Friday, January 22, 2010
The Top Ten...
OK - I'm ready to reveal my top ten songs. For those of you just joining, My son, Judd; brother, Rich and I have been counting down our top 100 songs over the past week or so. Today we've reached the top ten. Most of these songs are tunes that I have loved and listened to for over 30 years - and that's the mark of a great song; it never gets old. For this music fan, these are the songs that have had the greatest impact on me, have made me think, have touched me in a sentimental way or simply were so creative that I've never heard another quite like it. You don't necassarily have to agree with me, that is the great thing about music - everyone has their own tastes. What's music to some could be noise to others - these are the songs that are truly music to my ears and I could listen to over and over again...and I do.
#10. Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles. While all the previous Beatle songs on my list were written under the Lennon/McCartney names, this one was all George Harrison. George didn't write nearly as much Beatles material as John and Paul but most of his contributions were tremendous songs. George wrote this song at a time when he was pretty burned out on being a Beatle. They were producing less music, dealing with all the business aspects of their record label and they were showing the relationships were, to say the least, very strained - The Beatles were dying. To escape it all, George took off and spent some time at the home of his good friend and fellow musician, Eric Clapton, and he wrote 'Here Comes the Sun' while walking around Clapton's garden strumming one of his guitars. It was his way of saying we've been down a long road together, I can see the end is near...'and I say, it's alright.' It was his way of letting go. Kind of a sad song but at the same, it offers tremendous hope and promise.
#9. Celebrate Me Home - Kenny Loggins. I first heard this song my junior year at Ohio State - 31 years ago. I've always loved it for it's simple, gospel tone and the way the choir joins in during the second part of the song. I know in everyone's life there is a song that reminds you of home, of all the people who make up your life, a song that you hear and it takes you to a happy place in time - for me, that song is Celebrate Me Home - 'Play me one more song that I'll always remember and I can recall whenever I find myself to all alone, I can sing me home...' Everytime I hear Celebrate Me Home, I do just that.
#8. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen. This song made me a Queen fan. I first heard Bohemian Rhapsody my senior year in high school; I had never heard anything like it and there has never been anything quite like it since. Freddie Mercury was pure genius on this 6 minute song that took you through more musical genres than you could count on one hand. The amazing thing was, despite the fact it was twice as long as most songs played on the radio at the time, it couldn't help but be played; over and over again. One of the most creative, immaginative, unique, artistic and downright classic songs of the rock era. And I'll add, A Night at the Opera is one of my top 5 albums of all time and the rest of the songs on LP truly do Bohemian Rhapsody justice, it is an amazing piece of musical art.
#7. Here, There and Everywhere - The Beatles. I was happy to see this song so high on my brother's list and he is absolutely spot on in saying it's one of the most beautiful songs of all time. In fact, just before his death, John Lennon said that he felt this was one of the most complete song's Paul ever wrote. It would be hard to argue with him. This song was also played at our wedding and the words perfectly reflect the feelings of a newlywed couple (at least from the grooms perspective)...'I want her everywhere. And if she's beside me I know I need never care. But to love her is to need her everywhere. Knowing that love is to share - each one believing that love never dies, watching her eyes and hoping I'm always there - you'll be there and everywhere. Here, there and everywhere.' Simply beautiful lyrics.
#6. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel. I have a feeling this one might wind up in the top ten of all three lists. A song about true friendship. The irony of Bridge Over Troubled Water is, it came at point of S & G's career together when they were actually preparing to go their separate ways. Even more ironic is the fact that Art Garfunkel tried to convince Paul Simon that he should be the one singing the song - Simon insisted that Art sing it. In the end, Simon won and he was right - this may be the most perfectly performed recording of all time. Having said that, Simon has regretted not singing it ever since. Think about it, Bridge Over Troubled Water is the greatest song he ever wrote and his ex-partner immortalized it with that tremendous vocal. I will say Simons accompanyment on the piano is also among the best ever recorded. An absolute, landmark song.
