Music List 1: Top 10 Rock Songs

[labyrinth2015]

Interrupting the flow of fic yet again to engage in some conversation about mainstream/modern rawk.motherendurance's precious, precocious 12-year-old made me a list of his top ten songs, which were startlingly mature and classic-rock centric (Aerosmith! Guns n Roses!).

He was polite enough to ask me, in my turn, for my favourite rock songs - clearly his awesome mom has raised him right! So, here are my top 10 rock faves, sweet boy: feel free to tell me how uncool they are, ha ha.

Springsteen: "Thunder Road"

I got into the Boss and rock n roll when I was fifteen and writing a comix column for a local rock n roll/pop culture fanzine - I was given a Bruce album and told my musical tastes (80s British new wave!) needed to be improved, pronto.

Bruce has a zillion rock n roll hits, but I've picked classic Thunder Road from his seminal Born To Run album, which, to me, is the best rock song of all time - it speaks of the open road, and taking a chance on love. This vid is from an amazing, high energy live performance in 1978, when Bruce was heartbreakingly young, and, ever the consummate storyteller, he gives this awesome introduction to the song.

The Police: "Roxanne"

In the history section, I would have named the intelligent music and unmistakable one-of-a-kind guitar work of either Dire Straits (Expresso Love) or Derek + the Dominoes/Eric Clapton (70s Layla), but the vids of Knopfler and Clapton were, to put it mildly, not very interesting (though they were amazing live when I watched them in concert, so many years ago).

Instead, I've picked recently-reunited rock band The Police, known for their blend of rock, reggae and synthesizers. As a girl I fell in love with their sophisticated rhythms, Copeland's progressive snare and syncopated drumming and the complexity of Stingo's early lyrics. I picked Roxanne (a gorgeous, deceptively simple song about a lover who needs to give up her, er, day job) over brooding Synchronicity II (which allegedly references Carl Jung's theory of synchronicity), but both are different, amazing rock songs. This version is the rocking 1979 version from The Police's European tour, complete with backstage footage, and when the boys are ridiculously young.


U2: "Mysterious Ways"

In many ways, U2 has to be my favourite band. The big proponent of stadium rock of the 1980s, they moved into alternative industrial rock in the 1990s and reinvented themselves as the pyrotechnic rock chameleons of the new millennium. I've selected Mysterious Ways with its killer groove and shimmering bass line off the fabulous Achtung, Baby album - this was spectacular when I watched it in 1992, and feels as fresh today.


Del Amitri: "Always the Last To Know"; Later version

Underrated Scottish pop rock band, whose forte was simple, beautiful melodies and acidly cynical lyrics. I love the Del's album Change Everything, beyond reason - my LJ subtitle is taken from this song. Listen to the bass hook twisting sinously through this ironic song about how you'll always love the lover whom you did wrong and drove away.


INXS: ”Need You Tonight”

For 80s soft rock I briefly considered listing my favorite song from each of Jon Bon Jovi (acoustic Living on a Prayer), Bryan Adams (Summer of 69) or Don Henley (Boys of Summer), but decided to go with 80s Antipodean New Wave/funk rock gods INXS.

Although my personal favourite INXS song was Never Tear Us Apart, the insistent, infamous, iteratively dirty groove of signature song Need You Tonight (off seminal album Kick) was the rhythm to which my entire college generation, er, engaged in romantic activity, and still makes me fan myself to this day.


Robert Palmer/Power Station: "Addicted to Love"

Palmer was the elegant, soulful heavyweight of experimental funky, bluesy, bossa nova rock, and this classy, hot song with its horn section, tight guitar line and funky bass groove is pretty much guaranteed to get me on the dance floor (or a table, ha ha).


Melissa Etheridge: "I Want To Come Over"

I wanted to get a female rocker on this list, and while I adore Chrissie Hynde and the Pretenders something fierce, love to rock out to Heart, and from the 2000s I enjoy Gwen Stefani's genre, Melissa's I Want To Come Over has got to be THE classic grrlrock song - all gravelly and yearning - "It's a need I can't explain/I wanna come over/To see you again" - with such a great rocking rhythm.


Coldplay: "Viva La Vida"
Our Lady Peace: "Innocent"

My popular music listening took a bit of a dive in the late 90s to early/mid 2000s - I was busy marrying, gestating and raising littles, and pretty much all about the ballads and lullabies all the time (and Hi!FIVE, but we shall not go there, ahaha).

