Yesterday, one of those tired syndicated shows played songs about dancing, and it was
"Dancing This" and "Dancing That"--looked like they just put the word in their computer search engine or viewed a music store listing of titles to come up with their content. Time and time again, the music redeemed the rather blase attitude of whomever structures these kinds of sets, but the half-assed planning was obvious.
One reason I dug Dave Marsh and Kevin Stein's "The Book of Rock Lists" so much is that you had to be a Rock'n'Soul maniac to put it together: looking at a bunch of song titles alone for "research" wasn't gonna get it, and the love that runs through that book is evident. In an age when anybody can go to the computer and find source material for mass consumption, it's much more penetrating to list what's really at the heart of the music we love.
The dreary show I mentioned would never have the smarts to include the Kinks' "Something Better Beginning" in their set of "dancing" songs. Here's to everyone whose ongoing resolution is to go that extra mile in whatever they do.