The Forgotten Ones in a Library of Infinite Possibilities

When you have a music collection as extensive as mine (and one that is always growing), after a while you start to forget what you actually own in your collection. Sure, I know what I have in my collection when it comes to some of my standby bands and artists, but it's the acts where I may only have one or two songs that often get lost in the shuffle. While I consider my iTunes library of just over eleven thousand songs to still be small, it still surprised me when one day a couple songs popped up that not only did I forget were good songs, but forgot I even owned! So that got me thinking; why not pull up a sample of ten tracks and see if after listening to them, I could piece together where/when I picked them up, and if they had any significance. Here's what I came up with:

Cibo Matto - "Sugar Water"

I went through this phase when I had to have every song that was ever featured on the television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I seriously think I have maybe kept a dozen songs in total from that time period.  This particular song was featured during the second season premier "When She Was Bad". It's actually a great song, a slow, sexy number that's not overly provocative. I could never seem to get into anything else by Cibo Matto, but this is definitely a gem of a track.

DB Boulevard - "Point of View"

I've been introduced to some great music over the years by equally great television. I'm not a big television watcher anymore, so when I do watch, I tend to pay attention to the music used. DB Boulevard's "Point of View" was used in an episode of Sex and the City, and the song about single (lady) empowerment is a refreshing change of pace from all the other angsty or kitschy "I'm going to get over you" songs, without being over the top (I'm looking at you Beyonce). It's not one that I particularly "forgot" I owned, but it always seems to put a smile on my face and remind me why I have it when I do hear it.

Dinah Washington - "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" (Rae & Christian Remix)

A previous partner was a bit of an old soul who enjoyed the classic jazz artists. By proximity I became a fan myself, especially the likes of Dinah Washington and Billie Holliday, to compliment my love for Etta James. I haven't been with that partner for some time, but apparently their legacy lives on through my musical choices. I purchased this remix of Washington's more than a year ago. It's one of those classic songs that has been updated to a more contemporary sound without losing that original appeal. It's been months since I last gave this a listen. In fact, I was probably still with the last partner at the time. The song, upon fresh listen, pretty much sums up that relationship. Despite it all, I love the song, and will have to remember it the next time I'm putting together a break-up mix for a friend.

Donna Lewis - "I Love You Always Forever"

I'll probably get judged for having this song, but I have a lot of sentimental attachment to it. Essentially a one hit wonder in North America, this song did manage to have some staying power in the music charts back in 1996. Despite my sentimentality, I was a bit taken aback when I heard it come on my iPod a few months back at work. It's one of those songs that still sounds surprisingly fresh nearly fifteen years later, and if only Lewis had equally strong material on her debut, she might still be around today (she released three additional albums since her debut, but none of them charted-anywhere).

Jewel - "Hands"

I've never been a huge Jewel fan. In fact, I seem to only ever like the songs she releases as singles, completely ignoring the rest of the songs on the album. "Hands" is a song I didn't even know I had. I went through my CD collection; don't own the album, and upon closer inspection of my iTunes library, didn't purchase it either. This gem, a surprisingly great, if simple song, has been on my iPod for a long time, and hasn't been listened to in almost that long. I couldn't tell you what influenced me to grab this track off a file-sharing program.

Matthew Good - "Apparitions"

I have no idea what this song is doing on my iPod. The only Matt Good song I like is "Weapon". "Apparitions" isn't a horrible song by any stretch of the imagination, but I've never really been able to get into Matthew Good, or his band. I always found that other rock bands did it better, or I was already a fan of them, giving me little reason to give Matt Good a second chance. Like a couple other songs on this list, "Apparitions" snuck onto the iPod, and its introduction is a complete mystery to me.

Rick Astley - "Never Gonna Give You Up"

Okay, you can judge me for this song. I'd like to make up some excuse that I threw this on my iPod for some eighties related house party at some point. I didn't; I have a soft spot for cheesy eighties music, and honestly does this song not completely epitomize the best (i.e.: worst) of the 1980s? I'm never going to live this down, but I love this song. Judge me all you want.

Sarah McLachlan - "Push"

This is always been on my iPod; most of McLachlan's discography is, but the significance of the song has been rather poignant lately as I have been trying to define the level of significance that someone has in my life at the moment. It wasn't until I heard this song on my iPod recently that everything clicked. This song described that person and my relationship to them perfectly. "Push" is definitely one of the highlights from McLachlan's Afterglow, and one that I have recently rediscovered and attached a special significance to.

Something Corporate - "Just Like a Woman"

I'm not a huge fan of Bob Dylan; I have seen him perform and while I consider him a brilliant lyricist and musician, I don't own any of his music. In fact, the only reason why I have this cover is because I'm such a big fan of Something Corporate. I seem to remember that this song was included on a compilation of other artists covering Dylan songs; this was the only one I downloaded as the other bands didn't interest me. Andrew McMahon does an admirable job of covering one of the "greats" of rock and roll/folk. Ultimately he can't hold a candle to the original, but considering the influence Dylan has had in his seemingly endless career, maybe it's time I give him another chance; tracking down the original of this song would be a good place to start. Thanks for the reminder, Something Corporate.

Tism - "Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me"

This is a bit of a joke; Youtube the video if you don't know about this song already. I showed it to a friend one day not too long ago, and a few days later I was scrolling through my music collection and realized that I had the audio version as well. It's a tongue in cheek reflection of a possible virginal first person narration; someone who believes that literally everyone else has had more sex than he has. It's slightly offensive, but actually quite funny nonetheless. I need to play this one at my next house party.

Ten forgotten songs from a collection of over eleven thousand barely scratches the surface, but it is an excellent reminder that more often than not, we forget the hidden gems lurking between our favorite songs, albums and artists.

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