"Listen. These fellas have absolutely no harmonic sense. They can't sing, the lead singer is yelling. They're playing the same boring three chords over and over and over. The recording sucks. The lyrics are awful when you can understand them, if you can hear them. This song is about a decibel away from being noise. But we love it. I love it!"
I love it too. Sometimes a song just has that certain something that makes you love it. When I made this list, I did consider vocal ability, writing and musicality, but, most of all, I just chose songs that I love to listen to.
The majority of songs on my list are upbeat. I guess I just like faster songs that I can bob my head to in the car. And don't make any comments about these songs being "dad rock," just look at the title of my blog.
So how did I choose these songs? I started with my iTunes playlist, which has more than 2,000 songs. I used iTunes to give each song a star rating. I ended up with about 110 or so songs with five-star ratings. 22 of these were Beatles songs, by the way. I then picked out 18 songs that I consider my favorites, then further whittled the list to 10.
Surprisingly, the newest song on this list is from 1986, which either reinforces how much of an old fart I really am, or underscores how much newer music really sucks. I tend to go with the old fart argument, because there are some newer songs I would consider putting on this list to see if they stand the test of time. For example, "Uptown Funk" is a glorious throwback to '70s music that is a blast to listen to. I will wait, though, because, when I was growing up in the 1980s, I thought "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats, "Der Kommissar" by After the Fire, and "She Blinded Me With Science" by Thomas Dolby were the greatest songs ever. Needless to say, although these songs are still catchy to me, they haven't exactly stood the test of time.
Other observations - 5 of the 10 songs were from 1969 and 1970, a few years before I was born. I guess this is when music hit its peak. Also, all 10 of these songs were sung by men. First of all, save the Michael Jackson jokes for later, and secondly, this doesn't mean that I don't like female vocalists. There are some songs from Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Alanis Morissette, and, don't laugh, the Go Go's, that came close to making this list.
Finally, don't hit me with the complaints like "What about this???" or "You should have included that." Music is very subjective, and everyone has their own personal tastes. For example, my wife's favorite band is U2, mainly because of Bono's passion and emotion that comes through in his music. I personally think U2 is one of the most overrated bands out there, and mediocre at best from a musical standpoint, but I do respect my wife's opinion, and I do think she has a valid point about Bono. On the other hand, my wife despises one of my favorite bands, the Beastie Boys, because "all they do is scream." So, please respect my personal taste here, and I won't give you a hard time when you share a selfie from the Coldplay concert.
Other observations - 5 of the 10 songs were from 1969 and 1970, a few years before I was born. I guess this is when music hit its peak. Also, all 10 of these songs were sung by men. First of all, save the Michael Jackson jokes for later, and secondly, this doesn't mean that I don't like female vocalists. There are some songs from Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Alanis Morissette, and, don't laugh, the Go Go's, that came close to making this list.
Finally, don't hit me with the complaints like "What about this???" or "You should have included that." Music is very subjective, and everyone has their own personal tastes. For example, my wife's favorite band is U2, mainly because of Bono's passion and emotion that comes through in his music. I personally think U2 is one of the most overrated bands out there, and mediocre at best from a musical standpoint, but I do respect my wife's opinion, and I do think she has a valid point about Bono. On the other hand, my wife despises one of my favorite bands, the Beastie Boys, because "all they do is scream." So, please respect my personal taste here, and I won't give you a hard time when you share a selfie from the Coldplay concert.
First, I will list the eight songs that I had to cut to get the list to 10. I guess you can call them honorable mentions:
"You Oughta Know," Alanis Morrissette, 1995
"Let It Be," The Beatles, 1970
"Back in the High Life," Steve Winwood, 1986
"Suspicious Minds," Elvis Presley, 1969
"New Sensation," INXS, 1987
"Allentown," Billy Joel, 1982
"Let's Dance," David Bowie, 1983
"The Power of Love," Huey Lewis and the News, 1985
Here are my top ten songs in alphabetical order. I can't rank these songs because they are all so good, but I think I may have 1 or 2 favorites.
"25 or 6 to 4," Chicago, 1970: Some people younger than me may not even realize that, before Chicago started churning out cheesy love ballads in the 1980s, they were a brassy, loud jazz-rock band that kicked some musical ass. This driving tune was their best. Everything works here, including the fat horn hits, (all three horn players are still with the band), Peter Cetera's high, but strong vocals, and a great guitar solo by the late Terry Kath, who made great use of the wah-wah pedal. The band finally received its long-overdue induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Peter Cetera promised to return to the band and play this song one last time in the key of E, calling for all other past and present band members to join him. I can't wait to see this happen. (update: The band refused and let Cetera down.)
