Although I don’t have a lot of faith, my coworker said he’s going to post his top 10 songs tonight as well. Here’s hoping he comes through. My list of favorite songs changes all the time but I have a pretty good idea which belong in the Top 10 since they don’t change very often.
1. Mother/Pink Floyd – This has been my favorite song for over 20 years and probably will be in twenty more. Is there such thing as the perfect song? The whole song is awesome but the voice and the guitar starting around 3:24 is just sublime. And the ending, “Mother did it need to be so…..high”. Perfect. See it played here in 1980 concert.
2. Running to Stand Still/U2 – One of the few songs that can give me chills. From the haunting guitar at the beginning to the amazing harmonica near the end. The concert footage from Rattle & Hum is as good as studio version. “Run from the darkness in the night”
3. Here’s Where the Story Ends/The Sundays – When I ran a Hotline server years ago, somebody uploaded this song and mentioned I may like it. It immediately moved to my playlist. Harriet Wheeler has one of my favorite female voices. This song is so upbeat and fun I can’t feel down when this song is played. Watch the video on YouTube. “People I see, weary of me….”
4. I Remember Dying/Sean Kelly – I’m a sucker for guitar. His voice layered over that simple yet cool guitar is awesome. That simple strum at 1:27 I can never tire of. If I could play the guitar I’d want to learn this song first. “I’ll tell you what’s forever”
5. Going to California/Led Zeppelin – Page is simply amazing. It’s hard to not list more Zep on the list but this one is my favorite. Listen closely at :02 and you can hear Plant *sigh*. Just checkout that finger work on this video. “Someone told me there’s a girl out there, with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair”
6. Train in Vain/The Clash – These guys were so influential it’s hard to imagine rock and roll without them. I once heard a music critic on MTV say that the Clash were the group that U2 wishes they had become. Watch the video here. “I see all my dreams come tumbling down”
7. Champagne Supernova/Oasis – I know it’s over the top. But I loved it the first time I heard it on MTV. It’s so big, so arrogant that it embodies everything I liked about Oasis during the mid 90’s. The mellow cords lead to some great rock. “The world’s still spinning around we don’t know why”
8. Can’t You Hear Me Knocking/The Rolling Stones – Seven minutes of hard pounding rock and roll. And when the sax kicks in it’s just brilliant. They don’t make music like this anymore. I can’t listen to this song without cranking it so loud my ears hurt. Video is up on YouTube. “Yeah, you got satin shoes”
[audio:knocking.mp3]
9. The Wind/Cat Stevens – One of my favorite movie scenes is the one in Almost Famous where Penny Lane dances around to this song. Watch him play it in concert here. “I let my music take me where my heart wants to go”
10. I’m Your Captain-Closer to Home/Grand Funk Railroad – I can’t believe this song clocks in at just over ten minutes. It’s just such a great classic rock tune. The drumming is just killer. The last few minutes when the symphony kicks in is breathtaking. Right at 8:32 someone in the background yells what sounds to be like, “Somewhere…somewhere” although I’m not certain that’s what he says. But I love it nonetheless. Watch some old video here. “Can you hear me, can you hear me”
Nordquist Blog 