So, while I would occasionally enjoy the alt/indie/grunge rock offerings of late 90s/00s bands like Nirvana, Oasis, Blur, Pearl Jam and Nickleback, I wouldn't return to really being in love with a rock band until Coldplay. They are the archetypical 2000s rock band - swaggering, bombastic, full of themselves, all labyrinthian lyrics and musical stylings - and I was all primed to love them in all their glory. I love this lush, conceited, gorgeous song, and when they came to play the Island this year, this was just unreal.

Around this time I was also introduced to the raw, occasionally surreal stylings of altrock band Our Lady Peace - in some ways, they are the anti-Coldplay, and the heartfelt, gorgeous simplicity of Innocent (covered by Cook during Idol, downlist!) is the antithesis of Viva La Vida.


David Cook: "Declaration"

I could go on and on about David Cook all day on this journal. I am insanely in love with his intelligent modern rock oeuvre, and although I dig the dirty, grungy vibe of his older songs and the infectious, headbanging Bar-Ba-Sol, I think this headlong, anthemic offering is the most representative of his style and showcases both his lyrical prowess and assured melodic composition, his edgy growl and his lush upper range. Also, he is so goshdarn *pretty* ;).


B, I hope you enjoyed this half as much as I did! You come play any time, okay?

 

 

Comments

[evilgeniuslady.livejournal.com]

Oh man. I just had a very long and eloquent reply written out, and then my internet crashed and ate the reply with it. Hrmpf. Maybe I'll try to replicate it tomorrow, when I'm not annoyed at my internet for pulling a stunt like that.

(We have very similar taste, though, as if that was a surprise by now ;) )

[jehane-writes.livejournal.com]

Hey, I'm not the only one with connection troubles this weekend! Sorry to hear it crashed, bb!

I'm really keen to hear your lengthy eloquent reply ;)

I kind of thought we might, hence my linking you here. It's cool that we grew up in different parts of the world, with completely different cultural experiences, and yet in some ways we're so similar! Also shows how pervasive/accessible the English-language music culture is, I guess, since the one thing we obviously have in common is our age.

[evilgeniuslady.livejournal.com]

Right. Let's hope my internet behaves this time...

The Police and Roxanne. You know how with some songs you can remember exactly where and when you first heard it? I was in London with my school in the winter of 1990 (February? Must have been, the weather was ghastly), and we went to the Rock version of Mme Tussaud (I have no clue if they still have it, but it was essentially a history of rock music. Cheesy but perfect for 15 yr old students). They gave everybody these headsets that operated on radio or something, so that every time you passed a new wax figure you'd hear the song that made that person famous. With Sting it was Roxanne and I heard the first few bars and sort of felt my life shift. A genuine 'whoaaaa' moment. I already had a copy of ... Nothing Like the Sun and liked it a lot, but Roxanne made me fall into a life-long love affair with both Sting and The Police. I could make an entire Top 10 Rock Songs list just based on their repertoire. Other favourites:
Walking on the Moon - for the exuberant joy and the bassline.
Can't Stand Losing You - because the self-indulgent anger and pity party makes me crack up (possibly not the most politically correct reaction to a song about suicide, but I've never been able to take it seriously.) I see you've sent my letters back, and my LP records and they're all scratched! Poor baby...
Tea in the Sahara - for the mystique and the bassline (yes, the bassline is a recurring theme).
Wrapped Around Your Finger - because it made me go look up old myths. And the bassline is delicious.
Walking In Your Footsteps - for the poignancy.
Canary in a Coalmine - don't know why, I've just always loved it.

Springsteen: I love the Born in the USA record, and I think The River is one of the best songs ever written, but for some reason I never delved into his music past that. I think Sting took up too much of my time. I do know that most of Bruce's newer repertoire doesn't do anything for me, except the Pete Seeger Sessions. I was always a folkie as much as a rock girl, so when those two loves combined with all that energy, my heart just about exploded.

U2: Again, I think they suffered from my Sting obsession, but The Joshua Tree was among the first LPs I bought, and it's still brilliant. I loved Mysterious Ways. In fact, I love most of what I hear from them. Of their more recent work, One is a masterpiece, as is Stuck In a Moment.

I remember liking Del Amitri a lot. Think I might even have caught them at a festival once.

For a girl rocker I'd go with Eurythmics (any song from Revenge will do). Mostly because I don't remember ever hearing Melissa Etheridge before, though that's a very rockin' song you linked to. But also because Annie Lennox is simply one of the best vocalists out there, imo. I might add Alanis Morissette to the list as well - Jagged Little Pill is filled with awesome, angry rock songs.

