Fall(ing) 04

Wherein the heroine makes a mix CD, then gives a copy to her special guy.

Back in the day, I was big into making mix tapes for people. Then I started making them for myself with songs that evoked certain feelings about people. I put these songs together knowing I'd make a copy of the CD for the person who inspired me. Here's why I picked them.

Enjoy the Silence (Reinterpreted) ~ Depeche Mode
This is a great version of this song. I can't believe how much more I like this one vs. the original.
All I ever wanted
All I ever needed
Is here in my arms
Words are very unnecessary
They can only do harm

Tonight, Tonight ~ Smashing Pumpkins
A powerful song and one of my favorites by these guys. At its core, this is a song about trust and optimism.

Times Like These ~ Foo Fighters
I've always liked this song, but it wasn't until I sat down and really gave it a listen that I really appreciated it. It's another good song about moving on, and deciding what's important.

i, i’m a one way motorway
i’m the one that drives away
then follows you back home
i, i’m a street light shining
i’m a wild light blinding bright
burning off alone

it’s times like these you learn to live again
it’s times like these you give and give again
it’s times like these you learn to love again
it’s times like these time and time again

i, i’m a new day rising
i’m a brand new sky
to hang the stars upon tonight
i, i’m a little divided
do i stay or run away
and leave it all behind?

it’s times like these you learn to live again
it’s times like these you give and give again
it’s times like these you learn to love again
it’s times like these time and time again (Repeat)

Something about You ~ Five for Fighting
This was another song I found on iTMS. Another one I'm glad I bought.

It’s been to long and I’m about to be in time for me
It’s been to long and I’m in time, I’m in time

Baby there’s something about you that
I can hold on to I’m
Going to hold on to that
Baby there’s something about you that
I can hold on to I’m
Going to hold on to that

And I’m going to be there...
Be there... alright... alright...

I don’t know where to begin
I don’t know how to get out there to see you

In Between Days ~ Ben Folds
I don't remember how many times I played this the first time I got it, but it was a lot. Ben Folds is full of angst, but this song is so damn happy and perky. I like it a lot. It's here more for the fact it's a cool song than the sentiment.

yesterday i got so old
i felt like i could die
yesterday i got so old
it made me want to cry
go on go on
just walk away
go on go on
your choice is made
go on go on
and disappear
go on go on
away from here

and i know i was wrong
when i said it was true
that it couldn't be me and be her
in between without you
without you

yesterday i got so scared
i shivered like a child
yesterday away from you
it froze me deep inside
come back come back
don't walk away
come back come back
come back today
come back come back
why can't you see?
come back come back
come back to me

and i know i was wrong
when i said it was true
that it couldn't be me and be her
in between without you
without you

Fool in the Rain (Exclusive Non-Album Track) ~ O.A.R.
OK, I'm big into covers. And a lot of the time, I like the cover better than the original. Blasphemy, I know, but hey, whatever works. It's a long song, so here's the first verse.

Well there's a light in your eye that keeps shining
Like a star that can't wait for a night
I hate to think I've been blinded baby
Why can't I see you tonight
And the warmth of your smile starts a-burnin'
And the thrill of your touch gives me fright
And I'm shaking so much, really yearning
Why don't you show up, make it all right, yeah, it's all right, all right

Come Around ~ Marc Broussard
Another musician the iTunes store got me hooked on. This was the free song that got me to buy three others. I love his voice; there need to be more singers who are this fun and soulful. "Baby you can use me/Any way that you enjoy." Heh.

Baby you can use me
Any way that you enjoy
You know how to groove me
I’m dancing like a little boy
You do something to me
I just want to lay you down
Any time or place
So come around

My life was full of doubt til you came around
So baby come around, keep on comin’ around
I’d never been so turned out until you came around
So baby come around, please keep coming around

Only Heart ~ John Mayer
I really don't know why I didn't get any John Mayer before this year. Yet another case of me not wanting to like someone because they're "popular," i.e. what I did with U2 and The Joshua Tree. You'd think I would learn. The bottom line is that Mayer is pretty damn good. And I've heard he's an even better blues guitarist. A simple song, but the chorus in particular grabbed me.

