Mix Tape of the Day: April 17, 2015 - The Best of 2000

This is a first.  All of my favorite songs from 2000 were actually from 1999 or before, technically.  Well, there is one that I could have used, but we're going to listen to that one tomorrow.  For now, it's Y2K all over again.

1. Blue (Da Ba Dee) - Eiffel 65 (1999) I used to think this was deep and/or technically impressive, what with it's jumbled and indecipherable lyrics.  Then, thanks to a recent history lesson, I learned that it was just dumb, poorly translated Europop.  It's still amazing.

2. Better Off Alone - Alice Deejay (1998) Speaking of European club tracks, how about this one.  Thanks to my high school techno rave class, I learned about all these great tunes.

3. It Feels So Good - Sonique (1998) Let's keep grooving to this beat.

4. I Try - Macy Gray (1999) This is the song of the year 2000 for me.  Thanks to the constant "Now That's What I Call Music" ads I saw every day after school, I remember seeing the chorus of this song over and over again.

5. The Way You Love Me - Faith Hill (1999) Faith Hill sure loves love.

6. Waiting for Tonight - Jennifer Lopez (1999) Did you know that the actress who played Jack's teacher in Francis Ford Coppola's critically-acclaimed film Jack is the performer behind this song?!

7. All the Small Things - Blink-182 (1999) Where would we be without Enema of the State?  Probably acting our age.

8. Higher - Creed (1999) I lied last week.  Here's more Creed.  Sorry.

9. Back Here - BBMak (1999) I used to think they were saying "Don't turn your back on me, baby," instead of "Until you're back here, baby" until today.

10. Never Let You Go - Third Eye Blind (1999) Why has it taken me so long to feature a Third Eye Blind song?!

11. You Sang to Me - Marc Anthony (1999) I kicked off Savage Garden's "I Knew I Loved You" for this one.  I hadn't really paid it much attention to it until today, but it's a great love song in a year full of them.

12. Everything You Want - Vertical Horizon (1999) Some songs you just really connect to, you know?

13. Desert Rose - Sting (1999) Maybe it's due to the proximity in which I first heard them, but I always consider this to be a companion piece to Enya's "Only Time."  I love listening to both in the same sitting.  One takes me to a lush, relaxing, wet forest full of life while the other takes me to a dry, mystical, colorful desert filled with emptiness.

Mix Tape of the Day: February 21, 2015 - Women of Country ('90s Edition)

Today began as a best of Mary Chapin Carpenter day but based on my personal memories with her work, I kept thinking of other similar sounding artists.  My parents listened to a lot of them around the same time as I was growing up.  So I decided, "Why not feature six of them?"

1. He Thinks He'll Keep Her - Mary Chapin Carpenter (1992) Carpenter enjoys focusing on the reality of relationships in her work, able to showcase the highs and the lows.  I'm not the biggest country fan, but I can appreciate how it just takes a literal look at life and sets it to music.

2. Passionate Kisses - Mary Chapin Carpenter (1992) I remember really liking this song when I was 4-years-old.  I doubt I understood what it was actually about.  But kisses are always nice!

3. When You Say Nothing at All - Alison Krauss and Union Station (1994) After Carpenter, Krauss was the big voice in my household.  It seems as if she did her best work when performing covers, but hey, she's got a great voice.  No need for original material.  She really makes every song she sings her own.

4. Oh, Atlanta - Alison Krauss and Union Station (1995) Memories are fun.  I always associate Alison Krauss with Pokemon because that's what I'd inevitably be playing whenever my parents listened to her Now That I've Found You collection.  That's the sole reason I included this song.  It took me years to realize she was saying "Georgia."

5. Baby, Now That I've Found You - Alison Krauss and Union Station (1995) Yes, Krauss gets three songs.  She's got a super pretty voice, okay?

6. Blue - LeAnn Rimes (1996) Here's a country song if there ever was one.  Filled with twangy depression.

7. How Do I Live? - LeAnn Rimes (1997) Funny...I didn't realize LeAnn Rimes was responsible for this song.  Who was I thinking of...?

8. Man! I Feel Like a Woman! - Shania Twain (1997) Canadian country is a thing I didn't realize was a thing.  Thank you, Shania Twain, for showing me the light.

9. You're Still the One - Shania Twain (1997) Twain felt that people were missing a song that could be played at every wedding anniversary, so she filled that gap with the perfect eternal love song.

10. This Kiss - Faith Hill (1998) Fun Fact! I got Faith Hill and LeAnn Rimes completely switched in my head.  Sorry!  I like Faith Hill's love songs because they just feel powerful, like a force that just takes over your body.  Love feels strong in her words.

11. Breathe - Faith Hill (1999) Even something as gentle as breathing feels like a tornado in Faith Hill's world.

12. Almost Home - Mary Chapin Carpenter (1999) Hey! Carpenter's back! I'm not sure why I'm so familiar with this song yet it isn't really one of her hits.  By the end of the '90s, I felt as if my parents had moved on from her, but lo and behold, this album exists in our collection.

13. I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack (2000) Sorry for sneaking a 2000 song onto this mix, but you should agree that "I Hope You Dance" is worth it.  It is the best song of this sub-genre.