MGoMix 2013

We're back!  After a no news is good news summer, we're back with our breakdown of our new playlist for the 2013 season.  We tried to mix it up a bit while following our rules, no more than 80 minutes of music, make every effort not to repeat non-Michigan songs from previous years, and try to capture the upbeat mood of driving to Ann Arbor and walking to Michigan Stadium.  With that in mind, here we go:

  1). "Can't Hold Us" by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis (feat. Ray Dalton)

.@umichband You have one month to make sure "Can't Hold Us" is a stands tune for holding penalties. Don't let an SEC band do this first.
— Jeremy Bronson (@jbrons) July 31, 2013

When Jeremy's right, he's right.

  2). "Keep the Car Running" by Arcade Fire
I like Arcade Fire anyway, but the upbeat nature of this pushes me toward happy, and the older feeling vibe helps set the tone for the rest of the playlist.

  3). "It's Beginning to Get to Me" by Snow Patrol
Denard's gone and it's beginning to get to me.

  4). "Mr. Blue Sky" by Electric Light Orchestra
The official "I need to be in a better mood now" song of everyone, it's also an aspiration for Michigan Stadium weather hopes for at least September and October.

  5). "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie
I don't know if we want to talk about this, but Michigan hasn't been to the Rose Bowl since 2007.  That's a while.  I don't know if there's any pressure, but maybe a little pressure can be a good thing?

  6). "No Church in the Wild" by Kanye West & JAY-Z (feat. Frank Ocean) 
"We'll make it out alive, alright alright, no church in the wild."  Plus, the backing track is just so so good.

  7). "The Payback" by James Brown
A little old school JB to remind us that there are payback games this year against Notre Dame, Nebraska, and Ohio State this season.  Payback, revenge.

  8). "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
Pro tip: You can rarely go wrong with JB and Stevie Wonder back to back.

  9). "Hot Rod Lincoln" by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
Hey, so it turns out that Commander Cody has a BA and an MA from Michigan, so you get a classic rockabilly track with a Michigan connection.

10). "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind & Fire
So my two year old son loves The Muppets, so to save our sanity, we added Muppets from Space to the Muppet rotation this summer.  While not a perfect movie by any means, it does have an awesome classic soul soundtrack.  Another one for the "oh man, just feels good to hear" pile.

11). "Right Place, Wrong Time" by Dr. John
Also known as the official anthem of fumble luck.

12). "Mountain Sound" by Of Monsters and Men
For the record, I love every track on My Head is an Animal so it was hard to choose, but I went with the most upbeat and peppy of selections.

13). "Feel Again" by OneRepublic
Yeah, it's Year 3 of Brady Hoke's tenure and this song sort of captures the feeling of "back to feeling something familiar."  Pasadena would help that more.

14). "Glad All Over" by The Dave Clark Five
Yes, my theme with this year's playlist is clearly happiness.  Crystal Palace's official anthem is this Britpop classic (also the Muppets used it in Muppets: Letters to Santa.  We have watched a lot of Muppets in this house in the past year.)

15). "Battle Born" by The Killers
I love this song anyway, but Tim Thompson did amazing video introductions for Stanley Cup playoff games for the CBC this spring, so when he used this track from The Killers most recent album, I was just agog.  I don't care if it's yet another Brandon Flowers' ode to his native Nevada, it's soaring, amazing, and epic.  Love it. "Cause you can't stop now."

16). "I Can't Turn You Loose" by The Blues Brothers
17). "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" by The Blues Brothers
"We're so glad to see so many of you lovely people here tonight and we would especially like to welcome all the representatives of the Big Ten officiating community who have chosen to join us here in the Michigan Amphitheater at this time. We do sincerely hope you'll all enjoy the show and please remember people, that no matter who you are and what you do to live, thrive and survive, there're still some things that make us all the same. You, me, _them_, everybody, everybody."

18). "I Can't Turn You Loose" by Michigan Marching Band
And suddenly, I am craving cake and electronic dis-co.

19). "M Fanfare" by Michigan Marching Band
20). "The Victors" by Michigan Marching Band
21). "Temptation" by Michigan Marching Band
22). "Hawaiian War Chant" by Michigan Marching Band
23). "Varsity" by Michigan Marching Band
24). "Star Spangled Banner" by Michigan Marching Band
All from A Saturday Tradition, of course, because you have to respect the classics.

We hope this season is worthy of the happiness that this playlist tries to convey.  We'll see you back very soon.