The Little Things That Give You Away

So, my friend Alan tagged me on a Facebook Music Challenge, and he surely knew what kind of monster he would be creating in doing so. The challenge was to come up with the answers to a series of thirty questions by shuffling up my entire music library (as if!) and then simply filling in the first thirty songs in the queue in response to the questions. I did that, more or less, although it's actually not possible to shuffle my entire music collection at once, so I started with a playlist of some 5,000+ songs and shuffled that. I also fudged a bit on the rules, because a few of the songs that showed up randomly in the queue would have seemed somewhat risque being taken out of context and applied in answer to the questions they would otherwise have "answered." Aside from those caveats, I played along as requested, and the results were interesting. I was rather surprised at how many of the songs actually made a certain kind of sense in response to the questions. In other cases, not so much! And it became very clear, all things considered, that this random process was not answering very accurately.

Not content with the random answers of veritable strangers, I determined to consult some of my closest friends and constant companions — that is to say, a collection of my favorite artists, whose music is basically the soundtrack of my life, anyway — to see what they might have to say in response to the thirty questions. Not trusting this random shuffling business, I looked at each question and did my best to answer it with a song title from each of the artists I consulted. This certainly resulted in a far more accurate body of data.

Now, given that dozens of artists were consulted, and especially because not all of the songs were equally apropos as answers to the questions at hand, I went back through all of the answers and chose the top twelve responses to each question, organizing them according to some kind of coherent order. The final results of this rather extended experiment in responding to the original Facebook challenge are actually somewhat interesting, and if nothing else, the particular artists and songs will be of some interest to some of my friends and fellow music aficionados, anyway.

Okay, then, here are the thirty questions, followed in each case by the original "random" answer in first position, and then by the twelve answers obtained from a conglomerate of my favorite artists. I expect that those who know me well will recognize me in the answers; and it will probably not be hard for people to discern that I was working my way through all of this in the midst of a worldwide pandemic and quarantine lockdown of life as we usually know it. C'est la vie! It's "the little things that give you away" (see the final question).

(1.) IF SOMEONE SAYS, “IS THIS OKAY?” YOU SAY:

“Play the Game Tonight” (Kansas)

“I Don’t Know” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“Some Of It” (Eric Church)

“No Guarantees” (Cody Jinks)

“Feels Good at First” (Train)

“Only Time Will Tell” (Asia)

“We Can Work It Out” (The Beatles)

“I Dare You” (Shinedown)

“Get on Your Boots” (U2)

“Go Your Own Way” (Fleetwood Mac)

“Just ‘Cos You Can Don’t Mean You Should” (Joe Bonamassa)

“Should’ve Said No” (Taylor Swift)

“Make It Right” (Alter Bridge)

(2.) WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?

“I Am a Rock” (Simon & Garfunkel)

“Complicated” (Bon Jovi)

“Sad But True” (Metallica)

“I Go to Extremes” (Billy Joel)

“Dislocated Boy” (Joe Bonamassa)

“Stranger Inside” (Shinedown)

“Mixed Drinks About Feelings” (Eric Church)

“Diary of a Madman” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“The Battle of Evermore” (Led Zeppelin)

“The Spirit of Radio” (Rush)

“John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” (Keith Urban)

“Humble and Kind” (Tim McGraw)

“Metalingus” (Alter Bridge)

(3.) WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GIRL?

“Metal Meltdown” (Judas Priest)

“Honesty” (Billy Joel)

“Words of Love” (The Beatles)

“Lasagna” (Weird Al Yankovic)

“Eye of the Beholder” (Metallica)

“Something to Love” (Jason Isbell)

“Something to Believe In” (Bon Jovi)

“Same Kind of Crazy as Me” (Cody Jinks)

“Different Shades of Blue” (Joe Bonamassa)

“It’s Nice to Have a Friend” (Taylor Swift)

“The Conversation” (Mat Kearney)

“Somebody to Love” (Queen)

“Ordinary Love” (U2)

(4.) HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?

