#20: "Kiss" by Prince (Album: Under the Cherry Moon, 1990)
So many different songs to pick from, but ultimately, this is the one that through the years has thrilled me the most. It's also one of Amy's favorites, so whenever where driving somewhere and it comes up on the stereo, the volume goes up even higher than our voices reach. At some point, the line from the movie Pretty Woman (where Vivian is listening to "Kiss" in the giant bathtub) is spoken: She—"Don't you just love Prince?" He—"More than life itself."
#19: "Rebirthing" by Skillet (Album: Comatose, 2006)
The last of three Christian songs on my list and the highest charter, this is the song the Skillet has closed their live show with at least the last four or five times I've seen them. Skillet live is a true experience for those who think Christian music is boring. I vastly prefer current drummer Jenn Ledger to the former drummer who appears in this video, and the band also has a violinist and cellist who perform live with them on this and several other songs. I'm not sure if "kick ass" is necessarily appropriate for Christian music, but it definitely applies to this song.
#18: "Find the River" by R.E.M. (Album: Automatic for the People, 1992)
Previewed in yesterday's countdown, this is the final track from Automatic for the People, and far and away my favorite R.E.M. song of all. There's nothing complicated or particularly unusual about it. The song finds the band expressing their southern roots, with the simple sounds of acoustic guitar and accordion the primary accompaniment to Michael Stipe's restrained voice. The lyrics equate the journey of our lives with the flowing of a river to the ocean, and along the way, we encounter various fragrant herbs and flowers, mixing joy with sadness all to the inevitable end—soul food for the musical heart.
#17: "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House (Album: Crowded House, 1986)
A consistent favorite since it's debut in 1986, the song is a perfect blend of ballad-tempo pop with Neil Finn's distinctive vocals and that Sixties throwback organ sound. It's the kind of song that can make you feel happy or sad depending on the day. If I ever fulfill my dream of starting an Eighties cover band (musicians: PM me on Facebook), this will be the first song on the rehearsal call sheet.
#16: "A Letter to Elise" by The Cure (Album: Wish, 1992)
Songs about the end of a relationship are often angry (Martin Briley, "The Salt in My Tears"), bitter (Fleetwood Mac, "Go Your Own Way"), or miserable (Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, "All Cried Out"). Of course, The Cure is going to do something much greater than any of that with "A Letter to Elise," in which the love and the conflict are both equally real, and the determination to live apart is tempered with the honest admission of the depth of the love that they shared. If this weren't enough, the instrumental bridge leads to a soaring guitar solo that almost transcends this material realm. This song is like a spiritual experience for the broken-hearted.
#15: "Common People" by William Shatner with Joe Jackson (Album: Has Been, 2004)
What the actual fork? Am I serious? As I've said many times before, rock music is about Sticking it to the Man, and I dare you to find a more angry and honest song about class warfare than this one. Under the guiding hand of arranger/producer Ben Folds, Shatner's spoken-word lyrical style is matched with the singing vocals of Joe Jackson in this remake of a previously forgettable version of the song by British pop-punk band Pulp. Give this one a listen. It's a screaming, enraged expression of what it means to be working class in a world designed by, for, and of the wealthy.
#14: "We Are The Champions" by Queen (Album: News of the World, 1977)
I've played this song after winning college intramurals in swimming, softball, and bowling. I've played it in 2000 when the St. Louis Rams won the Super Bowl. I played it in 2006 and 2011 when the Cardinals won the World Series. I have two more occasions to play this song that haven't been fulfilled yet, but if either of them come to pass, you'll know it, because I'll be playing "We Are the Champions" loud enough that they'll be able to hear it in St. Louis and Minneapolis.
#13: "Enter Sandman" by Metallica (Album: Metallica (The Black Album), 1991)
I wonder this: when Metallica sat together in the studio and listened to the final version of this song, did they realize how big it would be? I mean, yeah, they were famous, but this song made them household names. This song got played in places where no one had ever heard of Metallica. And because in 1986, a guy from St. Louis named Lou Viviano dubbed me "The Sandman" (a nickname that has stuck for 33 years and counting), this is also my theme song...my walk-on music...if anyone would ever ask me to walk on...
