“Roadrunner” – Modern Lovers
With a jangly organ, three chords and lyrics about driving fast and loving rock ‘n’ roll, this song makes rock ‘n’ roll lovers drive fast. It can’t be stressed enough that this is the perfect song for a windows-down-in-the-hot-sun road trip or a summer afternoon drinking binge; just don’t mix the two. From the unorthodox countdown of “One, two, three, four, five, six …” at the start of the song, Jonathan Richman and his band of merry Massachusites chug through one of the most original straightforward rock/pop songs ever recorded. Perfectly imperfect like a good garage band should be. It’s impossible to get sick of this song.

“Mote” – Sonic Youth
A mote is defined as a small speck or particle, usually of dust (see the Sylvia Plath poem “The Eye Mote” from which this song is apparently partially based), but it really seems to be more about the confusion about a love interest resulting from recreational drug use. Lee Ranaldo’s lyrics “I’m down in the daytime out of sight/ Comin’ in from dreamland I’m on fire/ I can see it’s all been here before/ Dream a dream that lies right at your door/ When the seasons circle sideways out of turn/ And words don’t speak just fall across the carpet/ You’re just in time to watch the fires burn/ It seems a crime but your face is bright, you love it/ All the time,” might defy any concrete interpretation, but this is one powerhouse of a song. Though the Sonic Youth trademark of four minutes of feedback to end the song can either be really cool or really distracting, depending on your mental state, this is a college radio classic. The video is pretty damn cool too. Crank it up and rip off the knob.

“Jump Into the Fire” – Harry Nilsson
John Lennon said Nilsson was his favorite American tenor. If that isn’t enough of an endorsement, the thumping bassline and Nilsson’s infectious vocals make this song the highlight of the infamous helicopter scene in “Goodfellas.” Not to say you should go Henry Hill on everyone and mastermind the biggest heist of all time, get in deep with a Pittsburgh cocaine connection, piss off the mob, rat out your friends and enter witness protection; but if you were so inclined, here’s your soundtrack. The album version clocks in at around eight minutes, and the pace of the song is perfect for a reckless drive when you’re running late and weaving through traffic. It’s a must for any lengthy commute.

“Hold On, I’m Comin’” – Sam and Dave
Released in 1966 on the famed Stax Records label (maybe the best record company ever), it quickly shot to the top of the charts. Rumor has it co-writers of the song Isaac Hayes (later “Shaft” and “Chef” from “South Park”) and David Porter penned the song in 10 minutes after Hayes called to Porter, who was in the bathroom responded “hold on, man, I’m comin.’” And it also helps that the Stax house musicians backing the song were Booker T & the MGs. Check out the live seven-minute version on YouTube from 1966, and be thankful this tune invaded your day.

“Rapper’s Delight” – Sugar Hill Gang
Call it cheesy, call it lame, call it dated – it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t even matter that these guys essentially stole all their lyrics from a gritty MC named Casanova Fly and beat him to the punch recording this single. This song captured the vibe of New York in the early ‘80s when disco was all but dead and hip-hop was still two turntables, an MC and a dance party in the park during the summertime. Plus you’ve got to give credit to a song that spawned the lines “Hotel, motel, Holiday Inn/ If your girl starts acting up, then you take her friend” and “I don’t mean to brag, I don’t mean to boast/ But we’re like hot butter on our breakfast toast.” There’s no excuse not to play it at your next party.

Compiled by Jason Yurgartis.

Instead of offering an entertaining article or witty review, we in Expressions got together with the good folks in the graphics department to put together this coloring book (yes, we’re aware it’s only one page) celebrating some of the superheroes who make this campus function.

UNF President John Delaney, Vice President of Administration and Finance Shari Shuman, Athletic Director Lee Moon, Student Body President John Barnes and Student Body Vice President Mike Saathoff all keep the university running smoothly. And what better way to salute them than making ridiculous caricatures of them with superhero personas? Well, actually thanking them might be nice, but what fun would that be?

Feel free to submit your finished work to the Spinnaker office in Building 14, room 2627 along with your contact information, and maybe we’ll give you a prize.

