Music that plays in my head

John Schultz has tagged me with the following musically-themed questions. I normally don’t do taggings, memes, or any other interactive blogging thing. As much fun as they seem to be, I can’t seem to find the time to do them justice. This one was a little different in that I have been wanting for some time to write about the tunes that dance in my writer’s head. Thanks, John, for giving me that initial push.

The total volume of music files on my computer:

Um, lots. I have them backed up on CD, but I hate the noise the PC makes when the optical drive spins up. So I leave ‘em on the hard drive and play them from there. Best guess, 30 gigabytes and counting. I know, bad Carmi.

The last CD I bought was:

You mean you can actually buy CDs? Kidding! The last disc I bought was by Canadian singer/songwriter Amy Sky. In case you don’t know, our country grows female musical artists on trees. We are truly blessed.

Song playing right now:

Untitled (How Could This Happen To Me?) by Simple Plan. Beyond the fact that this band is from my hometown of Montreal, this song is significant in that it underpins Mothers Against Drunk Driving’s 2005 spring marketing campaign. As you know, we’re heading into the grad/prom season where teenagers will die in ridiculous numbers due to their inability to understand the simple need to separate consumption of alcohol from operation of a motor vehicle. They are, after all, immortal. This song proves otherwise in a poignantly-paced dirge.

Five songs I listen to a lot or mean a lot to me, in no particular order:

• One of Our Submarines by Thomas Dolby – a haunting tune of distance and loss. It proved to the world that the “She Blinded Me With Science” guy was a musical genius, and not simply a one-hit wonder.
• Halcyon by Chicane – it’s an instrumental trance tune, and in and of itself is not especially memorable. But it was the song I was listening to on the morning of September 11, 2001, and as such is indelibly burned into my memory of that day. Music has a way of doing that. What songs are tied to major events in your life?
• Let Go by Frou Frou – this song featured prominently in the (Zach Braff) Garden State soundtrack. It reinforces our need to chuck convention and simply live as fully as we possibly can.
• Kissing in the Rain by Patrick Doyle & Tori Amos – this song was lifted from the score of the Gwyneth Paltrow/Ethan Hawke remake of Great Expectations. Rarely does a song so perfectly match the storyline. This time, it does. And it soars as a result.
• Ordinary Miracles by Amy Sky – the one song that defines what being a parent is all about. When I hear this tune, I’m instantly able to see our youngest son picking his own clothes, getting himself dressed, and achieving all of those miraculous milestones of childhood for the very first time.
• And You Thought I Was Joking by Color Theory – Brian Hazard is a classically-trained one-man band whose music grows more compelling with time. In an age where overproduced non-talent rules the charts, it nice to see a great songwriter cranking out music of substance.

(I know that’s six tunes. Sorry about that: I had trouble editing the list down.)

I’m not quite sure what I do with this tagging thing now (I know, I need a life.) Your turn: If you’ve got a musical inkling to answer these questions on your own blog, please leave a comment and a link below so visitors here can follow your musical choices home.