August 14, 2011
This summer I didn't get as much reading done as I would have liked, but I did start listening to music more intently again. Mostly when I am driving and running. So, I decided to compile my top 40 song list. It was both a simple and difficult task. Compiling was easy. Ranking them was tough.
These aren't necessarily the "best" songs ever recorded, but they are my favorites. Interestingly, if I were to select my favorite albums, rather than songs, the list would be altogether different. For example, some of my favorite albums are the Grey's Anatomy soundtracks, but only one song from three albums made this list.
Why these are my favorite songs is a mixed bag. Some of them speak to me deeply on a spiritual or emotional level. Others have been very influential at different points in my life. And the rest just rock!
I was also surprised in the end that this is a pretty serene list overall, even though there are several different genres. So here's the list from 1 to 40:
(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
Blue Boat Home - Peter Mayer
Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life) - Green Day
Landslide - Dixie Chicks
Over The Rainbow - Eva Cassidy
Imagine - John Lennon
Redemption Song - Bob Marley & The Wailers
Amazing Grace - Ani DiFranco
You Can't Always Get What You Want - The Rolling Stones
The Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye
By My Side - [Godspell] Elizabeth Sastre and Jacqueline Dankworth
Piano Man - Billy Joel
I Am The Walrus - The Beatles
The Long Way Around - Dixie Chicks
One of Us - Joan Osborne
Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin
Nowhere Man - The Beatles
Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
A Day In The Life - The Beatles
Swimming To The Other Side - Emma's Revolution
Hallelujah - k.d. lang
I Honestly Love You - Olivia Newton-John
Holy Now - Peter Mayer
Southern Cross - Crosby, Stills & Nash
Bad Moon Rising - Creedence Clearwater Revival
Scarborough Fair/Canticle - Simon & Garfunkel
Can't You See - The Marshall Tucker Band
Truth No. 2 - Dixie Chicks
Graceland - Paul Simon
Chasing Cars [Acoustic] - Snow Patrol
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) - The Beatles
Puff, The Magic Dragon (Live) - Peter, Paul & Mary
Love Me Tender - Elvis Presley
House of the Rising Sun - The Animals
Love Shack - The B-52's
The Christians And The Pagans - Dar Williams
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer - Jewel
Jericho Road - Joan Baez