“Rollin” – Limp Bizkit
What the Beatles are to Liverpool, Limp Bizkit is to Jacksonville. No Jacksonville band has better captured the culture, attitude and lifestyle of the city like this group of musical virtuosos. When listing the best songwriters of all time, frontman Fred Durst has to get some consideration along with greats like Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson and Paul Simon. How can you argue this after hearing the lyrics “Move in, now move out/ Hands up, now hands down/ Back up, back up/ Tell me what you’re gonna do now/ Breathe in, now breathe out/ Hands up, now hands down/ Back up, back up/ Tell me what you’re gonna do now/ Keep rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ rollin’”? It’s unclear why this song wasn’t considered for a Pulitzer Prize in music, but rest assured someone on the deciding board lost their job because of it.

“We Built this City” – Starship
What happens when hippie musicians (Jefferson Airplane) grow up and stop making important psychedelic music at the frontline of the counter-culture movement of the ‘60s? They take corporate money and write a song against taking corporate money. And when you write a powerhouse of a song like this one, you deserve all the money you make, no matter how ironic it is. In this song, record executives – who obviously know the most about music – created beautifully synthesized, slickly-polished instrumentation that is carried out by singer Grace Slick and the best studio musicians’ money can buy. Starship rattles off the soundtrack to the everyday heroes of the rat race who put their backs into their living on a quarterly basis on Wall Street. On top of that, the song’s lyrics serve as a constant reminder that rock and roll rebellion owes a debt of gratitude to Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, Starship or whatever they decide to call the band that day. There is absolutely nothing pretentious or greedy about this song.

“What’s Up?” – 4 Non Blondes
In music, it’s rare when the stars align and a popular genre of music comes out from the underground and finds its rallying anthem. But grunge music found its perfect storm when these dreadlocked, drop-dead-delicious-divas hit the scene in the early ‘90s. While their peers were busy writing socially conscious and anti-mainstream songs, 4 Non Blondes went in a refreshingly different direction with this tune. Who needs to elicit change when you can just proclaim lyrically: “I said hey! What’s goin’ on?/ And I sing hey-yeah-yea-eah, eah hey yea yea/ I said hey! What’s goin’ on?/ oooh, oo! ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoo/ oo-ooh-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoooo-ahh-haa”? And their influence didn’t stop with this genius-level social commentary. Who could forget vocalist Linda Perry’s top hat adorned with ski goggles from the video? From Paris to Milan to New York, her uber-practical look for all seasons is still being celebrated.

“Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” – Toby Keith
Git-R-Done! This country is great. So freakin’ great, we can write songs about being an unapologetically imperialistic bully on the world stage. Toby Keith reminds us all that it’s perfectly fine to pound our chests in an orgasmically patriotic way and denounce those whose ideas and culture we don’t understand. When Keith sings: “Justice will be served/ And the battle will rage/ This big dog will fight/ When you rattle his cage/ And you’ll be sorry that you messed with/ The U.S. of A./ cause well put a boot in your ass/ It’s the American way,” the bloodlust he evokes is so damn enjoyable, you’ll be hard-pressed to keep your 1985 Chevy Blazer with 44-inch swamper tires on the trail, at least without spilling your can of beer and tobacco spit cup. Amen, brother.

“Butterfly” – Crazy Town
Why is it that semi-buff, tattooed, shirtless guys with bleached hair always make the best music? It’s a mystery, but the guys in Crazy Town sure adhere to this formula. However, the appeal doesn’t stop there. By calling themselves “Shifty Shellshock” and “Epic,” these two upstanding L.A.-natives further legitimized their talent by creating personas that everyone who shops at Hot Topic can look up to. Whether you work at a 7-11, sell pot to middle-schoolers out of a dark van or dress like a prostitute and sweat out your troubles on the dance floor with a fist full of ecstasy, this song is for you. And if you love double entendres and one of the sickest, most complex beats ever carved into wax, you’re enthralled when “Come my lady/ Come, come my lady/ You’re my butterfly/ Sugar, baby/ Come my lady, you’re my pretty baby,/ I’ll make your legs shake/ You make me go crazy,” pumps through a club.

Compiled by Jason Yurgartis.

“A Minha Menina (My Girl)” – Os Mutantes
Formed in Sao Paolo, Brazil and heavily influenced by the Tropicalia movement, Os Mutantes certainly knows how to pump listeners full of fun-loving sunshine with a full-of-flare blend of psychedelic rock and art. Utilizing male and female vocals, The Mutants as its name translates in English, have a variety of sounds ranging from tropical dance numbers to heavy progressive rock. But this song’s unique mix of guitars that grind like rusty chainsaw blades, clap-happy campfire sing-a-long-in-Portuguese vocals and livelier-than-Carnaval backing music sets it apart. Even if you don’t speak Portuguese, this song is easily more fun than Rosetta Stone software, so maybe you’ll pick up a thing or two. And it’s perfect for your next cookout-turned-dance party.

