30 Days of Music, which I have cleverly condensed into one post. Because I'm fearless like that.

Yeah, I know. You're complaining. 

"Another music post, Tash?"

Hey. Be glad. Thanks to my incredible self-control yesterday (or, more accurately, my evening involving a lot of music rather than relationship counselling - which begs the question, why? I have never been in a relationship. I am not the person to counsel you), you got spared last night's diatribe regarding men.

Which would have been vastly hilarious, but in a laughing-at-me-not-with-me manner.

So this is that 30 Days of Music thing that's currently making the rounds on Facebook. At least, it's currently making the rounds with five people I know, and has finished with Nate and Maija.

Also Courtney, but as far as I know, Courtney is limited to Facebook.

Why do I tell you these things?

Getting to the point would be ideal.

Away we go.

1. Your favourite song.

You Be the Anchor That Keeps My Feet On the Ground, I'll Be the Wings That Keep Your Heart In the Clouds, Mayday Parade

Introduced to me by my brother's friend Tim on a New Year's Morn, this song has been on my love list for a v. v. long time. Usually I fall in love with songs and then quickly get over them, and they start gathering cyber-dust and feeling unloved and then when I do listen to them, I skip after 30 seconds.

It's a terrible cycle, yet Mayday Parade has not fallen victim to it.

(Incidentally, I'm currently putting Mumford and Sons' The Cave through this vicious cycle.)

So I suppose it, for now, fulfils the role of being my favourite song.

Also, it's pretty. Which is most definitely a proper musical term.

2. Your least favourite song.

Where to begin. Oh, where to begin.

I'm sure everyone's done Justin Beiber and Miley Cyrus and Rebecca Black. It pretty much goes against human nature not to. I am itching to, but instead, you can have this one.

In Da Club, 50 Cent.

There is so much wrong with this song. So very much. Firstly, the title. It's one more letter, Mr Fifty-Cent-Sir, how hard is it to write 'the'? Not very! NOT VERY AT ALL.

Secondly, this verse epitomises everything that is wrong with not only this song, but society in general.

You can find me in the club, bottle full of bub 

Look mami I got the X if you into taking drugs 

I'm into having sex, I ain't into making love 

So come give me a hug if you into to getting rubbed 

50 Cent (and what sort of a rap name is that, anyway?) - you are made of fail.

3. A song that makes you happy.

Waiting for the End, Linkin Park.

Yeah, all you Linkin Park hardcore fans, I do have their original stuff. And I do eschew their new stuff because it's Twilight-fail. 

However, this song makes me very happy.

I don't know why, I cannot explain it, but it's dancy and beautiful and made of awesome.

4. A song that makes you sad.

Time to Say Goodbye, Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman. 

Before you start hurling the rocks, hurling the spears, and throwing tomatoes unceremoniously in my direction, I am very much aware that this is a lovely song and it's beautiful and that everyone should adore it no matter what.

But you know what? It always, no matter what, makes me cry.

Laugh all you want, but that's what happens.

5. A song that reminds you of someone.

Strangers in the Night, Frank Sinatra.

My grandfather is an excellent man. He knows more English than I do. (This is saying a lot, considering he only ventured in this country's general direction in what would be 1986.) And as a result, he often enjoys putting new spins on songs. He can commonly be found singing such classics as Everybody Loves My Body (and yes, he is a 70 year old man), Tengo-tengo-tengo-tu-no-tienes-nada, and variations on Strangers in the Night. 

Over the course of my life, I have heard:

• Empanadas in the night
• Chorizos in the night
• Vino in the night
• Carne in the night
• Tortillas in the night, and
• Palta in the night.

All food, and all sung by my grandfather. He appears to only know a few lines:

Chorizos in the night... exchanging glances, lovers at first sight...

And we get that over. And over. And over.

Still love the man though.

6.  A song that reminds you of somewhere.

Damned If I Do You, Damned If I Don't, All Time Low.

This isn't a terribly exciting location. In fact, it's one of the most boring places I've ever been to.

The Pacific Highway, that boring stretch of no-man's land between Tweed and Byron, somewhere that I cannot exactly pinpoint.

But oh my gosh, it's a lame point of land.

Anyway, I was listening to this song as I was fleeing Brisbane last year, and around that darn stupid stretch of land that I still don't know what it is (surely it has a name?), this song was on. It made me vaguely happy, when I was massive-freaked and didn't think happiness could actually come.

Kudos, All Time Low, yet I'm sorry I associate you with such a mundane area of the Northern Rivers.

