10 best songs you've ever heard

[yovargas]

Thought this could be fun.

My pick for 10 best songs I've ever heard. This was prompted when a good friend who shares my musical taste gave me his list. 4 of his top 10 were from the past five years which I think is crazy! This was really hard but I feel pretty good about this list, in part because it's a lot more balanced than his. Remember, these are Best, not Favorites - big difference. In no particular order (ranking is too hard!!!):

Led Zeppelin - Rock N Roll
Sigur Ros - Untitled #8 (very recent band, most probably wouldn't have heard of 'em)
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
Aretha Franklin - Respect
U2 - Where the Streets Have No Name
Bob Marley - No Woman No Cry
Nine Inch Nails - Closer
Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
Radiohead - No Surprises
Ray Charles - Georgia On My Mind

Whaddya think? Good list? Stupid list? Think you can do better? Let's see ya try!


eta:
Songs that have gotten more than one Top 10 mention so far:

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
The end - The Doors
Dream on - Aerosmith
Layla - Cream
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin
Respect - Aretha Franklin
Bad - U2
Strawberry Fields - The Beatles
Sympathy for the devil - The Rolling Stones

[elfshadow]

Wow. Well, this is going to be hard, but I'll try.


Simon & Garfunkle - America
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Road Trippin'
Aerosmith - Dream On
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody ( )
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Have You Ever Seen The Rain
Dobie Gray - Drift Away
Pink Floyd - Time
Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son
Bob Marley - Buffalo Soldier
Sage Francis - Makeshift Patriot

[Voronwë the Faithful]

My goodness, I wouldn't even know where to begin. I seriously doubt I could wittle down a list to ten, but I'll give it some more thought.

[yovargas]

I didn't think so either, V. It took me nearly two weeks of thought to come up with that list!

[Voronwë the Faithful]

See you in two weeks.

[Sassafras]

I'm not accepting any list that doesn't contain at least one Bob Dylan song.

Or one Beatles song.

Rolling Stones.

Just sayin'

[yovargas]

If I was going to 15, I probably could've found a spot for "Imagine" and "You can't always get what you want". Does that help any? (Sorry, I'm only familiar with a tiny number of Dylan songs.)

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Here, I'll just throw together a list off the top of my head. It'll be as accurate as anything I could decide on after several weeks of hard thought.

A Day in the Life - The Beatles
Desolation Row - Bob Dylan
Redemption Song - Bob Marley
Layla - Derek and the Dominos/Eric Clapton
Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix
Box of Rain - Grateful Dead
Stop That Train - Peter Tosh
The End - The Doors
Lord Give Me Strength - Luciano
Strength of Life - Israel Vibration

There is at least a hundred other songs that could just as easily be on this list (I could a list that was all Dylan songs, or all Beatles songs or all Dead songs, or all Bob Marley songs, and it would be just as accurate). But this all doing going away.

[Sassafras]

Oh all right ....

Sad-eyed Lady of the Lowlands ... Bob Dylan

Gimme Shelter ... Rolling Stones

Voodo Child ... Jimi Hendrix

Crossroads ... Cream

Strawberry Fields ... Beatles

Wish you were here ... Pink Floyd

Ziggy Stardust ... David Bowie

Mannish Boy ... Muddy Waters

One for my Baby ... Frank Sinatra

Bad ... U2

Only 10! This ... Is ... So ... Unfair!
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PS: Imagine was written by John Lennon after the Beatles split yov.

Layla was written post-Cream.

Just sayin'

[Voronwë the Faithful]

I was just about to fix that, Sassy.

[Jnyusa]

Out of all the Beatles songs, only because it gets voted #1 song of all time every year here in Philly:

1. Hey Jude
2. Layla - Derek and the Dominoes
3. The White Room - Cream
4. Dream On - Aerosmith
5. Blowin' in the Wind - Bob Dylan
6. While My Guitar Gently Weeps - George Harrison
7. Truckin' - Grateful Dead
8. The Load or Cripple Creek (equally representative) - The Band
9. Black Water - Doobie Brothers
10. Saint Teresa - Joan Osborne

The last two are personal favorites ... don't know if they really qualify as best songs of all time.

[elfshadow]

I tried to put a Beatles song on my list, but for the life of me I could not think of one that I liked more than ALL the rest of their songs. I could probably make a top 10 list of the Beatles alone and I'd have trouble narrowing it down.


And now I'm thinking of all these great songs I should have put on my list! But then I wouldn't know which one to kick OFF my list. I think I'll update mine in a few days or so, when I've thought about it for longer.

[Jnyusa]

Just read Sassy's list again ... Gimme Shelter - a personal favorite but also a song for all time given its lurid history

I have trouble deciding whether 'best' should be 'songs I like best' or songs that changed the way songs are written.

