Unfortunately, this article was not as easy as I thought it would be.  It turns out deciding on only five songs that I will listen to for the rest of my life (as in as long as the supplies on the plane last cause I’m not much of a survivalist) was not that easy.  My first list mostly represented music from the late 90’s and early 00’s but then I realized I would eventually get tired of all that angst.  I needed to diversify my list and include some more toe-tapping numbers.

My new list is better.  It includes music from more time periods.  It includes some singable songs (for when I get tired of simply talking to my volleyball) and is more of a broad sampling of Rock and Roll.  So here’s my list in no particular order and without any references to LOST.

Come On Lets Go – Ritchie Valens
Its singable, danceable, and gets bonus points for being sung by a Mexican.

Hey Jude – The Beatles
I have to include a Beatles tune though I know Hey Jude is kind of a cliched pick.  But what can I say, I really like the “Na Na Na” part at the end.  Its a good song to play if I want to bring my fellow castaways together.

Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin
I won’t be able to survive a deserted island if I can’t get the Led out.  It was between this and Black Dog.  I find this song more fun.

Ingrata – Cafe Tacuba
Talk about your fun songs.  I will waste days away trying to perfect the singing of this song.  And then doing a full long performance of it will scare the smoke monster away.

The National Anthem – Radiohead
Finally, when I just want to be alone, this is the song that will be playing in my head.  Played extremely loud, it’s oddly soothing.

Ok, so I lied about the order and the references.

Life by the Drop by Stevie Ray Vaughan. This song is from the album entitled ‘The Sky is Crying’. It is the last track on the album. It’s a very simple song, seemingly sung from the heart. It is just Stevie Ray and a twelve string acoustic guitar. I have to guess that it’s a song that reflects his struggle with substance abuse and how he finally overcame all the addictions and realized what was really important in life. Put this song on, turn it up, close your eyes and lean back and enjoy. I get goose bumps every time I hear this song…no lie.

Black Dog by Led Zeppelin. This song is from the album lovingly referred to as the Zoso album. You know the one where the dude on the front is carrying a big bundle of sticks on his back? I vividly remember the first time I heard this song. I was walking through a parking lot and I walked by a clunker of car that was cranking out this Zeppelin tune. The stereo system in this car was easily worth more than the car itself. Robert Plant wailing through those speakers, followed by Jimmy Page’s furious onslaught of guitar riffs was glorious. The song embodied everything rock and roll had to offer…at least to my impressionable young ears. When I finally scraped together enough to buy the album, I listened to this song a hundred times in a row and I never got tired of listening to it.

Three Strange Days by School of Fish. This song is from the debut album from these guys. I don’t think they were tremendously successful in the music industry, but this one song still sticks in my head. The guitar riff totally hooks you right from the first note and the lyrics have some great imagery. From “floating on my back” to the “simulated wood grain” that ‘Johnny Clueless’ brought; this song is a great tune for relaxing and singing along to. If you can find it, listen to the version that contains the extended introduction. They are doing some weird stuff in that version before the song starts…but it’s very cool.

Been Caught Stealing by Jane’s Addiction. This song is from the album called ‘Ritual de lo Habitual’ which was Jane’s second studio album. The entire album is excellent, I just freakin’ love this song! Perry Farrell on vocals is sublime. The song is just so complete; from the frantic beat of the bass through the fast tempo to the searing guitar work of Dave Navarro, it is just one solid tune. It took some time for this song to grow on me, but when it finally clicked, it’s definitely one I could listen to a million times. This song also has an extended version…check that out if you can find it.

Voodoo Chile by Jimi Hendrix. This song comes from Hendrix’s last studio album entitled ‘Electric Ladyland’. From the first few strikes of the guitar pick against the guitar strings, this song is amazing. It’s also probably one of the most recognizable riffs in guitar history. You don’t believe me? Here is a quote from Joe Satriani: “It’s just the greatest piece of electric guitar work ever recorded. In fact, the whole song could be considered the holy grail of guitar expression and technique”. Okay, so now that I have Joe Satriani on my side, how could you disagree? I challenge you to dig it out of your record collection and give it a fresh listen! That’s good stuff!

Okay, so there you have it; my desert island selections. Fortunately, you and I don’t have to be marooned on an island to enjoy listening to these kick-ass tunes. Considering the sheer number of great songs out there and the multitude of great artists, it is very hard to pick just five songs. I may have to revisit the desert island line-up and make some amendments in the future.