itunes has its own ideas

Today I came across a meme involving itunes and the shuffle function -- two of my favorite things! This is one I've seen around in various permutations, but it's basically the soundtrack to Your Movie. Or A Movie using your digital music library. Silly, fun and sometimes strangely appropriate.

I have been going back and forth on whether or not I'll do nanowrimo this year, and it struck me that random and arbitrary affiliations like the ones generated by this meme could be an interesting jumping off place to start on something new. OR NOT. Anyway -- here's what came up for me while pushing the "next" button (and instructions for playing along at home):

(Obligatory rules)

1. Open your music library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc.).

2. Put it on shuffle and press play.

3. For every question, type the song that's playing. When you go to a new question, go to the next song.

4. Don't lie and try to pretend you're cool.

opening credits: Find Love / Clem Snide (radio session version) -- so funny because I recently loaded this to my ipod and have been listening to it obsessively. I have more to say, but I'll say it later. (there are shark attacks and killer bees!)

waking up: Snakes in the Grass / Essex Green -- very mod-poppy and excellent waking up music -- especially if you planned on spending the day riding around having madcap revenge adventures on a vespa.

falling in love: Hairy Trees / Goldfrapp -- way to be subtle, itunes!

fight song: Leisure Suite / Feist -- pillow fight, maybe.

breaking up: Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts / Bob Dylan -- love triangle! gambling! knife fight!

prom: All You Need is Love / The Beatles -- you also need a brass band.

life is good: I Only Want To Be With You / Dusty Springfield -- ... I don't know how I feel about this song. I think that maybe the singer needs to develop some independent hobbies. Life might be good like this, but it would be GREAT if it were more along the lines of "I want to be with you, but I also want to work on my 1/12 scale papier mache taj mahal. Let's figure it out."

mental breakdown: Keep On the Sunny Side / The Whites -- this is actually a great song if you're having a mental breakdown. It's comforting without being smothering.

driving: Apples On a Stick / Crossover -- this is more of an adult jump rope song than a driving song, but would also work for driving (although I think better for being stuck in traffic than for the open road).

flashback: It Ain't Me Babe / Bob Dylan -- just the kind of conversation that would replay 10000x times. I'm beginning to think itunes is kind of a sadist.

getting back together: Buckets of Rain / Bob Dylan -- Ha! Life is sad/ Life is a bust/ All ya can do is do what you must./ You do what you must do and ya do it well,/ I'll do it for you, honey baby,/ can't you tell? Random itunes is apparently also looking forward to the new Dylan movie.

wedding: The Painter / I'm From Barcelona -- I love this song, not least because of the following lyric: I've got to go now, the cops are on their way/ I haven't got a license, but I've got a lot to say/ Don't give up on your dreams, boy! don't give up on your dreams, nobody. I don't know that it's particularly wedding appropriate, but I'm going to say Why Not? He could be the guy that nobody remembers inviting, like the Ancient Mariner with the truth he must speak!

night before the war: Here in My Heart (with Anna Domino) / The 6ths -- I haven't listened to this in a long time, but it's a pretty little song and strangely apt for the category -- it's all sweet lovey nothings until the end when it asks In a while, will your smile fade away?/ Will we be history gone astray, nothing to say? which seems like a reasonable concern if you're going to be gone for a while.

final battle: Do What You Want / OK Go -- the final battle features lots of cowbell and people do-do-doing what they want. (they apparently want cowbell! the battle isn't over until the cows come home.)

moment of triumph: Chariot / Page France -- !!! This song has many elements of songs that came before on the list (snakes and bees, wedding feasts), but essentially is one of those cheery death songs: fire come and carry us/ make us shine or make us rust/ tell us that you care for us/ we need to hear a word for us/ let your body stand with us/ let our rags be turned to dust/ Chariot you swing for us/ We think that you can carry all of us/ so we will become a happy ending

death scene: Boa Constrictor / Magnetic Fields -- love is wrapped around my heart/ like a boa constrictor, babe.

funeral song: I'm so Tired / The Beatles -- this seems like more of a fake "you thought I was dead, but I'm just really, really tired although maybe I'd rather be dead since you are torturing me, p.s. this is all your fault" chain-smoking funeral song.

end credits: Eveningland / Hem -- this is so short! they'd either have to play it 15 times, or I can't have 500 eastern european computer animators in the credits for this movie. Decisions, decisions!