I almost love music
as much as sports. Almost. I haven't written in a while, and I'm not sure if
it's because I'm sports'd out, or if that's what happens when - kids. While I
was listening to my headphones the other day, I got inspired by the potential of
this list. The two reasons are simple: 1. Because what person gets to listen to
nine truly wonderful songs before passing on, and 2. Our hearing goes, so we're
probably not going to enjoy them anyway. So I can create the list now, listen
to it, and call it a day. It wasn't an easy blog to write (About 30 songs made
it to final cuts) but, I couldn't leave any of these off. Each song made the
list for different reasons; some for inspirational moments, others for the pure
gift of music, and I would like to share them with you.
#9. The A Team - I
thought Ed Sheeran was a Justin Timberlake copy cat when I heard his music for
the first time. Not to say I didn't enjoy his music, but I thought it had
already been done before. Cue moment when I purchased his prior album to X, +
(sorry that's really what they're called). But + is wonderful, a real
songwriter's masterpiece. And my favorite song on that album is the melancholy
"The A Team". Real, beautiful, and lyrically very strong. Now I see
why he's world renowned, he's one of my favorite artists, and this is easily the one I would take to my death
bed (hospital room, vacation spot, airplane ride, whatever it might be).
#8. Always be my
Baby - Mariah Carey's been a polarizing figure for a number of years, but once
upon a time, most teenage boys were on her side, myself included. This music
video I could watch over and over again,(to be that tire swing) and it's probably the only female
version of a song I would be willing to do at Karaoke. But my favorite part of the song, and the
reason why it gets one final listen, is that lyrically it kinds of sounds like
something a stalker might say - "No way, you're ever going to shake me,
ooh Darling, cause you'll always be my baby." Imagine getting that sung to
you from outside your bedroom window. Creepy!
#7. Hey Brother -
Tim Bergling (Avicii) is my hero. I'm not sure any other artist has been able
to take over the "anthem" style music and make it mainstream as
seamless as he has. Most of his songs are great, but this song is part club
thumper, part pop chart, and a dash of lift-me-up tempo. 3 of his songs made my
preliminary list, which is impressive considering that other players with those
numbers included: The Beatles and Pink Floyd.
#6. Seven Nations
Army - The White Stripes make it to the football fields. Forever and ever this
song will be intertwined with Penn State football after every first down and
other significant play. Similar to Zombie Nation with about 1/2 of college
sports. But this song was engineered at a much higher level. The chorus with
the drums and symbols, and that riff! People will hum that riff for the rest of
my days, I'm sure of it.
#5. When the Levee
Breaks - I thought "Stairway to Heaven" and "Kashmir" were
the greatest Led Zeppelin songs of all-time, and wasn't anything going to
change that. Until I heard the intro of Levee. Sometimes I feel it was
personally written for me. I love those soulful guitar sounds, especially with
that down south feel to the lyrics. If I'm just going to be sitting on my
rocking chair on the front porch drinking a little bit of that sweet lemonade
with a sprinkle of vodka in it, well I could do a lot worse than having this
song blaring from my headphones. Crying won't help me, praying will do me no
good.
#4. Stay With Me - I
have a cute little story I want to share. Once upon a time, I was sitting in my
bedroom watching Saturday Night Live and the host of that's night show was a
favorite of mine: Louis C.K. He's painstakingly hilarious, and he was on a roll
that night. Then all of a sudden, something name Sam Smith was about to sing. I
was like, "What the Fuck is a Sam Smith?" Even Louis was probably thinking, "yikes." I must say, I usually
unearth the new greats, long before they hit the mainstream market (Kendrick
Lamar, Jay-Z, Bruno Mars, etc). Nobody makes it to the SNL stage before they go
through the difficult markets in the sounds of music. It's Rihanna, or Carrie
Underwood, or Adele, and the aforementioned Bruno Mars. Then, this. I bought
his album the very next day.
#3. M.A.A.D. City -
Rap is where my heart is. While only 1 song makes the final songs that I want
to hear in this lifetime, I truly enjoy It more than any other style of music.
It has heart, passion, power. But for all of those gifts, the songs really haven't
affected my life to the point where I need to hear them one last time. Except
for this one. It's pretty much combined the greatest sounds of hip-hop from the
new generation of stars, and matched it up with the sounds that I grew up with
in the 1990's. A lot of nostalgia, and a little bit of marketing power turned
this song into a bullet train for me. The lyrics are great, the engineering
superb, he tells a story that probably rings true in south central Los Angeles,
and he does it with his own style and grace. I could hear it once more in my
final days.
#2. Miracles -
Another surprise similar to Sam Smith's vocal gifts, but this time in a different way. I've always liked Jefferson
Airplane… but more for their sounds like "Somebody to Love" and
"White Rabbit". It's vintage 1960's and 70's, and really clues me in
as to what that generation enjoyed and how they grooved. Those were really the
only songs I listened to from them, for the longest time, and I really stumbled
into Jefferson Starship. It felt soft, more contemporary even, which I like,
but isn't really a style of music that I believed would generate one of my
favorite songs of all-time. I just sort of previewed all of their greatest hits
on Itunes, thinking this will be quick, maybe I'll find a goodie since I have
the money to spend. And I found Miracles. Miracles is the love song that
defines the love I have for my wife and by which all other love songs are
measured. And then some. The odds of us coming together already was slim as neither
of us were really destined to go to North Hennepin. A long line of
"Miracles" really pushed our stars together. Anyway, this is 7
minutes of heaven. A little sexual, certainly, but if we can't be true to
ourselves… The only reason it's not the last song I'd wish to listen to is
because I'm an optimistic child at heart.
#1. High Hopes - Which is exactly what this song is about. Since I dove into the world that is Pink Floyd, I've found many wonderful gems that could've made this list, or any musical list for that matter. While I feel like that intro solo in Levee was made specifically for my ears, it's these lyrics, this sound, the band and the generation that came together to create a song as beautiful as this one. I'm in love with the 60's (I feel it's one of the world's best generations or at least the most influential. They dealt with a lot of BS during these turbulent times), and I love how England grew from the post-World War reconstruction to the global and respectable power that came from their love for music and all their brilliant bands that came from this generation of youth. In any case, it's as sweet as it is simple. A song about our youth and how quickly we wanted to become adults, only to realize that our best years were when we were young. With the greatest 2 minute guitar solo at the end. Play me away, Gilmour.
