Share Your Favorite Songs

So, you like them. You don’t know why. Or do you? Our favorite songs (or works) are just that - our favorites. They’re the ones we jam, bebop, or sob to. They strike a chord inside us and we celebrate them by singing along, playing an air guitar, or drummin’ on our pet’s belly.

Now it’s time to share your favorites! Try to be as diverse as you can (yeah, it’s hard I know), and limit yourself to 15 or so. Whether you agree or disagree with someone isn’t so important. I’m hoping we all can find something new, or remember a long lost favorite.

Enjoy! And here is my starter list in absolutely no particular order whatsoever. It’s all spur of the moment, people!

“Our House” - Madness
“Live and Let Die” & “November Rain” - Guns N’ Roses
“A Summer Song” - Chad & Jeremy
“Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” - The Police
“Everybody Hurts” - REM
“I’m Gonna Be” - The Proclaimers
“You are My Lucky Star” - Singin’ in the Rain (Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds)
“These Eyes” - Guess Who
“Hotel California” - Eagles
“Volare” - Dean Martin
“Father of Mine” - Everclear
“Margaritaville” - Jimmy Buffett
“With or Without You” - U2
“Groovin’” - Young Rascals
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Yes, I was partially inspired by the current thread “Music to cry to”, but I can’t cry all the time…

Dublin Blues, Guy Clark
Cowboy Junkie’s Lament, Townes van Zandt
Boots of Spanish Leather or anything off of Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan
Return of the Grievous Angel, Gram Parsons
Hold On, Chris Smither
Southern Cross, Crosby, Stills and Nash
Spikedriver’s Blues, Mississippi John Hurt (or Doc Watson)
Rexroth’s Daughter, Greg Brown
Margin Walker, Fugazi
London Calling (and everything else from that album), The Clash
Standing in the Shower Thinking, Jane’s Addiction
Key West Intermezzo (I Saw You First), John Mellencamp
Buffalo River Home, John Hiatt
1952 Vincent Black Lightning, Richard Thompson
If I Should Fall From Grace With God, The Pogues
Find a Way, The Silos
Story of My Life, Social Distortion
Pressure Drop, Toots and the Maytalls
Snake Oil, Steve Earle

That’s a start… there are some more songs I love no matter who’s singing them: Paradise (written by John Prine), City of New Orleans (by Steve Goodman), Deportee and This Land is Your Land (by Woody Guthrie), Shady Grove… this list probably doesn’t have an end, so I’ll just stop here.

I just wrote this for another board like 10 mins ago. It’s not my favorite songs “of all time,” but rather 10 songs that I just absolutely love.
Talking Heads - “Air” - What a songo! I love so many things about it - Tina’s “aiiiiiir” vocals, the guitar riff under “what is happening…to my skin?”…

the Magnetic Fields - “when the open road is closing in” - One of the finest songs on “charm…” and a great, great country song.

the Walker Brothers - “the sun ain’t gonna shine anymore” - one of those songs, like “this could be the night,” that sums up so much in so little. A perfect piece of near-Brechtian vaudeville.

Leonard Cohen - “sisters of mercy” - the more quaint and light side of Cohen; a bit of really pretty, sweet humanity from an era when he was tearing your heart out.

Antonio Carlos Jobim - “the waters of march” (any version, but in this case the Jobum and Elis Regina version) - One of my favorite melodies ever penned, one that just sticks in your ear and catches you slightly swaying your hips while whistling or singing it later. “A stick, a stone…”

the Microphones - “I want wind to blow” - It kicks off what’s now one of my favorite records ever, and makes me believe in the power of the acoustic guitar again. The moment when everything “kicks in” at 2:30 w/ the 4-on-the-floor tom tom, the harmonica, the organ, and that most beautiful little guitarmelody is near-symphonic in its impact; it causes my hair to stand on end.

A Tribe Called Quest - “Check the Rhyme” - This will always be the Tribe song to me; it’s everything that made them great on one song. Q-tip’s verses are amazing, Phife’s are stupid, and that Average White Band horn riff is incredibly hot. The 12-bit beat thumps and smacks, and i love the drop-outs at the ends of the verses (“rap is not pop, if you call it that, you stop”/“before I get the butt, the jim must be erect”), the subtle chord change after the second chorus.

Magazine - “Definitive Gaze” - I honestly wish the rest of their output was this good and interesting, because this is one of those songs that immediately makes a band your new favorite, and everything else by them is a disappointment after this song. I love the angular groove that breaks into the power chords and piano groove, before that amazing minimoog lead cuts through - you’ll be humming it for days. The shape of post punk that should have came to stay.

Los Reactors - “Dead in the Suburbs” - I heard this on a weird 1980’s american underground comp and fell in love with it - the teenage angst is straight out of
Repo Man, the pre-“Hey Ya” farting synth-bass, the perfect Farfisa riffs, the amazing punker singalong chorus. I was so thrilled when I recently found out that everything they ever recorded was just released on a CD two months ago!

thje Breeders - “Doe” - The type of song that you want to get a sex change and start a cover band just to kick out at an open mic one night. The Steve Albini drums sound twice as huge as “Surfer Rosa,” the riffing is so lackadasical, and the Deal/Donnelly “da-da …da-da…da-DA” is so life-changingly hot.

