The DeClaireation of our Dependent

Welcome to the countdown of my favorite songs.  I don’t claim this to be a “best of” list; it’s simply a list of songs to which I love to listen.  After removing links to downloadable files (since I don’t want to go to jail or pay a fine), I’ve added YouTube links.  Whenever possible, I linked to hot live versions.  If I couldn’t find any, I’ve linked to the album audio or the music video.  Enjoy!  And if you watch one video, check out #63…wow.  Two, check out #64.

# 15
Title: Forever My Friend
Artist: Ray LaMontagne
Album: Trouble
Year: 2004
My Two Cents: This man has my favorite voice of all time. It’s even more amazing when you see that it comes out of a shy, bearded, unassuming New Englander. YouTube any three of his songs and that voice will bore into you so deep that you’ll be hooked for good.

# 16
Title: The Temptation of Adam
Artist: Josh Ritter
Album: The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
Year: 2007
My Two Cents: I like to say that this song is wonderful and quirky and unique, just like love itself. That’s a cheesy line but I think it’s accurate. There aren’t many love songs that recall Dr. Strangelove!

# 17
Title: Somebody to Love
Artist: Queen
Album: A Day at the Races
Year: 1976
My Two Cents: Plain and simple, this song is a masterpiece.

# 18
Title: Diamonds on the Inside
Artist: Ben Harper
Album: Diamonds on the Inside
Year: 2003
My Two Cents: There are some really great songs on this album. I listened to it often during my Nantucket summer. I love the opening lyric, “I knew a girl / Her name was truth / she was a horrible liar.”

# 19
Title: Wouldn’t It Be Nice
Artist: The Beach Boys
Album: Pet Sounds
Year: 1966
My Two Cents: My favorite song from the best American band’s best album.  Also, every high school sweetheart’s favorite song.

JV INTERJECTION (UPDATED): Top 5 8 songs my Dad used to crank on vinyl through his Boston Acoustics (as I remember it):

8. Sweet Baby James – James Taylor

7. Proud Mary – Credence Clearwater Revival

6. More Than A Feeling– Boston

5. Graceland – Paul Simon

4. Piano Man – Billy Joel

3. Lay Lady Lay – Bob Dylan

2. Dream On – Aerosmith

1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles

# 20
Title: A Day In The Life
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Heart’s Club Band
Year: 1967
My Two Cents: I won’t try to review this song because it’s been sliced and diced by hundreds of people more qualified than me. I just know that I’ve loved it since my Dad used to crank it loud on vinyl through his Boston Acoustics. Speaking of my Dad…

JV INTERJECTION: Songs that didn’t quite make the list (in no particular order)…
Champagne Supernova, Daughter (for you Danny Mags), To the Dogs or Whoever, Sure Shot (Again, to Danny), Northern Sky, 4am (for 4 am concerts with Steven Lemyre) , Thunder Road (trust me, this version will blow you away) , Firewater (a 2004 Nantucket ballad for me), Bless the Broken Road (extra points because this is Claire’s and my song), Magic Carpet Ride, I’m On Fire, Rain King (from one of my top 10 favorite albums), Life Goes On (This is for the Chris’s, my bro and Mags – thugs ’til I die), Rosa Parks, Breaking the Girl, Lucky, Nothing Man (I got the first verse, Grant Withington’s got the second), All Falls Down, Stephanie Says, I Was Young When I Left Home (a nice cover of a Dylan song, one of the most beautiful, melancholy ever written), Black Balloon, I am the Resurrection (for Douglas and the entire MacKinnon clan), And So it Goes, At Seventeen, Thick as a Brick, Honey and the Moon, Country Roads, Baba O’Riley, This Modern Love (saw these guys live and they are blazin’), Celebrity Skin, For the Longest Time, and a whole bunch of others that I can’t think of right now.