#5. Yesterday - The Beatles. This song has been covered more times than any song in history-that alone tells you it's something special. But in 1965 the other members of The Beatles didn't think it sounded like a Beatles song and they didn't want it released under their name. McCartney didn't want to release it as a solo piece so the song was released in America but not in England. Regardless, this is a beautiful piece of music and anyone who questions McCartney's song writing ability should sit down and listen to Yesterday just to hear how wrong they are. Shitty songwriters don't luck into Yesterday, Here, There and Everywehere, Hey Jude and one other song that you'll be reading about in the very near future.
#4. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye. Marvin Gaye was an incredible artist and this song was his crowning achievement. Covering social issues ranging from war, racism and poverty this song actually helped bring races together in the early 70's. "Father, Father - we don't need to escalate. War is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate." Hard to believe that the man who wrote those words was shot to death by his own father 13 years later. His music was truly amazing, its tragic that his life was cut so short; I'm sure he would still be a relevant artist today had he not been killed.
#3. Love's in Need of Love Today - Stevie Wonder. The opening track on (in my humble opinion) Stevie's greatest album, Songs in the Key of Life, this is a 7 minute plea to everyone to show love some love. Beautiful melody, truer lyrics have never been written and Stevie's vocals shine throughout the entire song. "The force of evil plans to make you its possession. And it will if we let it destroy everybody. We all must take precautionary measures, if love and peace you treasure then you'll hear me when I say - Love's in need of love today..." This song resurfaced following the 9-11 attacks and it was still as fresh and powerful as it was when it was released in 1976. My only question is why CAN'T we give love some love?
#2. Imagine - John Lennon. Lennon said this song was as good as anything he ever did with The Beatles and he is right. The music is perfect and the lyrics are, to say the least, thought provoking. I imagine we could imagine a world without countries, religion and possessions - a world where everybody lives in peace. But when the guy who wrote these words gets blown away by a deranged fan, you realize that it really is just something we can imagine. I believe in God and I love my country but I also realize that religion, patriotism and greed are typically at the root of all our problems worldwide. Having said all this, Imagine is a brilliant song and definitely deserves the #2 ranking....
#1. Let it Be - The Beatles. Believe it or not, I'm actually tired of writing about The Beatles but to me, and I'm only one judge here, this is the greatest song written in the rock era. Beautiful lead in with the piano, Pauls perfectly controlled vocals, with each line another instrument joins the song - cymbals, drums, guitars - until it hits the instrumental portion where it rocks out and calms to close with Paul's closing lines. A perfectly executed song with absolutely no flaws.
I look forward to seeing the other top tens...the bar has been set, I wonder how many duplications we'll have.
#10. Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles. While all the previous Beatle songs on my list were written under the Lennon/McCartney names, this one was all George Harrison. George didn't write nearly as much Beatles material as John and Paul but most of his contributions were tremendous songs. George wrote this song at a time when he was pretty burned out on being a Beatle. They were producing less music, dealing with all the business aspects of their record label and they were showing the relationships were, to say the least, very strained - The Beatles were dying. To escape it all, George took off and spent some time at the home of his good friend and fellow musician, Eric Clapton, and he wrote 'Here Comes the Sun' while walking around Clapton's garden strumming one of his guitars. It was his way of saying we've been down a long road together, I can see the end is near...'and I say, it's alright.' It was his way of letting go. Kind of a sad song but at the same, it offers tremendous hope and promise.
#9. Celebrate Me Home - Kenny Loggins. I first heard this song my junior year at Ohio State - 31 years ago. I've always loved it for it's simple, gospel tone and the way the choir joins in during the second part of the song. I know in everyone's life there is a song that reminds you of home, of all the people who make up your life, a song that you hear and it takes you to a happy place in time - for me, that song is Celebrate Me Home - 'Play me one more song that I'll always remember and I can recall whenever I find myself to all alone, I can sing me home...' Everytime I hear Celebrate Me Home, I do just that.