“Surfing with the Alien” (Joe Satriani)

“White & Nerdy” (Weird Al Yankovic)

“Dazed and Confused” (Led Zeppelin)

“Running on Empty” (Jackson Browne)

“Turtles All the Way Down” (Sturgill Simpson)

“Down in a Hole” (Jason Isbell)

“I’m Going Slightly Mad” (Queen)

“I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight” (U2)

“Ready for the Times to Get Better” (Cody Jinks)

“I’m Alive” (Shinedown)

“Holdin’ My Own” (Eric Church)

“Stronger Now in Broken Places” (Joe Bonamassa)

“Life Must Go On” (Alter Bridge)

(5.) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?

“Hard Work” (Ella Henderson)

“Carpe Diem Baby” (Metallica)

“Tour of Duty” (Jason Isbell)

“Keeping the Faith” (Billy Joel)

“Chasing the Light” (Mat Kearney)

“Driving Towards the Daylight” (Joe Bonamassa)

“I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” (The Beatles)

“Words Are Medicine” (Tim McGraw)

“Speak Now” (Taylor Swift)

“Learn My Lesson” (Daughtry)

“Love Alone Is Worth the Fight” (Switchfoot)

“Coming Home” (Alter Bridge)

“Family Table” (Zac Brown Band)

(6.) WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

“Love Me If You Can” (Toby Keith)

“Hold on Loosely” (.38 Special)

“Get Out of Your Own Way” (U2)

“Shake It Off” (Taylor Swift)

“Don’t Stop Believin’” (Journey)

“Every Dog Has Its Day” (Toby Keith)

“Stick to Your Guns” (Bon Jovi)

“Give All You Can” (Cody Jinks)

“Live Like You Were Dying” (Tim McGraw)

“Keep It Between the Lines” (Sturgill Simpson)

“How Did You Love” (Shinedown)

“Peace Is Free” (Black Stone Cherry)

“All Ends Well” (Alter Bridge)

(7.) WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

“Simple Man” (Shinedown)

“Heavenly Soul” (Joe Bonamassa)

“Livin’ on a Prayer” (Bon Jovi)

“Holy Diver” (Dio)

“Reverend Wrinkle” (Black Stone Cherry)

“Pretty Fly for a Rabbi” (Weird Al Yankovic)

“Last of My Kind” (Jason Isbell)

“Mysterious Ways” (U2)

“Hardwired” (Metallica)

“The Sentinel” (Judas Priest)

“Ordinary Man” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“Can’t Tell Me Nothin’” (Tim McGraw)

“Broke Record” (Eric Church)

(8.) WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

“Things” (Barenaked Ladies)

“If You Only Knew” (Shinedown)

“My Life” (Billy Joel)

“Yesterday” (The Beatles)

“What I Almost Was” (Eric Church)

“The Gift of Music” (Theocracy)

“The Prophet’s Song” (Queen)

“The Writing on the Wall” (Alter Bridge)

“Things My Father Said” (Black Stone Cherry)

“What I Meant to Say” (Daughtry)

“Word Crimes” (Weird Al Yankovic)

“My Little Man” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“My Little Girl” (Tim McGraw)

(9.) WHAT IS 2 + 2?

“‘Til Summer Comes Around” (Keith Urban)

“No Surprise” (Daughtry)

“It All Adds Up” (Shinedown)

“22” (Taylor Swift) (Obviously!)

“What I’ve Known for a Very Long Time” (Joe Bonamassa)

“Everything You Know Is Wrong” (Weird Al Yankovic)

“Misunderstood” (Bon Jovi)

“That’s Damn Rock & Roll” (Eric Church)

“Currency in a Bankrupt World” (Theocracy)

“Two Hearts” (Mat Kearney)

“Four Sticks” (Led Zeppelin)

“To Be Loved” (Train)

“United” (Judas Priest)

(10.) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?

