Why It Matters

Wow, last moments get a lot of action in music land. I have at least 150 “last” songs on my playlist, and that doesn’t include whatever’s in my vinyl stacks that remains to be digitized.

I guess that’s not a big surprise. The end of things is a big deal: just ask Jim Morrison, beautiful friend. Those moments stick with us, whether they are the death of a romance, a loved one, a chance, an era.

I had a rough time knocking 150 “last” songs down to 10 deep cuts, but here they are:

“Last Gang in Town,” The Clash. The only band that matters, and come to think of it the last gang in town.

“The Last Day of Summer,” The Cure. From the last truly great Cure album, Bloodflowers.

“The Last in Line,” Dio. You didn’t actually think I’d author a “last” list and not rock a little Dio, did you? That should’ve been the last thought on your mind.

“Last Resort,” Richard Cheese. Just because it’s your last resort doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun with it. Papa Roach gets the Richard Cheese treatment:

“Last Donut of the Night,” J Dilla. Currently in my power rotation thanks to my keen-eared son, J Dilla’s 2006 Donuts is truly brilliant. Too bad it was his last album.

“Last Goodbye,” Jeff Buckley. From one of my two desert island discs represented on this playlist. Jeff Buckley’s Grace was both his first and last official album, though that hasn’t stopped his estate from releasing everything he ever recorded except for his outgoing answering machine message, and that’s just a matter of time.

“Last of the Steam Powered Trains,” The Kinks. One of my favorite British Invasion bands, and in this clip you get two of my favorite cuts. Bonus!

“Last Day of our Acquaintance,” Sinead O’Connor. The other desert island disc represented on this playlist. Sinead’s masterpiece will always have a place in my stacks.

“The Last Fight,” Velvet Revolver. Fortunately Guns N’ Roses wasn’t the last band for Slash, Duff, and Matt. It wasn’t the last for Scott Weiland, either, though in retrospect his mates in the reunited Stone Temple Pilots probably wish it was.

“The Last Balloon,” XTC. Another nod to my boy, who is a diehard XTC fan. I was when I was his age, too. Some music just lasts and lasts.

And that’s the last of the last songs for today. What did I miss? I’m listening.

—modified photo stefano / Flickr Creative Commons