I only know Our Lady Peace from David's cover of Innocent, which I love. I did try searching out some of their songs on youtube, but I can't seem to get past Raine's voice. Just not my cuppa, I'm afraid.

(Long comment is too long for livejournal. More to follow shortly...)

[jehane-writes.livejournal.com]

Heh, I know you would be down with The Police-adoration, since I know how you love Sting, but I am kind of stunned at your life-shifting moment to Roxanne at London's Madame Tussauds! Awesome vid, am I right? Gosh, I really really love Wrapped Around Your Finger, as well, and Can't Stand Losing You is so petulant and hilarious.

I have an epic concert recap of the concert they played on the Island in my private journal, which I will not quote because it is remarkably self-indulgent, but they were SO good, and Stingo, at 56, TOTALLY made my ovaries go spoing. (Also, HE IS SO SMART. And quite the actor, actually!)

I love The River absolutely to pieces - Bruce was such a phenomenal storyteller. Born in the USA is his album for "our" 80s generation, and his follow-up Tunnel of Love was the album Hub and I fell in love over. Sadly, for me, his music hasn't really held up as well, and I'm not really into his newer stuff (like you).

I think U2 is my favourite rock band of all time ;)

I LOVE Annie Lennox (and Why never fails to send a shiver down my spine), but I'm not sure I'd've pegged the Eurythmics as principally a rock band. Alanis is totally a rocker, though, and my girlfriends and I would dance around the house singing You Ought To Know VERY LOUDLY. Best post break-up song ever!

I see Coldplay and OLP as two sides of the same 2000s altrock coin, actually. I love Innocent, the original more than David's cover thereof. But I get that you might find Raine nasal and annoying (Hub CAN'T STAND them, lol).

[evilgeniuslady.livejournal.com]

Sting is sex on legs. Seriously. It's the brains and the voice (and the carefully toned torso and arms don't hurt either). I once saw a women's mag describe his voice as 'sex and sandpaper'. Pretty accurate, imo. I'd list my favourite of his songs, but then we'd still be here tomorrow. I haven't really been into his last records (law school happened and I had to stop listening to music for a while to focus on the books), but other than that, I know most of them by heart.

Did you see the version of The River that Bruce and Sting did together? I think it was for the Amnesty International Tour, which I taped, and then proceeded to wear out.

I don't know that Eurythmics is principally rock, but they seemed to straddle the line between pop and rock. I think Revenge falls mainly in the rock genre. Missionary Man, Thorn In My Side, When Tomorrow Comes... they don't sound very pop to me, especially not compared to what else was going on in pop in 1986. When Tomorrow Comes even has a rockin' guitar solo.

You Oughta Know is indeed the best break-up song in history. So much anger and rage and vitriol. It's very therapeutic. And that song should always be sung at the top of your lungs. *g*

I have a real issue with nasal voices - can't stand Bob Dylan's voice for the same reason (Andy Skib straddles dangerously close to that issue, but survives by skill of interpretation and the sheer power of his voice).

[jehane-writes.livejournal.com]

TOTALLY SEX ON LEGS. The concert recap I made more or less consisted of me drooling, jsyk.

Every single song from ...Nothing Like the Sun and Ten Summoner's Tales is perfection (they're just not very rock).

(In related news, I love Don't Stand So Close To Me, and I would pay good money for David to do this, as well, as kind of a companion piece to Hot For Teacher.)

I DID NOT SEE THE EPIC BRUCE/STINGO RIVER DUET. *CRIES*. Think my life will now nevah be complete.

God, I loved Thorn In My Side and When Tomorrow Comes so much. If you smacked me in the head and then played these Eurythmics songs (as well as You Oughta Know and One Hand in My Pocket), I would sing them out of my hindbrain ;)

I have no problem with nasal, clearly. C'mon, Dylan is brilliant! ;) And, gosh, Skib is NOT nasal, sista; his voice is gorgeous!

[evilgeniuslady.livejournal.com]

Oh, I don't know. Heavy Cloud, No Rain and Love Is Stronger Than Justice are both quite rockin', as is Nothing 'bout Me. And how about that Jimi Hendrix cover? ;)

I love the revamped Don't Stand so so much. It's just awesome live, but I'm not too fond of the original version. David can certainly cover it if he wants (I just about cheered out loud recently when I saw a photo of Skib wearing a ...Nothing Like the Sun t-shirt).

YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE RIVER DUET?!? OMG YOUTUBE TO THE RESCUE! (LINK)

Dylan is a brilliant songwriter, but I cannot stand his voice, sorry (he always reminds me of someone with Down's Syndrome when he sings, which is a horrible comparison, I know, but that's the leap my brain makes, and it's not one that urges me to seek out his songs). I have to say Skib is ever so slightly nasal, though, yes. I like him, but he twangs a bit much for my liking.

[jehane-writes.livejournal.com]

OMFG, I AM SO DEAD FROM THE SQUEE. I mean, I am squeeing, SQUEEING, so much it is SILENT, and I am sitting here with my hand pressed over my mouth, FLAILING THE OTHER ARM LIKE A TEENAGER, that is how much I AM DEAD.

Sting's subtle, gorgeous phrasing, on, "Me and Mary we met in high school/When she was just seventeen"? KILLED ME.

And, the way they put their heads together, their voices blending, on the chorus? The hotness of young Bruce in his vest? THE HOTNESS OF STINGO, rocking what on anyone else (even our fair David) would have been TEH MOST HIDEOUS FLEUR-DE-LYS JUMPER FROM HELL, but on him, was a perfect and romantic outfit with a poet's collar? GUH.

Thanks to your Youtube link, I found this as well: Bruce and Sting dueting on Every Breath You Take. I thought it was SO fantastic, as well, especially when they alternated lines on the chorus, and traded runs and yells? AMAZING.

THANK YOU, bb, you've made my night! It's late, off to bed with me, hopefully perchance to dream of the gentlemen in question ;)

PS: I love Skib's twang, aksherly *wink*. I guess I don't mind the nasal. I should send Willie Nelson your way one day (*hee*)!

[evilgeniuslady.livejournal.com]

Oh man. I'd forgotten about Every Breath, even though I had it on the same tape. Probably because The River is a better song imo than Every Breath, so I just rewatched River over and over again. I'm a bad bad Sting fan, but Breath is probably my least favourite of all his songs. It's such a stalker song disguised as romance... which, hey. A thought. I'd love it if David covered it. He'd totally make it creepy and stalkerish as hell, and then I could finally enjoy it the way it should be sung. That said, Sting and the Boss do give a good version as well.

Hope you had pleasant dreams. ;)

Gosh, I have so many quirks when it comes to musical preferences, don't I? No twang, no synth, no nothing. No wonder I sometimes have long stretches where I don't listen to any new music at all.

[jehane-writes.livejournal.com]

OMFG, David should totally cover Every Breath. I loved it when he made Always Be My Baby creepy and stalkerific!

Yes, The River is the better song. But Bruce/Sting make such beautiful music together on Every Breath! (Um, just realised I used that unintended slash up there. But I kind of like it, so it's stayin' ;).)

Can't remember the dreams, but I know I woke with a smile on my face ;)

[evilgeniuslady.livejournal.com]

Even more than Always Be My Baby, I got total chills when he snarled out or is someone loving you? during Hello. I'm not sure how the public at large would react at him stalkerfying Every Breath, though, people seem to love it as the ultimate love song, playing it at weddings and such (which, *shudder*, I so don't get. Did they ever actually listen to the lyrics?). I want him to do it soooo badly.

Bruce/Sting makes a lot of sense, especially after seeing them sharing that mic (seriously, they were on a huge tour, with tons of technicians and equipment, they couldn't get a second mic set up?).

[jehane-writes.livejournal.com]

Hello is the moment where my hair stood totally on end, the stalkerificness blowing me completely away! Ohhhh, David.

Thank you: I kind of need another ship like I need a hole in the head? That said - THEY LOOK SO CUTE AND HAPPY TOGETHER! Sharing the mic and being just up in each other's space. And the amazing trading of lines, so like sexin', just saying ;)

[evilgeniuslady.livejournal.com]

Hello was almost like Roxanne for me. That moment where the world sort of shifts, and you know you've witnessed something extraordinary, something you need to explore as far as it will take you.

Heh. Multishipping is the way to go. ;) (And hey, Sting once wrote a song called Need You Like This Hole In My Head. *g*)

[evilgeniuslady.livejournal.com]

Long comment, part deux:

I think I'd throw a Depeche Mode on the list as well. Yes, they were heavy on the synths but Personal Jesus has the grooviest groove ever (there goes that bassline fascination again. I think it comes from years of playing the tuba).

More recent music... I'll actually go with some Danish bands. Kashmir's Rocket Brothers is gorgeous. Carpark North's Transparent and Glasslike (sorry for the lack of stimulating visuals) is ridiculously catchy though the lyrics are a bit meh. Tim Christensen is in love with the old-fashioned rock sound, which I love, and he's one of my favourite singer/songwriters (Superior is his newest song, though you might want to check out Right Next to the Right One as well - only song that's ever made me cry at a live concert).

