14 songs for 41 years

Well, I completed my 41st trip around the sun a few days ago, and I have to say, it’s a lot more fun being a “young old person” than it is being an “old young person”. Less time spent on existential angst, more time focusing on prospects in the future.

That said, look-backs are still fun. I enjoyed writing my four decade retrospective at age 40, and I think it’s going to be fun to try to write a unique birthday piece every year from here on out. So here we go.

This year, I’m focusing on music. I’ve been a musician since I took up piano lessons when I was 3 years old, and even though I long ago drifted away from the path of making music my life’s work, it hasn’t ever stopped being one of my life’s passions.

Inspired by both my friend Connor’s music blog Play it Again and the podcast 60 Songs That Explain the ‘90s, I’m going to highlight the music that means the most to me, defines key moments in my life, or just flat out slays.

The original concept was “41 songs for 41 years”. I actually made that list. Then I realized that I’d have to write the piece - overwhelming! - and people would have to read it - tedious! So I decided to simplify, flip the digits, target the 14 best candidates, and then make a bunch of heartbreaking cuts.

Read on for where I landed.

1. Istationer Railgarita, Runa Laila

This is a classic Bengali folk song about the glamorous topic of … riding the train. Waiting for it to arrive. Explaining that you shouldn’t pull the emergency stop chain if there is no emergency. Letting you know the punishment if you don’t have a ticket. Pretty hilariously mundane stuff.

Yet, this was a defining song for so many young Bengali-Americans that I knew growing up, because it is the perfect song for uncoordinated children to put on a dance performance at various Bengali functions and Puja celebrations.

I’ve done the “train dance” myself twice - once in my early childhood hometown of Boulder, Colorado and again a few years later in Cincinnati. I had the privileged position of being the engine for both performances, leading the pack of children running around a stage pretending to be a train years before the Quad City DJs made train dances cool.

And you know what? Out of dozens of Bengali performances I’d put on as a dancer, pianist, and violinist over my life, the “train dance” may have been the most fun.

This song is a constant reminder of the connections I need to maintain to my roots in Bengal, Boulder, and Cincinnati, and it was perhaps the first time I realized how much I truly loved performing.

2. Two Princes, Spin Doctors

So, not going to lie, I don’t necessarily love this song. I think it’s fine, normal early 1990s fare. Nothing that changed or defined a phase in my life.

This song makes the list because it’s the first song I remember taping off of the radio, the local pop station Q102, and it’s a constant reminder of how far music technology has come over the years.

Back in the early 1990s, if you wanted to hear a specific song, you had to either own the album on vinyl or tape, or you had to wait for it to come on the radio with your tape recorder on the ready and hit record the second you recognize the opening riff. And then you make your mixtape.

Two Princes reminds me of other firsts. My first album on tape was New Miserable Experience by the Gin Blossoms. My first album on CD was Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt. The first MP3 I ever illegally downloaded was How Deep is Your Love by Dru Hill. The first album I ever bought on iTunes was Speakerboxxx/The Love Below from Outkast.

I don’t think there are more firsts that I can recall. After a decade or so of major technological changes, music streaming is undoubtedly the way most of us will listen to music from here on out. I’m not here to argue that we’ve lost something in the era of instant gratification, but Two Princes will always remind me of the era when hearing your favorite song come on was true magic.

3. Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, Bach

What if Brandy and Monica’s The Boy is Mine was written in the 1700s for violinists? Well, it was, by Johann Sebastian Bach, and it’s one of those classic pieces that almost every violinist has taken on a few times in their lives.

There are two starring roles - the first violin part and the second violin - and a string orchestra plays backup underneath the two of them. The piece is designed with care so neither star outshines the other. They pass the melody back and forth, with some sections approaching duel status. Just like The Boy is Mine.

I’ve performed this concerto three times with three different partners, and it really is a rush to do live. There’s simultaneous elements of cooperation and competition. You want to “yes, and” the energy your partner brings, but you also want to bring your own flair to the moment. And you’re balancing taking risks vs. managing mistakes.

