Here you have it, the Ultimate Cleveland Browns Mixtape, also known as “Disintegration Part 2”.  I must apologize to everyone who contributed suggestions during Request Line two weeks ago – I’m still finding my feet with this feature and I didn’t give a good job with guidance, so I ended up using very few of them.  When I was putting this together with an extra week to work courtesy of the NCAA tournament and my own laziness, I realized it works better to have a couple of anchor songs to establish the genre rather than worrying as much about specific tunes.  The entire Side 2 of the Browns mixtape came together because I absolutely insisted on using “Bottles to the Ground” by NOFX as the anchor, and you’ll find that it’s the best example so far of what these mixtapes are actually supposed to be.  Without further ado, here’s the Ultimate Cleveland Browns Mixtape.  Enjoy!

Here’s a direct link to the full mp3 mixtape, or you can play the youtube playlist below.

Side 1 (1950-1995):

1. “Burn On” – Randy Newman.  Overture.
2. “Bad Leroy Brown” – Jim Croce.  The Browns join the National Football League in 1950 and win the championship during their inaugural season.
3. “On Broadway” – George Benson.  Running back Jim Brown retires from his dominance of the NFL to focus on his acting career, and the Browns’ championship drought begins.
4. “Red Right Hand” – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds.  Brian Sipe of “Kardiac Kids” fame throws a late game interception while in field goal range in a play memorialized as “Red Right 88”. (SonOfSpam)
5. “Drive” – R.E.M.  The Drive.
6. “The Weight” – The Band.  The Fumble.
7. “Same Old Story, Same Old Song” – B.B. King. The Browns are outscored 13-0 in the fourth quarter of their third AFC Championship loss in four years to the Denver Broncos.
8. “Night Moves” – Bob Seger. The Browns (personnel including players) move to Baltimore and become the Ravens franchise. 

Side 2 (1999-present):

9. “Welcome to Paradise” – Green Day.  The dormant Browns franchise resumes play as an expansion team in 1999.
10. “In My Eyes” – Minor Threat.  Orlando Brown suffers an eye injury when struck by a penalty flag and assaults the offending official.
11. “Bottles to the Ground” – NOFX.  Bottlegate.
12. “Heads Are Gonna Roll” – Rocket from the Crypt.  In the 2002 season opener against the Chiefs, Dwayne Rudd takes off and hurls his helmet before the final whistle, leading to a penalty that costs the Browns a victory.
13. “Born to Lose” – Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers.  Later that season, in what will be their only playoff appearance in a 20-year span, the Browns blow a 24-7 second-half lead to their divisional rival the Pittsburgh Steelers.
14. “Couch Surfin'” – Reverend Horton Heat.  The Browns part ways with former overall #1 pick Tim Couch, who fails to latch on with any other franchise in the NFL.
15. “Give It Away Now” – Red Hot Chili Peppers.  With a win guaranteeing a playoff berth, Derek Anderson throws five interceptions in a 19-14 loss to the Bengals during Week 16. The Browns subsequently miss the 2007 playoffs.
16. “Falling Apart” – Lagwagon – The Browns use their first round pick to draft 28 year-old quarterback Brandon Weeden. 
17. “Ballad of Johnny X” – Bouncing Souls.  Upon the advice of a homeless derelict, the Browns use the 22nd pick in the draft to select Johnny “Football” Manziel.
18. “No Future Part Three: Escape From No Future” – Titus Andronicus. After winning one game the previous year, Hue Jackson leads the 2017 Browns to an 0-16 “imperfect season”.

Bonus Track (epilogue):

• “Here We Go Again” – Michael Stanley and the Cleveland Browns All Star Band.  Baker Mayfield leads the Browns to their first postseason appearance in almost 20 years and their first playoff win since 1994, reigniting hopes for the future of the franchise.

Next week we’ll be getting started with our next subject: Roger “National Disgrace” Goodell!  Please add suggestions for the type of music we should use for his mixtape, and note some of the incidents from his career as NFL commissioner that you’d like to see addressed in musical form.