The last time I posted an iPod Random 8 list, I thought I’d picked up a correlation between rainy days and this exercise.

But maybe it’s broader than that: Any crappy weather will do. Such is the case today, sorta, as New York is sweltering through the first heatwave of the year. Normally I eat up the heat, but even I’m suffering; must be the abrupt shift from semi-cool one day to blazing hot this weekend (or else I’ve finally acclimated away from my former Floridian climate-control).

Whatever the cause, my most recent shuffling of iTouch sounds produced the following.

Side note: I’ve gone ahead and finally created an iPod category, with iPod Random Tracks subcategory, and placed all past posts on this subject in there. Makes it a lot easier to hunt through the past editions of this mess. Plus, it occurs to me that this subgroup would be ideal for trying out WordPress’ new tagging capabilities, although I’ll have to think about that more.

1. “Break The Ice (Soul Seekerz Dirty Club)”, Britney Spears - You’ve got my heart beating like an 808.

2. “The Race Is On”, George Jones - True love’s scratched for another’s sake.

3. “Freedom! ‘90″, George Michael - But today the way I play the game is not the same.

4. “Cherry Blossom Girl (Simian Mobile Disco mix)”, AIR - Tell me why can’t it be true?

5. “Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex”, CSS - Music is my favorite mistress.

6. “14th St. Break”, Beastie Boys - [instrumental, no lyrics]

7. “Roam”, The B-52’s - Shootin’ through every degree.

8. “The Girl You Lost to Cocaine (Stonebridge Vocal)”, Sia - I’ll never get laid while I’m running your life.

Funny thing. It was a miserably rainy day the last time I was inspired to post an iPod Random 8 list, and so it is again today. Must be a trend.

Anyway, here’s the latest shuffle-determined string of output from my iPod Touch (or “iTouch”, if you prefer). Length of said string synced to 8trk, which I’m told is progressing nicely.

1. “Let Me Think About It (club mix)”, Ida Corr vs. Fedde Le Grand - That I am the true way towards ecstasy.

2. “F-cking Boyfriend (Peaches Remix)”, The Bird And The Bee - When you lay down with me, you never slept that night.

3. “Mysterious Ways”, Angelique Kidjo - She sees the man inside the child.

4. “Mer du Japon (Remix by Kris Menace)”, AIR - J’en perds la raison (I lost my mind).

5. “Relaxation Spa Treatment”, Dan the Automator - [instrumental, no lyrics]

6. “Good Love”, Isaac Hayes (as Chef from “South Park”) - You’ll recommend me to your mother, your sisters, your aunts and your nieces.

7. “Let’s Stay Together”, Al Green - Loving you whether, whether.

8. “Colours”, Donovan - Freedom is a word I rarely use.

Time for a new spew of shuffled-up tracks out of my iPod Touch. It’s a rainy April Fool’s Day here in New York, and that has nothing to do with this little exercise, but what the heck.

My last listing was back in January, indicating that this musical roundup has taken on a quarterly schedule. It’s anything but intentional, believe me.

As always, the Number Eight is brought to you by 8trk. Coming any day now, I hear.

1. “Starlett Johansson (Narctrax remix)”, The Teenagers - You don’t believe in monogamy.

2. “The Race Is On”, George Jones - Heartaches are going to the inside.

3. “We Are Your Friends (Lee Cabrera’s ‘Lower East Side’ Remix)”, Justice vs. Simian - You’ll never be alone again.

4. “Welcome To The Terrordome”, Public Enemy - Crucifixion ain’t no fiction.

5. “Fat Albert (TV show theme)”, Bill Cosby - And Bill’s gonna show you a thing or two.

6. “The One I Love”, R.E.M. - A simple prop, to occupy my time.

7. “Ch-Check It Out”, Beastie Boys - Sport that fresh attire.

8. “Sympathy For The Devil (Soul To Waste remix)”, Laibach - [instrumental, no lyrics]

Let’s get this out of the way: My first 2008 listing of the last 8 random tracks to spew out of my trusty iPod Touch. And only one month since the last go-round.

