George Ayoub: Music results bring holiday in summertime

At least "White Christmas" made the Sweet 16.

I refer to the song, Bing Crosby's Yuletide croon, which is still alive in The Independent's Music Madness, the Search for Central Nebraska's Favorite Song. In three weeks we have eliminated 240 songs, including some from the Beatles, Dylan, the Stones and Snoop.

What were we thinking?

Music lovers have cast more than 40,000 votes on our Web site (theindependent.com), and Mr. Crosby is still hanging around, matched for the next few days against Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode." Bing Crosby and Chuck Berry? The peapod hasn't been invented for those two.

I enjoy "White Christmas" about three weeks out of the year, but that's about the extent of my passion for Irving Berlin's ditty --  one of the most popular songs ever recorded.

I'm happy it's among Central Nebraska's top 16 because when we put the project together, I argued that "WC" would have legs, that it would get votes.

"I told you so" does have its advantages, maturity not among them.

Whether I would have wagered money that the song would make it to the fourth round is another discussion.

My pick to win it all -- "American Pie" -- has kicked (shook?) some serious musical tailfeather on its way to the fourth round. Tom Petty, one of my favorite artists, also remains in the mix with "Free Falling."

But somehow, the success of "White Christmas" means more.

All of which makes me believe that we want our favorites to win because they are, after all, ours, but perhaps more than that, we want our favorites to be yours, too.



Clear memory

If you have voted, perhaps you understand. Winning validates my tastes. Otherwise, in a favorite song vote, we would care less if our music was noticed.

We do care, however. At least that's why those of us responsible for putting Music Madness together have been in a constant state of bantering, persuasion, debate, discussion and downright silliness, all in an attempt to sell the wisdom of a vote for our favorites: Dylan's message, the Beatles' importance, this one's backbeat, her lilt, those lyrics, whatever.

It's also why we have been talking to voters in a weekly live blog, although I have to admit our manners are, thankfully, much more in evidence on the blog than in the newsroom.

While taste is one thing, experience is quite another. Three weeks ago, I wrote that particular music marks a life in permanent ink. A song can be silent thousands of days and nights, withstand dozens of relationships, survive a couple moves across the country and back again and still, when we hear it after all that time, it can rekindle a memory as clear as the day we committed ourselves to it.

"White Christmas" does not do that for me; "American Pie" does.

It doesn't hurt to have the rest of Central Nebraska substantiate my personal experience, either.

Which reminds me.

I'm still picking "American Pie" to win the Madness.



Good old boys

A Tom Petty victory would work for me, too, although "Free Falling" is not my favorite TP, nor do I think it is among his best (See "Into the Great Wide Open," "Learning to Fly," "You Wreck Me," "Down South," etc. for details.)

I'm still a little mopey about the exits of the Stones, Dylan, et al (talkin' bout my generation), but as Petty would say, "It's Time to Move On." I guess that means learning to live with -- or vote for -- Freddie and Garth and the Man in Black.

I just checked the Web site. My favorites and yours seem to differ. I simply do not get that "Sweet Home Alabama" tromping of "Hotel California."

Nor can I hang my hat on Bing Crosby, even though he has been good to me this summer, sort of a Christmas in July deal.

My eggs are in Don McLean's basket, perched on the levee, good old boys all around.

I hope you agree.

It will mean something.

George Ayoub is senior writer at The Independent.