Top 25 of 2007

I know it's a couple days after the new year, but I saved the list of the 25 most played songs on my computer/iPod in 2007, and present it to you today. Where there were ties, I have taken the liberty of ranking them to my own liking. The number of plays of each song on this list ranged from 28 to 84. An asterisk beside the title means that it is a repeat from the previous year's list where you can find more thoughts on the song.

25. No Signs of Life - OK Go
After developing an interest in the band OK Go because of the treadmill video, I purchased the album on iTunes when it was on sale, and I was not disappointed. The album was a fun blend of songs, with this song being the highlight for me (at least from the last 12 months).

24. Letter from an Occupant - The New Pornographers*
This song is the first of many repeats from 2006's top 20 list, but it is a very deserving song. I still find it to be an incredibly catchy and fun song, and one that I very rarely skip when it comes up.

23. Jacob and 2 Women (The World Best as I Can Remember It) - Rich Mullins
I think this song is one of Rich's most beautiful and poetic... even if I don't always get exactly what he's getting at in the song. 2007 was the 10 year anniversary of the passing of this wonderful man. I'm grateful for the songs he left us.

22. That Kind of Love - Sister Hazel
I first heard this song at my brother Josh's wedding in May in the slideshow of him and Stacy. I really liked this song, and Jess really liked this song, so we downloaded it and it got plenty of listens. It is a semi-sappy love song, but as you all know, those songs have quite the soft spot with me.

21. For the Actor - Mates of State
A friend of mine introduced me to this song near the beginning of the year, and it was very catchy and enjoyable. A friend in Texas told me more about this band, and I became more intrigued. I haven't found anything by them that I like as well as this song, but given that this song was the 21st most played song of 2007 midst a collection of almost 5000 songs, that's nothing to sneeze at!

20. Hard to Get - Rich Mullins
Lyrically, this song is my favorite of Rich's. It was recorded just a few days before he died on an old tape recorder with him and a guitar. It was restored best it could be for the Jesus Record released the following May. Rich asks so many sincere questions of God, questioning if He really understands our pain, but ultimately realizes that He's working for our best, even if we can't see it. One of the best lyrics in the song is "I can't see how you're leading me, unless you've led me here, to where I'm lost enough to let myself be led." I agree that God is often hard to get... but He loves us.

19. It's On - Superchick
Here is the first song I'm embarrassed to have show up on this list. Jess and I have attended a few Lady Bears basketball games (as they are a perennial top 10 team in the nation) and last year, this song kicked off the introductions for the game. It's a peppy song for sure and good for getting the adrenaline going. Apparently, I had many times last year that I needed to get the adrenaline going.

18. What You Wish For - Guster
My freshman year at Bethel, I had a roommate that LOVED Guster and played their album all the time. I liked it at first, but hearing it that often sorta turned me off to them. Last year, I encountered them again, and upon giving them another chance, I found that I liked them, especially when I didn't have to hear it 10 times a week. This song was the most enjoyed song of the Guster downloads I made after that reintroduction.

17. Making Love Out of Nothing at All - Air Supply
This song may be the standard of sappy, emotional love songs from the 80s. Need I say more?

16. Seasons Always Change - Sarah Masen*
I love Sarah Masen. This is the only song to actually move up from last year's spot. I think the message of love and growth means even more the longer I'm married, and I hope that I continue to grow and love in all areas of my life, but especially my marriage.

15. One Headlight - The Wallflowers*
Even though the band never recovered from Springsteen's collaboration, this song remains as one of the great songs of the 90s. I remember hearing this in high school and wondering what the "something better than in the middle" could be. I knew it had to be there, but wasn't quite sure what.

14. We Are the Champions - Queen
This is the first of a number of Queen songs on the list. My wife got me Queen's Greatest Hits cds for Valentine's Day, and I immediately went on a 2-3 week kick where all I listened to was Queen. This song in particular holds the memories of winning International Bible Quizzing finals in 1999... and sadly, it also contains memories of Mighty Ducks (I think) 2 when they sing this song at the end. Why did Disney have to ruin this song?!?!

13. Against All Odds - Phil Collins
I think that this is one of the all-time semi-pathetic love songs... and that's why I love it! I love the passion you can hear in Phil Collins' voice as he longs for the return of his lover, but knowing it is against all odds that she'll return. It's sorta pathetic but the patheticness is so beautiful in a pathetic sort of way.

12. My Little Corner of the World - Yo La Tengo
My first encounter with this song came nearly four years ago during the finale of the most wonderful show of all time, Ed. They played this song during a montage at the end of the wedding between Ed and Carol, and I instantly fell in love with this song. I think it is a really sweet, soft and subtle song, and I finally refound it and downloaded it this past year. Long live Tom Cavanagh and his wonderful characters!

11. I Don't Feel Like Dancing - Scissor Sisters
A friend recommended this song to me after I sent the youtube link to the #1 song on this list, as it is similar. I really enjoyed it. The irony of this song is that even though it's about not feeling like dancing, I can't help but want to get up and dance in the song. Just thinking about it makes me move in my chair.

10. First Time - Lifehouse
I have been a fan of Lifehouse for many years now. With each album, it seems like they reinvent themselves a little bit, and their most recent album was no exception. This song was the most radio friendly hit and got played more than any other song from the album, but I recommend the entire cd to anyone!

9. For You I Will (Confidence) - Teddy Geiger*
Another Tom Cavanagh show inspired song in the countdown. This song was from the short-lived show LoveMonkey. Teddy Geiger played the character Wayne for whom this was a debut, break-out single, much like it was for him in real life at a similar time. It is a shame that both of Tom Cavanagh's shows have been far too short-lived.

