Mix Tape of the Day: April 3, 2015 - The Best of 2002

I love the music of 2002.  Maybe because it was the first year that I really started paying attention to the music around me.  Whatever the reason, I found it unbearably hard to make today's mix of 13 songs.  That means, in order to get every song I actually wanted on this list, over the next few days, we'll have some mixes inspired by the songs I left off.

1. Complicated - Avril Lavigne (2002) 2002 was the year we met Avril Lavigne, a common face on my mixes.  It was incredibly hard to choose between this one and "Sk8er Boi," because, while I acknowledge that the latter is sillier, it holds a special place in my heart.  But I ultimately went her first hit, the one that made us all (well, 14-year-old me) fall in love with her.

2. All You Wanted - Michelle Branch (2001) I guess I never realized how important Michelle Branch was to my early teenage years until now.

3. Just Like a Pill - Pink (2001) Although I was more familiar with Pink's "Don't Let Me Get Me," I found myself enjoying this one a bit more.  I think that's because it sounds similar to "Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing.

4. Underneath It All - No Doubt ft. Lady Saw (2001) No Doubt was all over the chart this year!  But none of them can beat "Underneath It All."  No Doubt was a pretty good band, it seems.

5. Soak Up the Sun - Sheryl Crow (2002) Summer isn't here yet but that doesn't mean we can't look forward to the essential summer song of 2002.

6. Hot in Herre - Nelly (2002) Haha, I had to include this one.  It's just so wrong and right at the same time.

7. One Last Breath - Creed (2001) ....Here is the only Creed song we'll ever need.

8. Cleanin' Out My Closet - Eminem (2002) In 2002, I would probably say that I wasn't a fan of Eminem.  Yet I was just inexplicably drawn to this song.  It made me a fan.

9. Wherever You Will Go - The Calling (2001) Yeah, 4 chords!  Give us another jam!

10. No Such Thing - John Mayer (2001) Starting high school with a song about running through the halls of your high school was a perfect correlation.

11. Standing Still - Jewel (2001) These next three songs were probably the whole reason I turned out the way I am today.  When you're 14 years old, these pop rock ladies really speak to your sense of hopeless romance.

12. A Thousand Miles - Vanessa Carlton (2002) Thanks to that magnificent piano and string section, this song is elevated to a grand status.  And while White Chicks was a critically-panned film, I once caught a brief scene on television that featured Terry Crews singing along to this song and I knew it was one of the best scenes ever recorded on film in history.

13. A Moment Like This - Kelly Clarkson (2002) It was all leading up to this moment.  When I started my freshman year of high school, Kelly Clarkson had just become our first American Idol.  And this song spoke to me.  It gave me the impetus to have the best four years of high school possible so that, come senior year, I could experience this very moment.

Mix Tape of the Day: February 22, 2015 - And the Academy Award Goes to...

It's Oscars Night!  All the stars are glitzed and/or glammed up and it's time to see who will take home the tiny gold man!  Did you know there is an award presented for Best Original Song?  It's true!  So today, I'll pick the 13 best "Best" songs over the years.

1. Over the Rainbow - Judy Garland (1939) The Best Song category didn't exist in the earliest of Academy Award ceremonies, and once it was constructed, it usually came from basic movie musicals that had thin plots to hang a string of hit songs on.  But "Over the Rainbow" was the leader in movie songs, becoming the de facto song to use whenever you needed something to play over your Academy movie montages.

2. When You Wish Upon a Star - Cliff Edwards (1940) And then came the standard Disney song.  "When You Wish Upon a Star" remains the main Disney theme to this day, and it's easy to see why.  Disney movies have some great music, so I want to refrain from filling the whole mix with them, but I had to include the first.

3. Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes (1971) We're taking a big leap forward in time because for 30 years, the Best songs all sounded a little same-y.  They're good, but we needed some variety.  Enter Shaft.  Isaac Hayes's sultry voice plus that "wocka-chicka" music was a sound for sore ears.

4. Last Dance - Donna Summer (1978) Some Best Songs become so popular and iconic, that you begin to forget the film their associated with.  So, while I certainly haven't heard of Thank God It's Friday, I have heard "Last Dance" at the end of many proms, weddings, and other dances.

5. Up Where We Belong - Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes (1982) And then some songs can't help but be tied to popular film scenes.  Now you can't carry someone while dressed as a naval officer without this tune going through your head.