"Higher Love," Steve Winwood, 1986: As you can see, another Winwood song, "Back in the High Life," from the same album as this song, was an honorable mention. "Don't You Know What the Night Can Do" and even "Gimme Some Lovin' " came close to making this list. The former frontman for the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic is really that good. It is rare to see a musician as talented as Winwood. He has a great voice, he is a gifted music writer and arranger, and he can play multiple instruments, including guitar and drums. He is best known as one of the greatest rock keyboardists of all time. This great song blends many different genres such as rock, pop, soul and even samba. The song is musically complex and difficult to sing, but Winwood's vocals, with a little help from Chaka Khan, are up to the task. The horns, great use of percussion and subtle drum-machine work keep the song moving. I have listened to this song hundreds of times, and I still can pick out new things I haven't heard before. I would say this song stands out as one of the best, even on this list of my favorites.
"Into the Mystic," Van Morrison, 1970: This song as a cool, ethereal feel to it, almost like you are floating. But this song is on this list for one big reason, which is Van Morrison's vocals. I still get goose bumps as I listen to him belt out the chorus of this song. I am usually not into analyzing, or even paying attention to lyrics, but this has me wondering if this is a superficial song about a sailor wanting to return to his lover, or if it is something more spiritual.
"I've Got a Feeling," The Beatles, 1970: This was originally two songs - One by Paul McCartney and another by John Lennon. These combined to make one unbelievable song, a tough choice from almost two dozen Beatles songs I gave a 5-star rating. The lyrics to Paul's song are optimistic, while John is singing about what a hard year he had (and he actually did have a hard year). The juxtaposition of these two themes is brilliant, along with the bluesy feel of the song, and Paul reminding us that he is one of the greatest screamers in rock history.
"I Want You Back," The Jackson 5, 1969: Yes, the Jackson 5 was a boy band, but they were an immensely talented boy band who actually played their own instruments, and happened to have Michael Jackson as a lead vocalist. This song is so easy and enjoyable to listen to, with a great bass groove, a great melody, and effective use of chords, not to mention soaring vocals from a then 11-year old Michael. Along with "Higher Love," I would call this one of the top songs on this short list.
"Somebody to Love," Queen, 1976: This song showcases everything that elevated Queen over just about every other rock band. This song has the band's complex musical and vocal arrangements, a great guitar solo by Brian May, and of course, the incomparable tone and 4-octave range of arguably the greatest frontman in rock history, Freddie Mercury. (my apologies to fans of the Rolling Stones). Mercury was inspired by Aretha Franklin, another legendary vocalist, when he wrote this song. Like "Higher Love," I hear something new everytime I hear this song.
"Spinning Wheel," Blood, Sweat & Tears, 1969: This is the craziest song on this list. It has probably the best horn arrangement I have ever heard on a rock song. The lick at 1:39 shows why the trombone is the greatest instrument ever. In addition to the horns, you get to enjoy some psychedelic lyrics that are a reflection of the era, and the bluesy vocals of David Clayton Thomas. The song then goes into 3/4 time and ends with the melody from the folk tune "Did You Ever See a Lassie," followed by the drummer's sarcastic quip, "That wasn't too good." Truly a trip from beginning to end. By the way, avoid the radio edit at all costs, because it absolutely eviscerates this great song.
"Superstition," Stevie Wonder, 1972: I grew up hearing a lot of this song, because my mother was also a Stevie Wonder fan, and also because I saw the now iconic performance of this song several times on "Sesame Street." Here is another immeasurably talented musician, who played every instrument on this song except for the trumpet and tenor sax. This includes the funky clavinet part, the Moog synth bass, and even the drums. The funky feel of this song makes you want to get up and dance, and Stevie's vocals are great. Sonia Manzano, who we all know as Maria from Sesame Street, described the overall feeling in the studio as "pure joy" when Stevie came to perform the song on the show. That pretty much sums it up.
"Under Pressure," Queen and David Bowie, 1981: This song puts together two of the most iconic vocalists and artists in rock history, and the result is every bit as good as you would expect. First of all, there's the bass groove, which most younger people recognize from "Ice Ice Baby," which Vanilla Ice swears he didn't steal from this song (Yeah, right). Then there are the melodic vocals. Even though Freddie Mercury has a louder, more brash tone to his voice, both Mercury and Bowie complement each other perfectly. I remember a radio interview with a celebrity, I can't recall who, about this song, and she said, "It's not just good, it's transcendent." I can't think of a better word to describe this song.
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin," Michael Jackson, 1983: It was hard to pick one song off of "Thriller," MJ's career-defining album, and, in my opinion, the greatest rock/pop album of all time. I went with the opening track because it shows off everything that was great about this album: Great music arrangement, great vocals, and songs that transcended genre and seamlessly used elements from many different types of music. This exciting, energetic, funky song never lets up, partly because the same 2-measure bass line drives the entire song except for the short stop-time section near the end of the tune.
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