Here's my notes:
1. The first song you'd put on a mix tape for somebody you were attracted to - The Reasons - Weakerthans
This caused some agony, and my pick was probably the fifth song that I had for this category. I decided all the others were either too mushy, love-you-forever romantic or were just too baby-I-want-to-do-you. (Maybe that's why I'm still single.) Anyway, this song should have been obvious to me, but it wasn't.
2. A song that makes you think of BTVS that was never used on the show - Busby Berkeley Dreams - The Magnetic Fields
Before the disappointment that came with seeing "Once More With Feeling," my anticipation of the BTVS musical always conjured the wit and style of this song what would be present. Instead I got SMG singing, in a tinny voice, songs reminiscent of 1980's Yes.
3. Cross-genre cover song (such as a soul musician covering a country song) & 20. A song with a chorus that compels you to sing along or that you cannot not dance to
Money - The Flying Lizards
This is a soul classic done in a cool New Wave style, and I literally cannot not dance to it, even if I am just bopping up and down in my chair.
4. Quotes another song, either in the music or words – bonus points if by the same artist - Little Girl Blue [Mono Alternative Take] - Nina Simone
This just doesn't quote another song, but builds over the melody of one song to create a whole other song. What I recognize as the tune to Good King Wenceslas, Wikipedia tells me is "Tempus Adest Floridum" ("Spring has unwrapped her flowers"), a 13th century spring carol. Anyway, this song is gorgeous, heartbreaking and I bought a whole box set just to get this song after I heard it once.
5. Makes you want to get high, drunk, or, if it's your druthers, dizzy & giddy from spinning around in circles - Sunday Morning - The Velvet Underground
The day I graduated from university was also the first time I tried LSD. After wandering around the city all night we came back to my apartment and someone put this on the turntable. This song felt like falling into a cozy bed, then...
9. A song about committing a crime- I'm Waiting for The Man - Velvet Underground. As cozy as Sunday Morning is, the energy of this song makes my want to stir the pot, do something crazy. However, it's never made me want to buy heroin, which is what this is about.
6. Features a great bridge & 8. A song dedicated to your nemesis (or who you imagine your nemesis to be) & 14. A song by a band that you could have, but didn't, write about for Lost in The Grooves & 21. A song that starts with a bassline - Sick - Rebecca West
Four in one. Rebecca West were a local band in the early-90's that released one album and one EP. They weren't a girly rock band that were typical of the Sloan-centric scene. This is a great song that starts with the bass (and finger snaps) and is about discovering that someone isn't quite the stand up person you thought. It’s really a break-up song, but it works for a nemesis.
7. A song released the year you turned 21 (you didn't have to know about it then) - Oh! - The Breeders
This could have also been in the category of song that makes you what to get high or drunk.
11. A song with a year in the title & 26. A song by a band with an awful name - Hatfield 1980 - Everything But the Girl
Okay their name isn't the worst name, but it also doesn't trip off the tongue, either. I have managed to stick with this band from their folksy pop beginnings through many style changes to where they ended with electronica influenced music. Tracey Thorn's voice is just that great.
12. A song about traveling: Buddah - Al Tuck & No Action
From a band with a bad name to a band with a great name. (It took me a while to get it.) A song about the perils of leaving home, if you're the Buddah. Maybe this song is only funny if you had a run in with the crazy Halifax Buddhists--largely comprised of former American former hippies who are now yuppies and very defensive about it. A lot of them are (continued...)