Once in a Lifetime, Talking Heads
Baba O’Riley, The Who
Beautiful Child, Rufus Wainright
Beyond the Sea, Bobby Darin
God Save the Queen, The Sex Pistols
Anarchy, The Sex Pistols
White Man in Hammersmith Palais, The Clash
Train in Vain, The Clash
London Calling, The Clash
Beat Surrender, The Jam
You Can’t Always Get What You Want, The Rolling Stones
Message of Love, The Pretenders
Precious, The Pretenders
China, Tori Amos
Wuthering Heights, Kate Bush
These Boots Were Made for Walking, Nancy Sinatra
Birthday, The Sugar Cubes
Hyper Ballad, Bjork
Roadrunner, The Modern Lovers
What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye
Respect, Aretha Franklin
It’s All Too Much, The Beatles
Gloria, U2
Tupelo Honey, Van Morrison
Trouble, Cat Stevens
One Way or Another, Blondie
Add It Up, The Violent Femmes
Knock Me Down, The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Never Enough, The Cure
A Girl Like You, Edwyn Collins
Beauty Queen, Roxy Music
More Than This, Roxy Music
Sunday Morning, The Velvet Underground
Lola, The Kinks
Body Rockin’, The Beastie Boys
Message to You Rudy, The Specials
Ball and Chain, Social Distortion
The entire side four of Quadrophenia, The Who
At Last, Etta James
Rosalita, Bruce Springsteen
Rip Her to Shreds, Blondie
Surrender, Cheap Trick
Somebody to Love, Queen
Son of a Preacher Man, Dusty Springfield
It’s My Life, Talk Talk
Cities in Dust, Siousxie and the Banshees
The Killing Jar, Siouxsie and the Banshees
Breathless, X
Slit Skirts, Pete Townsend
So Lonely, The Police
Bad, U2
Gloria, U2
America, Simon & Garfunkel
Pink Moon, Nick Drake
Into Your Arms, The Lemonheads
Lithium, Nirvana
All Apologies (live version), Nirvana
There She Goes, The La’s
The Ballad of El Goodo, Big Star
The Whole of the Moon, The Waterboys
Jesus of Suburbia, Green Day
Walking After Midnight, Patsy Cline
Happy Town, The Replacements
Linus and Lucy, The Vince Guaraldi Trio
Guyana Punch, The Judys
Anything by the Ramones—anything at all
She’s So Modern, The Boomtown Rats
Tempted, Squeeze
I Got You, Split Enz
No One Is Alone, Stephen Sondheim
Not a Day Goes By, Stephen Sondheim
Tear the Roof Off the Sucka, Parliament
Superstition, Stevie Wonder
Creep, Radiohead
Ray of Light, Madonna
Norwegian Wood, The Beatles
Laid, James
Sometmes, James
Battle Flag, Lo-Fidelity Allstars
What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace Love & Understanding, Elvis Costello
The Ballad of El Goodo, Big Star
How Many More Times, Led Zeppelin
Private Idaho, The B-52s
It’s the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine), REM
Helpless, Sugar
What I Got, Sublime
Hey Ya, Outkast
Line Up, Elastica
Cannonball, The Breeders

BEST BREAK-UP SONGS
I believe in having a soundtrack for misery. It’s not enough that your heart has been passed through a Cuisinart. No, the misery must be exquisitely compounded by playing the same soul-ripping songs over and over and over again, till even your best friends say, “Dude, buy some friggin’ headphones, already.” It’s like sitting shiva with a great beat. Here’s my list of songs guaranteed to make me weep, curse, plot revenge, and then move on.

Romeo & Juliet, Dire Straits
Today You Move, Trip Shakespeare
Not a Day Goes By, Stephen Sondheim
Tunnel of Love, Bruce Springsteen
If Love is a Red Dress, Maria McKee
You Oughta Know, Alanis Morrisette
Song for the Dumped, Ben Folds Five
Without You, Harry Nilsson
China, Tori Amos
Grand Canyon, The Magnetic Fields
Does He Love You, Rilo Kiley
Can We Still Be Friends, Todd Rundgren
Trouble, Cat Stevens
The Last Day of Our Acquaintance, Sinead O’Connor

A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY PLAYLIST
I love to listen to my Ipod while I write. Mood is everything. To that end I submit my writing playlist for A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY:
Sugar, Tori Amos
Wuthering Heights, Kate Bush
Man with a Saxophone, Kate Bush
De Profundis, Dead Can Dance (Thanks, Holly)
Ascension, Dead Can Dance
Season of the Witch, Donovan
Lips Like Sugar, Echo and the Bunnymen
The Waiting Room, GenesisA REBEL ANGELS PLAYLIST
The Great Gig in the Sky, Pink Floyd
Us and Them, Pink Floyd
Brain Damage, Pink Floyd
Good Morning Beautiful, The The
Love Reign Over Me, The Who
Dawn, The Cinematic Orchestra
The Awakening of a Woman, The Cinematic Orchestra
In Your Eyes, Peter Gabriel
Bells For Her, Tori Amos