72 songs for no reason
I like certain music for the same reasons that I like certain poetry, novels, plays, politicians’ speech, newspaper opinion essays, or friends’ conversation. I like important things said in a beautiful manner. And, I think I have an affinity for sad or melancholic things as well - like the writings of Khalil Gibran, or the lyrics of Leonard Cohen or Cat Stevens - because I think that beauty is innately sad because of its fleeting nature; melancholy is more sincere, reliable, accurate, durable and true, and because I think that happiness is overrated (not to mention ill-defined in popular culture). My choice of favorite songs lends itself to a plausible expectation that the lyrics contain political or aesthetic principles that reflect my own, as well as a propensity for lyrical melancholy. But not always. Why are some songs on this list? Like personality, it’s complex, and given more time I could easily double or triple the length of this sample. Apart from saying important things in a beautiful manner, each song holds memory and meaning for me personally, as preferences do with everyone. Maybe too many of my memories are on the dark side of the spectrum which is unfortunate because they do not need to be. They are just the ones that I retain most persistently.
In times of uncertainly music fuses with life.
In times of uncertainty - as in puberty, or during any change or crisis in one’s life - music fuses with life and we adopt lyrics to a beat as our expression of the experiences we are enduring. So for that reason perhaps my music choices are a kind of life map. Or, maybe not.
1. Fortunate Son
- by Creedance Clearwater Revival
2. Knocking on Heaven’s Door
- by Bob Dylan
3. Last Year’s Man
- by Leonard Cohen
4. No Time
- by The Guess Who
5. Behind Blue Eyes
- by The Who
6. Fire
- by Jimi Hendrix
7. Helter Skelter
- by The Beatles
8. I’m Not Your Steppin’ Stone
- by The Monkees
9. Mary, Mary
- by The Monkees
10. Takin’ Care of Business
- by Bachman Turner Overdrive
11. Four Wheel Drive
- by Bachman Turner Overdrive
12. Trouble
- by Cat Stevens
13. Maybe You’re Right
- by Cat Stevens
14. Lilywhite
- by Cat Stevens
15. Respect
- by Aretha Franklin
16. House of the Rising Sun
- by The Animals
17. Hawaii 5-O
- Theme from the American TV show
18. Save Me
- by Queen
19. Somebody to Love
- by Queen
20. London Calling
- by The Clash
21. Rebel Yell
- by Billy Idol
22. Diamond Smiles
- by Bob Geldof
23. The Great Song of Indifference
- by Bob Geldof
24. Still in Hollywood
- by Concrete Blonde
25. Dust in the Wind
- by Kansas
26. Sweet Talkin’ Woman
- by the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)
27. No Shame
- by The Monks
28. Yesterday’s Not Here
- by Pete Shelley
29. Just One of Those Affairs
- by Pete Shelley
30. Shake it Up
- by The Cars
31. Take it on the Run
- by REO Speedwagon
32. For Crying Out Loud
- by Meatloaf
33. People Who Died
- by The Jim Carrell Band
34. Indian Giver
- by The Ramones
35. Anarchy in the U.K.
- by The Sex Pistols
36. Roxanne
- by The Police
37. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
- by Gordon Lightfoot
38. Gold Dust Woman
- by Fleetwood Mac
39. Bad to the Bone
- by George Thorogood
40. Born to Raise Hell
- by Motorhead
41. Hotel California
- by The Eagles
42. Call Me
- by Blondie
43. Atomic
- by Blondie
44. Superstar
- by Carl Anderson, from the movie “Jesus Christ Superstar,” not from the Broadway play
45. Summer Rain
- by Jimmy Rivers
46. Worlds Away
- by Strange Advance
47. San Francisco
- by Scott MacKenzie
48. CaliforniaDreamin’
- by The Mamas and the Papas
49. Seasons in the Sun
- by Terry Jacks
50. Angie
- by The Rolling Stones
51. Paint it Black
- by The Rolling Stones
52. Chelsea Hotel
- by Leonard Cohen
53. Love Hurts
- by Nazareth
54. Maggie May
- by Rod Stewart
55. Ring of Fire
- by Johnny Cash
56. Dare
- by The Human League
57. Stand Tall
- by Burton Cummings
58. I Ran
- by Flock of Seagulls
59. My Sharona
- by The Knack
60. Strawberry Fields Forever
- by The Beatles
61. Break on Through
- by The Doors
62. Nemisis
- by Shriekback
63. You Really Got Me
- by The Kinks
64. It’s the End of the World as We Know It
- by R.E.M.
65. I Heard It Through the Grape Vine
- by Marvin Gaye
66. Working Class Hero
- by John Lennon
67. I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues
- by Elton John
68. I Want You to Want Me
- by Cheap Trick
68. Hurdy Gurdy Man
- by Donovan
69. We Didn’t Start the Fire
- by Billy Joel
70. Never My Love
- by The Association
71. Somebody to Love
- by Jefferson Airplane
72. The Holly and the Ivy
- traditional