# 21
Title: Sweet Thing
Artist: Van Morrison
Album: Astral Weeks
Year: 1968
My Two Cents: There is only one version of this song on YouTube actually sung by Van Morrison, but it’s sung by 63+ year-old, unintelligible Van.  So, I linked to a dude singing a pretty nice cover.  Unfortunately for this webspace, Van sings the most beautiful rendition, so you should procure a copy of Astral Weeks since it is one of the best albums of all time.  If you don’t agree, I’ll send you a check for the $8.99 it will cost you.

# 22
Title: Flake
Artist: Jack Johnson
Album: Brushfire Fairytales
Year: 2001
My Two Cents: This was Jack’s first single, and in my opinion, his only song with some teeth.  He has some other nice tunes, but this one has a little rock edge that is missing from his other crooned surfer tracks.

# 23
Title: Don’t Look Back in Anger
Artist: Oasis
Album: (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
Year: 1995
My Two Cents: Bloody brilliant.  I still listen to this album all the time.  It’s amazing.

# 24
Title: Georgia on my Mind
Artist: Ray Charles
Album: What’d I Say
Year: 1960
My Two Cents: Written in the 30’s and recorded by tons of artists, this song was seemingly written for Ray’s voice.  Every time I put a gospel/soul/jazz song on this list I have a feeling that I wish I’d have ranked it higher, and this one is no exception.  I dare you to listen to this and not feel good.

# 25
Title: First Day of My Life
Artist: Bright Eyes
Album: I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning
Year: 2005
My Two Cents: I fell in love with this song at 20,000 feet, while taking my weekly flight home from Chicago, sitting in first class, seat 6A, of the 7:40 PM American Airlines connection to Boston.  And then Casey fell in love with it and it became one of “our” songs…women.  They can’t even allow us to like a song without forcing us to share it.

# 26
Title: Semi-Charmed Life
Artist: Third Eye Blind
Album: Third Eye Blind
Year: 1997
My Two Cents: This song would probably qualify as the official anthem of my senior year of high school.   Not because it’s about meth and sex (I said my senior year, not Chris’…zing!), but because it’s super catchy.

# 27
Title: No Surprises (also a link to the official video, because it’s pretty wild)
Artist: Radiohead
Album: OK Computer
Year: 1997
My Two Cents: This song is pretty haunting, especially when you realize it’s about a depressed individual who is contemplating suicide.

# 28
Title: Lie In Our Graves
Artist: Dave Matthews Band
Album: Crash
Year: 1996
My Two Cents: There aren’t many better ways to spend 10 minutes than listening to this live version.  It’s one of my favorite DMB songs to see live because of the way the crowd gets fired up, then sensitive, then fired up again.

JV INTERJECTION: A song I love

Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen.  This song is incredible but has (thankfully) been covered many times, so many times in fact it’s made its way to American Idol and become hackneyed.  The original Cohen version sucks and my favorite version is by Jeff Buckley, however this version is yanked from the John Cale version.  But of course, one of the first to perform this song live was Bob Dylan.

# 29
Title: You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Album: Let it Bleed
Year: 1969
My Two Cents: I’ll be honest, I have no idea what the verses of this song mean.  But the chorus seems pretty self-explanatory and pretty accurate.  So, maybe the rest of the song is just a dramatic way of reinforcing the chorus’ point?

# 30
Title: Friday I’m in Love
Artist: The Cure
Album: Wish
Year: 1992
My Two Cents: I swear, more girls have called or texted me on Saturday with the lyrics to this song than I can count.

# 31
Title: While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Artist: The Beatles
Album: The White Album
Year: 1968
My Two Cents: It’s so hard to choose Beatles songs for this list because there are so many good choices, and you certainly can’t go wrong with this one.  The link is to a live version with George and Eric Clapton, sans the Beatles.

# 32
Title: Somewhere in Between
Artist: Lifehouse
Album: No Name Face
Year: 2000
My Two Cents: The unofficial anthem of my time in the Duanesburg farmhouse with Steven and Dan. We played, listened to, and sang this song countless times. And FYI, the acoustic version in the link is sick.

# 33
Title: Sweet Emotion
Artist: Aerosmith
Album: Toys in the Attic
Year: 1975
My Two Cents: This is back when Aerosmith was playing bluesy, American rock and roll.  Good stuff.