#8. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen. This song made me a Queen fan. I first heard Bohemian Rhapsody my senior year in high school; I had never heard anything like it and there has never been anything quite like it since. Freddie Mercury was pure genius on this 6 minute song that took you through more musical genres than you could count on one hand. The amazing thing was, despite the fact it was twice as long as most songs played on the radio at the time, it couldn't help but be played; over and over again. One of the most creative, immaginative, unique, artistic and downright classic songs of the rock era. And I'll add, A Night at the Opera is one of my top 5 albums of all time and the rest of the songs on LP truly do Bohemian Rhapsody justice, it is an amazing piece of musical art.
#7. Here, There and Everywhere - The Beatles. I was happy to see this song so high on my brother's list and he is absolutely spot on in saying it's one of the most beautiful songs of all time. In fact, just before his death, John Lennon said that he felt this was one of the most complete song's Paul ever wrote. It would be hard to argue with him. This song was also played at our wedding and the words perfectly reflect the feelings of a newlywed couple (at least from the grooms perspective)...'I want her everywhere. And if she's beside me I know I need never care. But to love her is to need her everywhere. Knowing that love is to share - each one believing that love never dies, watching her eyes and hoping I'm always there - you'll be there and everywhere. Here, there and everywhere.' Simply beautiful lyrics.
#6. Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel. I have a feeling this one might wind up in the top ten of all three lists. A song about true friendship. The irony of Bridge Over Troubled Water is, it came at point of S & G's career together when they were actually preparing to go their separate ways. Even more ironic is the fact that Art Garfunkel tried to convince Paul Simon that he should be the one singing the song - Simon insisted that Art sing it. In the end, Simon won and he was right - this may be the most perfectly performed recording of all time. Having said that, Simon has regretted not singing it ever since. Think about it, Bridge Over Troubled Water is the greatest song he ever wrote and his ex-partner immortalized it with that tremendous vocal. I will say Simons accompanyment on the piano is also among the best ever recorded. An absolute, landmark song.
#5. Yesterday - The Beatles. This song has been covered more times than any song in history-that alone tells you it's something special. But in 1965 the other members of The Beatles didn't think it sounded like a Beatles song and they didn't want it released under their name. McCartney didn't want to release it as a solo piece so the song was released in America but not in England. Regardless, this is a beautiful piece of music and anyone who questions McCartney's song writing ability should sit down and listen to Yesterday just to hear how wrong they are. Shitty songwriters don't luck into Yesterday, Here, There and Everywehere, Hey Jude and one other song that you'll be reading about in the very near future.
#4. What's Going On - Marvin Gaye. Marvin Gaye was an incredible artist and this song was his crowning achievement. Covering social issues ranging from war, racism and poverty this song actually helped bring races together in the early 70's. "Father, Father - we don't need to escalate. War is not the answer, for only love can conquer hate." Hard to believe that the man who wrote those words was shot to death by his own father 13 years later. His music was truly amazing, its tragic that his life was cut so short; I'm sure he would still be a relevant artist today had he not been killed.
#3. Love's in Need of Love Today - Stevie Wonder. The opening track on (in my humble opinion) Stevie's greatest album, Songs in the Key of Life, this is a 7 minute plea to everyone to show love some love. Beautiful melody, truer lyrics have never been written and Stevie's vocals shine throughout the entire song. "The force of evil plans to make you its possession. And it will if we let it destroy everybody. We all must take precautionary measures, if love and peace you treasure then you'll hear me when I say - Love's in need of love today..." This song resurfaced following the 9-11 attacks and it was still as fresh and powerful as it was when it was released in 1976. My only question is why CAN'T we give love some love?
#2. Imagine - John Lennon. Lennon said this song was as good as anything he ever did with The Beatles and he is right. The music is perfect and the lyrics are, to say the least, thought provoking. I imagine we could imagine a world without countries, religion and possessions - a world where everybody lives in peace. But when the guy who wrote these words gets blown away by a deranged fan, you realize that it really is just something we can imagine. I believe in God and I love my country but I also realize that religion, patriotism and greed are typically at the root of all our problems worldwide. Having said all this, Imagine is a brilliant song and definitely deserves the #2 ranking....
