Songs Nathan Might Like #1

by Chris McGinty of AccordingToWhim.com

Compared to the variety of music that I listen to, I’ve tried to get Nathan into a very small percentage of music over the years. He has a particular taste in music. It means that I largely hear songs and don’t have the thought, “Nathan might like this.” Every so often I do have that thought though. I’m not always right, but sometimes I hit the mark on Nathan’s taste. Let’s see how I do today.

Hoodoo Gurus – I Want You Back

I actually played this for Nathan on a recent visit to his house. I was more convinced that he would like the video than the song, but it’s a nice catchy song. It’s possible he might get into it. This caused a small conversation about exactly how many Australian bands that I was into in the late 80s and early 90s. That might make for a good set of blog posts too.

Devo – Going Under (Dance Velocity)

Devo may be one of the most underrated bands of the 80s. That might also make for a good set of blog posts. Why you should be listening to a-ha. Why you should be listening to Devo. The problem is that most people only know two songs by Devo: “Whip It” and “Dare to Be Stupid.” And one of those isn’t even a Devo song. Their 1980 album “Freedom of Choice” is a must hear. The reason I think Nathan might like this song and Devo’s other music is their use of synthesizers and their minimalist vocal style.

Weird “Al” Yankovic – Dare to Be Stupid

Ok, I actually know that Nathan likes this song. He’s an 80s Weird Al fan. He enjoys “UHF” for Al’s sake. I include it here to clarify that while Weird Al wrote it to be just like a Devo song, it is not actually a Devo song. This song is a guiding principle of my life. It’s not so much that I personally try to be stupid, because there’s already plenty of that to go around in this world. But from the perspective of questioning the norms, and especially looking for the dumb thoughts when being creative to see where they lead; I must say that I do in fact dare… You know to be stupid, in case that wasn’t clear.

Chris McGinty is blogger who also chose to list “Dare to Be Stupid” in this post, because he learned a lot about conservation of a good topic during the Summertime Funtime. There are songs that I think Nathan might like, but I can’t go too crazy with it or there will never be a Songs Nathan Might Like #3.