Shuffling the Ipod
1. Can't Stop- Red Hot Chili Peppers
Why it's there: I just dig the bass line and the intensity of the track. It's a great workout song, though I must admit I've drawn curious looks while lip syncing it on the treadmill. It's my favorite RHCP song, I think because the idea of "can't stop" sums up how I feel about my work ethic. I didn't work hard enough ever in school, so I tell myself I can't afford to stop or slow down, because people are less forgiving when you're an adult than when you're a child. It's a reminder that it's part of who I am. It's not I shouldn't stop, or won't. I can't.

2. Addicted to Love- Robert Palmer
Why it's there: When did I realize I liked girls? The first time I saw a Robert Palmer video. I didn't care if it was satire; I didn't care what he was really saying. As a young, young kid, all I knew what that it was something hot. Even then, I knew the women in the videos weren't really playing the instruments. But I've always thought the song was great. A somewhat sad postscript came in 2003, when my AIM status read "I wish my life were a Robert Palmer video," I thought people would think it was funny. The next day I read on CNN.com that he had died.

3. Heat of the Moment- Asia
Why it's there: Kind of a forgettable song for me, until 2005, when it was used in The 40 Year Old Virgin. Not sure why, but the song has stuck with me since, a reminder of why I do certain things that don't make sense.

4. Magic- The Cars
Why it's there: Not even my favorite Cars song (That's Just What I Needed), but it's catchy, and like most Cars songs, never untinteresting. Usually with songs like this, there's a phrase in the lyric that draws me in. Here, I just like the "Got a hold on you..." part, which brings a certain intensity that isn't there in the other parts of the song. Plus, this song isn't played on the radio all the time, so it's never a song I skip because I've heard it too much.

5. Blue Jean- David Bowie
Why it's there: One of my favorite Bowie songs, and one of my favorite songs, period. It's bouncy with a great vocal track, and the lyrics are some of the best I think Bowie has written for this type of song. "One day, I'm gonna write a poem in a letter/one day, I'm gonna get the faculty together." Plus, two interesting videos (one where a costumed Bowie is singing on stage while a business-man Bowie is in the audience trying to seduce a girl).