Troy State: The Freshman Fall

I'm a mix tape guy. Always have been. Always will be. I used to make mix tapes for friends of mine, and think that for the most part, they were pretty good. They aren't easy to make, though... you can't just slap some songs onto a cassette (the only true mixtape form) and call it "A Mix Tape". You have to get the songs to flow. You have to make sure that there is some cohesiveness. You have to make sure they songs match.

On this note, for October's music on Clouds, I'm pulling out one of my favorite mixes... I call it "The Troy State Experience". The first volume is a two-cd set featuring music from my freshman year, mostly in the order in which they were released to radio. The cover has Erin Magonigal, while the back of the case features Adrianne Benton, Greg Gibson, Ginny Kochan and Mandy Stewart.

Mind you, this is before iTunes, before the explosion of the internet, before Napster, back when you had to either buy a CD or find your favorite song on the radio (or get a mixtape from me).

So, this month, since we are now at 15 years since I first stepped foot upon the beautiful Troy State campus, I wanted to give you the contents of Disc One, featuring Miranda Bryant and Michael Dunn on the cover.

"Because the Night" by 10,000 Maniacs. I still have no idea what Natalie Merchant is singing during the bridge. Something about the cycle turnings and burning.

"Another Sad Love Song" by Toni Braxton. One of my favorite 90s divas, still looking great after 40, singing one of my favorite driving songs.

"Runaway Train" by Soul Asylum. Who remembers this video? All those lost and runaway kids on the video. FYI, can you name Soul Asylum's follow up hit? That's right. "Misery Incorporated."

"Again" by Janet Jackson. The Lovely Steph Leann and I were sitting with DeLisa and DeNick the other day on the way to Walt Disney World, and this song came overhead. "Suddenly those memories came back to me in my... miiiiind...." DeNick gave me a funny look. Sad song.

"Hey Jealousy" by The Gin Blossoms. Another great driving song, another song that you cannot help but turn up when it comes on. You know you do.

"Everybody Hurts" by REM. I included this song because it was just so big in 1993, back when REM was relevant, and people cared about Michael Stipe. Ah, that was long ago.

"I Love the Way You Love Me" by John Michael Montgomery. So, Bobby Black is driving, Mandy Stewart is in the front seat, I'm sitting in the back with Bradley Grantham and Miranda Bryant, and Bradley is singing this song. First time I'd heard it. He's got a great voice. Miranda and Mandy were swooning. I was jealous.

"All That She Wants" by Ace of Base. YOU KNOW THESE WORDS. You are now singing them. Well, you're welcome.

"Cryin'" by Aerosmith. Ladies and gentlemen, Alicia Silverstone!

"Linger" by The Cranberries. This has a 51 second intro, which is great, because it gives you plenty of time to talk about the upcoming remote at Bondy's Ford & Jeep Eagle, or give you the quick weather forecast, or how you can win free stuff, all while I worked at WKMX, Max 106.7, overnights. Another good song was "American Pie" and "Lyin' Eyes", and if you put them back to back, you had almost 15 minutes to do whatever you needed to do--especially in the bathroom.

"One Last Cry" by Brian McKnight. This song is a masterpiece of a kick in the crotch of love. "I saw you holding hands, standing close to someone else..." Wow. I'm not sure Brian McK has ever been better.

"No Rain" by Blind Melon. The Bee Girl! See, this is back in the day when videos matter too. When was the last time you discussed a recent video with anyone? Seriously? "No Rain" was a topic of conversation many times while crusin' in the Olds Cierra.

"I Would Do Anything For Love (but I won't do that)" by Meat Loaf. Is it Meat Loaf? Or is it Meatloaf? Speaking of event videos, wow, this was nuts. It was like an epic movie. And remarkably, it was almost a mirror image of Celine Dion's "It's All Coming Back to Me Now", which is weird that Loaf and Dion would mirror on anything. This is from the Loaf album "Bat out of Hell II: Back into Hell".

"Sweat (a la la la la la)" by Inner Circle. This was the same group that did "Bad Boys", made famous by "Cops". When I was in high school, people didn't invite me to parties. Well, I went to Beverly Day's party one night, but I felt kinda like a loser. Mostly because I grew up in a smokers household, and only when I got to college did I realize how badly I must have smelled to those non-smoking chicks in high school... I mean, who knows what I could have accomplished, chick-wise, had I not smelled like a bar almost all the time? Maybe Nicki Vann would have gone out with me. Maybe Angie Jay would have been geniune in her acceptance of my homecoming offer.   Coulda woulda shoulda.

By the way, I've known Angie Jay for almost 20 years now, and when I sent her an invite on facebook, she rejected it, saying, "I don't know you very well". Seriously? Angie Jay was my first slow dance! "Wanted" by Alan Jackson! I feel dumped all over again! So, I've decided if I ever write teen chick fiction, one of the mean girls will be named Angie. So there.

Where was I? Ah yes, when I was in high school, people didn't invite me to parties. So, on the weekends, I would listen to Open House Party with John Garabedian, and I would hear all the new stuff coming out, including Inner Circle's follow up to "Bad Boys", a little ditty called "Sweat". It came out in the fall, while at Troy, but I knew about it.

"The Sign" by Ace of Base. I first heard this song while riding in Cyndi Bledsoe's Teal Green Geo Metro. She had the cassette tape. I miss her and Lisa Turk.

"If" by Janet Jackson. I never realized how dirty this song was until I found the lyrics on the internet. I only included it here because you won't realize how bad it is because she sings so fast.