Laura B. is the kind of reader who writers dream about: enthusiastic, supportive, engaged. Maybe that’s because her career involves books, or maybe it’s simply that she’s a bright and interesting human being.
Laura is also the author of one of my favorite weekly past times, “Choose and Defend Wednesday,” wherein our host asks us to make some difficult choice and justify our response.
I asked Laura to put together a “choose and defend” playlist. Here it is, with notes from the lady herself:
I would like to start by answering the question that James asks when he interviews musicians. I am not a musician by any stretch of the imagination, but there is still a “why it matters” for me.
Music matters because it is a conduit to feelings and thoughts. Like most humans, I get that minor chord ache, and sometimes that ache is what I need. There is the major lift, there is the beauty and the grit. Music causes feelings, the feelings lead to thoughts, the thoughts lead to enlightenment…or at least to a degree of awareness that wasn’t there before.
Now onto some awesome songs about making choices. Most are not terribly deep, but check ’em out anyhow.
“Swinging on a Star,” Bing Crosby. Would you like to swing on a star, or would you rather be a mule? Bing totally gets Choose and Defend and he breaks it down for you, old school style.
“Choose,” Stone Sour. Here’s something if you like your choices and your music a bit harder. Unfortunately, this time you can choose, but either way you lose.
“Weapon of Choice,” Fatboy Slim. Aw, you know! You can go with this or you can go with that…
“Either Way,” Wilco. White girls love Wilco, so you know. I can get behind the “everything has its plan” message, for sure. Such a pretty, pretty song.
“Inaction,” We Are Scientists. This song is a good time! This is what happens when you don’t understand the concept of cause and effect.
“Any Colour You Like,” Pink Floyd. Beautiful instrumental track from Dark Side of the Moon. Roger Waters once said in an interview, “Any colour you like, they’re all blue’, I don’t know why, but in my mind it’s always ‘they’re all blue’, which, if you think about it, relates very much to the light and dark, sun and moon, good and evil. You make your choice but it’s always blue.”
I think a lot of what is promoted as ‘choice’ is just like that.
“Any Road,” George Harrison. George was my favorite Beatle. I am not a particularly spiritual person, but I still found his spirituality appealing. This song is more about not making a choice, and how sometimes that is your best choice.
“Freedom of Choice,” Devo. Here is your complimentary earworm to send you on your way. “Freedom of choice is what you got. Freedom from choice is what you want.” Come by my blog any given Wednesday…there shall be no freedom from choice for you there!
Are you interested in writing your own “Deep Cuts” to share with your WIM-minded brothers and sisters? Leave a comment or send me an email at: jostaffordjr@gmail.com.
Why It Matters 
Given the choice, I would gladly take all of these songs, Laura. Excellent stuff.
I could add:
“Which Side Are You On” by The Dropkick Murphys
“Be Quick or Be Dead” by Iron Maiden
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Thank you very much, Alien! And those are excellent additions to the list 🙂
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Yay, Laura! I dig this list Laura, what great choices! Bing is an all time favorite of mine and Fat Boy Slim, god isn’t that one of the best videos ever made!?!?!
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Thanks, Annie! Bing is a smooth operator…and so is Fat Boy Slim, come to think of it. LOVE the video.
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Laura! Awesome post! I’ll defend Fatboy Slim til the day I die, there’s lots of nostalgia there for me.
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Hey, Myrna! Thanks for stopping by 🙂 No one better lay a finger on our nostalgia. Good way to lose a finger…
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