thematic analysis

Tonight I was poking around in the iTunes online store and discovered that they have over 300 albums in their My Groove section, which is basically a bunch of themed albums such as 70's Dance Party and Dinner Jazz {::shudder::}. I began noticing that some of these album themes were kind of, I dunno, stretching it a bit. For example, Boxing. Is there really someone out there whose consumer needs can be partially satisfied by purchasing an entire album of songs somehow related to men beating each other up for money? Although anything that will potentially introduce musically-inclined pugilists to Bob Dylan's Hurricane can't be all bad. Incidentally, that one segues right into You Knock Me Out by R. Kelly; I mean, Bob's a tough act to follow under any circumstances, but that just seems unfair.

A few other themed albums of note are:

Cajun Cookout (including Who Stole the Hot Sauce? by Chubby Carrier)

Labor Day (predictably including Take This Job and Shove It and Working For A Living)

Saturday Errands (Seriously? You can't get through those without a professionally produced soundtrack? I wonder what song goes with "picking up kitty litter." Shit Iz Real by Black Moon? I Smell Pussy by G-Unit?)

Black Frat Party (There was an interesting self-referential theme going on in this one. It had Brick House, and also an artist or group called Brick performing a song called Dazz, and then also a song called Back That Azz Up.)

Recovery Songs (including Wine Into Water [see what they did there?], Nobody Drinks Alone [um, yes they do, and that's part of the problem], and Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac [now, I'm no heroin junkie--yet!--no, seriously, I totally have it under control--but that seems like the opposite of good counsel])

Indie Wedding (OK, I'm sorry, but would any self-respecting Indie couple really turn to a pre-fab album from the good folks at iTunes to decide on the music for their Big Day? Plus, from what I observed there's nothing iTunes can do for them that they couldn't achieve by throwing random darts at a list of Decemberists, Bright Eyes, and Cat Power album tracks.)

And my personal favorite...

SOCCER MOM CHILLOUT (which had a strange sub-theme represented by selections such as Fallen, Upside Down, and As I Lay Me Down. What exactly are these album compilation people implying?)

Which leads me to my next question: This is really someone's job? To sit and think up song collections very loosely held together by some nebulous theme? Because I am starting to think I want this job. In fact I've already got a few ideas brewing:

Stalking Your Ex (including Hey Jealousy by the Gin Blossoms, Please Call Me, Baby by Tom Waits, I Just Can't Stop Loving You by Michael Jackson, and My First Restraining Order by Drowningman)

Things That Itch (including Heat Rash by Infamouz, Allergic to the Medication by The Hypertonics, and Poison Oak by Bright Eyes)

So You've Decided to Get a Sex Change (including Man! I Feel Like a Woman! by Shania Twain, Goodbye Earl by the Dixie Chicks, and That Dress Looks Nice On You by Sufjan Stevens)