Ford has been in the news over the last few years because it was the only major American car company that didn't need a taxpayer bailout to get through the economic downturn. But Ford's also been in the news because it's been making great cars again. As an American, I was embarrassed by the cars we were putting out in the 80s and 90s.

Let's face it, Japan handed us our hat by making cars that were just better all the way around. But American cars are back!

Arguments about the which American car company is the best will continue for a long time now that they've survived what looked like a fatal misstep. But considering that Henry Ford started the whole thing, and revolutionized industry in the process, I will always throw my lot in with Ford. And of all the models that Ford has rolled out over the decades, none have become a bigger icon than the Mustang.

For this playlist I've selected ten songs that sing the praises of the Ford Mustang -- a car that you will find woven through the fabric of American culture.

What's your favorite Mustang song?

I sure do use Pitchfork a awful lot for a guy who likes to rip on them regularly. When it comes right down to it, 95% of what I find on Pitchfork is dead on. It's the other 5% that I find unbearably pretentious. But it's easy to find fault with any music publication because it all comes down to opinion. And debating an opinion is one of the most ridiculous things we do as human beings. What I've learned in my many years as a certified music fanatic is that if something helps you discover great music, STICK WITH IT. Whether it's the suggestions of a friend, a Tweets from a respected peer,  a song in a movie soundtrack, or reviews on a site like Pitchfork.

Today I visited Pitchfork's top rated album page, which includes only albums that have scored 8 or more on a scale of 1 to 10 according to their critics. I took a single song from 10 of these albums to compile this playlist.

I love it.

Even if I hate to admit it.

The list includes your standard alt/indie pop, but also includes some drone ambient and even black metal. Good is good, and that's all I require in my music.

What' you're current top rated album?

Women have inspired so many songs that it would be impossible to classify them all. In fact, you could probably make a pretty decent playlist for almost every female name known. Songs inspired by men are abundant too, but the female gender wins for being  the top inspiration for songs about love, whether it's good love, love gone bad, or even just admiration from across the room.

We've done a good deal of playlists based on first names here at the Y! Music Playlist blog, including: Songs About Girls Named Melissa, Songs Inspired By Women Named Jenny, and even a playlist of the Top Baby Names For Girls.

For this playlist I've chosen to do compile a collection of songs about women named Mandy -- inspired by the Barry Manilow hit, which was originally a hit by Scott English in the UK, but was titled "Brandy".

The name "Mandy" is of Latin-American origin and it means "worthy of love", so it's really a great name for a love song.

Mandy is a nickname for Amanda, or Miranda and thus could be included as part of a more comprehensive playlist, but for this list I'm only using the nickname "Mandy".

What would you add?