“Something to Believe In” (Poison)

“Respect” (Train)

“Homeboy” (Eric Church)

“We Get By” (Cody Jinks)

“A Matter of Trust” (Billy Joel)

“Thick as Thieves” (Shinedown)

“Hero of the Day” (Metallica)

“Iron Man” (Black Sabbath)

“Fearless” (Taylor Swift)

“Way Cool Jr.” (Ratt)

“New World Man” (Rush)

“Happier Times” (Joe Bonamassa)

“Thank You” (Led Zeppelin)

(11.) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

“Little Bit of Everything” (Keith Urban)

“Oh Beautiful” (Joe Bonamassa)

“She’s Always a Woman” (Billy Joel)

“My Champion” (Alter Bridge)

“Believer” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“Solid” (Eric Church)

“Style” (Taylor Swift)

“My World” (Metallica)

“All American Girl” (Train)

“We’re Gonna Groove” (Led Zeppelin)

“You Had Me from Hello” (Bon Jovi)

“Never Gonna Let Go” (Shinedown)

“Lifers” (Cody Jinks)

(12.) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

“All the Way from New York” (Wilson Phillips)

“Loud and Heavy” (Cody Jinks)

“Something More Than Free” (Jason Isbell)

“The Long and Winding Road” (The Beatles)

“It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘n’ Roll)” (AC/DC)

“First World Problems” (Weird Al Yankovic)

“Mr. Misunderstood” (Eric Church)

“Crazy Train” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“There and Back Again” (Daughtry)

“Stairway to Heaven” (Led Zeppelin)

“Running to Stand Still” (U2)

“I’m Still Standing” (Elton John)

“The Future’s So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades” (Timbuk 3)

(13.) WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

“I Use What I Got” (Jason Aldean)

“Home” (Alter Bridge)

“Hangin’ Around” (Eric Church)

“Someone to You” (Cody Jinks)

“Better Version” (Shinedown)

“An Innocent Man” (Billy Joel)

“Killer of Giants” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“Master of Puppets” (Metallica)

“Pinball Wizard” (Elton John / The Who)

“Last Man Standing” (Bon Jovi)

“Paperback Writer” (The Beatles)

“Man of Many Words” (Joe Bonamassa)

“The Master Storyteller” (Theocracy)

(14.) WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

“Hide in the Fairytale” (Theocracy)

“Hey, Soul Sister” (Train)

“Good Day Sunshine” (The Beatles)

“You Take My Breath Away” (Queen)

“You Make It Look So Easy” (Eric Church)

“Lay Your World on Me” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“Thank You for Loving Me” (Bon Jovi)

“You’re the Best Thing About Me” (U2)

“You’re My Better Half” (Keith Urban)

“I Can’t Quit You Baby” (Led Zeppelin)

“It’s Your World” (Tim McGraw)

“I’ll Follow You” (Shinedown)

“You’re My Home” (Billy Joel)

(15.) WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

“Call Me the Breeze” (John Mayer)

“Ricky” (Weird Al Yankovic)

“Native Son” (Alter Bridge)

“Original of the Species” (U2)

“And the Cradle Will Rock” (Van Halen)

“Family Tree ” (Black Stone Cherry / Megadeth)

“Flagship” (Jason Isbell)

“Atlas, Rise!” (Metallica)

“Brilliant” (Shinedown)

“A Good Heart” (Elton John)

“Working Man” (Rush)

“Who Says You Can’t Go Home” (Bon Jovi)

“Wish You Were Here” (Cody Jinks / Pink Floyd)

(16.) WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?

“I Can’t Help Myself” (Van Zant)

“Springsteen” (Eric Church)

“The Saga Begins” (Weird Al Yankovic)

“Start of Something Good” (Daughtry)

“A Really Cool Dance Song” (Bowling for Soup)

“I’m Happy Just to Dance with You” (The Beatles)

“I’ll Be There for You” (Bon Jovi)

“Not Going Away” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“Always with Me, Always with You” (Joe Satriani)

“Just Between You and Me” (April Wine)

“Wonderful Life” (Alter Bridge)

“Heartbeat” (Mat Kearney)

“Unity” (Shinedown)

(17.) WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

“Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” (U2)

“Kyrie” (Mr. Mister)

“And So It Goes” (Billy Joel)

“Under the Graveyard” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“Funeral for a Friend (Love Lies Bleeding)” (Elton John)

“Your Time Is Gonna Come” (Led Zeppelin)

“For Whom the Bell Tolls” (Metallica)

“Dust in the Wind” (Kansas)

“Epitaph” (Judas Priest)

“Dead But Rising” (Volbeat)

“Bridge to Better Days” (Joe Bonamassa)

“Where the Streets Have No Name” (U2)

“You Will Be Remembered” (Alter Bridge)

