My top 10 favorite songs (revisited (again))

Had the idea to do another one of these last night, and it turns out I made the last one exactly one year ago today. The list had definitely seen some major changes in the last year, but I won’t give anything away. Here’s the list:

Honorable mentions: America - “Sister Golden Hair,” Gorillaz - “Rhinestone Eyes,” Blaze Foley - “No Goodwill Stores in Waikiki” 

10. Simon & Garfunkel - “The Boxer”

Not sure what really got me into this song, but I just cannot get over that tuba (or whatever it is). I don’t think I have too much more to say just a beautiful song. 

9. Steely Dan - “Do It Again”

This song reenters the list for the same reason it was on it in the first place: the groove. Also, I think the mythos of this song has just continued to grow on me over time; the more people I’ve listened to it with, the stronger its aura gets. 

8. Joey Bada$$ - “Waves”

This song stays in my top 10 because I just can’t get over how smooth it is. Surely I said something along the same lines last time, but hey, the song hasn’t changed and neither has my review. 

7. Talking Heads - “Road to Nowhere”

Huge shoutout to the Family Vaca squad for this one. I will forever associate this song with driving around the country in New Zealand, which seemed to perfectly fit the song in both vibe and literal meaning. From these moments, this song has become a personal symbol of adventure. Of course, the song probably wouldn’t make the list only for sentimental purposes, but lucky for it, it happens to be awesome. The intro is so pretty (the way Byrne’s voice sings the first two words alone before being joined by the ensemble), and the rest of the song marches along with such an infectious buzz, it’s just so good.

6. Little Willie John - “I’m Shakin’”

I don’t know what it is about this song, but also I totally do know: it’s that damn refrain. I do love John’s voice, which completely fills the space left during each verse, and I’d say he does an effective job bridging the gap  between each refrain, but it’s what has to be one of the catchiest horn riffs I’ve ever heard that makes this song amazing. 

5. Pink Floyd - “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”

I spent a long time in my head debating whether or not I was allowed to put this in as one song (just gonna put this here for those who may not know but this song is typically broken up into 2 songs, parts 1-5 and parts 6-9), but while I understand the artistic/stylistic choice to break up the song, I determined that I could just throw the whole thing on the list and call it good. I think I’m justified in doing this because it is ultimately one song, and the separation is something that I think puts the song lower on the list. I have so much I could say about this song. I think the interplay between the synths and guitar in the first three parts (mainly 1 and 3) is simply one of the coolest things ever. The lyrics in parts 4 and 7 are beautiful, and of course I can’t ignore the Richard Wright masterpiece that is part 9. Overall, this song has so many incredible elements that they had to nerf it and split it in two (unfortunate). 

4. Spiritualized - “Do It All Over Again”

Shoutout to my dad for putting me on to this song, and Spiritualized as a whole, over the summer. Currently, I can pretty safely say that they’re one of my favorite artists, with their massive instrumentals that stimulate my ears in ways few others have done with such consistency. That being said, this is the song the started it all for me. While it’s relative simple by Spiritualized standards (pulling this from the Pitchfork review), there’s still so much going on. The ever-increasing strings section, the awesome little bass licks after the chorus, and the awesome guitar solo before the third verse, it’s all so great. And yet upon listening to this song for the first time, you might not notice any of that, because the chorus is just so damn catchy. If you just listen to the lyrics, you’ll be hooked, and the backing tracks will permeate your subconscious to keep you listening again and again. 

3. Lupe Fiasco - “Mural”

Surprisingly, this song has dropped a spot in my ranking. That being said, all of the praise I have for it still applies, and it just barely got beat out by song ahead of it. 

2. Spiritualized - “So Long You Pretty Thing”

This song is a little weird. The intro is sung by J. Spaceman and his daughter, with her pre-adolescent voice adding a slightly haunting tone to the dark but uplifting lyrics. The verses as rather sad, but the instrumental maintains the uplifting atmosphere. You find yourself stuck in between these juxtaposed moods by the time the song reaches it crux (a little more than 4 minutes in) which brings you to the most bizarre but wonderful chorus I’ve ever heard. Repeating over and over for around 3.5 minutes, the chorus is what makes this song feel like a complete story arc. The there’s the intro, the rising action (the verses), and the chorus serves as the ultimate climax, with the song fully peaking (in my opinion) with the introduction of the background vocals, and then the resolution comes as the chorus slowly fades out, remaining as catchy and entertaining as when it’s first sung. When I first played this song for Alex, she asked me if it was “the song” from the album, to which I instinctively said yes. It absolutely is “the song,” and the fact that anyone could tell from just one listen is just evidence of that. 

1. Pink Floyd - “Echoes”

Not too too much to say about this one that I haven’t already said, but I cannot understate enough how incredible this song is. Every part of this song comes together in perfect harmony, which is exactly what the song is telling us to do. That, I think, is the most beautiful thing of all.