Outside Counsel

I've been admonished, over in the "Shout Out" section on my songs post, that the list is supposed to be of favorite songs. Thus chastised, I am working on my album list. In the meanwhile, as I ran my errands Saturday, other songs kept coming to mind, in the inevitable way of these things. I suppose for our purposes here, we can describe this list as "Honorable Mention": (11) "For You", Bruce Springsteen. The best Bruce is about that time in our lives when our friends were our world, and we were all hopeless romantics. Everyone has a song by the Boss that speaks to that time better than anything else, and this is mine. (12)"Run Like A Thief", Bonnie Raitt. A song that has nothing to do with anything in my life, ever, that I just love; (13) "Willin'" Linda Rondstat. "I see my pretty Alice in every headlight..."; (14) "Promised Land", Chuck Berry. If I could play an instrument, this is a song I'd like to play. Unless my ax was bagpipes, I suppose; (15) "Brass In Pocket", The Pretenders. The thrill you get when Chrissy says, "Gonna use my fingers" makes you really what to know what happens when she uses her imagination; (16) "Breakdown", Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Before "Misunderstood" was my theme song, this was; (17) "Fortunate Son", Creedence Clearwater Revival. The funny thing about the '60's is that we are still paying for the lessons learned back then-- really, we are still fighting the same culture wars. This song is as true now as it ever was, and maybe more so; (18) "Cindy Tells Me", Brian Eno. A perfect lyric, and whatever that thing is that takes the solo on the way out (Fripp? Is that you?) is the best ever; (19) "Kodachrome", Paul Simon. I was what, 15 maybe 16 when this came out? And I knew it was true then, before I had any reason to. Now that I do, it still is. (20) "I Feel So Good", Richard Thompson. Is this even really my favorite Richard Thompson song? Today it is.