The Playlist: Too Much Information

A legislative committee held hearings that raised questions about a University of Texas System regent's voluminous records requests of the system's flagship university, so we start our playlist this week with "Too Much Information" by Duran Duran.

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:

In light of the ongoing controversy that sparked those hearings, this week UT System Chairman Paul Foster announced a plan to make policy changes that address lawmakers' concerns, so our next selection is Bob Dylan's "Change My Way of Thinking."

Texas is poised to reopen discussions about its border with Oklahoma, so we added the summer's inescapable song about questionable boundaries: Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines." Meanwhile, on the state's southern border, the U.S. and Mexico are struggling to deal with millions of gallons of raw sewage still enter the Rio Grande each day in Laredo. That inspired the selection of "Take This Dirty Water" by Elton John.

In a TV ad, lieutenant governor candidate and state Sen. Dan Patrick pledged to cut property taxes. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings take the idea a step further in our next song: "What if We All Stop Paying Taxes?"

The federal government endorsed a plan that Texas and four other states have worked on for years to protect the lesser prairie chicken, inspiring the addition of "Up With the Birds" by Coldplay.

The Trib's Ross Ramsey wrote about how the shadow election — the race for resources needed to win an election — is already claiming victims, so we added John Mayer's "Shadow Days."

We have "Too Slow" by Those Darlins, because preliminary college enrollment data released by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board indicates that the student population will need to grow at a faster rate if the state wants to hit its 2015 goals. Texas A&M University officials announced plans to establish a "peace campus" in Israel, so we added Leon Russell singing "Give Peace a Chance."

Finally, we close with "Free-For-All," a song from agriculture commissioner candidate Sid Miller's new campaign co-chairman and treasurer, Ted Nugent.

Enjoy!