It’s Saturday night, you’re home alone, what song do you play?

It’s Saturday night. You’re home alone. You’ve just cracked open your favorite beverage, and you’re getting ready for the perfect night ahead — whatever that is in your world. Here’s the question:

What song do you turn the volume up to 11 to appreciate?

 

The answer can depend on many variables, sure. Is a romantic date in the offing or a crazy night on the town? Will you be sitting alone all night or meeting up with a group? Those details aside, when you put on your sun glasses and tighty whiteys, what’s the backing music?

 

Maybe Bob Seger doesn’t do it for you. I know he doesn’t for me. So what will it be then? What song can capture that perfect mood for a Saturday night fire-up? My answer is a little further down the line, but here are some worthy options to consider:

Led Zeppelin‘s “Kashmir”: There’s no easier way to spark a hardy debate, whether over Facebook or with a group of buddies (usually guys), than what is the best Zeppelin song. That’s not really the question here. No, this one is more precise. It’s what is the best Zeppelin song to play on Saturday night as you prepare to turn the town upside down? The correct answer is “Kashmir.”

 

From the guitar riff that pulses like a heartbeat, to Robert Plant’s swampy, otherworldly vocals, the music feels like it’s coming from nowhere and everywhere at the same time, hypnotically wrapping itself around you. The perfect Saturday night to 11 song. Or is it?

Warren Zevon: “Lawyers, Guns and Money”: This one grabs you by the throat right out of the gate.

 

Zevon, for all the praise he got, is one of the most under-appreciated rockers out there, in my mind. He’s more than just “Werewolves of London.” This one has all the hallmarks of a killer song: The catchy riff, the easy to sing-along to lyrics — “Send lawyers guns and money. The shit has hit the fan!” — capped off with  a couple perfectly placed grunts and exaltations. Just right for singing along to.

Wilco: “The Late Greats”: A number of Wilco songs would fit the bill. “Heavy Metal Drummer” and “Born Alone” come to mind immediately. But the best one for this category is “The Late Greats.” It’s got the riff. It’s got the lyrics. It’s got the nice mid-song pause, timed just right to grab a beverage refill, before things get ratcheted back up again for the big finish. Commence fist pumping the air in three, two, one…

And, most importantly, it’s a song about songs. Use this one to shake your windows and rattle your walls.

 

Those are three great tunes, no doubt. But they’re not the first one I grab to set the perfect party mood. So what is?

Neil Young: “Over and Over”: It doesn’t get any better than this, my friends.

 

From 1990’s “Ragged Glory,” Young’s showing no signs of wear or tear when he pulled this one together with Crazy Horse at age 44. It came out when I was 18 and a freshman in college. At the time, Neil seemed to me like an old codger getting together with the boys for one last go-around before easing into retirement. Now as I rapidly approach 44, and Neil is still going strong 24 years later, it feels even more fresh and vibrant. While there are many worthy rockers on “Ragged Glory,” “Over and Over” instantly became the go-to song for making the walls of my dorm room rattle. Those old Bose 301s never sounded so good.

Maybe not quite as accessible as the other songs above, this one stretches on for more than 8 minutes and has plenty of guitar solos, chorus repeats, guitar solos and guitar solos. It’s not called “Over and Over” for nothing. But, hey, it’s Saturday night. Time to kick back and relax. Neil is here to help get you in the mood. Go with it.

The Band‘s “The Last Waltz” famously told viewers at the outset that the film should be played loud. The same could be said for “Over and Over.” It just ain’t the same when heard at a reasonable decibel level. This one doesn’t weave its magic until it’s playing so loud you can hear it outside, even with all the doors and windows shut. And not just outside, but across the street. Down the block. Inside your neighbor’s house. With his headphones on. Listening to “Kashmir” with the volume on 11. We’re talking standing on a tarmac as a jet takes off loud. Got it?

There. That’s a nice start to a Saturday night fire-up mix tape.

Too bad no one makes those any more.