recently all kinds of totally random songs from my past have been percolating in my brain, so i’ll choose two that would probably be totally unique to my personal internal CD player:

Even a Miracle Needs a Hand
from Twas the Night Before Christmas
(You can listen to it here.)

because I’ve been working for the last 6 months on a building a new non-profit (Epic Change), and the sentiment is perfect.

Let the River Flow
from Up with People
(You can listen to it here.)

Because it reminds me of my brother.

Both these songs are ubercheesy and have limited musical appeal, so I actually don’t really listen to them outside my own brain; they just have messages that are particularly timely for me. So as not to leave anyone with the impression that these are indicative of my normal musical tastes, here’s what’s on the last CD I made:

Maybe I’m Amazed (Jem)
The Way I Am (Ingrid Michaelson)
The Story (Brandi Carlile)
Last Request (Paulo Nutini)
Electricity (Elton John from ‘Billy Elliot’ &
which, btw, describes precisely, for me, how it feels to dance)
Whatta Man (Salt-N-Pepa & En Vogue)
At Last (Etta James)
Lost Without You (Robin Thicke)
No One (Alicia Keys)
Father Figure (George Michael)
By Your Side (Sade)
My Love (Justin Timberlake)
Stronger (Kanye West)
Hide and Seek (Imogen Heap)
My Dear Acquaintance (Regina Spektor)

Throw out more great questions on twitter, and follow me there @StaceyMonk, and I’ll try to answer.

so many songs come to mind … lessee … “i will survive” by donna summer because of the hope and the energy;

“redemption song” by bob marley because of the social justice it speaks of;

“california dreamin’” by the mamas and papas – reminds me of my teenage days, when my first boyfriend was in a band and they were playing it all the time;

“is that all there is” by peggy lee: i love the closeness to life of that song; the deep melancholy mixed with joie de vivre;

“manha de carnival” (black orpheus samba) in joan baez’ version – a song that has accompanied me almost all my life. it’s beautiful and reincorces my connection with latin america;

“gracias a la vida” (thanks to life) by violeta parra. another song from latin america. deeply spiritual in a totally secular way, it speaks to all the miracles we experience in life;

and at least one gospel song needs to be here. hmmm … how about “sometimes i feel like a motherless child”

oh and the russian lullaby i grew up with and is now passed on to my grandson: “bayu bayushki bayu”

i guess i should stop now …