A Playlist of the Forthcoming Depression: 10 New Songs to Play on Your Ipod on the Walk to the Soup Line

"POOR HOUSE" - THE BOXMASTERS
A fantastically trashy anthem whose time has come. A low rent high time by Billy Bob Thornton's hillbilly heroes.

"A FEW WORDS IN DEFENSE OF OUR COUNTRY" - RANDY NEWMAN
A witty reminder that our current administration could be doing worse . . . theoretically.

"RICH WOMAN" ROBERT PLANT/ALISON KRAUSS
Remember, it's never too late to find a rich woman -- or two.

"BUSY BEING FABULOUS" - THE EAGLES
Money can't buy you love. I know this because a really rich rock star told me so. Think of all the time we'll have for those families we can no longer support!

"DON'T GO THERE" - NEIL DIAMOND
Please guys and gals, don't go to your bad place. Be strong -- like a Neil Diamond vocal. While you're at it, please use your last remaining dollar to buy my brand new book He Is . . . I Say: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Neil Diamond. Talk about win-win: You can stop worrying and I can get some goddamn royalties.

"MERCY" - DUFFY
Mercy is an excellent quality in bad times, and "Mercy" is an excellent soul tune for a white chick from Wales.

"DIGGING THE FAULT LINE" - BRENT CASH
A happy harmonic convergence for these troubled times. Dig it.

"THE TROUBLE I'M IN" - GAVIN ROSSDALE
A brooding reminder that we all have trouble -- even when we're married to Gwen Stefani. I could live with trouble like that, but my wife says I'd be in trouble.

"WALLS" - GLEN CAMPBELL
This cover of the Tom Petty song is one of the best tracks from one of the best albums of 2008. Like the song says, "Some days are diamonds/some days are rocks." Take a deep breath, listen closely and prepare to step over a few boulders on the path back to prosperity. I hear it's just around the corner.

Comments

[mredder4]

Duffy remains something of a blond, better-polished Amy Winehouse knock-off. If you want troubled lyrics, stick to the original and check out Back to Black on Winehouse's album of the same name.

[OldJewEyes]

Love Winehouse, but I thought the idea was music to get you through troubled times -- not music by troubled talents. The goal here is to survive tough times, right?

[mredder4]

Rebuttal: Who knows trouble as well as Amy Winehouse? Between her addiction (like the US economy to credit) and troubled relationships (America's battered-wife-syndrome affair with Republican governance), Amy Winehouse has been through it all. And it's reflected in many of her songs.

Besides, how could you listen to music to help get you through troubled times from someone who's so perky and upbeat that it reminds you that they're unlikely to be going through anything like the problems you're facing?

Soul singers need real soul; it can't be manufactured.

[JBS]

I dunno 'bout that. Amy Winehouse just don't do a thing for me.

My first impression of the Duffy song was "Dusty Springfield". The song harks back to 60's :"blue eyed soul", and I thought the video was "fab".

It's the only song on the list I'd heard before, and one of very few newer songs I bothered to listen to more than once. I don't much care for a lot of the newer pop music; nothing wrong with it, it just doesn't appeal to me ... but every once in a while something good comes along.

Most recently that's Duffy's Mercy.

[Charity]

IPOD? who can afford an IPOD?

[OldJewEyes]

You're old one should last until November 4, and by then both parties will be promising a new IPOD for all voters.

[OldJewEyes]

All excellent choices -- I was trying to stick to new songs, but these are all outstanding.
I also like to think the playlist helped the market turnaround today.

[BlackJAC]

You forgot "Low Budget" by the Kinks.

[karpar]

"Minimum Wage" - They Might Be Giants
"Phantom" - Mr. Lif
"Cold Cold Ground" - Tom Waits (in point of fact, almost anything by Tom Waits)
"Used Cars" - Bruce Springsteen (Ani Difranco's cover on the Springsteen tribute album is also quite good)
and many more...