…or maybe not? At any rate, I haven’t been paying due attention to the music part of my tagline. Can’t believe I have been neglecting something that is so dear to my heart: Ever since my coming out I’ve been a known as a cookbook addict, but my spending habits concerning CD’s is probably just as bad!? On the other hand, thinking about it, I haven’t invested in new shoes for…hmmm… at least 5 months! Do I have to see a doctor?

No worries, there won’t be a major change in direction – delicious:days is and will continue to be a food blog (the asked for Bircher Müsli recipe just found its way into my mailbox – ‘will post about the results soon). But when I stumbled on Anke’s Q&A about her top trax (Anke writes my favorite movie reviews btw), I felt caught and simply couldn’t resist but compile my own list! I did a little tweaking to the questions and because I’m really bad when it comes to making decisions, I permitted myself to put down everything that came to mind and consequently turned the whole thing into the who’s who of my CD collection…But it was so much fun going through my memories as well as our music archive and think about these questions!

In my opinion, there are only a few things allowing more insight into a person’s mindset than the type of music they consciously choose. Whether it’d be simply as background music or as when taking the time to actively listen to a track. I’m usually quite astounded when people tell me they have no clue what the song is about they’re just listening to. Same with food by the way… I have no lid upon my head, but I’ll pretend to, so you could look inside and see what’s on my [musical] mind ;) The meme thing has probably grown a bit old over the last months, therefore I won’t go as far as passing these questions on to anyone else, but I really would love to read about YOUR favs on your blog! Feel free to take these questions, change them or add your own, and write about your own musical preferences :)

For a quick taste, we integrated a link to (Amazon’s) song samples (up to 30 seconds long) for most of the mentioned songs; RealPlayer is required (click here if you don’t have it installed on your computer and would like so). Depending on your internet connection speed, it could take between one and ten seconds until the clip is loaded and starts to play.

Let’s get it on… OR… Get down to it…

[Just noticed that certain (older) MAC/browser combinations seems to have problems displaying the embedded play/stop buttons properly.]

1. Music from your earliest childhood:
Yes sir, I can boogie(Baccara) was the first song I remember singing together with my mum. Followed by more cheesy pieces like Mississippi(Pussycats), Leonhard Cohen’s Suzanne, before discovering the good stuff (=dad’s Stones Collection) including Sympathy for the devil(loved the Whoooo-hooo part!) and a lot of ABBA songs(=my mum’s collection). With my limited singing abilities, what started out as fun soon developed into a painful experiences for every listener – I’m always off-key. All the more I envy everybody with a beautiful singing voice…

2. Music you’re connecting your first great love with:
Foremost With or without you(U2) and Comfortably Numb, well, Pink Floyd in general – still enjoying both of their music.

3. Music bringing back a special vacation to mind:
It’s almost impossible to think of any vacation that’s NOT connected to certain songs or music, so I’ll choose the strongest memories: two years back on a tiny island in the Indian Ocean: two weeks of sun, diving, eating, reading, sleeping – yes, paradise DOES exist. We took several CDs with us to the island, but two songs are irrevocable connected to it: La vie- Philippe Saisse and Looking for the sun- Aya.

4. A song you’d rather not publicly admit to like, whereas in fact you really do:
I’m past the age where I felt embarrassed to admit favoring a special song or movie. O’s bewildered looks when I turn the volume up for Doris Dayor Neil Diamond songs like thisand this however, seem to be an indication for a possibly unshared preference…

5. Music that accompanied you going through severe lovesickness:
Besides a best girlfriend listening to your stories in repeat-all mode, music is the broken heart’s best friend. Putting on Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing compares 2Umade me cry just like she did in her video, Phil Collins’- Against All Oddsmade me cry even more… Thank god those times are long, long gone…

6. Music representing your favorite instrumental:
The last tango in Paris, eclectic fusion by Gotan Project, is these days my favorite. Love it even more since it appeared in my fave TV show (Nip/Tuck), because now I am able to visualize a video-less song (or is there one?). Or music by Prafuland Ottmar Liebert. Older favs would include Albatross by Fleetwood Mac as well as classic easy listening pieces by Bert Kaempfert

7. Music played by one of your favorite bands:
As this answer would differ from day to day, depending on what mood I’m in on that particular day, I’d rather talk about the band that has accompanied me for the longest period of time in my life. U2. Classics like Badand Where the streets have no name, soulful ballads such as Miss Sarajevoor Running to stand stilland more modern tracks- I love them all. Never just pop-lyrics…

8. Music that allows you to relax best:
Tunes that create a special atmosphere like Porcelainby Moby are perfect examples, even though this song has been exploited by any and every TV travel magazine. Same with Bebel Gilberto’ssoothing voice, Air’sand Schiller’sdreamy melodies.