# 34
Title: Mr. Brightside
Artist: The Killers
Album: Hot Fuss
Year: 2004
My Two Cents: Cool song with tons of energy from Vegas glam band The Killers.

# 35
Title: When The Levee Breaks
Artist: Led Zeppelin
Album: Led Zeppelin IV
Year: 1971
My Two Cents: I was also introduced to this tune as a kid listening to Dad’s vinyl collection.  The pounding drum beat and driving melody of the lead guitar build and build, becoming claustrophobic at times, but are released by either voice or a pleasant chord progression.  Pure rock and roll.  Another track that could have landed higher on the list depending on my mood.

# 36
Title: Into the Mystic (no youtube link…but you should spend $0.99 on iTunes and buy this)
Artist: Van Morrison
Album: Moondance
Year: 1970
My Two Cents: Thanks to Dad, I grew up with this song (and album).  I’ve heard it played by many a bar band in my day and I love it every time.

# 37
Title: One Last Breath
Artist: Creed
Album: Weathered
Year: 2002
My Two Cents: Off of a huge record, One Last Breath was the epitome of pop-rock in the early aughts.

# 38
Title: Jack and Diane
Artist: John Cougar
Album: American Fool
Year: 1982
My Two Cents: The ultimate nostalgia tune.

# 39
Title: People Get Ready (link to the Curtis Mayfield version since The Impressions was removed from YouTube)
Artist: The Impressions
Album: The Impressions
Year: 1965
My Two Cents: Every time I hear this song I want to list it higher because it’s just so damn good.  In fact, I may change my mind and re-rank it.  Wow.

# 40
Title: God Only Knows
Artist: Beach Boys
Album: Pet Sounds
Year: 1966
My Two Cents: Off of what many consider the greatest American album of all time, this song is a timeless classic for adolescent and pre-pubescent boys.  Simply amazing.

# 41
Title: #41
Artist: Dave Matthews Band
Album: Crash
Year: 1996
My Two Cents: I’ve seen the band play this song live four times, a few with Bela Fleck on banjo, and it’s just awesome.  Unfortunately, this youtube doesn’t feature Stefan Lessard on base.  Actually, the version kind of sucks…oh well.

# 42
Title: Piano Man
Artist: Billy Joel
Album: B-side to You’re My Home
Year: 1973
My Two Cents: There was a time when I would have ranked this song in my top 10.  I think that time was when I was at my sing-along best, maybe at age 24?  But now, I recognize the song as this:  a song that Bill (that’s what he likes me to call him) wrote when he was 5 whiskeys deep, blanketed in nostalgia, and in a mind where everything he said or wrote was brilliant.  I’ve been there, so I give the man props.  Plus, he sings the crap out of the song, which always resonates with me.

# 43
Title: The World Has Turned and Left Me Here
Artist: Weezer
Album: Weezer (The Blue Album)
Year: 1994
My Two Cents: I’ve definitely listened to this album more than any other, and this song is my favorite.  I think.  For today at least.  Sorry for the crappy youtube link, but according to Wikipedia the band hasn’t played this song live since 1997.

# 44
Title: Tiny Dancer
Artist: Elton John
Album: Madman Across the Water
Year: 1971
My Two Cents: I probably like this song so much because of the movie Almost Famous, but regardless, you can’t argue with the “feel-good” quality of the song.

# 45
Title: Fake Plastic Trees
Artist: Radiohead
Album: The Bends
Year: 1995
My Two Cents: More high school playlist material.  This album is incredible and contains many of my favorite songs, including this one.

# 46
Title: Midnight Rider
Artist: The Allman Brothers
Album: Idlewild South
Year: 1970
My Two Cents: When the lead guitar opens the song I immediately picture bearded bikers kick starting their hogs and rumbling toward the blood-red sun set low on the horizon.

# 47
Title: Mr. Jones
Artist: Counting Crows
Album: August and Everything After
Year: 1993
My Two Cents: The band’s debut single and biggest hit.  For me it was standard playlist material in high school.

