It’s funny how your music tastes change over time, experiences, relationships and time tuning your smiles and tears into a plastic schema of what is good – and not good music!
I am possibly a bit more obsessed with music than most, washing dishes to Classic FM on Globalplayer (Marguerita Taylor rules!), some Led Zep or PF when I am working in the shop, Cindy Bradley or Joyce Cooling when I want to smooth the rough edges of the day.
Over time here are the 10 songs that have hit me at the deepest core, in no particular order, the tunes that make me stop and listen, just listen.
There is an 11th, but that song is in a whole different league than the rest (even the PF), deserving of its own post someday.
The 10:
Liner Notes:
- Landslide – Stevie Nicks – Ok, ‘fess up any guy that grew up in the 70’s, ANYTHING that Stevie Nick sang was ambrosia! I like this one for her special blend of folk, soul and smooth
- Dance Me To the End of Love – Leonard Cohen – No matter overplayed Cohen’s songs are they are special – First We Take Manhattan, Closing Time, especially Hallelujah. I just happen to like this Cohen piece a tiny bit more than Manhattan.
- Zombie – The Cranberries – What a voice, what sadness to hear Dolores O’Riordan had died – waaay too young sigh
- Run – Snow Patrol – I might cause a riot but Dr. Who #10 was the best and the chemistry with Rose was sublime.
- Losing My Religion – REM – I thought I was losing my marbles and then this song came out. It wasn’t my marbles, it was my religion. Took a long time to come back but this song helped.
- Someone Like You – Adele – Man, this song speaks to me.
- Smooth – Santana Ft. Rob Thomas – Energy, Carlos, hot summer afternoon, I could listen to this guy forever (and have since Woodstock!).
- I Want To Know What Love Is – Foreigner – There was a time when I really started to wonder whether the world would be a better place if I had just gone off someplace by myself and stayed the hell out of the relationship game. I still wonder but Mrs. Bear and Sammo how many different forms love can have.
- In The Arms of An Angel – Sarah McLachlan – The Divine Ms. Sarah, possibly the best singer / songwriter this country has ever produced (imho) even with the likes of Neil Young, Gord Downey and Gordon Lightfoot as competition.
- Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd – It begins and ends with Comfortably Numb. THE Song. THE Guitar God… did I mention I want this played at my funeral? LOUD please and thanks.
Honourable Mention:
- Tubular Bells – Mike Oldfield
- Old & Wise – Alan Parsons Project
- Learning to Fly – Tom Petty
- Three Little Birds – Playing For Change
- Time to Say Goodbye – Andre Bocelli & Sara Brightman
- Englishman In New York – Sting
- Smooth Operator – Sade