In Nick Hornby's book High Fidelity (arguably the Rock Geek Bible) his lovesick protagonist Rob Fleming randomly made top-five lists while toiling about his North London second hand record store. Hornby takes his list-making obsession to new heights in Songbook, a collection of essays about his most cherished and personally dissected songs ever. The book also known as 31 Songs in Britain, is a wonderful reminder of the power of a simple ditty or textured arrangement to enhance our daily existence. Bruce Springsteen once claimed in song of course that "I learned more from a 3 minute record than I ever did in school" and I'm sure many of us can relate. So in that spirit I've asked many musical minds, local and otherwise, to compile their own lists of 31 favorite songs. As in Hornby's book the criteria was not picking what you believe was the artist's greatest work, just what you hold as a personal favorite. I sincerely don't believe Hornby would cite Bob Dylan"s "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window" as Dylan's best work ever, just that it's the one that has a track listing on the soundtrack of his life. People who wouldn't normally make lists have expressed concern about making such a list but have conceded to the fact that a list of personal 31 songs chosen in the moment is not written in stone.
This new entry comes from a co-worker whose smart funny quips about current calamities made me suspect that her song list would be a work of pure beauty or at least better than my lame introduction. Here's :
Monica Yungeberg's 31 Songs1.
“Mr. Blue Sky” – E.L.O.
2.
“Gulf Coast Highway” – Nanci Griffith
3.
“Leaving London” – Doc Watson
4.
“On the Nickel” – Tom Waits. I had a sublime experience with this song at about age 15… changed my whole perspective on music.
5.
“Leaving Train” – Gillian Welch
6.
“(Want Some) Seafood, Mama” – The Andrews Sisters
7.
“I Fall to Pieces” – Patsy Cline
8.
“Man in the Long Black Coat” – Joan Osborne, (Wr. by Bob Dylan) Yes, this is the Joan Osborne know for the dumb speculations about God being one of us. But her bluesy voice and Dylan’s lyrics equal a big *mwah* from me.
9.
“Snowing on Raton” – Townes Van Zandt
10.
“I Get Carried Away” – George Strait
11.
“Dream River” – The Mavericks
12.
“Mystery” – The Indigo Girls
13.
“Daydream Believer” – The Monkees. If you want to know how I spent my childhood, watch hours upon hours of re-runs of The Monkees. And I always thought Davy was the dreamiest- mostly because he was closest to my height- but thus this song.
14.
“L.A. Freeway” – Guy Clark
15.
“Only Living Boy in New York” – Simon and Garfunkel
16.
“Comin’ Down in the Rain” – Nanci Griffith (Wr. by Buddy Mondlock) “Burning himself out on a limb, like a leaf in the fall / Blazed for a while, now he’s feeling all dried up and small / Color’s all gone, disappeared near as quick as it came / He says he can stay up. But he’ll only come down in the rain.”
17.
“Jesus on the Radio” – Guster
18.
“Uncle John’s Band” – Jimmy Buffet (Wr. by Jerry Garcia) Apologies if you’re a Dead fan- but I like Jimmy Buffet, and (gasp) his version, complete with steel drums, really captures the essence of the song for me.
19.
“It’s Alright” - Curtis Mayfield
20.
“Peaceful, Easy Feeling” – The Eagles. Sorry, Dude.
21.
“Feel Like a Number” – Bob Segar and the Silver Bullet Band
22.
“Funky Dixieland” – The Doobie Brothers
23.
“Let’s Stay Together” – Al Greene
24. “
King of the Road” – Roger Miller. I grew up on Roger Miller, and would love to have picked a more esoteric Miller choice, but I just love this song. The syncopated rhythmic hook is pure genius.
25.
“Free to Decide” – The Cranberries
26.
“Like Everyone She Knows” – James Taylor. Fabulous guitar intro.
27. “
The ‘Emperor’ Piano Concerto op. 73” L. Van Beethoven- pretension, what? I honestly just love it. Especially the Adagio un Poco Moto…
28. “
Long Time Gone”- Darrell Scott w/ Tim O’Brien
29.
“Me and the Eagle” – Steve Earle
30. “
Morning Song for Sally” – Jerry Jeff Walker. Possibly the best, most honest love song I’ve ever heard.
31. “
Moonlight Serenade” – Glenn Miller Band. There is no better slow dance.
Hey! Haven't posted in a while despite the fact that I have lots of stored-up unposted 31 songlists waiting to go.
Here's David Naylor's 31 Song list :
Take it away Dave ...
31. Guided by Voices - "Unleashed! Large Hearted Boy"
Two minutes of bass driven pop....perfect.
30. Devo - "Mongoloid"
Devo were one of the best bands to ever grace this planet because of tracks
like "Mongoloid".
29. Urusei Yatsura - "First Day on a New Planet"
"Bah bah da da, bah bah da da - First day on a brand new planet". Everyone
invaded the stage to Siamese, but I beat them to it when this came
on.....fool that I am.
