I know for a fact that most people have a certain collection of songs kickin’ around their computer, closet, or whatever. The songs are around, you bought them or downloaded them - you did, whether you admit or not - and, although you like them, you kind of hope that no one knows you have them, and you hope they don’t get played in certain, public situations.

This is my list of those kinds of songs:

(By the way, I’ve never played them all at once, which counts for something.)

“We Built This City” by Starship.
True story: A few years ago, I heard this song on the radio for the first time in a long time, and thought “Oh, I love this song!” Turns out the radio station was only playing it because Blender magazine named it “the #1 Most Awesomely Bad Song Ever”. I continue to disagree.

“Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey.
“Hold on to that feeeeeelin!” You know what’s awesome? When you’re at a party, the music suddenly stops, and you’re only on about the fourth “e” in “feeeeeelin’”. And you’re the only one singing.

“Oh l’Amour” by Erasure.
Try not to play this in front of that girl who obviously has a crush on your married friend, especially if she’s drunk enough to literally drool a little tipsy. Unless you like excruciatingly awkward situations. In that case, by all means, play this song and turn up the volume.

“Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)” by Erasure.
Also, try not to follow up “Oh l’Amour” with this song. Not an easy one to dance to. It can inspire dancing that is a combination of stripper, psychopath, and taser victim.

“Dragostea Din Tei” by O-ZONE.
This one falls into the be-careful-when-you-sing-along-to-it category, as well. Don’t do the exaggerated facial expressions, either. You just can’t count on everyone you’re with having seen one of the most popular viral videos in the history of the Internet:

But you know what? Even without the fat guy, it’s a catchy tune. I really think so. T.I. and Rihanna seem to agree.

“Breaking the Law” by Judas Priest.
Good idea to turn this one down while a cop is writing you a speeding ticket. Even better idea to make sure some idiot who you don’t really know isn’t in the car, staring down the cop, singing along with a defiant anger that he should’ve outgrown by the time he was 17.

“I Want to Break Free” by Queen.
This song has actually never embarrassed me. I like the song. Can’t say either of those things about the video:

“Somebody to Love” by Queen.
Queen doesn’t get the respect they deserve. Most people’s reactions to this song have made this fact crystal clear to me.

“Second Chance” by .38 Special.
The sentimental melody complements a touching plea for forgiveness from an unfaithful boyfriend. Actual lyrics from the song: “I never loved her, I never needed her. She was willing, and that’s all there is to say.”

“I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues” by Elton John.
Car full of guys + Elton John = 100% chance of homophobic remarks thrown your way, and a 20% chance of being called “Elton”. For the rest of your life.

“Africa” by Toto.
This is a song that I’m convinced everyone in the world secretly loves. And yet, it seems everyone’s too cool to admit it, and too cool to resist asking, “What is this shit?”

“Gimme Shelter” by Holy Soldier.
I make no apologies for the Soldier. This version is better than the Stones’ version, and I really don’t care about anyone else’s position on the matter.

“Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” by the Backstreet Boys.
Not gonna even try to defend this one. I have it. Deal with it. Stop smirking.

“If Only” by Hanson.
Okay, now I can see you shifting in your seat.

“Be with You” by Enrique Iglesias, “Verme” by Baby Ranks and Notch, and “Me Duele Amarte” by Reik.
The Latin American Division. Heterosexual white guys who play these songs in public know that the giggles and rolls of the eyes are coming, and are prepared for them. Besides, “Verme” and “Me Duele Amarte” are good opportunities to practice speaking Spanish.

“Heaven” by DJ Sammy.
Another cover that is superior to the original. Most people make fun of both. I appreciate both. Usually when I’m by myself.

“Man In the Mirror” by Michael Jackson.
So Jacko turned out to be a pedophile and a weirdo of the highest order. I feel that the work should be separate from the man. Still, it’s hard to play this one without the conversation automatically turning to MJ, and that’s never a good thing.

