The Top Ten Songs from My Spotify Wrapped Playlist (via YouTube)

7/12/2025

I quit Spotify Premium to protest the company running racist ICE recruitment ads. It's so desperate to get me back that it's offering me two months for free, which I intend to take before canceling again. I still did the Wrapped thing. I looked into the Unwrapped thing, but I couldn't figure out how to work it because none of the available GIFs looked entirely applicable to my situation. Anyway, I pride myself on my vast, eclectic music tastes, which give me far more opportunities for pleasure than you have if you're normal, so my favorite statistic was that I listened to 793 genres. That was even cooler than listening to 141,696 minutes (98 days). My top genres were desert blues, soundtrack, singer-songwriter, jazz, and oldies, none of which are represented in my top ten songs, and my listening age was 85 due to my proclivity for music from the late 50s. Yes, I am awesome, thanks for noticing. Without further ado, here's what I promised in the title.

Corvus Corax - In Taberna Secundus

Party like it's 1399! There's a shorter single edit, but why would I want that?

Roxette - (Do You Get) Excited? (T&A Demo Aug 19, 1989)

I regard Roxette's "Joyride" as one of the most perfect albums of all time, and this year I delved into the demos on the 30th anniversary edition. It's cool and refreshing to hear songs that are embedded into my psyche with different vocals (almost always by Per Gessel) and instrumentation. I kept coming back to this one because of the nostalgic Christmassy handbell sound before the chorus and the doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo after the badass guitar licks at the end that's done with a keyboard or something in the finished product but with a piano here.

My Mine - Can Delight

This nostalgic banger made a long overdue appearance on Spotify this year, then disappeared again after a few months. It's literally greyed out on my Wrapped playlist. If the band got off Spotify to protest it running racist ICE recruitment ads, that would be one thing, but no, their other inferior songs are still there, damn it.

The Voyagers - Distant Planet (Vocal Version)

I love futuristic sounds from the past. Forward-looking nostalgia, or retrofuturism, or whatever. And of course I love planets and aliens. This track sounds appropriately cold and wistful.

African Head Charge - Drums of Defiance

I mentioned this jam months ago because I know it must have been an uncredited inspiration for the Beach Chant in the Mata Nui Online Game (2001). I really enjoyed getting high, sitting under a tree, and meditating to it until I couldn't feel my body.

Nalin & Kane - Beachball (Extended Vocal Mix)

This song is one of my favorites to listen to while I'm high.

Ganymed - Music Drives Me Crazy

I found this space disco group in 2020, and they disappeared from Spotify shortly thereafter. This year they came back, but alas, only with eleven tracks, which are missing some of my favorites. But at least I was so desperate for scraps that I gave this entirely un-space-related track a chance.

Roxette - Knockin' On Every Door (T & A Demo Aug 15, 1989)

The finished product has superior instrumentation, but this version has a level of energy in the chorus that seems to have gotten lost. I imagine Per Gessel rocking out on top of a train like in a Bollywood song I saw once.

Chappell Roan - Pink Pony Club

This song is so gay, I'm surprised Trump doesn't dance to it with his signature jerking-off-two-elephants move. I forget what late-show comedian I stole part of that joke from. Probably Jon Stewart, but don't quote me on that.