PLAYLISTICLE - What I Listened To The Most In 2015 - HERC's Year in Review - Part 2 of 3

Last time we met, I listed the bottom 40 of my Top 103 Most Listened To Songs according to the last.fm scrobbling app. Today we're diving into the next 36 songs on our year-end countdown, those ranked from 63-28. We'll finish it off with the Top 27 next time out. Click on the song title to listen.

#	song title	artist	year
63	The Joker	Steve Miller Band	1973
62	Relax	Frankie Goes to Hollywood	1983
61	The Show Must Go On	Queen	1991
60	Goody Two Shoes	Adam Ant	1982
59	I Don't Like Mondays	The Boomtown Rats	1979
58	Turn To Stone	Electric Light Orchestra	1977
57	Thirteen	Big Star	1972
56	(Don't Fear) The Reaper	Blue Öyster Cult	1976
55	Snow Snow Snow	Band of Merrymakers	2015

The first group of nine songs is a somewhat mixed bag, split between classic rock and new wave with some flavoring from the legendary and ironically named Big Star and the new for 2015 "Snow Snow Snow" by the appropriately named Band of Merrymakers. Not to give too many secrets away but "The Show Must Go On" is often the last song played before The Hideaway closes up for the night.

#	song title	artist	year
54	Writing's on the Wall	Sam Smith	2015
53	Switchin' To Glide / This Beat Goes On	The Kings	1980
52	Who'll Be The Fool Tonight	Larsen/Feitan Band	1980
51	I Got 5 On It	Luniz	1995
50	Tennessee Whiskey	Chris Stapleton	2015
49	Uptown Funk	Mark Ronson	2014
48	Show Me What I'm Looking For	Carolina Liar	2008
47	Dani California	Red Hot Chili Peppers	2006
46	Only One You	T.G. Sheppard	1981

The newest 007 theme kicks off the next batch of tunes which is even more all over the place than the first. A power-pop beautifully segued two song masterpiece of early Eighties rock radio comes courtesy of The Kings followed by an equally chill soft rock jam from the same year by Larsen/Feitan Band which I have never heard on the radio.Then you got hip-hop, authentic country, a tribute to Eighties funk, finely constructed Swedish pop, masters of alt rock funk and a remnant of the Urban Cowboy period of country pop. Though the songs inhabit different playlists and come from different genres, throw them all in a shuffle and that's what kind of music I like.

#	song title	artist	year
45	Turn to Stone	Joe Walsh	1971
44	Can't You See	The Marshall Tucker Band	1973
43	White Lies	Jason & The Scorchers	1985
42	Who's Behind The Door	Zebra	1983
41	The Back Of Your Hand	Dwight Yoakam	2003
40	Maybe Tomorrow	Stereophonics	2003
39	I Forgot To Be Your Lover	William Bell	1968
38	Driver's Seat	Sniff 'n' the Tears	1978
37	Lowdown	Boz Scaggs	1976

Nearly half of these songs are country proving you can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy. All those Seventies Summers drinking Frosty root beers and feeding the jukebox at the Cow Talk left an indelible impression. Like "The Show Must Go On" mentioned earlier, the William Bell song above, the basis for Billy Idol's "To Be A Lover", often signals last call here at The Hideaway.

#	song title	artist	year
36	Roll with the Changes	REO Speedwagon	1978
35	This Is It	Kenny Loggins	1979
34	Photograph	Ringo Starr	1973
33	Loves Me Like a Rock	Paul Simon	1973
32	99 Luftballons	Nena	1983
31	Lunatic Fringe	Red Rider	1981
30	Shoot to Thrill	AC/DC	1980
29	Hey Nineteen	Steely Dan	1980
28	Crazy	Patsy Cline	1961

For today's final nine songs, I see several songs that soothe and comfort me and I require frequent soothing and comforting. I am on record as saying "Roll With The Changes" is the gospel truth in my private church of rock and roll, an endlessly uplifting rocker which picked up a few in memoriam plays when the guitarist on the track, Gary Richrath, passed away earlier this year. Ringo's "Photograph" is a vivid and happy reminder of my father (as is "Crazy") who also passed away this year while "Loves Me Like A Rock" is how I like to think my Mom loves me though deep down I know she loves my sister more. AC/DC's mighty "Shoot To Thrill" has always been a favorite since I first heard it over at Robert Rottet's house in 1980 and these days, it serves as a healing salve to my growing dissatisfaction with the rest of the drivers on the streets all around The Hideaway. There is no telling how many lives this one song, played at maximum volume in The Blueberry, has saved.