“Hide and Seek” by Imogen Heap.
“I love this song! Wait, you watch The OC?”
‘Um, noooooo. I heard it somewhere else.’
“Where?”
‘Let’s talk about something else.’

The iMixis ready and posted. I know that some of you, one way or another, will be acquiring some of these, so don’t even try to pull that mock-disapproval attitude with me. Don’t. Even. Try.

When I was living in San Telmo, one of my roommates heard me listening to some of my rockin’ tunes, and wanted in on the action. “What’s the name of this song?” she asked.

I told her it was “Human” by The Killers. (It’s their new single, and it’s great. The new album should be awesome.)

Her response:

“The who?”

That, my friends, is an inexcusable response for these two reasons:

1. The Killers are easily my favorite band right now.
2. The Killers are most people’s favorite band right now.

I suggested that she listen to the following playlist, which I’m calling“Music Lessons for Meghan”.

The first part of the mix is most of The Killers’ hits (excluding “Read My Mind”, “All These Things That I’ve Done”, and “Bones”, which I’ve put on previous playlists), then it goes into some stuff that’s kind of like The Killers, and then it gets mellow, just in case The Killers turned out not to be her cup of tea. (An unfounded fear, as it happened. The Killers are everyone’s cup of tea.)

The iMixis ready, and the only song not available at iTunes is “Escapar (Slipping Away)” by Moby and Eva Amaral, which is replaced on the mix by the original English version of “Slipping Away” by Moby (alone).

1. “Human” by The Killers
2. “When You Were Young” by The Killers
3. “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers
4. “Somebody Told Me” by The Killers
5. “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” by The Killers
6. “Smile Like You Mean It” by The Killers
7. “Sam’s Town” by The Killers
8. “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand
9. “Auf Achse” by Franz Ferdinand
10. “Well That Was Easy” by Franz Ferdinand
11. “So Alive” by Ryan Adams
12. “Angels of the Silences” by Counting Crows
13. “The Sound of Settling” by Death Cab for Cutie
14. “I’m a Cuckoo” by Belle & Sebastian
15. “Close to Me” by The Cure
16. “The Rescue Blues” by Ryan Adams
17. “Do You Realize?” by The Flaming Lips
18. “Escapar (Slipping Away)” by Moby and Eva Amaral

You can watch the video for the Spanish version of that last track here, but to buy it in the U.S. (for $9.50!), you’ll have to go here.

Since I’ve come to Buenos Aires, I’ve had a few different living situations. I’ve stayed in a corporate hotel (which I don’t recommend) in Recoleta, in a friendly bed & breakfast in Boedo, in an apartment by myself in Palermo Soho, and with roommates in Monsterrat and San Telmo. Now I’m back on my own, this time in Las Cañitas (which is phenomenal).

Yesterday, I mentioned that the buses in this city run all night, a fact I discovered during my two-week-long stay in Montserrat. My apartment was on a street called Santiago del Estero, a block and a half away from Avenida de Mayo (which leads to the building that houses the Argentine Congress), and three or four blocks away from Avenida 9 de Julio (one of the widest streets in the world, in the middle of which you will find a miniature Washington Monument.)

The place was cheap, the building seemed nice, and my two roommates – a 33-year-old British woman in love with Argentina and a 24-year-old Australian man traveling the world in search of ideas for his next invention (though he would never reveal any of his previous ideas) – were welcoming.

But the sound of passing buses literally shook my room day and night. A can of Coke left on my nightstand for more than ten minutes would have exploded for sure if you opened it too soon after picking it up.

The speakers on my computer weren’t up to the job of drowning out the sounds of the street, and it seemed rude to be wearing headphones whenever I stayed inside.

I did have one blank CD, though, and we did have a stereo (without an auxiliary input). In retrospect, it might have been worth the few pesos it would have cost to buy a few more blank discs, but I never got around to it, and the songs listed below were played so often over the course of those two weeks that I’ll probably never play any of them on purpose again.

