Soundtracks Of Our Lives

Every once in a while I'll find myself listening to a song and thinking that if my life were ever turned into a movie this would definitely be a song that would end up on the soundtrack. So while I was bored recently I went through my music and actually assembled soundtracks to my life. I ended up making two separate soundtracks because they wouldn't have really fit together and because I just couldn't discard enough songs for one album's worth. Here are the guidlines:

1. This is not an exercise in choosing your favorite songs! While liking the songs you choose is an important part of the process, we're looking for a selection that works well together as a soundtrack. In my case, despite the fact that Dream Theater is my favorite band of all time, and my top ten favorite songs of all time would have several DT songs, only one song of their's made it onto the albums, and not a typical DT song at that, because their songs just didn't work well as soundtrack songs. Imagining what kind of movie your life might be might help.

2. No more than two songs by the same artist. Sure, some soundtracks, like Saturday Night Fever, feature one artist/group pretty prominently, but those are the exceptions that prove the rule. Soundtracks are nearly always a vehicle for giving exposure to a large number of groups in addition to setting the mood for the movie they are in. In one of my albums I ended up with three artists that have two songs on the album, which should also be avoided. Again, the goal is to have the greatest variety of artists exposed in your album's sales, and I'm only letting myself get away with three dual song artists because the songs fit really well.

Well, I think that should be enough to get us going. Here's what I came up with:

(Song - Artist)
Album #1: Ben's Life as angsty, but quirkily funny indie movie
1.New Slang - Shins

2. Wasted & Ready - Ben Kweller

3. This Is How It Goes - Aimee Mann

4. Friday's Dream - Arena

5. The Sporting Life - The Decemberists

6. Waitin' For A Superman (Mokran Mix) - The Flaming Lips

7. Such Great Heights - Iron & Wine

8. One - Johnny Cash

9. Black - Okkervil River

10. Pavlov’s Bell - Aimee Mann

11. Head - OSI

12. The Weakest Shade of Blue - The Pernice Brothers

13. Eugene - Pink Martini

14. Trains - Porcupine Tree

15. A Deeper Kind Of Slumber - Tiamat

16. Disappear - Dream Theater

Album #2: Ben's Life With a Humorously Inappropriate Hip-Hop Soundtrack Which Nonetheless Seems To Work, ala Office Space

1. Endtroducing - DJ Shadow

2. Rock N' Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) - Handsome Boy Modeling School

3. Hipdahop - Sean Mahler

4. Good Times Roll Pt 2 - RJD2

5. Fuck You Lucy – Atmosphere

6. Flashlight - Parliament

7. Escape Artist - Sage Francis

8. Shallow Days - Blackalicious

9. Front the Most - MC Frontalot

10. Dreamin' - G. Love & Special Sauce

11. Start Smoking - Grand Buffet

12. Breakdown - Handsome Boy Modeling School

13. Fett's Vett - mc chris

14. Since We Last Spoke - RJD2

15. Agony In Her Body - Sage Francis

16. Calm Down - Optimus Rhyme

17. If You Want Me To Stay - Sly & the Family Stone

18. The Things I've Seen - Spooks

19. Somewhere Over the Rainbow - DJ Erb

"Then we talked about the weather and the game/ Election day and things I can't remember/ But all that I could think of/ Was this would be the last time/ That we'd talk about anything"