Looking back on the the last 10 years of film

What have I been up to since I last posted in 2015? It can be summed up best with two words: fewer movies. I guess that’s what happens when a film critic finds another line of work (art magazines), has three kids and has to Tetris his schedule together with delicate precision. And, to be clear, movies are those tricky dogleg pieces that fit awkwardly almost everywhere and require that flip maneuver just as it’s settling. 

Professional critic or not, though, I couldn’t miss the closing out of the decade without talking about my favorite films from the last 10 years. I couldn’t see everything in theaters—thank you streaming services!—but I do feel like I saw almost everything I wanted, even if it was months or years after it was released. So here we go: so long, 2010s.

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20. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)

I saw this on a plane and was laughing like a maniac at the last 20 minutes, in which history is rewritten, dog food is thrown, someone’s bell is rung (and rung and rung and rung…) and Leonardo DiCaprio uses a World War II-era flamethrower, because of course he does. When it was over I scrubbed it back 20 minutes and watched it again. Director Quentin Tarantino finds a way to earn this kind of mayhem, and Once Upon a Time has a slow build that creeps forward at an agonizing pace. Some called it slow and said “nothing much happens,” but it’s all world building and the world is Hollywood in the 1960s, and it’s beautiful. Even without the ultra-violence in the last sequence, the film is a treasure to experience, with the call-outs to Old Hollywood, DiCaprio’s haphazard career of B-movies and villains of the week, that nail-biting sequence at Spahn Ranch and Brad Pitt’s cooler-than-cool stuntman who alters the course of history with a single can of dog food. No, this is not how Sharon Tate spent that fateful night in the summer of 1969. It’s a fantasy, but one that speaks to Hollywood’s ability to tell fascinating stories, both true and false.

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19. Lady Bird (2017)

If the 2010s only gave us Saoirse Ronan, then that would be a fine decade and I would have no complaints. Utterly captivating in everything she’s in, Ronan is one of those electrical forces that can jolt the screen alive with her presence. She’s tremendous in Brooklyn, another slam-dunk choice for the decade, and I’ve heard amazing things about Little Women (I have yet to see it), but it’s this Ronan-starring teen drama that has stuck with me. I knew people like Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson in high school—I think everyone did—and yet the film doesn’t feel like it’s about them. Here is a singular individual, confused and messy, trying to figure it all out as best she can. That’s a general sort of plot when it comes to teens and teen movies, but Ronan breathes new life into it with her poetic and yet cynical view of the world (or maybe just Sacramento, the film’s true villain). Writer and director Greta Gerwig absolutely nails this film in every conceivable way, as does co-star Laurie Metcalf, who was seemingly building her career to play this one magnifying force of a mother. It should also be noted that there was some other really terrific teen movies to come out of the decade, all worth mentioning: Booksmart, The Edge of Seventeen, Easy A, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and the hugely underappreciated The Spectacular Now.

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18. The Lost City of Z (2016)

In the first month of the decade David Grann’s book The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon was released to critical acclaim. By 2016 James Gray had adapted the book, but jettisoned half of Grann’s double-sided narrative of a writer searching for a long-lost explorer, focusing solely on the adventures of Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), the famed explorer who ventured one too many times into the Amazon and never returned. Fawcett, some would say, was mad for risking exotic diseases, severe weather, impassable jungles and cannibals, but Gray doesn’t frame him as a nut. He stands with Fawcett and gives his ideas merit, acknowledging the important sacrifices he made with his family, his academic career and, ultimately, his life, all to search for a city that modern science has agreed did exist. Fawcett and his eldest son were last seen in 1925, and what may or may not have happened to them has become part of the legend. Gray has no answers, but his last shots are so effective, so moving and so gut-wrenching that it feels like an appropriate conclusion to a story that has been left untold for nearly a century.

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17. Ex Machina (2014)

As tech companies race to create artificial intelligence in one form or another, brilliant minds of the 21st century have quietly urged caution. Ex Machina came out screaming. Set in the near future, the film tracks the hubris of two men (Star Wars co-stars Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac) as they ponder the future with Ava, an AI creation that is two steps ahead of each of them. Alex Garland’s mesmerizingly paced and dramatically shot science-fiction “what if” came out at the perfect time: Tesla had an autopilot car, Amazon and other companies were slowly switching to advanced robotics on a massive scale, and a variety of virtual assistants with names like Siri and Alexa were on the market. Ex Machina codified the fear that many were having about AI, namely that creating life, even mechanical “thinking” life, was a danger we still weren’t able to grasp. And while robots are the villains in this technological shift in the real world, Garland’s film has a ringer that tips the scales in its favor: Alicia Vikander as Ava, the sentient machine who is slowly coming to grasp with her place in a human world. Vikander would follow this commanding performance with a string of films, some great (The Danish Girl) and some mediocre (Tulip Fever) and some just very loud (Tomb Raider), but in each one she is the most powerful element on the screen. And like his talented star, Garland would go on to exciting new projects, including Annihilation, a film that could have easily been included here. 

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16. Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015)

The future of Star Wars began right here with a whizz-bang entry 10 years after the conclusion of the prequels and 32 years after Luke, Leia and Han defeated the Empire in the original trilogy. Though the franchise would produce stranger (The Last Jedi) and more frenzied (The Rise of Skywalker) Star Wars films before the end of the decade, it laid a solid foundation right here with J.J. Abrams’ Episode VII, a film that hollers out to the older films while also setting its own path forward. And while the story is callbacky, self-referential fun, where it most succeeds is with its new characters. Stormtrooper traitor Finn, rebel flyboy Poe, brooding menace Kylo Ren, the rolly-ball droid BB-8 … we couldn’t have asked for a better generation of Star Wars characters. It’s all held together by Daisy Ridley’s Rey, who is the glue for the entire trilogy. The new batch of films would have lots of highs and lows later on, but the one constant through it all is Ridley’s eager and effective performance as a girl trying to make sense of her place in a galaxy far, far away. Also, big shout out to all of the other Star Wars films from this generation: Solo, Rogue One and the two other trilogy entries. None were perfect, but each brought something wonderful to a beloved franchise.

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15. Sicario (2015)

The single most important director of the decade, and I’m not willing to debate this point, is Denis Villaneuve. I could include every one of his films and that list would be great: Prisoners, Enemy, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 (see below). But Sicario stood out for me. It was certainly the pitch-perfect performances by Emily Blunt, Benecio Del Toro and Josh Brolin, all playing seemingly different roles in the fight against illegal drugs entering the United States from Mexico. It was also Taylor Sheridan’s economical less-is-more script, which allows the magnitude of silence to crush down on the characters like a vice. But mostly it was Villaneuve’s handling of all the parts. This is an expertly made movie. It knows what it wants to do and does it in the simplest, most effective way possible. And it shows in every turn, especially in that convoy scene as our characters drive back to the U.S. border with a prisoner in tow. At one point the movie just hangs there, waiting for what happens next. A lesser film would have rushed this along, but Sicario holds that suspenseful note as long as it can before the inevitable. And then, at the breaking point, there is a release that feels gruesomely cathartic. I’m getting chills just thinking about it. Also, bravo to Sicario: Day of the Soldado. It’s a slightly lesser film, but still quite good and worth the watch.

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14. Moana (2016)

Full disclosure, I had a 3 year old in the house when this was getting the most rotation. She loves movies, and was going between different phases, but when Moana was chosen I would always sit and watch the whole thing. It’s a delightful film, rich in culture and color, and the music is glorious. It also felt quite subversive for a Disney animated film: there is no love interest, some of the music is in another language and the main “villain” is dealt with through love, not violence. I also immensely appreciated the role Moana, voiced wonderfully by Auli’i Cravalho, has in her village. As the chief’s daughter she’s essentially a Disney princess, but she also has a leadership role that includes oversight of the fishing, farming, location of the village and exploration of nearby Pacific islands. She’s more governor than princess, and that aspect endears me to the film. Also, did I mention the music? It’s exquisite, from Dwayne’s Johnson’s “You’re Welcome” to Jemaine Clement’s David Bowie-inspired “Shiny” to Cravalho’s anthemic “How Far I’ll Go.” I know the world is still obsessed with Frozen and its hit music, but toe to toe I’d take Moana every day of the week.

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13. Upstream Color (2013)

Director Shane Caruth is no newcomer to this list. His time-traveling mindfuck Primer made the cut for the oughts, and here he is again with another film that unforgivingly mashes your brain into a pulp. I’ve seen Upstream Color several times, and it truly defies categorization. It’s certainly experimental, but more than that, it’s almost spiritual in its visual poetry. It’s about a blue organism that can link beings together across the void of time and space. That setup could easily swing to horror or science fiction, and yet Upstream Color is neither. It’s more emotional and contemplative, and also deceptively ambiguous. The film begins with the life cycle of the organism, which includes a thief using it to illicit a hypnotic and susceptible state from a woman, who empties her bank account and racks up a huge amount of debt under the organism’s influence. Eventually there’s a man who has had a similar experience, some pigs in a field and a bizarre collector. Your head will be swimming, but it’s intoxicating and beautiful, and certainly one of the strangest films of the last decade.

