Great songs, according to me (Part 15)
You know you want to know what the next ten songs are in my continuing series of great songs according to me! Don't deny it! So let's jump right in:
141. Discothèque (by U2 on the album Pop, 1997): Many people do not like this album. This bothered me, because I loved that U2 was moving beyond its roots and attempting new things. Once it sold like crap, they went back to the same old same old, which is good but kind of sad. This song kicks off the album, and you know it's going to be something different, because it's funky and driving and everything U2 isn't. Yes, it's unusual, but part of its greatness is because Bono and the lads were willing to try, and for the most part, especially with this song, they succeeded. Listen to Pop again. Don't you wish they had kept experimenting?
142. Does Anybody Out There Even Care (by Lenny Kravitz on the album Let Love Rule, 1989): Lenny's first album had some good songs and some not-so-good, but this one is the best one on it. It's a nice socially conscious song, and it starts off nice and quiet, but then Lenny freaks out, and it's always fun when Lenny freaks out. Then, when he says, "We better catch ourselves before we fall," he's singing from the very depths of his soul, which is always something that helps a song achieve greatness. Fine tune, this is.
143. Don't Change (by INXS on the album Shabooh Shoobah, 1982): The final song on this amazing album is a rather sad paean to innocence and stability. There's not a lot to the song, but Hutchence sings with such passion that you can't help but feel it and love it. "Things have been dark for too long," indeed.
144. Don't Crash The Car Tonight (by Mary's Danish on the album There Goes The Wondertruck ..., 1989): God, what a cool album. Funky and country all at once, and this starts the album with a blast of both. Whiny voices (in a good way), a driving guitar, funky bass, and cool lyrics. It's short and sweet and sets the mood for the rest of the album perfectly. I miss Mary's Danish.
145. Don't Wait That Long (by James on the album Seven, 1992): I absolutely love this song. It's a love song, and a cry for help, and the music and lyrics mesh perfectly. It starts off quietly with horns and moves easily into Tim Booth's slightly nasal voice, plaintively asking, "How long will it take to get used to me?" When he gets to "I don't understand how our fight starts, not enough to believe in love, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know where we've gone wrong," you can feel the pain in his voice. This whole album is very good, and this is the crown jewel. I miss James.
146. Down And Out (by Genesis on the album ... And Then There Were Three, 1978): This is the first song on this album, and it's a strong start for a very good Genesis disc. This is the third Phil Collins as lead singer album, and it's interesting, because you can hear the band wobbling between the art-rock Gabriel era and the future pop-era Collins stuff. This song, interestingly enough, is a song about the pressure of being a aging rock band who might need a hit in order to keep their contract. It's a bittersweet album, because it marks a step along the way to Invisible Touch (blech), but this song remains a powerful statement about the music business and how it operates.
147. Down To The River To Pray (by Alison Krauss on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, 2000): Boy, is this a nice song. Sweet and spiritual, and Krauss's voice is stunning. It can't help but uplift you. The whole soundtrack is excellent, but when this song comes on, you must turn it up and turn your heart to prayer. It's almost enough to make me a Christian lad.
148. Driftwood (by Travis on the album The Man Who, 1999): Travis is kind of a weird, dorky little band, kind of Coldplay-lite. I only own this one album, and it's not bad, but there's a lot o' depressing tunes on it. Get out in the sunshine, boys! "Driftwood" is the best song on the album, because it's a tad more bouncy and fun (not much, but a little) and it has a great chorus: "I'm sorry that you've turned to driftwood, but you've been drifting for a long, long time." A fine, wistful tune (and if it's the funnest song on the album, you know the rest of it is depressing) that zips along and makes you wonder where your moral center is.
149. Drink Before The War (by Sinéad O'Connor on the album The Lion And The Cobra, 1987): O'Connor's beautiful and powerful voice is on full display on this song, which should end her debut album (but doesn't). This is a brilliant anti-war song, and O'Connor is so snarly and wounded as she sings, you just can't escape her disdain, especially at the end, when she practically screams, "So stop talking of war, 'cause you know we've heard it all before ... Why don't you go out there and do something useful?" Ah, the glory that is Sinéad!
150. Drip, Drip, Drip (by Chumbawamba on the album Tubthumper, 1997): I have mentioned this album before - yes, "Tubthumping" was an annoying song after a while, and it's not that good to begin with, but the rest of the album is very good, and this song is near the top. As usual with this album, it's a funky beat with darker lyrics, and it soars triumphantly when the gang sings, "Take me in, throw me out, put me up, let me down ..." Superb stuff from those wacky anarchists.
Another ten songs in the book. Only 600 or so to go! I'm in it for the long haul, people! As usual, if you're interested in the other songs I think are great, you can read about them here: Part One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen and .... Fourteen. Phew!
