I think Leon Russell’s original is more emotionally charged, but that’s my opinion–I love Benson’s earlier jazz, but his formulaic scat-with-the-lead-line got old.
For me, several:
“Watching Scotty Grow,” (and I hate to admit this) the Bobby Goldsboro version, not the Mac Davis. My name’s Scott, and my Dad used to play and sing this as a bedtime song when he was in town.
“Cat’s in the Cradle,” by Harry Chapin. Dad traveled for his job.
An obscure one by Triumph, “Take my Heart.” When I realized I was in love with my now-wife, then-girlfriend, I played this one in the car outside a frat party. I then spent 2 weeks skipping classes to transcribe it. If you want a good romantic one, get it from Napster.
Creed’s “With Arms Wide Open.” I’ve got a daughter–anyone else with wonderful kids knows what I mean.
stofsky made me think of another one: “Sweet Baby James” by James Taylor. My older son’s name is James and my ex and I used to sit at the piano holding him and sing that song to him. Oh, sweet memories!
They remind me of one of the most wonderful ladies I have ever had the good fortune to encounter and one of the best times of my life.
As we wobble through life, we occasionally bump into truly wonderful people who spend some time with us and brighten our existence like a beautiful, crisp spring day, changing our lives forever, and then move on to never be forgotten in our memories and always cherished by us no matter where they are.
Ok, seriously, my squishy song. You’re going to think this is weird, but hear me out.
My Name is Mud by Primus
You see, that is the very first song I listened to in my very first brand new car, which was a piece of junk Ford Ranger 2Wdrive pick-up, but damn I felt like a grown up. Every time I hear that song now, it just takes me right back.
Ok lets try this again:
“Dont call me White” by NOFX because it expresses alot of my racial views.
“Unity” By Operation Ivy because it was the last song they played at the last concert they ever did and it gives me a sense of finality.
“Omaha Stylee” by 311 because it is about determination and triumph.
Any song by sublime - because it really sucks that Brad Nowell died.
“Funeral for a Friend” by Elton John (I think this one pretty much speaks for itself)
And…
“The Ballad of John Henry” By Johnny Cash. I only listen to this song every couple of years so it doesnt lose its meaning but man its a tear jerker. I cant really explain it, just listen to it and you’ll see.
**JackBatty{/b] - “My Name is Mud” (and all primus really, especially Sailing the Seas of Cheese) takes me back to getting stoned in my parents van on the way to School with my brother and a friend of ours that was living with us at the time. This lady got out of a car next to us one day while we were sitting at a gas station and said “i can smell your dope fools!”, we still say that to each other to this day.
Oh and whats that older song by Tupac? i think its called “heaven for a G”. Me and my friend used to get tanked with one of our older friends father in law (he was like 78) and we would all laugh and bullshit all night long and he would tell us stories (“I raised 8 kids by myself with 1 leg”…etc). When he died i listened to this song and drank a 40 for him. I know it sounds all corny and “thuggish” but i dunno, i cant explain it. It tore me up.
Well, I heard a possibly apocryphal story of the band The Swans playing concerts which contained bass notes of sufficiently low frequency and sufficiently high decibel output so as to cause members of the audience to become physically ill due to the impact of the sound waves on their bodies. I’ve also heard that, taken to an extreme, such an excercise could conceivably cause liquefaction of one’s internals. If true, any song which employed such a technique would definitely make me all squishy inside. Not that I’m not already to a certain extent…
This is a great time to update your Band collection, BTW. The first four albums (Music from Big Pink, The Band [aka The Brown Album], Stage Fright, and Cahoots) have been remastered and reissued on CD with alternate takes and unused cuts.
I never bothered to get The Band on CD because I’d worn the grooves flat on all my vinyl copies back in high school/college…anytime I wanted to hear something I could cue it up on my internal stereo. But these new editions are NICE…and the first two albums, at least, are must-haves.
You’ve Got a Friend - either version. Tears me up. This is a song that was playing when I started hanging out with my sister who was 8 years older. I was probably 13. My sister died about 11 years ago and this really makes me think about her. I miss her so much.
Amazing Grace - I don’t know why, it just does.
I Will Always Love You - Dolly Parton. Lost loves and all of that.
I first heard this one on the radio driving home one Saturday with the Tzeroling in the back seat. Sounded like a dumb love ballad with a peppy beat. Then the sentiments started sounding strange and all of a sudden I realized it was a love song to a dog.
My Boston Terrier had literally died a few weeks before and, well, the song basically said everything I ever felt about her. I actually had to pull over and cry. Hell, I’m getting misty just looking up the lyrics.
Oh, Ike and ruadh - ditto on the leftie ballads. Something about “Solidarity Forever” gets my skin to prickling, especially when sung by about 700 other people in the same room.
I’m not squishy! I’m a testosterone charged macho he-man who kicks ass and asks questions later…
Okay, I’ll come clean. “Fare Thee Well Love” by the Rankin Family always chokes me up. “Mull of Kintyre” was my daughter’s lullabye when she was a baby and my grandmother’s favourite song.
I’m really a big softie… I can’t even lie… I’ll be getting weepy if I keep this up.