“You Set the Scene” – Love
Love, though not fully appreciated by anyone besides critics and other musicians during its heyday in the late ‘60s, has subsequently garnered a legacy as one of the most influential bands of all time. This song, off its seminal album “Forever Changes,” is a great example of the diversity of the band and its eclectic psychedelic sound. Don’t let the lyrics “This is the only thing that I am sure of/ And that’s all that lives is gonna die/ And there’ll always be some people here to wonder why/ And for every happy hello, there will be goodbye/ There’ll be time for you to put yourself on” fool you. This song has an awesome spring vibe, albeit in an enjoy-it-while-you-can sort of way. And vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Arthur Lee’s golden vocals never dissapoint.

“I Live in the Springtime” – The Lemon Drops
What’s with psychedelic pop songs and spring? As the third song of this type on the list, it can’t be a coincidence. Mid-‘60s garage bands from Brazil to Chicago (from where the Lemon Drops hailed) obviously knew how to have a good time and celebrate the season. Though it’s a lesser known band than Os Mutantes or Love, The Lemon Drops had a series of misfortunes and bunglings with record executives that prevented it from being much more than a few spins on a “Nuggets” box set CD. Who knows what could have been as they certainly had a knack for literal appreciation of spring. The lyrics “I live in the springtime/ There’s no in-between time/ I live in the sunshine” might be closer in quality to “Happy Birthday” than “Blowin’ in the Wind,” but the song will rock your face.

“Butterflies Drowned in Wine” – Smog
Cleverly written and strange like many of “formerly lo-fi” singer/songwriter Bill Callahan’s songs, this tune shows an upbeat and jangly side. Callahan uses his standard deadpan, baritone vocal stylings, but instead of sounding morose, as his style sometimes dictates, this song unravels into a raucous, tipsy sing-a-long. He begins his soundtrack for getting out into the world with the lyrics “Butterflies drowned in wine/ I’m headed into town/ Where up is up and down is down/ None of this fumbling around/ Oh, phantom fingers straighten a phantom tie/ I’m going to talk to some people there/ Forget everything I’m told/ In one ear and out the other.” This song just oozes the spirit of spring and is an excellent mid-morning car jam.

“Legal Man” – Belle and Sebastian
What says spring more than the lyrics “L-O-V-E love; it’s coming back; it’s coming back/ Get out of the city and into the sunshine/ Get out of the office and into the springtime?” It’s hard to say, but you have to trust a band from Glasgow’s appreciation for spring, as they certainly have enough miserable weather to offset it. This happy-go-lucky dance-a-thon is about as upbeat as it gets, with fun, spastic keys, drums, and uproarious Ravi Shankar-toned guitar bursts dancing beneath layered vocals. Belle and Sebastian have songs for every mood, but their upbeat ones always seem to strike a chord in the pleasure zone of listeners, and this one is no exception. Open your windows, let the cool breeze and inviting sunshine in and dance your cares away.

Compiled by Jason Yurgartis.

“Alternative Ulster” – Stiff Little Fingers
Political, situational and social angst have been driving forces behind punk music since its inception. But while many bands turned their anger into a fresh, bombastic sound and style, few exploded on the scene like this Belfast band. Coming of age during a state of complete upheaval and discontent in Northern Ireland, Stiff Little Fingers has an authenticity to its music that is unrivaled by many of its British and American counterparts. This song gets into listeners’ faces unapologetically while it speaks less of a violent overthrow and more about making a positive change. No matter though, it sounds great at a high volume while force-feeding yourself Irish Car Bombs. Just don’t let the irony ruin your buzz.

“If I Should Fall From Grace With God” – The Pogues
When The Pogues formed in 1982 in Northern London, it was originally known as Pogue Mahone, a rough English translation of an Irish phrase that means “kiss my arse.” Frontman and noted drunk Shane McGowan met future Pogues tin whistle player Peter “Spider” Stacy at a Ramones gig in England in 1977 – a meeting that would prove to be very explanatory of the future sound of The Pogues. Combining elements of punk, jazz and traditional Irish music, The Pogues released eight albums that would influence and open the door for “Celtic punk” bands like Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly and Black 47. When McGowan sings “If I should fall from grace with God/ Where no doctor can relieve me/ If I’m buried ‘neath the sod/ But the angels won’t receive me/ Let me go, boys/ Let me go down in the mud/ Where the rivers all run dry,” it is beautiful, drunken poetry.

