This post was submitted by Rocky

Welcome to TNG’s new Tuesday afternoon mixtape, The People’s Playlist, where every week we choose a theme and make a playlist of songs based on that theme. Also, be sure to stay tuned for our weekly Left Turn, a special video surprise!

Happy Tuesday everyone, and welcome to our final installment of The People’s Playlist. Yep, you read that right. This is our last one. (Insert sad-faced emoticon.)

Some of you may have noticed that these posts have been pretty intermittent over the past couple of months or so, and to those of you who have been put out by that, I apologize. Ever since taking on the duties of managing our beloved TNG, it seems that I have less and less time to devote to this little playlist, and it seems unfair to everyone for me to not be doing this with my whole heart. Besides, let’s be real, it’s called low ratings, and since one of my duties is to drop the boom… well… KA-BOOM!

Now, I am not disappearing altogether. I’ll still be behind the scenes, making your TNG sausage, and occasionally I’ll pop my head out of the sand long enough to write a little (hopefully funny) something. But for now I’m afraid it’s time for me to plop down into my desk chair, and wheel off into that beautiful bureaucratic sunset.

But not before one last mix, of course! Since this is the final People’s Playlist, I thought this topic was rather apropos:

If you could only hear one song ever again before you die, what would it be?

Here’s what the staff had to say (and me being me, I naturally made a little deathbed playlist of my own). If you’d like to weigh in, have at it in the comments. And be sure to stay tuned for our final Left Turn. Do it to it, y’all!

The Final Countdown – 10/6/09

The New Pornographers – “These Are The Fables” (Zack)
Joni Mitchell – “Both Sides Now” (Corey)
Glen Hansard – “Say It To Me Now” (Rocky)
My Bloody Valentine – “Soon” (Michael)
The Smiths – “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” (Bryan)
Rainer Maria – “The Double Life” (Rocky)
Candlebox – “Change” (Josh)
Jim Carroll Band – “Wicked Gravity” (Levi)
Pavement – “Here” (Rohan)
The Smiths – “There’s A Light That Never Goes Out” (Rocky)
Billy Joel – “She’s Got A Way” (Rocky)
The New Pornographers – “The Bleeding Heart Show” (Chris)
Cloud Cult – “When Water Comes To Life” (Jolly)
Fiona Apple – “I’ll Know” (Rocky)

And now here’s our final Left Turn. I know I’ve talked a lot before about being a musician, and the central role music has played in my life from a very early age. Well, I thought that since this is my last music column for TNG, it would be fitting to spend a few minutes with the song that set the trajectory for last 14 years of my life. I first saw this video really late at night on Vh-1 in 9th grade, pining for the boy I’d love for the next seven years, and I remember thinking, “I want to do that.” And I’ve been writing songs ever since. So love it or hate, this is my heart: “Shadowboxer” by Fiona Apple. (Indulge me!)

And that’s that. Before I go, I just want to thank Andres Guzman for all of the beautiful artwork he’s contributed to this column over the last few months. If you haven’t checked it out, seriously, go back in the archives. He’s amazing! But most of all, I’d like to thank all of you out there for sharing your Tuesday afternoons with me for the past year. Your comments and your kind words have meant more to me than you know. Like I said before, I’m not leaving TNG by any stretch, and I’ll definitely be around here and there, but I’ll miss this. Thank you once again from the bottom of my heart, and stay safe out there! XO

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