Last week I decided to sit down and select my Top 25 songs of all time. Why? I don’t know. I guess I like torture.
It’s not easy to pick your favorite songs. It’s easy to say “Oh, that’s a favorite” – I say that all the time – but to actually take the time to rank them in order from 1-25 is a challenge that’s both dreadful and satisfying. It forces you to see the beauty in each song you choose and brings to them a new level of appreciation. Also, I’ll now be able to mean it when I say, “Oh, that’s a favorite”. Now I can even add, “…it’s number 22 on my list!”
I’ve done this before. Each time the list is different – minus the Top 5, which never change – and each list represents how I feel at that time. I gave myself a rule when I made this list. No artist could be on the list more than once, if so it would be full of Led Zeppelin or Pearl Jam…and that’s no fun. Actually it is, but not as challenging.
I figured I’d share all the songs with you here so each day this week I’ll post five songs, counting down from my 25th favorite song to my favorite of all time. Evidently I feel what I think is important enough to share with you. So…let’s begin.
25. Eric Clapton – Wonderful Tonight | Album: Slowhand
Most of the songs on this list have a story, at the least a personal reason why I love the song, but with Wonderful Tonight I got nothin’. It’s just a beautiful song that made me feel giddy the first time I heard it. It’s one of my favorite songs to slow dance to, and I’m not a slow dancer.
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24. Joshua Radin – Someone Else’s Life | Album: We Were Here
Joshua Radin’s album We Were Here is one of my favorite albums of the last five years. When I first heard it I was afraid I would never put it down. Thankfully, I did. Although I still pick it up quite often. Someone Else’s Life is easily my favorite track on the album.
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23. Imogen Heap – Hide and Seek | Album: Speak for Yourself
Embarrassingly enough, I first heard this song while watching The O.C. It took me a while to track down the song, but once I did I became a big fan of Imogen Heap. Unfortunately Jason DeRulo has ruined the best part of the song – albeit in a catchy way.
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22. MxPx – Doing Time | Album: Life in General
I was a big MxPx fan in my high school years. They were the first band whose CD I had to have. Life in General is still one of my favorite albums and Doing Time is the track off the album that is still as catchy today as it was the first time I heard it.
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21. Ben Folds – The Luckiest | Album: Rockin’ the Suburbs
If I had to pick a favorite love song this would be…number 2 (see later on the list). The Luckiest is one of those songs that makes even the strongest of men feel all gushy. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. Listen for yourself and see if it’s true.
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