Howdy!
Without any further ado (well, I can't say that for sure. There might still be more ado) I would like to announce that Sumpin' is here!!!
What is it? Because you demanded it! (Well, you didn't actually demand it. But, you did say you would be interested by it. Maybe. And I took that possible interest to be a demand.) So, yes, because you demanded it, here it is:
The HondoJoe Top 200 Songs!!!
This is going to be the e-mail event of the century! (Well, maybe not the century.) This is going to be the e-mail event of the decade! (Probably.) Over the course of the next several weeks (yes, I said weeks) I will be listing for your my Top 200 favorite songs, complete with "comical" notations and insights.
How did I go about figuring the HondoJoe Top 200 Songs? Well, I'm glad you asked. I used my iTunes, which makes sense, because that's where all my music is. As you know, iTunes has a five-star ratings system that any iTunes user can assign to the songs in his/her collection. I have done this rating system with (most of) my iTunes collection, which contains over 11,000 songs.
In my ratings system, 3 Star songs are songs that, if I heard them on the radio I would think, "Hey, that's a good song." 4 Star songs are ones that I would say, "Hey, that's a really, really good song." And, 5Star are the ones where I not only think, "Hey, that's one of my favorite songs!", but I also pretty much stop what I'm doing to sing along and such.
So, I started with over 11,000 songs. I have over 3100 songs at "3 Stars" of higher. That narrows down to 1200 songs at "4 Stars." And, I currently have 349 songs in the "5 Star" category.
Why a Top 200? Why not just a Top 100? Well, when I started to whittle down those 349 songs, eliminating the first wave brought the list down to about 215 or so. So I then thought, why not just do a Top 200 instead of a Top 100? Besides, there are so many great songs in that second hundred that deserve praise and commendation that I couldn't just throw them all by the wayside. Hence, the HondoJoe Top 200 Songs. (And yes, that whole paragraph was basically just an excuse to use the word "hence.")
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Joe, where do you find time to juggle?" Also, you are thinking, "Well, what criteria did you use to come up with the HondoJoe Top 200 Songs?" I'm glad you asked that in your thoughts. There are many criteria I used. They include these:
1. Subjectivity. Obviously, this is my list, and it is a very subjective list. A concept like "favorite songs" is not quantifiable by some formula.
2. Sing-along-ability. It always helps if a song is one that I can sing along with. I'm not a good singer, but that doesn't mean I don't like to sing. (I'm very good at liking to sing.)
3. Lyrics. If a song has meaningful, intelligent, clever, silly, or otherwise memorable lyrics, I am more likely to like it. (As Dennis Miller once said after The Pogues mumbled their way through as appearance on SNL, "Call me crazy, but I've always been a sucker for lyrics.")(Ah, Dennis Miller.... Remember when he used to be funny?)
4. Songs from my Wheelhouse. For the purposes of this list, my "Wheelhouse" will be defined as the period of time between 1979 and 1985. Those were the impressionable junior high/high school/early college years. And songs from that era are more pummelled into my head than songs from other eras. This brings me to:
5. Nostalgia. If a song has a certain memory or feeling attached to it, it is more likely to make this list. (Especially if it is a good memory.)
6. Subjectivity. Did I mention that this list is purely subjective?
7. Historical significance. A song that had historical or cultural significance (like, say "Another Brick In the Wall") is more likely to make the list.
8. Popularity. This is a two-edged sword. Popularity can help a song, to a point. But, if it becomes too popular, that can be a detriment. Journey's "Don't Start Believing" falls into the latter category. While it gets good nostalgia points for being a pep band song, it loses points because it has been a bit too popular in recent years.
9. Songs that make me laugh. I like to laugh. I like songs that make me laugh.
10. My family. Songs that bring to mind my kids or my wife get significantly higher scores. Because I love my kids and my wife. (If a song was on one of the mix-tapes I made for my wife while we were dating, or if it is a song my kids like to sing, I'm going to like it more.)
11. Exercise songs. Back in the day, when I actually used to use my elliptical machine, I determined which songs were the best to work out to. So, when I hear those songs now, they make me smile and bring back to my mind the days when I used to regularly exercise. (Without any of that nasty sweat.)
12. Subjectivity.
13. The Cognitive Triad. My three favorite musical acts are ELO, Billy Joel, and They Might Be Giants. These three acts form what I call the HondoJoe Cognitive Triad. (Not to be confused with the Victor Joe Cognitive Triad of: George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin, and Dave Winfield.) Songs from the Cognitive Triad make up a significant proportion (close to 25%) of the HondoJoe Top 200 Songs.
14. Musical styles. There are two types of song styles that I especially prefer: a) flying, floating songs; and 2) pounding, driving songs. Basically, songs that make me feel like I am flying or floating, like I'm tripping on the gas from the dentist. Or, songs that are "head-banging" songs, that make me want to uncontrollably nod my head like Wayne and Garth rocking out to "Bohemian Rhapsody."
15. Hidden gems. Sometimes it's fun to have your own little "secret songs." Songs that you know, but no one else has heard of.
15. The Whitney Houston Zone. There are some songs that just make me think, to quote Whitney Houston, "I don't know why I like it, I just do!" I think that brings us back to:
16. Subjectivity. Yes, it is my list. My subjective list.
So, as we go on, I will be listing for you my HondoJoe Top 200 Songs. Some choices will baffle you. Some will make you nod your head. Some will make you tap your toes. Some will make you poop your pants. (Maybe.) Either way, I hope you enjoy it!
COMING UP NEXT: The Who's Who of the Not Hot!
Toodles,
Hondo
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