here's me.

this idea has been stewing around in my head for a while, and i've finally decided to share it. but not totally in my own words.

my buddy patrick's friend sheila decided to share some very personal and usually private information that most of us simply keep to ourselves.

and i really liked how she did it.

so i'm following her lead (thanks sheila) and divulging my own list.

rather than positing on what my top tunes say about me, as sheila did, i'll leave that up to you to decide. or not decide. either way...

sheila wrote:

Top 25 Most Played Songs

The best thing about the iPod playlist "Top 25 Most Played" is that you can't hide who you are when you look at it. All is revealed.

You may wish you were the kind of person who listened to Igor Stravinsky enough that he would show up on your Top 25 Most Played - but unless you are, organically, the kind of person who listens to Stravinsky on a daily basis - he will not be in your Top 25 Most Played. If you want your music to give off some kind of specific impression meant to impress others - if you want someone to think you're cool, or eclectic, or deep, or if you scoff at music made by 'the man' - if any of these things are an issue for you, then don't let anyone look at your Top 25 Most Played. Just keep it under wraps. If you're not comfortable with people knowing that you listen to "Day Dream Believah" so often that it makes it into your Top 25, then I suggest just not mentioning it.

In the interest of full disclosure - here is my utterly bizarre (and quite revealing) Top 25 Most Played...

So here it is, here I am, in my unvarnished glory:

. . .

and here's mine. here's me.

here's what comes through my headphones and speakers, rolls around my mind, manipulates my emotions, and gets me through the day:

1. Because of You (Jason Nevins remix) - Kelly Clarkson [i should add that this is my top song by an OVERWHELMING margin, 40 more plays than its runner-up.]

2. Don't Stop the Music - Rihanna

3. Hallelujah - Rufus

4. Never Again - Kelly

5. Since You've Been Gone - Kelly

6. Stolen - Dashboard

7. Gypsy Woman - Hilary Duff [wtf? when???]

8. Release - Timbaland

9. Somebody Told me (Remix) - Killers

10. In These Shoes? - Kirsty MacColl

11. Freakshow - Brit

12. Welcome to Hollwyood - beyonce

13. Radar - Brit

14. Big Girls Don't Cry - Fergie Ferg

15. In Da Club - Beyonce

16. Never Again (Remix) - Kelly

17. Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol

18. Check On It - Beyonce

19. Praan - Gary Schyman

20. One - Mary J.

21. Feedback - Janet

22. Piece of Me - Brit

23. Gimme More - Brit

24. We Belong Together - Mariah

25. Cater 2 U (Remix) - Destiny's Child

and a bit of my own commentary:

what i find most interesting about a person's Top 25 list is that it spans the life of the iTunes program. my list, for example, has been tallying for about 5 years, and some of these songs i don't even listen to anymore. it's almost a collection of quasi-memories, giving a glimpse of where we have been over the past few years. the ups, the downs, the poor musical taste... and judging by my musical preferences, i have, in fact, been a gay for the past 5 years.

btw, check sheila out here. i like her blog. it's random, it's fun. you just might like it, too.

and as you might guess, her Top 25 was waaaayyyy more eclectic than mine. i mean, i have lots of non-pop music, but apparently all i want to listen to is britney and kelly. hmph.