As always, the choice of 8 tracks instead of some rounder number is in support of 8trk, which we should be seeing more fully-formed in ‘08 (appropriately enough, in meta-marketing terms). And with that:

1. “Let My Love Open The Door”, Sondre Lerche (Dan in Real Life soundtrack) - Release yourself from misery.

2. “What A Life”, Juliana Hatfield - You wear it like propriety.

3. “You’ve Got the Best of My Love”, Emotions - Love has kissed me in a beautiful way.

4. “Torture”, KMFDM - Scenes, once negated, ushered in.

5. “Bad Girl”, Madonna - I’m not happy when I act this way.

6. “Tainted Love”, Soft Cell - I don’t pray that way.

7. “Beautiful”, Goldfrapp - Turn me onto your star.

8. “Rock the Bells”, LL Cool J - And the best thing you wrote was a bunch of bullshit.

Not since this past summer have I posted a shuffle-generated list of tracks (with lyrical snippets) resulting from my iPod.

The reason? In that time, I’ve since upgraded to a latest-and-greatest iPod Touch. So mostly, I’ve been too preoccupied just noodling with the iTouch and all its neat features. The music’s still pumping out of it on an almost-daily basis, but I haven’t focused enough to make note of the sequence.

Until now. So here, in the nick of time 2007-wise, is the list of random 8 — 8 in keeping the sync with 8trk (where I’ll be cross-posting this):

1. “I Wanna Be Sedated”, The Ramones - Just put me in a wheelchair, get me to the show.

2. “Head Like A Hole”, Nine Inch Nails - Let’s go dancing on the backs of the bruised.

3. “Rapper’s Delight”, Sugar Hill Gang - Now what you hear is not a test.

4. “Super Disco Breakin’”, Beastie Boys - Nothing sounds quite like an eight-oh-eight.

5. “You’re No Rock ‘N Roll Fun”, Sleater-Kinney - Fill our Christmas socks with whiskey drinks and chocolate bars.

6. “Mer Du Japon (Remix By The Teenagers)”, AIR - J’en perds la raison (I lost my mind).

7. “My Fair Lady”, David Byrne - Calls to me a strange attraction.

8. “Heart of Hearts (Radio Edit)”, !!! - Talking ’bout real love baby.

It’s been a long time coming, so here’s the next installment of the latest random output to come out of my perpetually shuffling-repeating iPod.

Instead of the usual five tracks, I’ve expanded out to eight, to match up with 8trk’s Favorite 8, like I said I would. Gotta keep up with the Joneses!

So here we go:

1. “Torture”, KMFDM - Maybe in a day or so I’ll stumble on that grassy knoll.

2. “Waiting For Tonight”, Jennifer Lopez - Found a sacred place, lost in your embrace.

3. “Party For Your Right to Fight”, Public Enemy - It takes a nation of millions to hold us back.

4. “Hello, I Love You”, The Doors - Do you hope to pluck this dusky jewel?

5. “Stand (The Scrumfrog Extended Re-Hash)”, Jewel - It’s not all dirty, but it’s not all clean.

6. “Pusherman”, Curtis Mayfield - Your main boy, thick and thin.

7. “Weapons of Mass Distortion”, The Crystal Method - [instrumental, no lyrics]

8. “Get Down Tonight”, KC & The Sunshine Band - Same place, same time.

I usually wait a couple of months between blogworthy outputs of my iPod’s shuffle setting.

But I’m a couple of hours away from heading to a family Easter get-together, so I’m more focused on just getting through that. A couple of weeks is going to have to be a long enough stretch, this time out.

This five-song sampler, while entertaining — so much so that I have no qualms about presenting it — isn’t particularly Easter-oriented. At least not to me. If you can discern themes of resurrection and renewal here, that’s your business.

1. “Product”, Consolidated - Welcome to the cultural basepipe.

2. “Boys Wanna Be Her (Tommy Sunshine’s Brooklyn Fire Retouch)”, Peaches - So do you.

