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My wife is off playing Bunco, so I have my iPod cranked up throughout the house.  With music blasting, it occurred to me that it may be a good time to share the warped mind of my iPod.  You can never tell what sounds might come out of it. 

Listening to music is one of my favorite pastimes.  Cranking of the radio and letting the sound fill the air is a great pleasure.  It is truly pleasurable when that music is of the Rock variety.  However, listening to live music is more enjoyable.  I have been lucky enough to attend many concerts, and there is nothing like being in a room filled with people and hearing a performer sing a great song. 

The other day, I was at the magazine rack when I spotted something called 101 Greatest American Rock Songs.  With a title like that, how could I not buy it?  The magazine offers an interesting list with stories about each one.  As I read through it, a question entered my mind. 

How many of these songs have I heard in a live setting?  In Nashville, we hear a bunch of songs being covered by bar bands.  My real question was trickier.  How many of these songs have I heard performed by their actual performers in a live setting? 

Here is the answer. 

98. “ When Doves Cry” by Prince

97. “ Legs” by ZZ Top

95. “ All Shook Up” by Elvis Presley

94. “ Lay, Lady, Lay” by Bob Dylan

92. “ Paradise By the Dashboard Light” by Meatloaf

84. “ Jackie Brown” by John Mellencamp

82. “ Black Magic Woman” by Santana

72. “ Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan

64. “ School’s Out” by Alice Cooper

62. “ Rock and Roll All Nite” by Kiss

60. “ Tangled Up in Blue” by Bob Dylan

51. “ Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses

48. “ Bye Bye Love” by The Everly Brothers

46. “ Dream On” by Aerosmith

36. “ Heartbreaker” by Pat Benatar

32. “ All Along the Watchtower” by Bob Dylan

31. “ One of These Nights” by The Eagles

29. “ Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

27. “ Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” by Bob Dylan

24. “ Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

23. “ Enter Sandman” by Metallica

22. “ Atlantic City” by Bruce Springsteen

18. “ Walk This Way” by Aerosmith

10. “ In the Ghetto” by Elvis Presley

9. “ Hotel California” by The Eagles

5. “ Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd

3. “ Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen

2. “ Like a Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan

I have been lucky enough to hear 28 out of 101 in a live setting, and, by looking at the list, I am afraid that I will not be able to add many more. 

The other night, we saw The Rolling Stones at LP Field, the home of the Tennessee Titans.  Those of you who read this blog on a regular basis know that I am a music lover and am a big fan of concerts.  However, I learned something about myself at this one.  I do not like stadium shows.  Seeing an iconic band like The Rolling Stones is great, but football stadiums are not conducive to a good show. 

First, the weather has an impact.  It was miserably hot and affected my ability to enjoy to music.  However, other kinds of weather can mess it up.  Rain.  Thunder.  Lightning.  Anyway, the heat was unbearable. 

Second, there are no good seats.  Unless you are in front of the stage or have some sort of VIP pass, there is no good place to watch a concert in a football stadium.  You are always far from the stage.  That means you can hear a live concert, but you cannot necessarily see a live concert. 

All of this means that I am a fan of indoor concerts.  Good seats are actually good seats.  Even bad seats are close enough to see something.  People can feel like they are part of an event rather than being on the outskirts of one. 

On top of that, indoor concerts are climate controlled.  I saw Jimmy Buffett in an arena while it was storming outside.  It rained enough to flood Nashville over the next several days. 

Bringing up Jimmy Buffett makes me think of something else.  His concerts are known as outdoor parties under the sun.  I have seen him outside.  I have seen him inside.  The indoor shows were better. 

The same goes for The Rolling Stones.  I saw them in an arena and in a stadium.  The arena show was better.  They may not have performed better, but it was a better experience. 

A few months ago, we saw Kenny Chesney in concert.  It was an awesome show and a lot better than the time we saw him in a stadium. 

Bottom line, football stadiums are not designed for concerts and the best ones are in smaller indoor buildings.  However, I do not want to disparage the band.  The Rolling Stones are great, and it is hard to believe they can perform at that level at their ages.  They are a Hall of Fame band, and I want to end this post on a positive note.  Since they are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I thought it would be interesting to see how many members I have seen in concert. 

The Grammy Awards are on and taking my focus away from the blog.  Between Twitter and the television, I am being inundated with information.  Lorde has black fingers.  Daft Punk has cool headgear.  According to my wife, Keith Urban has a messed up haircut.  Katy Perry tried to emulate the witchy aura of Stevie Nicks.  All I can say is that she is no Stevie Nicks. 

