itunes permanence

I have this terrible tendency of accumulating a mad amount of music - so, every now and then, I need to clean up my itunes library and get rid of the hundreds of songs that I no longer listen to. it's funny how quickly john mayer, coldplay, and U2 disappeared from my itunes library - and how other artists and songs have truly stood the test of time. this is a post about those songs :) In order to make this orderly and still interesting, I'm going to make this a top 10 list of songs that have at least stayed in my itunes library for the last 5 years, if not longer.

1) Lauryn Hill, Ex-Factor: In reality, the entire Miseducation album is still on my itunes and has been since I downloaded itunes on my computer. It's the first album I ever bought with my own money (I was, hmmm...11?) and I still listen to it in its entirety.

2)Amos Lee, Keep it loose, keep it tight: This is the first song that got me hooked on Amos Lee. His music still has a big presence on my playlist...I turn it on whenever I feel a tinge of melancholy and need some folksy jazzy awesomeness to cure the blues. It's also music that's so darn down-to-earth...it feels like he's just having a conversation with you, which is at once comforting and disarming.

3)Arcade Fire, Rebellion (Lies): It's the song that lead me to want to hear more from these Montreal superstars. Yep, it was the big single and not some hidden jem...but that doesn't make me love it any less. The song makes me want to dance :)

4) Incubus, Drive: This is old school! I used to have a massive crush on Brandon Boyd (thus my obsession with the band), but this song is still such a pick-me-up. It's one of those quasi-motivational songs that really hits the spot when you're caught in a existential rut.

5) India Arie, The Heart of the Matter: I love India Arie. She just exudes joy and hope and rainbows and sunshine to me...and this remake of the Eagles hit breaks my heart evefy time I hear it. (And proceeds to mend it again in the process) People write crappy songs about moving on from broken relationships all the time, but this song is what a break-up song really should be about: forgiveness.

6) Switchfoot, Learning to breathe: So I could add the entire Switchfoot repertoire to this list but I think this song is the one of the oldest and one of the most important to me personally. It's "the song" I go to when I feel like poo - it's not preachy but it's hopeful...a reminder that everyone has a first day, but it's what you do next that matters.

7) The Postal Service, Such Great Heights: So this song has been overused in car commercials, TV shows and the likes - but I proudly knew it before Death Cab was on the tips of hipsters' tongues. (To clarify, the lead singer of Death Cab is also the lead singer for Postal Service. The latter disintegrated years ago.) This is the song I go to when I"m need of some brain relaxation...I put on my sennheisers, blast this song...and just forget the world.

8) By your side, Sade: This one is like a warm hug that hits all the right nooks in your body. It's a warm cup of tea on a cold winter's night. I also think it's the perfect first dance song at a wedding.

9)Brooke Fraser, C.S Lewis song: So these next two songs are a cheat because it hasn't been 5 years. But I know they'll last the test of time because of their quick rise to fame on my Top 25 played list. I put on Brooke Fraser a lot before I go to bed, and I just lie there reflecting about her words.

10) Tina Dickow, Count to ten: Let me just say that I never skip over this song when it shows up on my shuffle. That should be proof enough that I love it dearly - and similar to "Learning to breathe", it helps me focus on what comes up next, and to breathe in life slowly.