“The Boys on the Docks (Murphys’ Pub Version)” – Dropkick Murphys
There are definitely some similarities between the Americanization and commercialization of St. Patrick’s Day and Dropkick Murphys, but they’ve still managed to crank out a few good tunes in between writing bad songs for the Red Sox. Formed in the mid-‘90s in a very blue-collar Irish section of South Boston, these guys lived at ground zero of St. Patrick’s Day festivities in America and were inundated with their share of Irish folklore and stories of hardships faced by immigrants. This song in particular is about bassist/vocalist Ken Casey’s grandfather, a union worker in the early 20th century. The lyrics “The boys on the docks needed John for sure/ When they came to this country he opened the door/ He said ‘men I’ll tell ya, they don’t like our kind/ Though it starts with a fist it must end with your mind,’” tell a tale worthy of raising your glass to.

“Whiskey In The Jar” – The Dubliners
OK, there had to be one traditional Irish song on the list, and here it is. There are roughly 426,825 versions of this song, but this is the best one. You might have heard covers by Thin Lizzy or Metallica, but there’s an unspoken rule about putting a post-1989 Metallica song on any kind of “best of” list and this isn’t by any means Thin Lizzy’s best song. Passed down loosely from non-specific Irish lore, the song tells a tale of a highwayman who was betrayed by his love, then robbed a government official and is dreaming of the good life while imprisoned. Hmm, sounds like every American country song that was recorded before 1980. Nonetheless, it’s likely you will hear this one in some way, shape or form if you’re taking part in live music festivities on St. Patrick’s Day.

“Pints of Guinness Make You Strong” – Against Me!
Doesn’t the title of the song say it all? Though Against Me! is far from being an Irish band (the members are actually from Florida), it’s hard to imagine a better St. Patrick’s Day song for the non-traditionalist. It’s perfect for those who have the “I’m Irish for a day so long as that entitles me to get embarrassingly drunk” attitude. The song is actually a story about sadness, pain and loss, but who needs all that baggage? Just throw a few back, dial this one up on the jukebox and scream out the part that goes “Just like James I’ll be drinking Irish tonight/ The memory of this last work week will be gone forever.” Drink responsibly, or at least get a cab.

Compiled by Jason Yurgartis.

But in reality, Casper and the Cookies is an Athens-by-way-of-Atlanta band that will be bringing its unique brand of high-energy psychedelic power pop to Club TSI in downtown Jacksonville March 11. Jason NeSmith, who was a member of Of Montreal for its Satanic Panic in the Attic Tour in 2004 and part of its 2005 Sunlandic Twins Tour, founded Casper and the Cookies in the late ‘90s. The Cookies also backed the legendary Daniel Johnston at the 2007 Athens Pop Fest.

The Spinnaker spoke to NeSmith about Japan, vinyl, life on tour, selling out and Casper and the Cookies’ forthcoming album “Modern Silence.”

What are some of your musical influences?
Anything from Frank Zappa to the Kinks to Pylon, and then it all sort of gets mushed in there and comes out in this weird way. I mean we like prog rock; we like Bowie; we like rap.

You’re about to play 22 shows in 21 days across the South and Midwest in March. How do you prepare for such a rigorous schedule, and what’s life like with Casper and the Cookies on the road?
You want to play as many shows as possible within reason because like Mike Watt said, “If you ain’t playin’, you’re payin.’” You’ve got to keep busy; that’s what you’re out there for. We’re like any family on vacation really; we usually get along. We’ll find something to argue about once a day or so. We usually keep ourselves entertained by talking about really nasty stuff in the van.

Like what?
Oh I can’t even… Last time I talked about it we lost a TV appearance, so… It’s pretty bad.

You guys have been to Japan a couple times to perform. What was that experience like, and how were you received as a band over there?
The first time, we were looking forward to going there, and we had a great time. But we realized quickly we were not as good of musicians as any in band ever in the history of Japanese prog music.

Every time we played with some band, they wiped the stage with us, and it was a serious tour of reckoning. That was in 2005. And we realized we couldn’t be some scrappy little pop band from Athens anymore; we had to actually put it out there. So we came home and retooled, and since then, I think we’ve become a much better, much more interesting band. But both times we’ve been over there it’s unlike any experience we’ve had touring the states or Canada. People are so welcoming and accommodating in a way that we can’t even hope to replicate here.

