#Essential20

What’s the #Essential20? A musical social media project initiated by @londonjustin curious about what the people on his Twitter feed listen to and can’t live without. I’m one of those people and noticed him tweeting about it. I naively quipped that this would be easy because I don’t follow the music scene. I had quite inconveniently forgotten that I do listen to a lot of different music.

What are the rules? Well you need a Spotify account. I had been holding out until this. I held out on iTunes even though I owned an iPod. I still bought CDs. You know what made me buckle and submit my soul to iTunes? A freaking phone. Yes. A phone. I still like my music on CDs, cassette tapes, records and where possible live. The digital age of sampling and downloading (il)legally just doesn’t do it for me. Yes, I’m weird like this.

I compiled a list according to these guidelines:

• How did you go about building your list? What were your personal criteria?
• Why did you choose each song? (Yes, I want to read why each, individual song is important to you)
• What songs narrowly missed out on the list (you could include Spotify links here as a way of including a few bonus tracks)
• Did you learn anything interesting during this process? Did your song choices surprise you? Are there songs that you thought were important, but turned out to be more disposable than others?

I muttered a lot. I agonised and surprised myself with the final selection. The next thing I did was tweet my list using the hashtag #Essential20 so that anyone following the discussion can find it. And now I find myself blogging about it because that’s the final thing to do on the list.

So in listening order here is my #Essential20 with an explanation of how they made the list. I didn’t have a personal criteria. Musical pieces that have made this list are personal and provide motivation or inspiration. It’s scary in that looking through this list is that it exposes part of my psyche in ways I hadn’t expected and now I’m about to share it with anyone with an internet connection.

