As you may have noticed, the Y! Music Playlist blog has been on hiatus for a while. This is actually due to some good news! As you may have heard, Yahoo! has a new partnership with Spotify, the music streaming service from Sweden that is taking the world by storm.

As you would expect, the playlists included here will now be Spotify playlists. This is great news since I can now embed a Spotify player right in each blog post, and you'll even be able to listen without being a premium Spotify member. Although as a premium member you won't be presented with ads between songs.

I'm getting ready for a trip to Germany this week and so it is Germany that's inspired this, my first Spotify playlist for the Y! Music Playlist blog. I decided to build a playlist of all the #1 songs in Germany on the year is was born. I was surprised to see more English language songs than those sung in German.

Now, who can make some local food and site suggestions for the Rhine Valley?

#1 Hits In Gemany: 1968

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2918901_170x170From time to time I check to see what the current most critically acclaimed albums are according to Metacritic, and I give them a listen. Metacritic is my go to review site. But they don't do their own reviews. Instead, they collect new album reviews  from across the web and average them. This way you can easily see which records have a consensus of critical acclaim.

I find Metacritic's top album list one of the best anywhere, and I can always refer to it to find something new.

For this playlist I looked at the site's top rated albums and selected a single song from the first 10 that are available for streaming on Rhapsody. This way you can check out what the critics are buzzing about for yourself.

I did not include reissues.

Everyone has at least one song that reminds them of a painful breakup, or some sad event in their life.  And while sad songs can stir up painful emotions, there is something strangely comforting about them. I think it's because sad songs remind us we are not alone, and that other people have gone through the same things we have. When a sad song connects with you it can feel like a shared experience.

Sad songs are so popular in fact, that they have inspired songs about themselves!

For this playlist I didn't want to simply throw together a bunch of melancholy ballads. Instead, I wanted to create a list of songs about sad songs. How's that for meta?

Below you will find ten tracks, each one a song about sad songs.

What would you add?

The black snake has a significant history in music, especially in the blues. The symbol has become a legendary symbol, or innuendo, depending on which blues historian you ask. Although Blind Lemon Jefferson's 1927 recording "Black Snake Moan" is probably the best known, it was Victoria Spivey who penned the song "Black Snake Blues" the previous year. Jefferson's use of the song caused tension between the two.

Blues fans will probably be arguing about the meaning of "Black Snake Moan" until the end of time, but to me the strong sexual innuendo is clear as a bell. This is absolutely consistent for the blues, and although some would have you believe otherwise, you'll never convince me.

I thought I would put together a playlist of 10 "black snake" songs so that you can hear for yourself how the symbol of a black snake fits in popular music mythology.

So tell me..... what do you think Victory Spivey and Blind Lemon Jefferson were talking about?