Happy day after Thanksgiving! Hopefully everyone is stuffed full of turkey and mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie goodness. I got to eat everything I was craving yesterday… except tamales. I really wanted some good, greasy tamales. But, alas, there was nary a tamale to be found this Thanksgiving. I wasn’t really expecting anyone to have them, I just woke up really craving them for some reason. And a day later, I still really want one (or six, maybe seven, don’t judge). Maybe since Christmas is right around the corner my internal clock was slightly off and started craving the typically served-around-Christmastime food a day early. I don’t really know, the origins of why I wanted a tamale are a mystery to me. But let me just say, if there are no tamales on Christmas, someone is going to pay.
While a post in tribute to the goodness that is a tamale is starting to sound intriguing to me, I actually wanted to post about one of my other favorite things. Music. Isn’t it funny how you can hear a song, any song, and you are instantly transported to a time and place in your life? I’ve been feeling a little nostalgic lately, and while I’m not really sure what’s driving it (much like the tamale craving), it gave me an idea that I’ve been toying with. The idea? Create a soundtrack of my life. I know, how very High Fidelity of me, right? But I thought I’d start off easy with the Top 5 songs of my college years.
A little background – I’m a third generation Aggie (WHOOP). For anyone unsure of what an Aggie is or the school affiliated, google it, it will explain some of my choices…
5. David Grey – Babylon OR Nelly Furtado – Like a Bird
– I realize I’m technically cheating by picking two songs as my #5, but both of these songs were songs I listened to at a similar time/point in my life and both evoke similar feelings. On the long drives between home and college, or Austin, where my boyfriend was going to school, I would sing these songs as loud as I could and search for meaning in them. Consider these the emo music of my day, I guess…
4. Nine Inch Nails – The Only Time
– During the summer I would come home and “intern” at the company my dad worked for. My sister had the same “interning” gig, so we would oftentimes go to lunch together. I had permanently borrowed my boyfriend’s Pretty Hate Machine CD (good thing he later married me and got it back) and she and I would jam out in my truck during lunch. We particularly enjoyed this song, mostly the first two lines.
3. Robert Earl Keen – The Road Goes on Forever (And the Party Never Ends)
– Oh, how can you not love Robert Earl Keen? Any one of his songs will take me back to the many fair grounds and amphitheaters I saw him perform in during my college days – but this one has always been my favorite, and was always his last song. When this song came on you knew it was time to drink up because the concert was over, but just like the song said, the party wasn’t ending yet. In fact, it was just getting started.
2. The Rolling Stones – Honky Tonk Woman
– I think it would be safe to say that I hung out in a lot of honky tonks in college. And all of them had this song on regular rotation. It’s probably also safe to bet that the few still around, still do. Ah, takes me back to the nights spent in smoky bars, drinking cheap beer and playing pool all night… and of course the more we drank, the better we played.
1. (The Greatest Band Ever) ACDC – Shook Me All Night Long
– So many great songs from this band (see title), but this song in particular just takes me back to college every time I hear it. Just the first few notes take me to a dance floor with my girlfriends, with EF doing her trademarked lasso move. It’s also one of my most favorite songs ever. If I could dance to one song, just one song for the rest of my life, this song would be it. It would also be my runway song. You know, the song that if the opportunity to strut your stuff down the runway ever presented itself, you would want that song on the speakers? Don’t act like you’ve never thought about it…
There you have it – the Top 5 songs of my college years, pretty eclectic bunch, but then, they all have me in common.
-Shan
Quick Honorable Mention Songs:
– Dixie Chicks – Fly, Jennifer Lopez – Waiting for Tonight, Tupac & Dr. Dre – California, Marylin Manson – The Beautiful People
What would your top songs be? I’d love to hear ’em…
This is Shan's Blog 
1. So Emotional (Christina Aguilera) – This song didn’t make it to the radio, but it was totally my favorite Christina song. I actually used it for an audition for ABCs making the bad. I got a call back, but I didn’t make the band, obviously. Either way, most of my friends from that time know this song because I couldn’t stop singing it. That entire first album from Christina was amazing! I remember singing in my shower in my apartment to this song.
2. Genie in a Bottle/What A Girl Wants/Come On Over (Christina Aguilera) – The first time I heard this song, I was driving on 1604 with Veronica. Not too sure where we were going. This song came on and I remember saying, this is Britney part II and we laughed about it. Of course, a few weeks later I would have the album and she is now my favorite singer. As for What a girl wants, I still know all of the dance moves. My favorite song version is the original not the remix. The original was more R&B and the remix was obviously pop. Either way great video. Ha! I just remembered going through the drive thru at McDonald’s blasting this song! hilarious. Wait, or was it Come on Over. Who knows I love her. I know 3 songs in 1 is kinda cheating, but oh well. I was so obsessed with her I would have VHS tapes that recorded all of her performances and TV appearances just so i could hear her sing. OMG I can’t believe I admitted that. I even had a poster on my way with my tickets from her concerts. OMG I mentioned that too.
3. Survivor (Destiny’s Child) – I think this was the first track after the first breakup of Destiny’s Child! Loved it. But more importantly, I would listen to this song on my way to class to take an exam. I remember it more in grad school than undergrad, but whatever. It’s still amazing! Best line, “cause my momma taught me better than that.”
4. The First Night (Monica) – I did like this song a lot. It wasn’t life changing like the others, but every time I hear it I think about driving down 35 from Waco to San Antonio. I think I wore out my cassette single for this song. So not my favorite, but it helped me survive those awful trips.
5. Jigga What Jigga Who (Jay-Z) – I think this was the first Jay-Z song I ever heard. I remember being in the parking lot of my dorm and Veronica had this playing in her car. I would say that I wasn’t really into rap music at the time. I actually listed to the words of this song and I realized how rap songs and be a great source for one-liners. This changed my life forever.
Honorable Mention
Doo Wop (Lauryn Hill) – Who doesn’t know this song. That entire album was amazing! To this day most people can pull out that CD and it brings back memories or just makes you appreciate music. it came out when I was in college, but I don’t have any memories attached.
Livin la vida loca (Ricky Martin) – No memories, he is just hot. I do remember the first time i saw him on the grammys dancing in fire. I still want him.
No Scrubs (TLC) – No memories with this one except a group sing along.
FYI – this was a fun one.
I should have also added the Texas Aggie fight song to this list. I know, it’s kind of a no brainer that my schools fight song would take me back to college, but you have to remember that I am a third generation Aggie. I grew up hearing this song. But I still remember the first time I heard it as a student, at my first football game. Chills…
There is also no stadium as awesome to watch a football game as Kyle Field. Trust me.