Double Nickels

Playlist: 55 Songs In 55 Years

Jun 30, 2024

I turn 55 today.

Aside from the Tom Waits and Sammy Hagar songs that number brings to mind, this strikes me as a middle-of-the-road birthday. It’s halfway between 50 and 60, and arguably the no man’s land between “mid-lifer” and “senior citizen.”

Like many Gen Xers I don’t necessarily feel my age, but catching a glimpse in the bathroom mirror or staring at myself non-stop on video calls tells a different story. I also have kids to regularly remind me that I’m old (bless their hearts).

Which is fine with me since I lived every one of those years and have the scars, boxes of old photos, pill caddies, and a sudden, inexplicable interest in birds to prove it.

Music has been a constant fascination through it all.

It started with bands like KISS and Cheap Trick, my tastes spiraling outward from there. An early love of heavy metal gave way to punk and new wave. I rode the college rock wave into the alt rock ‘90s and fell for Americana in the early 2000s, always on the look out for hooky, high energy songs from any era (along with the occasional ballad—I’m only human, after all).

I eventually picked up some drum sticks and started playing myself. Garage bands were formed, making music, memories and lifelong friends. We graduated from backyard parties to dive bars, clubs and theaters, from four-track demos to full-blown studio albums. I’ve traveled various parts of the world in tour vans, endlessly searching for the perfect song to soundtrack the long drives between shows.

The only time I mostly turned my back on music was when my own Big Time Super Important Professional Music Career™ blew up. I was bitter, exhausted and seriously needed to get my shit together. Thankfully, sobriety took hold after a few false starts and I was able to create a better, happier life for myself and with my family.

A decade later, I was finally ready to fully let music back in.

All of that eventually led to creating this newsletter.

I’ve been lucky to connect with many talented musicians and writers since launching Remember The Lightning in 2023. Thanks to all the subscribers and to anybody who occasionally stops by to check out our conversations. Having a place to discuss my love of music (and books!) means a lot to me and I appreciate all your support.

In processing my 55th trip around the sun, I created a (self-indulgent!) playlist featuring one song per year from 1969 to 2023. I had to make some tough choices, generally favoring songs/artists I haven’t included on recent playlists. But this definitely isn’t a collection of obscurities since it includes the likes of The Beatles, David Bowie, Blondie, Prince, Weezer, The White Stripes, Phoebe Bridgers, etc.

The “pop” in “guitar pop” is supposed to mean “popular,” right?!

The simple challenge was to see if I could sum up my over-arching musical tastes in 55 songs.

Sort of like that chocolate-coated miracle pill from The Princess Bride, only made with three hours of rock music instead. As such there are some admittedly strange transitions. (GnR’s “Welcome To The Jungle” into Fugazi’s “Waiting Room” provides an interesting juxtaposition.)

Hat tip to Keith Higgons for partially inspiring this project when I was on his Mix ‘n Match podcast. This playlist would likely be very different if I made it tomorrow.

Hope you dig it.