{stories and snapshots from my new york city life.}

1.08.2012

My Top 60 All-Time Favorite Songs

Like most other living breathing humans, I like music. I like rock music, I like folk music. I like fast songs and slow songs, ranging in tunes that make me want to dance my ass off to others that make me want to bawl my eyes out and throw myself off a cliff. I compiled a list of my 60 favorite tunes--the ones I listen to over and over on my IPOD, hum in the shower or simply replay in my head when I have nothing else going on up there.


Some are favorites simply because of when I was introduced to them and the memory that is attached, while others are just inarguably righteous tunes. I clearly have little affection for songs written within the last 20 years, but add some suggestions for me in the comments so I can adopt some new favorites. These have gotten a little too much play, and I could use some new music in the rotation. My all-time faves, in no particular order:

1. Into the Mystic by Van Morrison
2. Release the Stars by Rufus Wainwright
3. The Best by Tina Turner
4. Babylon by David Gray
5. Over the Hills and Far Away by Led Zeppelin
6. Nobody's Girl by Bonnie Raitt
7. Let Down by Radiohead (I get a lump in my throat every time I hear this)
8. Too Late by Carole King
9. Countdown by Phoenix
10. Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder (guaranteed to get me out of a funk fast)
11. Thought it Would by Easier by Shelby Lynne
12. King of Pain by the Police
13. I Will by The Beatles (not one of their most popular, but one of my most beloved Beatles tunes)
14. Dreams by Fleetwood Mac (to me, they can do no wrong)
15. Crying by Roy Orbison (I have loved this song since I was a little girl)
16. A mi manera by Gipsy Kings (the Spanish version of Sinatra's "I did it my way"--me encanta)
17. Songbird by Fleetwood Mac
18. Don't Stop Believing by Journey
19. Tiny Dancer by Elton John
20. Could You be Loved by Bob Marley
21. Fool-hearted Memory by George Strait
22. On Every Street by Dire Straits (very slow build with a huge payoff at the end--the live version is phenomenal)
23. Sweet Melissa by Allman Brothers
24. She's Always a Woman by Billy Joel
25. Shelter by Ray Lamontagne
26. A Little Respect by Erasure (Oh 7th grade, how I miss you!)
27. Big Time by Peter Gabriel (I had this on replay when I moved to NYC as an idealistic 22-year-old. What a dork.)
28. You Make Me Feel (like a natural woman) by Aretha Franklin
29. New Kid in Town by The Eagles
30. God Only Knows by the Beach Boys
31. Try a Little Tenderness by Otis Redding (This will always remind me of Jon Cryer serenading Molly Ringwald)
32. Raspberry Beret by Prince
33. Lover, You Should Have Come Over by Jeff buckley
34. Last Goodbye by Jeff Buckley
35. Always on My Mind by Willie Nelson (one of the saddest, sweetest songs ever)
36. Jolene by Dolly Parton
37. Maggie Mae by Rod Stewart
38. Constant Craving by k.d. lang
39. Bring it On Home by Sam Cooke
40. Fast Car by Tracy Chapman
41. Modern Love by David Bowie
42. Just Like Heaven by The Cure
43. Teenage Dream by Katy Perry (yeah, that's right)
44. Mystery by Indigo Girls (I grew up on these girls and love almost everything they've written)
45. Time after Time by Cyndi Lauper
46. Lookin' for Love by Johnny Lee
47. Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler
48. Photograph by Def Leppard
49. Pancho and Lefty by Willie Nelson
50. You've Really Got a Hold on Me by the Miracles
51. Don't Stop Me Now by Queen (I used to listen to this on my way to job interviews for a boost)
52. Here Comes the Sun by George Harrison
53. Passionate Kisses by Lucinda Williams
54. Hypnotize by Notorious B.I.G.
55. Sara by Fleetwood Mac
56. There's Your Trouble by Dixie Chicks
57. The Front Porch Song by Robert Earl Keen (this guy is a Texas classic)
58. Chasing Pavements by Adele
59. Extraordinary Machine by Fiona Apple
60. Sigur Ros (they're all a tie because i can't tell one song from the other)

So.....what are your favorites??

5 comments:

  1. I've thought about doing posts like this but I swear I don't think my brain could handle the effort of narrowing it down to any given number .... love #54. :)

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  2. This is a nice idea :) From this list, Fast Car (Tracy Chapman) and Could You Be Loved (Bob Marley) jump out at me. Those are songs that bring a lump to MY throat and so quickly bring me back in time. That instinctive kind of love for music doesn't come everyday!

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  3. Wow, what a great list. I LOVE almost all of these songs.

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  4. Wow, we have the same favorite Radiohead and Beatles songs! For me, the Beatles and Fleetwood Mac catalogs are the hardest to whittle down to one pick. Some others I enjoy: Never Tear Us Apart - INXS, These Days - Nico, Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum, The Blower's Daugher - Damien Rice...and on the lighter side...I don't care what anyone says, Rock Me Amadeus is on my list.

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  5. Oh, and my #1 may be This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) by The Talking Heads.

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