#12: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears (Album: Songs from the Big Chair, 1985)
Overplayed, overrated, overexposed...yeah, yeah, yeah, I've heard it before, and you're still wrong. One of the reasons certain songs are considered great is because they have a timelessness, a quality of persistent excellence throughout the ages for new generations to discover. This song is played and performed over and over again because it's a truly amazing song, with new age lyrics over an old-school Motown-like rhythm, exceptional vocals accompanied by virtuoso guitar work. Sing along one more time, because this song will always be part of our musical culture.
#11: "Friday I'm in Love" by The Cure (Album: Wish, 1992)
Once again, The Cure defies their mopey, emo depression stereotype for an absolutely joyful love song. This one never fails to put me into a good mood, no matter how gray the day may have started. That eight-note theme that opens the song echoes again and again throughout the verses and the chorus, and Robert Smith is at his optimistic best. Seriously, Fridays are good enough on their own, but knowing your love will be with you through the weekend? Smile! Life is grand!
#30: "Nightswimming" by R.E.M. (Album: Automatic for the People, 1992)
The penultimate track from my favorite CD of all time, R.E.M.'s masterpiece Automatic for the People, this song is just Michael Stipe singing over a simple piano melody. Later, strings are added. The result is one of the most beautiful songs ever recorded, and it's the perfect lead-in to the closing song, which remains to be revealed on this list.
#29: "Galileo" by Indigo Girls (Album: Rites of Passage, 1992)
One of the qualities of music that most appeals to me is beautiful vocal harmonies, and this pop-folk duo delivers some of the best harmonies of any group. This song in particular appeals to me because of the lyrics, which with their focus on the idea of reincarnation generated an idea years ago for a novel that I'd like to write someday after I jettison my day-job responsibilities.
#28: "One" by U2 (Album: Achtung Baby, 1991)
It's hard to quantify what my "favorite" U2 song would be; I've argued for years that U2 must be in the conversation for greatest rock band of all time, considering their length of continuous quality output with all the original band members. They are also innovators, changing genres and redefining themselves artistically long after other bands have burned out or faded away. "One" stands out above the rest because I love the slow burn of the song's pace, starting quiet and introspective and building dramatically to the powerful conclusion. It's a grand achievement for a band whose final chapter is nowhere near on the horizon.
#27: "Enjoy the Silence" by Depeche Mode (Album: Violator, 1990)
The soundtrack of my first year in graduate school at Mizzou, Depeche Mode's Violator album doesn't have one misstep in any of its tracks, and despite standouts like "Policy of Truth," "Halo," and the ubiquitous "Personal Jesus," "Enjoy the Silence" stands tall above the rest, the indicative archetype of all the qualities—synth-phonic richness, innovative rhythms, vocal virtuosity—that make Depeche Mode the legends of electronic music.
#26: "Dancing Queen" by ABBA (Album: Arrival, 1976)
I've never been more than a casual fan of the seventies supergroup, but even when my exposure to ABBA was only based on radio play, this was always my favorite song of theirs. But a night out dancing with my wife at Walt Disney World featured this song, and since that time, we danced together with our grandchildren at our remarriage wedding reception. There's no other song of theirs that even comes close for me.
#25: "Shout" by Tears for Fears (Album: Songs from the Big Chair, 1985)
The opening song to my favorite album in my collection, "Shout" comes straight from the band's experience with Primal Scream Therapy, in which participants literally scream out their trauma. For my friends and me, this was the soundtrack of my junior and senior years in high school, the song that got played every time we got in the car. The percussion moving like a skipping heartbeat, Roland Orzabal's masterful vocals and guitar solos, and the soul-crushing lyrics (...and when you've taken down your guard/if I could change your mind/I'd really love to break your heart...) all make this song a classic for the ages.
#24: "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N' Roses (Album: Appetite for Destruction, 1987)
Two decades of ridiculous fighting among the band members, both privately and publicly, combined with the physical ravages of middle age pudge have gone a long way toward making us all forget how absolutely kick-ass this band was when they exploded onto the music scene in the late Eighties. I still think "Welcome to the Jungle" is part of the conversation regarding greatest hard rock songs of all time. I think it's impossible to listen to this song and not feel fired up to assault your fan base and wreck your career.
#23: "Be Still My Beating Heart" by Sting (Album: ...Nothing Like the Sun, 1987)
Had I been keeping track since college, this song would have been listed at #1 or #2 for years and years. As I've written on this blog before, college was an extremely lonely time for me during my undergrad years, and this melancholy tune was like an elixir that inoculated my sadness with the one that Sting sang about so poignantly. I still love the song, but happily, that youthful loneliness is nothing more than a memory.
#22: "Take You Back" by Jeremy Camp (Album: Restored, 2004)
This is the second-highest charting Christian song on my countdown out of only three total—I usually keep Christian music separate from my secular list, but these three exceptions are exceptional. The music on this track is the kind of expert musicianship that Jeremy Camp fans have come to expect, but the lyrics—a modern take on the Prodigal Son parable, my favorite of Jesus's stories—are what place this song so high on my list of favorites.
#21: "Woman in Chains" by Tears for Fears ft. Oleta Adams (Album: The Seeds of Love, 1989)
I saw Tears for Fears live at the Fox Theater in St. Louis back in 1989 on their Seeds of Love tour. They had Oleta Adams, featured throughout the album, on tour with them, playing grand piano and singing. To date, it's still the best concert I've ever seen. This song was the pinnacle of that show, and it's the magnum opus of this album. Songs like this are the reason why I love music.
#40: "Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme) by John Williams (Album: The Empire Strikes Back, 1980)
Think about the past fifty years of film and consider what any of that would sound like without John Williams' music. Inconceivable. It's difficult to say what best—Jaws theme, Star Wars fanfare, Indiana Jones march—but for me, it's easy to pick which one is my favorite...it's the totally badass, kick-ass, coming to lightsaber your head off song.
#39: "Constant Craving" by k.d. lang (Album: Ingenue, 1992)
One of the most beautiful voices on earth, k.d. lang excels in practically every recording she's ever done. This album has the feel of an intimate concert in a small Paris bistro, and this song is far and away my favorite tune on the album.
#38: "A View to a Kill" by Duran Duran (Album: A View to a Kill, 1985)
Although the movie itself was terrible—Roger Moore's last bow as James Bond, and Christopher Walken playing a villain as if it were a comedy improv satire of Christopher Walken—this new wave title song from Eighties icons Duran Duran remains one of my favorite soundtrack songs, and it's also my favorite Duran Duran tune overall (although "Save a Prayer" and "Come Undone" are also worth mentioning.
#37: "The Mayor of Simpleton" by XTC (Album: Oranges and Lemons, 1989)
This is such a happy, upbeat tune about a man who knows he doesn't have much to offer but love, and isn't that a wonderful sentiment? The driving bass line in this song is simply amazing; it's almost like a second voice to Andy Partridge's lyrics. It's so rare to hear bass guitar featured so prominently, and it's one of this song's most endearing qualities.
#36: "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco (Album: Falco 3, 1985)
Don't give me any gas about this song, suckers...I was right there in 1985 when this hit, and it went all the way to #1 on the charts for a simple reason: German rap about Mozart freaking rules! Sure, musically speaking, it's just ridiculous, but that's part of why it works so well. Like Nena's hit "99 Luftballons," it only works in German.
#35: "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2 (Album: The Joshua Tree, 1987)
In a lot of ways, I consider the lyrics to this song part of my autobiography; the sense of seeking a higher meaning in life is part of what drives me in my career, my spiritual life, my relationships—what far too many people don't know about U2 is how their spiritual lives drive their music, and this song is one of the best expressions of their faith.
#34: "Crazy" by Icehouse (Album: Man of Colours, 1987)
A relatively obscure Eighties love song from Aussie band Icehouse, this song caught my attention from the first time I heard it (probably on MTV, which is how we got our new music in the Eighties). The vocals are impeccable, the three-chord guitar riff holds the song together, and the lyrics are typically unrealistically romantic for a pop power ballad. It's a perfect cheese appetizer.
#33: "Get Here" by Oleta Adams (Album: Circle of One, 1990)
God gifted us in this era with Oleta Adams' heavenly voice. Discovered in Kansas City by Tears for Fears, they brought her to national prominence with their album The Seeds of Love, which she capitalized upon with her own solo performances, punctuated by this extraordinary song.
#32: "Silent Lucidity" by Queensryche (Album: Empire, 1990)
Most people are unaware that this masterful song by Prog-Metal marvels Queensryche is about lucid dreaming—the difficult process of taking conscious control of the events and actions in one's dream (think Inception but in your own dream). I've done this a few times, and it's an amazing experience. This song almost always brings me to tears it's so beautiful...how many metal bands have the power to do that?
#31: "Third Symphony" by Aaron Copland (Album: Third Symphony, 1946)
I'm not sure if a four-movement symphony counts as a single song, but it's my countdown, so here it is. I discovered this piece in a college music appreciation course, and it's been my favorite classical music work ever since. The first movement sets the stage, the second movement is a frenetic marvel, the third quiet and pensive, and the fourth is like a revelation, with the declaration of the "Fanfare for the Common Man" (you've heard it, even if you don't know you have) eventually descending into chaos, only to explode into an epiphany of orchestral joy. Yeah, it's exactly like that!
#50: "A Wall I Must Climb" by Michael McDermott (Album: 620 W. Surf, 1991)
A favorite song since college and from a favorite album to listen to while writing, this song kicks off an album by an artist hailed at the time as the next Bob Dylan. That old nemesis of Greek tragedy hubris (combined with drugs and alcohol, also an old nemesis) derailed a promising career, but McDermott's still out there, playing and singing on the comeback trail.
#49: "Foolin'" by Def Leppard (Album: Pyromania, 1983)
If it's not immediately ringing a bell, this is the song before "Rock of Ages" at the beginning of side two on the original vinyl album. There are a lot of Def Leppard songs that are flashier and more popular, but as far as solid rock goes, this is at the top of the class for me.
#48: "Subdivisions" by Rush (Album: Signals, 1982)
There are many great Rush songs to choose from over their long and storied history, but this one has remained my favorite one of all. Like so many others on my list, this is a song that cries out against the alienation of modern suburban capitalist life. Musically, it features the absolute virtuosity of Rush's three master musicians. It warrants mentioning that Neil Peart is the reason I became a drummer in the first place. No matter how much I practice, play, and grow, he sets a bar that I must continue to climb toward.
#47: "Semi-Charmed Life" by Third Eye Blind (Album: Third Eye Blind, 1997)
This happy little ditty about meth addiction is driven by the juxtaposition between the dark lyrics and the peppy, upbeat melody of the music. All the songs on this amazing debut album (one whose quality the band never equaled) are worth a listen, but this one gets the edge over "Jumper" and "How's It Gonna Be" mainly because this is a karaoke favorite of mine. (Note: Steve Lewis will now conduct a seminar on why I should have chosen closing song "God of Wine" on my list.)
#46: "Overjoyed" by Jars of Clay (Album: Much Afraid, 1998)
I discovered this song on a cassette on a shelf in the printing company I worked for in 1998. I'm not sure what happened to the tape, but it's likely I wore it out listening this masterful album. Jars of Clay, like many of my favorite groups, builds complex layers of vocal and instrumental harmonies, and the chorus of "Overjoyed" exemplifies this quality at its finest. Unlike many other Christian bands, Jars of Clay express a sense of doubt within their faith that I have always related to.
#45: "Deeper Understanding" by Kate Bush (Album: The Sensual World, 1989)
In a career where her music can be described as beautiful and strange, this song may well be the most beautiful and strange of them all. Years before the movies Her or Ex Machina, Kate sings about a lonely woman who falls in love with a computer voice recognition program. Mysterious synthesizers are interspersed with computer beeps and buzzes, and her soprano vocals are supported with the harmonies of Trio Bulgarka, a female vocal group from Bulgaria. This song is a masterpiece.
