The Playlist: I Just Want To Get Along

University of Texas System Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa told UT-Austin President Bill Powers on Thursday that he could keep his job but needed to improve their relationship — so our playlist inspired by the week's news starts off with "I Just Want to Get Along," by The Breeders."

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:

Monday was the deadline to enter 2014 political races. At the last minute, U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman, R-Friendswood, filed to run against incumbent U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary. To mark this unexpected move, we included "The Big Surprise," by The Felice Brothers.

Comptroller Susan Combs announced that the state's budget surplus is larger than anticipated, so we have "More Than This," by Roxy Music. It's followed by The Frail's "Frenemies," a nod to the relationship of Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp and Gov. Rick Perry, who backed different candidates to be Texas A&M's new interim president. (Sharp's guy got the job.)

Jim Croce's "I Got a Name" is on the playlist, and it could refer to a few stories. At a forum of Republican candidates for lieutenant governor, state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, explained why he changed his last name years ago. Ross Ramsey wrote about the political perils of sharing the surname Sheffield this election year. And the UT System board voted to dub its newest institution the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley.

Texas continued its court battle with the Environmental Protection Agency over a proposed rule requiring the state to cut down on cross-state air pollution, so we have "Let The Bad Air Out," by Bruce Cockburn. We included Stevie Ray Vaughan classic "Texas Flood" because of recent flooding that has raised concerns over a troubled Austin dam.

The Dallas City Council significantly tightened its rules for gas drilling, so we added Oasis' "Gas Panic!" We have Bruce Springsteen's "Cover Me" for the Texans seeking access to health care — and those that are unable to benefit from expanded coverage.

And since we were reminded this week that, under a new state law designed to protect the right to offer certain seasonal greetings, we can, indeed, say, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," we close with a version of that song by Frank Sinatra.

Enjoy!