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12. The Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Of all the films of the decade, this is the one that I’ve seen the most—my best estimate is maybe a dozen times. It’s just so insanely rewatchable. And it has to be because of the structure of the first half of the movie. It was derided at its release for being “Groundhog’s Day with aliens,” but the movie wore that like a badge of honor. Tom Cruise plays a cocky military officer busted down to a private before an outright court martial. Later he wakes up with the grunts, goes off to war and dies in the opening minutes of a battle with tumbling, whipping space aliens. But then he wakes up and does it again and again and again. Seeing how Cruise’s character breaks out of that loop and slowly becomes a battle-hardened badass are some of the most rewarding scenes of Cruise’s career. Some of the fun comes from just watching him die over and over again, knowing each reset means he needs to fulfill a certain sequence of events to preserve the desired timeline. How long was he in the loop? The movie suggests months, or even years. I like to think it was even longer, possibly hundreds of years. By the end, Cruise’s time warrior is practically omniscient, an all-knowing God who’s conscious of every second from every conceivable angle. And then the movie flips it all on him by sending him adrift in a new kind of loop, which gives the final battle dangerous stakes. Emily Blunt also stars, and is great, but some love needs to be shared with the late Bill Paxton, who plays a sergeant with a short fuse. Paxton made every film he was in more enjoyable, and this one makes that point hard. 

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11. Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and The Report (2019)

I’m cheating by picking two movies, but you really can’t talk about one without the other, especially after The Report featured Zero Dark Thirty within its own plot. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty came out first in 2012, roughly 18 months after the death of Osama Bin Laden, or “UDL” as the film refers to him. The film is both a police procedural and also an espionage thriller, capped off with some straight-up black-ops commando stuff in the final sequence. Anchoring the film is Jessica Chastain as a CIA operative who has taken an obsessive interest in the chase for the world’s most famous terrorist. This is a taut film that winds tighter and tighter until the final scene—it’s unrelenting, even knowing how the story ends. The (false) legacy of the film is that torture led to the killing of UBL. Watch it again and it expressly states that torture never worked, and it was clever (non-violent) interrogation that cracked the case. Its historical accuracy has been called into question on numerous occasions since its release, including by sitting members of congress, but I revert to Roger Ebert’s point of view on this matter. After a “tongue lashing” by Walter Cronkite for his positive review of Oliver Stone’s JFK, Ebert wrote: “He wants facts. I want moods, tones, fears, imaginings, whims, speculations, nightmares. As a general principle, I believe films are the wrong medium for fact. Fact belongs in print. Films are about emotions.” On that level Zero Dark Thirty captures the anger, frustration and bureaucracy of the years after 9/11. As for Scott Z. Burns’ The Report, there’s almost no emotion in it. It’s about one guy coldly conducting an investigation on the post-9/11 torture tactics the CIA used during the “war on terror.” Adam Driver stars as the lead investigator on the report, with Annette Benning playing Senator Diane Feinstein in a slippery role that has her second-guessing everything she’s handed. Where Zero Dark Thirty took liberties and played fast and loose with the facts, The Report adheres to history, even if it means slower and more methodical plotting within the sticky framework of the intelligence apparatus in Washington, D.C. What you get is an equally taut paper chase, but one that reveals one of the great failures of American leadership this century. It’s riveting filmmaking. Both of these films together tell different stories, but they share a kinship that’s hard to ignore. And they’re both brilliantly written, directed and acted.

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10. The Big Short (2015)

If you told me in 2008, during the implosion of the housing market, that the big villain in that story was something called “collateralized debt obligation” I would have shrugged and went on my merry way. Most Americans would have done the same. But give it up to The Big Short for trying to help us make sense of what happened, and why. Adam McKay’s diagnosis of the Great Recession was not only devastatingly informative and packed full of fun new economic buzzwords, it was refreshingly easy to digest. I mean, it was more than that—it was fun. You get Margot Robbie in a bubblebath, Anthony Bourdain cutting some fish and Ryan Gosling tossing Jenga pieces in a trashcan. Everything here is to serve the teaching aspect of the film, and it works. It’s entirely possible to come out of The Big Short with a basic understanding of not only the housing economy, but also mortgage-backed securities, sub-prime mortgages, tranches and why Lehman Brothers went belly up. Most importantly, though, the film gives a voice to the homeowners of America. Yes, time is spent with bank bigwigs and the Fed Chair, but we also meet regular folks who were victims of shitty mortgages and shittier banks. 

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9. Winter’s Bone (2010)

Here’s something to think about: Jennifer Lawrence’s big breakout was barely 10 years ago. The story of the decade is essentially a story of Lawrence’s rise, and occasional dominance. She came out of Winter’s Bone primed for franchises (X-Men and Hunger Games). By 2012, she was ready for critical acclaim and Oscar glory with Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle. She did several more Hunger Games, only then to emerge as the muse of Darren Aronofsky in his mother!, followed by a Russian super-spy in Red Sparrow. In the middle there was Joy, Passengers and a handful of other X-Men movies, all of questionable quality but still held together by her commanding presence. At several points she was the biggest star in Hollywood. And it all began here in Debra Granik’s grim drama about a daughter looking for her father who skipped bail after putting up the family trailer as collateral. Lawrence, playing a very mature teenager fighting for her survival, wades into the meth epidemic looking for anything that might save their home. This is a grimy, dirty movie. It’s the kind of movie that has the smell of cigarettes wafting from the screen. But Granik gets it, all of it. She knows how to frame Lawrence against these cruel meth dealers and their fiendish wives and girlfriends. And Lawrence knows how to hold her own. Even after 10 years, it’s a remarkable beacon of Lawrence’s talents. 

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8. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Here we are again with Denis Villeneuve, this time in a masterpiece of science fiction. Fans were rightly skeptical of this sequel to Ridley Scott’s beloved Blade Runner from 35 years earlier, but the film was in lots and lots of good hands. Here is a picture that was cared for, top to bottom, by the best people in Hollywood. Roger Deakins’ cinematography is the stuff of myth, Joe Walker’s editing is on point throughout, Hampton Fancher and Michael Green’s script pays homage to the original but veers in exciting new directions, the costumes, the sets, the special effects, the locations, the future-tech…exceptional work seeps from every level of this gargantuan of a film. And at the center is Villeneuve, who almost makes it look too easy, which is making Dune fans rest easy for his remake late in 2020. The film itself is as twisty as they come, with lots of call-backs to the original and the persistent threat that someone we’re watching is not what we think. The original had us second guessing who was a replicant, but here the film creates so much paranoia about who is and isn’t human that I assumed at one point no one was. Ryan Gosling stars in this one, although Harrison Ford and a CGI version of Sean Young appear so we can circle back to 1982. Ana de Armas plays a smaller role that is so profoundly heartbreaking it almost needs an intermission afterward for the audience to collect its thoughts. 

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7. Interstellar (2014)

Christopher Nolan blew down the decade’s doors in 2010 with Inception and then immediately got to work topping himself with each movie. His projects got bigger, more technically complicated, more thematically complex and more culturally explosive. His films became events. Dunkirk could easily be in this slot, but lately I’ve been leaning more toward Interstellar, his beautiful journey into space, where time and love decide the future of mankind. My original review said it best for me: “In the great cathedral of space, no one can hear you scream, but the cosmic organs are imbued with an acoustic majesty all their own. Their thundering choruses leap and swirl to an audience of stars, supernovas, nebulae and that little speck of shivering matter we call mankind. Christopher Nolan’s bravely beautiful Interstellar establishes humanity’s insignificance, the universe’s vastness, and how human exploration will one day narrow the margins between them. The film obliquely dabbles with religion, philosophy, science, quantum physics and Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, all under the umbrella of an adventurous space opera, emphasis on the word opera—the music is exceptional.” Let me focus for a second on individual scenes: there are bits in this film that are hard to top across any time period, genre or director. The scene of Matthew McConaughey viewing 23 years worth of video messages. Scenes of a father saying goodbye to his daughter, promising to return. The scenes inside the tesseract of time and space. Shots of spaceships shooting across the vastness of two different solar systems. And that docking scene that is absolutely riveting. I adore every frame of this movie. 

