you say it's your birthday [recap]

My grandfather, who was a very wise man, always used to wish me a Happy Birthdate, since you only have one birthday. In honor of him, in honor of the new quarter-century that I have entered (and technically, that I've been in for 366 days now, since your birthday actually marks the END of the year you're celebrating), and in honor of all that is good and wonderful in this world - I grant you 20 Celebration Birthday Songs.

Before we get there, however, let me just give you a rundown of the events of January 15:
1. I stumble out of my room to find a sign above our sink that wishes me a Happy Birthday, courtesy of my delightful roommate, G. She has also decorated the sign with numerous other alliterative B-words - first and foremost, and certainly most prominent - Bayou.
2. I arrive home after work and the usual post-work distractions (that typically involve me walking around downtown for a good hour or more - seriously, not drinking or playing, just mostly walking) and decide I should find something to wear. We are aiming to get to the bar at 9 so that we can establish a trust tree/nest/home-base.
3. G aghast at the fact that we are "starting at 9" and declares me "crazy."
4. G presents with me a birthday card that unfolds and features numerous parading animals that tote birthday items and flammables. It is the shit.
5. My friend A claims that 9 was not an hour she really "noticed" so therefore she will be there at 10:30.
6. Some peeps come over as a nice treat and we eat Hawaiian pizza and cake as we give GL a recap of "Jersey Shore."
7. I realize, when my friend S calls me to ask if I'm at my own party, that it's 10:30 and I probably should be.
8. Dash to Ace Bar. Miss Manners, forgive me.
9. Friend P arrives. He has allegedly come in all the way from Rockytown (Philly) to celebrate this occasion. P chooses to do the celebrating by eating half of a stranger's 40-inch sheet cake that we happen to find in a booth by the pool tables. J bets him 2 drinks that he won't do it. Of course, P, being the caricature of himself that he is, declares that in fact he would, and actually, he'd do it for free. Jesus.
10. I add 2 drinks to P's bet and watch as he houses what could be a 4th-grader's birthday cake with one plastic fork.




The video really speaks for itself. This is a man who is in his second year of law school at a prestigious Ivy League school. This is the man who may soon be doing mergers and acquisitions for YOU.

So, given that you may not have the pleasure of P at your party, I want to gift you - you, my fine readers - with all that I have to offer in the way of Celebratory Songs. Depends on what you're celebrating, right? It might be the Saints win, it might be your new job, it might be the fact that you FINALLY PAID YOUR TAXES ON TIME. But whatever it is, you celebrate. And you celebrate well. These songs are old, new, weird - but they're guaranteed to get you up.

Here are the top 8 so far. The other 12 are coming when I select them, but I wanted to get it started.

1. "Warm Heart of Africa" - The Very Best (f. Ezra Koenig)
Take is slow and listen: Ezra #1

We're gonna start it out with this baby. Just a really happy song. What are we celebrating here? Slow and steady partner. We're celebrating fucking LIFE, man. How can you NOT be happy when a) my blog is gradually becoming a shrine to Ezra, b) Ezra clearly is the next Paul Simon (I don't think I'm that ahead of myself, I'm sorry, it's there), c) you have African drums happening, and d) you have lyrics that you can't even understand but that are AWESOME? Use this to celebrate whatever you want. Finding your favorite piece of silverware. Realizing you didn't leave your keys in your door. I imagine that this is probably the song that plays in my dog's head every time she sees me come home.

2. "Good Morning" - Chamillionaire
Wake up and celebrate: send alla my haters luv

Where do I even begin? This first of all is the mashup to end all mashups, except for that one Knife mashup that was the SHIT. I mean really: Chamillionaire, plus Tom Petty? The depth of the symbolism here is endless. "Send all of my haters love" to the tune of "Free Falling"? Do you see all the rhetorical questions I'm throwing out? Chamillionaire, I fell in love with you with "Ridin' Dirty," but this makes it. I first heard this song when G played it in the shower (and provided vocals), and I'm going to sample a little of its splendor for you here right now:
If it's true
that money is time
then watch this
ain't tryin' to run outta time
so i purchase some watches
If that's not poetic justice, I don't know what is. We're celebrating the start of all days here.

