The Playlist: The Thrill Is Gone

With enough House Republicans publicly backing Speaker Joe Straus to all but guarantee his re-election, excitement about the speaker's race is dissipating. So, this week's playlist starts with B.B. King and Tracy Chapman singing "The Thrill is Gone."

The easiest way to enjoy the playlist is to download Spotify, a free program. But even without it, you can still follow along. Here are the other selections for the week:

A judge ruled Tuesday that the special prosecutor pressing criminal charges against Gov. Rick Perry was properly sworn into office and may proceed with the case, inspiring the addition of Dr. John's "Qualified." After squabbles over how best to cover topics like the influence of Moses on American Founding Fathers, the Texas State Board of Education approved new social studies textbooks. We mark this with "Making History" by Adam & The Ants.

State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte announced that she was resigning her seat at the Texas Capitol in Austin to run for mayor of San Antonio, so we have Robert Earl Keen's "I'm Comin' Home." Lt. Gov.-elect Dan Patrick and other incoming statewide officeholders announced some major staff hires this week, so we added "The A Team" by Ed Sheeran.

State leaders announced that they intend to continue the current surge of law enforcement on the border at least until next August, prompting the addition of "Don't Stop Now" by Crowded House. Then, because the Texas Beef Council is attempting to find ways to reach out to younger eaters, we have Mott The Hoople with "All The Young Dudes."

Even though the state previously ordered it to close, Honors Academy Charter District is still — as Bruce Cockburn, our next artist, puts it — "Open." Next up is Steve Earle's "City of Immigrants," which was added because a North Texas school district is grappling with an influx of immigrants.

Speaking of immigrants, Greg Abbott, in his capacity as attorney general, pledged to launch a court challenge to President Obama's executive orders preventing the deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants. So, we close with Pat Benatar's "Fight It Out."

Enjoy!