#44: "Modern Love" by David Bowie (Album: Let's Dance, 1983)
That awesome backbeat in the rhythm section, the blazing brass and saxophone, and Bowie at his upbeat best make this my top pick over more familiar singles like "Let's Dance" or "China Girl." Bowie's was a talent that both defined and transcended generations.
#43: "Voices Carry" by 'Til Tuesday (Album: Voices Carry, 1985)
I tell people one of the reasons that I side with much of the feminist platform is because I have four daughters, and I expect each of them to be treated as equals to men in all situations. My nascent feminist streak, however, was probably first stirred with this video when she stands up and sings in the theater just to spite her asshole boyfriend. This song's greatness is timeless. Stand up, ladies, and don't put up with a man who treats you like that.
#42: "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel (Album: Peter Gabriel, 1977)
I'm usually not a fan of repetitive rhythms or riffs in music, so this is a bit of an oddity musically. The rhythm is a straight four-beat, with the acoustic guitar and strings repeating the same theme. What's appealing is how well this structure works with Gabriel's vocals, which seem at times more narrative than lyrical. Some music defies rational explanation; this is simply a brilliant song.
#41: "One Night in Bangkok" by Murray Head (Album: Chess, 1984)
One of the things I remember about this song when it first came out in the Eighties was cool and different it sounded. Head's spoken-word vocals over a strange, synth-heavy score and heavy percussion was strikingly unusual for its time. In retrospect, it's no surprise that a song from a Broadway musical scored by one of the members of ABBA would be so distinctive. Thirty-five years later, this song is still as cool and different as it ever was.
#60: "How Can I Fall?" by Breathe (Album: All That Jazz, 1988)
I'm going to get roasted for this pick, but I couldn't care less. This is one of my most beloved love ballads. Highly melodic, with an emphasis on keyboards, the lead vocals are simply beautiful. A one-hit wonder for sure, but one that has stayed with me for three decades and counting.
#59: "Land of Confusion" by Genesis (Album: Invisible Touch, 1986)
Phil Collins has become such a moribund balladeer in the past 20 years that it's easy to forget that Genesis was a great rock band, and Collins was (and probably still is) a terrific drummer. This anti-Cold War protest song, whose bizarre and creepy video lambastes both Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher as bumbling warmongers, is my favorite example of what Collins used to be.
#58: "Fortress Around Your Heart" by Sting (Album: The Dream of the Blue Turtles, 1985)
Sting's first solo album took many different listens before it sunk in for me. I'm not a big fan of jazz, and his solo work was so unlike The Police (which I understand was the point). But once it clicked, this became one of my favorite albums, and this song is by far my favorite track from this landmark work. #57: "Sunglasses at Night" by Corey Hart (Album: First Offense, 1983)
Seriously, is there a better archetype for Eighties pop tunes than this one? Eerie synthesizers, distorted guitars, and earnestly powerful vocals—Canadian singer Hart had a few other songs that charted after this one, but this is the song he'll always be remembered for.
#56: "Red Rain" by Peter Gabriel (Album: So, 1986)
Some albums are so masterful that it becomes difficult to separate tracks in terms of quality, and few instances fit this description better than Gabriel's So album. "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time" are standout singles for both song and video, but this opening track, far more subtle and understated than the bigger hits, has always had a more profound emotional effect upon me. I love this song.
#55: "Synchronicity II" by The Police (Album: Synchronicity, 1983)
A truly angry rock song, this is a venomous indictment of modern suburban/capitalist alienation, with the contrast of Sting's harsh-edged vocals contrasted against the emotional futility of the narrative in the lyrics. I never imagined in 1983 that adult life would align with this song in such a disappointing reality. I always thought the working class would revolt before life got this bad; I underestimated the sinister foresight of the ownership class. It turns out you CAN fool all of the people all of the time.
#54: "Why Can't I Be You?" by The Cure (Album: Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, 1987)
People who don't really know The Cure might dismiss them as a mopey, depressing band, and while much of their music can be darkly introspective, they also know how to create insanely upbeat melodies like this one. The Cure is far too innovative and artistically brilliant to be pigeon-holed into any particular category other than "genius."