#1. Let it Be - The Beatles. Believe it or not, I'm actually tired of writing about The Beatles but to me, and I'm only one judge here, this is the greatest song written in the rock era. Beautiful lead in with the piano, Pauls perfectly controlled vocals, with each line another instrument joins the song - cymbals, drums, guitars - until it hits the instrumental portion where it rocks out and calms to close with Paul's closing lines. A perfectly executed song with absolutely no flaws.
I look forward to seeing the other top tens...the bar has been set, I wonder how many duplications we'll have.
# posted by Vince Hopkins @ 3:59 PM 
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well here's what we've been waiting for! 2 top ten matches.
10-1:
#10 Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen - What is there to say. A beautifully sculpted song from the opening "Is this the real life?" to the gong at the end.
#9 Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - Billy Joel - One of the main reasons I like this song is because it is like 3 songs in one. You have the slow bottle of reds and bottle of whites at the beginning and end; the part where Billy lets us know that things are OK with him; and the the part about Brenda and Eddie the popular steadies
#8 Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan - Let's not bullshit ourselves. Bob Dylan is not a very good singer. He's not bad, but not great. In this epic song though he lets loose with a vocal display that I thought impossible from Dylan. I am proud to say that I know every single word to this song.
#7 What I Got - Sublime - Sublime took a small hiatus from my list but return with their most recognizable hit. It is such a catchy melody with incredible vocal range from Brad Nowell. Easily one of the top two songs of the 90's if you ask me.
#6 Levon - Elton John - I want a recording of just the violin in this song. It is so so good. I also really enjoy the story told through the song. The last minute or so is music at its finest
#5 Closer To The Sun - Slightly Stoopid - I doubt any of you have heard this but it is the most creative sounding guitar that I have ever heard in my life. It is just out of this world. There are two faults to the song. It has words (they should have left it an instrumental) and it is way too short
#4 Boss D.J. - Sublime - Very simple song. Only guitar and vocals, but both work so symbiotically that it creates musical perfection. This is my favorite Sublime song which is saying something as they're my second favorite musical artist/group ever
#3 Your Song - Elton John - What a sweet simple song. I Goodbye Yellow Brick Road got me into Elton, then Your Song made me a superfan. I don't even know if I can describe the appeal that this song has to me. It's not even my top Elton Song either..
#2 Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters - Elton John - Uncle Rich, I was so pleased to see this on your list. When I saw Almost Famous for the first time, I knew Tiny Dancer was in it and I really enjoyed the scene. But the movie was made for me when Will Miller was running through NYC to get to an overdosed Penny Lane to this song. It was one of the single greatest movie scenes that I have ever seen.
#1 Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel - Best song that I have ever heard. From everything from vocals to piano and even to the message this is just sheer musical perfection. I sing almost every song I hear that I know but I can't bring myself to sing over Art Garfunkel from the beginning of the "Sail on silver girl" verse to the end of the song. It is just too perfect and I would be doing the song an injustice by singing it.
10-1:
#10 Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen - What is there to say. A beautifully sculpted song from the opening "Is this the real life?" to the gong at the end.
#9 Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - Billy Joel - One of the main reasons I like this song is because it is like 3 songs in one. You have the slow bottle of reds and bottle of whites at the beginning and end; the part where Billy lets us know that things are OK with him; and the the part about Brenda and Eddie the popular steadies
#8 Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan - Let's not bullshit ourselves. Bob Dylan is not a very good singer. He's not bad, but not great. In this epic song though he lets loose with a vocal display that I thought impossible from Dylan. I am proud to say that I know every single word to this song.
#7 What I Got - Sublime - Sublime took a small hiatus from my list but return with their most recognizable hit. It is such a catchy melody with incredible vocal range from Brad Nowell. Easily one of the top two songs of the 90's if you ask me.