So I pass them on to you! They work really well for blocking out unpleasant noise, and, unlike just about anything else in life, work a lot better if used in moderation.

Like my last playlist, the only song not on the iMix is a mashup by The Hood Internet, and is linked to a free download. It’s replaced on the iMix by the original versions of the two songs that were mashed together.

1. “The Best of What’s Around” by Dave Matthews Band
2. “New York, New York” by Ryan Adams
3. “American Girls” by Counting Crows
4. “A Murder of One” by Counting Crows
5. “Summer of ‘69″ by Bryan Adams
6. “You Might Think” by The Cars
7. “Oh Yoko!” by John Lennon
8. “Two Points for Honesty” by Guster
9. “Beat It” (feat. John Mayer) by Fall Out Boy
10. “Lyric” by Zwan
11. “Hands of Time” by Groove Armada
12. “Feel Good Inc.” by Gorillaz
13. “Tambourine Reckoning” - Eve (feat. Swizz Beats) vs. Radiohead by The Hood Internet
14. “Paper Planes” by M.I.A.
15. “Stop and Stare” by OneRepublic
16. “All These Things That I’ve Done” by The Killers
17. “Kids” by MGMT
18. “Breathe Me” (Mylo Remix) by Sia
19. “What You Got” (feat. Akon) by Colby O’Donis

About a month and a half ago, a woman I met in my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) class had her iPod stolen while traveling through Brazil. Since her entire CD collection (”CD” collection? In 2008? I know. But anyway.) was back home in London, she had a “music party” where she requested that attendees bring (and play) their own mixtapes/CDs/playlists.

Before you go calling the RIAA on her, let me say that I’m pretty sure bringing songs to play at a party falls under fair use, even in this day and age. And it happened in Buenos Aires, which has got to count for something.

I couldn’t actually attend the party, but I sent a disc along anyway, and the kids are telling me it was a pretty big hit. I’ll post an iMix a little later in the day, but for now, if you want to listen to these without downloading them, you can hear most of them at Songza. Nothing illegal or unethical about it - when you use that site the artists get paid and everything.

If you do want to download the songs, almost all of them are available at iTunes. The ones that aren’t are mashups by The Hood Internet, and are linked to pages that offer the songs as free downloads.

So here’s the playlist, “Songs para Sophie”:

1. “Space & Time” (Intro Mix) by John O’Callaghan
2. “Our Boyz” - M.I.A. vs Ocelot by The Hood Internet
3. “Drug Drug Kiss Kiss” - AC Newman vs Chris Brown by The Hood Internet
4. “Forever” by Chris Brown
5. “Too Young” by Phoenix
6. “Rainy Monday” by Shiny Toy Guns
7. “You Are the One” by Shiny Toy Guns
8. “Read My Mind” by The Killers
9. “Amsterdam” by Guster
10. “Fa Fa” by Guster
11. “Now It’s On” by Grandaddy
12. “Sleep the Clock Around” by Belle & Sebastian
13. “Dakota” by The Stereophonics
14. “Bones” by The Killers
15. “American Girl” by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
16. “Strawberry Swing” by Coldplay
17. “Comfortably Numb” by Scissor Sisters
18. “Perfect Gentleman” by Wyclef Jean
19. “Disturbia” by Rihanna
20. “Zocalo” by Armin van Buuren

LATE UPDATE: iMix created and posted, but it turns out that the first track by John O’Callaghan is not in the iTunes store. (The version I was thinking of was actually mixed by Eddie Halliwell on the Cream Ibiza - Eddie Halliwell 2007 album.) In place of tracks 2 and 3 listed above, the iMix has the original versions of “Boyz” by M.I.A., “Miracle Drug” by AC Newman, and “Kiss Kiss” by Chris Brown.

Everything else is exactly how you see it here!