Your new album, “Modern Silence” is due out May 12. What can fans expect from this album?
I think we’ve really made a statement and we put everything we had into it. There’s a lot of straight-up pop songs I hope are as classic as we think they are, but we take some risks. The last song of the record is a three-part suite, which sounds pretentious, but I’m super proud of the whole record.

“Modern Silence” is being released on vinyl. Why is it important to release an album in this format, and do you think the band’s music is best enjoyed that way?
Yeah, I mean I think there’s a lot of lip service being given to the vinyl resurgence, and that seems to be somewhat true. I guess I want to appeal to people like me, who kind of grew up with big cover art, and it’s always been the dream [to have a release on LP]. It sucked growing up in the ‘90s and realizing “Yay! I can make some cassettes, that’s all I can afford!” And then CDs came along and it felt a little more official, but it still isn’t the same. Especially when digital distribution is on the upswing right now – I know anybody can do it, and that’s fantastic. That’s the way it should be.

But there’s something so gratifying, I think, both to an artist and to a listener, to have it on a piece of vinyl. It’s a sculpture that makes sounds. It’s the difference between reading a Web page and reading a book. You sit down, you make a commitment and you meditate with this object – that’s what we make records for. There’s nothing like coming back from a gig with a record that you bought from your favorite band.

What was it like touring with The Apples in Stereo? I recently saw their song “Energy” on a Pepsi commercial and it weirded me out a little bit. Would you be OK with one of your songs being the soundtrack to a commercial?
I wouldn’t want to do a commercial for a Hummer, but it’s really one of the last places where there’s even a hope of making any money, and that’s even diminishing right now. It’s hard to make money off of record sales. It’s hard to make it off of touring anymore, and there are a lot of people out there who don’t really have a sense of morals when it comes to downloading music. Everybody’s pretty guilty I think.

But the bottom line is it’s going to be hard for bands to continue to exist unless there is some avenue of re-compensation. We all put time and money and just pour our lives into this thing. Nobody is entitled to a living, but it does seem like the public understands now that just because your song was in a commercial doesn’t mean you’ve sold out, and you’re worthless, and they should stop listening to you.

But to get an ad, you pretty much have to have a good record deal, a publisher and promotions. I can tell you a dozen bands off the top of my head that have music that could totally be in an ad, and these bands deserve to be heard but they don’t have that backing.

The Apples deserve it completely. Touring with them was probably tied with Japan as the most fun we’ve ever had on tour.

You guys have been to Jacksonville before; what do you think of the city? We are the murder capital of the U.S., which puts us high in the running against the rest of the world.
Maybe Darfur or something? I don’t know.

OK, excluding genocide.
Jacksonville seems that it’s sort of like Atlanta, in that a large part of the city is dedicated to business, but there seems to be a growing number of people interested in furthering the arts in the city and doing something, and that’s always good to see. It’s nice to come to a town and see people working to make their town more interesting, and Jacksonville is one of those cities.
Compiled by Jason Yurgartis.

“54-46 (That’s My Number)” – Toots and the Maytals
This autobiographical 1968 classic was one of the first ska songs to gain any kind of popularity outside of Jamaica and has continued to stay fresh over the years with periodic cover versions – most notably by Sublime in 1992 – keeping it alive for new generations to enjoy. Fred “Toots” Hibbert wrote this song following his release from prison for marijuana possession. 54-46 refers to his prisoner identification number while incarcerated, and the song is dually a lamentation on his arrest and subsequent prison stay, but it’s also a statement on the revolving door of the system when Hibbert sings “54-46 was my number/ Right now, someone else has that number.”

“Jailbreak” – AC/DC
AC/DC is best known for simple, raunchy, three-chord, blues-based songs about women and partying, but occasionally they delve into more serious subjects. This is especially true in the era before original frontman Bon Scott died of acute alcohol poisoning in 1980. This song, originally released in 1976, chronicles the sentencing, jailing and subsequent escape of a murderer. It’s complete with the adept guitar work of Angus Young and a worthy backbeat courtesy of ever-revolving members of the band’s powerful rhythm section. The lyrics “There was a friend of mine on murder/ And the judge’s gavel fell/ Jury found him guilty/ Gave him sixteen years in hell/ He said I ain’t spending my life here/ I ain’t living alone/ Ain’t breaking no rocks on the chain gang/ I’m breakin’ out and headin’ home/ Gonna make a jailbreak/ And I’m lookin’ towards the sky/ I’m gonna make a jailbreak/ Oh, how I wish that I could fly,” paint a straightforward picture of a scene that ends with an escape attempt that yields a “bullet in his back.”

