50 Songs

50 songs that have carried me through my first 50 years on Earth.

Continuing from my previous lists of 50 Movies and 50 Albums…

A definitely-not-ranked list of SONGS that mean a lot to me — this was the hardest list to come up with, as there are hundreds of others that could have made the cut. (It’s also weird because while there is usually overlap between some favorite songs and favorite albums, there are some top albums where I can’t pick a favorite song, or where favorites would change.) Thus, this is the list that could ebb & flow the most — and there’s no possible way I can rank/pit any of them against each other, and there’s no way to narrow an absolute definitive list down to only 50. There is simply too much, but I guess these are the ones that jumped quickest to mind.

In essence, let’s just say these are:

• songs that give me a rush of joy and I never skip over them if they show up in a shuffle (I may even repeat them, if moved enough — I never get tired of them)

• songs that mean something to me personally, nostalgically, spiritually or otherwise — and some that have gotten me through difficult times, spoken to me something about my identity or personality, or that simply lift my spirit the most.

• Most are songs I grew up with or have been personal staples for decades, while some are only from the past few years but I’m already obsessed with them.

As usual, a few images shall be sprinkled forthwith for some color and intrigue.

• The Rainbow Connection - Muppet Movie Soundtrack

• I’m Going To Go Back There Someday - Muppet Movie Soundtrack

• Can You Picture That? - Muppet Movie Soundtrack

• Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd

• Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd

• Riders on the Storm - The Doors

• The End - The Doors

• Thank You - Led Zeppelin

• Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

• No Quarter (Live Version from Song Remains the Same) - Led Zeppelin

• Silent Lucidity - Queensrÿche

• Roads to Madness - Queensrÿche

• Dreams - Fleetwood Mac

• Go Your Own Way - Fleetwood Mac

• A Beginning Song - The Decemberists

• Rusalka, Rusalka/Wild Rushes - The Decemberists

• Is It For Me - Toad the Wet Sprocket

• Stories I Tell - Toad the Wet Sprocket

• Rocket - Smashing Pumpkins

• Drown - Smashing Pumpkins

• Esther - Phish

• Silent in the Morning - Phish

• Magic - Olivia Newton-John

• Subdivisions - Rush

• Superstition - Stevie Wonder

• Africa - Toto

• The Safety Dance - Men Without Hats

• Every Breath You Take - The Police

• Epic - Faith No More

• Don’t Fear the Reaper - Blue Öyster Cult

• Dare to be Stupid - Weird Al Yankovic

• Release - Pearl Jam

• Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns - Mother Love Bone

• Video Killed the Radio Star - The Buggles

• The Mother We Share - CHVRCHES

• Our House - Madness

• Down Under - Men at Work

• The Old Churchyard - Offa Rex

• Three Days - Jane’s Addiction

• We’re Ready - Boston

• Steppin’ Out - Joe Jackson

• Scenes from an Italian Restaurant (Live Version from Long Island, 1982) - Billy Joel

• I Remember You - Skid Row

• Pale Kings - Shearwater

• Tiderays - Volcano Choir

• Art in Me - Jars of Clay

• Alleviate - Leprous

• Monument - Fossil Collective

• The Woodpile - Frightened Rabbit

• Birdhouse in Your Soul - They Might Be Giants

And look….I’ve put these all into a playlist!

Plus a couple of bonus tracks, because the album version of ‘Roads to Madness’ is not on Spotify and the live version of ‘Scenes from an Italian Restaurant’ is also not there.

MY GOD…I LOVE MUSIC.

Coming next and last….BOOKS