We learned more from a three-minute record, baby, than we ever learned in school...

A few of my friends with more life experience than I were sitting around the Brick House one night after another night on the political circuit and the topic of mix-tapes came up. I was young enough to know how to make a mix tape, not necessarily understand the value of a good mix-tape...It would be a few years since I would get behind the wheel of the Dodge Neon that would be my car for the remaining 2 years of high school. (My mother did give me the keys to her Mercedes once or twice during that period...and one of those times was for the Christmas Dance (the other of course, the senior prom), in which entering the car I happened to slip on ice and snap off the turning signal...I mean, I was going for the Gerald Ford way to impress my date) In the junior high years, the average CD boombox had become sophisticated enough to dub the CD track to a Maxell, which gave me the ultimate gift of the mix. But then blank CD's became the rage and the cassette went the way of the 8-track, Betamax and the Laserdisc. (and Nintendo Virtual Boy)

But as I went back & sifted through some of those old blank CDs. One was a gift from an old girlfriends (like the one entitled Valentine's Day Mix - XOXO, Di...it was interesting popping that in for a quick scan...These Are The Days (not the 1993 MTV Unplugged version..10,000 Maniacs - Unplugged...truly an underrated album...I wish Natalie Merchant never left) , Jersey Girl (which by the way, does not include rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles and down the shore everything's alright if it's north of LBI...could be one reason it didn't work...), I Got You Babe, some early John Mayer, that song Amazing by Josh Kelley which was popular in the early part of this decade...Most of the others were just mixes I made that weren't very descriptive: Bruce #2, Country, U2 Mix, Rock...The ambiguousness of what they contain didn't bother me. I mean, after all, I did make them...but popping a few of them in made me come up with the hypothetical question: If I were on Oceanic Flight 815, it went down...and I was left with one CD (i know this is all mute because we all have iPods...but that takes the fun out of this)....So i'll change it to: "if my life were a movie, what would I pick to be on it's soundtrack?"

Like a good mix-tape, it shouldn't (and can't be) an album featuring just one particular artist...While Harry Connick, Jr. leapt to musical superstardom and Jill Goodacre with the bulk of the music on the When Harry Met Sally motion picture soundtrack (and many others like the Bee Gees, Prince and the Beatles did so as well..and they are all among the best soundtracks), but they're not exactly "mixes"...The great ones of the past 30 years in my own opinion: The Big Chill, Reality Bites, Forrest Gump, Fast Times at Ridgemont High (and not just because it gave me an excuse to post a picture of Phoebe Cates) and Singles.

Remember, it's self-applicable....I'm sure you'll all have different ones on your "ultimate soundtrack....But the only rule I have is you're only allowed to use one song by each artist. And like a good soundtrack, its a mix of mega-stars and minor-leaguers and little people..So here is the soundtrack to "the yet to be titled film" about me:

Two Princes - Spin Doctors
They could use a comeback..My God, they were on the cover of Rolling Stone..."Pocket Full of Kryptonite" was a great album...and i'm pretty sure this song was on the first actual mix-tape i've ever made, not to mention the first song I ever played on a jukebox...which was at Nellie's Place in Waldwick.

Do You Love Me - The Contours
One of the first and fondest memories I had sitting in the front seat of the car was singing this song from the "More Dirty Dancing" soundtrack...which obviously was a spin-off from the wildly successful "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack. I'd play DJ and just keep this song playing. In 1987-1988, it was a staple in every woman 18-50's automobile.

Wonderful World - Sam Cooke
Combines a truly great song about school, love and an image of John Belushi on a cafeteria line that remains timeless.

Best of What's Around - DMB
My favorite Dave Matthews Band song. All about perseverance. "Turns out not where but who you're with that really matters"

Jungleland - Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band
I can't decide if Clarence Clemmons sax solo or the piano/guitar ending of the original "Layla" is my favorite music performance of all-time

You Took the Words Right Out Of My Mouth - Meat Loaf'
Just one of my favorite songs of all-time..Bat out of Hell was one of the first albums I ever had..and if it's my soundtrack, its on there.

Friday I'm In Love - The Cure
While the Cure was huge in New Wave, this early 90's was home to great little indie-rock pop songs

I Want You Back - Jackson 5
C'mon, whats a soundtrack without a little of Gary, Indiana's most famous quintuplet Michael, Tito, Jermaine, Jackie and Marlon

End of the Road - Boyz II Men
The first slow-dance I ever had was in 4th grade to this song with a girl named Lara Kowalski who seemingly moved not too long after....I wonder why. Plus the obligatory Barry White-like speaking part that has become the M.O. of most of this groups classics are a 9.5 on the unintentional comedy scale.

A Little Respect - Erasure
It took me until I got XM a few years ago to figure out the name and who sang this song...If you had to put one song in time-capsule, admit it, this is the true definition of the 80's...It really can be on any soundtrack....and the video....just watch the music video.

Up Around the Bend - Creedence Clearwater Revival
I mean, it starts with "There's a place up a head and I'm going...Just as fast as my feet can fly"...They're flying a lot faster than last year...

Vienna - Billy Joel
"You've got your passion...you've got your pride...but don't you know that only fools are satisfied...Dream on, but don't imagine they'll all come true...When will you realize Vienna waits for you?" Reality check.

All for You - Sister Hazel
Late 90's...Reminds me of high school...

Day by Day - The Hooters
Did you know they played Live Aid? Amazing....Not to mention, one of my good friends Kerry, is a former "groupie"...It's the "Main-Line" thing...

Walk On - U2
While U2 was a mega-group since "The Joshua Tree" and kept growing (with a little hitch in the road with the album "Pop") I truly think they morphed into something that we cannot explain or comprehend in the days after September 11, 2001 . One of the greatest experiences of my life was seeing them at Madison Square garden a month and a half after 9-11. This song is the anthem that ensures that I and many other Americans "Never Forget".

Goodbye, Goodbye - Oingo Bongo
A happy song to end with...and keeps with the Phoebe Cates theme...

I hope I got people thinking and I'd love to hear what some of y'all think would be on yours.

In the meantime...Stay Classy, San Diego.