I’ve had this nagging wheezy cough for about three weeks. It’s really starting to wear on me. My doctor wants me to come in for a chest x-ray to make sure I don’t have pneumonia. I toyed with the idea of not posting this week but I’ve never missed a post and I have no intention of starting now. So instead you get a self-pitying post of songs about being sick.

Nora O’Connor w/Ground Speed “Poor Old Heartsick Me” (Margie Bowes)
Fortunately my heart is fine, it’s my chest that’s sick. Ms. O’Connor is one of my favorite Chicago singers. Unfortunately she doesn’t sing around town nearly often enough.

Simply Red “The Air That I Breathe” (The Hollies)
Yes, all I need is the air that I breathe. Unfortunately breathing has been a bit of a problem lately. This isn’t a radical reinvention of the Hollies hit, but I do like the percussion and the keyboards.

The White Stripes “St. James Infirmary Blues” (Traditional)
I’m not a big White Stripes fan. I appreciate Jack White’s low-fi approach but the horrible drumming gets on my nerves pretty quickly. I do like the job they do with this song though.

Vitamin String Quartet “Down With The Sickness” (Disturbed)
I’m not down with the sickness, the sickness has me down. There’s a difference.

John Mayer “I Don’t Need No Doctor” (Ray Charles)
I don’t pay much attention to John Mayer. He’s just too pretty for me to be concerned with. I do know that his tweets are a publicist’s nightmare and I like that.