Mix Tape of the Day: May 5, 2015 - Ay Caramba!

I don't know my Latin American music.  Like, at all.  This is all I know.  I'm so, so sorry.

1. Macarena - Los Del Rio (1994)

2. La Cucaracha - Traditional (1492)

3. Jarabe Tapatío (The Mexican Hat Dance) - Traditional (1790)

4. Spanish Flea - Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass (1965)

5. La Bamba - Los Lobos (1987)

6. Conga - Miami Sound Machine (1985)

7. Taco Grande - "Weird Al" Yankovic (1992)

8. Bidi Bidi Bom Bom - Selena (1994)

9. Senor Burns - Tito Puente & His Latin Jazz Ensemble (1995)

10. She Bangs - Ricky Martin (2000)

11. Rhythm Divine - Enrique Iglesias (1999)

12. Hotel California - The Gipsy Kings (1991)

13. Oye Como Va - Santana (1970)

Mix Tape of the Day: April 24, 2015 - The Best of 1999

We've finally made it to the '90s!  Elementary school classics, here we go!

1. Livin' la Vida Loca - Ricky Martin (1999) A lot of the hits on this list I fondly remember as annoying the heck out of everyone in 1999.  But they were all catchy earworms.

2. Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit of...) - Lou Bega (1999) Man, 1999 was a simpler time.

3. I Need to Know - Marc Anthony (1999) I'm sure you're noticing a theme popping up here.

4. Bailamos - Enrique Iglesais (1998) As a little Weird Al wannabe in 1999, I would sing my own parody version of this song called, "A La Mode" about putting ice cream on various foods.  I was so cool.

5. Smooth - Santana ft. Rob Thomas (1999) Of the many Latin hits of this year, this is by far the best.  I can feel myself being transported closer to the equator on a hot, summer night whenever I hear this song.

6. Iris - Goo Goo Dolls (1998) There were three Goo Goo Dolls songs that charted in 1999.  "Slide" and "Black Balloon" are great songs, but "Iris" is the definitive Goo Goo Dolls song for me.

7. Save Tonight - Eagle Eye Cherry (1997) This was one of those songs that just came into being and I felt as if it always existed.  I mean, it really doesn't sound like a pre-90s song, but it also didn't seem like the rest of the sounds of the time.  It's its own thing.

8. Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz (1998) Let's go and see the stars or see the stars or even stars.  Well, it could just be stars.

9. Back at One - Brian McKnight (1999) R&B was also very popular during this year and most of the '90s, but a lot of it blends together for me.  This one broke things down, step-by-step, so it was easier to remember.

10. Last Kiss - Pearl Jam (1999) 1999 was so much fun that even a depressing subject like a fatal car accident can make for an enjoyable tune.  Yes, it's a cover of an existing song, but it's Pearl Jam's now.

11. Steal My Sunshine - Len (1999) Going back to more fun songs, I may be biased, but '90s one-hit-wonders were the best of any decade.

12. She's So High - Tal Bachman (1999) Some songs you just hear once and they stick with you forever.  I didn't hear this song until my senior year of high school, but it came at just the right moment to become a permanent song part of my personal soundtrack.

13. Believe - Cher (1998) A hater would probably look at this list of 1999 songs and think it was one big joke.  But nope, I enjoyed all of these.  Yes, even "Believe."

Mix Tape of the Day: April 10, 2015 - The Best of 2001

2001 was...not my favorite year.  Only a few of these songs am I actually passionate about.  And one of them I actually hate.  Oh boy, here we go...

1. Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me) - Train (2001) I hate Train.  If I had to pick my least favorite band, it'd be them.  And if I had to pick my least favorite song, it'd be this one.  Because, like all Train songs, it pulls you in with hit's great music and then forces you to listen to those awful, awful lyrics.  Every Train song gives me this emotional tug-of-war and if I'm not paying attention too closely, I can actually enjoy them as background music.  But there's always something that catches me off guard.  In this case, it's the "deep fried chicken" part.  I hate it!  Let's never speak of it again.

2. Follow Me - Uncle Kracker (2000) Really?  Uncle Kracker was a hit artist?  Come on, America...  I guess we ll just loved this song so much.

3. Drive - Incubus (1999) Incubus.  It must be time for middle school angst.

4. Hanging by a Moment - Lifehouse (2000) This was the number one song of the year.  I mean, it's good but...really?

5. Be Like That - 3 Doors Down (2000) Here's some more post-grunge for you.

6. It's Been Awhile - Staind (2001) At least Staind had that cool lead voice going for it.

7. Hemorrhage (In My Hands) - Fuel (2000) Okay, the last post-grunge song for the mix.  I like this one the best.  Very yelly.

8. When It's Over - Sugar Ray (2001) Ah, this is a little more fun!  How can you not have fun when Sugar Ray's around?

9. I'm Like a Bird - Nelly Furtado (2000) I thought Nelly and Nelly Furtado were the same person for the longest time in the 2000s.

10. Thank You - Dido (1999) Dido! Thank you for providing us with your outlook on relationships!

11. He Loves U Not - Dream (2000) Okay, now we're talking.  I really enjoyed this song as a kid.  And for some reason nobody remembers it when I try to work it into conversations.

12. South Side - Moby ft. Gwen Stefani (1999) But the best song of the year has to go to Moby.  So cool.  So Moby.

13. Hero - Enrique Iglesais (2001) This brings us all to "Hero," the song that was released just before the 9/11 attacks.  Most depressing and/or violent songs were banned from the radio at this time to promote a better since of mind in our collective consciousness, allowing this song to fill us with hope and peace.  It's still a sad song, but it was just what we needed at the time.