8. Take a Chance on Me - ABBA*
Although this song will always be associated with Mike and Mike in the Morning's coverage of the NFL Draft, a new great memory of this song was formed this year. On The Office, Andy tries to win Angela's heart through a conference call serenade with a few of his former singing buddies. It is well-worth youtubing it. The music video for this song is quite classic as well.

7. Just Want You to Know - Backstreet Boys
This is a good song that becomes an amazing song thanks to the music video. Yet another clip worth youtubing. I am not typically a fan of anything boybandish, but I'll take this song any day!

6. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy - Queen
I think this is such a fun song. Freddy Mercury's vocals on this (and every Queen) song are memorable. I also like to think that I'm a good old-fashioned lover boy, at least in my attempts to be romantic with my wife... and to those who were present at New Year's, nowhere in the song does it make any mention of flowers!

5. Irreplaceable - Beyoncé
"To the left, to the left" With this start, the song moves into an infectious groove about lover taken for granted, letting her former beloved know that he's not irreplaceable. My wife thinks I have a thing for songs by females with attitude... but not completely over the top attitude like Avril. I think she's right.

4. Somebody to Love - Queen
This year I have fallen in love with the genre of rock opera. Between Queen and Meat Loaf (who showed up in my collection too late in the year to make a serious run for the top 25 of the year), many of my favorite songs added to my collection in the past year are in this genre. I think it comes from my love of pop/rock music combined with my love for the stage. With that being said, this song exemplifies what a rock opera song should do.

3. Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
Another great song from Queen. This song is nice and peppy, while also having a performance in the song that is more than what a typical rock song does, but has a theatrical element, even in just the audio. I love it.

2. Love Today - Mika
Although this is a great song, it greatly benefited from being discovered in the first two weeks of the year, being the only song available when what I really wanted to listen to was the #1 song on the chart, and a kick where I listened to Mika for a solid week. Regardless, it is a catchy song that encourages everyone to love people in many different ways, although he wants much of that love directed at him. If I were to rank the songs by my personal opinions rather than the play count, this would probably be about 15-20 spots lower. However, that's not how this works, so it remains the #2 song of the year.

1. Grace Kelly - Mika
I will never forget the day I first heard this song. Jess and I were eating breakfast in the living room last January, celebrating the ice day (which in Texas means a really really thin layer of ice on most things, so we cancel EVERYTHING). MTV was actually showing music videos at this time of the morning and this artist we did not know came on, and we kept it on. By the end of the song, I knew this was a song that I would enjoy for a long time. The music video is loads of fun (with the cast made up entirely of his friends and family), but the song is just great. Mika's voice receives many comparisons to Freddy Mercury of Queen, which in this song are totally appropriate. Go youtube this song. I really think you should download it from iTunes, but I'll let you go watch it first and then let you decide for yourself that you really should download this song.

Newcomers to Watch for Next Year:
I thought I'd add a few artists that didn't make the list this year, likely because the cds became a part of the collection too late in the year, but are showing great promise to make next year's list.
Sara Bareilles
Ingrid Michaelson
Meat Loaf
Cobra Starship
Caedmon's Call (with the return of Derek Webb)

Traveling Adventures

Yesterday, Jess and I left Indiana after a wonderful time with our families. Seeing as Jess had to work this morning, we set out from my parents' house at 5:15 am, with the hope of arriving here soon after 8:00 pm. These expectations are reasonable provided there are no weather or traffic problems. You could say that we had both yesterday.

The 36 hours before we left were filled with snow and wind. We were hoping that both would have ended before we left, but neither had. So we took off, driving into a headwind from the west, driving about 30-40 miles an hour on a state highway. Upon reaching the interstate, the roads were pretty fully cleared, and the speed of traffic increased to 50-60 miles an hour, but now the wind was blowing from the passenger side, with the gusts trying to push the poor Civic. After being on the interstate for about 20 miles, while it was still dark out, I hit a patch of ice, coupled with a gust of wind, and started to fishtail. Thankfully there were no other cars nearby, as after a valiant attempt, the car still went into the ditch.

Both of us were not injured in the least, and I hadn't hit anything with the car. I got out to examine the situation to see if there was any way to get the car out without calling a tow truck. I tried to push while Jess put it in reverse, but no such luck. Someone stopped and then we had two of us pushing, but still no luck. We were in too far by about a foot, so our back tires couldn't get any traction. I was fortunate enough to get both of my feet absolutely drenched, as well as mud on my pants. We waited about 45 minutes for the tow truck to arrive, and when he did arrive, it was about 5 minutes (and $75) until we were on the road again.

By that point, people realized that the roads may have looked clear, but were not really clear, as no one was driving over 55 (and I was keeping it around 40, just for good measure). Thankfully, the sun started to come out and it stopped snowing, and we got far enough south (and started going west again into the wind) that the snow wouldn't have really bothered anything. We were able to stop and get some dry socks for me and I changed into them and my dry pair of shoes. We were a bit concerned when things picked up and the car started to shimmy around 60. However, I think we just had some snow mashed up in the car somewhere because over the next 1000 miles, the shimmy disappeared, and everything ran fine.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, and we arrived in our apartment about 10:30 pm, 18 1/2 hours after we left (as we gain an hour coming back). For the first time, I don't miss snow. I will definitely be enjoying the 75 degree weather this weekend.