Out of the blue my wife asks me, “What is your favorite song?”
“My favorite?”
"Yeah, what song makes you happiest when you hear it?‘’
It kind of put me on the spot. While my favorite band is Rush, I think the song that makes me happiest when I hear it is “Born to Run”. It jams and I can’t not sing along (badly) when I hear it. I love that song. I am getting happier just thinking of it now while writing this.
So what is your favorite song? What song makes you happiest when you hear it? No lists. Just one song. What song is it?
I have a million, but ‘Love Shack’ by the B-52s played loud in the car has picked me up from the depths of despair to ‘maybe I’ll hang on for one more day’.
Kinda two different questions really. My favorite is probably “Strawberry Fields Forever”. But the one that makes me happiest? “Wooly Bully” by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs.
Way back when we were shopping for bands for our wedding - back when weddings had live bands - my one requirement was that they could do a kick-ass “Wolly Bully”.
I’m not even joking.
mmm
Here’s a hill I will die upon:
“Return Post” by The Bangles is a perfect song.
“Your Song”, released in 1971 by Elton John/Bernie Taupin, for more reasons than I name.
I can’t come up with a favorite on demand. But once when Lorita was feeling down, I stopped at an F.Y.E. on my way home from work, and bought a Fine Young Cannibals CD, just so I could put on You Drive Me Crazy for her. It seemed to lift her spirits.
I mean, it’s a tough choice, but if you put a gun to my head I’ll probably say “Vienna” by Billy Joel.
Kind of a broad question, innit? Can you at least specify a genre?
My favorite song right now is probably “Starlight” by YOLA.
Instrumental, it’s *Rhapsody in Blue *.
Otherwise, Roberta Flack’s version of The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.
I can’t listen to “The Middle” by Jimmy Eat World without feeling better.
It varies day to day, seriously. Right now I’ve been listening to “The Ashokan Farewell” pretty much on repeat, it’s just so … whatever adjective describes something that creeps into your soul.
However, year after year, decade after decade, consistently and without fail, my favorite song of all time most certainly does not make me happy, in the sense that it’s in no way uplifting. In fact, it’s a mournful dirge about death.
“Repo Man” by Iggy Pop.
Director Alex Cox needed a song for his movie and went to Iggy to ask if he’ll do it. Iggy, going through a rough patch in his career due to his drug use, readily agreed. Backed by Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols on guitar as well as Nigel Harrison and Clem Burke from Blondie on bass and drums respectively, Pop worked out the song 20 minutes before recording.
The opening grabs you right away with Burke counting to four on his sticks immediately followed by grinding guitar and thump thump from bass. It sounds punk with just a touch of surf to it, hinting at the movie’s California setting. The lyrics talk about love, loss, drugs, and teenage ennui, but contain a pageful of nonsense lyrics. I’ve been a fan of Iggy Pop though the years though he was never my favorite artist and yet he made a song that viciously holds on in my favorite song spot unrelentingly for 42 years. I contend that this is the greatest rock song produced.
“Wedding Bell Blues,” by The Fifth Dimension.
When it comes to pure pop, I have to go with this classic:
Back when I had to make long day trips around Missouri, my ritual was to play Born to Run as the first song when I left home, and Radar Love as the first song on the return trip.
Boy, I forgot about that song, but it really is an excellent representative of its time.
“Uptown Funk”: lots of energy and it makes me want to dance.
Or “Smooth” by Santana.
Naive Melody - Talking Heads