# 48
Title: The Sounds of Silence
Artist: Simon and Garfunkel
Album: released as a single
Year: 1965
My Two Cents: “Hello darkness, my old friend.”

# 49
Title: Doo Wop (That Thing)
Artist: Lauryn Hill
Album: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Year: 1996
My Two Cents: “Don’t be a hard rock when you really are a gem.”  Love that line.  Hill was initially part of The Fugees, a Grammy-winning rap trio, for whom she covered Roberta Flack’s ”Killing Me Softly” (which I’m sure Mom remembers listening to over and over while driving us to/from soccer practice).  Following that group’s breakup, she went on her own and released this 5-time Grammy winning album.  Then, she was gone.  I guess she still sings, but unfortunately she’s never been able to replicate her early success.

# 50
Title: Where is My Mind
Artist: Pixies
Album: Surfer Rosa
Year: 1988
My Two Cents: A Boston band, Pixies strongly influenced the alternative rock movement of the ’90’s.  I love the guitar and background female vocals (howls?) on this one.

# 51
Title: Bubble Toes
Artist: Jack Johnson
Album: Brushfire Fairytales
Year: 2001
My Two Cents: On his albums, Jack Johnson uses deeper base than just about anybody else.  The bass is particularly strong in this song, and for that alone, it’s worth a listen.

# 52
Title: Hanging By A Moment
Artist: Lifehouse
Album: No Name Face
Year: 2000
My Two Cents: Before checking, I would have sworn that this song came out when I was in high school.  I’ve always liked it as a modern version of an 80’s rock ballad, if that makes any sense.

# 53
Title: Beautiful Girl
Artist: Pete Droge and the Sinners
Album: “Beautiful Girls” soundtrack
Year: 1996
My Two Cents: Definitely the better “Beautiful Girl”.  The entire soundtrack is good and the movie is great, but this is the highlight for me.

# 54
Title: Beautiful Girl
Artist: INXS
Album: Welcome To Wherever You Are
Year: 1992
My Two Cents: Probably a lame choice for my list, but I dig this one.  Sorry.  Also, sorry about the youtube link…it’s the only one with a decent version of the song, and the little girl is pretty cute…

# 55
Title: Good Vibrations
Artist: The Beach Boys
Album: B-side to Let’s Go Away For A While
Year: 1966
My Two Cents: This song is simply amazing.  Listen to all of the layers here…the song reportedly used over 90 hours of tape, edited down and superimposed into 3+ minutes.

# 56
Title: Name
Artist: Goo Goo Dolls
Album: A Boy Named Goo
Year: 1995
My Two Cents: Another song (album) dripping with nostalgia.  By the way, I think nostalgia has as much to do with our individual tastes as any other factor.  I should write a blog post on this.  There is a chance I actually like “Naked” better than “Name”, but I went with the classic.

# 57
Title: Paranoid Android
Artist: Radiohead
Album: OK Computer
Year: 1997
My Two Cents: As wacky as wacky gets.  I don’t think you’ll hear one standard (pleasant) chord during this song.

# 58
Title: Free Fallin’
Artist: Tom Petty
Album: Full Moon Fever
Year: 1989
My Two Cents: An American classic, perfect for this 4th of July weekend.

# 59
Title: Champagne Supernova
Artist: Oasis
Album: (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
Year: 1996
My Two Cents: My second favorite song off of one of my favorite albums, “Champagne Supernova” is a sweeping anthem clocking in at more than 7 minutes.

# 60
Title: Dreams
Artist: The Cranberries
Album: Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?
Year: 1994
My Two Cents: A hit during my favorite year of pop/rock music (1994), “Dreams” is super nostalgic for me.

# 61
Title: Under Pressure
Artist: Queen and David Bowie
Album: Hot Space
Year: 1981
My Two Cents: Perhaps my favorite musical collaboration, this song is also widely played these days on radio and commercials.  It’s well known for it’s catchy baseline, and probably best known for its catchy baseline being stolen by Vanilla Ice (when Ice was once asked whether he ripped off this song he said, “Under Pressure goes bum bum bum “>bum “>bum “>bum “>bum “>bum “>bum, bum-bum-bum bum, while my song goes BUM bum bum bum bum-bum-bum bum.”)  See the difference?

