I’ll never be lonely when I am alone and I keep myself to myself...
August 30, 2010 11:11 AM Subscribe
Introvert theme songs?
I want songs about introversion and/or being alone - but not necessarily about loneliness!
Some suggestions to start things off:
The Boy Least Likely To - I Keep Myself to Myself
The Who - I'm One
Rufus (or Loudon) Wainwright - One Man Guy
Simon and Garfunkel - I Am A Rock
I want songs about introversion and/or being alone - but not necessarily about loneliness!
Some suggestions to start things off:
The Boy Least Likely To - I Keep Myself to Myself
The Who - I'm One
Rufus (or Loudon) Wainwright - One Man Guy
Simon and Garfunkel - I Am A Rock
"Don't Bother Me" - The Beatles
"Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles
"Eleanor Rigby" - The Beatles
"The Invisible Man" - Queen
"My Way" - Frank Sinatra
"All by Myself" - Green Day
posted by John Cohen at 11:27 AM on August 30, 2010
"Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles
"Eleanor Rigby" - The Beatles
"The Invisible Man" - Queen
"My Way" - Frank Sinatra
"All by Myself" - Green Day
posted by John Cohen at 11:27 AM on August 30, 2010
Everything ever by Belle and Sebastian. Maybe start with Is It Wicked Not to Care?
posted by oinopaponton at 11:28 AM on August 30, 2010
posted by oinopaponton at 11:28 AM on August 30, 2010
Flowers on the Wall-The Statler Brothers, from the Pulp Fiction Soundtrack
posted by nomadicink at 11:31 AM on August 30, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by nomadicink at 11:31 AM on August 30, 2010 [2 favorites]
There is a terrific introvert theme song called "The Wind From Rainbow's End" by Bill Roper. I don't do links very well, but here we go: http://www.filker.com/songs/WindFromRainbowsEnd.html
posted by grizzled at 11:37 AM on August 30, 2010
posted by grizzled at 11:37 AM on August 30, 2010
Alone Again, Naturally by Gilbert O'Sullivan. A 70s AM radio classic, but hella depressing.
posted by wackybrit at 11:44 AM on August 30, 2010
posted by wackybrit at 11:44 AM on August 30, 2010
Solitude Sometimes Is by the Manic Street Preachers.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 11:49 AM on August 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Admiral Haddock at 11:49 AM on August 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Seconding the Smihs, specifically "Ask".
Shyness is nice, but shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life you'd like to.
Along the same lines as "I Am a Rock" - Island.
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 11:51 AM on August 30, 2010
Shyness is nice, but shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life you'd like to.
Along the same lines as "I Am a Rock" - Island.
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 11:51 AM on August 30, 2010
"Man in a Suitcase" or "Darkness" by The Police?
"Who Can it Be Now?" by Men at Work
posted by GhostintheMachine at 12:24 PM on August 30, 2010
"Who Can it Be Now?" by Men at Work
posted by GhostintheMachine at 12:24 PM on August 30, 2010
Mercury Tears by Chromeo
The Longest Winter by Pedro The Lion
In The Garage by Weezer
and most of The Smiths songs
The closest one I can think of to being an introvert theme song is Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
posted by burnmp3s at 12:28 PM on August 30, 2010
The Longest Winter by Pedro The Lion
In The Garage by Weezer
and most of The Smiths songs
The closest one I can think of to being an introvert theme song is Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
posted by burnmp3s at 12:28 PM on August 30, 2010
Oh! And given your screen name, I'm sure you also enjoy Isolation by one mister Howard Moon, jazz maverick and man of action, coming at you like a hawk, like a kestrel.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 12:34 PM on August 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Admiral Haddock at 12:34 PM on August 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
My Mind's Eye by the Small Faces is a perfect introvert song.
posted by phunniemee at 12:38 PM on August 30, 2010
posted by phunniemee at 12:38 PM on August 30, 2010
"And I don't need no friends/As long as I gaze at Waterloo Sunset I am in paradise."
And for a sadder take on our personality type, try "Eleanor Rigby."
Oldies but goodies. And nthing anything by Morrissey, with or without The Smiths.
Thanks, elsietheel. I may just have to steal this idea for my next mix CD.
posted by xenophile at 12:56 PM on August 30, 2010
And for a sadder take on our personality type, try "Eleanor Rigby."
Oldies but goodies. And nthing anything by Morrissey, with or without The Smiths.