#6 Levon - Elton John - I want a recording of just the violin in this song. It is so so good. I also really enjoy the story told through the song. The last minute or so is music at its finest
#5 Closer To The Sun - Slightly Stoopid - I doubt any of you have heard this but it is the most creative sounding guitar that I have ever heard in my life. It is just out of this world. There are two faults to the song. It has words (they should have left it an instrumental) and it is way too short
#4 Boss D.J. - Sublime - Very simple song. Only guitar and vocals, but both work so symbiotically that it creates musical perfection. This is my favorite Sublime song which is saying something as they're my second favorite musical artist/group ever
#3 Your Song - Elton John - What a sweet simple song. I Goodbye Yellow Brick Road got me into Elton, then Your Song made me a superfan. I don't even know if I can describe the appeal that this song has to me. It's not even my top Elton Song either..
#2 Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters - Elton John - Uncle Rich, I was so pleased to see this on your list. When I saw Almost Famous for the first time, I knew Tiny Dancer was in it and I really enjoyed the scene. But the movie was made for me when Will Miller was running through NYC to get to an overdosed Penny Lane to this song. It was one of the single greatest movie scenes that I have ever seen.
#1 Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel - Best song that I have ever heard. From everything from vocals to piano and even to the message this is just sheer musical perfection. I sing almost every song I hear that I know but I can't bring myself to sing over Art Garfunkel from the beginning of the "Sail on silver girl" verse to the end of the song. It is just too perfect and I would be doing the song an injustice by singing it.
Nice list Binks - I'm going to have to give the Mona Lisa song a listen since you and Rich both rank it so high. 2 Sublime songs in the top 10 is a surprise. I expected a few Elton songs and I obviously ranked Levon and Your Song. We have two crossovers; Bohemian Rhapsody and Bridge Over Troubled Water. We'll have to see how Rich ranks them.
I'll have to comment tomorrow... but here;s the list...
10 American Pie (Don McLean) - OK, this is one of those epic songs that some people hate and some people love. I happen to fall on the love side. It's kind of a fantasy through the history rock and roll starting with the day that Buddy Holly, Richie valens and the Big Bopper died in an Iowa cornfield in a plane crash. It's imaginative and the lyrics weave a tale that also pays homage to some of music's greatest. And honestly, can yuo listen to the chorus without singing along? I can't.
9 Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin) I've never fancied myself a big Led Zeppelin fan. A lot of their stuff was a little too hard for my tastes... but they hit a home run with this one. An epic tale that gets sprinkled with some mythology references and a big dose of rock at the end. And Robert Plant's voice is killer. I know my brother Steve was probably in his 30's before he ever heard this song sober... but either way it's a classis... and in my top ten.
8 Yesterday (The Beatles) It's a very pretty song... and the sentiment is timeless. Yesterday all was well... and now life sucks. It has been covered a million times, but no one has ever come close to the original.
7 Like A Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan) I was maybe three years old when this song came out... and I don't recall ever listening to it at the time. It was on the end credits of the movie More American Graffiti... but the first time I heard it, I was hooked. Amazing song, dylan's lyrics are biting and to the point.
6 Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) What's not been said about this one? The first time I heard this was when Vince came home from college over Christmas. We had a stereo in our living room for a brief period of time and he payed this song a couple of times in a row. It's amazing how much passion freddie was able to pack into a seven minute song. It's an absolute journey from beginning to end. Timeless. Perfect.
5 Hey Jude (The Beatles) This one is my favorite Beatles song... although unlike my dad... I liked alot of the other stuff they did. Like a lot of other people, I think the best part is Paul going apeshit while they sing the chorus 20 times at the end of the song. It's just a great song.
4 Hotel California (The Eagles) This is the masterpiece from teh eagles. Like many groups, they were at their best when there were enough egos in the group to keep everyone in check. When htey went their solo ways... they all got a little self-indulgent. But as this record... and album for tyhat matter... indicates, when they were on hteir game... they were brilliant.
3 Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkle) From the raw and bare open to the over the top orchestral climax, this is a song held together by pure emotion and an unbelievable vocal performance. Garfunkle's voice is more like an instrument... and it hits the notes and touches the soul unlike any other.