With my mind cluttered with the world of music, I may as well go ahead and add more music to it.  That means putting the iPod on shuffle and teeing it up.  I don’t know how many of these people won a Grammy, but being included on the playlist should make up for any previous snubs. 

I am sitting in the theater surrounded by men in tuxedos and women in expensive gowns.  My eyes are closed.  My palms are sweaty.  I know that I am being watched on a split screen by millions of people, and they are watching me freak out.  Suddenly, I hear my name called out.  Everyone begins to clap as I hug the people around me.  I give a big kiss to the blonde that is accompanying me, but I can’t remember her name.  After all, we just met a few hours ago. 

I can’t feel myself walking down the aisle and onto the stage.  But, I know who’s waiting for me.  Winona Ryder, the presenter, is smiling and looking at me with eyes that are saying this is not the only award I will be getting tonight.  I give her a kiss on the cheek as she hands me…. 

Is it a dream?  Kind of but not really.  Today, I was honored to receive this award from Fern over at The Fur Files.  Check out her blog.  She writes about a bunch of things, including marriage and sex.  Wait, marriage and sex go together? 

I am not sure what rules I need to follow to complete the reception of this award, so I am just going to list my favorite Sweets. 

I wonder if it is as sweet right side up. 

Angels sang when Hot Tamales were first born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. 

Yesterday, I was told that I am eccentric.  When I asked for some examples, I got the following:

I can read for hours at a time. ( Is that strange?) 

I have no food in my refrigerator. ( At least I have a refrigerator.) 

Sometimes I like to sit in the dark. ( Sometimes lights hurt my eyes.) 

Anyway, after three I said that was enough.  I suppose that in some people’s opinions I am eccentric, but aren’t we all?  After the conversation, I started thinking of things that may make me different from others, and I started wondering if the things I wonder about are the same things other people wonder about.  For example, I have always wondered how many songs have the name of my state, Tennessee, in their title.  I have searched this but can never find an answer.  This is a musical place and has inspired many songs, so it may be an impossible quest. 

Instead of just thinking about my state, I began to think about other states as well.  Are all states remembered in song?  With that in mind, I decided to make a list, and this post in the first installment.  I will search for songs with states in their titles and list the ones I like the best.  I will try to stay away from official state songs, but that may be impossible.  After all, some states have been placed in music a bunch of times while others have been barely used.  I will also include a link for people to listen if they like. 

If there are some state songs that you like, then tell me about them. 

Here are the first ten:

Alabama – Several songs have been written about Alabama, but I am going with Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”.  Recorded as an answer to Neil Young’s “Southern Man”, this song became a classic of the Southern Rock genre. 

Alaska – “North to Alaska” was a hit for Johnny Horton in 1960.  Included in the movie of the same title, it is a somewhat humorous chronicle of the Alaska Gold Rush. 

Arkansas – There are quite a few old-timey songs about Arkansas, but I am trying to keep this list in the latter half of the 20th Century.  This time we will go with Bruce Springsteen’s “Mary Queen of Arkansas”. 

California – This state is included in tons of songs, but on my list there is only one.  My favorite song of all time is “Hotel California” by The Eagles.  Nothing else even comes close. 

Colorado – Alright, I didn’t pick a John Denver song.  I know that would be the obvious choice, but sometimes it’s good to not be so obvious.  Instead, I chose the aptly titled “Colorado” by The Flying Burrito Brothers. 

Connecticut – Man, this was a tough one.  This state doesn’t seem to lead to much musical inspiration.  Maybe it hard to rhyme something with Connecticut.  I finally found a short instrumental by Aerosmith called “I Live in Connecticut”. 

Delaware – Another difficult one found me grasping for anything I could get my ears on.  I finally discovered that Perry Como recorded a song called “What Did Delaware, Boy?”,  which is based on an old joke. 

Florida – This is a popular state for tourism and sun, and I thought that would lead to several songs.  It didn’t.  However, with sun, sand and ocean all around, I figured I might as well go with Mr. Sun-Sand-and-Ocean himself, Jimmy Buffett, and his song “Floridays”.  I know the spelling is messed up, but the name is in there somewhere. 

Georgia – Now, here is a state with a bushel of songs written about it.  It seems like everyone who has ever recorded a song has come up with one about Georgia.  With many choices, I have decided on the original version of “Rainy Night in Georgia” by Tony Joe White. 

So, twenty percent of the states have been covered.  Tune in next time for another ten classic tunes.  Remember, if you have some ideas for your state or any other, then please let me know.