(18.) WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

“Killing Is My Business . . . And Business Is Good” (Megadeth)

“Redemption” (Joe Bonamassa)

“Rock and Roll” (Cody Jinks / Led Zeppelin)

“Crazy Babies” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“Children of Children” (Jason Isbell)

“I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll” (Joan Jett & The Blackhearts)

“The Human Radio” (Shinedown)

“Rock & Roll Music” (The Beatles)

“Damn Country Music” (Tim McGraw)

“Watch Your Words” (Alter Bridge)

“Long Live Rock & Roll” (Daughtry)

“Live Those Songs” (Kenny Chesney)

“It’s Still Rock & Roll to Me” (Billy Joel)

(19.) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

“A Man and a Woman” (U2)

“Stuff of Legends” (Daughtry)

“Kings & Queens” (Mat Kearney)

“Hippies and Cowboys” (Cody Jinks)

“Beautiful People” (Tim McGraw)

“Crows on a Wire” (Alter Bridge)

“Good Company” (Queen)

“Guys Like Me” (Eric Church)

“This Is Our House” (Bon Jovi)

“I’ve Loved These Days” (Billy Joel)

“Monsters of Rock” (Judas Priest)

“Junkies for Fame” (Shinedown)

“We Are the Kings” (Black Stone Cherry)

(20.) WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?

“I Can’t Drive 55” (Sammy Hagar)

“Dragon Attack” (Queen)

“Atlas Falls” (Shinedown)

“Judas Rising” (Judas Priest)

“Bad Blood” (Taylor Swift)

“The Mob Rules” (Black Sabbath)

“Bloodbath in Paradise” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“The Devil’s in the Temple” (Bon Jovi)

“Hell and High Water” (Black Stone Cherry)

“Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound” (Cody Jinks)

“Holy Wars . . . The Punishment Due” (Megadeth)

“Die By My Own Hand” (Tim McGraw)

“All Hope Is Gone” (Alter Bridge)

(21.) HOW WILL YOU DIE?

“A Call to Arms” (Theocracy)

“Unbroken” (Tim McGraw)

“Mountain Climbing” (Joe Bonamassa)

“Takin’ Care of Business” (Bachman Turner Overdrive)

“Sword of Damocles” (Judas Priest)

“Waters Rising” (Alter Bridge)

“When the Levee Breaks” (Led Zeppelin)

“Hurricanes and Hand Grenades” (Jason Isbell)

“The Great Suburban Showdown” (Billy Joel)

“Dancing in the Street” (Van Halen)

“Zombie Stomp” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“Ogre Battle” (Queen)

“Fade to Black” (Metallica)

(22.) WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?

“I Know It Hurts” (Alter Bridge)

“Sleeping with the Television On” (Billy Joel)

“I Lost on Jeopardy” (Weird Al Yankovic)

“Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” (AC/DC)

“Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days” (Judas Priest)

“Darkest Secret” (Black Stone Cherry)

“Dark Side” (Eric Church)

“Bad Habits” (Daughtry)

“Thorn in My Side” (Bon Jovi)

“Blues of Desperation” (Joe Bonamassa)

“Ten Years Gone” (Led Zeppelin)

“Words Darker than Their Wings” (Alter Bridge)

“I Don’t Want to Talk About It” (Rod Stewart)

(23.) WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?

“Crazy ABCs” (Barenaked Ladies)

“I’ve Got Friends that Do” (Tim McGraw)

“Must Be the Whiskey” (Cody Jinks)

“Adrenaline” (Shinedown)

“Elvis Presley & America” (U2)

“Hollywood in Kentucky” (Black Stone Cherry)

“Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince” (Taylor Swift)

“Captain Crash & the Beauty Queen from Mars” (Bon Jovi)

“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” (The Beatles)

“Mr. Tinkertrain” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“Fat Bottomed Girls” (Queen)

“Hippie Radio” (Eric Church)

“The Entertainer” (Billy Joel)

(24.) WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?