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6. Spring Breakers (2012)

The youth of the world have always made for interesting cinema. Their failures, their successes, their passions, their crimes, their downfalls. When François Truffaut made The 400 Blows in 1959 he was tapping into an interesting phenomenon: youth in rebellion. We’re a long way from boys stealing typewriters with Spring Breakers, Harmony Korine’s hand grenade lobbed into the culture wars. Starring four young college girls—Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson and Rachel Korine—the film is almost hallucinatory in its delivery. Images, music and dialogue are untethered to each other as they overlap, double-back and swirl around in a mesmerizing display of sound and light. The film is largely unbound by time, as well, as Douglas Crise’s masterful editing draws from a shared bank of memories stored in the sticky Florida ether. The girls plunge headfirst into the hedonism of Florida’s spring break scene: keg stands, beer funnels, pool parties, afternoon raves, trashed hotel rooms and public nudity. But after a minor arrest, the girls are bailed out by cornrow’d, grill-wearing rapper and drug dealer, Alien (James Franco), who leads them into the dark underbelly of south Florida’s drug empire. Some people still think this film glorifies the spring break scene and the actions of the four characters, but they’re missing the point. This is a brutal takedown of a generation, particularly some of its more vapid and narcissistic personality types. Other than one girl, the church-goer, these characters largely exist to look sexy, party and give the finger to each other and society. Korine is a smart director, and I think he knows what he’s doing here: nihilism run through an Instagram filter. 

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5. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Action films needed a hard reset and this long-in-gestation Mad Max sequel delivered in every conceivable way. What’s funny is how one narrative that a lot of fans were pushing was, “Finally, a film with real stunts and no CGI.” Oh how wrong they were. Make no mistake, this is a CGI-heavy film. The reason it all works so well is because the CGI components and the live-action components are so seamlessly integrated that it feels fully formed and complete. And it just hums at a steady clip. There’s a brief chase in the beginning, some early world building and we’re off, careening through the sand in George Miller’s daring and bombastic re-invention of his hit franchise. Tom Hardy is great in it, but Charlize Theron is the real star as she hauls the stolen wives of Immortan Joe, a chrome-worshiping cult leader, across the apocalyptic wastelands. The cars, the chase sequences and stunts, the suicidal War Boys, the music…it’s all frantic mayhem of the highest order. 

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4. The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

This movie is about the pillaging and plundering of the American economy. It ends before the Great Recession, though there is no doubt in my mind that these characters were present in 2007 and 2008, when Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers plunged through the floor. And they’ll be back. They’re like cockroaches—they never really leave. Martin Scorsese’s Wolf of Wall Street is the story of their ascent within the world economy. And Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) is their court jester. No movie has ever given the villain treatment so thoroughly to white-collar criminals. Even Oliver Stone’s Wall Street had shades of gray. Belfort, though, is all bad. Right to the core. The movie makes his lavish debauchery and moral depravity look downright enticing, which is Scorsese’s whole point: money is the goal, money is the solution, money makes the rules, money is the prize. This isn’t some abstract idea. New York stockbrokers aren’t fighting for make-believe bragging rights. They’re fighting for the same stuff in your wallet, in your bank account, in your retirement fund. Money is the great equalizer, and Scorsese manipulates that into the DNA of this film as Belfort spends, spends, spends. This is a funny, wise-cracking film made by one of the best in the business. It’s so on-the-nose that it feels like a revelation. Why? Because, of course these kinds of people are managing America’s wealth. Of course they snort long rails of cocaine, pop some Quaaludes, toss money at some strippers and then go off to scheme granny away from her pension check. All before lunch. Of course that’s the way this country works.

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3. Whiplash (2014)

If you want to see the raw, naked might of the cinema just watch the last 10 minutes of Whiplash. Nothing quite compares to power this awesome, this unrelenting, this magical. Damien Chazelle’s movie about two warring parties in a college jazz band—the ruthless director (J.K. Simmons) versus an intrepid and stubborn drummer (Miles Teller)—is a testament to how important music is to dramatic storytelling. The student wants to be the next Buddy Rich, but he can’t do a double-time swing or get to a performance on time. The teacher just wants to teach the next Charlie Parker, the next great jazz phenom, but he’s a vile hothead who flings music stands and eviscerates young musicians for not knowing if they’re in tune or not. How these two calamitous forces come to meet in the finale is a joy to experience, and then to watch it unfold is even more impressive. 

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2. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

I miss movies for adults. Not sexy or violent movies. Just mature movies. Ones that don’t feel obligated to use rapid-fire cuts or car chases to tell their stories. It’s remarkable these still exist. Most have gone straight to HBO or Netflix, which is what makes Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Tomas Alfredson’s 2011 spy thriller based on the John le Carré novel of the same name, so remarkable—that it was made at all. It’s slow. Methodical. Exact. Triumphantly focused. Here is a movie that knows exactly what to say and how to say it. Starring Gary Oldman as a retired spy chief, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy gives us a knotted-up problem—there is a spy at the highest level of the British secret service—and then slowly untangles it all to completion. But even the finality of the film doesn’t answer all of the outstanding questions since the plot is famously complex and hard to follow. Alfredson gives you all the clues you need to solve the problem, and follow-up viewings yield new surprises. Return viewings also reinforce the importance of the language of the cinema. How the camera moves, how the film is edited, how objects or people are framed within a shot, musical cues, the order of flashback sequences…the film broadcasts its intentions with careful filmmaking. That’s becoming a rarer thing.

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1. Under the Skin (2013)

Nothing in the last decade has given me the chills more than Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin. It’s the kind of movie that coils around you and slowly ratchets tighter until you can’t breath. It’s all claustrophobic dread. Starring Scarlett Johansson, the film follows a woman who drives around and seemingly stalks men on the streets of Scotland. She lures them back to her flat and the men are slowly, with no resistance on their part, submerged into an inky black water. Only after this happens several times do we understand what’s happening to the men, and why they are needed. What makes the film work so well is how it simmers on the screen. It takes its time. Large portions of it are of the nameless woman sitting in a van, asking men directions and looking for weaknesses in their responses. When she finds a suitable prey, she quietly lures them into the car, and to their doom. We see this happen several times, and then she begins to crack, the routine failing whatever it is that’s driving her. When she goes off the grid, she meets a man and has an intimate moment with him and is unsure how to react, until she suddenly discovers her own sex organs and her face seems to register, “Has this been here the whole time?” In another scene she goes to a restaurant, orders a dessert and is fascinated with the food that’s on her fork. She takes a bite and promptly vomits on the table, to the dismay of the other restaurant guests. Most viewers can figure out what’s happening here long before the reveal at the end, but that doesn’t take away any of the mystery or looming sense of unease. Adding to all this is Mica Levi’s horror-box score filled with percussion-like heartbeats, slicing string instruments and ambient dronescapes—if it makes you anxious and uncomfortable then it’s working. Glazer’s film builds on all this tension with Daniel Landin’s exquisite cinematography and Johansson’s appropriately lifeless performance. By the time you’re about out of air, Under the Skin yanks the floor from under you. It’s a release, but not the one you wanted or needed. 

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Bonus Video: No list. No countdown. No snappy shenanigans. My favorite non-film of the past decade was Adult Swim’s Too Many Cooks.

Alice's mega playlist on her first birthday

A year ago today my daughter Alice was born. I would say it was the most amazing day of my life, but there have now been 364 other days that could rival it. While my wife was pregnant she was reading these baby books that tracked the progress of the fetus. On one of the pages, on one of the dates, it said that ears were forming, and later that hearing was developing. I seized on those brief signs of growth and decided to make a playlist: one song for every day (starting from that point) she spent in the womb.

Now, someone could easily tell me that babies have no way of recognizing what they are hearing, or any way to process it, or even have a way discern what is happening acoustically outside of their little liquid bubbles. That is fine, because I am no doctor, but I did want to begin her relationship with music as soon as possible, even if the chances were low that she would even hear or absorb what I was playing.

The playlist developed on a calendar and an iTunes playlist. As important things happened on each day, tweaks were made to mark special occasions or historical moments. I also let my wife pick some songs, and we had several theme weeks. I tried to get a nice breakdown of new and old songs, but admittedly there are more old songs. Also lots of Paul Simon, Bowie and songs from movies, particularly Wes Anderson movies. I am also proud of the genres represented, from hip hop and blues to jazz and metal, and also proud of the many female singers who I hope will inspire our little girl once she starts figuring out her place in the world.

More serious music listeners could tear into this, and I welcome constructive criticism, but I really tried to stick to a formula: songs that were personal to me or my wife in some way, songs that will likely be remembered to a certain degree as she grows up, and songs that could be played for a child at any age. We hope to use this playlist, and add to it, as she gets older and begins to experiment with music on her own. I will admit, not every day is a perfect song. Some days had weird picks, but I stand by them now because this list is a historical record of Alice’s first musical sensations. Also, I take some songs out of their original contexts, but that is how music works — we bend it to fit our own life.

So here’s the list, with brief commentary by me. Enjoy!

July 15 — Paul Simon, “Kodachrome”

This has always been, and always will be, a song about growing up. But I also love how its meaning has kinda flipped over the years. Kodachrome, is the brand of film that produces all those “nice bright colors,” but then I think of old pictures and they’re yellowed and aged, with an almost a sepia-tinted hue. Kodachrome might have been the stuff of the future back then, but today it’s strongly linked to the past. Our kid isn’t going to grow up with film, and that’s sad. But the song will live forever.

July 16 — Elton John, “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”

This is one of my favorite songs of all time. The lyrics are perfect, as is the song’s simplicity and John’s soulful voice. I hope Spanish Harlem still has some culture left when she’s old enough to go there and visit. 

