Saturday 8 August 2020

101 Songs (Encore)

 It's been about 5 years since I put out a list of my 101 favourite songs (and when I did it in 2015 that was 5 years after the previous time), so it's as good a time as any to do it again.

Here the two previous lists for reference - one more verbose than the other

https://101songs.blogspot.com/2010/08/101-101-songs.html (2010)
https://101songs.blogspot.com/2015/11/my-favourite-101-songs.html (2015)

There is no attempt or pretence at objectivity here, these are just my favourites.

There's a lot that is the same as last time and the time before, a fair bit that is different. It's a bit sappier, reflects a little bit, but not too much, how these last five years have been spent.

I haven't put much thought into it, haven't applied any formulae, just looked through my various playlists and thought "yes, still love love love that" or "love that but it's a little in my past right now".

The order is pretty much entirely specious, except that I'd say that I do think 'All My Friends' has pretty solidly become my favourite song in the world. Saying that, I'll probably compel myself to be bored of it (for the first time) shortly.

Apart from the obvious, the other big lifestyle/music change from 5 years ago is that I don't run while listening to music anymore (I don't really run at mo, and even when I do it's sans headphones). That's surprisingly important. A lot of the euphoric listening to music I was doing between 2006 and 2016 was pounding the streets/treadmill, and it suited a certain type of song.

I might put in the odd note of explanation/mitigation here and there ...

  1. All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem
  2. From the Morning - Nick Drake
  3. Pa'lante - Hurray for the Riff-Raff
  4. Doo Wop (That Thing) - Lauryn Hill
  5. In California - Joanna Newsom
  6. When the Haar Rolls In - James Yorkston
  7. Idiot Wind - Bob Dylan
  8. My Baby Don't Understand Me - Natalie Prass
  9. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen
  10. I See a Darkness - Bonnie "Prince" Billy
  11. The Modern Leper - Julien Baker (cover of Frightened Rabbit)
  12. Being Alive - Stephen Sondheim
  13. Grace - Jeff Buckley
  14. Take it with Me - Tom Waits
  15. Song for Our Daughter - Laura Marling
  16. Lean on Me - Bill Withers
  17. Blind Willie McTell - Bob Dylan
  18. Family Affair - Mary J Blige
  19. Girl in Amber - Nick Cave
  20. Heatwave - Martha and the Vandellas
  21. Danny Callahan - Conor Oberst
  22. The Trapeze Swinger - Iron and Wine
  23. A Case of You - Joni Mitchell
  24. Place to Be - Nick Drake
  25. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) - Marvin Gaye
  26. Witness (1 Hope) - Roots Manuva
  27. Isis (live) - Bob Dylan
  28. Yes - McAlmont and Butler
  29. Floating in the Forth - Frightened Rabbit
  30. Up With People - Lambchop
  31. She's a Jar - Wilco
  32. First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes
  33. Bring da Ruckus - Wu-Tang Clan
  34. Bills, Bills, Bills - Destiny's Child
  35. Holes - Mercury Rev
  36. King Kunta - Kendrick Lamar
  37. Random Rules - Silver Jews
  38. Rise - Josh Rouse
  39. So Long, Marianne - Leonard Cohen
  40. Shake - Otis Redding
  41. No Children - Mountain Goats
  42. Diamonds and Rust - Joan Baez
  43. American Trilogy - The Delgados
  44. Bryte Side - The Pernice Brothers
  45. Black - Dave
  46. Be My Baby - The Ronettes
  47. Nutmeg - Ghostface Killah
  48. Amsterdam - UNPOC
  49. Better Son/Daughter - Rilo Kiley
  50. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) - Bruce Springsteen
  51. There She Goes, My Beautiful World - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
  52. Angela Surf City - The Walkmen
  53. Dancing on My Own - Robyn
  54. Caroline No - The Beach Boys
  55. Green Light - Lorde
  56. St Elmo's Fire - John Parr ... sometimes the ones we love ironically end up being the ones we love most of all
  57. I Want You - Elvis Costello
  58. The Rat - The Walkmen
  59. Send in the Clowns - Barbra Streisand (Sondheim)
  60. The Whole of the Moon - The Waterboys
  61. Simple Man - Graham Nash
  62. Unfollow the Rules - Rufus Wainwright ... this is pretty brand new, but it's really pure unfettered Wainwright and i love it
  63. How Far I'll Go - Moana
  64. Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher - Jackie Wilson
  65. Sign of the Times - Jamie T
  66. Jesus Etc - Wilco
  67. Danny Nedelko - Idles
  68. Ice Hockey Hair - Super Furry Animals
  69. Love Child -The Supremes
  70. Au Fond Du Temple Saint - Jussi Bjorling
  71. A Whole Lot Better - Brendan Benson
  72. You've Got a Friend - Carole King
  73. Sweet Jane - Velvet Underground
  74. Downtown Train - Tom Waits
  75. Kung Fu - Ash
  76. Ol' Man River - Paul Robeson
  77. Lithuania - Dan Bern
  78. Pink Rabbits - The National
  79. Be not So Fearful - Bill Fay
  80. Galveston - Glen Campbell
  81. Branches - Midlake
  82. Fight the Power - Public Enemy
  83. Love Love Love - Mountain Goats
  84. On and On - The Longpigs
  85. You Are Everything - Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross
  86. Tilted - Christine and the Queens
  87. Free Falling - Tom Petty ... after years of indifference, this one caught up with me recently
  88. There There My Dear - Dexys Midnight Runners
  89. Anyone - Joan as Policewoman
  90. Where Does the Good Go - Tegan and Sara
  91. Down in the Tube Station at Midnight - The Jam
  92. Dear Lord and Father of Mankind ... it's still can give me the shivers just to think about this one being sung well, let alone to here it sung well
  93. Mid Air - Paul Buchanan
  94. Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space - Spiritualized
  95. Shake it Off - Taylor Swift
  96. Friday Night - The Darkness ... pure silliness
  97. No One Know Me Like the Piano in My Mother's Room - Sampha
  98. The Judgement of the Moon and Stars - Joni Mitchell
  99. Time for Heroes - The Libertines
  100. The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll - Bob Dylan
  101. Redemption Song - Bob Marley


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