Thanks, elsietheel. I may just have to steal this idea for my next mix CD.
posted by xenophile at 12:56 PM on August 30, 2010
Whitesnake's Here I Go Again Is about being alone now that I think of it. Only one I could find in my collection. Sort of about loneliness and sort of about being born to be alone. "Like a drifter I was born to walk alone." Also it has the advantage of KICKING THE ASS OF EVERY OTHER SONG ON THIS LIST. Devil horns up, everybody, and crank it. See you in Valhalla.
posted by Askr at 12:57 PM on August 30, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by Askr at 12:57 PM on August 30, 2010 [2 favorites]
"All by Myself" - Green Day
"All by Myself" - Eric Carmen
posted by davejay at 1:06 PM on August 30, 2010
"All by Myself" - Eric Carmen
posted by davejay at 1:06 PM on August 30, 2010
Any Nick Drake song could provide a good soundtrack.
posted by Kafkaesque at 1:07 PM on August 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Kafkaesque at 1:07 PM on August 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Green Day, "Boulevard of Broken Dreams"
I walk a lonely roadposted by kirkaracha at 1:15 PM on August 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
The only one that I have ever known
Don't know where it goes
But it's only me and I walk alone
Sarah McLachlan, "Elsewhere".
Suzanne Vega, "Solitude Standing".
(I'm sure I have others, but I can't think of them off the top of my head.)
posted by madcaptenor at 1:20 PM on August 30, 2010
Suzanne Vega, "Solitude Standing".
(I'm sure I have others, but I can't think of them off the top of my head.)
posted by madcaptenor at 1:20 PM on August 30, 2010
George Thorogood, I Drink Alone
I drink alone
Yeah with nobody else
I drink alone
Yeah with nobody else
You know when I drink alone
I prefer to be by myself
posted by Tehhund at 1:21 PM on August 30, 2010
I drink alone
Yeah with nobody else
I drink alone
Yeah with nobody else
You know when I drink alone
I prefer to be by myself
posted by Tehhund at 1:21 PM on August 30, 2010
I'll be in the back and I don't need the help
I'm good here in the back, I'm good all by myself
I'm busy taking stock of all the things that I've forgot
And making mental notes of just exactly where I lost the plot
. . .
Then the people came to talk me down
And I got some advice
Then the people came to talk me down
But I don't need advice, I'm down
They Might Be Giants - Memo to Human Resources
posted by foursentences at 1:34 PM on August 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'm good here in the back, I'm good all by myself
I'm busy taking stock of all the things that I've forgot
And making mental notes of just exactly where I lost the plot
. . .
Then the people came to talk me down
And I got some advice
Then the people came to talk me down
But I don't need advice, I'm down
They Might Be Giants - Memo to Human Resources
posted by foursentences at 1:34 PM on August 30, 2010 [1 favorite]
Brendan Benson Jet Lag
My so-called friends, where are they now?
I guess a love that bends isn't worth much anyhow
They come and go
And talk their shit
And when I really need to know
All I get is spit in my eye..
Meaning to Write
Hey I've been meaning to write you a postcard
But it's so hard
It's so hard
It's so hard
posted by amethysts at 2:01 PM on August 30, 2010
My so-called friends, where are they now?
I guess a love that bends isn't worth much anyhow
They come and go
And talk their shit
And when I really need to know
All I get is spit in my eye..
Meaning to Write
Hey I've been meaning to write you a postcard
But it's so hard
It's so hard
It's so hard
posted by amethysts at 2:01 PM on August 30, 2010
Conversation Piece by David Bowie
"I took this walk to ease my mind
To find out what's gnawing at me
Wouldn't think, to look at me,
that I've spent a lot of time in education
It all seems so long ago
I'm a thinker, not a talker
I've no-one to talk to, anyway"
posted by lhude sing cuccu at 2:30 PM on August 30, 2010
"I took this walk to ease my mind
To find out what's gnawing at me
Wouldn't think, to look at me,
that I've spent a lot of time in education
It all seems so long ago
I'm a thinker, not a talker
I've no-one to talk to, anyway"
posted by lhude sing cuccu at 2:30 PM on August 30, 2010
A lot of these, particularly the Smiths recommendations, don't seem to fit "introversion" in my read, as introversion doesn't necessarily imply shyness or loneliness. Introverts are energized by time away from other people; they don't mope about it.
That said, I'd nominate Tom Waits - Better Off Without a Wife. The balance of preferring alone time, while at the same time appreciating friends, seems to be struck with this lyric:
selfish about my privacy
as long as I can be with me
we get along so well I can't believe
I love to chew the fat with folks
and listen to all your dirty jokes
I'm so thankful for these friends
I do receive
Also, I never would have thought of it, but the Whitesnake suggestion is brilliant.
posted by .kobayashi. at 2:35 PM on August 30, 2010 [4 favorites]
That said, I'd nominate Tom Waits - Better Off Without a Wife. The balance of preferring alone time, while at the same time appreciating friends, seems to be struck with this lyric:
selfish about my privacy
as long as I can be with me
we get along so well I can't believe
I love to chew the fat with folks
and listen to all your dirty jokes
I'm so thankful for these friends
I do receive
Also, I never would have thought of it, but the Whitesnake suggestion is brilliant.
posted by .kobayashi. at 2:35 PM on August 30, 2010 [4 favorites]
Learn to Be Lonely from Phantom of the Opera has comforting lyrics about accepting a solitary life:
Child of the wilderness, born into emptiness
Learn to be lonely, learn to find your way in darkness
Who will be there for you, comfort and care for you?
