Ever the prankster, Chilly Gonzales has a habit of embedding multiple hidden meanings in interviews, songs, and even iPod playlists! Being in the music business for many years, Gonzales has probably been interviewed thousands of times and asked every question imaginable. So why not have some fun with interview requests? In November, Vogue France ran an article, “Inside Chilly Gonzales’ iPod”, which simply listed 11 tracks from Gonzales’ iPod, along with YouTube links for each. As it turns out, there was an underlying “ridiculous theme” behind the songs. Let’s see if we can take a guess. First, the tracks:

Beethoven – Pastoral Symphony
Feist – Inside and Out
Debussy – La Mer
Grease – Summer Nights
French Montana – In the Sun
Weezer – Island in the Sun
Rick Ross – The Summer’s Mine
Bette Midler – Beaches Soundtrack
Sting – Everything
Bryan Adams – Summer of ’69
The Fixx – Reach the Beach

At first glance, 6 of the 11 tracks relate to summer or the beach. What about the other 4?

Beethoven – Pastoral Symphony
The second movement of this symphony (Andante molto mosso), was called “By the brook” by Beethoven. The string section is orchestrated in such a manner as to depict flowing water. Close enough to a beach!

Feist – Inside and Out
Nothing in the lyrics of this Bee-Gees remake implies summer or beaches, but the title could be extended to mean “Inside and Outside” – adding to the ‘outdoors’ theme.

Debussy – La Mer
The sea. Enough said.

Sting – Everything
Gordon Sumner, which is only one letter away from ‘Summer’.

Apparently, Gonzales’ was in a ‘summery’ mood for the request, which may very well have taken place in the summer, given the lead time required for magazine publishing. Maybe someone has discovered an alternate hidden meaning? Time re-examine Gonzales’ 13 favourite albums!