Can’t limit myself to 15, but I can probably limit myself to 20. In no particular order and subject to change without notice:

Annie Lennox - Love Song For A Vampire
Pink Floyd - Learning To Fly
Fatboy Slim - Praise You
Great Big Sea - Wave Over Wave
Vern Gosdin - Chiseled In Stone
David Bowie - Can You Hear Me
T’Pau - Heart And Soul
Minstrels of Mayhem - Katie Sings
Queen - Teo Torriate
Elton John - High Flying Bird
Dwight Yoakam - I Sang Dixie
Joshua Kadison - Painted Desert Serenade
Waylon Jennings - Amanda
Dashboard Confessional - Vindicated
Hair Of The Dog - The Ghost Of The Molly McGuires
Jefferson Starship - Miracles
Ray Charles & Willie Nelson - Seven Spanish Angels
Corrs - Rebel Heart
Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata
Savatage - Sleep

Oh, good grief! Where to start and how to limit?!

“Spirit in the Sky”, Norman Greenbaum - All my friends and family know to play this - LOUDLY - at my funeral!
“Conquistador”, Procul Harum - the song that nearly got me killed. Didn’t hear that siren…
“You Don’t have To Say You Love Me”, Buffy Springfield - one of the all time howlers.
“There Are Worse Things I Could Do”, Stockard Channing - Who needs Olivia and “Hopelessly” when you’ve got Rizzo?
“In The Mood, Glen Miller” - That great, joyous run up to the final loud, proud note. Whew!
“Sing Sing Sing”, Benny Goodman (full length) - A masterpiece. They’re so into the music. It’s like being lost in a jam.
“Blue Is the Night”, James Melton - dark and mysterious. '30’s docks at night.
“Somebody To Love” Queen - it just soars
“White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love”, Jefferson Airplane - a two for one on my '45. A deliciously loopy trip and an amazingly loooong note.
“Cherry Bomb”, The Runaways - GRRRLS RULE! Whee! Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Cherie Currie, loud and in your face. At seventine, I wanted to be them!

Whole album special mention - Gordon Lightfoot, “The Way I Feel”. It still gives me chills.

And, of course, Alice. The one and only Alice Cooper - I must be the most vocal, unashamed, fan on the Dope! :smiley:

Yeah, yeah, I know… :rolleyes:

This week’s favorites are -

“Might As Well Be On Mars”, “Love’s A Loaded Gun”, Crazy Little Child", “Blue Turk” and “Poison”. The list keeps changing. Thirty years later, I’m still hooked!

Splendid Isolation Warren Zevon

Box of Rain The Grateful Dead

Little Bird /Let’s Build A Home - The White Stripes

Over and Over Neil Young

Goin’ Home Mark Knopfler

Thousands Are Sailing the Pogues

“April Come She Will,” Simon and Garfunkel
“Seven Seas of Rhye,” Queen
“Covers and Pages,” Moviola
“Superstition,” Stevie Wonder
“The Golden Age of Leather,” Blue Oyster Cult
“The Champ,” Jimmy Smith
“New York Groove,” Ace Frehley
“Sunship Balloons,” Flaming Lips
“Vincent,” Don McLean
“Take Your Mama,” Scissor Sisters
“The Kids Are All Right,” The Who
“Broadford Bazzar,” Jethro Tull
“Freak,” Bruce Dickinson
“Down on the Corner,” Credence Clearwater Revival
“Blue Valentines,” Tom Waits

Yes, the limit is evil, isn’t it? But, I think it is understood that we all could love 100 other songs than the ones we’ve listed. This is just for what pops in your head while you’re posting. If you to need to post another list, for sanity’s sake, then please do.

**Enginerd ** - I got to find “Standing in the Shower Thinking”! That’s the story of my life … and my water bill.
**LifeOnWry ** - David Bowie!
**zoogirl ** - Bravo, Glen Miller! I love “Moonlight Serenade”.
Moody Bastard - I adore Stevie!

Desperados Under the Eaves - Warren Zevon
Genius - Warren Zevon
The Vast Indifference of Heaven - Warren Zevon

Sam Stone - John Prine
Hello in There - John Prine

American Pie - Don McLean
Vincent - Don McLean

California Stars - Wilco
Jesus, etc. - Wilco

Dusty, not Buffy. But you’re right, it’s a great howler!

I could EASILY expand my list to include a hundred songs, but the ones I listed are the ones that pop into my head instantly when someone says “favorite songs.”

Light - Assemblage 23
Oceania - Bjork
Remember - Air
Tech Romance - Her Space holiday
The Riddle - Nik Kershaw
Young & Lovely - Blur
i-i-i a wave - the Gandharvas
Los Rancheros - Adam Ant
Pashernate Love - Morrissey
Don’t Say Goodbye - Goldfinger
A Different Point of View - Pet Shop Boys
Veronica - Elvis Costello
Primrose Hill - Madness
Cybele’s Reverie - Stereolab
Bloodletting Go - Tears For Fears

These just randomly came up on my playlist. They’re all my favourites, so the list could go on and on.

