This week's meme is brought to you by the letter 'I'

So it turns out Finals are hard. Who knew?

I think all my fevered brain can cope with is a music meme!

1. Reply to this post and I'll assign you a letter.
2. List (and upload) 5 songs that begin with that letter.
3. Post them to your journal with these instructions.

The lovely scrtkpr gave me the letter 'I'. I've realised I pick songs because either they remind me of good times, plus they produce a really good scene for a movie in my head. I'm not alone right, other people make stories for songs, right? Right?!

1. I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You by Black Kids - This was a song that I danced to like an idiot in dingy indie clubs, yelling out the numbers with Lil. Plus the lyrics are sneakysmart and I love the cute synthy bass line. (in this scene our hero watches the girl of his dreams and knows she would be happier with him. Oh unrequited love.)

2. It Hurts to See You Dance So Well by The Pipettes - Hee! I just realised what a pair of songs these are. But anyway, I want to be a Pipette! They are all 60's girlband harmonies with funnier, feminist lyrics and they wear a lot of polka dots. (Girl realises that funny friend she always went dancing with was the one for her, but now he's moved on?)

3. Is It Any Wonder by The Shortwave Set - Not Keane. Though that is a good song too. I just really like this, all rains of piano and timpani thunder, with a dreamy vocal. I think I love this song because it creates more of an abstract mood, all pensive and sweet. And it reminds me of First Year of uni, all NBNW-ish cold rooms with thin walls and strange and strangely fun housemates.

4. In The City by The Jam - I was brought up on The Jam, my Dad is a huge fan. The Venn Diagram of my parents' musical tastes had a very small intersect, so I got a varied musical education, to put it mildly. And I like the spikiness of this. (OK, so clearly this is a stop motion type montage of friends going round a city centre, looking at the sights and messing around and generally laughing at each other.)

5. I See You, You See Me - I usually hate so much pure emotion in a song, but this so, so lovely. I think because it is fragile somehow, and kind of dark in places, and all at sea about love and yet saying that is okay. It's someone who doesn't really understand or usually believe in love, falling hopelessly. (this one has such a clear story. Really. I think that's probably why I am so fond of it. Shall we say it wraps up our dancing duo's story?)

Ok, so I'm only supposed to do five. But I have a shortlist of 21! So I'm adding a few bonuses

It's Not The End Of The World by Super Furry Animals - I have a bit of an on-off thing with the Super Furrys. I tend to forget about them and then have a song come on and go "wait! I love this song! Why don't I listen to them more?" I think this is actually a good example of all the things I like about them, gorgeous arrangements with sweeping strings and unashamed brass and random glingly things. And the fact that you can hear the Welsh accent so strongly. Lovely. (To me, this is a packing up and moving on kind of a song. Our heroine is sad to leave this room, this life behind, but she knows that she has to start a new chapter and move on. So she puts the last thing in the box and smiles.)

I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked by Ida Maria - This is a song of summer memories. It was just everywhere last year, in between my travels and watching festivals on the television in our new house in Leeds, sitting on the back step reading or watching the Olympics. It was a good summer. And the song is funny and cute and come on, that is a brilliant chorus. And Ida Maria is mad and unusual and I really like her voice. (Bad, bad friends with benefits, awkward knocking into things undressing and laughter filled flirting, all cut together)

I Only Want To Be With You by Dusty Springfield - Mum's music taste this time, and one of my all time great loves, Dusty Springfield is completely marvellous and I kind of worship her. Anyway, this is so sweet and happy! Which is a nice note to end on.

Hope alls well with all y'all! Want to play along?