This is the very last question in the "American Songwriter" song extravaganza ... I can't believe it took so long to answer 30 questions. It feels like I've been hacking away at these for much longer than 30 weeks when, in reality, it's been fewer than 30 weeks because I've doubled up a couple of times.

Anyway, what a strange last question! You'd expect it to be something momentous, like "song that marks the happiest moment in your life," or at least something that has to do with love. Maybe love is overrated.

Even though it wasn't THAT long ago, I already can't remember which one album I played over and over and over in high school. Honestly, I don't think there WAS one album I played like that. As I do now, I went through phases in high school, when I'd listen to one artist or album for months at a time, tire of it, then move onto the next artist or album.

source: covershut.com

I did listen to the Backstreet Boys' first U.S. album quite a bit, though I also listened to "Millennium" and "Black & Blue" a lot as well. I probably listened to Britney Spears' debut album a lot, to BBMak's debut album a lot, and I owned (and loved) Hoku's debut album. [If you remember her at all, you'll remember her as the girl who sang that stupid song "Another Dumb Blonde" from the Snow Day soundtrack ... and then the song that was in every sixth commercial for about 6 months, "Perfect Day," which I found even more annoying than "Another Dumb Blonde." Her debut album was slightly less vapid than those two songs would have you believe, and she's actually Don Ho's daughter.]

I'm definitely digging myself into a hole here! Other albums I would've listened to a lot: Jessica Simpson's debut album, Michelle Branch's "Hotel Paper" later on ... and a couple of unmentionables. :)

I'll just pick a few songs from the albums that stood out to me the most, how about that?


"No One Else Comes Close," Backstreet Boys ("Millennium")


"Tuesday Morning," Michelle Branch ("Hotel Paper")


"Just Enough," Hoku ("Hoku") ... I LOVED this song. It reminded me of my crush and how I felt like sometimes he was stringing me along ... not a good sign, huh?


"I Can Tell," BBMak ("Sooner or Later") ... I had a momentary crush on Christian Burns (the "blond"). No one ever knew how old he was (sketchy) ... and then I forgot about him and remembered him again when I was living in Manchester, England because I remembered he'd lived in Greater Manchester. Sure enough, he was still making music in the city, but I never went to any of his events because he'd dyed his hair black and gone electro-dance pop or something.

source: fanpop.com

Though I don't listen to any of these artists regularly anymore, I have all of these songs on my iPod (maybe except for the Hoku song) and would not skip them if they came up on shuffle. I'm not embarrassed about my ultra-pop sensibilities, even if it was late 90s teen pop.

I just remembered I bought M2M's debut album too, the last time I was in Taiwan, in 2000. Oh, for shame ...