The Last

Where are you now handsome Billy?

“The Last Balloon,” XTC
“Last Boat Leaving,” Elvis Costello
“The Last Carnival,” Bruce Springsteen
“Last Dance,” Sarah McLachlan
“The Last Day of Our Acquaintance,” Sinead O’Connor
“Last Fair Deal Gone Down,” Crooked Still
“Last Goodbye,” Jeff Buckley
“Last Hard Bible,” Kasey Chambers
“Last Night,” The Mar-Keys
“Last Night,” Over the Rhine
“The Last Testament of Angus Shane,” The Lost Dogs
“The Last Time,” Mightyhead
“The Last Time I Saw Richard,” Joni Mitchell
“Last Train to Clarksville,” Cassandra Wilson

What, no Monkees? Guess not.

For you psych majors out there, if you’d like a handy illustration of Kubler-Ross’ stages of grief, just watch that Sinead video linked above (although she skips denial and bargaining). The lady really knows how to take a song from Point A to Point B. There are a lot of angry breakup songs, but if living well is the best revenge then that one is better than most.

And for anyone who has a job they’re less than enthusiastic about, the kind of job that makes your stomach ache as you pull into the parking lot, that makes you physically force your feet to take one step after another as you urge yourself into the building, resisting the urge to run shrieking in the opposite direction, the kind of job that makes Sunday afternoon unenjoyable because Monday morning is now hovering on the edge of your vision — let me commend “Last Night” by the Mar-Keys.

Make that your mental soundtrack as you walk into the office and head for your cubicle. That won’t make the job itself any more bearable or meaningful, but I defy you not to feel a bit better about things if you imagine that your every step is accompanied by the sweet swagger of Packy Axton’s saxophone and Booker T.’s Hammond organ.

“Last Time I Saw Richard” is lovely and haunting and wistfully beautiful, but it’s just not the sort of thing you want running through your head while you’re trying to face another day at that job.

Anyway, in honor of the lovely Sarah McLachlan track listed above, I’d also appreciate any suggestions for your favorite songs including a musical saw.