Mix Tape of the Day: April 6, 2015 - Power Pop!

The fun part of this blog is when I learn something new.  For example, I now know that there is a genre that consists of my favorite type of music that I have been unable to classify up until this point.  See, I wanted to do a list featuring certain songs that were only tangentially related content-wise and I was wondering why I picked this collection of songs to feature together.  I looked them up and learned that they all belonged to the genre known as "power pop," which is like a harder rock version of "pop rock."  Whatever the distinction is, I'm glad I can finally have a go-to answer when people ask what kind of music I like.

(This list is far from complete, as many will be appearing on later mixes.)

1. Surrender - Cheap Trick (1978) I love this song!  And I never realized it was one of the earliest examples of this genre (I mean technically, the earliest exaples would be from the '60s, but this is the song that made the genre popular).

2. Just What I Needed - The Cars (1978) "I needed someone to bleed...at Circuit City." - Circuit City ad circa 2005

3. My Sharona - The Knack (1979) In Eerie, Indiana, a man switched his mind with an 8-track tape of this song.  That's fantastic.

4. Turning Japanese - The Vapors (1980) Haha, yeah, this one counts too.

5. What I Like About You - The Romantics (1980) The '60s influence really shows in this one.  Doesn't get better than this.

6. 867-5309/Jenny - Tommy Tutone (1981) Yep, the signature sound of the early '80s is all thanks to the power pop genre.

7. Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield (1981) Be honest, you get this one confused with "My Best Friend's Girl" by the Cars  and "Jenny" all the time just like I do.  Well, now you know the reason!

8. Bohemian Like You - The Dandy Warhols (2000) After a couple decades of a power pop dry spell, it's second heyday came back.  Probably due to that whole "20 year nostalgia law" where kids of the past grow up to become artists who repeat what they experienced in their youth. Let's start with a song that caught me off guard the first time I heard it and stuck with me ever since.

9. Sk8er Boi - Avril Lavigne (2002) This is the original song that sparked my quest to uncover today's genre.  I originally just knew I wanted to do a mix with this song and I immediately thought of "Bohemian Like You," and then I wondered, "What other songs work with these two?"  And I ended up featuring nearly every song I've wanted to use on a mix thus far with no qualms because they all go together!  I am no longer ashamed of loving this song so much.

10. Stacy's Mom - Fountains of Wayne (2003) I also discovered that there is a theory that links all the major power pop songs together.  "What if Stacy's mom was Jessie's girl and her number was 867-5309?" Pure genius.

11. I Predict a Riot - Kaiser Chiefs (2004) Hey, this one counts too!  All my faves!

12. 1985 - Bowling for Soup (2004) I nearly overlooked this gem! It was even telling me to put it on the list with it's ode to the '80s when power pop was still going strong.  Fun Fact! In high school, I had this on a mix CD right after "Kokomo" by the Beach Boys.  It was a purely random placement, but after digging up my old CDs, I discovered that the two are the exact same melody, only "1985" has a faster tempo.  Somebody even mashed them up with ease!

13. (If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To - Weezer (2009) Thanks Weezer, for keeping this genre alive today.

Mix Tape of the Day: March 3, 2015 - Girls Day

Today marks the Japanese day Hinamatsuri, in which girls are celebrated with a traditional Doll's Festival.  And so, of course, I rounded up 13 songs that have the word "Girl" or "Girls" in the title.

1. Girl - Beck (2005) Let's be honest, this song is the reason I wanted to have a "Girls Day" mix.  Reminds me of the carefree days of being a teenager.  It was also a very cool person's ringtone for a while and I hope it still is to this day.

2. My Girl - The Temptations (1964) And of course, I had to feature this classic song.  This is one of those songs that just seems like it needs to exist in the world in order for the world to make sense.

3. My Best Friend's Girl - The Cars (1978) After "My Girl," "My Best Friend's Girl" seemed only natural.  I just really like the Cars' sound and this one just sounds the coolest.

4. American Girl - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976) Only Tom Petty could have a song about a girl that's cooler than the Cars'.

5. Just a Girl - No Doubt (1995) Finally, a song about "just a girl."  But with Gwen Stefani at the helm, you can tell she's being a little facetious.

6. Girls - The Beastie Boys (1986) Speaking of ironic portrayals of girls, here's "Girls."

7. California Girls - The Beach Boys (1965) Need a more specific subset of girls to sing about?  Apparently the ones from California are pretty cool.

8. West End Girls - Pet Shop Boys (1984) Oh, are you British?  Well then, how about those West End girls?

9. Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cyndi Lauper (1983) Well, at any rate, girls just want to have fun.

10. Absolutely (Story of a Girl) - Nine Days (2000) Haha, this song.  Remember this song?  '90s kids, amiright?

11. Crazy for This Girl - Evan and Jaron (2000) Didn't get enough 2000 teen nostalgia?  Never fear.  Dawson's Creek will never truly go away.

12. Get the Girl Back - Hanson (2013) Finally, I was able to include this recent Hanson song that no one talks about on a mix! It's great! Listen to it!

13. Young Girl Talking About Herself - Parry Gripp (2008) While mocking teenagers in the early days of Youtube seems like shooting fish in a barrel, this song is really catchy and I sing it to myself all the time.  That Parry Gripp is a genius.