Uncle Stevie

I miss Stephen King. He used to write a column for Entertainment Weekly about all things pop culture. He told me what to read, watch, and listen to. Now I have no idea what to do. The last few books I have read with Uncle Stevie's advise totally blew. So I thought I would copy Uncle Stevie and start doing occasional updates on what I think is cool and worth your time.

First up: my favorite songs. A few ground rules before I begin. I really don't want a debate about why some song should not be on my list. I would love to hear about what you think should be added. Important caveat -- I don't dig on country music. Also, these are songs that make me happy. Songs that make me sing out loud in the car. Songs that make me sing out loud when I'm at the gym listening to my iPod. You know, songs that take all your inhibitions away. For me, these songs have stood the test of time. For example, last year I was totally into California Gurls by Katy Perry. But after about 2,000 listenings, not so much. The songs on my list have stood up to millions of plays. So, here goes . . .

1. County Grammar by Nelly. I dare you to listen to this song and not think about your days of double dutch on the playground.

2. Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye. Best. Love. Song. Ever.

3. Free Fallin by Tom Petty or John Mayer. It's so good anyone can sing it.

4. American Girl by Tom Petty. TP always hits it out of the park, but this one just makes me wanna sayng at the top of my lungs. Plus, it makes me think of that creepy scene in Silence of the Lambs before the Senator's daughter is kidnapped. What's she doing? You guessed it -- singing at the top of her lungs in her car.

5. Mo Money Mo Problems by Notorious B.I.G. Awesome remix of Diana Ross's I'm Coming Up. Can't hear this without doing a shoulder dance. Plus, title is so true.

6. Raining in My Heart by Buddy Holly. Shout out to my cuz. First rock musician to use violins in his music. Never better than on this song.

7. Boogie Shoes by KC & the Sunshine Band. Disco gave us a lot of great tunes (e.g., Jive Talkin by the Bee Gees), but KC put a special kind of happy spin on his tunes.

8. Signed, Sealed, Delivered by Stevie Wonder. The true master of happy music. I agree with Chris Rock -- can't we give the brother a peek?!

9. Under Pressure by Queen/David Bowie. Before Vanilla Ice messed it up, this was a really great song.

10. In Your Eyes by Peter Gabriel. Come on -- John Cusak holding up a boom box outside his girlfriend's window? Classic.

11. Say by John Mayer. Such good lyrics. Say what you need to say before it's too late. Word.

12. Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears. Such a great guitar intro. This song has stayed at the top of my playlist for 20 years. Staying power, baby.

13. Ain't That a Kick in the Head by Dean Martin. Perfect song for martinis. Just cool.

14. Wild Life by The Talking Heads. I can't hear this song and not want to dance. "I'm wearing fur pajamas"? Come on, that's genius.

15. Descender by The Black Crowes. One of their more mellow tunes, but perfectly executed.

16. Dreamgirl by The Dave Matthews Band. Wow. Talk about being into a girl. Good lyrics.

17. Pink by Aerosmith. "Pink is my favorite crayon" sung by Steven Tyler. Need I say more?

18. Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson. Great message with MJ at his best.

19. Troublemaker by Weezer. One of my more recent entries, but I can't stop listening to it.

20. Go to the Mardi Gras by Professor Longhair. Because I love New Orleans, and no song says "NOLA" like this one.

Well, there are more, but that's probably enough for now. Make a playlist out of em and see if you don't work out 10 times harder. Let me know what you think.