Ke$ha “Tik Tok” – I know it’s getting a little old, but I still love this song.  You know why?  Because it’s fun and dancy and utterly pointless.  Ke$ha doesn’t know or care about anything except having a good time, and she’s honest about it.  I can’t stand it when artists – who are rock stars, not economists or foriegn policy experts – try to take a political stand about complicated issues (yes, I’m looking at you, Green Day).  I much prefer a song that’s just fun and upbeat, and functions as entertainment, not propaganda.

Kris Allen “Live Like We’re Dying” – If an artist finds that he/she must do a song that has a deep message, do one that’s not political or divisive.  Make it something everyone can relate to and agree on, like getting the most out of every day.  This update on Tim McGraw’s “Live Like You’re Dying” has decent tempo and a good hook, and I like it a lot.

Daughtry “Life After You” – Maybe you’ve noticed, most of Daughtry’s songs sound pretty much alike.  (I guess that’s why I like them all!)  But, Chris has a good sound, one that’s been missing from radio for a long time.  After nearly two decades of everybody either singing very low and growly (like Eddie Vetter and Scott Stapp), or sounding like Chad Kroeger, it’s refeshing to hear someone singing a little higher.  Daughtry songs always have great hooks, too.

Orianthi “According To You” –  Gotta love a good, mature, female-voiced rock song.  Yes, Pink and Kelly Clarkson have done decent rock songs recently, but they both have a pop image.  And Paramore is too teen-sounding for my taste.  Orianthi, amazing guitarist that she is, has real “rock cred” like the Wilson sisters from Heart, Pat Benatar, and Melissa Etheridge (and maybe Amy Lee from Evanescence).  I like this song a little bit more everytime we play it.

Lady Gaga, featuring Beyonce “Telephone” – Did I mention that I like a good, fun, pointless dance song?  Awesome tempo, great hook, and the mid-song switch-up in rhythm and style when Beyonce does her part makes for an interesting interlude.  This is the song that makes me turn the radio way up when it comes on.

So, who’s in your 5?

As I watched the first 30 seconds of the Halftime show last night (that’s all I could stand before I lost interest and went to the kitchen for more chocolate-chip cookie-cake), I thought about how ironic it was that The Who were chosen to play because they’re “safe.”  Maybe you’ve noticed: ever since the Janet Jackson/Justin Timberlake episode, the NFL powers-that-be have insisted on having very old “rockstars” play the show.  Apparently, they want to avoid anymore disasters like “wardrobe malfunctions.”  And, they figure that washed-up classic rock dinosaurs will be “safe.”

But, it’s crazy how times change.  I mean, 40 years ago, The Who weren’t “safe.”  Once upon a time, The Who were rebellious, uncontrollable misfits who made a show of destroying guitars and drumkits (not to mention hotel rooms).  They were a bunch of drunk drug addicts who passed out in the middle of concerts.  They weren’t “safe” family entertainment by any means.

Maybe they’re just too old to raise any hell anymore.  I mean, let’s face it…they looked like a couple of guys from The Forum retirement home trying to play Guitar Hero.  But, maybe society has changed so much that what used to be considered outrageous behavior is now to-be-expected.  Maybe society has defined deviancy down to the point that it’s getting harder and harder to be shocking and irreverant. 

I don’t know.  But, it’s certainly ironic.  The Who, “safe?”  Surely, that’s the one thing they never wanted to be!

But, they told us a story about the moment the earthquake hit.  They had been at the marketplace.  They left, and started driving back up the mountain to their home.  Moments after they walked out of the market, it completely collapsed in the quake, and many people were trapped in the rubble.  As they tried to find a safe place to survive the quake, they said they could do nothing but watch helplessly as people were crushed under fallen houses and other debris.  In a matter of seconds, they saw a lifetime of horrific suffering.    

Our friends are blessed to be alive, but they have damage to their house, and there’s no power.  Haiti needs our help badly.  There is still horrific suffering.