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The Great 50 Song Project
Last week, when talking with a friend about a mutually beneficial project, something he did prompted me to tell him: "Send me a list of your favourite 50 songs. List them fast, don't think about it."
The list that followed, and our discussion afterward, ended up making me do the same thing. How many of you can quickly come up with your 50 favourite songs? As you can see below (Loverboy?), I'm not too concerned with the repercussions of publicly displaying my real taste. These are songs that I do appreciate musically for many reasons, but they are first and foremost the songs that most frequently provoke a strong emotional reaction in me.
I challenge you all to do the same thing. Good luck.
| Static on the Radio | Aimee Mann/Jim White |
| Oh Darling | Beatles |
| Tell Me Your Dream | Blue Rodeo |
| This Wheel's on Fire | Bob Dylan and The Band |
| House of Valparaiso | Calexico |
| La Noyée | Carla Bruni |
| When I Come Back | Carolyn Mark/NQ Arbuckle |
| Fly at Night | Chilliwack |
| Hurtin' Albertan | Corb Lund |
| Everybody Knows | Dixie Chicks |
| Lil' Jack Slade | Dixie Chicks |
| Cowboy Take Me Away | Dixie Chicks |
| Chapel of Love | Dixie Cups |
| You Don't Have to Say You Love Me | Dusty Springfield |
| Midnight Flyer | Eagles |
| Hot Burrito #1 | Gram Parsons |
| Rockies Turn Rose | Ian Tyson |
| M C Horses | Ian Tyson |
| Springtime in Alberta | Ian Tyson |
| Doctor My Eyes | Jackson Browne |
| Disappointment | Jim Cuddy |
| Blue Yodel No. 1 | Jimmie Rodgers |
| Heart of Life | John Mayer |
| Trail of Broken Hearts | K D Lang |
| Westby | Kathleen Edwards |
| I Make the Dough | Kathleen Edwards |
| I Don't Believe You've Met My Baby | Louvin Brothers |
| Turn Me Loose | Loverboy |
| Greenville | Lucinda Williams |
| I Can't Take My Eyes off You | Melanie Doane |
| Long May You Run | Neil Young |
| Rated X | Neko Case |
| Huntsville Affair | NQ Arbuckle |
| Try a Little Tenderness | Otis Redding |
| Band on the Run | Paul McCartney/Wings |
| Young Love | Ray Condo and the Richochets |
| Hazard | Richard Marx |
| Jessie's Girl | Rick Springfield |
| Bitch | Rolling Stones |
| Stray Cat Blues | Rolling Stones |
| Gimmie Shelter | Rolling Stones |
| Spirit of Radio | Rush |
| Working Man | Rush |
| La Cienega Just Smiled | Ryan Adams |
| Steve McQueen | Sheryl Crow |
| Cool Water | Sons of the Pioneers |
| Field Behind the Plow | Stan Rogers |
| More than I Can Do | Steve Earle |
| Poison Lovers | Steve Earle |
| Like a Rodeo | Tom Phillips |
By the way, there's no preference here, they are just listed alphabetically.
Views: 160
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jason Paul Johnston on -
So many great artists there - some great Canadian talent mixed and quite a few I'll have to look up. Thanks for posting!
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Permalink Reply by Brian Morris on
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I'm a huge Aimee Mann fan but don't know "Static On The Radio". Did Aimee co-write that? I will check it out.
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Permalink Reply by Hal Bogerd on -
A long time ago a Japanese friend once asked my to list my ten favorite track one, side 2 songs.
Now that was a challenge (and probably incomprehensible to younger music fans).
Hal
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Great idea!!! Here's my stab at it. I think I've include far more than 50 songs, but I don't have the patience/time to edit. These are some of the songs that have touched me the most over the years. Thanks to all the songwriters for pairing the lyrics with the music that affected me so very deeply.
Arrow - Cheryl Wheeler
The Wolf - Catie Curtis
Cats in The Cradle - Harry Chapin
Taxi - Harry Chapin
W.O.L.D. - Harry Chapin
Mr. Tanner - Harry Chapin
A Better Place To Be - Harry Chapin
I Wanna Learn A Love Song - Harry Chapin
Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
Goodbye Blue Sky - Pink Floyd
Vera - Pink Floyd
Tampa To Tulsa - The Jayhawks
Will I See You In Heaven" - The Jayhawks
All The Right Reasons - The Jayhawks
Sound of Lies - The Jayhawks
Two Angels - The Jayhawks
Over My Shoulder - The Jayhawks
Touch The Stars - The Jayhawks
Angelyne - The Jayhawks
True Companion - Marc Cohn
Silver Thunderbird - Marc Cohn
The Things We've Handed Down - Marc Cohn
Ellis Island - Marc Cohn
Olana - Marc Cohn
Noah's Dive - Natalie Merchant (10,000 Maniacs)
Verdi Cries - Natalie Merchant (10,000 Maniacs)
Heaven Can Wait - Meat Loaf
Bat Out Of Hell - Meat Loaf
Summer, Highland Falls - Billy Joel
Vienna - Billy Joel
Without You - John Wetton (Asia)
Dance With The Tiger - Rosanne Cash
Count Your Blessings - Firefall
The Last Resort - The Eagles
Wheels - Maria McKee (Lone Justice)
Cracking - Suzanne Vega
The Queen & The Soldier - Suzanne Vega
Do The Walls Come Down? - Carly Simon