28. Uncle Tupelo - "Effigy"
First of two tracks from the "No Alternative" compilation. In my opinion,
the best track that both Jeff Tweedy and Jay Farrar have been involved in,
despite the brilliance of Wilco and Son Volt.
27. Modest Mouse - "Teeth Like God's Shoeshine"
"He sparkles, shimmers and shines". Just shy of 7 minutes, it starts off
with a burst, calms itself down, gets loud again, goes quiet, and just as
you think it's all over...Bang...it explodes one more time. With any luck,
Isaac Brock will not have his creativity stifled on a major label.
26. Pixies - "All Over the World"
Always has been my favourite Pixies song since I first heard it many moons
ago. "With a pet at my side, God in the sky". It's a shame Frank Black lost
his magic touch.
25. Violent Femmes - "Blister in the Sun"
An obvious choice, but my love of this song was heightened after seeing
"Grosse Point Blank".
24. Afghan Whigs - "Debonair"
There's no doubting Greg Dulli's talents, and "Debonair" still has the same
effect on me now as it did when I first heard it.
23. Underworld - "Rez"
Nearly 10 minutes of swirling sounds, and vastly superior than the disaster
that I thought "Beacoup Fish" was. And no Karl Hyde shouting "Lager, Lager,
Lager" either.....
22. Girls Against Boys - "Bulletproof Cupid"
Several more dimensions are added when this is played live. I'm not joking
either.....
21. Mogwai - "New Paths to Helicon"
Grown men cried when this was played live. I think that says it all really.
Typical Mogwai formula....quiet, loud, quiet. But much more complex than
that...
20. Super Furry Animals - "International Language of Screaming"
SFA rival Pavement and Dinosaur Jr for wacky videos, and this one was no
exception. Heads coming out of stairs....I can forgive them for saying
"Leicester's fookin' shite" before playing a 11 song set in 20 minutes.
19. Grandaddy - "Summer Here Kids"
The one question everyone asked was "What the hell is Imdumininity?"
18. Fugazi - "Waiting Room"
Again, probably an obvious choice, but I've loved this song for over 10
years now.
17. PiL - "The Order of Death"
"This is what you want, this is what you get." The best thing that John
Lydon has ever done.
16. MC5 - "Kick Out the Jams"
The first song on a major label to feature the word "motherfucker". Pure
noise and chaos.
15. Beach Boys - "Heroes and Villains"
Contrary to Norwegian folklore, the Beach Boys were probably the best band
of the 60's. That they ended up bringing out awful Christmas albums doesn't
detract from their 60's brilliance.
14. Karp - "Meet Me in Lacey"
World Heavy Metal champions, and this broody masterpiece starts with three
minutes of relative quiet before the cry of "Bourgeoisie denied!" is heard.
Karp were brilliant.
13. Talulah Gosh - "I Can't Get No Satisfaction (Thank God)"
One of the most shambolic live bands ever, but their legacy lived on through
Heavenly and now Marine Research.
12. Treepeople - "(I'm Gonna) Miss You (When You're Dead)"
"I wake up turn my brain off, go to sleep turn my brain on". Doug Martsch
started off with Treepeople, and with songs like this paved the way for
bands like Foo Fighters. 8 years old, and it sounds so fresh.
11. Sugar - "The Act We Act"
A perfect way to start an album. Sugar breathed live into Creation (along
with Sony's money) during their brief stay.
10. Tim Keegan and the Homer Lounge - "Save Me From Happiness"
Now The Departure Lounge, Tim Keegan's voice is amazing. And I would not
have heard this song if it wasn't for getting a free Elephant 6 CD through
the post.
9. Nirvana - "Verse Chorus Verse"
The other song from "No Alternative" and my favourite Nirvana track. "And if
you save yourself, you will make him happy"
8. Mercury Rev - "Carwash Hair"
Though many people think they've slightly lost their way a bit, or that they
learnt everything they knew from The Flaming Lips, no one can deny that
"Carwash Hair" is a moment of brilliance.
7. REM - "Perfect Circle"
REM will always deliver brilliant songs on average albums, though "Murmur"
was far from average. I fell in love with this song when I first heard it
and it is still my favourite.
6. Adorable - "Sunshine Smile"
If only Adorable had stuck it out for a few more years, then we may have
heard more cuts like this. Never have my shoes looked so good when I dance
to this....
5. My Bloody Valentine - "You Made Me Realise"
Re: Kevin Shields. I still have some hope. We need him back doing what he
does best...
4. Dinosaur Jr - "Freak Scene"
"Don't let me fuck up will you"
One of the last five songs I heard in the last millennium, and the effect
that the song has on me is still the same as when I first heard it.
3. Built to Spill - "Get a Life"
"She said thats not what she said." Doug Martsch is lo-fi's answer to Bob
Mould. A brilliant song writer, inventive guitarist, and an all round nice
guy.
2. Versus - "Frog"
I only have two tracks by Versus - both brilliant cuts, but this one stands
out. The simple formula of a quiet, loud and over wraught vocals works
perfectly here.