Re. David: Excellent choice of Declaration. There's so much strength in the song, but at the same times the lyrics are sort of hopefully vulnerable? I don't know if I'm explaining it very well, but it's an incredibly intriguing song, not to mention very catchy.

[jehane-writes.livejournal.com]

Depeche Mode is really an 80s band for our generation, no? Love their synthesizer, and their entire sound. I remember the angst of Shake the Disease, and holding hands with an ironic boy to Somebody.

I enjoyed all the links you made to the recent Danish music - the Kashmir vid was awesome, and, though your link to Tim Christensen's Right Next to the Right One is giving me a problem, a vid of a live performance thereof was right next to Superior, and when I clicked on it all the hairs on my arms stood on end.

OMG, such an incredible song, so moving; his voice, and that lyric (which I sped off to google up) which speaks of that place I'm sure most of us have been: "What if we were meant to be together/What if you were meant to be the one/ I could hide a million years and try to believe/That any time the girl in mind will come and rescue me".

And the chorus is such a killer! So beautiful, I can totally see why you would have cried; I would likely have cried, too. "Cause you're the fire, you're the one/But you'll never see the sun/If you don't know, you're right next to the right one". I am still getting THE SHIVERS.

Declaration? As JTO said, it's David's call to arms; it makes me headbang whenever it comes on, and at the same time, there's that vulnerable undercurrent, standing alone against the world, loving; bleeding - our boy, who wears his (our!) heart on his sleeve.

♥! I am so glad you so get me, sista ;)

[evilgeniuslady.livejournal.com]

The funny thing is, I didn't really get into Depeche Mode until the 90s - they fell victim of my blind hatred of everything pop and synth in the 80s, I'm afraid, so I had to rediscover them later. But I did, and these days I even love their early overly-synthesized stuff, though my favourite albums are Violator and Songs of Faith and Devotion.

Right Next to the Right One was actually written for a tv show - a very popular one, so everyone in Denmark knows and loves that song to bits. When I heard him sing it live, he was the last act of a festival, and the entire crowd stood there in the wonderful summer night, singing quietly along with him. Much like the video you saw, actually (sorry, I forgot to give you the link, which is why it didn't work!) It was magic. You might want to check out Love Is a Matter of ... as well (no good live version available, but here is one with the lyrics), though he's a phenomenal songwriter, so you can't really go wrong with any of his songs. Tim actually started out in one of the best rock bands I've seen live, Dizzy Mizz Lizzy when he was still a teenager (he's around our age), but seems to have managed the craziness that is celebrity (even in such a small country as Denmark) just fine by avoiding attention outside of the music. Dizzy Mizz Lizzy is still revered here, though they broke up ages ago, and only made two records (I get major cred with the younger generation when I speak of the multiple Dizzy concerts I've been to, heh). I would have linked them as well, but they're not exactly recent anymore...

(I need to learn how to write hearts. Imagine there's a whole bunch of them here for our shared musical minds?)

[jehane-writes.livejournal.com]

...I think I am becoming a Tim Christensen fangirl. I'm all about the lyrics (as you could possibly tell), and he gives masterly, heartfelt lyrics. Also, his voice and guitaring are lovely!

Depeche - I remember you mentioning you hated the 80s pop and synth sound though (because?) your sister liked them! Um, me, I kind of embraced pop/synth at the time (and became a card carrying Duran Duran fan! which is when my rock fanzine editor friend literally shoved Bruce's album into my hands, to save me from myself).

Hearts: Clio showed me how to make one. You type & hearts ; - obviously, without the gaps. Can't for the life of me figure how to make them sparkly, though ;)

♥, for our shared musical minds, indeed ;)

[evilgeniuslady.livejournal.com]

Yay Tim! He really is awesome, so go ahead and be a fangirl. ;) I've been trying to figure out where you could buy his music if you wanted, but it all seems frightfully expensive and awkward. Let me know if you want samples, though, because I have his first two records.

Yeah, me and 80s pop had a strenous relationship at best. It certainly didn't help that my sister loved it, but I'm not sure it would have changed my preference for rock - I still liked some of the pop she listened to, I just never told her. Like Johnny Hates Jazz, heh. I hated Duran Duran and Wham!, though. They were far too popular for my taste.

Oooh, hearts! Let me try... ♥ hey, it worked! Thanks!