The Playlist: Green Eggs and Ham

In honor of the book U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz read during his more than 21-hour speech in opposition to Obamacare, we begin our weekly news-inspired playlist with "Green Eggs and Ham" by the original Broadway cast of Seussical the Musical.

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

Between Cruz and state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, the state's politicians are developing a reputation for their loquaciousness, so we also have "Everybody Talks" by Neon Trees. That's followed by Young the Giant's "Guns Out," a reference to Attorney General Greg Abbott's warning that he'll file his 30th lawsuit against the Obama administration if a United Nations arms treaty is ratified.

The Innocence Project called for an investigation of whether the state should posthumously pardon Cameron Todd Willingham, so we have "Pardon" by Enter the Haggis. That's followed by Mayer Hawthorne's "You're Not Ready," which is the message hurricane-preparedness researchers had for the state at a conference this week.

The Trib's Neena Satija observed that, now that a lawsuit against Austin over its single-use bag ban has been dropped, other cities that were eyeing their own ordinances could be emboldened to push them through their councils, so we have Tim Minchin's "Canvas Bags."

University of Texas System lawyers' acknowledgment that they should have told the University of Texas at Austin administration about a regent's participation in conversations with University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban inspired the selection of Fuel's "I Should Have Told You." And "Retirement" by the Kaiser Chiefs was selected as a nod to the news that state Rep. Bill Callegari, R-Katy, won't seek re-election.

Davis released details of her upcoming official announcement of what is widely expected to be a gubernatorial bid. It will occur in Haltom City, where local band The Me-Thinks performs a song called, conveniently enough, "God Bless Haltom City."

Finally, the Texas Tribune Festival is going on this weekend, so we close on a celebratory note: Buckwheat Zydeco's "We're Having a Party."

Enjoy: