Sing…sing a sonnnnggggg….

So here’s the thing:

Autumn draws nigh, gentle readers, and as it approaches, my thoughts turn to fresh apple cider, to the crisp sound of fallen leaves beneath my Sketchers, to the smell of firewood, and, naturally, to my next theme song.

You see, every year or so, I refresh my personal theme song. This is the music I have selected for the day I am plucked from obscurity and asked to host an NPR talk show and/or a special segment on Morning Express entitled “Reasons Robin is Awesome.”

(Reason number 1,778: she once said “Holiday Shit Sales” on live television and continued as if nothing happened.)

Currently, my theme song is “Media Luna,” as recorded by Los Amigos Invisibles. This is the music playing on my mental iPod as I walk into work, when I am feeling the burn during a workout, or when I’m feeling great about life, and like my previous theme songs, I’ve sketched out a storyboard for the accompanying animation so that when I get all ambitious and manage to get some animator monkeys I can develop a short film around it.

Yes, I realize this isn’t normal. I’ve come to terms with it. No, I will not “just talk to the counselor.” I mean, really, who invites someone over for a barbeque and then stages an intervention? Not cool, guy – not cool.

But I digress.

So far, the contenders for Claire’s Theme Song 2009 are:

In Pea We Nuts by the Pinker Tones I’m a sucker for instrumentals, especially funky ones. I’m picturing an opening segment where I race through the streets of San Francisco on my motorcycle, fighting off various bad guys from Evil Corporate Entity before careening to a stop in front of the studio just in time for my show.

All That Matters by Todd Snider Beneath my Smaug-like, gem-encrusted hide beats the heart of a romantic, and my favorite Todd Snider song neatly embodies my feelings about all the yucky love stuff without being all dramatic and Hallmark Channel about it.

The Avery M. Powers Memorial Beltway by Ben Folds (sans Five) As I said, I’m a sucker for a good instrumental, and Folds has distilled Starsky and Hutch into a song that is all the more awesome for its inclusion of “Bah-da-bah-bah-bah-bah-baaaaaah” style backup and some solid musical construction that practically begs to be converted to visual narrative.

Calé Barí by Ojos de Brujo Ojos de Brujo is one of my favorite bands, blending a base of flamenco with electronica, world beats, and just about everything else into a delicious melange of multi-layered awesomeness. This track, with its layered and upbeat construction, as well as enthusiastic vocals, still rocks years after I bought the CD.

I’m sure you can see the fix I’m in, kids – how to choose just one? It’s like asking me to pick which niece or nephew I love the best (hint: the one that brings Aunt Claire a Diet Coke while she’s playing Mario Kart. That’s right, off you go!).

What about you? Any of you got a theme song you’re looking to refresh, or are you still jammin’ it to The Banana Splits?