“Folsom Prison Blues” – Johnny Cash
Being that this is a list that each week tries to avoid clichéd, overplayed and tired songs, this one almost didn’t make the cut. It is close to impossible to go to a bar where there’s a man over 50-years-old or a bunch of lame, Mike Ness-worshipping, rockabilly greasers pumping dollars into a jukebox just to get the chance to sing along to this song and act like it has some profound meaning to them. However, it is also ridiculous to leave a great song off such an aptly appropriate list just because of the people who listen to it. Plus, how can you exclude a song that features the line “I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die” from a best prison songs list?

“Care of Cell 44” – The Zombies
This song is notable for a few reasons. First and foremost, it appears on an awesome slice of 60s psychedelic pop: the album “Odessey and Oracle.” Second, it is written from the perspective of a man in prison reading a letter from his sweetie, which might be unprecedented. And finally, it’s one of the most sonically upbeat (almost Beach Boys-esque complete with four-part harmonies) and lyrically optimistic songs about prison ever penned. If the lyrics “Good morning to you I hope you’re feeling better baby/ Thinking of me while you are far away/ Counting the days until they set you free again/ Writing this letter hoping you’re OK/ Saved you the room you used to stay in every Sunday/ The one that is warmed by sunshine every day/ And we’ll get to know each other for a second time/ And then you can tell me ‘bout your prison stay/ Feels so good/ You’re coming home soon!” are any indication, this guy’s troubles will soon be over.

“Holloway Jail” – The Kinks
The Davies brothers have always had a knack for concise storytelling set to snappy and jangly pop tracks, but this is truly one of their greatest. This song succeeds on many levels, but most notably, it is interesting because it’s about a female prisoner whose prison sentence is being lamented by her male companion. It’s hard to imagine there are many other songs out there about imprisoned females – in fact, until recently it was rarely discussed at all aside from in low-budget softcore porn on Cinemax. But the Kinks – always pioneers – explored the subject matter on this 1971 release that features the sweetly depressing lyrics “They took my baby, down Holloway jail/ They took my baby to Holloway jail/ There ain’t no pity, there ain’t no bail/ And she assures me that it’s living hell/ She was young and ever so pretty/ Now she looks so old and pale/ She never sees the day/ She wastes her life away/ Sitting in that prison cell.”
Compiled by Jason Yurgartis.

“Cubs in Five” – The Mountain Goats
In 1995, poet laureate of lo-fidelity folk music John Darnielle penned this tale of redeemed love covered in a thin veil of near impossibilities, most notably the Cubs winning the World Series. Like Cubs fans, Darnielle is eternally and fatally optimistic, referencing situations that are beyond unlikely to happen: “They’re gonna find intelligent life up there on the moon/ And ‘Canterbury Tales’ will shoot up to the top of the best seller list/ And stay there for 27 weeks/ And the Chicago Cubs will beat every team in the league/ And the Tampa Bay Bucs will make it all the way to January/ And I will love you again.” Darnielle knows these things won’t happen, which makes this a perfect kiss-off song, except when the Bucs ruined it by winning the Super Bowl in 2003. Nevertheless, this is one of a million reminders of the century of futility the Cubs have experienced.

“Look, It’s Baseball” – Guided By Voices
Robert Pollard, the brains behind Guided By Voices, once again proves you can make a really beautiful and meaningful song in less than two minutes. Critics often complain that Pollard’s songs are not just esoteric, but make no sense at all, however this one has a lasting beauty to it as a brief poetic treatise of the power of the game and its beauty and meaning in America. The entire song consists of the lyrics: “Took a journey backwards to a revelation I cannot describe/ And I must admit it was worthwhile/ And it made you smile – it’s that extra mile/ When we drove home you slept all the way/ Right through the explosion display/ We woke up with sparks and a night sky of Candlestick Parks/ Another fine outing, pointing and shouting/ ‘Look, it’s baseball.’” This should be sung instead of the national anthem before all baseball games.

“Catfish” – Bob Dylan
On this former bootlegger’s dream track, later released on a three-disc compilation of rare and unreleased songs in 1991, Dylan masterfully paints a lyrical picture of Baseball Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter. Hunter was baseball’s first true free-agent of the modern era and the first to sign a multi-million dollar contract, setting a precedent for today’s labor structure in Major League Baseball. This song chronicles Hunter’s move from the thrifty and tyrannical ownership on the part of Oakland’s Charles O. Finley to the equally tyrannical ownership of the anything-but-thrifty George Steinbrenner of the Yankees while telling of Hunter’s rural background. When Dylan sings over the stripped down twang of his guitar, it’s pure Americana.

“Joe Dimaggio Done it Again” – Billy Bragg and Wilco
Originally written by folk hero Woody Guthrie, this song was resurrected in 2000 on the album “Mermaid Avenue Vol. II,” a collection of previously unheard Guthrie lyrics backed by music written and performed by Billy Bragg and Wilco. This is a great period piece, chronicling the prowess of Joe Dimaggio, baseball’s most referenced player in pop culture in the ‘50s and ‘60s (“Mrs. Robinson,” anyone?). With a bluegrassy-twang and southern, folky drawl, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco tells a tall-tale-ish account of Joltin’ Joe. Crank it up and get all fuzzy with nostalgia for a bygone era when this country dropped everything for baseball.

“Piazza, New York Catcher” – Belle & Sebastian
Hailing from Glasgow, Scotland, it might be considered a small feat that this band has any interest in or understanding of baseball, but this song is a beautiful interweaving of baseball references and an invitation to a burgeoning love affair. Utilizing its typical lyrical style of cramming together long, beautifully descriptive lines of verse like “San Francisco’s calling us, the Giants and Mets will play/ Piazza, New York catcher, are you straight or are you gay?/ We hung about the stadium, we’ve got no place to stay/ We hung about the Tenderloin and tenderly you tell/ About the saddest book you ever read, it always makes you cry/ The statue’s crying too and well he may,” Belle and Sebastian capitalized on the Mike Piazza rumors of a few years ago to pen a beautiful love song – and more importantly, a beautifully orchestrated baseball song.

Compiled by Jason Yurgartis.

“Function at the Junction” – Shorty Long
Released in 1966, this song only reached No. 42 on the national R&B charts, but it’s a buried treasure chest of soul. Set off by a funky piano, a rhythm section that’s on-time like an employee on their first day of work, and topped off with Long’s bluesy vocals, this jam will have you cutting the rug from note one. A talented musician who could play many instruments including piano, organ, drums, harmonica and trumpet, Long died way before his time in a 1969 boating accident at age 29. To add to his mystique, the Birmingham-born prodigy was the only Motown artist besides Smokey Robinson who was allowed to produce his own recordings.

“Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” – Marvin Gaye
First of all, it’s no secret that Marvin Gaye was a complete musical genius. In his typical smooth-as-silk style, this meaningful song is less a call-to-action and more a voice of frustration pertaining to the economic hardships and bleak outlook faced by minorities and the counter-culture of the 1970s. “Inner City Blues” was the third single released off of Gaye’s seminal album “What’s Going On?,” and though it is not one of his best-known songs, it stacks up to anything else he ever made. The laid-back, funky soul tickles the eardrums with pleasure when Gaye intimates the turbulence of the decade by soulfully singing “Hang ups, let downs/ Bad breaks, set backs/ Natural fact is I can’t pay my taxes/ Oh, makes me wanna holler/ And throw up both my hands/ Crime is increasing/ Trigger happy policing/ Panic is spreading/ God knows where we’re heading.”

“(I’m a) Roadrunner” – Junior Walker and the All-Stars
You know you have your priorities straight when you sing: “Don’t a-want no woman/ Just have me bound/ Got to be free, baby/ To roam around/ All my life I’ve been like this/ If you love me, it’s your own risk/ When the dust hits my shoes/ I got the urge to move/ Said, I’m a roadrunner, baby/ Just keep on, keepin’ on.” Set off by Walker’s own tenor sax skills and a rough-edged R&B feel, this down-and-dirty classic was overshadowed by the All-Stars signature hit “Shotgun,” which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1965. Also a hired gun as a well-respected saxman, Walker, oddly enough, played on the group Foreigner’s “Urgent” in 1981.

“Too Many Fish in the Sea” – Marvelettes
This just wouldn’t be a Motown “best of” list of any sort without including at least one of the many fantastic female groups on the label. Though the label launched the careers of Diana Ross, Gladys Knight and Aretha Franklin, just to name a few, the Marvelettes were highly underrated and overshadowed by the aforementioned divas. Though they recorded the Motown label’s first No. 1 hit with “Please Mr. Postman,” singles like this one seem to be lost, destined to gather dust in a record bin in the basements of the elderly. A groovy dance number is the backbone for this beautifully-sung gem, which is laced with a touch of humor.

