This past Sunday I was enjoying the latest installment of Frank the Entertainer: A Basement Affair, when a commercial for a music compilation called Now That's What I Call Love came on. Those of you who know my romantic history could be forgiven for thinking that these things would make me pretty cynical. Because it ain't been good, people. I mean, it's been pretty disastrous at every level. Like, it's been a decade-long, slow motion, red asphalt, car wreck. But be that as it may, who doesn't like a good love song? This is genius marketing, I thought. And then I saw the track list.
People. We deserve better. We can do better. We MUST do better.
So I put together a little sampler of stuff off my iPod for the occasion. I tried to find things you don't normally hear on the radio. I threw in a lot of sweet covers. We've got Matthew Sweet covering ELO, Indigo Girls covering Dire Straits, Moby covering New Order; we've got giddy songs, yearning songs, melancholy songs -- songs that cover just about every aspect of the grand experience that is being in lurve (I say "just about," because I've yet to find a good song about nervous retching. If someone could get on that, I'd appreciate it. I'll bankroll production of the sucker); we've got songs by talented people that I'm delighted to count among my others of significance, if not necessarily my significant others. And because I know some of you are squeamish about these things, I assure you that the presence of Ani DiFranco and the Indigo Girls does not mean that this is Angry Vagina music. Would I do that to you? Maybe on the next mix.
And there's freakin' zombies and blood on the cover. Zombies. And blood. You guys, this works on so many demographic levels that I can't even deal.
So whether you're spending this Valentine's Day with your special someone, or your pals, or your mistress, or your tertiary polyamorous relationship, or just some still shots of Josh Holloway from Lost and a bowl of butterscotch pudding, please consider this as your V-Day playlist of choice.
I'm Robyn Shepherd. And I love you. XO
1. This Bouquet (Ani DiFranco)2. Mulder and Scully (Catatonia)
3. Only You (Yaz)
4. Do Ya (Matthew Sweet)
5. Bad Reputation (Freedy Johnston)
6. Amy (Shwa)
7. There Tonight (Rebecca Loebe)
8. Temptation (Moby)
9. Strange Currencies (REM)
10. Blame You (Wakey! Wakey!)
11. Out to Get You (James)
12. New York City (Taylor Davis)
13. Romeo and Juliet (Indigo Girls)
14. The Ballad of Emily Rose (Bryan Dunn)
15. Moment of Surrender (U2)
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