The Playlist: Halo

Astute audiophiles noted that George P. Bush initially selected a surprising back-track for the YouTube video announcing his bid for Texas land commissioner. That song — "Halo" by Beyoncé — leads off this week's playlist.

To truly enjoy the playlist, we recommend downloading Spotify, which is a free program. But even if you don't have it, you can join in the fun by building a list made up of the following songs:

Because lawmakers spent hours in a hearing regarding gun policies at colleges, universities and schools, we have "Kids With Guns" by Gorillaz. That is followed by Lyle Lovett's "Whooping Crane," a nod to a federal judge's finding that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality was responsible for the deaths of 23 such birds.

The Avett Brothers sing "All My Mistakes" in honor of the public admission by John Massey, the board president of the University of Texas Law School Foundation, that his organization has made a few. Jeremy Bird, senior adviser to Battleground Texas, was in the state to talk about his efforts to make Texas more competitive for Democrats in the future. The visit inspired the selection of John Hiatt's "Child of the Wild Blue Yonder."

Aman Batheja and Ryan Murphy highlighted the revolving door of the Texas Capitol, where many ex-lawmakers return to leverage their relationships for financial gain. And so we added Dizzee Rascal's "Round We Go." State Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball, irked some Facebook users with her comments about how mothers should be modest when breast-feeding. For that, we included Herman's Hermit's "No Milk Today."

For a story about the state's beer distributors and craft brewers reaching an agreement on how to amend the alcoholic beverage code, a song about drinking beer in Texas: Todd Snider's "Beer Run." The Tribune's pollsters noticed that despite much talk in political circles, the public still appears ambivalent about Texas’ water needs. Our selection for that item is "You Don't Miss Your Water" by The Byrds.

Finally, we close with a tribute to the freshmen representatives' habit of wearing purple on Thursdays with a song by one of the biggest acts at Austin's SXSW music festival this week. It's Prince with "Purple Rain."

Enjoy!