# 62
Title: More Than A Feeling
Artist: Boston
Album: Boston
Year: 1976
My Two Cents: It’s so hard for me to choose one track off of this album, so I chose this one.  I also love “Foreplay/Long Time” and “Peace of Mind”, among others.  This song has become a bit hackneyed because of its unremitting airplay, but it makes my list if for no other reason than for the singer’s ability to hit notes that just don’t seem hittable.

# 63
Title: Just Like a Woman
Artist: Bob Dylan
Album: Blonde on Blonde
Year: 1966
My Two Cents: I originally thought about slotting in Billy Joel’s “She’s Always A Woman” in this slot, and while that is a good song, I can’t believe Billy could have ever written that song without first hearing “Just Like A Woman”, Dylan’s infinitely better song on the same topic.  Man, I could fill at least half this list with Dylan songs!

# 64
Title: New York, New York
Artist: Ryan Adams
Album: Gold
Year: 2001
My Two Cents: A catchy, alt-country rock tune about New York City.

# 65
Title: Live Forever
Artist: Oasis
Album: Definitely Maybe
Year: 1994
My Two Cents: Unlike The Stone Roses, Oasis was huge in the US.  This song shows their vanity, which is ultimately what led to their downfall, as well as their ability to craft a catchy, straightforward rock tune.

# 66
Title: Waterfall
Artist: The Stone Roses
Album: The Stone Roses
Year: 1989
My Two Cents: The Stone Roses were a transcendent band in the UK but failed to make a splash in the US.  They were huge, and then they were gone.  I’ve recently fallen in love with this album and “Waterfall”, along with “I am the Resurrection” are my favorite tracks.

# 67
Title: Solsbury Hill
Artist: Peter Gabriel
Album: Peter Gabriel
Year: 1977
My Two Cents: This song seems to be about some sort of spiritual experience, but I’ve read that it’s about Gabriel’s experience of walking out on his band only to have a change of heart and return when his band “comes to take him home”.  I like the back melody.  Plus, the video features Peter on a bike…I don’t know why.

# 68
Title: Icky Thump
Artist: The White Stripes
Album: Icky Thump
Year: 2007
My Two Cents: This will no doubt be the most divisive song on my list.  Some will love it, most will hate it.  I think it’s super cool because (to me) it shows that rock and roll has no template – it can be chaotic and political, like this song, or the exact opposite.

# 69
Title: The Pretender
Artist: Jackson Browne
Album: The Pretender
Year: 1976
My two cents: This song contains a lot of my favorite lyrics.  Check them out:  “I want to know what became of the changes we waited for love to bring, were they only the fitful dreams of some greater awakening”, and “I’m going to find myself a girl who knows what laughter means, and we’ll fill in the missing numbers in each other’s paint by number dreams”, and my favorite of all time, “I’m going to be a happy idiot and struggle for the legal tender.”

Now that I think of it, I regret not listing this song signifcantly higher…

# 70
Title: The Good Life
Artist: Weezer
Album: Pinkerton
Year: 1996
My two cents: This album wasn’t exactly a bomb, but it didn’t go over too well with fans.  I happen to love it, and with “Across the Sea”, this is my favorite track.

# 71
Title: Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)
Artist: The Beatles
Album: Rubber Soul
Year: 1965
My two cents: I’m sure there is nothing I can say about this song that hasn’t been said before, so I’ll just say that I like it.

# 72
Title: Trouble
Artist: Ray LaMontagne
Album: Trouble
Year: 2004
My two cents: Ray LaMontagne became one of my favorite singers when I saw him live in Madison, WI, in 2005.  I love the lyrics, “trouble been doggin’ my soul since the day I was born…”

# 73
Title: Dreamlover
Artist: Mariah Carey
Album: Music Box
Year: 1993
My two cents: I rank Mariah ahead of Whitney because of personal preference.  I’m not gonna lie, I’ve got 8 Mariah albums.  So what.

