Years ago I had the pleasure of coaching the morning shows at Singapore’s Safra Radio. I taught them my method for creating their own Unique Listening Proposition, wherein they invent fun things to do that never have been done on the radio before.
Here’s one little feature (among the dozens of good ideas they generated) that any music station can steal:
3 Minutes Left To Live: You’ve just learned that you have only three minutes left to live. What song would you want to hear?
I’ll expand upon that question and ask it of you:
You’ve just learned that you have only three minutes left to live.
What song would you want to hear?
And what is the one song you definitely would not want to hear?
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I’d love to hear either Peggy Lee’s “I Love Being Here with You” or the Israel Kamakawiwo’ole version of Somewhere over the Rainbow that has somehow become Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours”
Having three minutes counted down by Merv Griffin’s Jeopardy “Think music” or Britney Spears “Oops I Did it Again” on the other hand …
Well, I would need about an extra 28 seconds, but I would say “Keep Me In Your Heart” by Warren Zevon. Beautiful song.
Or possibly AC/DC’s “Highway To Hell” if I was feeling snarky. 😛
What wouldn’t I want to hear? ANYTHING by Celine Dion. I would gladly give up those 3 minutes just so I wouldn’t have to hear her screeching.
I’ll echo Craig’s desire NOT to hear Celine – ye gods. Only Roseanne Barr could be worse.
As for what I’d like to hear, if I could have the time, would be Beethoven’s Eroica… but I don’t have that much time. So let’s go with Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah.” That is such a beautiful song and it move me even though I’m not particularly religious
I’d ask for Hey Jude, or maybe In-a-Gadda-da-Vida, hoping the timekeeper is distracted enough I can leave the room.
I think maybe Stevie Wonder’s “Ribbon in the Sky” would be a nice way to exit, even though it’s longer than 3 minutes… Although, while the anesthesia was kicking in for a surgery one time, I was listening to Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away”…
I’m with Craig on not wanting to hear Celine Dion.
I’m with JYM.
Alice’s Restaurant Masacree by Arlo Guthrie, thank you.
But if it’s got to be Halleluja, I’d prefer the Leonard Cohen original, ta.
Halleluja is a good pick.
I’d probably go with “Perfect Place” by The Sleddogs, or maybe “On the Hood” by Matt Mays, just because they put me in a good place. Somewhere I’d like to be when that time comes.
One should live and die with a sense of purpose, destiny, and fighting spirit. So in those final moments, as the victories and failures of my life play before me, I would like the soundtrack to be Bob Marley valiantly singing “But my hand was made strong, by the hand of the almighty. We move forward in this generation, triumphantly.”
– Redemption Song / Bob Marley
I would have to go with “El Paso” by Marty Robbins since I went there and fell in love with a Mexican girl.
that’s a great question, I would like to ask it on radio and see what listeners say:-)”
“Shannon” by Henry Gross. Takes me back to my childhood when my brothers were alive. We used to ride our bikes behind the “skeeter” truck. Those were the days!
@ David Makuyu: Please do ask your listeners, and please share your answers with us.
What I DON’T want to hear…Any hip-hop, rap, opera, country, or any pop recorded since 1990.
What I DO want to hear…probably Jimmy Durante’s version of “What a Wonderful World.”
I’d have to go with the Sanctus from the Durufle’ Requiem. Why waste your last three minutes on pop crap?
I’d have a hard time picking a last song…probably something by Pink Floyd. But I can tell you what I WOULDN’T want to hear; “My Girl Wants To Party All The Time”, by Eddie Murphy. I don’t think I could last the full 3 minutes. I’d probably even commit suicide before the time was up!
Goodbye’ Elton John… a song that has been on my funeral “set list” since I was 14.
I Can See Clearly Now, sung by Holly Cole. You have to hear her version to understand.
“Love is like Oxygen” by Sweet, but I don’t think I’d live through the song.
Purple Rain by Prince, and I want the entire 7+ minutes.
Since I am a country fan, Kenny Chesney “Everybody Wants To Go To Heaven”, played it at my Dad’s funeral last September. The lyrics kind of fit my life, close enough to count anyway. And I would not want people to be sad at my passing.
And since Mom would be worried about my eternal soul if I didn’t include the one religious song I truly love most – Amazing Grace played by the Royal Dragoon Scottish Guardsmen – gotta love a bagpipe version.
As for what I don’t want to hear… rap, polka, and remakes of songs I grew up with.
“Give Me Jesus” by Fernando Ortega. When my life is all done, this is the song that says it all. If not this one, then “Untitled Hymn (Come To Jesus)” by Chris Rice.
I used this on-air on Friday to create my “TeaTimeTripple” in a different way than usual.
(It’s normally an invitation to submit a list of 5 favs and tell me something about why you like the songs.)
On this occasion I got a couple of quick phone calls.
First up was a lady who said Queen’s ‘A Kind of Magic’, “…cause that’s what my life’s been…”.
For the second call I used a gentleman who called and said he’d like to listen to U2’s ‘Beautiful Day’.
Despite having a couple of other calls, I decided to use this opportunity to ‘share a bit of me’ and took the third spot myself, playing the song that first popped into my head when I read this question.
Freiheit’s ‘Keeping The Dream Alive’.
I backannounced with a quick
“Hi, I’m Dave … and I’m a sentimental old fool…”
It was a good bit, thank you for letting me use it.
It may sound silly, but Andy Williams “Can’t get used to Losing you” would be my pick.