I have opined before about my choice for my last meal on earth. Just to jog your memory, it is the Beef Stroganoff entree at the Trillium restaurant nestled inside the Grove Hotel in Boise, Idaho. That menu entree edges out sushi, lemon squares, and late-night peanut butter on toast. My childhood favorite of Spam and hashed potatoes topped with ketchup has also moved down the list by this elegant pasta dish. I now propose another rhetorical question: “What would be your choice for the last song you listen to as your life draws to a close?”

I am going to assume that my passing will occur with some level of awareness that will allow me to make this conscious choice. I would like to request that I have my Skullcandy headphones fully charged and within reach so as not to disturb those around me at the time. I mean no disrespect to the family members that will hopefully be at my side. I ask that they assist me in wearing my newest favorite T-shirt that reads: “I like music more than people.” I think they know me well enough to understand my wishes for both humor and support in this situation that will be a mixture of emotions.

My choice of song may vary from time to time, or should I say, mood to mood. But for the purpose of this column, I do have a special tune in mind whose title will be buried in the letters of the closing paragraphs. I am in a frame of mind to be clever, so please keep reading.

My Spotify app now contains over 3600 songs. It grows each week. Genres from blues to jazz to classical to metal/rock exist for me to pick from each morning. Esoteric tunes of Mongolian throat singers and Japanese minyo folk music are also available. The only country songs are old school, Johnny Cash, or Marty Robbins. There is only one song that fits into the Hip Hop/Rap description, and I won’t tell you what it is.

Playlist titles include “cooking music,” which is a mix of softer, mellow jazz featuring saxophones. I recently put together a playlist for my 45th high school reunion. It had requests from classmates for the songs from our days of dances in the gym or dragging Main Street. Going back almost a couple of years now, there is a playlist entitled “GOP Caucus.” Our Republican committee felt it necessary to provide some entertainment as we waited for what was a disappointing 6 percent turnout that stormy day in March of 2024. The “Metal Essentials” playlist is often my pick during a workday where I need adrenaline to push me to the end of my to-do list.

My friend Dan loves older country songs, like Hank Williams (both Jr. and Sr) or Dwight Yoakam. I told him I would let him listen to those artists on my big speaker in the garage if only he would bring me a milkshake on one of these lovely crepuscular summer evenings. So far, he has not shown up… his loss. My choices, compared to Dan's, would be much different. For a long while, Tool’s “46 & 2” was in the running for my final listen. But that recently changed. In the next two paragraphs, I will now reveal to you my current selection.

The gift of music is immeasurable to me, always has been, always will be, and it will be present right to my final breath. How can anyone not love music? Everyone has different tastes and likes, which I will acknowledge and allow.

Emotional impact accompanies the melodies and lyrics. Never do I not feel something powerful inside as I either rock out or mellow out. Doors of the rooms containing my memories are opened and sometimes shut by the music I crave.

Did you catch it? Remember when I said I wanted to be clever with this column? The clues lie in the preceding two paragraphs. There are a total of six sentences in those two paragraphs. If you take the first capital letters of each sentence, it will make two words, each with three letters. The name of the group is also mingled somewhere in the last phrase. Once you figure it out, you may say to yourself, “How apropos?!” This column will seem unintentionally morbid. I am not in a moribund condition, but I tend to ponder weird things. Now, I suggest you go pull up that tune on whatever music app you use and enjoy the feelings. It will give new meaning to the day when I “break on through to the other side."