1. Husker Du - "Gravity"
Bob Mould is one of the best guitarists of the last 20 years, and the guitar
solo in "Gravity" sticks in you mind long after you first hear it.
Well.....just thought I'd share my list with y'all. I've written all the
commentary while being distracted by "The Day Today" and being in stitches
for most of it.....the sheer genius of doing a Nirvana spoof where they do
the music to a panty liners advert, and having a rap artist called Fur Q and
a song called "Uzi Lover". Genius of the highest order....like the 31 songs
on my list, I guess...
Proving such lists aren't written in stone a lot of 31 songlist contributors have sent in alternate lists or more accurately up-to-the-minute entires. Here's one I particularly enjoyed from
Dean Jones :
Well I've had a little too much to drink and can't sleep at the moment so here it goes...
(Bear in mind that I have been in a Power Pop/ Jangle Pop mood lately)
1. Big Star - "September Gurls"
2. The Beatles - "Revolution (single version)"
3. Paul Westerberg (or Westerburg according to Heathers) - "Let's Not Belong"
4. Aimee Mann - "Long Shot"
5. Rival Schools (R.I.P.) - "High Acetate"
6. Elvis Costello - "No Action"
7. Todd Rundgren - "Slut" (can't help it, this song always makes me laugh)
8. Nick Lowe - "Cruel To Be Kind"
9. The Buzzcocks - "Harmony In My Head"
10. The Adverts - "One Chord Wonders"
11. The Replacements - "Bastards Of The Young"
12. Chris Bell - "I Am The Cosmos"
13. MC5 - "Sister Anne"
14. The La's - "Son Of A Gun"
15. XTC - "Life Begins At The Hop"
16. The Donnas - "Tale It Off" to quote my friends Phillip (note the two "white trash" L's) "Now that's a sandwich I want to be part of."
17. The Creation - "Making Time"
18. The Kinks - "Waterloo Sunset" were you expecting something else? It's just one of the most fucking brilliant pop songs ever written!
19. Nirvana - "In Bloom"
20. Uncle Tupelo - "High Water"
21. Ramones - "Rockaway Beach"
22. Television - "Torn Curtain"
23. Juliana Hatfield - "Everyone Loves Me But You"
24. The dB's - "Black And White"
25. R.E.M. - "(Don't Go Back To) Rockville"
26. Weezer - "El Scorco" God damn you half-japanese girls!!!
27. Husker Du - "Pink Turns To Blue"
28. Matthew Sweet - "Girlfriend"
29. Sugar - "A Good Idea"
30. Pixies - "Where Is My Mind"
31. Old 97's - "Four Leaf Clover"
This 31 song entry comes from a student home-brewed in Philomath, Oregon.
She mostly just plays volleyball for kicks but this last year her boyfriend,
Adrien and she among one other became co-MVP's of their Street Hockey league in
the upper Oregon area (Portland, Beaverton and such). Their team won the title
this year. She writes :
"Music is a huge part of life. It's the heart and soul to my day's background
and I carry my iPod around like it's another kidney. Music caters to how I
feel/i.e. with my mood... and you know girls, we're like the weather. I
play the trumpet and enjoy brass anything but also cherish well-written
lyrics or songs that carry melodies/motives with a punch."
She is
Kate CurransKate Currans's 31 songlist :1. Beth Hart - "Leave The Light On"
2. India.Arie - "Brown Skin"
3. Squeeze - "Tempted"
4. Nichole Kidman and Cast - "Sparkling Diamonds"
5. John Williams - "Summon The Heros"
6. Genuine - "When Doves Cry"
7. The Tubes - "What do You Want from Life?"
8. Rufus Wainwright - "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk"
9. N.W.A. - "Express Yourself"
10. Shania Twain - "She's Not Just a Pretty Face"
11. Cake - "Short Skirt/Long Jacket"
12. Frank Sinatra - "I Won't Dance"
13. Eve - "Love Is Blind"
14. Seal - "Waiting For You"
15. En Vogue - "Free Your Mind"
16. Blood Sweat And Tears - "Lucretia MacEvil"
17. OutKast & Sleepy Brown - "The Way You Move"
18. Everlast - "Love For Real"
19. Lauryn Hill - "Can't Take My Eyes Off You"
20. Carly Simon - "You're So Vain"
21. Aaliyah - "More Than A Woman"
22. Madonna - "Like A Prayer"
23. Tupac Shakur - "Dear Mama"
24. Nicole C. Mullen - "My Redeemer Lives"
25. Maroon 5 - "She Will Be Loved"
26. Ram Jam - "Black Betty"
27. Blood Sweat and Tears - "Something's Coming On"
28. The Darkness - "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"
29. Saliva - "Rest In Peices"
30. Janequin - "Song of the Birds"
31. New York Philharmonic - "Sprach Zarathustra""In no particular order. Subject to change.
I'd encourage you to try some of them." - Kate Currans