9. Music standing for a real good time in your life:
As I tend to only memorize good times more than bad times, it’s pretty hard to decide which songs to pick. What’s upby 4 Non Blondes was the theme song when my friends and I finished school and had a wonderful summer – sleeping in forever, sweltry days at a pool or lake, just partying and having fun! Sing it backby Moloko and Drinking in L.A.by Bran Van 3000 stand for even more party nights while studying in Regensburg…

10. Songs that would currently qualify as your favorite:
In an upbeat mood:
Jose Gonzales – Save the DayChris Coco – Falling
Melancholic:
Chung King – Following
Wax Poetic feat. Norah Jones – Angels

11. Music you like, neither German nor English:
Everything Adriano Celentano. Totally adore him! First memories going back to countless holidays in Italy together with my grandparents where my grandma and I spent a lot of evenings at a run-down cinema on uncomfortable wooden chairs, watching his trashy movies. Top ones include Una festa sui pratiand Cosi Come Sei

12. Music you can let off steam best to:
Well, first of all, it has to be loud, real loud!!! Thankfully our neighbors are very tolerant (it also doesn’t happen all that often) ;) Sabotagefrom Beastie Boys works well, so does It ain’t overfrom the soundtrack to Hustle & Flow or Stop the Rockby Apollo 440.

13. Music reminding you of a special event (& what was it!):
The same thing can happen with food, but certain songs coincidentally heard on the radio or elsewhere can take me back in history within seconds – sometimes with overwhelming intensity. I really treasure those rare moments…
Sledgehammerby Peter Gabriel puts me right back to school: Having dance lessons (girls only), learning rather stupid moves (moving one arm like you were balancing a cake), boys from a neighboring school peeking through the windows… and a furious sports teacher running to catch them.
Edvard Grieg’s Morning Moodputs me back on a horse: We had been training hard for the annual Christmas dressage and were supposed to ride an elegant quadrille consisting of 8 horses. We had managed to get the horses used to classical music before – but as soon as the audience started to welcome the riders and horses (a real warm welcome!), it must have looked more like rodeo than dressage. Although the audience sat as quiet as a mouse from that moment on, the horses acted all psyched for the rest of the performance…

14. Soundtracks that complete an almost perfect movie:
Being a movie addict as much as a music lover, a great movie HAS TO HAVE a great soundtrack – such as Staying alive, The Graduate, The way we were, Kill Bill, Mulholland Drive, The Virgin Suicides, Lost in translationand many more…

15. A song you like because of its lyrics:
Sommer in der Stadt (translates to “Summer in town”)by Spider Murphy Gang: A German song about the beauty of summertime in Munich and its special places, including lines like “I’m running naked through the English Garden, sitting stoned at the Monopteros” or “I sip my iced coffee at the Rialto“(..hm, it doesn’t translate well)…Despite noon’s scorching heat, sweaty people in packed underground trains, everything becomes bearable – even charming (to an extent) – when my iPod plays this song ;)

16. Take five – in no particular order:
Songs among your personal all-time favs:
Jeff Buckley – Hallelujah
The Verve – Bittersweet Symphony
Simply Red – Holding back the years
Dido – Here with me
David Bowie – Heroes

Voices giving you goose bumps (in a good way):
Lamb – Gabriel
Anna Nalick – Breathe (2AM)
Flunk – Blind my mind
David Gray – Babylon
Hope Sandoval – Suzanne

Songs that never fail to lift your mood:
The one and only Elvis (link opens website in new window). Here is the background story to this recording, equally funny!
U2 – Beautiful day
Raemonn – All right
Cheryl Crow – Soak up the sun
OBI – Somewhere nicer

Songs making your feet move:
United Future Organization – Upa, Ne Guinho
George Michael – Amazing
Venus Attack Project – Riviera Paradise
Outkast – Hey Ya!
Wyclef Jean – Guantanamera

Most memorable music videos:
Blind melon – No rain
Talking Heads – Road to nowhere
Kate Bush – Cloudbusting
Smashing Pumpkins – Tonight, tonight
Robert Palmer – Addicted to love

Albums you listened to in repeat-all mode for-(almost)-ever:
Los Ladrones – Montana Rusa
St. Germain – Tourist
Swing out sister – Where our love grows
De-Phazz – Death by chocolate
Pat Metheny – Letter from home