#53: "It's the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine)" by R.E.M. (Album: Document, 1987)
Karaoke Level: Expert. Part of the fun of this happy little tune about the apocalypse was trying to suss out the lyrics without album liner notes (and years before the Internet made it too easy). My favorite part is Mike Mills singing "Time I had some time alone" in the background of the chorus; it's wickedly ironic and so understated. I don't think I can be accused of hyperbole when I say that R.E.M. is one of the greatest and most important bands in the history of rock music.
#52: "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen (Album: Born to Run, 1975)
Sometimes a song is so iconically associated with its artist that the greatness of the song itself can be overlooked. Sure, picking "Born to Run" is easy and obvious, but that's because it's still arguably The Boss's greatest song of all time. It's certainly far and away my favorite of his, and that's saying something about someone who rightly deserves the title of American Icon. #51: "Sympathy for the Devil" by The Rolling Stones (Album: Beggars Banquet, 1968)
One of the coolest parts about this song when it came out was that all the lyrics were in German. Not understanding the words is what made it stand out. As it turns out, the English-translation version is putrid. German only, please. Also used as an awesome part of the John Cusack movie Grosse Pointe Blank.
#69: "I Melt With You" by Modern English (Album: After the Snow, 1982)
This song was part of the climax of the Eighties drive-in flick Valley Girl (starring a young Nicolas Cage), and it turned out to be the breakout hit of a soundtrack filled with exceptional New Wave and alternative songs. Bad covers and cheesy commercials can't dilute the original impact of the song.
#68: "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush (Album: Hounds of Love, 1985)
The beauty and genius of Kate Bush is how weird and different she is. This song sounded like nothing else on radio or MTV at the time. The driving percussion, the strange synthesizer, her unique modern dance performance—all of it enhances the unique beauty of her voice. This is a good entry point for curious Kate Bush newbies.
#67: "42" by Coldplay (Album: Viva La Vida, 2008)
Two songs in one! Beginning like a slow ballad, it morphs into a driving techno beat that leads to Chris Martin's declaration of "You thought you might be a ghost." I love the whole album, but for me, this is the song that stands out at the top as my favorite.
#66: "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman (Album: Tracy Chapman, 1988)
My favorite part of the song is the contrast between the acoustic ballad of the verses combined with the addition of bass and drums in the chorus. It gives additional weight to the seriousness of the lyrics along with the plaintive and soulful beauty of Chapman's deep, rich voice.
#65: "I Feel It Coming" by The Weeknd with Daft Punk (Album: Starboy, 2016)
The most recent song on my list, this is one of those songs that belongs on a playlist that includes Prince, Barry White, and Marvin Gaye (wink-wink, nudge-nudge, knowwhatimean?). The Weeknd is one of those rare contemporary singers who doesn't need his voice massively overproduced, and that R&B/Soul influence paired with the techno imagination of French duo Daft Punk made this song an instant classic for me the first time I heard it.
#64: "Photograph" by Def Leppard (Album: Pyromania, 1983)
Pyromania was a monster album, catapulting Def Leppard into the public consciousness from which they've worked hard to stay a part of. Eighties nostalgia keeps them touring, and even though their not the same lads from Sheffield that they were in this video, their music still moves audiences. "Photograph" is my second-favorite song from that album,...my favorite will surprise some of you.
#63: "Misery Business" by Paramore (Album: Riot!, 2007)
My musical exposure in the Oughts was almost exclusively contemporary Christian, so this band stands out as a rare example of modern Alt-Rock. This song was introduced to me through the Wii "Guitar Hero" game, but it quickly became a favorite and frequent listen on iTunes and eventually, my iPhone. The frantic speed of the beat combined with Hayley Williams' powerful vocals is what makes this song appealing to me.
#62: "Space Oddity" by David Bowie (Album: David Bowie, 1969)
The original Major Tom, Bowie is at the top of his time as fallen alien artist "Ziggy Stardust" in this masterful tune. This song is an absolute masterpiece, and I still don't think I've gotten over the fact that Bowie is gone.
