Music-fu to the rescue

November 5, 2009 1:43 PM

PlaylistFilter: I like themed playlists, partly because I have broad taste and they help me link together songs from disparate genres and partly because I can play a playlist or CD that suits a given mood or situation. Help me build a love-themed playlist and find resources for good themed playlists?

First, right now I'm looking to build a playlist around a theme of loving acceptance, along the lines of "Just the Way You Are", "My Baby Loves Me (Just the Way That I Am)", and "Close Enough to Perfect". Can you suggest songs that fit this theme, in any genre, of any artist (only or primarily English for vocals, please)?

Second, do you know any good websites featuring themed playlists or with a significant number of them in an easily navigable/searchable format? I remember a post (not sure if it was blue or green, and searching failed me) with a site that was at the time featuring summer-themed playlists, complete with downloadable music and "album" covers. Something like that would be excellent, but just theme, song title, and artist would be enough if the lists were good and navigation usable.

posted by notashroom to media & arts (14 comments total)

Love The One You're With by The Isley Brothers kind of fits, in an insulting way.

As for themes, I like to search for songs about colors. Not blues, but songs with the word "blue" in the title, yellow, red, etc.

I tried to compile a list of songs about superheroes and it was going well, but then discovered about infinity songs reference Superman or supporting characters at least obliquely.

Songs about Murder(ers) is one of my favorites, because, as a puppy, I am one sick one.

Auteurs - Unsolved Child Murder
Beatles - Maxwell's Silver Hammer
Better Than Ezra - Summerhouse
Blur - I'm Just A Killer For Your Love
Bob Dylan - The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
Bob Marley - I Shot The Sheriff
Bobby Darrin - Mack The Knife
Bouys - Timothy
Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska (Fantastic, Haunting Song)
Bruce Springsteen - The Album Nebraska
Chills - Pink Frost
Clash - Somebody Got Murdered
Coldplay - Murder
Cowboy Junkies - Murder, Tonight, In The Trailer Park
Cure - Killing An Arab
Cursive - Bloody Murderer
Danzig - Deep
Decemberists - Shankill Butchers
Decemberists - Culling Of The Fold
Dirty Pretty Things - Bang Bang You're Dead
Drive By Truckers - Nine Bullets
Echo & The Bunnymen - Killing Moon
Elvis Costello - Kinder Murder
Elvis Costello - Watching The Detectives
Eminem (Or Tori Amos) - 97' Bonnie And Clyde
French Frith Kaiser Thompson - Killing Jar
Guns N' Roses - Used To Love Her
Hayden - Bass Song
Hendrix - Hey Joe
Hives - Die, All Right!
Ice-T - The Girl Tried To Kill Me
Iron Maiden - Murders In The Rue Morgue
Jam - Down In The Tube Station At Midnight
Johnny Cash - Delia's Gone
Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
Kate Bush - Pull Out The Pin, The Wedding List
Lemonheads - Knoxville Girl
Manic Street Preachers - The Intense Humming Of Evil
Manic Street Preachers - Archives Of Pain
Many Versions. - Long Black Veil
Matthew Sweet - Someone To Pull The Trigger
Mc 900 Ft Jesus - Killer Inside Me
Megadeth - Kill The King
Micah Hinson - Digging A Grave
Misfits - Die Die My Darling
Momus - The Poisoners
Morphine - Murder For The Money
Morrissey - The Last Of The Famous International Playboys
Moxy Fruvous - Splatter Splatter
Mustard Plug - Mr. Smily
Mustard Plug - Murder In Tulip City
Nancy Sinatra - Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)
National - Murder Me Rachael
Neil Young - Down By The River
Nick Cave's - Murder Ballads
Okkervil River - For Real
Old 97s - Murder (Or A Heart Attack)
Peter Gabriel - Family Snapshot
Pink Floyd - Careful With That Axe , Eugine
Pink Floyd - One Of These Days ( I'm Gonna Cut You Up Into Little Pieces )
Poe - Angry Johnny
Police - Murder By Numbers
Pulp - The Night That Minnie Timperley Died
R.L. Burnside - Hard Time Killing Floor
Skid Row - 18 And Life
Smiths - Meat Is Murder :D
Smiths - Suffer Little Children
Snoop - Murder Was The Case
Social Distortion - 99 To Life
Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy Jr.
Suicidal Tendencies - I Saw Your Mommy By
Sundresses - King Killer Of Murder Town
Talking Heads - Psycho Killer
Tkk - Badlife
Tkk - Confessions Of A Knife
Tkk - These Remains
Turnbull Acs - Red In The Fountain
Twilight Singers - The Killer
U2 Possibly, Could Be Suicide Too. - Exit
Vicki Lawrence - The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia
Violent Femmes - Country Death Song
Violent Femmes - To The Kill
Wallflowers - Murder 101
Warren Zevon - Excitable Boy
Wilco - Via Chicago
Wolfgang Press - Executioner
Zephyrs - Murder Of A Small Man
posted by JeremiahBritt at 1:53 PM on November 5 [1 favorite]

