Stay of Execution Mix

I just got a thank-you email from the first recipient of my mix CD (you're welcome!), so I'm  publishing the songlist here.  I started with a batch of about 50 songs that seemed like good contenders, then culled it down to 14 based on how they worked together.  My criteria for inclusion were: it has to be a song that gets stuck in my head with some frequency; it has to be a song that I find evocative in some kind of meaningful way.  I guess I wanted it to sound like me, and to resonate with the way I write.  There are lots of songs I love that don't sound like that, and I didn't consider them at all.  I tried not to be deliberately obscure -- when I caught myself being obscure I chucked the selection.  The three songs I took out that I most regret leaving out were Thad Cockrell's Some Tears (from Warmth & Beauty), and the pairing I wanted to do to conclude the mix, of Radiohead's Exit Music (for a Film) and Christopher O'Reilly's arrangement of the same song for classical piano.  None of them really fit with the general feel and sound of the rest of the mix, so I left them off, but I'm second-guessing that a bit.  The songlist is below the fold.  I've seen 9 of the 14 acts live, and I expect that almost all of them have played at South by Southwest over the years. 

1) Northern Lights by Anna Fermin.  I saw Anna play in a dirty straw-covered backyard in Austin, TX a few years ago.  I like her strong voice, I like the mood of the song, and the violin and mandolins.
2) Wasn't Born To Follow by The Sadies.  The Sadies are a bunch of tall, pale, gaunt Canadian musicians who play surf/punk/spaghetti-western cowboy music that is hard to describe.  They're amazing live.  This song is a cover of a Carole King song, so it's not necessarily typical of their sound.  I sing this song to myself when I'm downhill skiing; for some reason it makes me braver and more reckless.
3) Mario y Maria by Butch Hancock.  This guy is a great storyteller.  I love the story in this song, it's tight rhyme structure, its humor and wistfulness.  There are those who never come home.....
4) If You See Her, Say Hello by Bob Dylan.  My mom used to sing this song when I was little.  Sundown, yellow moon -- the lyrics pop into my head unbidden sometimes when I look up at a night sky.
5) Houses on the Hill -- Whiskeytown.  Ryan Adams, the lead singer of Whiskeytown, could sing the yellow pages and it would break my heart.  It was hard to pick which of his songs to include here.  This one felt right. 
6) Going Back to Georgia -- Nanci Griffith.  I'm not sure why I feel a little sheepish about liking Nanci.  What I like about this song is the interplay between her voice and the voice of Adam Duritz, of the Counting Crows.  I also like the hopefulness of the song.
7) Lonely Holiday -- The Old 97s.  I'm a big fan of the Old 97s.  This seems the quintessential blogger song.  Baby, I'm not lonely; I've got my imaginary friends. 
8) A Shot In The Arm -- Wilco.  I love "The ashtray says/ you were up all night."  And the piano.  And "What you once were isn't what you wanna be anymore."  I can relate.  I like to turn up this song really loud in my car and sing along.
9) Just A Wave -- Jimmie Dale Gilmore.  I did a blog post a while back about a friend who feels like a soulmate.  He introduced me to Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock, who wrote this song (as well as #3).  I love the chorus, and all the water imagery. 
10) Pissed Off 2 AM -- Alejandro Escovedo.  This guy is a great musician, and I love the glimpse into a crumbling relationship this song provides.  I like the combination of hard edge and softness in this song. 
11) Helpless -- Crosby Stills Nash & Young.  I change the words and sing, "There is a dog in North Ontario" to my dog, inventing nonsense lyrics while I rub her belly.  Another yellow moon on the rise in this song -- I'm a sucker -- and those big birds flying across the sky.  Love it. 
12) Hallelujia -- Jeff Buckley.  I blogged about how this song made me cry when I heard it while driving through Yellowstone in Montana this summer. 
13) Lights -- The Jayhawks.  I feel like this song is a little bit corny and earnest, but then again, so am I.  (The song is a cover of a Victoria Williams song, found on a benefit album for Williams.)  What about this thing that you made?  What if it weren't quite perfect?  Would you love it just the same?
14) Windfall -- Son Volt.  May the wind take your troubles away.....

Comments

[Rufus]

Buckley's cover of Hallelujah is just about a perfect song in the amount of heartbreak it conveys. I have Leonard Cohen's original as well, and while it's the same song, it's not even close to being the same song.

[mad]

Oh, yay - I can't wait to get mine. Looks like you've included quite a lot of stuff I've heard of but haven't heard, and some stuff I know and love. It will be a wonderful late birthday present to receive post-Thanksgiving trip. Thank you!

[OLS]

I blogged a while back about going to see Damien Rice in concert - he did a cover of Hallelujiah that was possibly even better than Jeff Buckley's - and that's a VERY big call for me.

If you like Jeff, I really recommend that you check out Damien Rice's album O.

- OLS

[Rayne of Terror]

I received my CD today. Thanks a bunch. I'll be heading over to Indiana in the next few days to see my grandmothers and it will be pleasant to have a new CD. The woman singing on the first cut sounds like a Chicago singer that used to be in J700.

[Milbarge]

It's really fantastic, Sher -- thanks so much!

[Notorious BLT]

Just googled this phrase "leonard cohen hallelujiah cover" to see who covered this song because I know I've heard an amazin recent version.. and here's your blog #4 on the list!