#61: "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" by The Police (Album: Ghost in the Machine, 1981)
So much of what The Police did in their career was serious, and Sting has definitely taken himself VERY seriously since he embarked on his solo career, so it's fun to kick back and listen to a happy, reggae-influenced love song that doesn't take itself too seriously.
#80: "Death of a Bachelor" by Panic! at the Disco (Album: Death of a Bachelor, 2016)
One of the few songs on my list less than five years old, I love the range of Brendon Urie's voice as well as the mix of old school big band with contemporary pop mixes. This is the kind of music Frank Sinatra would be making if he had been born as a Millennial.
#79: "Wild Thing" by Tone-Loc (Album: Loc-ed After Dark, 1989)
This classic song, a clever but obvious double entendre for "making the beast with two backs," was actually written by "Bust A Move" rapper Young MC, who happily gave the vocals away to Tone Loc (nee Anthony Smith) when he heard Loc's gravelly vocal style.
#78: "This Woman's Work" by Kate Bush (Album: The Sensual World, 1989)
First heard by me at the climax of John Hughes's film She's Having a Baby, this song led me to purchase her CD The Sensual World, which led directly to a lifetime of obsessive devotion to Kate and her music. This song is one of the most amazing showcases for her otherworldly voice.
#77: "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green (Album: Let's Stay Together, 1972)
This soul classic was repopularized by Quentin Tarentino on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack (how influential was that movie, anyway? Wow!), and it still resonates today, especially with the silky smoothness of Green's voice. Who wouldn't want to stay after this appeal? #76: "Tiny Dancer" by Elton John (Album: Madman Across the Water, 1971)
Much of my affinity for this song is attached to an episode of the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, where a Russian man asked Bailey Quarters for help defecting the U.S. (he sweetly quoted the song to her), and the significant moment in Cameron Crowe's wonderful coming-of-age film Almost Famous when the young protagonist and the band he's writing about sing along on their tour bus. Oh, and before I forget, it's one of Elton John's most magnificent songs. #75: "The Real Slim Shady" by Eminem (Album: The Marshall Mathers LP, 2000)
VIDEO NSFW!
While I'm not a fan of rap, I do find most of what Eminem does interesting and masterful from a linguistic point of view. His rhymes and rhythms are as complex, clever, and intricate as any poet ever attempted in a literary sense. I also think his sense of irony, combined with his intentional profanity, to be endlessly hilarious. Of all his songs, this one is my favorite.
#74: "Revolution" by The Beatles (Album: The Beatles (aka The White Album), 1968)
I agree with School of Rock's Dewey Finn (Jack Black) that the real purpose of rock 'n' roll is to "Stick it to the Man!" If that movement had a theme song, this would be it. The distorted guitar, the driving but funky beat, and the vocals switching from melodic to screaming—all these elements are four master musicians at the apex of their skill and talent.
#73: "Drive" by The Cars (Album: Heartbeat City, 1984)
I think it's interesting that my favorite song by The Cars is the one hit sung by late bassist Benjamin Orr rather than lead singer Rik Ocasek. On the other hand, Ocasek ended up marrying Eighties ubermodel Paulina Porizkova after they met on the set of this beautifully cinematic video, so I think that's a net positive for him. "Drive" is gorgeous because of its melancholy mood and tone.
#72: "New Year's Day" by U2 (Album: War, 1983)
So much of what made U2 so good (and so important), especially in their early years can be found in this song. The driving bass-and-drum rhythm team of Larry Mullins, Jr. and Adam Clayton, the Edge's screaming guitar solos and machine-gun staccato riffs, the political and spiritual lyrics, all overseen by Bono's plaintive and soaring vocals—from the first time I heard this song, it's not been simply a favorite; it's part of my soul.
#71: "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana (Album: Nevermind, 1991)
Few songs can lay claim to actually changing an entire artistic movement, but this song effectively ended Eighties hair metal and ushered in the Grunge era in the early nineties. I still remember where I was and what I was doing the moment I first heard this song. I stopped everything and listened to every note. I had never heard anything like it before. Nothing since has ever been the same.