While I’d go on to play much more technically challenging pieces as a solo violinist in subsequent years, I missed the unique dynamic of the Bach Double. There aren’t a lot of pieces like it and it’s the most fun I ever had as a featured performer of a concerto.

4. Roundball Rock, John Tesh

I love NBA basketball. I love music. And this piece combines those two loves in a way nothing else can.

It’s incredible to think that it’s been 21 years since NBC lost the TV rights to the NBA and this was the NBA on NBC theme for only 12 years. When it comes to the zeitgeist, it’ll never be touched as the quintessential NBA song.

For me, this piece is timeless. I am instantly transported to mental clips of the Bulls beating the Knicks or the Rockets taking out the Suns in classic series from my childhood. I’ve spent more time than I care to admit watching the live performances, such as the classic Red Rocks version featuring a guitar vs. violin duel. And who can forget Nelly’s remix, Heart of a Champion.

With the NBA’s TV rights up for negotiation soon, there are reports that NBC wants to get back in the game. And if they do, they better bring this theme back.

5. Procession of the Nobles from Mlada, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

In 1996, I thought I was hot shit. I had been 1st chair in my school orchestra for four straight years from 5th grade through 8th grade. I had been in the Cincinnati Junior Strings for five years, performing with them in Asia and Australia and peaking as the 2nd-ranked violinist in the city in 8th grade. We violinists ruled the world.

As 9th grade started, I was excited to join the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra (CSYO), which added percussion, woodwinds, and brass instruments. My fellow strings and I were about to kick their butts.

I wasn’t ready.

Procession of the Nobles was the first piece we sight read at the very first rehearsal that fall. And as trite as this may sound, I’ll never forget how I felt the first time the brass section kicked off their opening fanfare.

I literally wasn’t prepared for the assault of sound waves on my body that brass instruments can deliver. It was humbling, it was disarming, and it was startling. I missed my cue for the first note I’d ever play with this new orchestra, because I was in awe.

I’d go on to finish four years as part of the CSYO, and I think it was my favorite time as a musician in my whole life. I loved the fuller sound a symphony orchestra can deliver, the complex dynamics that emerge in keeping 100 people in sync with each other, and the broader repertoire that becomes available when you have every instrument in the group. And it all started with Procession of the Nobles.

6. Tubthumping, Chumbawamba

This one cracks the list because it kicked off a lifetime of nerdy Excel analysis.

I can remember the exact moment I first heard it. I was at a minor league hockey game in Cincinnati - I can’t remember if it was the Cyclones or the Mighty Ducks - and Tubthumping came on during one of the timeouts.

My friends and I were immediately transfixed and started debating the words. “I’ve got no time”? “Kissing the night away”? Whatever. We all immediately loved it. Pure energy!

I loved it so much that I started tracking its performance on the Casey Kasem Top 40, meaning that I dedicated a few hours every Sunday morning waiting for this to come on just so I could put a single number into a spreadsheet.

First it barely broke the list, then it shot up a dozen or so places in each of the ensuing weeks, then it hit #2 beyond Savage Garden’s Truly, Madly, Deeply, and then it finally took the top spot. It stayed at the top for at least two full months before being dethroned by, of all things, Truly, Madly, Deeply. I don’t know why I remember all of these details, but I do.

This obsessive tracking of consumer behavior would spread into other areas, ultimately leading to me getting a job at Nielsen and staying there for 17 amazing years. Tubthumping may have literally jump-started my career.

7. One by One from The Lion King Broadway musical, Lebo M

I love The Lion King. I can still remember seeing the original movie on the big screen as a child and being emotionally overwhelmed by the splendor of the Circle of Life opening sequence, the terror of the wildebeest stampede, the vivid colors, and all of that incredible music.

I thought I’d seen the peak of what Disney had to offer, and I was right … until I saw the Broadway musical many years later.

On balance, both the movie and the musical are fantastic. The movie has the edge in some areas, the musical is better in others. I even made a Spotify playlist with my definitive soundtrack that spans across both for the ultimate experience.

