The fact that half of these locations are now impossible to reach shouldn't deter you. Go and build a time machine if it's that important to you.

Quick completely unrelated note: There's been a bit of a slowdown in posting here over the past couple of weeks, for which I have to apologise - having had a very quiet few months entirely on my own schedule, things have suddenly got a lot busier and it's only going to get worse. I'll try to keep posting at a reasonable rate, but please do bear with me while I try to get everything sorted out and back into a rhythm. We now return you to your regular blog post, already in progress.

Music is sometimes thought of as something of a universal language. Even if you don't understand the words, the tunes and harmonies can frequently convey amazing amounts of emotion and meaning, which is generally enhanced even further if you do know the words. (Except in a few very specialised cases. If you didn't understand the words of The Smiths' "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" you'd think it was a sad and beautiful ballad. But I digress.)

The flip side of this phenomenon is that certain songs end up conveying such an atmosphere that they can't really be properly enjoyed outside of a very specific situation. I'll list a few examples here, with links to some version of the songs on Youtube.

Song: Boys of Summer
Artist: Don Henley
Album: Building the Perfect Beast
Best place to listen: In a convertible sports car, cruising along the beachfront somewhere in the US (California or Miami would be best), one evening towards the end of summer when the sun is low, the light is golden and the shadows are long. Wearing Ray-Bans is optional, but encouraged.
Acceptable place to listen: Anywhere sunny.
Worst place to listen: A small, dark office somewhere in Iceland.

Song: Livin' On A Prayer
Artist: Bon Jovi
Album: Slippery When Wet
Best place to listen: Your school's Leavers' Ball (that's Prom Night to any Americans reading). Livin' On A Prayer has achieved a special status as our generation's "Stairway to Heaven". (Cue torrent of abuse from Led Zeppelin fans claiming that "Stairway to Heaven" is this generation's "Stairway to Heaven".) Everyone knows the words - well, the words to the chorus, anyway. Oh, all right, they know to go "WHOA-HO, LIVIN' ON A PRAYER" at some point in the proceedings. Nevertheless, the song strikes a perfect balance of sounding vaguely inspirational while actually relating a desperately sad story which doesn't have much to inspire.
Acceptable place to listen: Student nights out at various points throughout your university career.
Worst place to listen: In your Volvo as you drive through Chelsea, aged 57.

Song: We Shall Overcome
Artist: Literally hundreds. I rather like Bruce Springsteen's version that he did with the Sessions Band, so that's where the link points.
Album: In this case, We Shall Overcome - The Seeger Sessions.
Best place to listen: At a poorly-attended rally, protesting against some piece of injustice which is obvious, crushingly oppressive, and immensely powerful, to the point that the rally isn't actually going to change anything. "We Shall Overcome" is a strange animal - the lyrics are triumphant in one sense, but they're deeply sad as well. "Darlin', in my heart, I still believe, we shall overcome some day" speaks volumes about how very little changes on a day-to-day basis, but how in the end good will win out.
Acceptable place to listen: Any kind of protest, although the song becomes less and less appropriate as the situation being protested becomes less important. Singing "We Shall Overcome" at a student rally protesting against high-priced accommodation, for example, would be ridiculous. Bet it's been done at some point.
Worst place to listen: Halliburton's annual shareholders meeting.

Song: Love For Sale
Artist: Talking Heads
Album: True Stories
Best place to listen: Somewhere in the USA, where you're constantly inundated with TV adverts - any of the big cities would do. Oh, and it has to be twenty years ago. Unsurprisingly, a song that consists of nothing but advertising slogans strung together into a bunch of nonsensical but compelling lyrics doesn't really age very well.
Acceptable place to listen: A household that watches a lot of TV, and/or likes laughing at cheesy 80's advertising.
Worst place to listen: One of those Tibetan monasteries that are constantly being frequented by Steven Seagal, Batman et al. In fact they're a pretty poor choice for any activity apart from furious kung fu training.


Song: A Space Boy Dream
Artist: Belle and Sebastian
Album: The Boy With The Arab Strap
Best place to listen: Late at night, when everyone else in your house has gone to sleep, when it's slightly chilly and you're sleepy. Put on some good big headphones and play this song, paying careful attention to the quiet, measured narration under the music.
Acceptable place to listen: At home surrounded by friends.
Worst place to listen: The middle of an especially noisy club somewhere. Admittedly, that would mean that the DJ has completely lost his grip on reality, which could be kind of fun.

Song: Gunning Down Romance
Artist: Savage Garden
Album: Affirmation
Best place to listen: Late in a highly-charged gig, given by - and this is the key - anyone other than Savage Garden. Why? Because this is a cracking song, stuffed to the gunwales with pain and rejection, and wrapped up in a great guitar part, but it really should not be sung by a skinny androgynous bloke in leather trousers. If you can bear to, watch the video I linked to above, and try not to burst out laughing when Darren Hayes starts wiggling in a way that he probably thought was suggestive, but actually had my eyeballs trying to crawl out of my skull and throttle me. If it was performed by someone who could still hit the high notes but with a grittier voice, and if they removed the effects from the guitar and let a full rock band loose on it, the result could be incredible.
Acceptable place to listen: If you're male and in public, it had better be somewhere you can feel confident enough not to mind the incredulous looks you'll be getting from all sides.
Worst place to listen: Just after a Mötley Crüe concert.

Song: Baba O'Riley
Artist: The Who
Album: Who's Next
Best place to listen: At a Who gig, back when Keith Moon was a) alive and b) conscious. That does give you a rather small window, I have to admit, but hearing Moon smack pretty much every drum in his kit in that intro that sounds exactly like someone's just thrown him and his kit down the stairs would be pretty special.
Acceptable place to listen: Anywhere you can rock out and play every single air instrument. How often do you get to play air violin, drums, synth and windmilling guitar in the same song?
Worst place to listen: The intro music to CSI: NY now that they've done a horrible editing job on it. What have you done to Keith?