# 74
Title: I Wanna Dance with Somebody
Artist: Whitney Houston
Album: Whitney
Year: 1987
My two cents: My one Whitney song on the list was between this one or “How Will I Know”, and this song won.  Why?  Don’t know.

Not on the list: High Enough by Damn Yankees

# 75
Title: Higher
Artist: Creed
Album: Human Clay
Year: 1999
My two cents: Creed’s biggest hit.  I think it’s a great example of 90’s American rock.

# 76
Title: High
Artist: Feeder
Album: Polythene
Year: 1997
My two cents: This song, and certainly this band, was widely ignored in the US (apparently, according to our modern beacon of truth, Wikipedia, they are quite successful in the UK).  I know this song from the “Can’t Hardly Wait” soundtrack and from listening to it late at night with my homie Steve Lemyre.  Under appreciated, the Stevie Nino’s, fronted by me, had a big hit with this track on New Year’s Eve 2003. Still one of the greatest live sessions ever not recorded. Sidenote: I still love “Can’t Hardly Wait”, 12 years later…it’s my generation’s “Breakfast Club”.

# 77
Title: Mushaboom
Artist: Feist
Album: Let It Die
Year: 2004
My two cents: Feist received iPod fame withher song “1-2-3-4″, but I prefer this track off of her previous album (Casey and I even cut our wedding cake to this tune!)  The song is about a simple life with a hopeful future, every young couple’s ode, I suppose.

# 78
Title: Rock Show
Artist: blink-182
Album: Take Off Your Pants and Jacket
Year: 2001
My two cents: Recent pop-punk at its best.  When this hook drops my skin crawls because it’s so catchy…and the video proves they are just young kids having a helluva time being rock stars.  The more I listen to this tune the more I want it higher up on the list.

# 79
Title: Better Together
Artist: Jack Johnson
Album: In Between Dreams
Year: 2005
My two cents: Casey’s and my wedding song…a happy little song for happy little us.  I will never be able to listen to this song without thinking of my youth, which is a good thing.

# 80
Title: I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Artist: U2
Album: The Joshua Tree
Year: 1987
My two cents: While not a huge U2 fan, I do love this song.  I imagine this would be a great live song, especially with an extended intro.  The “spiritual seeking” aspect of this song rings a bit hollow to me knowing that Bono is a conceited megalomaniac, but who am I to judge?

# 81
Title: Hide
Artist: Creed
Album: Weathered
Year: 2001
My two cents: Creed was HUGE…you probably don’t realize it, but they sold over 26 million records with only 3 albums in 7 years.  By comparison, Pearl Jam, the biggest band of the ’90’s and a band that Creed was initially compared to, has sold roughly the same amount of records with 9 albums in 15 years.  The bottom line is, Pearl Jam clones or not, Creed dominated mainstream rock for years.

# 82
Title: Use Somebody
Artist: Kings of Leon
Album: Only by the Night
Year: 2008
My two cents: The most recent song on my list is one that is guaranteed to get your blood flowing.  I really believe that authenticity is a key component to good music, and in this song you can almost hear the desperation in the vocals and the pleading in the guitars by this literal band of brothers.

# 83
Title: Wildflowers
Artist: Tom Petty
Album: Wildflowers
Year: 1994
My two cents: The title track to one of my favorite albums.

# 84
Title: Grand Theft Autumn
Artist: Fall Out Boy
Album: Take This To Your Grave
Year: 2003
My two cents: This was my favorite song during my 2004 summer on Nantucket – pretend you’re driving to the beach, windows down, sun shining, music thumping and you’ll enjoy it!  It’s probably only #84 because I’m embarrassed to put it at #5.

# 85
Title:  She Talks To Angels
Artist:  The Black Crowes
Album:  Shake Your Money Maker
Year:  1990
My two cents:  I love classic country rock, and The Black Crowes did a good job bringing this genre into the ’90s.

