Top 25 Most Played

One of my favorite iTunes features is the smart playlist that shows you the songs you've listened to most during your tenure as an iPod owner and iTunes user. I especially love looking at other people's Top 25 Most Played to find something really embarrassing, although I don't think I have anything in mine that qualifies. Let's examine the evidence (in order of most played):

1. Reverie by Debussy
2. Break It Down Again by Tears For Fears
3. Universal Traveller by Air
4. Your Ex-Lover is Dead by Stars
5. Burning by Whitest Boy Alive
6. This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) by the Talking Heads
7. Kaleidoscope by Kate Havnevik
8. Comptine d'été, N. 2 by Yann Tierson
9. I Don't Know You by Kate Havenvik
10. Fireworks by Whitest Boy Alive
11. Comptine d'un Autre Été by Yann Tierson
12. La Valse D'Amelie (Piano Version) by Yann Tierson
13. Ravers by Steel Pulse
14. Nowhere Warm by Kate Havnevik
15. Alone in Kyoto by Air
16. New Slang by The Shins
17. Message in a Bottle by The Police
18. Free Man in Paris by Joni Mitchell
19. To Build a Home by Cinematic Orchestra
20. Kill the Messenger by Shawn Colvin
21. Jump (For My Love) by The Pointer Sisters
22. Wanna Be Startin' Something by Michael Jackson
23. Pioneers by Bloc Party
24. Grace Kelly by Mika
25. You Know I'm No Good by Amy Winehouse

See, nothing embarrassing, right? Well maybe the abundance of classical, especially the piano music from the film Amelie (that's all the Yann Tierson stuff)... actually no, I am not ashamed that I listen to these songs excessively (especially not Debussy's Reverie which is probably my favorite piece of music ever). My love for classical music shows I am well-rounded and appreciate HIGH CULTURE. Duh.

What else? Well obviously I love electronica. Air, Kate Havnevik... yep. I also love some key jams from the 80s. Talking Heads, Tears for Fears, The Police, Michael Jackson (before the little boys phase)--they all rank up in my top 10 favorite bands.

I guess I am surpirsed by the presence of Mika and Amy Winehouse, both great, sure, but why have I listened to them so much? I think that Mika jam is probably on heavy rotation because it is on all my workout playlists and my iPod shuffle. And even though I've got Amy Winehouse on there, she's pretty badass and that song is pretty great. Fits in with the other more "indie" groups on the list like The Shins, Whitest Boy Alive, and Stars.

Really, I am quite pleased with myself. I think my Top 25 Most Played shows a lovely mix of my eclectic music tastes. I wish there had been a big surprise though, like some big musical number from Les Miserables or Wilson Phillips or even a Britney Spears tune ooooh or maybe some crazy death metal from, I don't know... Papa Roach? I guess when it comes down to it, I'm pretty vanilla, but with just enough flavor in there to spice things up a bit. I am surprised that neither Queen, Manu Chao, nor Huey Lewis and the News made it on to that list--all on heavy rotation (an odd trio I realize, but I love my wild French/Spanish/Canadian rock just as much as I love a solid 80s synthesizer and an androgynous lead singer.

So, I implore you all to take a gander at your most frequently played songs. Keep in mind that when someone else gets ahold of your iPod they might do the same (what, not everyone judges others based on their music collection? That's just me?) so it might be a good idea to cool it on the Disney hits and Toby Keith.