The list, one of life’s many blessings. Helping us get stuff done, remembering what groceries we need, or helping to express that we’ve got a lot of stuff going on and none of it is laundry (as in, I’ve got a laundry list of songs for you today). But what of the humble list song? Similar to list poetry, it’s just what it says on the tin—a list of something in song form. So, to celebrate the list, here’s a list.
Videos by American Songwriter
We start out with “50 Ways To Leave Your Lover” by Paul Simon. This was released in 1975 as a single from Simon’s album Still Crazy After All This Time, and it became one of his biggest hits. However, Simon often described it as “just a fluke hit that I slipped into by accident,” according to The Billboard Book of Number One Hits.
The list in this song comes in the chorus, where Simon shares some of the ways to leave one’s lover. You just slip out the back, Jack / Make a new plan, Stan / You don’t need to be coy, Roy / Just get yourself free / Hop on the bus, Gus / You don’t need to discuss much / Just drop off the key, Lee / And get yourself free.
The Cure, Hozier, and Paul Simon All Dabbled in List Songs
The Cure’s “Friday I’m In Love” plays into the days of the week with its list. There are continually different lyrics throughout the song, but the list is consistent in its inclusion of weekdays. For example, the opening lines, I don’t care if Monday’s blue / Tuesday’s grey and Wednesday too / Thursday, I don’t care about you / It’s Friday, I’m in love. These are followed by another similar yet different list, Monday you can fall apart / Tuesday, Wednesday break my heart / Oh, Thursday doesn’t even start / It’s Friday, I’m in love.
Next up, in 1962, Bob Dylan wrote one of his greatest songs—“A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall” from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. In his usual long-winded, rambling style, Dylan constructed a list of things he saw, people he met, and things he heard. I saw a newborn baby with wild wolves all around it / I saw a highway of diamonds with nobody on it / I saw a black branch with blood that kept dripping, he sings in the second verse, which continues in that fashion.
Meanwhile, Hozier’s 2018 track “Nina Cried Power” from Wasteland, Baby! takes a more serious approach to the list. This is a tribute to protest songs, heavily referencing Nina Simone and featuring Mavis Staples on vocals. The list at the song’s start contrasts what “is” and what is “not” when it comes to political protest. For example, It’s not the waking, it’s the rising / It is the grounding of a foot uncompromising / It’s not forgoing of the lie / It’s not the opening of eyes / It’s not the waking, it’s the rising.
The Mother of All List Songs: “Mambo No. 5”
Finally, we come to Lou Bega’s “Mambo No. 5,” that classic 1999 tune that had us all jamming out. There’s not a person here who doesn’t want to get up and dance when those funky beats start up. The list of this song is so well-known and iconic that I probably don’t even have to write it here. But I will anyway.
A little bit of Monica in my life / A little bit of Erica by my side / A little bit of Rita’s all I need / A little bit of Tina’s what I see / A little bit of Sandra in the sun / A little bit of Mary all night long / A little bit of Jessica, here I am / A little bit of you makes me your man.
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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