July 17 — Aretha Franklin, “Respect”

Three songs in and we’re already touching on one of our major themes: strong women voices. Honestly, when it all comes down to it we just want our child to grow up and have a voice, to be heard. And who better than to sing that to her than Aretha.

July 18 — The Beatles, “I Should Have Known Better”

This is my favorite Beatles song, but also one of my favorite parts of A Hard Day’s Night as John, Paul, George and Ringo play this in a train car, quite literally a soundtrack to their journey (like this list).

July 19 — Guns ‘N Roses, “Patience”

With still so many months in front of us, patience is really all we need. And I have a thing for whistling in songs.

July 20 — Chuck Berry, “Johnny B. Goode”

A classic, and one of the first rock songs. Also, when Marty McFly tells the people at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance that they’re not ready for this “but your kids will be,” I’m not so sure that’s so true — this song is still ahead of its time.

July 21 — Elvis Presley, “Hound Dog”

I knew I wanted an Elvis song on here, but I was never sure which one — I needed our dog to inspire this choice. In an effort to save some money in preparation for this baby, we agreed to stop getting Jack groomed. So for the price of half a single grooming session, we bought a pair of dog clippers online. Four hours into his first cut, I realized I might be a terrible dog groomer. (Update: I’m getting better.)

July 22 — Deftones, “Cherry Waves”

I’m obsessed with the Deftones. Have been since their first album captivated me in high school. I think I’ve seen them 19 times, but honestly I’ve lost count. Most of the music is too heavy for wombs, so I ended up here, with this ethereal chorus and spacey instrumentation. 

July 23 — Adele, “Chasing Pavements”

The video for this one is kinda bleak, but I love the idea of chasing your own destiny. I hope our daughter forges her own path through life, and that we don’t push her on that journey. 

July 24 — Radiohead, “Karma Police”

Because Radiohead. This was the song that opened that door for me. I was a latecomer to that party.

July 25 — David Bowie, “Moonage Daydream”

This is the first of many Bowie songs. That was not really intentional, but looking back on it I’m very happy about it. I picked this one because it had been in my head all week after seeing Guardians of the Galaxy, in which classic rock plays a prominent role. 

July 26 — Grateful Dead, “Sugar Magnolia”

My first Dead experience: my brother and I in a car with my mom. We were probably both under 10 or 12. Mom took us to Taco Bell, which happened to be near an amphitheater where the Dead were playing. The entire restaurant was swarming with Deadheads. They were laying out on the lawn, partying in the parking lot, huddled around the entrance. I remember one guy — and maybe this is just my memory exaggerating this image — but he was comically passed out against the drive-thru sign. For many years I thought the Grateful Dead were dirty hippies. Well, I was mostly right about that, but they also made great music. 

July 27 — The Strokes, “You Only Live Once”

I’m a big Strokes fan, and I think they’re music is going to last forever. This is one of their later songs, but I’ve always enjoyed its upbeat snappiness.

July 28 — Billy Joel, “Only the Good Die Young”

I grew up on Elton John, Hall & Oates, Neil Diamond and Billy Joel. My first concert ever was Billy Joel. My parents took me when I was probably too young. I had to stand on my seat to see. My brother fell asleep right in the middle of the whole thing. Some of his bad songs haunt me, but his good ones remind me of being a youngster and watching my parents cook in the kitchen with the hi-fi system blaring. 

July 29 — James Brown, “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag”

James Brown’s music is all about love and sex, but I think if I had to fight someone I would play it right before. It’s just electric. I picked it for this particular night because Sara and I screened the new James Brown movie, Get On Up.

July 30 — Bob Dylan, “Like a Rolling Stone”

Rolling Stone says it’s the greatest rock song ever created. I mostly agree with them. 

July 31 — The Smiths, “This Charming Man”

This is another group I discovered later than everyone else. Such an interesting sound. It wasn’t always this way, but I love the ‘80s.

August 1 — Gene Kelly, “Singin’ in the Rain”

It rained tonight, and when it rains in Arizona it’s worth celebrating. And this musical sequence might be the greatest in any musical.

August 2 — The Temptations, “My Girl”

So up until this point we didn’t know we were having a girl. We had a little party and revealed to everyone, ourselves included, that we were having a girl. We both wanted a girl, but we thought the universe was going to give us a boy because the universe likes to do that to me. But we got what (or who) we wanted.

August 3 — Deftones, “Beauty School”

I think I’m ready for girl stuff all around the house. Sara thinks she’ll be a tomboy, which might cancel out this song. We both agreed, though, that we’re already over pink. We’re leaning toward greens, yellows and purples, which is driving our friends and relatives a little bonkers. “You’re not buying anything pink?!?” No, we are, just not EVERYTHING pink. There’s a big difference. “Beauty School” is the title of the song, and it will most likely one day be the name of her bathroom. 

August 4 — Pink Floyd, “Money”

I worry about money. This is likely because I’m a journalist, and destined to be poor (or near poor) forever, although things are looking up. This realization hit me (again) today as we prepare for this little bundle, hence one of Pink Floyd’s most famous songs. 

August 5 — The Dirty Projectors, “Stillness is the Move”

This selection is about the movement we’re presently not feeling on Sara’s belly yet. Some people report feeling kicks and flutters this early. Just stillness so far. And by the way, the album this song comes from is pretty much perfect.

August 6 — The Band, “The Weight”

This song will live forever. I hope our daughter will have it on one of her playlists in 20 years. It’s just a warm blanket of songwriting. Also, there is a dog named Jack in it, like our dog. He did not react when he heard his name in the song.

August 7 — Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit”

I wasn’t feeling good tonight. And I’m awful with any kind of drugs, especially anything that causes drowsiness. But I was sick enough that I had to risk hallucinations, night sweats and incoherent babbling. And that’s how this song was chosen. Also, it’s about a certain girl with a certain name … (see August 11 entry).

August 8 — Kermit the Frog, “Rainbow Connection”

I felt my first kick tonight! To celebrate we played a song that makes us both smile.

August 9 — Al Green, “Let’s Stay Together”

No particular reason for this song tonight. Just because.

August 10 — Bob Marley, “Mellow Mood”; The Pioneers, “Long Shot Kick de Bucket”

It’s reggae night. We picked a classic, although under-appreciated, Marley song and then this happy little jam from the Pioneers. 

August 11 — Jim Croce, “I Got a Name”

We picked a name tonight. We had been going back and forth on several, but we pretty much firmed up Alice. We kept it a secret from everyone until the day she was born. My brother’s wife played a rather funny name joke later in the pregnancy: she told everyone she knew the name and said it was Sookie. Of course, everyone thought Sookie was awful, so no one said anything and the joke got bigger and bigger, all behind our backs. We found out later, long after everyone had been calling her Sookie, a name that still gets brought up even today.

August 12 — Animal Collective, “My Girls”

I’m going to have a house full of girls. This is my tribute to them.

August 13 — Big Star, “Thirteen”

Because today is August 13. And it’s a great song that needs no excuse to be played.

August 14 — Madonna, “Vogue”

Madonna is a cultural force that every generation can appreciate. We picked this song because it’s one of her most famous, but also because it namedrops Lauren Bacall who died several days earlier. She was one of my cinematic heroes — I still call The Big Sleep my favorite film.

August 15 — Grizzly Bear, “Two Weeks”

I often select songs that I like, which is selfish, but I’m the curator of this list, so I can get away with this. Now, I like this song, but I also can’t help but think of what it sounds like surrounded by three or four inches of fluid. Those piano hammerings, that dreamy pop swoon, the chorus of oohs and aahs … I hope she tapped her little webbed toes.

August 16 — Gene Wilder, “Pure Imagination”

Musically, this is a great song, but lyrically, it’s exactly what I want Alice to absorb: use your imagination, think positively, find joy in everything you do. It’s ironic that this song is followed by the most terrifying scene in the film, the scene in which Willy Wonka tries to Clockwork Orange the kids with that captain’s log footage from Event Horizon. 

August 17 — The Cure, “Lovesong”

We started with “Lullaby,” but then we watched the video, which is a little scary (and not just because Robert Smith is in it). “Babies like lullabies, right?” And then spiders started crawling through the walls. We switched to “Lovesong,” which is just as good.

August 18 — Spencer Davis Group, “Gimme Some Lovin’”

Listen, nothing beats this manic energy. It sounds like it was recorded on dollar-store instruments in a bowling alley, but it is so bonkers-fun that it hardly matters. (Update one year later: this is her favorite song and she bounces to it each time she hears it.)

August 19 — Warren Zevon, “Werewolves of London”

On my first trip to New York City, I wandered through the streets of SoHo in the rain. It was glorious. It took me something like 27 years to get to NYC, and I won’t let that happen to Alice — as soon as she’s old enough to appreciate it, we’re on a plane.

August 20 — Matt & Kim, “Lessons Learned”

We listened to this and then “Daylight,” “Block After Block,” “It’s Alright” … pretty much a full playlist. Their videos are great. 

August 21 — Led Zeppelin, “Tangerine”

This song has followed me around a lot. It reminds me of Arizona and the sun’s orange beams raking across the desert floor during our gorgeous sunsets. Sara and I don’t want to live in Arizona forever, and when we leave I think we’ll realize we always took our sunsets for granted.

August 22 — Beach Boys, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”

The Beach Boys are the gold standard when it comes to California surf-rock and whatnot, but I can’t hear them without thinking of really awful Full House cameos. This is the only song that, for me, seems to be immune to Uncle Jesse’s band-ruining taste. 

August 23 — Young MC, “Bust a Move”

Today I had a really awful run-in with Marvin Young, aka Young MC. He’s a local filmmaker and frequent guest to all the movie press screenings. He knows all the veteran critics, and I’ve tried to interject myself in conversations with colleagues when he’s there. It always feels forced and awkward, but I knew I’d get other opportunities to chat. That opportunity came today and I crashed and burned … hard. I interrupted him, jumbled every syllable that came out of my mouth, and then retreated in embarrassment. I’ve been a fan since I was in grade school, so I always knew we’d play this song (especially since it’s clean hip-hop), but we played it today to honor my awful encounter. 

August 24 — Charlie Parker, “Blue for Alice”

Not as many songs as you would think with Alice in the title. Fewer still when you add any sort of filter that eliminates bad songs. This turned out to be great, though, because you can’t go wrong with the Bird Man. 

August 25 — Rolling Stones, “Can’t You Hear Me Knockin’”

This is a reference to all the rocking and rolling going on in Sara’s belly right now. I reuse this theme over and over again later on in the playlist, but it’s really a marriage of convenience: rock and pop songs are all about moving and shaking, so of course they work for Alice and her in-utero dances. (Speaking of “in utero,” spoiler alert, I do play some Nirvana but nothing from In Utero.)

August 26 — The Who, “Baba O’Riley”

I love the long build-up to this song, and how it has a huge payoff. That’s a metaphor for something probably. Also, Roger Daltrey’s vocals sound amazing — I wish music was recorded like this still.

August 27 — The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”; Phil Collins, “Sussudio”

The decades fall in and out of fashion, but one of my constants is the 1980s. New wave, earlyish punk, glam, hair metal, synth-pop … and Phil Collins and Sting. 

August 28 — Ray Charles, “Mess Around”

Authoritative piano playing. Ray didn’t mess it around with those notes. He played them like he was at that carnival game with the hammer and bell. 

August 29 — Taylor Swift, “Shake it Off”

This was a charitable reprieve for Sara, who has been very patient with my music. And in all honesty, it’s kinda great. Also, we’re both terrible dancers.

August 30 — Neil Diamond, “Sweet Caroline”

I mentioned above that I grew up on Billy, Elton and Neil, so of course I had to throw this one in. Today “Sweet Caroline” is some kind of ironic anthem for people who pretend to appreciate old music. And how did Boston adopt it?! I kinda wonder if they’re serious fans of the song, or if they’re cheering it on because it’s some kind of old relic. I grew up to this song when it wasn’t an ironic joke. In related news, can I just admit that Saving Silverman, in which Neil Diamond plays a significant role, is comedy gold. 

August 31 — Neil Young, “Heart of Gold”

My brother got me hooked on Neil Young at an age when I should have already been a fan. I’m ashamed it took so long to discover him. If we had more time in the evenings I would just put on the live 1971 Massey Hall show and let it play from beginning to end.

September 1 — Jackie Wilson, “(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher”

I want to be as excited about things as Jackie Wilson is about singing. If I can attain even just a fraction of that, everything will be OK.

September 2 — Phantogram, “Mouthful of Diamonds”

It’s fun trying to find intriguing female performers for our female child. We want her to see what strong women can do in the world, and that she can do anything she wants with no limits to her growth. That being said, we draw the line at Nicki Minaj, who is just awful.

September 3 — Dolly Parton, “9 to 5”

Work kicked my butt today, which is why this work-themed song, with another strong female singer, was chosen. I’m not a huge Dolly fan, but I love her place within our culture — hair, boobs, singing, acting, and that bubbly little voice. She’s a treasure.

September 4 — Cat Stevens, “Here Comes My Baby”

If we were having a son, we’d definitely play “Father and Son,” but this Cat alternative works rather nicely. I guess it would work better if we could time it for the exact moment of birth, but that’s a lot to ask of your delivery doctor, or wife. 

September 5 — Frank Sinatra, “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”

This is a literal song title. Sara has someone under her skin. Just right up under there. Kicking. And wiggling. It’s so weird to think about. 

September 6 — Journey, “Don’t Stop Believing”

It took us a long time, and several false starts, to get this far in a pregnancy. It still feels surreal, like maybe we have to pinch ourselves to make sure it’s still happening. And pinch, pinch, it is. “Don’t stop believing” … no kidding.

September 7 — A Tribe Called Quest, “Can I Kick It?”

Another kicking reference, but this is also another opportunity to inject some hip hop into this mix. I grew up on hip hop music, if only because that’s what the other kids listened to on the playground. But  when they went West Coast with Tupac and Dre, I went East Coast with Wu-Tang, De La Soul and one of my favorite groups of all time, A Tribe Called Quest. Added bonus: their music is mostly nice to women, which means Alice can hear it. 

September 8 — Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, “Wooden Ships”

Today it flooded in Phoenix. Like mega-flooded. Noah flooded. Cars were floating down the freeway. I didn’t even attempt to leave the house for work; just texted the boss and told him I was stuck at home for awhile. All the stranded motorists made me think of this song, and ships bobbing up and down on an endless ocean called Interstate 10.

September 9 — Feist, “1 2 3 4”

We want the songs to run the gamut of human emotion, but happiness and joy are the ultimate destinations here on this journey. This song has both.

September 10 — Arcade Fire, “Wake Up”

This song is special to me. Months before I quit my newspaper job, a job I had for nearly 15 years, I told myself I would play this song as I was walking out. Well, almost a year ago today I did exactly that. I didn’t really play it as I left, though; more just on my computer several times as I was packing up. The song has this cathartic payoff, a release. And when the hell that was the newspaper business let go of me, it felt liberating and beautiful.

September 11 — Jay-Z & Alicia Keys, “Empire State of Mind”; Frank Sinatra, “New York, New York”

Two New York songs for September 11. “Empire State of Mind” came out the month that I first visited New York. I remember playing the song on my iPod as I was riding into Queens, and feeling the song’s energy as I rose out of the Queens Midtown Tunnel and saw Manhattan for the first time. It was exhilarating. Sara and I have been back many times since, including our honeymoon, and we plan to go back as soon as our baby can appreciate it. 

September 12 — Queens of the Stone Age, “Little Sister”

We were talking about Shannon, Sara’s younger sister, tonight and this song seemed to fit. At the time, she was pregnant with her own child, a boy they later named Isaiah. We kept thinking how awesome it was going to be for the two cousins to grow up so close in age. 

September 13 — Johnny Cash, “Get Rhythm”

This is such a simple song. The lyrics, that bassline, the guitar solo, but what really wins me over is Cash’s booming voice, which I imagine sounds really great amplified within the womb. 

September 14 — Jimi Hendrix, “Star-Spangled Banner”

Two-hundred years ago today, Francis Scott Key came out alive from the the bombardment at Fort McHenry, where he wrote the “Star-Spangled Banner.” So tonight we play Hendrix at Woodstock, probably the most famous interpretation of our national anthem. Like that version, we want our child to step outside the rigid box that is history and tradition to see things from new and vibrant perspectives. And if she can play the guitar with her teeth, bonus points for us.

September 15 — Wilson Pickett, “Mustang Sally”

Poor Sally, working so hard, running around town. Sally sounds exhausted. These are sex references, right? If they're not, and Sally is just exhausted from regular work, then this is a song about Sara who works harder than anyone I know. 

September 16 — She & Him, “I thought I Saw Your Face Today”

Today is our third wedding anniversary, so we’re playing this lovely She & Him song, which is a song we danced to at our wedding. We weren’t really keeping track, but it was likely our first dance as husband and wife.

September 17 — The Foundations, “Build Me Up Buttercup”

This is just a happy song that makes us both smile. It has a little deeper meaning for me. I had worked at a movie theater as a projectionist in the late ’90s. Our theater had showed There’s Something About Mary the week of it’s release. But the movie nearly died on the vine. No one came to see it, so they moved it to a smaller theater and were prepared to dump it, until the movie took off in a big way. Anyway, we ended up showing that film for months, and this song played in the credits. I can still remember those late nights up in the projection booth, those clacking projectors all around me, with the monitor cranked up listening to this song. 

September 18 — The Isley Brothers, “It’s Your Thing”

I hope our baby can dance better than her parents. That’s all I’m going to say here.

September 19 — Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Lookin’ Out My Back Door”

Sara says I do a mean “The Dude” impression, but doesn’t everyone? Every time this song comes on I start quoting The Big Lebowski, particularly the parts about The Eagles. My dad played CCR for us as kids, never the Eagles, so I sympathize completely with The Duder.

September 20 — Hall & Oates, “You Make My Dreams”

This is just silly. I remember my mom listening to pop/rock stations back in the ’80s and this song would come on. Or maybe she had the cassette. Anyway, I hear this song and I suddenly remember driving around Phoenix while strapped in a car seat in the back of a Ford Tempo.

September 21 — Stevie Ray Vaughan and Albert King, “Pride and Joy”

They say babies are your pride and joy. I could have picked Stevie’s original version here, but his live recordings with Albert King are amazing. This song’s great, but if you want a blues mega-track, check out “Blues at Sunrise.” It’s 15 solid minutes of epic blues guitar.

September 22 — Fleetwood Mac, “Silver Springs”

I hate liking Fleetwood Mac songs. But I do. And here we are appreciating something that Stevie Nicks has created. It’s so hard to not imagine that goat from the South Park episode, but then the chorus kicks in and “Silver Springs” just takes me away.

September 23 — John Coltrane, “Giant Steps”

Looking back on this list, I wish I did more jazz. Maybe some Wes Montgomery, Thelonious Monk or Miles Davis. I’m not a jazz expert, but I love the classics, including anything with a bounce to it like this magical Coltrane number.

September 24 — John Denver, “Leaving On a Jet Plane”

Today we fly to Ohio for Sara’s Midwest baby shower with her family. I always forget that John Denver died in an airplane crash until after this song is over. 

September 25 — Neil Young, “Ohio”

This is the only song I know that’s explicitly about Ohio, so here we are. I doubt the Ohio tourism board would be happy about this. 

September 26 — The Beatles, “I’m Only Sleeping”

Revolver might be a desert island record. That or maybe Rubber Soul. We listened to “I’m Only Sleeping” on a squeaky bed at Sara’s mom’s house. What’s funny about this song, is that neither of us sleeps very well on this bed. And the sleeping in this song is the only sleeping we get tonight.

September 27 — Charlie Feathers, “The Certain Female”

I want country music to sound more like western music, not bro-country dude rock. This is a western song. And there are no passages about cold beer, dusty roads, tractors or short shorts. 

September 28 — Phoenix, “1901”

A friend of mine introduced me to this band, and it seemed appropriate to play as we fly back into Phoenix. Sometimes I hate this city, but sometimes I love it. Flying back home from a trip … that’s when I love it. Home.

September 29 — Queen, “One Vision”

Yeah, yeah, “Bohemian Rhapsody” is their big hit. But I like the ‘80s feel of this number. It feels so spontaneous and alive. 

September 30 — Cat Power, “The Greatest”

My first assignment for my abbreviated run with SPIN magazine was to photograph Cat Power, who is this lovely singer named Chan Marshall. It was at a big outdoor festival in Las Vegas. She came out and blew me away. It was a really special concert moment. 

October 1 — Marty Robbins, “El Paso”

Long before Breaking Bad made this song cool again, my dad would play it or sing it. He grew up in New Mexico, so I think this song was probably required listening in his childhood. I love the storytelling.

October 2 — Paul Simon, “Me and Julio Down By the Schoolyard” and “America”

“Julio” is a song about growing up, throwing dirt clods, letting go of the swing at the highest point, climbing trees and getting dirty. It also has a great verse done in a whistle, which I can do very well (and babies think whistling is magic). This is another song heavily influenced by my dad. I also remember him letting us watch that silly Paul Simon video with Chevy Chase, “You Can Call Me Al.” These are timeless songs. As for “America,” it’s likely my favorite Simon song and really needs no introduction.

October 3 — Smashing Pumpkins, “1979” and “Mayonaise”

It’s fall and everyone is putting out their pumpkin stuff. Meanwhile, I’m playing Smashing Pumpkins songs on my wife’s belly. I had to pick two because I couldn’t really decide. And a side note, Siamese Dream is one of my favorite albums, even still today. Most ‘90s music doesn’t hold up very well, but this album has aged perfectly.

October 4 — The Monkees, “I’m a Believer”

We’re playing this song for one reason: you can’t always be a Beatle, and when that’s the case be a Monkee. Because sometimes Monkees have more fun. 

October 5 — Dixie Chicks, “Lullaby” and “Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)”

I let Sara pick tonight, and she hit it out of the park with these two lovely Dixie Chicks songs. “Lullaby” is especially wonderful. You can tell she listens to lyrics more than me; these songs are aimed directly at us and our lives. 

October 6 — Mumford & Sons, “I Will Wait”

The last five or six years I was writing at the newspaper I would get these annual emails from a reader who would beg and plead for me to include Mumford & Sons in my entertainment section. I just never understood the fascination. Then I heard this song, and I suddenly got it, if only for a minute or two. There is a hint of sadness in this song, and I love how it builds and builds into a crescendo of emotion and sound. I’m still not a huge fan, but this is a powerful song. 

October 7 — Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Tuesday’s Gone”

It’s Tuesday and this might be the greatest song about Tuesday. I also like how it doesn’t really talk about the South, a subject I prefer sung by Neil Young. 

October 8 — The Clash, “Janie Jones” and “Rock the Casbah”

These might be our first (and only) punk songs. Also, punk is dead. You know how I know? We went to church last Easter Sunday and there were like five babies and toddlers with mohawks. 

October 9 — Wild Belle, “Keep You”

This is a super chill song with a cool vibe. It’s not really reggae, but it’s close. And it has one of those baritone saxophones, which just sounds awesome. 

October 10 — White Lies, “Bigger Than Us”; DUM, “On & On”

This White Lies song was a Fossil find. When I was working part time at the leather and watch retailer last year, this song was on the rotation. I took me forever to actually track it down because I would have to take my phone out an Shazam it without anyone noticing. Since then it’s quickly risen through the ranks as one of my favorite songs. It’s just that epic chorus! The video, with its E.T. references, reminds me of being young. After that we played the David Unger song just for kicks, because it also had an ‘80s vibe and that video is something else too.

October 11 — The Killers, “All These Things I’ve Done”

This was the biggest band on the planet for awhile. What happened? Remember my Cat Power story from earlier? Well, I photographed The Killers at the same show. After their press conference I jumped in an elevator real quick to beat the rush down. Before the door could close a hand shoots through the door and in steps the whole band. They were kinda awkward.

October 12 — The Mars Volta, “Since We’ve Been Wrong” 

Metal Week, Day 1: I told Sara we couldn’t do this project without some metal — “It’s part of who I am,” I kept telling her. She relented, but I did promise I wouldn’t play anything too extreme. So I’m starting off real light. Like super light. So light it’s not even metal. But it’s still the Mars Volta, and they’re definitely out there.

October 13 — The Darkness, “I Believe in a Thing Called Love”

Metal Week, Day 2: We’re getting a little heavier. This is definitely more metal, albeit a throwback to hair metal.

October 14 — Iron Maiden, “Aces High”; Motörhead, “Ace of Spades”

Metal Week, Day 3: We’ve arrived at some legitimate metal for metal week! I started with my favorite Iron Maiden track and then I realized if we’re going to be talking about aces we have to add Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades.” (Update: RIP Lemmy.)

October 15 — Mastodon, “Oblivion”

Metal Week, Day 4: I want to go on record by saying that I think Mastodon’s Crack the Skye is one of the greatest modern metal albums ever made. I think I’ve listened to it probably 120 times. I’ve been known to loop it for hours at my desk. It has a groove to it, and it puts me in the mood to write. 

October 16 — Black Sabbath, “Paranoid” 

Metal Week, Day 5: Going back to the original with some Sabbath, still to this day one of my favorites bands. And the father of heavy metal. 

October 17 — Sammy Hagar, “Heavy Metal”

Metal Week, Day 6: Bringing it back down a little for Sara, who’s about had it with metal week. 

October 18 — Metallica, “Battery”

Metal Week, Day 7: And we’re ending on a hard note. This reminds me of being a teenager. I had all the Metallica albums on cassette, and then I upgraded to CD when I eventually had a car with a CD player. I had a clunky Hyundai Excel with awful speakers, but something about the speakers and their lack of any bass made these albums shred even more. 

October 19 — Nena, “99 Luftballons”

World Week, Day 1: Now we’re doing a week of music from other places. We’re starting in Germany because I have ancestors that are German. I have smelled their German food.

October 20 — Edith Piaf, “La Vie en Rose”; Louis Armstrong, “La Vie en Rose”

World Week, Day 2: We started with the Edith Piaf version, but then Sara suggested we also hear Louis’ rendition. Wise move.

October 21 — Psy, “Gangnam Style”

World Week, Day 3: Sara has never heard “Gangnam Stye,” which I think is just confounding on every level. It’s been watched by something like 2 billion people on YouTube. And now one view by Sara.

