Genius

The iTunes Genius "can create playlists from songs in your library that go great together." So let's see the list of songs that supposedly "go great with" Matthew Sweet's "Girlfriend:"

• Pump it Up - Elvis Costello (I'll give you that)
• The Impression That I Get - Mighty Mighty Bosstones (Eh, I'm into this song right now so it "goes great" with anything)
• Red Barchetta - Rush (Um, no. Just no.)
• One Night in Bangkok - Murray Head (Maybe)
• Rosanna - Toto (Meh)
• Mad World - Adam Lambert (Seriously? This goes great with fun fast-tempoed songs?)
• Africa - Toto (We're liking the Toto, aren't we, Genius?)
• Viva la Vida - Coldplay (Okay, this goes with Toto, but aren't we supposed to be going with Girlfriend?)
• Fall for You - Secondhand Serenade (see Viva la Vida)

So, I'm wondering what criteria Genius uses to pick these songs. According to iTunes, "To create Genius playlists, iTunes uses anonymous information about your library and other iTunes libraries". Is this "anonymous information" the fact that I like both "Girlfriend" and "Red Barchetta?" Is that enough to say they "go great together?" So far, the only thing some of these songs have in common is the fact that they're in my library. Oh, and they're all sung by men. And several are about women. Maybe that's it.

Anyway, let's give it another try. Let's pick Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack." What songs from my library "go great" with that?

• Pump it Up - Elvis Costello
• The Impression That I Get - Mighty Mighty Bosstones
• Red Barchetta - Rush
• One Night in Bangkok - Murray Head
• Rosanna - Toto
• Mad World - Adam Lambert
• Africa - Toto
• Viva la Vida - Coldplay
• Fall for You - Secondhand Serenade

Ooooh-kay. Those are some versatile songs, aren't they?