Via Andrew Sullivan.

But I was dismayed to watch today’s joke by “Jerry.” Hilarious as it is, it’s clearly stolen from the hidden track on the 1996 album “Picture This” by Santa Rosa-based ska band Tin Circus. I think “Jerry” should be honest about the fact that he was clearly hanging out with me in my teens in the back room of Clover Restaurant and Bar listening to bad ska.

Via: Kottke.

That out of the way…

1. Rockapella  – Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdzyuJJZMCI"]

In some sense, this isn’t that guilty of a pleasure.  After all, WITWICS? was an awesome show that I make no apologies for having watched as a kid.  But I still listen to this song.  Relatively regularly.  And, to make matters worse, I have other Rockapella songs.  So I can’t even claim it’s just a WITWICS? thing.  So ya, I like acapella.  I said it. (Bonus Rockapella clip)

2. Dierks Bentley – Lot Of Leavin’ Left To Do

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z4ihUR6hgs]

My friend Matt and I traveled around the country for a summer.  We covered 37 states in 6 weeks.  We were on a mission to see America.  One of the things we learned is that pop country radio is all you can get in most places between New York and San Francisco.  And it’s kind of awesome.

This song became something of an anthem for us.  Not because we were hooking up with ladies and then hittin’ the road (we wished).  But because we were literally getting up and going to a new state, sometimes two, every day of the trip.  We always had a lotta leavin’ left to do.

3. John Mayer – Why Georgia

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs8dsERsal8"]

I was convinced for about 2 months while I was in high school that John Mayer was gonna be the next big folk rock hero.  He didn’t have an album yet but everywhere Napster library I invaded looking for Dave Matthews live music I was seeing his acoustic stuff.  So I downloaded all of it, and I was into it.

Needless to say, once his first studio album came out, I realized that I’d been listening to N’Sync with a guitar and just didn’t know it.  That was really depressing.  I’m still convinved, though, that all that would be required to turn the man into a really quality song writer is a couple of years of a heroin problem.

4. Tiffany – I Think We’re Alone Now

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0CF-mdfrk0"]

It’s a summer camp thing. I believe that is explanation enough.

5. Britney Spears – Toxic

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkIytHD5v9c"]

I spent a week in Puerto Rico in a very classicly Spring Breaky trip while I was in college.  Our hotel room on had a few channels, and one of them was CNN Espanol.  As a good citizen, I tried to check in with the world to stay in touch with current events so would turn the channel on once or twice a day.  Without fail, every four or five minutes, this song would come on.  There was no explanation, no news person kicking to it saying “now for a nice break!”  No reason that the video itself (other than the fact of its existence) constituted news in any way.

After a few listens, I was totally hooked.  You could say I was addicted to it, though it knew it was toxic.

Tag: Jess, Ned, Ta-Nehisi.