Well I find myself in reverie….

So the short story is I’ve pretty much managed to max out my computer and gobbled up all the memory and I keep getting the same threatening pop up “Your startup disk is almost full”.  Terror. I’m not a techy and I don’t even know how to uninstall programs. (I know! I know!  How do I even get myself out the door this morning being such a colossal idiot!) 

So I’ve backed a bunch of stuff up and am starting the great delete.  And since I’m afraid to touch most of my programs, I’m going with photos and music first.  Those seem like decent big-ticket items, right?  (Not so much). 

Anycomputerlessthansavvygirl, today I hit up my iTunes library to see what I could do.  

Starting point:

3760 songs.  9.8 days of music.  18.06GB

So this amount of music is probably a little bit nuts, but I’m pretty sure I’m nowhere near the world record of music libraries.  My problem is that it’s so overloaded with crap and duplicates and stuff I never listen to and a few (lots of) shameful songs that I swear crept in like wet Gremlins who were kept up after midnight.  Just.  Plain.  Evil.

Now I just so happened to recently have a convo with a friend of mine about the wholly personal side of showing your playlist with anyone.  It’s like exposing your soul…your psyche….your insecurities…your dirty little secrets…you flat out bad/cheesy/lame taste…it’s like standing in Times Square naked while everyone scopes you out and judges. 

So my friend went on to say that and he said he’d rather have someone read his diary than flip through his playlists.  I’m definitely more on the “look at my playlist” side of things, because even though this is going to be embarrassing, I’m not one to hold back in the writing that isn’t intended for other eyes.  Pretty sure I mentioned that I’m going to need to mark my future calendar before I get too elderly so I can have my very own book burning.  Stopping anyone else from reading my personal writing…yeah, that’s a hill I’m willing to die on.

So let the musical slashing begin.

I am buried in acoustic versions of songs.  And I love me an acoustic, but a lot of these sound like someone snuck into a band rehearsal with a tape recorder and I got the crappy bootleg.  Farewell Sum 41’s "Over My Head".  See ya later Dave Matthews and your poorly recorded “Wild Horses”.  

And why do I need “Sugar We’re Going Down”? I’m not even a Fall Out Boy fan, yet I have the acoustic and regular version sucking up space.  Multiple acoustics of Matchbox 20’s “Push” (when was I obsessed with this song, because of course, the studio version also lives here??).  I am however still obsessed with Rob Thomas on the piano singing “3 AM”.  The song is about his mom, but I prefer a more romantic boy/girl storyline. (You can think me cheesy, but it’s really that damn good.)

But Saran McLachlan covering “Solsbury Hill”?  Not so much.  Sorry lady.  I’m a fan but not of this one.  And the acoustic version of Snow Patrol’s “Run” actually ran the risk of making me hate the original version.  My ears hate me right now. Must. Play.  Original.  Luckily I have two copies of it, so that’s easy enough to do.  And Counting Crows covering “I Will Follow”?!!??!  Um, this is epically bad.

Oh good God!  And then there’s epically worse.  An acoustic version of “Sweet Home Alabama”.  Sounds horrendous.  And a Kid Rock cover of it too?  Sweet Jesus.  Cannot get that one into the trash fast enough. Kid Rock doesn’t belong on my playlist. EVER.  Ick.  Ugh.

I blame LimeWire.  That was a gateway drug if ever there was one.  (I paid the initial fee though so I paid for my music, thankyouverymuch).  And even though I don’t even remember downloading these (Kid Rock? KID ROCK???  Feel dirty just typing his name).  I know I went through a big “what was that song from Dawson’s Creek this week” phase too, so I think I can blame that for the real sap-tastic ones. 

So here’s a sampling of the shame list that I deleted. (I’m so not revealing the shame that still lives on my Mac):

• "Somewhere" (from West Side Story) – covered by Josh Grobin and Charlotte Church. Holy awful! Love the movie…this version hurts my ears.
• "Shake it Off" – Mariah.  (Shame. A few Mariah’s bit the dust.)
• "Fly" – Hilary Duff (More shame.  And more than one of her songs met their maker today.)
• "Perfect Moment" - Martine McCutcheon.  Have no idea who this is or what it’s from, but it’s crazy cheesy and painful to listen to.  “You’re the world to me.  I wish I could frame the look in your eyes.  The way that I feel for you inside.”  Throwing up in my mouth.
• "Over" – Lindsay Lohan (Don’t ask.  Please.)

And some of the ones that might be embarrassing but I kept them anyway:  (And if you think these are the super shame ones, oh man, how you have underestimated how low I can go.)

• "Poison" – Bell Biv Devoe - If for no other reason than “never trust a big butt and a smile”
• "Then He Kissed Me" -  “Adventures in Babysitting” anyone?
• "Girlfriend" – NSYNC featuring Nelly.  There’s just something about this song.  I think this was the first NSYNC song I heard that I was actually like, “Hmmmm…they’re not *that* bad.)
• "Celebrate Me Home" – Kenny Loggins. Some of you may even recognize this from Season 1 of “90210” when the Walshes were going to move back to Minnesota but then Jim realizes that home is where the heart is, not the bigger paycheck.  (This is also of course before he found out Dylan and Brenda had sex, so if he knew that, probably would’ve taken the new job).  Anyway, if you have any idea what I’m talking about, feel free to find me a bit ridic and move on.
• "Baby Love" – Regina.  Total 80s.  Everyone thought she was Madonna on the radio because the song is super reminiscent of Borderline (aka when Madonna truly ruled). 