“Bent to Fly” (Slash)

“Sad Songs (Say So Much)” (Elton John)

“Never Alone Always Lonely” (Cody Jinks)

“Whole Lot of Leavin’” (Bon Jovi)

“She’s Leaving Home” (The Beatles)

“Landslide” (Fleetwood Mac)

“Missing You” (John Waite)

“Sloe Gin” (Joe Bonamassa)

“Black Dog” (Led Zeppelin)

“When I Look at the World” (U2)

“The Evil That Men Do” (Iron Maiden)

“Teardrops on My Guitar” (Taylor Swift)

“Heartbreak Dreamer” (Mat Kearney)

(25.) WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?

“Two Hearts Beat as One” (U2)

“Yesterday Again” (Cody Jinks)

“Before Tomorrow Comes” (Alter Bridge)

“These Are the Days of Our Lives” (Queen)

“Two Is Better Than One” (Taylor Swift)

“Gets Me Through” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“Ain’t Killed Me Yet” (Eric Church)

“Won’t Back Down” (Mat Kearney)

“We Carry On” (Tim McGraw)

“The Longest Time” (Billy Joel)

“Until the End of the World” (U2)

“Wherever I May Roam” (Metallica)

“This Was My Life” (Megadeth)

(26.) WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?

“Days Go By” (Keith Urban)

“Some Kind of Monster” (Metallica)

“Self-Inflicted Wounds” (Joe Bonamassa)

“What Is and What Should Never Be” (Led Zeppelin)

“Nothing Ever Goes as Planned” (Styx)

“Things Change” (Tim McGraw)

“Running Out of Time” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“Where Even Angels Fear to Fly” (Cody Jinks)

“Losing My Mind” (Daughtry)

“Forever Falling” (Alter Bridge)

“Symphony of Destruction” (Megadeth)

“The Bitter End” (Black Stone Cherry)

“Goodbye” (Mat Kearney)

(27.) DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?

“From the Right Angle” (Dawes)

“You Better You Bet” (The Who)

“Yahweh” (U2)

“One Heart” (Mat Kearney)

“My Best Friend” (Tim McGraw)

“Children of the Sun” (Judas Priest)

“Friends” (Led Zeppelin)

“The Crow & the Butterfly” (Shinedown)

“The Raven and the Dove” (Cody Jinks)

“Baby Girl” (Will Hoge)

“Tiny Dancer” (Elton John)

“Three Year Old” (Eric Church)

“Baby Grand” (Billy Joel)

(28.) IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

“Flash” (Queen) — I mean, sure, it could have been better; but it wasn’t that bad!

“The Thing That Should Not Be” (Metallica)

“Original Sin” (Elton John)

“Achilles Last Stand” (Led Zeppelin)

“The Ripper” (Judas Priest)

“Dust Bowl” (Joe Bonamassa)

“The Blackout” (U2)

“Traffic Light” (Daughtry)

“Christmas at Ground Zero” (Weird Al Yankovic)

“Breaking Inside” (Shinedown)

“Fifteen” (Taylor Swift)

“A Day in the Life” (The Beatles)

“12/17/12” (The Decemberists)

(29.) WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?

“Everywhere” (Michelle Branch)

“Pressure” (Billy Joel)

“Isolation” (Alter Bridge)

“Wounded Mind” (Cody Jinks)

“The Struggle Within” (Metallica)

“The Sound of Silence” (Disturbed)

“These Hard Times” (Matchbox Twenty)

“Everything Has Changed” (Taylor Swift)

“Everybody’s Broken” (Bon Jovi)

“The Valley Runs Low” (Joe Bonamassa)

“Communication Breakdown” (Led Zeppelin)

“Whole World’s Fallin’ Down” (Ozzy Osbourne)

“Countdown To Extinction” (Megadeth)

(30.) WHAT TITLE WILL YOU GIVE THIS POST?

“Tell ‘em What It’s Like” (Cody Jinks)

“The Little Things That Give You Away” (U2)

“You Can’t Always Get What You Want” (The Rolling Stones)

“It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” (R.E.M.)

“Some Heads Are Gonna Roll” (Judas Priest)

“You Need to Calm Down” (Taylor Swift)

“Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon” (Queen)

“With a Little Help from My Friends” (The Beatles)

“Another Song Nobody Will Hear” (Will Hoge)

“Ghost of Days Gone By” (Alter Bridge)

“Where the Wild Things Are” (Metallica)

“Ships in the Night” (Mat Kearney)

“God Bless This Mess” (Bon Jovi)