the compilation i would make for myself if i was trying to win my own heart

It’s a two-discer.

Disc 1

Art Brut – Good Weekend

Ben Kweller – Thirteen

The Beatles – Martha My Dear (I don’t care if it’s allegedly about Paul’s dog; it always has my heart.)

Billy Joel – Rosalinda’s Eyes

Ben Folds Five – Don’t Change Your Plans

Bob Dylan – Girl from the North Country

The Box Tops – The Letter

Bright Eyes – First Day of My Life

Ryan Adams – Gonna Make You Love Me

Peter Gabriel – In Your Eyes

Buffalo Tom – Late at Night

The Everly Brothers – Dreams

Tom Waits – I Want You

Voxtrot – Every Day

Hall & Oates – You Make My Dreams (Don’t make fun.  It’s delightful.)

James Taylor – Only One

Jack’s Mannequin – Made For Each Other, parts 1 & 2

Disc 2

Sam Cooke – (Ain’t That) Good News

Pete Doherty ft. Wolfman – For Lovers

Jim Sturgess – All My Lovin’ (See how I did that?  I avoided my own dilemma – I’m very against the same artist appearing more than once on one CD, but love “All My Lovin’” and “Martha, My Dear” equally – by bringing in the very loverly version from “Across the Universe.”  Bam.)

Cory Morrow – Live Forever

Joshua Radin – Only You

The Decemberists – Red Right Ankle

Kaiser Chiefs – Ruby

The Kooks – She Moves in Her Own Way

Gavin Osborne – The Greatest Thing There Is

Little Man Tate – You and Me Might Be Alright, You Know

The Maccabees – Toothpaste Kisses

The Romantics – What I Like About You

Mason Jennings – Darkness Between the Fireflies (I may or may not have included this solely on its mention of the Appalachian mountains.  But it’s still wonderful.)

Mary Chapin Carpenter – Passionate Kisses

Modern English - I Melt With You

The Mountain Goats – International Small Arms Traffic Blues

Wilco – I’m the Man Who Loves You

Neutral Milk Hotel - In an Aeroplane Under the Sea

The making of a great compilation tape, like breaking up is hard to do. It takes ages longer than it might seem. You gotta kick it off with a killer to grab attention. Then you gotta take it up a notch. But you don’t want to blow your wad. So then you gotta cool it off a notch. There are a lot of rules. Anyway, I’ve started to make a tape, in my head, for Laura. Full of stuff she’d like. Full of stuff that’d make her happy. For the first time I can sorta see how that’s done. – Rob Gordon, “High Fidelity”