6. Flashdance... What a Feeling - Irene Cara (1983) In the '70s and '80s, each movie seemed to be marketed along with what was to be it's Oscar Song.  Movies just had a promotional song.  It was the standard.  Of there, Flashdance's "Flashdance" is my favorite.

7. Can You Feel the Love Tonight - Elton John (1994) I had to choose wisely, and I decided that the other Disney song I would include would be this one, since it wasn't actually sung by the characters in the film.  I don't know why that was my stipulation, but here we are.

8. My Heart Will Go On - Celine Dion (1997) Hmm...never heard of it.

9. Lose Yourself - Eminem (2002) The first rap song to win an Oscar, "Lose Yourself" was also the first Oscar-winning song to feature spaghetti.  But seriously, it's a great track.

10. Falling Slowly - Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (2006) Once was a different kind of movie musical.  Very low-key and unassuming.  But it produced some beautiful music, as you can hear.

11. Jai Ho - Sukhwinder Singh, Tanvi Shah, Mahalakshmi Iyer, and Vijay Prakash (2008) Bollywood is never fairly represented at the Academy Awards.  Thanks to Slumdog Millionaire, with it's Bollywood-inspired ending, we were able to experience the fun of Indian cinema.

12. Man or Muppet - Jason Segel and Walter (2011) I was so happy that competition was sparse during the 2012 ceremony, because not only had a Muppet song never won an Oscar before, it would also mean that Bret McKenzie of the folk-comedy duo Flight of the Conchords would have written an "Oscar worthy" song.  Great job!

13. Skyfall - Adele (2012) There have always been James Bond theme songs for every film.  But we had to wait until 2013 for one worthy enough to win an Academy Award.  But you'll admit, "Skyfall" is a pretty epic choice.

Mix Tape of the Day: February 6, 2015 - The Best of 2010

2010 was all about the good, the bad, and the ugly side of love.  I mean, every year is about that.

1. Baby - Justin Bieber ft. Ludacris (2010) These are my thoughts on Justin Bieber: not a fan.  But, for how ridiculous it was when he became big in 2010, I'd have to admit, I found "Baby" to be pretty dope.  Kind of like "Friday," I found myself enjoying it unironically quite a bit.  Even Ludacris's ludicrous rap breakdown doesn't feel wrong to me.  I can groove to this.

2. Mine - Taylor Swift (2010) And here's my annual Taylor Swift pick.  It's odd going back in time with Swift, as things delve back into country territory and hopelessly romantic songs.  But she fulfilled that niche so well!

3. Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars (2010) 2010 has some very choice romantic memories that will forever remain with me.  And scoring those memories is this song.

4. Just a Dream - Nelly (2010) Oh, those glorious four chords!  For a song about dreaming about your exes, it's pretty fun and enjoyable.

5. Haven't Met You Yet - Michael Bublé (2009) Finally, a crooner who is also an unlucky hopeless romantic.  That's just what I needed in 2010.  And every year afterwards.

6. Magic - B.o.B. ft. Rivers Cuomo (2010) Thanks to the 24-Hour Show where this was played every hour on the hour, I can't think of a song that fills me with more happiness than this one.

7. Telephone - Lady Gaga ft. Beyoncé (2009) Lady Gaga can do no wrong.  This 2010 was the year I became convinced of that fact.

8. King of Anything - Sara Bareilles (2010) Huh, I'm kind of surprised I like this song.  I'm not a big fan of Bareilles's style, but this one kind of works for me.  I can't stand "Love Song" or "Brave" though.  Sorry.

9. If I Die Young - The Band Perry (2010) Pass the tissues.  Next.

10. Bulletproof - La Roux (2009) I keep confusing this song with "Titanium."

11. Bad Romance - Lady Gaga (2009) This.  It took me a while, and I didn't like it at first, but then I realized that this was Lady Gaga's best song.  And I never looked down on her abilities again.  That "I don't want to be friends!" moment always gives me chills.

12. According to You - Orianthi (2009) Having been the "you," in this song more times than I can count, I was drawn to this one (especially in 2010).

13. Love the Way You Lie - Eminem ft. Rihanna (2010) This was a tough choice.  I love the original composition where the songwriter Skylar Grey just sings the female part.  But I had to include the more famous version.  The back and forth between man and woman in this song is so fraught with emotion (and that video, yeesh) that I had to consider it the best version (as well as the best song of 2010).