If the latter, then the Beatles and Rolling Stones 'Nowegian Wood' and 'Paint It Black' have to be right up there (and Harrison's 'Within You, Without You') for their introduction of sitar and tabla to rock music. I think that Led Zeppelin's foray into Arabic music was ... unleashed ... by that trend. What year did they write Stairway to Heaven?

Jn

[vison]

In no particular order:

1. That's All Right, Mama, by Elvis Presley (I think this is the BEST SONG EVER)

2. The Ballad of John and Yoko, John Lennon and Yoko Ono

3. I heard it through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye or by CCR

4. Your Cold, Cold Heart by Hank Williams

5. Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty

6. (Something tells me I'm into) Something Good, by Herman's Hermits (little sweet song)

7. Rocket Man by Elton John or White Wedding by Billy Idol, can't decide. See me sneak an 11th song in?

8. Respect, by Aretha Franklin

9. Great Balls of Fire by Jerry Lee Lewis

10. Someday Soon by Judy Collins.

In five minutes I will have five different lists, but "That's All Right, Mama, by Elvis Presley will always be number one.

[Sassafras]

Jn, I had a difficult time choosing between 'Gimme Shelter' and 'Sympathy for the Devil'.

Oh, and actually, I chose songs that I like best. I'd have to come up with another list if it were to be based purely on innovations that changed the music of the time.

In which case Elvis, The Beatles and Bob Dylan would lead the charge.

eta: Whoo Hoo! vison! 'That's Allright Mama' very nearly made my list. I love that song. (If only it were longer)

eta #2: Jn, Do you mean 'The Weight'? by The Band?
'Music From Big Pink is a great album.
I saw the Band in 1965 when they backed Bob Dylan. Tres cool

[vison]

Since I know bugger all about music and innovations and all that fancy stuff, any list I make will just be music I love!!

But no list of mine will ever have Jimi Hendrix on it. Nor Stevie Ray Vaughn. But those two guys would be pretty much at the top of my husband's lists.

Oh, and Tony Bennett. HIS version of "Your Cold, Cold Heart" would have to be right up there with Hank's.

Acccck!!! Sam Cooke!!! Ella Fitzgerald!!!!! Loreena McKennit!!!!! Joanie Mitchell!!!!!!! Burl Ives!!!!! Hank Snow!!!!! The Carter Family!!!!!! Bobby Darin!!!!! Joe Cocker!!!!! The Beach Boys!!!!! Harry Hibbs!!!!! Stan Rogers!!!!!!!

My goodness. The list has to be about 1,000,000 songs long.

[Holbytla]

I couldn't possibly make a top ten list. No way.
I will list ten songs and you can make of that what you will.
In no order, and subject to change...

10. Woodstock version of "Going Home" - Ten Years After
9. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow - The Shirelles
8. Crazy - Patsy Cline
7. Louie Louie - The Kingsmen
6 I Saw Her Standing There - The Beatles
5 Satisfaction - The Stones
4. Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who
3. Sympathy For The Devil -The Stones
2. Should Have Known Better - The Beatles
1. Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin

I really thinkThe Beatles, Stones, The Who and Led Zeppelin should be omitted from these lists. That way I can include Dylan, Berry etc.
How can I leave off Fooled Around and Fell In Love by Elvin Bishop?
Europa by Santana? Let It Rock by Bob Seger? Be My Baby by Ronnie Specter? Don't Worry Baby by The Beach Boys?

Too many songs for a top ten list.

[cemthinae]

Do these *have* to be pop songs?

Cuz I only would have 3-4 songs on my list that would even have words to them.

Not to mention it would take me years to decide & I'd have changed my mind so many times that I would never be able to remember what I had picked.

*sigh*

Facing that prospect I shall drop this off, in no particular order:

Someone To Watch Over Me~ Gershwin (composer)

Singin' In The Rain~ Freed & Brown (composers)

One Of These Days~ FFH

Do You Believe In Magic~ The Lovin' Spoonful

At Long Last Love~ Frank Sinatra

Return To Me~ Dean Martin

Sway~ Michael Bublé

Remember When It Rained~ Josh Groban

This Magic Moment~ The Drifters (and *only* them! )

The Puppy Song~ Harry Nillson

*whew*

I wouldn't call these my favourite songs ever, but it's a list, so there ya go.

[Alatar]

Woah. Tough... Like someone said, this could change daily...

Layla - Derek and the Dominos
Tales of Brave Ulysses - Cream
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
Bad - U2
For Crying Out Loud - Meatloaf/Steinman
Telegraph Road - Dire Straits
Shape of My Heart - Sting
Nothing But the Same Old Story - Paul Brady
She's Not There - Santana
Praying for Time - George Michael

Aaarggh.... ran out of room for loads!!!!!

Honourable mentions:
Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
The End - The Doors
Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

[nerdanel]

Okay, um, are we even ALLOWED to have songs from the past five years? I didn't even start listening to popular music until then , and I'm only slowly working my way back historically (back to the mid-1980s by now). If I do this, I'm going to show my un-pop-culturedness.