10 Songs I Completely Forgot I Loved

When I was considering buying my first iPod, everyone failed to mention that organizing all of my poorly tagged and formatted mp3’s would consume all of my waking hours. Every time I’d consider blogging, I’d bury myself in my gigs of (legal) mp3’s and piles of obscure cd’s that I’ve collected over the last 15 years.. I became obsessed with correct album titles, cover art, and song names. At this point I’m up to about 3600 songs and my iPod thirsts for more.

During my musical bookkeeping adventures I’ve come across a bunch of songs that I haven’t heard in eons. How the heck does someone forget they liked something so much? These are by no means classic songs, but they’re classic to me. I now present for your reading (and mocking) pleasure ten songs I completely forgot I loved.

Lords of the Underground – Chief Rocka

This was on the first CD I ever bought. Who didn’t love Mr. Funke & Doitall? I know I wasn’t the only awkward white kid in a private school who wiggyity wished they could tiggity talk like diggity Das Efx and hang with the LOTUG family (ok, maybe I was).

Metallica - Shortest Straw

I owned a pair of drumsticks and beat the ever-living hell out of every cardboard box that I could find when this song came on. Part of my dark pre-teen metal phase before that sort of thing was even cool.

The Beach Boys – God Only Knows

I remember digging through my parent’s old record collection as a kid and gaining an appreciation for the Beach Boys. To me this track sounded so different from all of the other Beach Boys 45’s from their collection and I was drawn to it. It was cool discovering music that my parents listened to when they were younger. Some day I hope my kids stumble across a barely functioning CD player and my copy of Dr. Dre’s The Chronic and get the same warm fuzzy feeling while listening to “Lyrical Gangbang”.

White Zombie – Electric Head Part 2

I can still vividly picture this CD sitting on Justin Kownacki’s dresser/table in the stack of CD’s that pretty much became the soundtrack to our lives circa late 1995 through early 1997. Every time he’d wander off for his marathon shower sessions in the worst excuse for a shower stall one has ever seen (it was a list and a few Jews short of being featured in a hit Spielberg film) I was left to entertain myself with a handful of comics and a stack of CD’s. This song always made the rotation.

SWV - Can We Get Kinky

Listen, these all can’t be home runs and have an interesting back story. Sometimes one just has to shake one’s ass to a mediocre suggestive R&B song.

Bon Jovi – Stick to your Guns

Show of hands….this is your favorite album track from New Jersey, right? Mine too! This song teleports me back to the Hilton Hotel in Niagara Falls in the late 90’s. My friends and I were hung over riding a packed elevator from the lobby to the Falls view restaurant for breakfast when I overheard one of the passengers say something about sticking to his guns. So of course I had to serenade the captive audience for the rest of the ride. Tico Torres, eat your heart out.

Prince – My Name is Prince.

His name was….well, it was something I couldn’t pronounce or write, but that didn’t matter. We all understood he was funky.

Motley Crue - Shout at the Devil

My sister used to play this all the time during her devil teen phase. I honestly thought she was going to sacrifice me or force me to dress up in dozens of studded spike bracelets and mascara. There are pictures that prove she accomplished one of her goals.

311 – Welcome

During an intense musical discussion in the mid-90’s I boldly claimed that 311 was just as important as Rage Against the Machine and they would have a more prolific career. Oops. Longer! I meant longer career!

Pharcyde – Otha Fish

1993. I’m on a smelly city bus. I’m covered in acne. Despite all of my efforts, females are pretty much foreign to me. I’m preoccupied by video games and blowing off all of my work. The world is a frightening place. My future lack definition. This song is playing in my walkman.

2007. Well, at least the acne cleared up.