Here, for fun, are my 25 favorite songs of the decade, in chronological order.
If You’re Gone - Matchbox 20 - How Chicago could sound if they tried harder
Yellow - Coldplay - First song I ever heard; still one of their best
Always Crashing in the Same Car - David Bowie - Classic reinterpreted for the better
The Middle - Jimmy Eat World - When’s the last time you had this much fun listening to a rock song?
The Rising - Bruce Springsteen - Redemption in a rock song
Steve McQueen - Sheryl Crow - Kick-ass summer song
Everyone Says Hi - David Bowie - Bowie as the crooner doing Phil Spector pop
It’s a Groove This Life - Robert Lamm - A delicate pop song about the meaning of life
Hey Ya! - Outkast - Not since “The Middle” have I danced to a more fun song
Heaven - Los Lonely Boys - Great guitar work from a trio of Texas boys
1985 - Bowling for Soup - My high school years summed up in three minutes
Mother India - Caedmon’s Call - Transcends religions to a common, hopeful purpose
Crazy - Gnarls Barkley - Just about the best song I heard all decade
Come to Me, Do - Chicago - Pure fun and pop by a band that hadn’t had fun since 1993
The Island - The Decemberists - Indie/prog rock in a 12-minute opus, incredible
Long Walk Home - Bruce Springsteen - The state of American circa 2007
Sister Lost Soul - Alejandro Escovedo - A song of longing by a fantastic artist
Why So Serious? - The Dark Knight soundtrack by Hans Zimmer - AKA, Joker's Theme - Never has one note sounded so ominous
I’m Alive - Tom Jones - Jones’s mission statement kicks off a wonderful CD
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend - New sound by a unique band
Oh No - Andrew Bird - Dang can this guy whistle; be sure to have a dictionary nearby
Ms. Garvey Ms. Garvey - Roy Hargrove - Splendid bari sax solo
City Noir - John Adams - The sound of modern classical music
Christmas at Sea - Sting - Robert Louis Stevenson’s poem set to a multitude of musical influences
Mrs. Cold - Kings of Convenience - Never has two men and guitars sounded so good
"Yellow" was the first song you ever heard? (LOL)
ReplyDeleteI do like that song. There's a part at the end where they do something kind of rare for a pop song—a chord substitution. Well, kind of. It's where the drums drop out and he's singing "Look at the stars/Look how they shine for you," and on "you" they play an F sharp minor chord instead in F sharp major. Not a really advanced substitution or anything, but I always notice it. Thought you might find that interesting. (:
You picked some toe-tappers for sure, Scott. Some of them became the national audio wallpaper for a season or two. I'm especially thinking of Crazy or Hey Ya or The Middle. But ya know, when they come on...I'm tapping and shaking all over again!
ReplyDeleteNefarious!
I am trying to understand John Adams just now. So far, I can't find the key.
ReplyDeleteChris - Yeah, guess I forgot an adjective. I've liked pretty much everything Coldplay has released except for X&Y.
ReplyDeleteClare2e - Those three you mention get me grinning after two notes and I'm be-bopping for the rest of the song.
Patti - "City Noir" was my first taste of Adams. It's an intriguing piece and one I want to hear again. I have a conductor friend and he recommended Adams's Violin Concerto and a few other concert pieces. I'm working my way through them now. I'll report later.
Excellent selections, Scott! I agree about Yellow, it's probably still my favorite Coldplay song (although The Scientist is another fave).
ReplyDeleteInteresting Lamm/Chicago choices too. Come to Me, Do should have been a single instead of Feel. Heck that or any of the Champlin tunes on the tail end of XXX would have been better singles than Feel.
Oh and much like you, I really love The Middle as well. One of the most fun pop songs, not just of the past 10, but I'd argue the past 15 or 20 years.
Hey Ya! I liked the first few times I heard it, but I think it was overplayed to the point it became stale. I once even heard an acoustic cover of it on the radio that left me scratching my head in confusion wondering "WHY?!"