Frost-eee faves for the ice cream truck

JUST THE other day we were screaming about ice cream. More specifically, ice cream truck jingles. One would think living across from a park we would be annoyed by other things: squalling babies; hollering children; yakking nannies; boisterous ballplayers; pug and bulldog conclaves; midnight amour on the swings. But, no, that's just neighborhood white noise. The music emanating from the truck is what drives us nuts. And even more than the tunes it's the blatant lack of imagination of what gets played, and played . . . and played some more.

Right now the musical flavor of the season is "It's a Small World (After All)." In the past it has been the likes of "Sailing, Sailing (Over the Bounding Main)" and "The Entertainer" (from "The Sting"). C'mon, people, we can do better. Let's think outside the icebox!

Our neighborhood park is diversely populated. So let us have the outside music reflect visitors' inner beats. We self-appointed truck-tune arbiters of taste believe in complete transparency. So here's how we came up with our list.

Don't be lazy. It doesn't get on the list just because "Ice" is in the artist's name (Vanilla Ice; Ice T; Ice Cube; and the "Ice Man" Jerry Butler). And as the Bard would have written had he lived in the emo, rather than the Elizabethan, era: "The Coldplay's not the thing."

Be peppy. Tunes must rouse people from their heat-induced lethargy. But that doesn't mean "Sweet Caroline" gets to be on the list.

Be current. Amy Winehouse's "Rehab" has a bouncy beat but it's inappropriate for obvious reasons.

Don't be mummified. We are musical omnivores. But like fare on the ice cream truck one must update the selection. Sorry, Deadheads, no "Truckin'. "

Don't get hung up on titles. As in the "don't be lazy category," a song doesn't automatically qualify on the basis of its name. Michael Frank's "Popsicle Toes" seems to fit, but it's a tad on the sticky side. We love Sinatra, but "Ring-a-Ding-Ding," doesn't ring our ice cream bell. Jazz pianist Bill Evans wrote a swinging tune, "Fudgesickle Built for Four," but its contrapuntal melody line and harmonic structure is too, well, cool for the average ice cream fan. Spanky and Our Gang's "Sunday Will Never Be the Same" was immediately disqualified.

Taking all of the above into account, we offer a few of our own Fros-tee Faves. And if you don't like our list because "I Kissed a Girl" or another hot hit isn't on it, here's the solution: Make your own list.