• Ravel’s Bolero
  • This is one of my favourite orchestral pieces. It begins quietly and with subtlety drawing you in to listen. As the piece progresses, additional layers are added. It finishes with gusto and enough energy to burst doors open. Best listened to loud. If you ever have the opportunity to watch an orchestra perform this live, do so. You won’t regret it.
• We are Australian – Brian Sutton (I was looking for the version performed by The Seekers but couldn’t find it)
  • I grew up in Australia during one of the crappiest decades to be of any Asian descent. It terrifies me that it wasn’t all that long ago as I see community and political leaders carrying out the same mistakes with another ethnicity. When will it end? The words of this song describe Australia to the core.
• My Island Home – Christine Anu
  • My childhood was spent on a tropical island in the Kimberleys. It was magical. It truly was a paradise but life goes on and I now live in the city. Although I was living in a Pilbara town when this was released, it resonated with me because I was so desperately missing my island home. To this very day I haven’t called any other place home.
• Down Under – Men at Work
  • One of the first songs I remember ever watching on Rage. It made no sense to me then, the music video and the lyrics. Now, I get it. It’s about celebrating Australia and being proud to be identified as Australian.
• I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers
  • The first boy who ever asked me out on a date did so in song, specifically this song. I was 11. It was also embarrassing to be put on the spot in front of everyone in class. His charm, wit, and singing ability didn’t work. I was happy to be a girl without a boyfriend. That was for the big kids.
• Bad Reputation – Halfcocked
  • “I don’t give a damn about my reputation
    I’ve never been afraid of any deviation
    And I don’t really care if I’m strange
    I ain’t gonna change…”
    I’m a sciencey bookish type who grew up to become a scientist. I was the weird one at school. Okay so it probably didn’t help that I wasn’t exactly the most well rounded individual in the classroom. I was more focused on getting Straight A’s than sleepover parties. I just wanted to get to university. These days I am still the sciencey bookish type who will speak out against misconceptions and nonsense. It does from time to time cause me to lose popularity contests especially when I let my tongue loose but like the song says, “I don’t give a damn…”
• Short Skirt/Long Jacket – Cake
  • “I want a girl with
    A mind like a diamond
    I want a girl who
    Knows what’s best…”
    There was a time in my life when I wore short skirts and long jackets. Okay, sometimes I still do this but above all the opening lines captured my attention from the moment I heard it. Nothing about this girl in the song makes any sort of sense and I love that. I am that girl or at least I think I am that girl. I also love rocking out to it.
• I am Woman – Helen Reddy
  • I don’t identify myself as a feminist. I do however believe that people should treat people for who they are, not what they are. Constantly while growing up and even today I’m told the reason I can’t do certain things is because I’m a girl and that’s just how it is. Well it isn’t. I can do what I whatever I put my mind to and so can anyone else. End of story.
• Clarinet Concerto in A K622 Second Movement – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • In high school I found myself in a music class. I couldn’t get out of it. It was horrific. I had never played an instrument in my life and suddenly I’m in a class of around 20 students, all of whom had regular music lessons. I was told to choose between learning the flute or the clarinet. I tossed a coin. It was heads so I wrote down clarinet. I loathed my lessons. The teacher was reknown for her temper and I soon found out why. It didn’t endear me to music and I became a technically proficient player. That was until I had a relief music teacher who coaxed me out of my shell and taught me to feel music and just play whatever I wanted. She also introduced me to Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto in A. It is the second movement that opened my eyes to what a beautiful instrument a clarinet is. I still have the plastic student clarinet I learned on and sometimes I take it out for a play.
• New York Mining Disaster 1941 – Bee Gees
  • Mining has always been part of my life. I grew up in mining towns, lived in mining towns and I’m now also a metallurgist. Something else that has always been part of my life is the Bee Gees. My mother is a fan and at every opportunity in long car rides, the Bee Gees would be played.
• Going North – Missy Higgins
  • There are times when living day to day in Perth takes its toll on me and I have to head north to recharge. Somewhere warm and covered in red dust. So far it’s every couple of years or so and so far I’ve always returned back to Perth.
• Feel Like Going Back Home – Ernie Dingo, Missy Higgins
  • This describes my childhood so well albeit not in Broome. I was a little further north on Koolan Island. This takes me back. I will hit up this song every time I need to clear my head or to cheer up. The version I head to is by the Pigram Brothers.
• Someday, Someday – Thirsty Merc
  • Relationships. Sometimes they just suck especially when you’re physically away from the person you love. It’s not a lot of fun. I have to admit I had reservations when I started working Fly In/Fly Out and gave my boyfriend an out before I boarded the first flight. It was something I had to do. For over a year I’ve spent more time at a mine than at home and my boyfriend has been wonderfully supportive.
• Beyond the Sea – Bobby Darin
  • The optimism in this song just gets me every time. The big band feel takes me back to being in the school band performing in the community. It’s a happy little song and usually gets me out of a funk if I’m in one.
• Words – Bee Gees
  • Another Bee Gees song. It’s one of my favourites. I love everything about it. The lyrics and the honesty of a guy pouring out his heart to a girl who isn’t so sure of his convictions. It’s just so incredibly simple, clear and without Autotune.
• Chasing Cars – Snow Patrol
  • I know. It was on Grey’s Anatomy. I didn’t fall in love with it then. I didn’t even notice. I did however notice my boyfriend who doesn’t ever sing singing it during a car ride. I made a note of it.
• Top of the World – Carpenters
  • Celebrating that deliriously happy feeling you get when in love without being OTT about it. This is how it was done before controlled publicity stunts.
• Yue Liang Dai Biao Wo De Xin – Teresa Teng
  • Translated, the title is The Moon Represents My Heart. It’s a classic. It is also entrenched in the karaoke circuit. Here’s a Youtube video with translation.
    
    It’s another song that was in the background as I grew up.  My parents loved it and they didn’t teach me Cantonese so for years I had no idea why Teresa Teng was singing so earnestly for. That was until one day I went looking. It’s the answer to being asked how deep one’s love is.
• Lover’s Concerto – Kelly Chen
  • Possibly the sweetest song I’ve heard in modern times. Okay so it was originally sung by the Toys in 1965. I will concede that but I do like this modern rendition. Emotional and touching without unnecessary Mariah Carey antics. Beautifully understated and genuine. For the first time in my life I do think of someone when I hear it.
• 1812 Overture Op.49 Finale – Tchaikovsky
  • An orchestral piece with cannons is being over the top with class. Tchaikovsky composed it in 1880 to commemorate Russia’s defense against Napolean invading in 1812. It debuted in 1882. Seriously, it really does have cannons. If you ever have a chance to see an orchestra play live accompanied by cannons, do it.

You can listen to my #Essential20 here on Spotify.

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