15, huh? OK, I’ll give it a shot…

“Smells Like Teen Spirit”, Nirvana
“Mysterons”, Portishead
“Back in Black”, AC/DC
“Cannonball”, the Breeders
“Too Bad About Your Girl”, the Donnas
“You Took Advantage Of Me”, Carmen McRae
“Brown Sugar”, the Rolling Stones
“Bloodstains”, Agent Orange
“Hello Operator”, the White Stripes
“Hate to Say I Told You So”, the Hives
“Song 2”, Blur
“Graveyard Shift”, Uncle Tupelo
“Side of the Road”, Lucinda Williams
“So Whatcha Want”, the Beastie Boys
“All the Time”, Green Day
That’s the best I can do, here at work, without my collection in front of me. :slight_smile:

Ooooh, creepy, this is the song that came up right after my fifteenth! :cool:

The Beatles - Virtually every song, but I’ll pick Dr. Robert

Rolling Stones - Angie

Exile - Kiss You All Over

T. Rex - Children Of The Revolution

Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street

Seals & Crofts - Summer Breeze

Blondie - Heart Of Glass

Boston - Foreplay/Longtime

Flock Of Seagulls - I Ran

AC/DC - Shock Me All Night Long

Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train

Guns-n-Roses - Patience

The Cure - Just Like Heaven

Public Enemy - Fight The Power

Collective Soul - Gel

Shania Twain - I Feel Like A Women

System Of A Down - Chop Suey

Eminem - Without Me

Coldplay - Clocks

Okay, I’ll play with some of my favorites…

Depeche Mode “Enjoy the Silence”
Depeche Mode “Never Let Me Down Again”
VNV Nation “Beloved”
VNV Nation “Standing”
Mesh “I Can’t Imagine How it Hurts”
The Echoing Green “Blind”
Anything Box “An Ending”
Anything Box “Worth”
Death Cab For Cutie “A Lack of Color”
Death Cab For Cutie “Passenger Seat”
The Cure “A Letter to Elise”
Color Theory “Perfect Song”
Assemblage 23 “Horizons”
The Postal Service “Nothing Better”
Lisa Gerrard “Shadow Magnet”

Well, good, because I was starting to feel inferior. I mean, I’ve heard of most of the artists on your list, but I only recognize one of the songs. Care to guess which one? :slight_smile:

Dire Straits-“Brothers in Arms”
Led Zepplin-“Kashmir”
Love Spit Love-“Fall on Tears”
Boston-“More Than a Feeling”
Fleetwood Mac-“You Can Go Your Own Way”
Jackson Browne-“Running on Empty”
Jimmy Buffett-“A Pirate Looks at 40”
Van Halen-“Dreams”
Chicago-“You’re the Inspiration”
U2-“Where the Streets Have No Name”

Stairway to Heaven - Lede Zeppelin
Ripple - Grateful Dead
Our House - Madness
Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
Fearless - Pink Floyd
Come on Eileen - Dexy’s Midnight Runners
No Woman No Cry - Bob Marley
That’s all that comes to mind right away. I’m sure I’ll think of 30 more as soon as I hit the Submit button

I don’t know about favorite, but these are the one’s I can’t fast forward on Winamp

Alone Again - Gilbert O’Sullivan
Love’s Theme - Barry White
Down in the Valley - Otis Redding
He’s a Fly Guy - Curtis Mayfield featuring Fishbone
D’yer Maker - Led Zeppelin
Windmills of Your Mind - Sting’s version
The Chokin’ Kind - Joss Stone (How can such a young girl put so much of her soul into a song?)
No Woman No Cry - Bob Marley
U-Haul - Angie Stone
Thinking of You - Tony Toni Tone
So Lonely - The Police
Ascension - Maxwell
Te Busco - Celia Cruz
Black Nostaljack - Camp Lo
Hook - Blues Traveler

Heh, I did not expect to see that here; one of my faves as well.

Yes! My second favorite S&G song that no one else seems to have heard of.
Guess I should add some of mine:
“California Dreamin’”, Beach Boys
“I Fought the Law,” The Clash
“Hook”, Blues Traveler
“Photobooth”, Death Cab for Cutie
“Paranoid Android”, Radiohead
“Waltz #2”, Elliott Smith
“Angeles”, Elliott Smith
“Bleecker Street”, Simon & Garfunkel
“Disarm”, Smashing Pumpkins
“Human Hands”, Elvis Costello
“Heroin”, Velvet Underground
“Rosa Parks”, Outkast
“What it is”, Mark Knopfler

“It Don’t Mean a Thing (if you ain’t got that swing)”, Louis Armstrong?
“Sing sing sing”, Benny Goodman
“Tiger Rag”, Benny Goodman

“Waltz no. 1 in Eb major”, Frederic Chopin
“Piano Concerto no. 2, Allegro”, Sergei Rachmaninov

“La valee de Dana”, Manau
“Yo te quiero libre”, Silvio Rodriguez
“El Mariachi”, Gypsy Kings