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Tuesday, November 14, 2006Top Five
I was listening to some music on the train-ride home this afternoon. Specifically, I was listening to a bunch of 80s tunes that a friend of mine burned for me. And it hit me that "Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie is one of my favorite songs ever.
I assume this happens to everybody. You're bopping along, enjoying a song or a flavor of ice cream or a brand of pubic shampoo and it dawns on you all of a sudden that you really, really enjoy this. That, more than just enjoyment, this thing actually lays claim to a space in your pantheon of all-time favorites. This got me thinking further, "...Hey, wait a minute...What exactly are my favorite songs?" I've never sat down before and attempted to compose a list. So, while I was doing laundry for the third day in a row--I'm done now, and can rest with an assload of clean clothes in my dresser--I put some thought to this. And I realized that it's fucking impossible. It's a horrible cliche, right out of High Fidelity, but every time I tried to narrow it down to five, something else popped in there. I remembered, "Oh, shit! What about 'The Monster Mash'?!?" And I'm thinking now that it's really not something you can do, putting together a top-five all-time song list. There's too much out there. There are too many songs that have special meaning for whatever reason side by side with songs that you just really dig aesthetically side by side with songs that, when you're in a particular given mood, summarize you better than anything else in the world. It changes with time, too. I don't think there's any point in your life where you're just like, "Bam. List is complete and I'm never going to hear anything else ever in my life that I like as much as these." Doesn't happen. Having said that, I do have a very tentative, very loosely put-together list. And I know that, ten minutes after I post this, I'm going to want to go back and edit it. But I won't. So, as of 7:27 on November 14, 2006, here are my top five favorite songs ever:
Whew. That was tough. Don't believe me? Try it yourself.
Comments:
Very difficult, indeed...
I'm such an 80's hag and just assumed my top 5 would all be from this era....guess I have a little 60's and 70's sprinkled in there for good measure. 1. At Last - Etta James 2. Come and Get Your Love - Redbone 3. Let's Go Crazy - Prince and the Revolution 4. If You Don't Love Me - Prefab Sprout 5. This one is tough so I chose an entire album - Anything from the Valley Girl soundtrack minus tracks 4, 5 and 10 (please don't ban me from your site....a gal must have some guilty pleasures, no?!) Lara
# posted by
 : 3:06 PM
it is 5am, and you are listening...to Los Angeles
Great choice. I have also given up any attempt to do any such list making, for it drives me crazy, but as of this moment, the list would go something like this: 1) ? (Modern Industry) - Fishbone 2) Providence - TV On The Radio 3) Zombie - Fela Kuti 4) She Thinks She's Edith Head - TMBG 5) Fried My Little Brains - The Kills
If I try and do this, my head will explode. Good on you for picking Queen & David Bowie, though. I was obsessed with Queen as a kid.
5 Favourite Songs That Played During My Day Today: 1. I Don't Believe You - The Magnetic Fields 2. I Got A Girl - Tripping Daisy 3. 16 Military Wives - The Decemberists 4. Majesty- Madrugada 5. Crash On The Barrelhead - The Old 97s
It's too hard, Joe.
So instead, I list here five 80's songs I don't want to hear ever again: State of Shock -- Mick Jagger and Michael Jackson Edge of Heaven -- Wham! Sussudio, or whatever the fuck that song is called -- Phil Collins Ghostbusters -- Ray Parker Jr. Dancing on the motherfucking Ceiling -- Lionel Richie I hope this helps.
# posted by
: 12:25 AM
Alisa--What I like is the writer's use of Frankenstein's monster as a metaphor for teenage isolation.
Lara--I'm an 80s hag, too. Funny how the music we grow up with sticks with us, even if it's maybe not the greatest ever written. (See "Tarzan Boy".) Beigey--I couldn't nail down one TMBG song that I could single out. There are so many I love. I decided to leave them off the list. Ms. Mishap--"Favourite"? "Good on you"? My God in heaven...are you British? B&SFiO--I'm assuming from your name that you're a Smurf, in which case we all know that your favorite song is that "La-la-la-la-la-la" bullshit they played at the top of the show. Which I believe was recorded by Van Halen.
Wow. Never even heard four out of your five, Joe. Pathetic....
And it is a fucking impossible list to make. Yet I will try anyway, as of 10:53am on 11/16/06... 1. "Lush Life" -- Johnny Hartman & John Coltrane 2. "I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine" -- the Ronettes 3. "Let's Go Away for Awhile" -- Beach Boys 4. "Anything (Viva!)" -- Foetus 5. "Leaving on a Jet Plane" -- John Denver (or) Frank Sinatra [NOT PP&M!]
# posted by
: 12:08 PM
I haven't met this blue person, but feel I must get my retribution upon them for reminding me of FRIGGIN' STATE OF SHOCK!
IT'S NOT LEAVING MY HEAD!
Yeah, five songs as some sort of definitive list is way too impossible. Hell, stopping at a hundred would be impossible. But since I'm a sucker for peer pressure, here are my favorites of the moment, off the top of my head, influenced heavily by what's in my rotation right now and what concert I've got coming up:
1.Glass Hotel - Robyn Hitchcock 2.California Stars - Wilco/Billy Bragg (lyrics by Woody Guthrie) 3.Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel 4.Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards - Billy Bragg 5.Beyond Love - The The
Oh snap! (To use a phrase I really can't stand)
I forgot about California Stars. Dammit. Great song. Beigey--Try thinking of the Weird Al "Polkas on 45" song that included "State of Shock" and that might help.
Ok, so I'm not sure how my girlfriend got in on this subject before me, though I immediatly knew she would comment on "The Monster Mash". I have always thought that "Under Pressure" was one of the best songs ever. That big build up at the end is killer. Here is a spur of the moment top 5.
1)Care of Cell 44 - The Zombies 2)She's a Jar - Wilco 3)Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters - Elton John 4)Come Pick Me Up - Ryan Adams 5)Product of DK - The Blue Van Some weird choices, I know, but if you haven't heard them you should.
I'm downright curious about all this and not only am I going to listen to all the suggested songs this weekend, I may actually post about the top 5 idea as well.
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Oh come on, we all know I'm too lazy. Nice thought though. Jesus, my word verification has like 100 letters.
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