Writeups on my favorite 20 songs of all time

A list of songs by itself isn't too terribly revealing, I've realized. Since it's a blog about me and my thoughts, and since i would LOVE to ramble on about my love for these songs, I wrote a bit on each song and why they mean so much to me.

20. "Dance With the Devil" - Immortal Technique
A perfect description of evil and sin. Immortal Technique tells the best story I've ever heard in a song here, and it's absolutely bone-chilling. It's in my favorite songs list because it's so damn good, but I wish a song like this had no power, because it gets its power from the fact that it's true. Maybe this specific story isn't true, but a lot of variations of this stuff happens around the world, all the time. And that scares the crap out of me.

19. "All I Want For Christmas Is You" - Mariah Carey 
If you ever want to put a smile on my face, put this song on. This song is the musical equivalent of snugging up with my significant other next to a fireplace in the middle of the Christmas season, with my friends and family laughing it up and having a good time around us. Not only does this song invoke my absolute favorite time of the year, it puts a warm feeling in my heart that nothing else could top. 

18. "My Girls" - Animal Collective
My life anthem. I'm so damn pissed that Animal Collective wrote this song before I could, this song is ALL FREAKIN' ME. I was rockin' these lyrics in my head long before I had ever heard this song.

17. "Sleep" - Godspeed You! Black Emperor 
Best musical description of nostalgia and longing, both which are emotions that resonate strongly with me. Refer to my writeup on "Storm," it's basically the same thing here. So many emotions, so many musical orgasms had with this song, and the album it comes from.

16. "Con Te Partiro" - Andrea Bocelli
An amazing vocal performance, an amazing, emotional song. Simply one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. It belongs on the same list of "songs that show the power of music" (refer to my writeup about "Hallelujah" - Leonard Cohen below)

15. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye
A song that describes my feelings of the world. It's the best "world is messed up, but let's change it" song. The world is a messed up place, and love is the answer. I sound like a total hippie, but it's true. C'mon guys, let's all love another already, yeah? Because you know we've got to find a way, to bring some loving here today.

14. "Stand By Me" - Ben E. King
One of my favorite basslines ever. Played a significant part in me deciding how much I loved the bass as an instrument. It's also a great classic love song. Great stuff.

13. "Johnny B. Goode" - Chuck Berry
I'd hate to narrow my musical taste to just one genre, but at the same time, I can't deny that rock (and it's subgenres and derivations) is the biggest part to my music love. And since music is a big part of my life, well, then logic states that rock has been a big part of my life. And "Johnny B. Goode" is THE rock song to me. It is the point at which every other rock song revolves around. It also played a part in me eventually picking up the bass, albeit in a roundabout way (by simply making me love rock music that much more, i guess).

12. "A Love Supreme, Pt. 1: Acknowledgment" - John Coltrane 
A virtuosic, emotional portrayal of intimacy with God. I have no frickin' idea how Coltrane is able to pull it off, but I can actually sense the spiritual experience just by listening to this song. I can sense the experience he's going through, in which he "acknowledges" God. In a song with no vocals directly stating it, that's quite a feat. This song that single-handedly shows everything that makes music great: shows virtuosic playing, shows the emotional side of music. It's awesome.

11. "Hallelujah" - Leonard Cohen
I reserve the right to not have to pick between Cohen and Buckley's version of this timeless, classic song. Because I can't really pick between the 2, they're both great in different ways. I've placed this song in a mental list before, and that list was "classic songs that show the power of music." If aliens came down, and asked "what's so great about throwing together a bunch of tones to make this.... music thing?" These are one of the songs I would answer them with.

10. "God Only Knows" - The Beach Boys
 Probably the best pop song of all time. It's awesomeness is undeniable by anyone who hears it, really. Saying you hate "God Only Knows" is the equivalent of declaring that you hate Christmas. Nobody takes you seriously.

9. "What A Wonderful World" - Louis Armstrong 
The most beautiful song about our world and humanity. I'm usually downtrodden on our species, me saying "I hate people" is not an uncommon occurence. This song always reminds me otherwise, highlighting why we can be something of worth. So ridiculously beautiful. 

8. "Unchained Melody" - The Righteous Brothers
It has my vote for the best love song of all time. The Righteous Brothers' vocals absolutely nail it, just might be the best vocal performance ever, in my book. Breathtaking song.

7. "Your Hand In Mine" - Explosions in the Sky
Along with "Sleep", one of my favorite portrayals of longing, and also a portrayal of pure joy, that "all is right in the world" feeling. And like all great post-rock, you can tell exactly what it's talking about without any words being used. Pure magic.

6. "Storm" - Godspeed You! Black Emperor
This song, along with the rest of the Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven! album, is an emotional purge for me. There are so many emotions covered throughout that album (for this song, the notable emotions are triumph and overcoming.) This song, along with the album it comes from, is the one musical work that's given me the most musical orgasms in my life, and it's the one album i think i will never ever get tired of. Ever.

5. "Family Business" - Kanye West
Along with "My Girls", this is another song that defines my life. This song absolutely puts a smile on my face. My family isn't perfect, but nobody's is. This song celebrates family, friendship, hope and love for God. Those are things that I value dearly, and I would sincerely hope that other people see those as defining traits of me. Back on my old cell phone, every time I opened it, it greeted me with lyrics from this song: "Keep your nose out the sky, Keep your heart to God, and Keep your face to the rising sun." My new cell-phone doesn't have a message when I start it up, so maybe I should use "Family Business" as my ringtone or something.

4. "Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape" - Underoath
A song that absolutely nails the emotion involved with a relationship with God. The lyrics are perfect, the way the song is composed is absolutely perfect. "Hey unfaithful, I will teach you to be stronger. Hey unfaithful, I will teach you to forgive one another." I swear I want to cry when I hear that -ish. That's me, I'm unfaithful. That's Him, teaching me to be stronger, to forgive others. I could go and pick a bunch of other lines from this song, but then I'd be using almost every single line of the song. Suffice it to say... the person being spoken to in the song is me. The God portrayed is, well, God. And the emotions in the song are those of my own.

3. "Only In Dreams" - Weezer
This is THE song that influenced me to play bass. It's also a perfect portrayal of teenage angst, which is a useful emotion to portray when you want to be liked by Lucas. Love it.

2. Pachelbel's Canon in D
One of the most important pieces that started my love for music. Heard it in like 3rd or 4th grade, fell in love with music, and haven't looked back since.

1. "Everything" - Lifehouse
This song is just so damn perfectly crafted. It is a perfectly displays the remote-yet-intimate, the wonder, the awe, the longing for, and the passion of a relationship with God. Jason Wade's vocals are absolutely perfect, this song is perfect. A perfect, authentic song about a relationship with God.... that's what music, and in fact, what life is all about. (I used the word "perfect" 5 times in a short 4 sentence paragraph, what does that tell you?)