But only the musical has One by One, and this opening to the second act remains my favorite Broadway moment ever.

You’ve just seen Hakuna Matata to close out act one, you’ve gone for a bathroom break and perhaps a refreshment, and you’re back in your seat. All of a sudden, the choral performers are in the aisles next to you, and they begin singing. The theater is filled with some of the most full and beautiful harmony imaginable, and you feel the power of the Zulu words even if you don’t understand them.

The color of my skin that is dark / I’m proud of it

Maybe for the first time in my life, I felt that way about my own dark skin too. All thanks to this song.

8. Empire State of Mind (Part II), Alicia Keys

Jay-Z’s original Empire State of Mind is a boisterous tribute to New York City. It’s full of swagger, and it perfectly represents the stereotypically braggadocious New Yorker attitude. It’s a classic for all the right reasons.

For me, however, Alicia Keys’s sequel is much more reflective of the New York City that I know, love, and have lived in for the past 17 years. Her version lets down the guard and reveals intimate doubts that exist in every New Yorker’s mind. This is a beautiful place to live, but it’s a fragile existence. Every once in a while, the city is going to kick your butt. It’s a hard place to live.

If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere, that’s what they say

That’s the line that keeps us all going. Chasing. Hustling. Observing. Walking. Being part of it all. And living our best lives in the best city in the world.

Perhaps I was always predisposed to like this version better. Alicia Keys may be my favorite female singer of all time. If I Ain’t Got You was the first song I ever danced with my wife. And my sister sang Empire State of Mind (Part II) at our wedding, giving it even more personal meaning.

Whatever the reason, Part II will always be my favorite song about my home.

9. Friday, Rebecca Black

Go ahead and laugh, I don’t care.

One of my favorite days at Nielsen was the day when we all saw this song for the first time. We’re all sitting at our desks playing the video over and over, talking about this song, and getting no work done.

At first, I hate it, like everyone else. The lyrics are so stupid! She’s not a good singer! These effects are so lame! Why is there a rapper in the middle?

Then, I start to like it ironically. It’s fun to be the guy who likes the thing everyone else hates. I start posting it on Facebook every Friday just to piss my friends off.

A few weeks later, it turns out I earnestly love this song. It makes my day every time I hear it. We play it at my wedding reception, even though it was on a Sunday. My wife isn’t happy about that, but it had to be done.

I learn more about Rebecca Black and her story. Her passion for the theater. That she never expected this to be seen so publicly. How she was bullied out of school because it just happened to go viral. How online bullies could have ruined her life. How she responded to that with a follow-up, Saturday, and has kept going with new music ever since.

Good for her. Hopefully she can look back on Friday someday and feel nothing but love for it. Because that’s what I feel.

10. Adeniji, The Budos Band

In my late 20s, I started curating a perfect Pandora station for my tastes with seed bands like Natural Self, RJD2, and Ratatat. At some point, the station started pulling in The Budos Band as my window into the afrobeat genre.

Adeniji was the first song of theirs that I ever heard, and I was sold. The power of the large brass section called me back to my time in the CSYO, but The Budos brought such frenetic energy and aggressive rhythm to the table that really made them stand out beyond that.

As more and more of their songs filtered into my Pandora station, I became more and more entranced. Eventually, they became my favorite band, and I knew I had to see them in person.

In 2019, I got my wish, and I went with my wife to see them at the Bowery Ballroom. About halfway through the set, my wife starts suggesting that we leave, as it’s getting late and the babysitter needs to go home. I respond, just one more song. Let’s see if they play one of my favorites. And voila! The next song they play is Adeniji. Serendipity! I hear it live and I’m in heaven. Okay, we can go home now.

Then last year, I’m starting up a new job at Meta. It’s a company I wasn’t sure that I wanted to work for, and I was nervous after leaving the familiar friendliness of Nielsen. My first day in the office, I head to the cafeteria for breakfast. And Adeniji is playing on the speakers. Serendipity! I couldn’t believe it. This is one in a million. This is meant to be. This is my new home.

