Most days I run to the post office for my mail; about a mile; ten minutes. Music helps. Not long ago I happened to run a similar distance but found it puzzlingly hard going. Then I realized I’d done it musicless — which really made a difference.
I’d been using ancient technology — a Walkman playing cassette tapes. Four decades ago, my then-partner helped me make some with my favorites, using a tape recorder. One tape has some coughing because I did it during a cold.
Eventually my old Walkman started to malfunction. I searched eBay for a replacement. Most listings said “for parts only.” (Why try to sell an obsolete gadget that doesn’t even work?) I did buy one supposedly operable, but it didn’t work properly either.
My wife came to the rescue, setting me up with an iPod as a birthday gift. Not actually the latest technology, but a big advancement for this Neanderthal. I was delighted — now I could even add some goodies that had never made it onto my ancient cassettes. Unlimited during the free trial period.
So I set to work creating a list. I had for reference not only my few personal cassettes (a couple had gotten damaged or lost) but boxes full of others, most not touched in decades. Including tons of Irish music, which I love. I played many that seemed promising (using a clunky old cassette player), searching for keepers. Wound up with a list of over 50 songs.
I also racked my memory to think of others — like Here Comes the Sun, Flashdance’s What a Feeling, Wichita Lineman. I like lively, strongly melodic, uplifting, inspiring music. (I sometimes have to ignore lyrics — or even amuse myself substituting my own.)
Downloading them wasn’t real user-friendly. Merely trying to open the “Apple Music” catalog often drove me nuts. And the selection wasn’t comprehensive. Some Irish favorites, and others, strangely absent. And when I realized Pachelbel’s Canon and The City of New Orleans lacked the verve of the versions on my old cassettes, I searched for alternate recordings — in vain.
Still, I’m thrilled to have this new, distilled, curated core playlist — making me especially look forward to my postal runs.
Here’s the full list. I’d welcome anyone’s further suggestions!
Hail to the Chief
Memory (from Cats)
The City of New Orleans
Pachelbel’s Canon in D
Dueling Banjos
California Girls
Here Comes the Sun
Hey Jude
A Hard Days Night
When Johnny Comes Marching Home
The Kincora Jig (Boys of the Lough)
Waltzing Matilda
Amazing Grace
Morning Has Broken
The Foggy Dew (The Chieftains)
Beggerman (Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem)
Hair
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
American Pie
Galveston
Wichita Lineman
Canadian Railroad Trilogy (Gordon Lightfoot)
Rocky Theme (Gonna Fly Now)
What a Feeling
Star of the County Down
Annie’s Song
Take Me Home, Country Roads
Semper Fidelis
Star Wars Main Theme
Up Up and Away
The Ride of the Valkyries
Classical Gas
They’re Coming to America
Swimming to the Other Side (Pat Humphries)
If I Had A Hammer
Leaving on a Jet Plane
The Gates of Kiev (Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition)
Ode to Joy
Greensleeves
Scotland the Brave
Shenandoah
A.A. Cameron’s Strathspey (Silly Wizard)
Cecilia
The Sound of Silence
Save the People (Godspell)
We Beseech Thee (Godspell)
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Hallelujah Chorus
Joy to the World
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
Chariots of Fire
Our flag was still there
" data-image-title="download-3" data-orig-file="https://rationaloptimist.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/download-3-2.jpg" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" width="238" data-medium-file="https://rationaloptimist.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/download-3-2.jpg?w=238" loading="lazy" data-permalink="https://rationaloptimist.wordpress.com/2023/09/23/my-running-music/download-3-8/" alt="" height="212" srcset="https://rationaloptimist.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/download-3-2.jpg 238w, https://rationaloptimist.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/download-3-2.jpg?w=150&h;=134 150w" class="size-full wp-image-19967" data-large-file="https://rationaloptimist.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/download-3-2.jpg?w=238" />Our flag was still there
El Condor Pasa
The Star Spangled Banner
Stars and Stripes Forever