October 22 — Björk, “Joga”; PS 22, “Joga” 

World Week, Day 4: Off to Iceland with some Björk. And while we’re on it, I wanted to play that version by the Staten Island grade schoolers, who almost do it better.

October 23 — Tito Puente, “Oye Come Va”; Carlos Santana, “Oye Como Va”

World Week, Day 5: I once saw a long version of this live, and it was hypnotic. 

October 24 — Seu Jorge, “Life on Mars?”

World Week, Day 6: At this point I was struggling to come up with music that related to me, or us. I settled on Seu Jorge for several reasons: First, this is from Wes Anderson’s A Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou; second, it’s a David Bowie cover; and lastly, it’s on a Spanish guitar. 

October 25 — Boris, “Ibitsu”

World Week, Day 7: Over to Japan to cap off world week. I’m still very much experimenting with drone, noise and ambient music, and Boris has explored all three, as well as stoner rock, pop and a variety of other genres. I love how each album they release is from a different genre.

October 26 — Stone Temple Pilots, “Plush” (acoustic version)

This week we’re going to see the new Mormon temple during its open house in north Phoenix. It’s a big deal for LDS families, so my whole family has arranged a night out to go see it. So of course, here’s some Stone Temple Pilots. 

October 27 — The Ad Libs, “The Boy From New York City”

Sara wanted an oldie. Here you go. 

October 28 — Frank Sinatra, “Come Fly With Me”

I’m flying to San Antonio today for a business trip to Fredericksburg, Texas. I’m not in town to play this song for Sara, so while I’m driving a rental minivan out of San Antonio I call her and ask her to load this tune up. 

October 29 — Gene Autry, “Deep in the Heart of Texas”

Still in Texas. I’m here for the magazine I write for, Western Art Collector. Gene Autry is widely known as an art collector and enthusiast. And it’s about Texas, which is why this song is so perfect. 

October 30 — Bobby Fuller Four, “Let Her Dance”

I Googled Texas artists and Bobby Fuller came up. I’ve always loved this song, even before Wes Anderson put it in The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

October 31 — The Doors, “People Are Strange”

I flew back into town today from Texas, and it’s Halloween, which is why I picked this strange Doors tune. Sara and I sat out and gave candy to the trick-or-treaters, but no one really showed up. Maybe people aren’t as strange as we thought.

November 1 — Cream, “Sunshine of Your Love”

Some music just needs no reason to be played. Just play it.

November 2 — The Jackson 5, “ABC”

During an awful health scare that Sara was going through right after we were married, someone told us to ABC — Attitude. Believe. Courage. We don’t use self-helpy acronyms, but for whatever reason this stuck and we mention it to each other when times are rough. Also, this song is the only way I would let Michael Jackson into our list. He made great music. But he was also a world-class creep, and I would feel guilty letting an adult Michael Jackson interact with our unborn child, even if only musically. 

November 3 — Deftones, “No Ordinary Love”

Covers Week, Day 1: We’re doing a solid week of cover songs, so we’re starting here with Sade’s “No Ordinary Love” as done by the Deftones, who have been on this list several other times. Also, you can see four of my photographs in the liner notes of the album this song appears on, B-Sides & Rarities.

November 4 — Jimi Hendrix, “All Along the Watchtower”

Covers Week, Day 2: This was the first Hendrix song I was aware of as a young music listener experimenting with his musical taste. It never gets old, and it’s even better than the Bob Dylan version.

November 5 — Joe Cocker, “With a Little Help From My Friends” 

Covers Week, Day 3: Sara and I grew up on Wonder Years. What a great show to have in your adolescence. I interviewed Fred Savage once, and nearly called him Kevin Arnold. 

November 6 — Nirvana, “The Man Who Sold the World” 

Covers Week, Day 4: Another Bowie song. After all these years, this live recording still hurts to listen to. 

November 7 — Gary Jules, “Mad World” 

Covers Week, Day 5: Ask me to think of the original Tears for Fears song and I can’t do it. I hear this version, and this version only. That must irk the original writers. 

November 8 — The Gypsy Kings, “Hotel California” 

Covers Week, Day 6: This is the only way an Eagles song gets played. The Dude abides.

November 9 — Ben Folds, “Tiny Dancer” 

Covers Week, Day 7: I like this version because Ben cuts out the weird interlude part before the chorus. Also, no slide guitar. The Elton John version is great, but the version that plays in my head always has fewer instruments and parts. 

November 10 — Alison Krauss, “Baby, Now that I’ve Found You” 

Sara’s Week: Sara’s is doing a whole week of music that reminds her of things. She’s picking this song for her mom. 

November 11 — Counting Crows, “Round Here”

Sara’s Week: She picked this for her brother, who I have not yet met. He’s kind off the radar, so I may never meet him. 

November 12 — Judy Garland, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”

Sara’s Week: I’m putting words in my wife’s mouth, but I’m pretty sure we both want our kid to be able to look up into the sky and see her dreams, and then to one day attain those dreams. The original song is more sad, as in “why can’t I?”, but I see more hope and promise in the words.

November 13 — Bette Midler, “Under the Boardwalk”

Sara’s Week: This reminds her of best friends.

November 14 — Fleetwood Mac, “Songbird”

Sara’s Week: Judy Garland, Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks … I must love my wife very much to allow her to put this clutter in my list. 

November 15 — Evanescence, “My Immortal”

Sara’s Week: This one reminds her of her younger sister Shannon. She’s not picking one for her older sister, because she “doesn’t listen to music.” I didn’t think that was possible. 

November 16 — Patsy Cline, “Walkin’ After Midnight”

Sara’s Week: This one is for Mama Kathy, our daughter’s grandma and Sara’s mom. 

November 17 — Red Hot Chili Peppers, “Under the Bridge”

This video, this song, this band, is how I discovered the greatness of MTV. The channel played music back then. Today it has none. 

November 18 — Lorde, “Royals”

We haven’t picked too many semi-current songs. Mostly because new music sounds great, but none of it sounds classic, like we might be listening to it in 5, 10 or 50 years. “Royals” might not hit the 50-year mark, but I think it could be a song we look back on fondly in a decade. 

November 19 — Black Keys, “Tighten Up”

This baby belly is tightening up, like a drum. It’s crazy to think this baby gets bigger. The only reprieve Sara has is that this is still a month or so away from popping. The closer it gets, though, the scarier it becomes. 

November 20 — Neil Diamond, “Coming to America”

Today President Obama made an announcement indicating he would be making a number of executive orders on issues involving illegal immigrants and immigration. It was a big day for the country, and especially Arizona, where many Mexican and South American people live and work and are productive members of society. They came here for a better life, and they deserve just that. I want the best for our daughter, and they just want the same for their children. So here we are with this Neil Diamond song, which really should be experienced through the film Born in East LA. 

November 21 — Louis Armstrong, “What a Wonderful World”

This is an interesting song. On one hand it means exactly what it says, that the world we live in in is wonderful. But when Michael Moore used this song in Bowling for Columbine to show the wars, violence, political unrest and shady CIA intervention that lead to 9/11, the song took on an almost sarcastic tone. I think both versions apply. We should strive for the wonderful, but we should also be conscious of the cruel and unusual place we live in. Glass half full, glass half empty. I think it’s important to see both versions out of the same set of eyes. 

November 22 — Steve Earle, “Feel Alright”

We feel alright right now. But a baby is on the way. And while that is amazing, it will also be quite tiring, stressful and who knows what else. But today, we’re feeling alright.

November 23 — John Lennon, “Imagine”

If our baby listens to only one song, one set of lyrics, then it should be this one. The universe has never needed a song as much as it has needed this one. 

November 24 — Public Enemy, “Fight the Power”; Dooley Wilson, “As Time Goes By”

Today a grand jury in Missouri decided to not indict a white cop who shot and killed Mike Brown, a black teen who committed the horrible crime of stealing cigarettes. Our child will never have to fear police the way her black and brown-skinned peers will. And that’s heartbreakingly unfair. Children should not be terrified to step into the world, even a world of cops with itchy trigger fingers. The only song that seemed appropriate for tonight was Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” the song that gets Radio Raheem killed with an illegal NYPD chokehold in Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing. We want our child to be conscious of these types of issues, and to know that the world can be unfair when it comes to race, and she needs to rise above that in every way possible. (We also played “As Time Goes By” from Casablanca. This was our original song before news from Missouri broke. We picked it because Sam’s famous piano just sold at auction.)

November 25 — Cults, “Go Outside”

This is a cheery, fun song. And then we watched the video. It’s about the Jonestown Massacre. Weird.

November 26 — Sam Cooke, “Twistin’ the Night Away”

This baby be kickin’, so much that it feels like a dance party in there. 

November 27 — Led Zeppelin, “Thank You”

We are thankful for so much. Friends, family, and this little baby on her way. These feelings are captured perfectly in this beautiful Zeppelin song, which is a love song from me to Sara. 