Learn to be lonely, learn to be your one companion
Never dreamed out in the world, there are arms to hold you
You've always known your heart was on its own
So laugh in your loneliness, child of the wilderness
Learn to be lonely, learn how to love life that is lived alone.
posted by datarose at 3:50 PM on August 30, 2010
Child of the wilderness, born into emptiness
Learn to be lonely, learn to find your way in darkness
Who will be there for you, comfort and care for you?
Learn to be lonely, learn to be your one companion
Never dreamed out in the world, there are arms to hold you
You've always known your heart was on its own
So laugh in your loneliness, child of the wilderness
Learn to be lonely, learn how to love life that is lived alone.
posted by datarose at 3:50 PM on August 30, 2010
"My Own Best Friend" from Chicago
"Circle" - Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians
posted by SisterHavana at 5:39 PM on August 30, 2010
"Circle" - Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians
posted by SisterHavana at 5:39 PM on August 30, 2010
"Gepetto" by Optiganally Yours
No one can find me in here
No one can bother me in here
No one even knows that I'm here
No one can shove me in here
And I can cha-cha all day ...
posted by prex at 6:18 PM on August 30, 2010
No one can find me in here
No one can bother me in here
No one even knows that I'm here
No one can shove me in here
And I can cha-cha all day ...
posted by prex at 6:18 PM on August 30, 2010
I saw someone mentioned Vega upstream, so to add: DNA's remix of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner".
posted by simulacra at 7:30 PM on August 30, 2010
posted by simulacra at 7:30 PM on August 30, 2010
Modern Lovers - Walk Up the Street, She Cracked ("I stay alone, eat health food at home")
Yo La Tengo - I Feel Like Going Home
posted by hydrophonic at 8:25 PM on August 30, 2010
Yo La Tengo - I Feel Like Going Home
posted by hydrophonic at 8:25 PM on August 30, 2010
The Coachmen, Thurston Moore's band back in the day, has a song called "Stay in my Room" with the lines I want to stay in my room/in my room, everything is fine/all that I touch is mine.
posted by ifjuly at 10:51 PM on August 30, 2010
posted by ifjuly at 10:51 PM on August 30, 2010
David Bowie - Space Oddity
Santogold - L.E.S. Artistes:
What am I here for? I left my home to disappear is all
I'm here for myself not to know you, I don't need no one else
Fit in so good the hope is that you cannot see me later
You don't know me, I am an introvert, an excavator
I'm duckin' out for now, a face in dodgy elevators
Creep up and suddenly I found myself an innovator
posted by Drop Daedalus at 1:53 AM on August 31, 2010
Santogold - L.E.S. Artistes:
What am I here for? I left my home to disappear is all
I'm here for myself not to know you, I don't need no one else
Fit in so good the hope is that you cannot see me later
You don't know me, I am an introvert, an excavator
I'm duckin' out for now, a face in dodgy elevators
Creep up and suddenly I found myself an innovator
posted by Drop Daedalus at 1:53 AM on August 31, 2010
Jason Derulo - Riding Solo
I'm feeling like a star, you can't stop my shine,
I'm loving cloud nine, my head's in the sky.
I'm solo, I'm riding solo
posted by MsMolly at 8:11 AM on August 31, 2010
I'm feeling like a star, you can't stop my shine,
I'm loving cloud nine, my head's in the sky.
I'm solo, I'm riding solo
posted by MsMolly at 8:11 AM on August 31, 2010
Greg Brown - Just by Myself
I'll walk around some ancient city,
write in my notebook, and drink my tea.
Don't have to make love, 'cause love made me,
and I'll be happy just by myself.
I'll make my supper 'bout ten o'clock,
and watch the moon rise above my block,
and go to bed in just my socks,
and I'll be happy just by myself.
And I'll go fishin', get with the flow.
I know a river in Idaho.
I'll catch a big trout and let him go,
and I'll be happy just by myself.
Love never made a fool of me.
I always was one, as you could see.
I can't be good, so I'll be free.
And I'll be happy just by myself.
I'll fold the laundry, just like I please.
And put the sheets on, just like I please.
And in my dreams, find sweet release.
And I'll be happy just by myself.
posted by heatherann at 7:03 PM on September 3, 2010
I'll walk around some ancient city,
write in my notebook, and drink my tea.
Don't have to make love, 'cause love made me,
and I'll be happy just by myself.
I'll make my supper 'bout ten o'clock,
and watch the moon rise above my block,
and go to bed in just my socks,
and I'll be happy just by myself.
And I'll go fishin', get with the flow.
I know a river in Idaho.
I'll catch a big trout and let him go,
and I'll be happy just by myself.
Love never made a fool of me.
I always was one, as you could see.
I can't be good, so I'll be free.
And I'll be happy just by myself.
I'll fold the laundry, just like I please.
And put the sheets on, just like I please.
And in my dreams, find sweet release.
And I'll be happy just by myself.
posted by heatherann at 7:03 PM on September 3, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by never used baby shoes at 11:18 AM on August 30, 2010