3. "Come Dancing" - The Kinks
It's only natural: come dancing

Ah, The Kinks. A band to make it on my Top 20 more than once. What we're celebrating here is the art of dance. I first heard this song many, many moons ago on 99.5 New Orleans radio. However, it experienced it's renaissance for me, personally, when I was playing trivia and it was featured on a list of songs with talking inside of them. The beat is jaunty - I know that's a weird word but I can't think of anything more appropriate - and it makes you actually want to dance. Not grind. But dance. Kinda like paved-paradise-and-put-up-a-parking-lot without the whine and without the environment. But with the same, core message - don't put groceries or parking lots where people used to move, son.

4. "You Only Live Once" - The Strokes
20 ways to start a fire: 20 ways to see the world

I listened to a fair amount of The Strokes and honestly found them a little tiring. But in the great year of 2009 - yes, last decade - I heard this Strokes masterpiece for the first time and haven't stopped listening since. I don't know what made Fab and the boys tiring for me except maybe that I found the sound all a little bit the same. Not quite monotonous - they're too good for that. But that hard guitar, the crying-out vocals - it wears on you after a listen. This one, though. Appropriate title. The guitar REALLY works here - the beat is killer - and it makes you celebrate the risks you take. Not all celebration songs have to sound like Kool and the Gang, guys. I play this at least once every day when I'm coming home from work. Call me OCD, I call you boring.

5. "Nothing's Wrong" - Architecture in Helsinki
nothing's wrong: with this song

Architecture in Helsinki - first of all, way to go for taking an obscure capital and making it part of your band name. These dudes remind me of Ed Sharpe & Co. - millions of hippies flooding the stage and showing some love. Let's give it up for celebrating togetherness with this band. And with a title like "Nothing's Wrong," what should you not be celebrating? A in H have a good thing happening. Do yourself a favor and check out their other songs too, like "Deborah."

6. "Getting Better" - The Beatles
have to admit: it's getting better all the time

An oldie but goodie. The Beatles knew how to pump you up, probably because they were all high as kites while they were really stupidly famous. Let's celebrate the fact that somehow all four of them managed to woo mothers, get fathers to groove, get teenage boys to buy records, and get teenage girls to fall in love while also stupidly high. We're talking rollercoaster-high. I mean, please. Sgt Pepper? Yellow Submarine? Shoulda just named their albums LSD 1, 2, and 3. Let it be known I dig the Beatles, hard. So yes, again - toast the boys that played rock 'n roll, wore bowl cuts well, and created a movement. And yeah, it's getting better. Play this when you're looking on the bright side.

7. "Run" - Vampire Weekend
Ezra #2.

Here it is, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you've all been waiting for: the arrival of the NEW Vampire Weekend album, Contra. I was impressed with the first album. I really was. This one though - for a sophomore effort, especially - it's great. I love the Paul Simon direction he goes in ALL THE TIME. I listened to this whole album and it's honestly solid. The title track is a winner - mellow, a little creepy, and haunting. Definitely not celebratory. But "Run" for sure is. Especially that synthy-keyboard thing that's happening. This is the song to play as you're getting ready for something, getting pumped, getting amped, or falling a little bit in like. I don't know how to describe that last feeling, but this song does a pretty good job. Don't play it right after "Warm Heart of Africa," or you'll go on overload.

8. "Slave" - David Garza
so it's reverb. deal with it.

I've loved this song ever since the movie "Great Expectations," where it was featured on the kickass soundtrack. Dave Garza knows how to strum, let me tell you. This is for sure the song you're going to play when you're pretty psyched about finding someone that tolerates you and buys you dinner.

There you go kids. Enjoy. Download. Be safe.