
I’m not a very sophisticated musicophile. I like what I like without a lot of reasoning, don’t follow specific genres, can’t decipher a lot of lyrics (or don’t remember those I can), and don’t have targeted-enough tastes to pay for any online subscriptions. So I was recently listening to my free Beatles-ish Pandora station and the song “Nobody Told Me (There’d Be Days like These)” cued up. I thought to myself, “Now that would be a good descriptor for some of my time overseas.” And that got me thinking about what other titles could make up a top-40 “playlist” for when I was a cross-cultural worker (CCW).
After a little more thinking, here’s what I came up with. I can’t vouch for the lyrics to these songs (see “can’t decipher” and “don’t remember” above), so please show me some grace on that. Speaking of grace, my list doesn’t include any hymns or worship songs. If so, “Amazing Grace” would be on repeat throughout. Instead, I decided to go with church music’s secular cousins—twice removed—this time around.
Any titles you’d add? Maybe something a little more contemporary? As you can see, I’m kind of lacking in that area. Anyway, if you know these tunes, hum along with me.
- I’m Leaving on a Jet Plane
- Hello
- We’ve Only Just Begun
- Upside Down
- Tongue Tied
- Now I Know My ABCs
- All Shook Up
- Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
- Homesick
- It’s Going to Take Some Time
- I Beg Your Pardon (I Never Promised You a Rose Garden)
- Don’t Stop Believin’
- I Will Survive
- With a Little Help from My Friends
- Stayin’ Alive
- Two Worlds
- The Same Moon
- On the Road Again
- Hello, Goodbye
- I’ve Been Everywhere
- Running on Empty
- Say a Little Prayer
- I’m a Believer
- Hallelujah
- Beautiful People
- Another Day in Paradise
- What a Wonderful World
- Tell It like It Is
- If I Were a Rich Man
- It’s a Small World
- We Don’t Need Another Hero
- Keeping the Faith
- Against All Odds
- Hit Me with Your Best Shot
- Nobody Told Me (There’d Be Days like These)
- I Will Survive (reprise)
- One Day More
- I’m Still Here
- Should I Stay or Should I go?
- Goodbye
[photo: “spinspinspin,” by Shannon, used under a Creative Commons license]