This week I challenged myself to another hopeless, yet interesting, listing project. I decided to take a deep dive into my music library and surface with music for all letters – from a regular English alphabet, mind you.
The process grew increasingly tough towards the end, and I could spend the rest aeons of my miserable life switching places and replacing one artist with another, but I feel that, at this point, this list portrays my extensive musical taste most accurately. If you happen to know me well, I think you agree. These tracks contain some of my long-standing favorites and tracks that I have very special memories attached to.
Originally some letters had different tracks and versions but due to ever anguishing Spotify restrictions I gave up and resorted to the best available option. Eternally cursed be the music industry with its regional licensing model.
Tracklist
- AC/DC – Let There Be Rock
- Adicts, The – Steamroller (My Baby Got Run Over by a)
- Arcade Fire – Neighborhood #2 (Laika) (*)
- Babe Ruth – The Mexican
- Beat, The – Mirror in the Bathroom
- Black Devil Disco Club – “H” Friend
- Camel – Lady Fantasy
- Clash, The – The Guns of Brixton (*)
- Cure, The – Killing an Arab (*)
- Damned, The – Love Song (*)
- David Bowie – Be My Wife (*)
- DJ Shadow – Midnight in a Perfect World
- Edgar Winter Group, The – Frankenstein
- Eels – Cancer for the Cure
- Egyptian Lover, The – Egypt Egypt
- Falco – Vienna Calling
- Flaming Lips, The – Do You Realize?? (*)
- Future Islands – Fall from Grace
- Ganymed – We Like You (The Way You Like Us)
- Geto Boys, The – Mind of a Lunatic
- Goat – Det som aldrig förändras / Diarabi
- Hassisen Kone – Pelko (*)
- Heaven 17 – (We Don’t Need This) Fascist Groove Thang
- Hector – Yksinäinen tinasotamies (*)
- Iggy Pop – Lust for Life
- Interpol – NYC (*)
- Ismo Alanko – Kun Suomi putos puusta (*)
- John Maus – Quantum Leap
- Joose Keskitalo ja Kolmas Maailmanpalo – Haudan lepoon (*)
- Joy Division – She’s Lost Control (*)
- Karkkiautomaatti – Minne vaan (*)
- Kaseva – Syksy (*)
- Knife, The – Silent Shout
- LCD Soundsystem – Us V Them
- Led Zeppelin – Babe I’m Gonna Leave You (*)
- Leonard Cohen – First We Take Manhattan
- Manic Street Preachers – 4st 7lb (*)
- Massive Attack – Daydreaming (*)
- Mike Oldfield – Taurus II
- Neil Young – Needle and the Damage Done (*)
- New Order – Sub-Culture (*)
- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – The Weeping Song (*)
- Oasis – Where Did It All Go Wrong? (*)
- Orb, The – Little Fluffy Clouds
- Patti Smith – Land
- Pogues, The – Fairytale of New York (*)
- Portishead – Sour Times
- Radiohead – Karma Police (*)
- Ramones, The – We Want the Airwaves
- Risto – Uskotko Jeesukseen Kristukseen? (*)
- Smack – Somewhere Out of the Day
- Soft Boys, The – I Wanna Destroy You (*)
- Supergrass – Moving (*)
- Tangerine Dream – Stratosfear
- Tom Waits – Rain Dogs (*)
- Toots & the Maytals – 54–46 Was My Number
- UFO – Rock Bottom
- Undertones, The – Teenage Kicks
- U2 – New Year’s Day
- Vangelis – Blade Runner (End Titles)
- Velvet Underground, The – Sister Ray (*)
- Venom – In League With Satan
- Weezer – No One Else (*)
- William Onyeabor – Atomic Bomb
- Wipers – When It’s Over
- X – Los Angeles
- XTC – Making Plans for Nigel
- Young Marble Giants – Searching for Mr. Right
- Zapp – More Bounce to the Ounce
- Zazou Bikaye – Dju Ya Feza
- Zombies, The – Time of the Season
(*) = lyrically interesting song
But what would be the fun in this if it didn’t contain any competition? Exactly, I am challenging you, the reader, to craft your own list. It does not matter if it’s in plain text, on YouTube, or on Spotify. Be genuine, and add music that means something to you. Below, I have explained the rules I used for this project but you are free to make up your own. Don’t make it too easy for yourself.