7. A song that reminds you of a certain event.

Baila Caporal, Illapu.

Hellooo, Chile Day.

Chilean Independence Day is an odd thing.

For one thing, we celebrate it in Australia. We appear to put more emphasis on it than we do Australia Day.

[Yeah, yeah, get back to your own country, etc. My relatives at least came to this country without shackles around their ankles.]

Anyway, Chilean Day is essentially an excuse for my grandmother to hold a party and bust out all her decorations. She has a whole pile of Chilean flags in a box, and blue, white and red streamers on standby. The house gets turned into a dancehall. Of course, we have to look patriotic. Patriotism apparently means that Daniela and I put on jeans, white shirts, and red scarves, so for a day we pretend we're twins and that we totally didn't co-ordinate our outfits. (Which we did two years ago, texting each other madly so we didn't have to show up wearing peasant skirts and caked-on makeup.)

And there is much food. Generally, we eat churrascos, chorizos, and empanadas. Pebre, too. Oh gosh, it is the greatest day ever. And we get tasty dessert. And calzones rotos. Oh, you need to celebrate Chilean Day sometime. 

I mean, there's a lot of political stuff behind it, but when you're getting dragged into a circle of people waving handkerchiefs around, just because you've picked up a serviette to give to your cousin who has dropped Coke everywhere, the politics cease to matter.

8. A song you know all the words to.

Tales of Girls, Boys and Marsupials, The Wombats.

Yeah, I pretty much put this song on here for lols.

9. A song you can dance to.

Dragostea Din Tei, O-ZONE.

Please, someone. Tell me I'm not the only person outside of Europe to own this song. 

Because it's amazing. I don't know what it says, but watch the video. It's just amazing. And the comments that used to be there were hilarious. ("THEY DO TOO HAVE GIRLFRIENDS JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE HUGGING EACH OTHER DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE GAY THEY'RE JUST IN EUROPE". Whoa, simmer down, YouTube.) 

And once you've watched them dancing on plane wings, go and watch Elijah Wood dancing to it, courtesy of Yo Gabba Gabba and some editing. Best giggles you'll see for a while.

And then, of course, you will end up dancing like Elijah Wood every time this song comes on... oh wait, that's just me.

10. A song that you can fall asleep to.

The further I go along, the more I feel I've done this. But I think I'm just recalling my answers whenever I saw someone post about this meme.

Across the Universe, Jim Sturgess.

Hurl rocks at me. I do love the Beatles' version of this. It is impossible not to. But this version is still amazing and beautiful and is lovely music to curl up and snooze to.

Also, omnomnom Jim Sturgess.

11. A song from your favourite band.

Don Quixote, Coldplay.

I still love you, Coldplay. Even though you're being utterly heinous and not releasing a new album (which you promised me would be out at the end of last year, you -- calm, Tash, calm), my love for you still lives on.

Though if you can release a new album sometime soon, I'd like it a lot. Just sayin'.

12. A song from a band you hate.

Big Jet Plane, Angus and Julia Stone.

Who allowed you to make music, Angus and Julia Stone? Who deemed it okay? AND WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS ON TRIPLE J?

13. A song that is a guilty pleasure.

I'd Do Anything, Simple Plan.

Um... please don't kill me. After the post a few months ago, my Simple Plan love has come back with a vengeance.

14. A song no one would expect you to love.

Heart That's Pounding, Sally Seltmann.

Usually, I cannot stand songs like this. It's all to do with Clare Bowditch and Florence and the Machine. I cannot stand either of those artists, and it makes me very sad when they come up on Triple J. Which they do with unnerving frequency. 

Let me tell you, when I heard Clare Bowditch cover Fall at Your Feet, a very large part of me died inside. I think it was the rest of my hope. (And I'm not linking you to that, because I don't want you to die either.)

Anyway, this song was featured on Offspring. (Offspring is my new love; for those in America, it is an epic TV show which is made of win. Clegg, the head obstetrician, is just amazing. So socially awkward it makes me seem like Ita Buttrose by comparison.) And it came on every time Nina and Chris were having lovely nawwww-worthy moments. So, because I'm like every single female who has invested emotion into Pride and Prejudice, I invested emotion into Nina and Chris, and I now have an emotional attachment to this song.

Go figure.

15. A song that describes you.

Um... what?

Oh gosh.

I suppose only Lifeline, by Papa Roach.

It doesn't describe me, but what I've been feeling for the majority of this year.

