"I'm sick of not having the courage to be an absolute nobody," J.D. Salinger wrote in Franny And Zooey. "I'm sick of myself and everybody else that wants to make some kind of a splash." By virtue of his genius as a writer and the fact that he became a fascinatingly elusive character in his own right, J.D. Salinger remains even after his death an absolute somebody. In the weeks ahead, Salinger is posthumously making the kind of splash that he resisted most of his life. As a fan, I can't absolutely can't wait to see Shane Salerno's documentary Salinger out September 6th -- and read the accompanying biography Salerno has written with David Shields. Until then, here are my own songs for Salinger -- beginning with a masterpiece by another great writer who was killed by someone who brutally misunderstood The Catcher in the Rye. Here's hoping we all understand Salinger more in the weeks to come. As always, please raise high the roof beam and add your own songs -- and thoughts -- below.
ISOLATION - John Lennon
SECRET WORLD - Peter Gabriel
CATCHER IN THE RYE - Guns 'N Roses
WHO WROTE HOLDEN CAUFIELD? - Green Day
BANANAFISHBONES - The Cure
WILLIAM HOLDEN CAUFIELD - Too Much Joy
ALL BY MYSELF - Eric Carmen
SPEEDWAY - Counting Crows
WE'RE GONNA BE FRIENDS - The White Stripes
DES FLEURS POUR SALINGER - Indochine
PRIVATE UNIVERSE - Crowded House
YOUNG FOLKS - Peter Bjorn & John
HEY FRANNY, IT ZOOEY - A_Scissors
LEAVE ME ALONE - Michael Jackson
EVERYONE'S ALONE - Josh Doyle
ALONE AND FORSAKEN - Hank Williams
PRIVATE PROPERTY - Ringo Starr
SOME SECRETS - Curt Smith
IF YOU REALLY WANT TO HEAR ABOUT IT - The Ataris
IF I WERE A CARPENTER - Tim Hardin
WHEN I'M ALONE - Sam Phillips
I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW - Tommy James & The Shondells
I'VE BEEN TO TOWN - Frank Sinatra
THAT'S YOUR SECRET - Seal Level
NATIVE NEW YORKER - Odyssey
ALONE AGAIN (NATURALLY) - Gilbert O'Sullivan
BEING ALONE TOGETHER - David & David
YOUR SECRET'S SAFE WITH ME - Michael Franks
ONLY THE LONELY - Roy Orbison
LADY WRITER - Dire Straits
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET? - Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas