“But don’t forget the songs that made you cry,
Or the songs that saved your life.
Yes, you’re older now. And you’re a clever swine.
But they were the only ones who ever stood by you…”

-The Smiths, “Rubber Ring”

So, I’ve been working on this play. It’s called “The Years I’m Missing,” and, among other things, it’s about nostalgia, music, internal language, and “coming of age.” I’m stuck. I have been for a long time. Given that so many of the narrative components are about the principle character’s (me, mostly) experience with music, I thought it might be interesting to start working through my writer’s block by working on little essays about particular songs of importance to me. What’s that? Why, yes, I have read Nick Hornby’s excellent “31 Songs.” Why do you ask?

Ok, so I stole the idea.

It’s still worth doing, isn’t it? I can’t promise these things will happen all the time, but I am planning at least a dozen, and I hope to have one a week. You’ll be able to follow the progress by simply selecting this category from the list. Oh, and I’d really love to talk about any of them with anyone who might want to comment. Music’s best when you can share it. So, there we go. I won’t be listing them in order of importance, as that would be both insane and impossible, but I will likely start with those that are easiest to talk about.

Be brave, kind reader.