I left Meta a few months ago, so I can’t attribute any long-run success there to this song, but Adeniji has absolutely earned its place on this list. It’s my favorite song from my favorite band, and it’s given me two serendipitous moments I’ll never forget.

11. Let It Go from Frozen, Idina Menzel

When I first saw Frozen in the theater in 2013, it was clear that Disney animation was all the way back to its glory days. And Let It Go was the power anthem that defined it.

It’s my favorite Frozen franchise song, and potentially my favorite Disney song of all time. I even remixed it in Mario Paint! But that’s not why it’s on this list.

I got to experience Let It Go a second time as my son became obsessed with Frozen himself, acting out every scene and singing every song as he watched it on repeat. He’d build up an epic collection of Frozen gear between 2017 and now, including several Elsa dolls, bedsheets, bathtub toys, and clothes.

He very recently decided that he wanted to downsize his Frozen collection, as he’s moved on to other interests. I’m proud of him for realizing he just has different passions now, but I can’t help but feel a bit melancholy about the reminder that he’s growing up and our shared time and interests are by definition going to be fleeting.

Let It Go is on this list because, quite simply, it reminds me of my time with him.

12. Mission, Leahy

I got into this one rather randomly. I started really getting into YouTube around 2006, and I found a retrospective music video for The Legend of Zelda franchise that just so happened to have Mission as its background music. And that was it.

I think I always liked this one because even though I never attempted to play it on the violin, I wondered in the back of my mind if I could. Probably not at this stage, but who knows.

After my son was born, I was tasked with putting together a video highlight reel for his annaprashan celebration - the first rice - and I knew this was the perfect way to pay tribute to him.

13. My Shot (Rise Up Remix), The Roots feat. Busta Rhymes, Joell Ortiz, Nate Ruess

It’s now been almost eight years since I saw Hamilton in person. At the time, it blew my mind, and I was so obsessed that I wrote a 2,700-word tribute to it. Looking back, though, it’s impossible to separate that experience from the awful events that followed.

My Shot is most emblematic of that to me. The original musical version was probably my most-played track from Hamilton, as it often served as an energetic pick-me-up whenever I needed one. When the remix dropped a few days before the 2016 election, it took over for the original.

On election day, November 8, 2016, I took a long way in Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx and played this one on repeat. It kept me going through my anxiety. I saw parts of the city I never knew existed. I got lost. I saw a deer. That was one of the best days of my life.

Until it wasn't.

Now this song needed to pull even more weight. Through the darkness of the Trump years, whenever I needed a pick-me-up, I came back to this song.

As modern eyes become more critical on the lasting legacy of Hamilton, this one will always hold up. It held my hand through the worst of times, and I’ll never forget it.

14. Gerudo Valley, The 8-Bit Big Band

This song got me through the pandemic. That alone probably puts it on the list. But it represents so much more than that.

This whole retrospective is about my relationship to music, and The 8-Bit Big Band stands out as the actualization of musical creation that I couldn’t have dreamed of when I was younger.

As a child, I was constantly composing music. As a teenager, I moved on to arranging music in Mario Paint while also playing in a symphony orchestra. In college, I started writing remixes of video game music. I loved it. I was passionate about it. But I didn't know what I could do with it.

As I hit my 20s, I stopped completely. I was in a different line of work, and my music skills were falling behind.

Then I discovered this band, and they were a true revelation. They weren’t just remixing music, but they were performing it with some of the most talented musicians alive, and they were operating right under my nose here in New York City! They were literally living the dream.

Last year, I saw them play live three times. After the third performance, we ran into the creator, Charlie Rosen, at the bar, and we talked about his method and his ambitions. I felt proud to meet him. I was excited that someone was doing this work, the work that I tapped out on decades ago, and pushing video game music into new territories.

Gerudo Valley was the closing piece in two of the three concerts I went to, and for good reason. It’s my favorite piece of theirs and one of the defining songs of my 41 years on this planet.