The Music Glutton

I believe that the Ruffles potato chip may be the world’s most perfect food. It’s not made from the finest ingredients or cooked by a master chef or served elegantly, but I could eat an entire bag in one sitting. The following list is the musical equivalent of a bag of Ruffles. They’re not the most beautiful, thoughtful, or creative songs ever written but I could listen to each of them ten times in a row.

Back In Black: I’ll admit it. I love AC/DC. I love the sheer ridiculousness of their lyrics ("TNT, I’m dynamite. TNT, and I’ll win the fight!") and the fact that they don’t take themselves seriously (they’d never dream of writing lyrics like “there’s a hole in the world tonight, don’t let there be a hole in the world tomorrow.” Thanks a lot, Eagles.) "Back in Black" is my favorite AC/DC song and it always makes me want to put on dark shades and a long black leather jacket and walk very slowly towards something.

Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most: I’ve said before that I adore tragic love songs and this is one of the greats. This ballad by Fran Landesman and Tommy Wolf is sweeter than “The Man That Got Away”, subtler than “Crazy” and absolutely heartbreaking when sung by jazz chanteuse Jane Monheit. Lyrics like “All alone, the party is over. Old man winter was a gracious host. But when you keep praying for snow to hide the clover, spring can really hang you up the most” keep me coming back to this song of lost love again and again.

Good Vibrations: As much as I like the Beatles, my loyalty lies with the Beach Boys. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed "Good Vibrations" at number 6 on their list of the "500 Best Songs of All Time" and I'd have to agree that it's brilliant.

Hoedown: Aaron Copland pretty much invented what we now think of as "American music" and his pieces evoke this country at its most idealized - brave, optimistic, adventerous, joyful, and free. Although his "Appalachian Spring" is one of my favorite pieces of music, I can listen to "Hoedown" every day. This rollicking square dance (of "Beef: It's What's For Dinner" fame) makes me want to explore new frontiers, conquer obstacles in my path, and eat lots of red meat.

Tear My Stillhouse Down: This song by folk singer Gillian Welch took me by complete surprise the first time I heard it. The opening lines of “Put no stone at my head, no flowers on my tomb, no gold plated sign in a marble pillared room” made me think it was going to be another great folk funeral song. I sat back and was prepared to be edified when I heard the next lyric, “There’s one thing I ask when they lay me in the ground, when I die tear my stillhouse down.” Never before have I so completely misjudged a song – it turns out the whole thing is about the evils of moonshine. It’s quickly become one of the most frequently played songs in my car (I listened to it twice in a row today) and it’s probably the best musical polemic against brewing your own whisky I’ve ever heard.

O Fortuna: If I was to list the most amazing events of my life so far, singing "Carmina Burana" with the Biola Chorale and Orchestra would definitely be in the top ten. I like both my rock and my classical music loud and driving and "O Fortuna" (which bookends Carl Orff's masterpiece) always makes my heart race. From the foreboding first chord to the triumphant finish, it's a two minute thrill ride of a piece.

You Get What You Give: The New Radicals were your classic one hit wonder, but I could listen to that one hit ten times a day. Although it came out in the late nineties, it has an awesome seventies vibe and even The Edge told TIME that he wished he’d written it.

Intergalactic: The first year of college will make you do some crazy things. Like belt out all the lyrics to “A Pirate’s Life for Me” while riding Pirates of the Caribbean (my sincere apologies to anyone who was unfortunate enough to be stuck on that ride with my roommates and me during our freshman year.) Or think that a peanut butter and honey sandwich with a side of animal crackers drenched in peanut butter and honey is a nutritious dinner. Or change your major twice in one semester. Or have Beastie Boys dance parties in your dorm room. “Intergalactic” always takes me back to my freshman year when we’d blow off steam by turning off the lights, jumping all over the room and yelling out “another dimension, another dimension.”

Liz On Top Of The World: This track from Dario Marianelli's gorgeous "Pride and Prejudice" score has the ability to make me sob every single time I hear it. In just a few minutes it manages to express the emotion of longing better than almost any music I've heard.

September: I sometimes regret the fact that I didn't get to live through the seventies. After all, this is the decade that gave us “Annie Hall,” “Kashmir,” and Steve Martin on Saturday Night Live. It also gave us Earth, Wind, and Fire and “September” never fails to put me in a good mood. I’m a sucker for big horn sections and songs involving my birth month so thankfully the old school R&B station plays it almost daily.

So that's my list. Let me know what's in your musical bag of Ruffles.