The auction was won by music promoter John Midwinter for £2,500.

    The jukebox was a Swiss made KB Discomatic and in 1965 John Lennon filled it with 40 vinyl singles and took it on tour.

    In 2004 the South Bank Show, which is produced in the UK, presented a documentary on the Jukebox. And the songs contained on it have been presented on XM satellite radio channel 6.

    It's a fascinating insight into John Lennon the music fan and his influences all well before the digital celebrity playlist came into being.

    This playlist includes tracks that were on Lennon's jukebox. The full song listing, including B-sides can be found at Wikipedia.

     

    The Playlist:

    1. Bring It On Home To Me - The Animals

    2. 1-2-3 - Len Barry

    3. Rescue Me - Fontella Bass

    4. No Particular Place To Go - Chuck Berry

    5. Boot-Leg - Booker T. & The MG's

    6. Turquoise - Donovan

    7.

    Read More »from John Lennon’s Jukebox
  • This playlist was inspired by my serious coffee addiction. I drink it everyday, sometimes to the tune of 6 cups between the time I wake up and dinner. I love everything about this magic libation -- the color, the smell, the taste, the caffeine, and the culture. And I'm not the only one under the power of this seductive beverage. In fact, in North America and Europe people drink one third as much coffee as they do tap water! And the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations predicts that by 2010 the world will produce 7 million metric tons of coffee each year.

    Coffee has been an acceptable and "lightweight" drug in many cultures from as early as the 9th century. In our daily work coffee helps us wake up, focuses our minds, and keeps us productive. This is why business has no issue with providing free coffee to their employees. And if you happen to be a musician, coffee can help you stay up just a few more hours to finish that song you've been working on.

    This

    Read More »from Coffee Songs
  • The old saying, about the grass always being greener on the other side is so very true.

    When you're in school, all you can think about is getting out! But once you're out and in the workforce, your school day memories are some of the best you have.

    The theme of school has been a successful one for the songwriter. After all, the school-age demographic accounts for a large majority of album sales (digital or otherwise). Many great school songs have been penned by artists who were in school, or barely out, while others have been written by graduates looking to recapture their youth. Either way, the catalogue of school-centric songs is vast and deep.

    For this playlist I've selected 36 of my favorite school-related songs to help welcome the new school year. By now the opening day bells have rung across the nations, and if you're one of the lucky ones still walking the hallways of learning, enjoy. It won't last long.

    If you're a working stiff like me, give this playlist a spin. It'll take

    Read More »from The Back To School Playlist
  • dancing.jpgAmphetaminesIt's no secret that drugs and rock & roll go together like salt & pepper. Where you find one you're likely to find the other. Any drug you can think of has been used and abused by a musician somewhere in the world and many musicians have died in the powerful grip of drug addiction.

    Of course, with the drug culture being such a prominent part of rock music, many songs have been inspired by illegal drugs. And for this playlist I wanted to focus on amphetamines.

    Although this stimulant is not as popular as marijuana, cocaine or heroin, it has inspired it's fair share of songs. Many of us who haven't used amphetamines can still relate. At some point we've all been completely wired on coffee or Red Bull, so if you take this feeling and multiply it by 10 you might have a good idea of how the drug can make you feel.

    Alert, alive, indestructible.

    However, drugs always have a huge downside, and the big problem with amphetamines is that tolerance is developed quickly. This requires the addict

    Read More »from Amphetamine Songs
  • Chi-town has played second fiddle to New York City since it was incorporated in 1837. This number two spot on the "greatest cities in America" list has earned it the nickname "Second City", in addition to numerous other labels

    This fine Illinois metropolis is a ganglion of American culture, and it's musical heritage could spin off piles of fine playlists.

    For this one however, we focus on songs that pay homage to the city in some way. Of course, the list contains no-brainers like "Sweet Home Chicago" by Robert Johnson, "My Kind Of Town" by Frank Sinatra and "The Night Chicago Died" by Paper Lace, but also contains lesser-known odes from scads of musical genres.

    Sufjan Stevens kicks off this playlist with "Chicago" from my favorite album of 2005, Illinois, which is the second effort in his audacious attempt to create on full-length album for each of the 50 states. (Also, see Michigan). Other artists in the list include Ryan Adams, Wilco, Jim Croce, Merle Haggard, Smashing Pumpkins

    Read More »from Ode To Chicago
  • honda.jpghonda.jpgI resisted my destiny of becoming a "minivan man" for years, but I'm afraid that I've lost the battle. My family is one among legions of families with small children who need the room, and appreciate the safety record a minivan provides.

    There comes a point in your life when impressing others and driving fast is just not important. I was never a big sports car guy, and have been a Jeep customer for years. After all, a Jeep was still manly and had room for a family. However, even with a roof box, two children, a 90 lb. black lab, and all the accessories that go with them, long trips are difficult to navigate in a Jeep. I'm also not impressed with an SUV's roll over ratings, nor it's pitiful gas mileage. So last year I made the decision to jump into minivan land.

    My wife has been dead set on the Honda Odyssey since the word "minivan" first entered our lexicon in a context other than a joke. I, on the other hand, had to do some serious research. Safety was the most important factor for

    Read More »from Greatest Honda TV Ad Songs
  • Selecting music for a romantic evening can be a dangerous road to travel. Depending on how serious you are with your potential mate, the wrong musical selections can easily reveal you as a complete cheeseball. Of course, you'll need to hone your romantic list to fit the taste of your date. However, some hard and fast rules apply across the board. For example, you would never want to include songs like "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd or anything by G.G. Allin or Blowfly. Just trust me on that.

    lovers.jpglovers.jpgThis playlist includes highly-filtered tracks, all hand-picked for a wonderfully romantic evening. If you're looking for that perfect soundtrack to a big date, this could be the playlist for you.

    I have taken great care to select only highly-sophisticated numbers that can put even the most unassuming milquetoast in a romantic mood. It's an eclectic list that will show your diversity and taste. It's heavy on standards, bossa nova, and jazz, but with just the right blend of classic soul,

    Read More »from Sophisticated Songs For A Romantic Evening
  • Here's an example of an interesting way to put songs together. 

    It a "playlist play" in four acts, that is, a group of songs that tell a story, or lay the foundation for a story, or another way to think of it is, "A Playlist Rock Opera."

    This one follows a prison escape and is divided into the following four parts, "The Pre-Escape & Planning," "The Escape", "On The Lam" and 'The Return." As you listen, the songs in this playlist will paint images in your head, and with a little bit of imagination, you'll come away with a full story, just as you would if you read it in a book, or saw it on a stage.

    A Playlist Play in 4 Parts: The Jailbreak

    ACT 1: The Pre-Escape and Planning
    1. "Folsom Prison Blues" - Johnny Cash
    2. "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" - The Animals
    3. "The Waiting" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

    Act 2: The Escape
    4. "Jailbreak" - Thin Lizzy
    5. "Fuck Tha Police" - N.W.A.
    6. "Freedom" - Rage Against The Machine

    Act 3: On The Lam
    7. "Run Like Hell" - Pink Floyd
    8. "You Can't Catch

    Read More »from The Jailbreak: A Playlist Rock Opera

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News for You

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