I think I got help for that here, but can't seem to find it in my activity.
posted by JeremiahBritt at 1:54 PM on November 5

Maybe "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton
posted by yawper at 2:29 PM on November 5

Since I Met You by Ben Lee might fit the bill. it's about feeling perfect, despite imperfections. it's cute. (lyrics here)
posted by gursky at 2:32 PM on November 5

Two more:

Let's Hear it for the Boy - Deniece Williams
The Way I Are - Timbaland

(Neither of these are love songs, but seem to fit your theme)
posted by yawper at 2:32 PM on November 5

Jonathan Richman's got a bunch of sweet acceptance songs. The first two that come to mind are Everyday Clothes (lyrics) and Her Mystery Not of High Heels and Shadow (lyrics).
posted by cobwebberies at 2:32 PM on November 5

If you're looking for more Alternative/Indie type music here's some good ideas:

Eyes by Rogue Wave
I Love How You Love Me by Camera Obscura
Lovers Prayers by Ida
I Melt With You by Nouvelle Vague
Love and Some Verses by Iron and Wine
Kissing by Bliss
When U Love Somebody by Fruit Bats
Save Your Best by Steve Reynolds
First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes
Brand New Colony by The Postal Service
Sea of Love by Cat Power
Magic in the Air by Badly Drawn Boy
Dance Me To the End of Love by Madeleine Peyroux
Sweet Darlin’ by She & Him
Amour Fou by Vetiver
I’ve Got You by The Damnwells
Fresh Feeling by Eels
Toothpaste Kisses by the Maccabees
World Spins Madly On by The Weepies
Lets Dance by M. Ward
posted by garnetgirl at 3:51 PM on November 5

Cowboy Junkies - Misguided Angel
posted by cali59 at 4:30 PM on November 5

Ingrid Michaelson, The Way I Am
posted by bricoleur at 5:11 PM on November 5

Eric Hutchinson, You Don't Have to Believe Me (don't have sound at the moment, so can't link to a decent YouTube -- lyrics here)
posted by pised at 6:22 PM on November 5

Themed playlist resources (via Jessamyn's profile who originally quoted it from me): Art of the Mix, Tiny Mix Tapes, MixMatcher, WebJay
posted by IndigoRain at 9:04 PM on November 5

(Sorry, the Tiny Mix Taps URL has changed to this, and I guess MixMatcher and WebJay are gone.) :(
posted by IndigoRain at 9:06 PM on November 5

I don't know if it's an ideal match, but check out Richard Thompson - Beeswing. It's bittersweet and has narrative lyrics, but when you get to the end, I think you'll know why I'd recommend it.

Also, FWIW, the perfect song for loving acceptance (of oneself) is India.Arie - Video.
posted by cali59 at 11:59 PM on November 5

Jeremiah, that's a great murder playlist, and intersects nicely with a lawbreaking playlist I started last week. Thanks!

Everyone, thanks for the suggestions. There are some really good ones here. I'd still appreciate more, bth songs and resources, if you can think of any.

For anyone playing along at home, I have found some more songs that fit this theme:
My Best Friend - Tim McGraw
Almost Perfect - Vaughan Penn
Little Moments - Brad Paisley
See Me Through - Rascal Flatts
Perfect - Sara Evans
Bitter to Better - Die Happy
Perfect - Lights
Perfect - John Cale
She Ain't Right - Lee Brice
Because Of Your Love - Kenny Chesney
Just Right For You - Mark Chesnutt
The Way You Look Tonight - Frank Sinatra
Ain't Nothin 'bout You - Brooks And Dunn
The Way You Love Me - Zoegirl
Just The Way I Am - Dolly Parton
The Way I Am - Jackie Wilson
Just The Way I Am - Big Daddy Weave
Beautiful In My Eyes - Joshua Kadison

And some more on the related theme of self-acceptance:
I Can Only Be Me - Eva Cassidy
The Way I Am - Merle Haggard
That The Way I Am - Sarah Connor
Just The Way I Am - Skye Sweetnam
The Way I Am - Andru Donalds
posted by notashroom at 11:18 AM on November 6