Paradise

This was the obvious place to open the record. Phil Spector, and this song in particular, point to all the bizarre/tragic things we can find in our light-headed pursuit of love. The hunt for "flowers, flamingos, rainbows, never never land" is so regularly misguided, misdirected and ill-fated. He's a genius, but his lust for perfection has led to all kinds of craziness.

I Wanna Be Your Driver

Maybe the most classic love triangle of all: a man, a woman and a hot car. The possibilities are endless, but remember, nobody rides for free.

Half on a Baby

This one was just too easy: I was pregnant, making it an obvious choice. Also the lyrics are pure genius--"Like a hotel room/I'm checking into you." Leonard Cohen eat your heart out.

Don't Stop Til You Get Enough

Jacko needed to be here, if only to represent all the many romantic mysteries outside of our solar system. And it's hard but because so many of his songs, when you break them down, are shockingly complex, and reaaly don't work without that voice of his. We finally settled on this classic we danced to in from my 7th grade aerobics class, partly because it'll always remind me of sassy 13 year-old girls in tight green shorts, but mostly because it combines sex with "Star Wars."

Would Lay With Me In A Field of Stone

David Allan Coe was an incredibly prolific writer (go ahead, Google him when nobody's looking). In the end, it came down to "Field of Stone" or "Come Stains on My Pillow"...

cooler heads prevailed.

Hello

Speaking of 13-year olds, can you say Gary Glitter 10 times really fast? Maybe once is enough.

My Heart Belongs To You

My best piece of advice: Go direcly to your nearest record store (if there are such things where you live) and try to find "The Kings of Rhythm" Japanese import, Ike's pre-Tina best from mostly '56-'58. Everything is great, it's impossible to choose, but when i decided to do the Ike track with Benjamin, this was it because any english word beginning with the letter "H" sounds adorable in a french accent.

Cold Blooded

To really get into character, we all smoked the crack before recording this version. But remember: If you are pregnant, nursing, or planning to become pregnant, doctors recommend that you avoid 1) the smoking of crack 2) listening to this record

Looks That Kill

The Crue are my homeboys, 'cause i'm a Valley Girl, '80s prime. Also, this is the 2nd great greatest lyrical moment on the record" "When the church strikes midnight/She's getting louder and louder/She's gonna turn on your juice, boy/Cause she's got the power."

Shame On You

What can I say? Spade, that charmer, stomped his wife to death. Shame, shame on you.

Goodnight Irene

This one is particularly sentimental to me. It's one of the first songs I remember: my Dad and his brothers used to sing it to my Aunt Irene. And if Huddie would have been there, he would have socked her in the face.