A musical top-5 list request was made by my musical brother Jason over at The League of Extraordinary Music Enthusiasts. I figured I'd answer the call in blog form
The request: Name 5 important songs in your lifetime and the memories attached to each.
This question was too much for me to chew, and I didn't want to take 3 weeks to reply to my fellow League members, so I narrowed it down to... "songs so good I had to stop the damn car!" (either figuratively or literally)
Ron Trent - Altered States - I have had more than a few transcendent moments on a dance floor, but hearing this in 1990... dropped by DJ Psycho Bitch at Shelter-Chicago... wow. I basically climbed the 20 foot wall in front of the DJ booth to ask her who the track was by. Those that know me know I'll still stop mid-conversation and run up on a DJ if something's tight ;-) [ car stop type: figurative ]
Erykah Badu - On and On - was driving down the street in Evanston when local DJ Legend Herb Kent dropped this a good 3 months before anyone in Chicago had it. I remember asking at the record store weekly about this song "On and On" by Erika something-or-other... this joint was just ridiculously unlike anything else out at the time.... with Ms. Badu channeling Billie like a mofo! You can't learn time like that... damn... y'all feel that? [ car stop type: literal ]
Big Pun feat. Fat Joe - Don't Wanna Be a Player no more - I was driving down the street in Detroit... at first I thought it was a local track and I was like "Oh sh!t, tha' D has some fresh hip-hop!" I think this song his hip-hop/r&b perfection... and, to my knowledge, no one has rocked castanets in a beat before or since! I'd also like to think I'm an honorary Puerto Rican when I sing along with the "Boricua, Morena" refrain! [ car stop type: literal ]
Kanye West - Jesus Walks - I think I was walking down the street in the Chi when someone drove by bumping this... might have been just a bit before College Dropout dropped... it was a local DJ who had been blessed with a promo. Might sound crazy, but the moment I heard it, I figured whoever made that song would be one of the biggest things ever. Mr. West is crazy and can act a fool, but you CAN NOT front on his production skills, son. Still amazed that this song got radio play (but in a way, I'm not... its hotness is self-evident and cannot be denied) [ car stop type: figurative ]
Sufjan Stevens - Chicago - Weren't expecting this I bet ;-) I'm eclectic, what?!? I have WXRT in Chicago to thank for this... was station scanning and caught this... major "stop the car moment". I forget which genre bucket Stevens gets put in, but this is some seriously good song writing... love the lyrics and the soft/loud dynamic. [ car stop type: literal ]
This list is by no means exhaustive, and I look forward to all the car-stoppers yet to be revealed...
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