November 28 — Van Morrison, “Glad Tidings”

It’s still November, but Thanksgiving is over, which means we’re into the Christmas season and that means a baby is around the corner. Glad tidings are coming our way. 

November 29 — Jimmy Eat World, “Futures”

I liked the idea of our future being mysterious and strange. Yes, a baby is on the way, but what will she look like, be like, or how will she change us? The future is kinda scary, but also terrifically exciting. 

November 30 — Editors, “Munich”

Sara and have been editors of one kind or another. I still am. That’s how we met. We’ve agreed that if our child wanted to go into newspapers or magazines, we would not push her away — she can do whatever she wants. But we also promised each other we would tell her about other promising careers, because we definitely love journalism more than journalism loves us. It’s a rough career to have.

December 1 — Jesu, “Brighteyes”

I’ve been into Jesu for a couple years, and I really enjoy the chuggy repetition of the chords and the soaring, hopeful vocals. This song ties into a broader interest I have for experimental, drone, ambient, stoner, doom and other obscure metal genres. I also liked the title “Brighteyes,” which alludes to the blue eye color we’re hoping Alice has. (Update: she has blue eyes!)

December 2 — Joni Mitchell, “River”

This is a great song, and also a great Christmas song, which I always forget. Joni Mitchell is a one-of-a-kind singer, and I hope our daughter discovers these old songs. 

December 3 — Siouxsie and the Banshees, “Hong Kong Garden”

Because little girls can be punks. 

December 4 — The Creation, “Making Time”

Sara is literally making time. Each day that kid is in her is another day she misses out on. 

December 5 — J. Geils Band, “Centerfold”

Tonight and tomorrow night we’re picking hit songs from our birth years. Tonight is Sara’s turn, and for 1982 she chose “Centerfold,” which is a time capsule song for sure. How can you not smile at all this cheeseball music — the synthesizers, the hand clapping, the hilariously dated video. 

December 6 — REO Speedwagon, “Keep on Lovin’ You”

For my birth year of 1981, I chose the classic “Keep on Loving’ You.” I photographed REO Speedwagon once and I think I was the youngest person in the audience by about 30 years, but it was a lot of fun. They did a double-bill with Styx, a band that does not get a song on this list. 

December 7 — Pharrell Williams, “Happy”

As a small continuation of song from our birth years, we’re going to pick one for Alice, assuming she’s born in 2014 (spoiler: she’s not). We wanted something upbeat and positive, and “Happy” seems to work very well. 

December 8 — Paul Simon, “Father and Daughter”

More Paul Simon, and this one had Sara in tears. She thought it was a very good pick, and I’m proud that I found it. Fathers and their daughters need songs like this. 

December 9 — Three Dog Night, “Mama Told Me Not to Come”

We watched Inherent Vice tonight, and this song felt appropriate for all the right reasons, mostly its weird trippiness.

December 10 — Harry Nilsson, “Jump Into the Fire”

Whenever I have a busy day, a day that requires me to make numerous trips from home and back, I always think of the scene in Goodfellas where Henry Hill’s brother is in town and they’re cooking the big meal during various criminal enterprises. Guns for Jimmy, coke for the babysitter, valium from the hospital, that damn helicopter … I love the energy of that scene. I had a day like that. It was go go go all afternoon. All day I had “Jump Into the Fire” playing in my head. 

December 11 — Foo Fighters, “Everlong”

This is a timeless song. It’s also epic, with a great beginning, middle and end — so much to listen to, and so much building suspense. One of the best concerts I went to was a Foo Fighters show. They opened for Red Hot Chili Peppers, who were having an off night. Dave Grohl raced out to the audience and performed on a small stage in the crowd. He was literally right in front of me, close enough for me to touch his guitar. 

December 12 — Carole King, “Every Day Feels Like a Holiday”

I don’t like holiday songs, but this one is tolerable. 

December 13 — Elton John, “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”

Today is Saturday, and we need a song to liven it up. 

December 14 — Huey Lewis and the News, “The Power of Love” and “Stuck on You”

Sara and I both have news backgrounds, and tonight we finished The Newsroom. I was generally hated by critics and people who hate-watch TV, but Sara and I enjoyed it. We liked talking about newsroom decisions as they were happening. A long time ago, on a smaller scale, that was us making those decisions. 

December 15 — Thoroughly Modern Millie, “Gimme Gimme” and “The Speed Test”

I let Sara have Broadway night and this is what she picks. 

December 16 — Idina Menzel, “Let It Go”

Every little girl in America knows this song, so we thought, why not ours. Thankfully, she will miss Frozen fever. 

December 17 — OK Go, “WTF?”

WTF is pretty much what we’re thinking about this kid right now. We’re also really hoping that she’s not born on Christmas. Anything but Christmas. Birthdays will be impossible: Stores will be closed. Friends won’t be able to come over. Parties will have to be held on an entirely different day. Kid, WTF?!?! Hurry!

December 18 — Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer”

We keep thinking something is going to happen because the kicks are getting harder and harder, like a sledgehammer, but nope. She’s still in there, teasing us with each passing day. 

December 19 — Rolling Stones, “I am Waiting”

Waiting patiently still. 

December 20 — John Mellencamp, “Hurts So Good”

We’ve been talking about labor a lot, and how Sara is going to cope with it all. She likes to think she’s ready, but doesn’t every mother, even the ones who flip out? Personally, I think she’s ready. It will be a good pain, I tell her. A pain that has a baby at the end. She’s not reassured by this. 

December 21 — No Doubt, “Sunday Morning”

We’ve done several songs for days of the week, and here’s one. Honestly, we’re just running out of songs. We never thought we’d be pushing the December 25 due date this closely. 

December 22 — MGMT, “Kids”

Music videos can be performance art, or theater, or high drama, or just surreal images set to a beat. But trying to make sense of any of it is a fruitless endeavor. Case in point, MGMT’s “Kids,” which reminds me of that Lewis Black line: “If you hear a song and the images in your head are the same images in the music video, take a sharpened pencil and jam it in your ear.” (BTW, “Kids” because we’re about to have one.)

December 23 — Mariah Carey, “All I Want For Christmas is You”

A Christmas song, and maybe Mariah’s high notes will scare this baby out. 

December 24 — Gayla Peevey, “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”; Wham!, “Last Christmas”

For Christmas Eve, we each picked our favorite Christmas song: Sara’s is the Hippo song and mine is “Last Christmas,” which is so bad it’s good. Want to know how to annoy Sara, let that Wham! earbug get in her ear and it will slowly drive her mad. She was not amused that I picked this song, but she was a sport when I played it. Also, the video is a great time capsule.

December 25 — Europe, “The Final Countdown”

Due Date!!! And the final countdown commences. (Ugh, this is mostly an awful song, but the chorus and title work great for the phase we are in.)

December 26 — Simon & Garfunkel, “Homeward Bound”

Come home to us baby. Her room is ready. 

December 27 — The Sounds, “No One Sleeps When I’m Awake”; The Naked and Famous, “Punching in a Dream”

Lots of kicks and punches, enough that Sara can’t sleep. She’s been sleeping on the couch for weeks because that’s the only place where she can get comfortable. Apparently it’s pretty miserable.

December 28 — AC/DC, “You Shook Me All Night Long”; Death, “Keep on Knockin’”

Lots more kicks. But nothing to report for it. 

December 29 — The Doors, “Break on Through”

She still hasn’t broken through. The wait continues. 

December 30 — Bob Marley, “Three Little Birds”

Don’t worry / about a thing / ‘cause every little thing is gonna be alright.

December 31 — Counting Crows, “A Long December”

It was a very long December, one that our little bug will not get to see … because she’s coming in January. Great job, kid!

January 1 — U2, “Where the Streets Have No Name”

2015. We’re in uncharted territory now, where the streets have no names. We always thought she’d be here by now. And here we are in a new year, and no baby yet. 

January 2 — The Beatles, “In My Life”

This is a song about life and death, beginning and ends. It seems appropriate as we stand on the precipice that is parenthood.

January 3 — Rod Stewart, “Maggie May”

We almost named her Maggie. Almost. 

January 4 — Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, “You Really Got a Hold on Me”; The Beatles, “You Really Got a Hold on Me”; and She & Him, “You Really Got a Hold on Me”

This baby has a hold on Sara and won’t let go. “Kid, just relax a little and come out. It’s nice out here. We promise.”

January 5 — The Lumineers, “Ho Hey”

Sara is thinking happy thoughts in preparations for what is to come, and this songs seems to be working at the moment. 

January 6 — Vampire Weekend, “A-Punk”

Almost a week into January and she’s still in there. That punk. That bratty little punk.

January 7 — The Strokes, “Last Nite”

Yeah, yeah, this song is not about the final night, but rather the previous night, but that doesn’t take away its meaning for me. Because tonight really is the last night! Last night of belly kicks, swollen feet, squished organs and short breaths. It’s the last night because tomorrow we’re scheduled for a C-section because this kid is overcooked.

January 8 — Etta James, “At Last”

Finally. She’s here. And she’s perfect.