16. A song you used to love but now hate.

Another embarrassing gem from the vaults of my youth.

Crush (1980 Me), Darren Hayes.

I'm pretty sure that's a 'nuff said' response.

17. A song that you hear often on the radio.

Sex on Fire, Kings of Leon.

Because when you listen to community radio which broadcasts to a very small area of the Northern Rivers (you know it's small when 'Wollongbar' is included in their town shoutouts. Heck, when 'New Italy' is included), they're at least a year behind every other radio station in terms of new music.

Yes, we're even a year behind Nova.

18. A song that you wish you heard on the radio.

Hearts, Alex Day.

Come on, wouldn't the world be a better place if Alex Day was on the radio? Why can't there be a radio station devoted to YouTube artists so I don't go over my downloads? Then we'd have Chameleon Circuit on the radio. And that would just be, to quote Joshua, kriffing awesome.

19. A song from your favourite album.

Swallowed in the Sea, Coldplay.

Because Coldplay are lovely, and because this is an excellent album. I still don't quite get why this is my favourite, but there's something very beautiful and soothing about it.

20. A song you listen to when you're angry.

Faint, Linkin Park.

I pretty much listen to this song all the time, but it comes up a whole lot more when I'm deathraging. Hey, if Chester's screaming, I can sit there quietly reading and getting over my stuff that way.

21. A song you listen to when you're happy.

Drink Up Me Hearties, Yo Ho, Hans Zimmer.

When you're happy, and you get to listen to a song which has forever epitomised piracy for me? Well, maybe it's just me, but I always begin to imagine I am a pirate. (Which was why I was regarded as special in preschool.) And if your fellow pirate includes Johnny Depp, I must say that's something that'll make me especially happy.

22. A song you listen to when you're sad.

Los Momentos, Eduardo Gatti.

It hasn't really got anything to do with my sadness, but it's slow and relaxing. When I'm sad, that's generally what I'll go for, and there's something soothing about Chilean Spanish.

23. A song you want played at your wedding. 

Thank You (For Loving Me at My Worst), The Whitlams.

This song has one verse to do with romantic love between a couple, as far as I can tell, and the rest appear to be about Tim Freedman's relationship with one stellar audience. With all the usual songs out there being typico wedding songs, I have decided I want this. Just to be different, and because if I let my family have a say, I'll end up with Steve Earle (shudder) or a song about dancing like a gorilla (which actually exists).

24. A song you want played at your funeral.

Bolero, Craig Armstrong.

And you had all better learn how to walk in time, because if you screw up moving my casket out of the church in time to this beat, I will come down from heaven with my jetpack and cry at you all.

Kidding.

Or am I?

25. A song that makes you laugh.

Stuntman, Tripod.

I'm sure they have funnier ones out there, but this will forever be my favourite. Mainly because of the original video, where Yon gets mowed over by a bus.

And they used a dummy. Of a woman.

26. A song you can play on an instrument.

Clocks, Coldplay.

When I say 'can play on an instrument', I mean on piano, and I mean very poorly.

27. A song you wish you could play.

Such Great Heights, Ben Folds (though originally done by the Postal Service).

Watch how those fingers fly over those keys, and watch my self-esteem slowly die.

28. A song that makes you feel guilty.

I really don't know.

Uhm.

... get back to me on that one.

29. A song from your childhood.

Cigarettes Will Kill You, Ben Lee.

Before Ben Lee embraced the power of Zen and became all lovey-dovey and for the power of the people and we're-all-in-this-togethery, he was somewhat disgruntled. I preferred him that way, because his music was far better.

Of course, as a child, I did not have the powers of deduction to realise that Ben Lee was cranky. Instead, I was more focused on the title. My dad was attempting to explain how language works, and oddly enough, it made sense.

Which probably was the third moment I consciously decided words were AWESOME, and that I really needed to get into that whole business of words.

30. Your favourite song at this time last year.

Here Comes My Baby, Sons of Admirals.

This is further excellence from YouTube. Originally by Cat Stevens (excellent then), four YouTubers decided "Hey, let's get together and make a band, yo" and they released this, as well as a brilliant cover of Believe in Yourself (otherwise known as the Arthur theme song, which was originally done by Ziggy Marley. So there's some trivia for you).

All of us watching this video, courtesy of Gemma, simultaneously gasped at Charlie's two-timing shenanigans and shouted "WELL CHARLIE, EXPLAIN YOURSELF".  

I'm getting kind of besotted by these memes, aren't I?

Ah well, buenos noches.