A week or so ago, I challenged - at least I think it was me doing the challenging - KD Rush , KD_Rush on Twitter to provide a listing of his top 100 songs. He mentioned his love of music and noted that when he's on the road, driving for hours on end, music keeps him sane. Of course, this meant that I should also provide a top 100, a task that seemed overwhelming when I started to think on it.
Music really is a life rolled up into a strangely neat package. Almost every song I hear reminds me of a time, or a person, an event, or a hope. As an aside, if I could sing I would want to have kd lang's voice. Everything she sings sounds like a hymn. If I could write poetry, I would want to write like Paul Simon. Everything he writes reads like a hymn. Hmmm....perhaps I should have included some actual hymns?!
The list doesn't include any jazz favourites because, shock and horror, KD doesn't like jazz. I stuck with rock and pop. I didn't even include crooners like Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald. My selection criteria: favourite songs that I could listen to over and over on an imaginary road trip across Canada. It's an alphabetical list because I'm not crazy enough to try and number them in order of preference - though if I had to pick a true favourite it would probably be: Round Here by Counting Crows.
I've linked a few, just for variety sake:
Alanis Morrisette You Oughta Know
Annie Lennox Why
Aretha Franklin Natural Woman
Beatles Hey Jude
Beatles In my life
Beatles Long and winding road
Bee Gees How can you mend a broken heart
Bill Withers Aint no sunshine
Boz Scaggs Love look what you've done to me
Bruce Springsteen Born to run
Bruce Springsteen Meeting across the river
Bruce Springsteen The rising
Buggles Video killed the radio star
Carole King You've got a friend
Cyndi Lauper Girls just wanna have fun
Cyndi Lauper If you go away
Cyndi Lauper True Colors
Counting Crows Round here
Creedence Clearwater Revival Fortunate Son
Crosby Stills and Nash Woodstock
Deep Purple Smoke on the Water
Dire Straits Brothers in Arms
Don Henley Boys of Summer
Don Henley Heart of the Matter
Doobie Brothers What a fool believes
Dusty Springfield Son of a preacher man
Eagles Hotel California
Earth Wind Fire September
Elton John Levon
Eric Clapton Layla
Eric Clapton Wonderful tonight
Everything but the girl Missing (dance version)
Fleetwood Mac Landslide
Heather Smart Proud
Jackie DeShannon Put a little love in your heart
James Taylor Carolina in my mind
James Taylor Fire and rain
James Taylor Up on the roof
Jann Arden Good mother
John Mellencamp Check it out
Johnny Cash Hurt
Joni Mitchell Both sides now
Joni Mitchell Chelsea morning
Joni Mitchell Help me
Joni Mitchell Raised on robbery
Jose Feliciano Light my fire
kd lang Hallelujah
Maroon 5 Sunday morning
Melissa Etheridge I'm the only one
Michael Jackson Billie Jean
Michael Jackson Man in the mirror
Michael McDonald Take it to heart
Mike and the Mechanics In the living years
Neil Young Harvest moon
Neil Young Heart of gold
Neil Young Hey hey my my
Neil Young Old man
Patti Griffin Up to the mountain
Paul Simon Fifty ways to leave your lover
Paul Simon Graceland
Paul Simon Slip slidin away
Paul Simon Train in the distance
Pink Floyd Comfortably numb
Prince Little red corvette
Ray Charles Georgia on my mind
Ricki Lee Jones Rainbow sleeves
Robbie Robertson Somewhere down the crazy river
Robbie Robertson Broken arrow
Roberta Flack First time ever I saw your face
Simon and Garfunkel The boxer
Soft Cell Tainted love
Spinners Could it be I'm falling in love
Stevie Winwood Back in the high life again
Stevie Winwood Don't you know what the night can do
Stevie Wonder Superstition
Sting Fortress around your heart
Sting If I ever lose my faith in you
Sting If you love somebody
Sting Roxanne
Stylistics I'm stone in love with you
Supertramp Rudy
Tears for Fears Everybody wants to rule the world
Tears for Fears Shout
Temptations Papa was a rolling stone
The Cult She sells sanctuary
The Dream Academy Life in a northern town
Tracy Chapman Baby can I hold you
Tracy Chapman Fast car
Travelling Wilburys Handle with care
Trisha Yearwood I would have loved you anyway
U2 All I want is you
U2 Bad
U2 One
U2 Still haven't found what I'm looking for
U2 With or without you
Van Morrison Crazy Love
Van Morrison Tupelo Honey
Verve Bittersweet symphony
Willie Nelson Always on my mind
ZZ Top Sharp dressed man
Tell me what you think - what did I miss? I patiently await KD Rush's list. He's been pretty darn busy with work, family and life, so he gets a reprieve, for now. :))
Wow, nice list, I've got quite a few those on my ipod!
ReplyDeleteAs one of those little po-tastic asides, did you know that "Chelsea Morning" is in fact a Neil Daimond song?
I think this is definitely an idea to go viral - well done you guys!
Should be "pop-tastic"!
ReplyDeleteI was just going to look up "po-tastic" to see what it meant! I've never heard the Neil Diamond version - I'll have to investigate! In the meantime, one of these days we'll have to get a look at some of the songs on that ipod. What calms the nerves after work,when you're on the way home to your family? Thanks for stopping my blog Chris!
DeleteHa ha, will think about it!
ReplyDeleteRe Diamond, I tend to follow writers more than performers (I've no idea why?!) and his songs turn up everywhere by all kinds of people, but you can always recognise the quality because it's in the writing ;-)
Also love that you have Supertramp's "Rudy" on there: Crime of the Century was a hell of an album, wasn't it? Almost every track on it shows up on their greatest hits.
Crime of the Century is INDEED one hell of an album! Couldn't agree more!
DeleteRe: Neil Diamond: one of the best tv performances I've ever seen is he and Barbra Streisand singing, as a surprise, at the Grammy's in the 70s. In case you've never seen it, here's the link: http://youtu.be/2N4veIbJzMY So sexy!
There are a few that I have never heard of though, so I'll have to find some time to check them out. Saw you had a Travelling Wilburys song too. ;-)
ReplyDeleteSome of these songs I had forgotten about. I'll have to make some room on the rotation list now. Great list!
KD, I was fascinated by your list: http://bit.ly/xhgzK1 and am pleased to see you like so much great music (aka: the same tunes as me). It has been a fun challenge and tells a lot about both of us I think. Hope others will join in!
DeleteGood grief, just realized I missed off Queen - Radio GaGa and These are the days of our lives! Oh no! well, it's 102 then!
DeleteOh there were a few tunes that I hated to cut out. Perhaps we can do a top 150 in the future. ;-) After seeing some of these other lists, it's evident that I've forgotten about many of my old favorites.
DeleteLet the music list craziness continue! :))
DeleteI really hope it does. When you think that it's very unlikely we will mee t in real life, this is a great way to get to know each better. Great idea you two!
ReplyDeleteAh, happy sigh. So many of these bring back such happy memories. I see that our lists have several performers and songs in common, and that you have others on yours that I'm definitely going to have to check out.
ReplyDelete*meanders off, humming happily*