Friday Random Ten: Honorable Estate Edition

Okay, not really random, nor for that matter ten. Nor even Friday, as the big event is tomorrow.

Here’s the first twenty songs of the playlist:

  1. Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington, I’m Just a Lucky So and So
  2. Lyle Lovett, Good Intentions
  3. Al Green, I’m Glad You’re Mine
  4. Patricia Barber, Lost In This Love
  5. Emerson, Lake & Palmer, So Far to Fall
  6. Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Never Can Say Goodbye
  7. Loving Paris, Loco
  8. Parliament, Mothership Connection
  9. Yannick Noah, December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)
  10. Gary Moore, Eyesight to the Blind
  11. Maria Papadopoulou, Maskaremeni
  12. Gipsyland, Salaam
  13. Esther Phillips, Cry Me a River Blues
  14. Either/Orchestra, No Me Molesta
  15. Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros, Mondo Bongo
  16. Alihan Samedov, Sen Gelmez Oldun
  17. Cesaria Evora, Nho Antone Escaraderode
  18. Billie Holiday, Comes Love
  19. Madeliene Peyroux, Don’t Wait Too Long
  20. Living Colour, Love Rears It’s Ugly Head

We hit ’em heavy right at the beginning; once Satchmo and Duke are finished, there won’t be a dry eye in the house. A few more lovey-dovey songs to set the mood, and then the tempo ratchets up and stays there. Never Can Say Goodbye is the first of many lesser-known covers of well-known songs; it’s a nice way to mix in some familiarity without stooping to cliche. And Yannick (not Noah — see comments) has a version of December 1963 that is really too catchy to be believed. Joe Strummer tops the list with three entries in the total of eighty songs; Mondo Bongo because it’s romantic and we’re rocking the Mr. and Mrs. Smith vibe; All In a Day because there’s a line in there about “East of Chavez Ravine,” where the actual wedding is being held; and the Clash’s Death or Glory because Death or Glory is awesome.

A keen eye will detect that we haven’t limited ourselves to conventionally romantic tunes, but have allowed the occasional foray into ironic detachment; that’s okay, the relationship is like that too.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go get married.

24 Comments

24 thoughts on “Friday Random Ten: Honorable Estate Edition”

  1. Wish you good luck and everything it’s said in these context(I’m sorry for not being able to say the right thing, that’s the problem of learning English just from Harry Potter, Physics and Math books :)).

  2. At my aunt’s completely-non-ironic 70’s wedding, the cover band played “It’s Sad to Belong to Someone Else When the Right One Comes Along”. Good idea to skip that one.

  3. Good luck in your wedding; as a married man (11 years), the most important advice I can give you is to listen to your wife. Not necessarily do what she tells you to do of course; just listen (and not that I always succeed, but I try!).

    Cheers.

  4. Hey, you’re right, it’s not Yannick Noah. Stupid iTunes, misleading me again. How many French pop stars named Yannick do there have to be?

  5. “”It’s Sad to Belong to Someone Else When the Right One Comes Along”. ”

    Think that’s bad? I went to a wedding where they played “It must have been love [but it’s over now….]”

  6. Not exactly the the most romantic song more political really.

    Artist: Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros
    Song: Mondo Bongo

    I was patrolling a Pachinko
    Nude noodle model parlor in the Nefarious zone
    Hanging out with insects under ducting
    The C.I.A was on the phone
    Well, such is life

    Latino caribo, mondo bongo
    The flower looks good in your hair
    Latino caribo, mondo bongo
    Nobody said it was fair, oh

    Latino caribo, mondo bongo
    The flower looks good in your hair
    Latino caribo, mondo bongo
    Nobody said it was fair

    Latino caribo, mondo bongo
    The flower looks good in your hair
    Latino caribo, mondo bongo
    Nobody said it was fair

    For the Zapatistas I’ll rob my sisters
    Of all the curtain and lace

    Down at the bauxite mine
    You get your own uniform
    Have lunchtimes off
    Take a monorail to your home

    Checkmate, baby
    God bless us and our home
    Where ever we roam
    Now take us home, flaquito

    Latino caribo, mondo bongo
    The flower looks good in your hair
    Latino caribo, mondo bongo
    Nobody said it was fair
    Latino caribo, mondo bongo
    The flower looks good in your hair
    Latino caribo, mondo bongo
    Nobody said it was fair

  7. Thus, at approximately the time i am crafting this little congratulatory message the playlist is well into its full manifestations. One would hope that the proto-generic cliche romantic stuff has either been excised or was relegated to the very last. One way to make a good happy crowd to leave, play sappy-pop romantic ballads; and at this point in time that would include a certain Dolly Parton original.

  8. Props on the Joe Strummer inclusion. Their song ‘Johnny Appleseed’ comes with my highest recommendations. Very hipnotic, even if that trainwreck of a show ‘John from Cincinatti’ used it as a theme song.

  9. The mix was awesome! So was the wedding. Sean, you definitely wore the suit, though Jen kinda outshone you, IMHO. Hope you’re having a splendid honeymoon.

  10. My ish with Parliment is that, where do you go from there? You maximize your groove, and then everything seems downhill. Unless you just keep playing Parliment, I suppose.

  11. I think I’ll post a review of the wedding. The cake made of sparkly balls that required an advanced degree in physics may have been my favorite decorative yet edible item.

  12. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

    … and best wishes for the future!

    We deman video clips and pictures – including those of the fantabulicious cake.

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