# Your Greatest Songs Ever! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 7, 2016, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088 "2016-12-07T03:01:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/1 "2016-12-07T03:01:00Z")
So I’ve been bouncing around Spotify and/or Youtube for a few days, reminding myself of some a bunch of songs I still love to hear. For fun, I thought I’d share some of them with you: [Flickerstick - Coke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPdU7_rqbqA) I’ll start with a bittersweet one. I play this one **LOUD** outside at night and think about how melancholy it can be to get really excited about dating someone new and fascinating, and going through the honeymoon stages, and then finding out (both of you) that things are a bit imperfect and messy and complicated. You wish you could go back to that early romantic simplicity and just buy each other a coke and soar through the heavens again. This song hits those emotions every time I hear it. [Beth Nielsen Chapman - Dancer to the Drum](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2M4Vkd4hl4) I love it! Just a beautiful arrangement. She may have the most purely angelic voice I’ve ever heard, which fits this wise song perfectly. It’s a celebration of the child and of life; how the child grows and changes into the person (s)he will become - while always having the option to return to innocent, wide-eyed wonder. I’m very comforted by _Dancer_. So that’s two of my very favorite greatest songs ever. I have a lot more I can share as they come up. I want to hear what you love! And why! Please share your own greatest songs ever! ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/2 "2016-12-07T03:43:20Z")
Hot Tuna: Water Song [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/AOOQ1woZWQY/hqdefault.jpg "Hot Tuna - Water Song - 3/22/1973 - 46th Street Rock Palace (Official)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOOQ1woZWQY) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/3 "2016-12-07T13:03:34Z")
Two works of art from Jack White: [I’m Shakin’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkcGuZHPbKk) [Love Interruption](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iErNRBTPbEc) mmm ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/4 "2016-12-07T14:40:06Z")
Rosalita by Bruce Springsteen ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/5 "2016-12-07T14:47:42Z")
Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and Don McLean’s American Pie are two songs that make me wonder how any one person could write such a masterpiece. I consider them beyond the scope of human ability. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/6 "2016-12-07T15:32:53Z")
One of my favorites is [Blood Bank by Bon Iver](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-BZ0D92mtU) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/7 "2016-12-07T15:37:40Z")
For the sake of clarity and consistency, could we please have a definition of “song” here? :dubious: 😕 ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/8 "2016-12-07T15:38:44Z")
Alan Jackson - Remember When How did they do it??! I’ll give it a plug anytime I can – Stan Rogers - Lies Amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/9 "2016-12-07T15:42:40Z")
Colin Hay’s [“Waiting for my Real Life to Begin”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRO66I22qi0) It’s such a beautiful song and it accompanied me through a very dark period on my life. Triumph’s [“Magic Power”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfFjU4gPIqQ) - A perfect narration of my love for music! Dire Straits - ["Brother in Arms"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu4oy1IRTh8)This could possibly one the most stirring songs of all time. If a guitar could weep, this song is it. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/10 "2016-12-07T23:10:48Z")
I discovered this French Canadian singer several years ago, and I stille think this song is the best I’ve ever heard. “Cafe Robinson”, written, performed and accompanied by Marie-Jo Therio [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fC3eUxbMsrc/hqdefault.jpg ""Le café Robinson" - Marie-Jo Thério") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC3eUxbMsrc) ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/11 "2016-12-08T01:36:07Z")
Thanks for the links! I definitely like the Hot Tuna song - based on the band’s concentration and facial expressions and easy rapport, I get the sense that those guys simply love playing music together. Reading some of the YouTube comments reinforces that idea. And I appreciate Leonard Cohen’s best song, **Hallelujah**. Also, Marie-Jo Thério is a terrific singer! Another one of my **Greatest Songs of All Time** (More hyperbole! More!): [The Young Rascals - In the Midnight Hour](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdhAziMsips). This version is even better than Wilson Pickett’s excellent original. It’s a matter of being more invitingly soulful (Rascals) than aggressively soulful (Pickett). The song seems more fun to me. And you can still dance The Jerk to it! More to come. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/12 "2016-12-08T14:58:00Z")
Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “Águas de Março” or The Waters of March " is another “How could one person write this song?” And he wrote both the Portuguese and English lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/13 "2016-12-08T17:34:50Z")
I couldn’t name just the top 10, let alone _the one_. So much good music that I’ve enjoyed all my life, I wouldn’t even know where to begin. Especially since so much depends on my mood and stage of my life. ---
**Author:** ![Totenfeier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@Totenfeier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totenfeier)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/14 "2016-12-08T17:40:05Z")
Tom Waits. Throw a dart - backwards. ---
**Author:** ![Princess\_Amy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@Princess\_Amy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princess_Amy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/15 "2016-12-08T18:00:02Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0OWj0CiM8WU/maxresdefault.jpg "OneRepublic - Love Runs Out") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OWj0CiM8WU) ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/16 "2016-12-08T18:05:11Z")
I’ll approach this by naming my favorite pair of pop hits, then some stuff from my music collection: There are two examples of what I consider to be the perfect pop song, as in stuff you’ll hear on the radio sometimes: [“Vehicle” by Ides of March](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxJFjO4Skgo) [“Hello It’s Me” by Todd Rundgren](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-u3VEoxQLPE) Non-hit stuff I like (mostly Pat Metheny): [“The First Circle”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEmL6tIaYWU) [“Are you Going With Me?”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4jIbLYE3gQ) [“It’s For You”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=805e8PJe8D4) (with Lyle Mays) And, for variety’s sake, [“Far From The Beaten Paths”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nftQFmLn8AM) by Jean-Luc Ponty ---
**Author:** ![Princess\_Amy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@Princess\_Amy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princess_Amy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/17 "2016-12-08T18:05:32Z")
[![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpvUqzPixAU) ---
**Author:** ![Princess\_Amy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@Princess\_Amy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princess_Amy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/18 "2016-12-08T18:09:14Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/V5iTQf5PDyY/hqdefault.jpg "AC/DC - Thunderstruck (Live At Donington)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5iTQf5PDyY) ---
**Author:** ![Princess\_Amy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/58956e/32.png) [@Princess\_Amy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princess_Amy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/19 "2016-12-08T18:13:45Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/PiZHNw1MtzI/maxresdefault.jpg "AC/DC - Who Made Who (Official HD Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiZHNw1MtzI) ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088/20 "2016-12-08T18:15:08Z")
I have too many songs that I like depending on my mood. However, I’ve said a few times that I can’t think of a better constructed song than [Nightswimming](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahJ6Kh8klM4) by REM [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-greatest-songs-ever/774088.md?page=2)