141. Discothèque (by U2 on the album Pop, 1997): Many people do not like this album. This bothered me, because I loved that U2 was moving beyond its roots and attempting new things. Once it sold like crap, they went back to the same old same old, which is good but kind of sad. This song kicks off the album, and you know it's going to be something different, because it's funky and driving and everything U2 isn't. Yes, it's unusual, but part of its greatness is because Bono and the lads were willing to try, and for the most part, especially with this song, they succeeded. Listen to Pop again. Don't you wish they had kept experimenting?
142. Does Anybody Out There Even Care (by Lenny Kravitz on the album Let Love Rule, 1989): Lenny's first album had some good songs and some not-so-good, but this one is the best one on it. It's a nice socially conscious song, and it starts off nice and quiet, but then Lenny freaks out, and it's always fun when Lenny freaks out. Then, when he says, "We better catch ourselves before we fall," he's singing from the very depths of his soul, which is always something that helps a song achieve greatness. Fine tune, this is.
143. Don't Change (by INXS on the album Shabooh Shoobah, 1982): The final song on this amazing album is a rather sad paean to innocence and stability. There's not a lot to the song, but Hutchence sings with such passion that you can't help but feel it and love it. "Things have been dark for too long," indeed.
144. Don't Crash The Car Tonight (by Mary's Danish on the album There Goes The Wondertruck ..., 1989): God, what a cool album. Funky and country all at once, and this starts the album with a blast of both. Whiny voices (in a good way), a driving guitar, funky bass, and cool lyrics. It's short and sweet and sets the mood for the rest of the album perfectly. I miss Mary's Danish.
145. Don't Wait That Long (by James on the album Seven, 1992): I absolutely love this song. It's a love song, and a cry for help, and the music and lyrics mesh perfectly. It starts off quietly with horns and moves easily into Tim Booth's slightly nasal voice, plaintively asking, "How long will it take to get used to me?" When he gets to "I don't understand how our fight starts, not enough to believe in love, I don't know, I don't know, I don't know where we've gone wrong," you can feel the pain in his voice. This whole album is very good, and this is the crown jewel. I miss James.
146. Down And Out (by Genesis on the album ... And Then There Were Three, 1978): This is the first song on this album, and it's a strong start for a very good Genesis disc. This is the third Phil Collins as lead singer album, and it's interesting, because you can hear the band wobbling between the art-rock Gabriel era and the future pop-era Collins stuff. This song, interestingly enough, is a song about the pressure of being a aging rock band who might need a hit in order to keep their contract. It's a bittersweet album, because it marks a step along the way to Invisible Touch (blech), but this song remains a powerful statement about the music business and how it operates.
147. Down To The River To Pray (by Alison Krauss on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, 2000): Boy, is this a nice song. Sweet and spiritual, and Krauss's voice is stunning. It can't help but uplift you. The whole soundtrack is excellent, but when this song comes on, you must turn it up and turn your heart to prayer. It's almost enough to make me a Christian lad.
148. Driftwood (by Travis on the album The Man Who, 1999): Travis is kind of a weird, dorky little band, kind of Coldplay-lite. I only own this one album, and it's not bad, but there's a lot o' depressing tunes on it. Get out in the sunshine, boys! "Driftwood" is the best song on the album, because it's a tad more bouncy and fun (not much, but a little) and it has a great chorus: "I'm sorry that you've turned to driftwood, but you've been drifting for a long, long time." A fine, wistful tune (and if it's the funnest song on the album, you know the rest of it is depressing) that zips along and makes you wonder where your moral center is.
149. Drink Before The War (by Sinéad O'Connor on the album The Lion And The Cobra, 1987): O'Connor's beautiful and powerful voice is on full display on this song, which should end her debut album (but doesn't). This is a brilliant anti-war song, and O'Connor is so snarly and wounded as she sings, you just can't escape her disdain, especially at the end, when she practically screams, "So stop talking of war, 'cause you know we've heard it all before ... Why don't you go out there and do something useful?" Ah, the glory that is Sinéad!
150. Drip, Drip, Drip (by Chumbawamba on the album Tubthumper, 1997): I have mentioned this album before - yes, "Tubthumping" was an annoying song after a while, and it's not that good to begin with, but the rest of the album is very good, and this song is near the top. As usual with this album, it's a funky beat with darker lyrics, and it soars triumphantly when the gang sings, "Take me in, throw me out, put me up, let me down ..." Superb stuff from those wacky anarchists.
Another ten songs in the book. Only 600 or so to go! I'm in it for the long haul, people! As usual, if you're interested in the other songs I think are great, you can read about them here: Part One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen and .... Fourteen. Phew!
posted by Greg | 4:15 PM
1 Comments:
I like your concept of writing about songs you like. I may set up a new blog for me dedicated just to that. I found your blog searching for recent comments on the New Orleans Saints. You are correct in your assessment of Aaron Brooks...just not a great quarterback. It took Haslett too long to realize it. I guess he was impressed with Aaron's arm and overlooked his head.
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