2 My Generation (The Who) For years the younger kids have never liked it when the older generation tries to horn in on their cool. I'm sure it's been a sore spot for as long as there have been generations... but no one said it quirte as well as The Who. Pete Townshend's defiant sneer and stutter as he tells off the generation of 30 somethings looking down on the counter culture movement is brilliance. One of the best lines in Rock history... "I hope I die before i get old..." And the best news is that well into his 60's Pete and Roger are still rocking.
1 Imagine (John Lennon) Music works when it puts the writer's thoughts, emotions and ideas out there for others to understand. Imagine does that. It's a commentary on what makes nations kill... what makes people hate... and it just asks us to imagine a workld without the traps that push us all towards hatred and violence. The tune is simple perfection and the sentiment is honest and genuine. Peace. In my eyes, it's the best song ever.
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10 American Pie (Don McLean) - OK, this is one of those epic songs that some people hate and some people love. I happen to fall on the love side. It's kind of a fantasy through the history rock and roll starting with the day that Buddy Holly, Richie valens and the Big Bopper died in an Iowa cornfield in a plane crash. It's imaginative and the lyrics weave a tale that also pays homage to some of music's greatest. And honestly, can yuo listen to the chorus without singing along? I can't.
9 Stairway to Heaven (Led Zeppelin) I've never fancied myself a big Led Zeppelin fan. A lot of their stuff was a little too hard for my tastes... but they hit a home run with this one. An epic tale that gets sprinkled with some mythology references and a big dose of rock at the end. And Robert Plant's voice is killer. I know my brother Steve was probably in his 30's before he ever heard this song sober... but either way it's a classis... and in my top ten.
8 Yesterday (The Beatles) It's a very pretty song... and the sentiment is timeless. Yesterday all was well... and now life sucks. It has been covered a million times, but no one has ever come close to the original.
7 Like A Rolling Stone (Bob Dylan) I was maybe three years old when this song came out... and I don't recall ever listening to it at the time. It was on the end credits of the movie More American Graffiti... but the first time I heard it, I was hooked. Amazing song, dylan's lyrics are biting and to the point.
6 Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen) What's not been said about this one? The first time I heard this was when Vince came home from college over Christmas. We had a stereo in our living room for a brief period of time and he payed this song a couple of times in a row. It's amazing how much passion freddie was able to pack into a seven minute song. It's an absolute journey from beginning to end. Timeless. Perfect.
5 Hey Jude (The Beatles) This one is my favorite Beatles song... although unlike my dad... I liked alot of the other stuff they did. Like a lot of other people, I think the best part is Paul going apeshit while they sing the chorus 20 times at the end of the song. It's just a great song.
4 Hotel California (The Eagles) This is the masterpiece from teh eagles. Like many groups, they were at their best when there were enough egos in the group to keep everyone in check. When htey went their solo ways... they all got a little self-indulgent. But as this record... and album for tyhat matter... indicates, when they were on hteir game... they were brilliant.
3 Bridge Over Troubled Water (Simon and Garfunkle) From the raw and bare open to the over the top orchestral climax, this is a song held together by pure emotion and an unbelievable vocal performance. Garfunkle's voice is more like an instrument... and it hits the notes and touches the soul unlike any other.
2 My Generation (The Who) For years the younger kids have never liked it when the older generation tries to horn in on their cool. I'm sure it's been a sore spot for as long as there have been generations... but no one said it quirte as well as The Who. Pete Townshend's defiant sneer and stutter as he tells off the generation of 30 somethings looking down on the counter culture movement is brilliance. One of the best lines in Rock history... "I hope I die before i get old..." And the best news is that well into his 60's Pete and Roger are still rocking.
1 Imagine (John Lennon) Music works when it puts the writer's thoughts, emotions and ideas out there for others to understand. Imagine does that. It's a commentary on what makes nations kill... what makes people hate... and it just asks us to imagine a workld without the traps that push us all towards hatred and violence. The tune is simple perfection and the sentiment is honest and genuine. Peace. In my eyes, it's the best song ever.
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