And what’s a little frightening is that I haven’t listened to some of these songs in forever and yet I still know all the lyrics to "Sk8ter Boy". To "Paul Revere". To "The Shoop Shoop Song" from Mermaids (which I watched purely for Jake Ryan eye candy).  To EVERY Barenaked Ladies song. EVER.  (Well at least through the Steven Page years.)

Couldn’t tell you much about the classes I took in college, but I can belt out "Don’t Put Another Dime in the Jukebox" like I’ve been listening to it on repeat for months.  (I haven’t.) The mind truly is a mystery….

So there’s crap music and then I’ve also managed to load duplicates and sometimes triplicates of songs, which isn’t always the end of the world, but a total waste of space.  It is however tragic to have Missy Elliot’s “Work It” three times over.  Or Alanis’ “Thank U”. A:  I’m not that grateful for disillusionment.  B:  The line “how about me enjoying a moment for once” kind of just depressed the hell out of me.  Must minimize the “shuffle” odds of this once creeping in and killing my good day!

I also managed to accumulate nine…yup NINE…versions of "Landslide".  Duplicates and covers. This song I do love and am therefore keeping one of each.  Now I’m down to four. More respectable.  And the five versions of “Just Can’t Get Enough”.  Now it’s two different songs, but still, kind of a lot.  And five versions of “In Your Eyes” which I could only get down to four.  It’s like Sophie’s Choice here!  The pressure!!!

Then there are some duplicates that make total sense – it’s for the multiple versions of the songs I love to death – "Wonderwall"…album version, live version, Oasis, Ryan Adams.  "Times Like These"…album, acoustic, live.  All worth the space suck. 

In the land of random, I have some songs that don’t even have artists names so I don’t even know who the hell sings them. “Strength Courage Wisdom”.  Huh? Never listened to it, but can only guess I downloaded that one in an “I will survive whatever crap I happen to be going through right now” moment.  Anyone know a song called “Souvenirs” that some woman sings?  Yeah.  Me neither.

And now I’m kind of exhausted. 

But then there’s greatness from spending endless hours knee deep in my past. I’ve totally rediscovered some songs that haven’t been a part of my rotation in ages. 

• "Spirit of 76" where I snagged today’s title from.  This epically reminds me of HS and my hometown in all the best ways possible.  Not sure why The Alarm rocked the hell out of Pleasantville but it was like everyone knew who they were and listened to them and went to concerts.  When I got to college next to no one knew who they were. Their loss.  This song takes me all they way back. 
• "Lightning Crashes" – Live.  Placenta or not, I just love this one. 
• "Save It For Later" – Harvey Danger cover.  Just good fun.
• "The Metro" – Berlin. This song made me a bit obsessed with Paris trains that emerged in London rain.  I thought Teri Nunn was the coolest chick, along with Blondie and Siobhan Fahey from Bananarama.
• "Local God" – Everclear.  Romeo & Juliet had such an ass-kicking soundtrack.
• "Little Heaven" – Toad the Wet Sprocket.  “Change will happen whether we’re still or moving.”  This is one of their best I think.
• "Ladyfingers" – Luscious Jackson.  This takes me back to a specific moment in time and an even more specific moment in Chicago. Blissfully happy and this song will always bring that feeling rushing back.
• "Key West Intermezzo" – John Mellencamp. One – totally dig this song.  Two – Matthew McConoughey in the video. Love. Love.  Love. Could just listen to his voice for the rest of my days and I would be a happy chick.  Three - the lyric, "She whispers in his ear, 'Boy, you are my star.'"  

• "Awful" – Hole.   Courtney’s post Kurt CD.  I loved it.  “He tastes like candy.  He’s so beautiful.”  Great lines.
• "Song For the Dumped" – Ben Folds Five.  No man has ever said it better.
• "The Homecoming Queen’s Gotta Gun" – Julie Brown.  What ever happened to her?  Between this and Earth Girls Are Easy, this chick was pretty damn funny!  “I mean it’s like the whole school was totally coked or something.”
• "Harder To Breathe" – Maroon 5
• "Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby" –  Counting Crows (in a song of redemption).  “If you’ve never stared off into the distance then your life is a shame”
• "Goodbye Girl" – Squeeze.  Love it more than Tempted. It’s pretty much 80s perfection.  And any song that utters “Boston” kind of instantly makes my list.
• "Amsterdam" – Guster.  I will forever love them and this song sounds like how they sound live.  Just makes me so happy.  

This was like looking through old photo albums.  Talking to old friends.  Reminiscing.  Purging.  Starting over.  Clean slate.  Good.  Times.

Ending point:

3320 songs.  8.7 days of music.  16.45GB

So over 400 songs gone and I got a whole day of my life back. Which I guess will make up for the day I lost doing this. 

And now for my perfect ending to the day: