I was just thinking the other day — my music collection is out of control.

A big part of the disarray is attributable to my own flighty attention span. I’m constantly remembering that song that got stuck in my head earlier in the day and then digging through the racks, books and stacks of CDs to figure out where I put the one I’m looking for.

And then there’s the sheer number. I haven’t counted in a while, because that would require a good deal of time and effort before I’m even close to ready to start the tally.

But that’s just my physical CDs that I have stacked everywhere. On my computer, the collection is perfectly organized, thanks to iTunes. With a couple quick searches, I can tell find all kinds of details about what I’m interested in at a given moment.

I’m totally stealing this meme from Cindy, as it was too cool to pass up: My iTunes Library, By The Numbers.

Total length:

4,726 items, 20:18.25.47

Songs, alphabetically.

• First: “A-Town,” Benet, Relix Dec. 2006 Compilation.
• Last: “Woman and Man,” Good Brother Earl, Perfect Tragedy.

Songs, time:

• Shortest: “1969,” El Ten Eleven, El Ten Eleven. (:47)
• Longest: “Tower Jam,” Phish, It, 8.2.03. (59:24)

Albums, alphabetically.

• First: Wilco, A.J. Palumbo Center, 10.19.07.
• Last: Jefferson Airplane, 2400 Fulton Street.

Artists, alphabetically.

• First: Addison Grove Project
• Last: 56 Hope Road

Top Five Most Played:

• 1) “Chango,” Ozomatli, Live at the Fillmore.
• 2) “Bohemian Like You,” Dandy Warhols, Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia.
• 3) “Roses are Free,” Phish, Hampton Comes Alive.
• 4) “Not Coming Down,” moe., Wormwood.
• 4) “Once in a Lifetime,” Talking Heads, Sand in the Vaseline.
• 5) “U.S. Blues,” Grateful Dead, Devore Field, 9.15.85.

Find the following words; how many times do they show up?

• Sex: 7.
• Death: 23. Mostly Death Cab for Cutie; a couple versions of “Death Don’t Have No Mercy.”
• Love: 126. Some Wilco, and 14 different versions of “(Turn on Your) Lovelight.”
• You: 312.
• Home: 32.
• Boy: 71. Lots and lots of Cowboy Junkies.
• Girl: 31. The Stones’ Some Girls accounts for many, as does the Avett Brothers’ series of “Pretty Girl From…” songs.

First five songs that come up on Party Shuffle:

• 1) “Shakedown Street,” Grateful Dead, San Francisco Civic Center, 12.30.83.
• 2) “I Wanted to be Wrong,” REM, Live.
• 3) “Stash,” Phish, New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, 4.26.96.
• 4) “Yonder,” Beat Pharmacy, Steadfast.
• 5) “Via Chicago,” Wilco, A.J. Palumbo Center, 10.19.07.

What does my iTunes playlist say about me? Apparently, I’m a total hippie. Anyone surprised by that?