10) These Days - Nico
I first heard this song while watching Wes Anderson's The Royal Tenenbaums. It matches the ethos of that film and context of that film so phenomenally. Every time I listen to it, I'm transported very quickly to a beautiful, aesthetically ideal, New York Brownstone, where I'm dealing with the complex family cards that life has dealt me. Sigh. It's perfect. Nico, you're perfect. Also perfect. St. Vincent's cover of such perfection. Both are below.
9) God Only Knows - The Beach Boys.
Guys. Has anyone seen the Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy? I cannot stop with how life changing that movie was for me. I'm not going to go into it here, because it's too much for this individual post. I'll do a stream of consciousness vlog about it later, but for now let's just say I came away with a very deep appreciation for the album Pet Sounds. Gah. Sigh. Brian. Thank you.
8) Just A Girl - No Doubt
This is not only my go to Karaoke track, but also sums up all of my feelings about the limitations placed on my because of my gender. It's so sarcastic, and has a sort of smug eff your bullshit ignorance vibe. It's so perfect. And who do we have to thank? Gwen. GWEN! You. Are. The. Best.
7) To Be Alone With You - Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan is generally life changing. This song, however, brings me to a full halt. A lot of music does that. A lot of the songs in this list do that. This song comes from the album Seven Swans, which has a very ethereal, creation/gospel narrative, vibe is a whole body trip from start to finish. I feel like its meant to be listened to as a whole, but this song stands out to me in a way I cannot ignore. Listen to it carefully and mindfully. It's so wonderful.
6) The Long and Winding Road - The Beatles
I got really into The Beatles when I was fifteen. I don't even know how it happened, but I was really in it. I guess I was a little vocal about it, because at one point the teachers at my tiny, tiny prairie school were discussing the fact that I was in my Beatles stage over lunch. One of them went home and dug up the 1964 issue Life magazine that featured The Beatles on the cover and brought it for me to look at. I was so touched, and a little confused. Anyway, I remember getting to a certain point in the 1s album and feeling like, man they really amped it up. I can definitively say that The Long and Winding Road is my favourite Beatles song. It's so beautiful, and so touching, and so clear in its poetic portrayal of the journey of love. Sigh.
5) Superstar - The Carpenters
If you haven't heard this song, stop, click play on the video below, and listen.
Okay. Now imagine, I'm a fifteen year old (man, fifteen was a big year for me) watching the second season of American Idol. They're selecting the Top 10, and my favourite contestant, Ruben Studdard, sings Superstar. When I watch that performance now, it's not very good. It's actually kind of a bummer. Nonetheless, I was hooked. Karen Carpenter is just so amazing. Her voice is everything I wish I could make mine. The sincerity of this song, longing for a person behind a voice on the radio, is such a lost sentiment. I love it. So much.
4) Hands Down - Dashboard Confessionals
I've been on anxiety medication for almost ten years. So imagine me as a teen, sitting in my basement bedroom, angsty as all get out, listening to Chris Carraba sing about how the streets were wet and the gate was locked, so he jumped and he let me in. Like. No. Like. Sigh. I'll never get over it. I'll never not know all the words. I'll never stop being grateful for everything about Dashboard.
3) Scenes from an Italian Restaurant - Billy Joel
Back to my fifteenth year. Back to the second season of American Idol. There's a Billy Joel themed night. Everyone sings a Billy Joel song. I love them all. My dad, a great lover of Billy Joel, hops to and pulls out his copy of The Stranger, and The Greatest Hits Vol. I & II. I make mixed CDs of all my favourites, and listen endlessly. I purchase a Billy Joel piano book. With the transcribed arrangements. I want you to know that Billy Joel is a classically trained piano genius who has the improvisational intuition of a jazz god. So these piano arrangements were just a little beyond me. I faux-mastered Piano Man, New York State of Mind, She's Got A Way, and Honesty (which is way too high for any female to sing). This, though, is my favourite Billy Joel song. It's legitimate gold. I cannot. It's like a commentary on the American Dream, while also being . . . like . . . I don't even know. You could write a thesis on this song. I'm going to find some articles. '
OH MAN! I found a legitimate thesis. No one wants to read it, I know; but I'm so happy to have found this.
2) My Body Is A Cage - Arcade Fire
My body stops when I hear this song. I just listen, and hear, and live in this sound. Do that. I beg of you. Right now.
1) In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel
It's weird to be able to say that I legitimately have a favourite song. Nonetheless, it's this one. I feel so many things about Peter Gabriel. I studied orchestral music in college, and developed an afinity for it. In 2010, he put out an cover album made up of orchestral arrangements of songs by Paul Simon, David Bowie, Regina Spektor, Arcade Fire and more. Coincidentally, the Arcade Fire song he chose was "My Body Is A Cage." Which...you know...is special. The whole thing is magic. Do yourself a treat. The next year, he put out another album called New Blood, which featured orchestral arrangements of his own songs. Also magic. The version of In Your Eyes, I've placed here is the orchestral arrangement. But if you've never heard this song, listen to the original too. I've shed tears over this song. It's the most. At all times.
Okay. Those are the Top 10. I've made a playlist featuring all 43 songs. While the top ten are in order, ranked, the rest are in no remaining order.
Please, go through this process for yourself. If nothing else, you'll come out with a list of 30 songs you really love, and if you like long songs like I do, the playlist will be over three hours.
