For years its been a tradition of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) to invite various celebrities to list their Top Ten songs they would like to have with them if they were ever stranded on an deserted island.
Now, I'm not asking each Explorer to list their Desert Island Discs here. Rather, what I want to do is to ask every Explorer to list their Top Ten songs that (a) either get them in the mood for Exploring, or (b) they actually play in the car while Exploring. And then send their Kansas Exploration Songs to me at vonrothenberger@gmail.com from now until December 15th, I will post them this blog.
What will we learn from this? Probably nothing. But we might, just might gain a little insight into the already interesting minds of the average Kansas Explorer, and thereby hopefully maybe quite possibly learn a little more about ourselves and this great state. The variety of songs alone mentioned should be incredible.
To kick this off I've created my own list of inspirational Kansas Exploration Songs, after a lot of soul-searching and also a little searching of the actual music in my car. Oddly, of all the songs possible, the following showed up over and over:
(1) Don't Pass Me By, the Georgia Satellites.
Talk about an adrenalin rush! One listen to this high energy remake of the old Beatles tune is the equivalent of downing three cups of coffee, of guzzling a 64 oz. of pop, of seeing that first look of yourself in the mirror each morning. Guaranteed to get me motivated to do just about anything.
(2) I Got a Name, Jim Croce.
Visons of the road abound with this song. Best to watch the accelerator while playing in car.
(3) Runnin' Down a Dream, Tom Petty.
Sequel to the above. Watch that Speedometer. No need to get to know your local Kansas State Trooper on a business level.
(4) Matthew, John Denver.
Denver's ode to his uncle "born just south of Colby, Kansas" always provokes an honest feel for Kansas both in theme and in spirit.
(5) In My Car, Joe Walsh.
This native Kansan is obviously an Explorer at heart, and this song proves it.
(6) Downstream, the Rainmakers.
The Kansas City band tells of traveling down the Mississippi to the Atlantic Ocean and beyond - in other words, a spiritual journey, which is actually very Kansan.
(7) Looking for Space, John Denver.
Again, the spiritual journey is Explored. After all, Kansas IS a state of mind.
(8) Along the Road, Dan Fogelberg.
This quiet ballad is excellent when contemplating St. Jacob's Well, or the Blue Sky Sculpture, or a particularly succulent piece of Crawford County chicken. It's the little things that makes Kansas a great place to Explore.
(9) Walking Where the Roses Grow, Katrina & the Waves.
Written in England about the memory of a Kansas garden, this bouncy sing-a-long will give a you great feeling as you wander Kansas.
(10) Two For the Road, Bruce Springsteen.
It's always more fun to have someone else to Explore with. Words of wisdom from the eternally- wise Boss.
HALL OF FAME: Kansas . . . Come and Get It!
This one is already at the top of all lists. Let's all go out there and Get It!