# 86
Title:  Mayonaise
Artist:  The Smashing Pumpkins
Album:  Siamese Dream
Year:  1993
My two cents:  A song about heartbreak, only with a heavily produced grunge twist…perfect for the week after V-day!

# 87
Title:  Cupid
Artist:  Sam Cooke
Album:  single
Year:  1961
My two cents:  Can you still be a “lover” if, while only wearing a sport coat and shoes,  you’re shot and killed by a woman, alegedly in “self defense”?  I don’t know, but I do know that there aren’t many love songs sung more genuinely than this one.  Plus, this song just bleeds nostalgia (pardon the pun), always good for a love song.

# 88
Title:  Real Love
Artist:  Mary J. Blige
Album:  What’s the 411?
Year:  1992
My two cents:  Wait, is it Valentine’s Day?  What a coincidence!  Anyway, Mary J exploded onto the scene with this song, and to me, it’s still her only hit.

JV INTERJECTION:  Best Boston-related Songs

5. Last Child– Aerosmith

4. I’m Shipping Up To Boston– Dropkick Murphys

3. Cheers theme

2. More Than a Feeling – Boston

1. Dirty Water– The Standells

Not in the Top 5: Sweet Caroline…get over it Red Sox fans

# 89
Title:  Prince Caspian
Artist:  Phish
Album:  Billy Breathes
Year:  1996
My two cents:  Like the Grateful Dead, Phish was a successful touring jam band.  I have four Phish albums and have never seen them live, but this song strikes a nerve with me.

# 90
Title:  Gimme Shelter
Artist:  The Rolling Stones
Album:  Let It Bleed
Year:  1969
My two cents:  Early Stones, like early Aerosmith after them, propelled blues rock into mainstream.  This is, according to many, the Stones’ best.

# 91
Title:  Maria Maria
Artist:  Santana, featuring Wyclef and The Product G&B
Album:  Supernatural
Year:  2000
My two cents:  I love the combination of Carlos Santana’s guitar with the R&B vocals.

# 92
Title:  Flathead
Artist:  The Fratellis
Album:  Costello Music
Year:  2007
My two cents:  There’s nothing terribly unique about this song, but its high-energy vocals and tight melodies make it a fun listen.

# 93
Title:  Up on Cripple Creek
Artist:  The Band
Album:  The Band
Year:  1970
My two cents:  A folk song about the old South, gold mining, booze, and a girl named “little Bessie.”  Who can’t relate?!

# 94
Title:  Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love) (explicit)
Artist:  Jay-Z
Album:  The Blueprint
Year:  2001
My two cents:  One of the few “urban” songs on my list.  This one goes out to my homies.  I’ve linked to the Unplugged version as it’s a bit less offensive than the original.

# 95
Title:  Over the Hills and Far Away
Artist:  Led Zeppelin
Album:  Houses of the Holy
Year:  1973
My two cents:  Another love song, only this one rocks, and it’s got a great love-song-lyric: “Mellow is the man who knows what he’s been missin’.”

# 96
Title:  Allison Road
Artist:  Gin Blossoms
Album:  New Miserable Experience
Year:  1992
My two cents:  Great example of early ’90’s pop rock, and I associate this song with ski lodges – I swear it played every time I skied.

# 97
Title:  By My Side
Artist:  Ben Harper
Album:  Fight For Your Mind
Year:  1995
My two cents:  The first love song on my list (I have a penchant for them), and it’s a good one.  How can this not be higher?

# 98
Title:  Piece of My Heart
Artist:  Janis Joplin
Album:  Cheap Thrills
Year:  1968
My two cents:  Hard rocking women don’t come along often, and Joplin is at the head of the class.

# 99
Title:  Evil Urges
Artist:  My Morning Jacket
Album:  Evil Urges
Year:  2008
My two cents:  My favorite track off of one of my favorite albums of 2008.  Let’s see how it holds up long term.

# 100
Title:  Soul to Squeeze
Artist:  Red Hot Chili Peppers
Album:  b-side to Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Year:  1991
My two cents:  It’s catchy. What else can I say?