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I need to be a better listener: I thought Matt said “no hip-hop” instead of “only one,” so my list is heavy on the rock and/or roll side. Had I been paying closer attention, you might find something from Handsome Boy Modeling School below, but I still think my list is a good one. Hope you dig:

1. Alabama 3, “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash”
   My favorite acid house/country practitioners from Bristol (UK) penned this ultimate tribute to the Man in Black a couple of years ago, and it was probably my favorite single of 2006. Sure, the song title & chorus namecheck Cash, but beyond that the lyrics are a creative cataloging of Cash’s song titles, and the music is a forward-looking tweak of Cash’s signature railroad-train-a-comin’ country/blues shuffle. The original mix (included as a bonus download below just for fun) even included a sample of his voice lifted from the intro to his late 70’s TV variety show.
   Shout-out count: Just 1, but it’s genius.
2. Eddie Money, “Take Me Home Tonight”
   For some reason, this song just jumped out and lodged itself in my brain as soon as Matt delivered the idea for this month’s playlists. Not only does Eddie name-check the great Ronnie Spector, he even has her on-hand to sing a bit of the song. How meta. I forgot how great a single this was, too.
   Shout-out count: 1
3. Wilco, “Heavy Metal Drummer”
   Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was their first Serious Album, vaulting them from underappreciated alt.country experimentalists into capital-A Artist territory, but my favorite moment on the disc is this song, a simple, straightforward ode to the pure joy of playing rock n’ roll. The nod to Kiss secures its spot on my list (”Playing Kiss covers/Beautiful and stoned”).
   Shout-out count: 1
4. The Wombats, “Let’s Dance to Joy Division”
   That’s right, the Wombats love continues here @ Selective Service. I’ve been enjoying the crap out of their debut album, and this bouncy single is one of the highlights. Not only does the title & chorus namecheck Joy Division, but the bridge adds in some nice Joy Division-sounding synths while tipping their hat to “Love Will Tear Us Apart” in the lyrics (”Let the love tear us apart/I found the cure for a broken heart/Let it tear us apart”).
   Shout-out count: 1
5. Jimmy Eat World, “The Authority Song”
   “The Middle” might have gotten Jimmy Eat World the most airplay, but this fantastic tribute to John Mellencamp’s “Authority Song” was my favorite cut on Bleed American. The beat and melody both recall Johnny Cougar’s classic very nicely, but the lyrics also tip the hat to the Jesus and Mary Chain’s album Automatic (”J-A-M-C Automatic”). Nice.
   Shout-out count: 2
6. Bowling For Soup, "1985"
   I know this single is of the one-hit-wonder/novelty variety, but it’s so damn catchy and fun I just couldn’t help myself. In the process of waxing nostalgic for the MTV era, they manage to name-check Whitesnake, Bruce Springsteen, Madonna, Nirvana, U2, Blondie, Wham, Limp Bizkit, Van Halen, Motley Crue, and Ozzy Obsourne.
   Shout-out count: 11
7. Def Leppard, “Rocket”
   The Leps are a band who certainly embrace their influences — their last proper album Yeah! was a collection of their favorite glam-era covers. It all comes together more concisely (if you can really say that about a 6-minute, 37-second song) in this single from Hysteria, where they manage to to shout out to their favorites growing up, including the Stones (”Jack Flash”), Elton John back when he was fun (”rocket man,” “Benny and the Jets”), the Beatles (”Sergeant Pepper and the band,” “Dizzy Lizzy”), lots of David Bowie (”Ziggy,” “Jean Genie”, “Major Tom”), Lou Reed (”Satellite of love”), Queen (”Killer Queen”), and possibly Chuck Berry (”Johnny B.”).
   Shout-out count: 7

Enjoy!

Download:Alabama 3, “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash”
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download:Eddie Money, “Take Me Home Tonight”
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download:Wilco, “Heavy Metal Drummer”
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download:The Wombats, “Let’s Dance to Joy Division”
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download: Jimmy Eat World, “The Authority Song”
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download:Bowling For Soup, “1985″
(Right-click/control-click link to download)

Download:Def Leppard, “Rocket”
(Right-click/control-click link to download)