Remember now you
You've got my only heart
Yeah, you got my only heart
Yeah, you got my only
Only heart

One Week ~ Barenaked Ladies
A favorite of mine for a long time. This is a live version of this song — it's got a more wide-open feel to it since it's more stripped down than the original and has a … country feel to it. It works.

Just Like Heaven (Acoustic Version) ~ The Cure
A great take on the original. I think I prefer this version. First four verses.

show me
show me
show me
how you do that trick
the one that makes me scream
she said
the one that makes me laugh
she said
and threw her arms around my neck

show me how you do it
and i promise you
i promise that i'll run away with you
i'll run away with you

spinning on that dizzy edge
i kissed her face and kissed her head
and dreamed of all the different ways i had
to make her glow
why are you so far away?
she said
why won't you ever know that i'm in love with you?
that i'm in love with you?

you
soft and only
you
lost and lonely
you
strange as angels
dancing in the deepest oceans
twisting in the water
you're just like a dream...
you're just like a dream...

Sunday Morning ~ Maroon 5
Acoustic version of this song... To me, Sunday mornings mean lounging in bed with your lover. That's why I included it. In my world, that's what Sunday mornings are for. Well, that and football. There is a particular Sunday morning that comes to mind with this song. I can only hope there will be more like it.

Sunday morning rain is falling
Steal some covers share some skin
Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable
You twist to fit the mold that I am in
But things just get so crazy living life gets hard to do
And I would gladly hit the road get up and go if I knew
That someday it would lead me back to you
That someday it would lead me back to you

That may be all I need
In darkness she is all I see
Come and rest your bones with me
Driving slow on Sunday morning
And I never want to leave

Solsbury Hill ~ Peter Gabriel
This is from the "Growing Up Live" DVD. It's definitely one of my favorite PG songs, and may have surpassed "In Your Eyes" for the simple fact there's no baggage associated with this song; the other was "our" song once upon a time. This is a happy song, and I need happy right now.

Here I Am ~ Lyle Lovett
"Penguins" is the song that got me hooked on Lyle. I love the way he writes and sings … good, clever stuff. This version of the song is from Live in Texas. His horn section is awesome, and here's the second verse and chorus — because I can relate to them.

Given that true intellectual and emotional compatibility
Are at the very least difficult
If not impossible to come by
We could always opt for the more temporal gratification
Of sheer physical attraction
That wouldn't make you a shallow person
Would it

Here I am
Yes it's me
Take my hand
And you'll see
Here I am
Yes it's true
All I want
Girl is you

Collide ~ Howie Day
First two verses and chorus.

The dawn is breaking
A light shining through
Your barely waking
And I'm tangled up in you
Yeah

I'm open, your closed
Where I follow, you'll go
I worry I won't see your face
Light up again

Even the best fall down sometime
Even the wrong words seem to rhyme
Out of the doubt that fills my mind
I somehow find
You and I collide

This Year's Love ~ David Gray
I think the only part of this song that doesn't fit is in the first verse — "And I've been waiting on my own too long." I haven't been waiting too long; I'm sure I've got friends who would argue that I'm getting involved too quickly. But when I step back and look at the unpleasant details of my marriage and compare it to what's right here in front of me … I don't want to say that I settled. I didn't, not in the beginning. But there were some things that weren't right, and I didn't see that. When you take that stuff into consideration, maybe I have been waiting. Of all the songs on this list, this comes the closest to revealing how I'm feeling right now.