3. “Nighttrain”, Public Enemy - ‘Cause he ridin’ the train, you think he down for the cause.

4. “I’m Like A Bird (Digital Cutup Lounge remix)”, Nelly Furtado vs. Asha Bhonsle - You don’t know me that way.

5. “Feel It”, The Afros - Or else they’ll be callin’ me MC Baldy.

It’s been a couple of months, so why not: I present the last five tracks that came forth from my ever-shuffling iPod. As always, I throw in the lyrical snippet as a bonus.

A change from past editions of this mini-feature: I’ve chopped the tracklist from 10 down to 5. It was getting mighty impractical to come across a string of ten songs in a row that a) I actually would listen to without impatiently skipping over one or two, and b) wouldn’t include at least one instrumental track, which throws off that inclusion of a lyric per song. Besides, this is the InterWeb: Short and snappy is king!

And with that:

1. “Mercenary”, Go Go’s - I never meant to break you.

2. “Looking for the Perfect Beat”, Afrika Bambaataa - We are the future, you are the past.

3. “Stop (12 Inch Remix)”, Erasure - Stand there where you are.

4. “Heartbeats (Rex the Dog Mix)”, The Knife - Mind is a razorblade.

5. “Busy Child”, The Crystal Method - I guess I didn’t know.

Having just given the Zune a backhanded swipe, a new listing of the last 10 shuffled tracks that poured out of my iPod somehow seems like an appropriate followup. Not sure why, since I could get the same results from a Zune set on random play (in the event that I ever get one, which is unlikely); but whatever.

Besides, it’s been a while since the last time, which translates to many-many spins of the 30-gig hard drive. And I like the minor editing process that comes from selecting that vaguely-ironic-yet-perfect lyrical clip to accompany each song. (That’s what I’m shooting for, anyway — results may vary.)

So, here we go. And no, “artic” is not misspelled in this instance:

1. “Good Times”, Chic - Clams on the half-shell, and rollerskates.

2. “Boy in the Window (Ursula 1000 Artic Chill Extended Remix)”, The Gentle People - He had the coolest of haircuts.

3. “Ice Cream (Van She Tech Remix)”, New Young Pony Club - Covering your nights and days.

4. “Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above (original)”, Cansei de Ser Sexy/CSS - You are so tentative, I’m in love.

5. “Take Me Out”, Franz Ferdinand - I know I will be leaving here.

6. “Jenny From the Block”, Jennifer Lopez - Don’t be fooled by the rocks that I got.

7. “American Idiot”, Green Day - Everything isn’t meant to be okay.

8. “Surrender”, Cheap Trick - Every time I got to thinking, where’d they disappear?

9. “Nice Day (Wamdue People Remix)”, Persephone’s Bees - Happy to be alive.

10. “Brain Damage”, Austin Lounge Lizards - There’s someone in my head, but it’s not me.

Y’know, looking over the above lyrics, it seems like you can almost construct a story from them. When read in order, from top to bottom, I’m discerning a schizophrenic narrative. Or maybe that’s just me.

I hadn’t planned on posting one of these sure-fire post-fillers today. But it has been a while, and anyway, the back-to-back juxtaposition of Eric Clapton-Curtis Mayfield calls for it.

So, here’s the most recent random ten song sequence off my iPod, with my new addition of lyric excerpts from each song (which may or may not be pertinent). Roll ‘er out!

1. “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”, Michael Jackson - Just love me ’til you don’t know how.

2. “Cocaine”, Eric Clapton - You’ve got to take her out.

3. “Pusherman”, Curtis Mayfield - How long can a good thing last?

4. “Jive Talking”, Bee Gees - You’re telling me lies.

5. “Accidents Will Happen”, Elvis Costello - Your mind is made up, but your mouth is undone.

6. “Mixtress (Future Funk Squad Remix)”, DJ Baby Anne - Mixtress. (limited selection — that’s the only spoken word in said song)

7. “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos”, Public Enemy - If I come out alive, then they won’t come clean.