“Cloud Nine” – The Temptations
Characterized as “psychedelic soul” by many, this song – and the album of the same name – was important for a couple reasons. It was the first studio album to feature new lead singer Dennis Edwards, who replaced David Ruffin after he was fired. It also marked the Motown label’s first Grammy Award, which admittedly defies the definition of “underrated.” However, this song seems to get swept under the rug despite the fact it’s one of the funkiest jams of its time, marking a staunch departure from The Temptations earlier works like “My Girl.” Taking a cue from Sly & the Family Stone’s music, this song marked a four-year trip into a more psychedelic and funky period for the group. Crank this one up and feel the funk flow through your bloodstream.

Compiled by Jason Yurgartis.

“There is a Light that Never Goes Out” – The Smiths
Absolutely one of the best love songs ever written, sung by one of the most soulful and sensuous voices of all time, this song is pure gold on so many levels. Morrissey’s blend of bleakness and longing interspersed with bits of humor works perfectly when he sings, “And if a double-decker bus/ Crashes in to us/ To die by your side/ Is such a heavenly way to die/ And if a 10-ton truck/ Kills the both of us/ To die by your side/ Well the pleasure, the privilege is mine.” There’s nothing more romantic than a guy telling a girl he’d be happy to die in a bloody accident, so long as it’s with her.

“The Book of Love” – Magnetic Fields
What would Valentine’s Day be without Magnetic Fields? They basically created the hipster soundtrack to love with their album “69 Love Songs.” You could literally put the track list on a dartboard, throw a dart and land on a great romantic song of some sort. With a deep but warm voice reminiscent of Nick Cave, singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt belts out a tune that sounds sadder than its lyrics. In fact, the lyrics “The book of love is long and boring/ And written very long ago/ It’s full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes/ And things we’re all too young to know/ But I…I love it when you give me things/ And you…you ought to give me wedding rings/ I…I love it when you give me things” are downright optimistic. Singing this to a loved one would be pretty cool, if you were so inclined.

“Any Way That You Want Me” – Spiritualized
Originally written by Chip Taylor, (real name James Voight, actor Jon Voight’s brother) and later recorded by The Troggs and Juice Newton, among others, this is a great song about longing without being sure of reciprocation. In this version, Spiritualized comes through with what its fans would expect – drony, ambient fuzz presented in a delicate, almost lazy-sounding fashion – perfect for the subject matter. For those desperate souls unsure of what the future holds, the simplicity of “If it’s love that you want/ Baby, you got it/ From the depth of my soul/ Baby, you got it/I’ve been watching you/ Am I loving you in vain?/ Girl there’s no need to explain/ Any way that you want me/ Any way that you’ll take me” might be the way to express your love Feb. 14.

“Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above” – CSS
If your Valentine’s Day plans involve some dancing or if things start getting intimate, make sure this song is on your playlist. Littered with catchy beats and blips that make it sound like “The Safety Dance” on crack, these party girls and boys from sunny Sao Paulo, Brazil ooze sexuality. So whether it’s a one-time hook-up or a romantic night with your one and only, there’s no mistaking your intentions with lyrics like “You came to show your mad love/ You came to tell it’s not enough/ Come and erase me and take me with you/ Kiss me I’m drunk don’t worry it’s true/ I wanted to show you how mad is my love/ Come and attack me it’s not gonna hurt/ Fight me, deny me if I fear when you’re close/ Let’s make love and listen to death from above.” It’s a guaranteed good time.

“Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” – Jeff Buckley
If you love sad, beautiful love songs and have about seven minutes to spare, this is one of the best. From Buckley’s one and only full-length release, “Grace” (he drowned while recording his second album, oddly enough, while singing the chorus to “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin), this track utilizes Buckley’s almost overwhelmingly powerful voice. It’s melancholy, yet hopeful with lyrics like, “It’s never over, all my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her/ It’s never over, all my blood for the sweetness of her laughter/ It’s never over, she’s the tear that hangs inside my soul forever/ Well maybe I’m just too young/ To keep good love from going wrong/ Oh, lover, you should’ve come over/ ‘Cause it’s not too late,” create an amazing atmosphere for candles and a bottle of wine with your special someone.
Compiled by Jason Yurgartis.