This year's love had better last
Heaven knows it's high time
And I've been waiting on my own too long
But when you hold me like you do
It feels so right
I start to forget
How my heart gets torn
When that hurt gets thrown
Feeling like you can't go on

Turning circles when time again
It cuts like a knife oh yeah
If you love me got to know for sure
Cos it takes something more this time
Than sweet sweet lies
Before I open up my arms and fall
Losing all control
Every dream inside my soul
And when you kiss me
On that midnight street
Sweep me off my feet
Singing ain't this life so sweet

This year's love had better last
This year's love had better last

So who's to worry
If our hearts get torn
When that hurt gets thrown
Don't you know this life goes on
And won't you kiss me
On that midnight street
Sweep me off my feet
Singing ain't this life so sweet

This year's love had better last (repeat and fade)

Walk on the Ocean ~ Toad the Wet Sprocket
Another song I’ve always liked. For me, the ocean always will be special. The last two relationships I was in were tied to the Pacific ... two memorable trips to the ocean with one person, then falling in love in a coastal tourist town — basically the most beautiful place I’ve ever lived or visited. There are times when I wish I could go back to those days, to the way things were Monterey. But my life now isn’t so terrible I guess. Actually, when I look at where I've been and what's happened, there's not a whole lot to complain about. Well, as long as the ex isn't being discussed. Heh.

We spotted the ocean at the head of the trail
Where are we going, so far away
And somebody told me that this is the place
Where everything’s better, everything’s safe

Walk on the ocean
Step on the stones
Flesh becomes water
Wood becomes bone

Time After Time ~ Tuck & Patti
I struggled with which version of this song to use the first time I put it in a playlist. I like the Willie Nelson cover, and hadn’t heard this version until recently. But the fact it’s so simple made me buy it. Her voice is wonderful; a more soulful, smoldering version of the original. I do like Cyndi Lauper’s version, but there’s something about the texture of this one that really grabbed me. It’s a very sensuous take on this song.

Lying in my bed I hear the clock tick,
And think of you
Caught up in circles confusion
Is nothing new
Flashback warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcases of memories,
Time after

Sometimes you picture me
I’m walking too far ahead
You’re calling to me, I can’t hear
What you’ve said
Then you say go slow
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds

If you’re lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you I’ll be waiting
Time after time

What Makes You ~ Jesse Harris & The Ferdinandos
Another iTMS discovery. Jesse Harris wrote five songs for Norah Jones’ “Come Away with Me” and has some pretty good tunes of his own. Very simple song lyrically, but a decently complex arrangement. Nice play between the acoustic guitar, lead, bass and horns. Drums are tight and unobtrusive — nice to know there are still musicians out there who can avoid beating the living shit out of the snare drum. Oh, and it's a really beautiful song.

Don’t cry
I’ll wait
Patient
While we
Pass through
Something
More than you
More than me
Larger than memory
So let go
You must know
One thing
It’s more than you
More than me
Larger than memory

Meaning ~ Gavin DeGraw
I liked this song the moment I heard it two months ago. At the time, it was more wishful thinking than anything else. Now … well, without putting undue pressure anywhere, I think it applies.

Hail to the light that my baby watches me
In the darkness of the window
I can hardly get to sleep
Wish for the hour that
The nighttime soon shall pass
And the morning dew will bring us
To a day our souls can last

Love has a reason
There's a meaning to the world
We're giving love

Situation candlelight
Enough to see the bits around you
But it's never very bright
Stare at a memory
You, through the grapevine, heard the truth
It's good to learn from your mistakes
But that only works in youth

Love has a reason
There's a meaning to the world
We're giving love

Restless minds; curtain calls follow fanfares
Troubled hearts; just a walk down the hall
Restless hearts; you take a punch just to land one
Troubled minds; it's only fair after all
Mountin' the trail, but you've got it in sight
Sometimes the only way is jumping
I hope you're not afraid of heights
Reach in my pocket for a bill that isn't there
And to face all of the undoings
Still isn't more than I can bear

Love has a reason
There's a meaning to the world
We're giving love
Giving love
Love, love
It's all been good to me
It's all been good to me
Love has reason
There's a meaning to the world
We're giving love