8. “The Storm”, The Procussions - You gonna stand fast, or just keep running?

9. “The Tide is High”, Blondie - I’m gonna be your number one.

10. “How Much More”, The Go-Go’s - Girl tonight, girl tonight.

It’s been a real long time since I last posted a random sampling of what’s come forth from my iPod. Since it’s been a lazy-hazy day that’s included a good bit of music-listening, I think I’ll share with the blogosphere today.

Also, in order to pay homage to the now-abandoned Guess That Song series, I’m going to include a snippet of lyrical whimsy from each tune. Enjoy.

1. “Rover Take Over”, Lords of Acid - I feel so alive, come take me from behind.

2. “Setting Sun”, Chemical Brothers - You said your body was young but your mind was very old.

3. “My Name is Prince”, Prince - When it comes to funk, I am a junkie.

4. “Roam”, B-52’s - Kick through continents, bustin’ boundaries.

5. “La Resistance (Medley)”, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut Sountrack - When Canada is dead and gone, there’ll be no more Celine Dion.

6. “Stars Are Blind (The Scumfrog’s Extreme Makeover)”, Paris Hilton - Show me/love/baby.

7. “Fight the Power”, Public Enemy - Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps.

8. “Shake Your Booty”, KC & The Sunshine Band - You’re the best in the world, I can tell.

9. “Nanny Nanny Boo Boo (Junior Senior Remix)”, Le Tigre - All you need to know is we love to see the crowd move.

10. “Psycho Killer”, The Talking Heads - I can’t sleep ’cause my bed’s on fire.

This was inevitable, given that I just outfitted myself with a spankin’ new video-enabled iPod. Plus it’s been months since the last go-round.

So here are the last ten tracks that my iPod spit out at me, on random shuffle play:

1. Talking Heads - “Sugar on My Tongue”

2. Squeeze - “Tempted”

3. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - “Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood”

4. Nirvana - “Oh, Me (unplugged live)”

5. DJ Kentaro - “Introduction”

6. Camper Van Beethoven - “Pictures of Matchstick Men”

7. Madonna - “Bedtime Story”

8. Stereo MCs - “Connected (remix)”

9. The Police - “Man in a Suitcase”

10. Cirrus - “Back on a Mission (Cirrus’ Funky Joint Remix)”

Not really representative — where’s the rap music? I’ve got a couple of hundred loaded up at any given time. But not a bad list, otherwise.

Hit me with your own random runs in the comments, if you care to.

I haven’t done this in a long while, so what the heck. Here are the last ten music tracks to tick up on my iPod, set to shuffle/random play:

“Truth is Out of Style” - MC 900-Foot Jesus

“A Letter to the New York Post” - Public Enemy

“Sabotage” - Beastie Boys

“Somebody to Love” - Queen & George Michael

“Lullaby (extended mix)” - The Cure

“I’m Like a Bird” - Nelly Furtado

“Rock the Casbah” - The Clash

“Because the Night (live)” - Natalie Merchant

“Finest Worksong (Mutual drum horn mix)” - R.E.M.

“Dancing Queen” - ABBA

Quite the mix, huh? Nothing if not diverse. Feel free to share your random results from your computer/music player in the Feedback box below.

I haven’t done this sort of thing in a while:

Step 1: Open your MP3 player.
Step 2: Put all of your music on random.
Step 3: Write down the first 10 songs it plays, no matter how embarrassing.

Here’s mine from earlier today, off my iPod:

1. “Running on Empty” - Jackson Browne
2. “24 Hour Party People” - Happy Mondays
3. “Magic Mike & Infiniti - 2001″ - Baby Anne
4. “Party For Your Right to Fight” - Public Enemy
5. “Pray” - MC Hammer
6. “The Number Song” - DJ Shadow
7. “Psycho Killer” - Talking Heads
8. “Hole Hearted” - Extreme
9. “It Doesn’t Matter” - Chemical Brothers
10. “The Race Is On (live)” - Grateful Dead

Hit me with yours, in the feedback box below!