The iTunes 25 most played list: the ultimate "tell"

I firmly believe an iTunes "25 Most Played" list is like looking through someone's underwear drawer and/or closet. You never know what you are going to find. It tells you so much about a person, and it never lies. Joe Schmo listened to the Brady Bunch's version of "American Pie" eleven times. Yeah. Ouch. I think that a prerequisite on match.com and other dating web sites should be making your iTUNES top 25 public.

It's usually the first thing I look at on people's iTunes. I sneak a look and people get defensive. "What are you doing?" To quote Rob Gordon, I suppose it was like "asking to borrow a dollar, getting turned down, and then asking for 50 grand instead." It should have been enough for someone to let me look at their iTunes library. But to actually go snooping into their top 25? Ridick.

You get to see people's little nuances and ticks. If a dude listens to Sublime's "Date Rape" more than five times, well, throw that one back. If a chick has "At Last" by Etta James at least five times, she's got marriage on the mind. These lists tell you exactly what a person is like. Most of the time.

If a professional scrutinized my list, I would be deemed schizophrenic. I've got everything from Hugh Grant singing "Love Autopsy" from Music & Lyrics (15 times) to Ryan Adams' "Amy" (10 times) to "Like To Get To Know You" by Spanky and Our Gang (13 times).  I've also been preoccupied with the Night Court theme (10 times).

Now, I'm not ashamed (although I should be). But isn't it funny what turns up on this list? I'm a huge Stones fan and they are nowhere to be found. What gives. Do I only say I'm a Stones fan when really I'm a huge fan of Genesis? Is the Top 25 really a reveal of what we pretend to be as music fans?

I don't know. But I'm now trying to listen to "Tumblin'  Dice" eleven times in a row to knock "Cupid's Chokehold" off of my list.