Beginning The World - Innocence Mission
Dog & Butterfly - Heart
Rain - Patty Griffin
Kite Song - Patty Griffin
Nobody's Crying - Patty Griffin
Burgundy Shoes - Patty Griffin
Forgiveness - Patty Griffin
Paris In A Day - Ellis Paul (with Patty Griffin)
Head Full of Promise/Road Full of Doubt - The Avett Brothers
Mercy Street - Peter Gabriel
Red Rain - Peter Gabriel
Still Down Here - Lori McKenna
Leaving This Life - Lori McKenna
Mary Fahl - The Dawning of The Day
Something In The Way She Moves - James Taylor
Carolina On My Mind - James Taylor
Fire & Rain - James Taylor
Don't Let Him Steal Your Heart Away - Phil Collins
Happy Ending - Joe Jackson
Kayleigh - Marillion
Bitter Suite - Marillion
White Russian - Marillion
Blind Curve - Marillion
Hotel Hobbies/Warm Wet Circles/This Time of The Night - Marillion
This Strange Engine - Marillion
Runaway - Marillion
Ocean Cloud - Marillion
Out of This World - Marillion
Wrapped Up In Time - Marillion
Somewhere Else - Marillion
Beyond You - Marillion
Raingods Dancing - Fish
Surface of The Moon - Justin Currie (Del Amitri)
You'll Always Walk Alone - Justin Currie
The Day The Ravens Left The Tower - The Alarm
Rivers To Cross - The Alarm
New South Wales - The Alarm
Hallowed Ground - The Alarm
For Emily, Whereever I May Find Her - Simon & Garfunkel
Homeward Bound - Simon & Garfunkel
Kid Fears - Indigo Girls
Prince of Darkness - Indigo Girls
More Than A Whisper - Nanci Griffith
Workin' In Corners - Nanci Griffith
Late Night Grande Hotel - Nanci Griffith
Winter - Tori Amos
Precious Things - Tori Amos
Farther On - Jackson Browne
Late For The Sky - Jackson Browne
The River - Bruce Springsteen
Levon - Elton John
Empty Garden - Elton John
4th of July - Aimee Mann
I've Had It - Aimee Mann
Wise Up - Aimee Mann
Nora - Richard Shindell
St. Mary's of Regret - Susan Werner
This House - Alison Moyet
Changes - Yes
You Make Loving Fun - Fleetwood Mac
Ariel - October Project
Always - October Project
Where You Are - October Project
Paths of Desire - October Project
Bury My Lovely - October Project
Something About England - The Clash
I Taught Myself How To Grow Old - Ryan Adams
Subdivisions - Rush
Red Sector A - Rush
February - Dar Williams
Mortal City - Dar Williams
Looking Out - Brandi Carlile
A Promise To Keep - Brandi Carlile
Hometown Glory - Adele
Borderline - Chris De Burgh
Once Upon A Time - Chris De Burgh
Here For You - Chris De Burgh
Always Midnight - Pat Monahan
The Finish Line - Train
Burlingtown - Todd Thibaud (Courage Brothers)
The Curse - Josh Ritter
Overkill - Colin Hay (Men At Work)
Fall At Your Feet - Neil Finn (Crowded House)
Four Seasons in One Day - Neil Finn (Crowded House)
Addicted - Neil Finn
Won't Give In - Neil Finn (with Tim Finn)
In A Big Country - Big Country
Night Drive - Garnet Rogers
Frankie & Johnny - Garnet Rogers
A Letter To Georgia - Airborne Toxic Event
Sometime Around Midnight - Airborne Toxic Event
Tell Me On A Sunday - Andrew Lloyd Webber
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Permalink Reply by Greywolf on -
Hmm songs that provoke a strong emotional response... OK but the results are somewhat dubious <grin>
Eyes Without a Face - Billy Idol
Changing Your Mind - Bob Schneider
Dancing in the Dark - Bruce Springsteen
American Storm - Bob Seger
Drive - The Cars
El Cerrito Way - Charlie Robison
I Call It Love - Concrete Blonde
All Through the Night - Cyndi Lauper
Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper
Eyes Like Glue - Drive-By Truckers
Dusty Sun - The Eastern
Only Time - Enya
If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot
Come a Long Way - Michelle Shocked
Queen of Hearts - Juice Newton
Dog and Butterfly - Heart
These Hills - Iris DeMent
Ruby and Carlos - James McMurtry
New York's Not My Home - Jim Croce
Box, No. 10 - Jim Croce
The Hard Way Every Time - Jim Croce
Rocky Mountain High - John Denver
Some Days Are Diamonds - John Denver
Burn - Nine Inch Nails
Constant Craving - k d lang
Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush
Shelter - Lone Justice
Right in Time - Lucinda Williams
I've Forgotten What It Was In You - Maria Mckee
A Song I Heard - Maury Muehleisen
Come to Jesus - Mindy Smith
On the Dark Side - John Cafferty
Learning to Fly - Pink Floyd
A Rainy Night in Soho - The Pogues
The Man on the Silver Mountain - Rainbow
These Years - Robert Earl Keen
Road to No Return (trilogy of songs) - Robert Earl Keen
Fly By Night - Rush
La Cienega Just Smiled - Ryan Adams
Killin' Kind - Shelby Lynne
The Sound of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel
Placemat Blues - Slobberbone
Bullet With Butterfly Wings - Smashing Pumpkins
Windfall - Son Volt
Getting Over You - Willie Nelson & Bonnie Raitt
Nothing But a Child - Steve Earl (Maria McKee background vocals)
Clayton Delaney - Tom T Hall
I Doubt if it Does to You - Toni Price
Slate - Uncle Tupelo
Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead - Warren Zevon
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