1.) This is in no particular order. That would just have been too hard. But for the record, when someone asks me, I say my favorite song is At This Moment by Billy Vera and the Beaters.
2.) I only picked one song from any given artist. In many cases there would have been a lot of songs for one band/singer, but I thought I would just pay homage to a favorite song and leave it at that.
3.) I didn’t complete this list with the vain hope of being super definitive. I just picked songs that it would make me happy and want to blast the radio to if I heard them. I also stopped letting myself think about it once I got 50 songs. I revised a few songs along the way, but that is it. It actually took me a while to come up with the 50 though, and I did make sure I REALLY liked the songs.
4.) I make no guarantees that this will be my top 50 of all time. It is my top 50 as of now.
Hard for me to say I’m Sorry- Chicago
This song makes me think of skating rink days. I remember the first time I heard it. I was living in San Angelo, Texas. I was at the skating rink for I think the first time. I had never experienced or heard of couple skating, but this song came on and all the teenagers coupled up to skate. The girls were skating backwards! I was mesmerized and it seemed like the most romantic and grown up thing I had ever seen. I don’t know that I actually ever had a meaningful couples’ skating experience. I went through a dreadfully awkward stage (READ: FAT) during my big skating rink years and didn’t have a lot of suitors. But this song still can make me well up with tears. I don’t really like the rock out ending of the song, but most radio stations cut that off anyway.
Go Your Own Way- Fleetwood Mac
This is just one of those songs that I love. I just do. I love to sing it and get lost in it. I love Fleetwood Mac!
Tiny Dancer- Elton John
The scene in
Almost Famous when they sing this song on the tour bus is one of the best scenes in any movie ever. This song makes me want to be barefoot and wear swishy clothing and be all earthy and the kind of girl someone thinks about and writes a song about. I cannot mention Elton John without also mentioning my two other favorites of his: I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues and Someone Saved My Life Tonight but as per my criteria, I could only pick one for the official list.
Please Forgive Me- Bryan AdamsThis song comes under the heading of “first love”. There was love before and there has certainly been love since, but first true love will always stand alone… He played this for me one night in his car, after we had broken up and we both cried our eyes out. But it didn’t change a thing.
Dancing Queen- ABBA
This is my best friend song. Like when you have a song with a boyfriend, I have one with my best friend. When we were in college, we would road trip between Nacogdoches and Houston in her little brown 1980 Carolla (I think) with no AC. We would listen to ABBA and try to figure out all the harmonies. These are memories I cherish. This song always makes me whoop when I hear it.
Maggie May- Rod Stewart My 3rd stepmom (yes, you read that right) had a Rod Stewart’s greatest hits tape. My first car had a tape player (CD’s were still cutting edge technology) and being cash poor, I borrowed this tape permanently. At first, Rod was just the least offensive of my free choices. But I came to love dear Rod. I was the only 17 year-old super fan of Rod Stewart that I am aware of at the time. Still love him. Love his songs.
Past the Point of Rescue- Hal Ketchum I love sad and twisted love songs. I like to just go inside the song and feel all the pain I ever felt from love. I’m not deep and dark about it on purpose. I write songs like that and I love to listen to them too. This song is like that. It makes me want to two-step with someone I am clinging too for dear life.
At This Moment- Billy Vera & The Beaters
The song has been covered many times and nothing ever comes close to this version. I believe it is the best love song ever written. It was my email address for years (
at_this_moment@hotmail.com). At the time, I didn’t think about how hard it would be to tell people my email address if the first word was at. I was constantly saying, the word, not the symbol. Someone hijacked that address, so it is no more. I know it is about a break-up, but just the one line, “If you’d stay, I’d subtract 20 years from my life. I’d fall down on my knees; kiss the ground that you walk on, if I could just hold you again.” That is love. That is real love. Real love just isn’t always reciprocated.
Angry All the Time- Bruce Robison
I have a tendency to be harsh. I have a tendency to get really caught up in all my fears and phobias and translate that to anger because when I can’t deal I just have to be inside my own head and hide. I can’t answer questions and I can’t help anyone else. When I listen to the words of this song I pray that I make that part of me go away as much as I can because I don’t ever want someone to sing this song to me.
Fly- Patti Griffin I know the Dixie Chicks recorded a lovely and much more well-know version of this song, but it can’t touch the original. If only I had been this smart a million times, I could have saved much heartache. Foolish me didn’t know you can’t blame folks for bein’ who they are. I, with open eyes and full knowledge let many a fella break me apart. Shame on me, not them. Took me a long time to get there.
Lovin in My Baby’s Eyes- Taj Mahal I played this song as part of the “pre-show” at my wedding. To me it is sweet and sexy at the same time.
Round of Blues- Shawn Colvin She is a songwriting goddess to me. Certainly one of my inspirations and this song is my favorite of hers. It’s a dust yourself off and go again kind of song. It makes me really happy when I hear it. I keep losing this cd and every time I find it I get all excited again.
Brilliant Mind- Furniture
This is on the Some Kind of Wonderful soundtrack. It is so deliciously deep and dark and perfectly 80’s teen angst. And of course the deep-voiced singer couldn’t hurt either.
Crazy Love- Van Morrison I walked down the aisle to this song. Love, love, love, love Van Morrison.
Ghost- Indigo Girls Another song that is deeply tied to my best friend. I always liked the song, but one day while we were in college, sitting outside of the Downstage Theatre and waiting to see a student directed play, we sang this song together and it has just always been a touchstone moment for us. I sing the low part, by the way.
Better Man- Pearl Jam I remember the first time I heard Pearl Jam very distinctly. I was in my best friend Kaitanya’s little truck that had no radio, so she played me a tape on one of those black tape players that you could play and record on- really old school. We were sitting in the parking lot of the public library and she played I’m Still Alive for me. The moment grunge entered my life. I like this song a little better and it has a memory for me because I associate it with another relationship I had. He was the sweetest man in the world and he took wonderful care of me and I hadn’t had much nice. There just wasn’t enough love there and it took me a long time to be brave enough to leave nice and safe to look for love.
Raspberry Beret- Prince This song reminds me of being on the bus, on the way to One Act Play Competition in high school and someone had a guitar and knew this song. We all sang it together over and over again because I guess it was the only song the guy knew. It doesn’t matter. This song is just fun to sing.
Roll To Me- Del Amitri
One of those songs that just makes me happy to sing it. It isn’t exactly a happy song but it is very up-tempo, so it feels like it.
Here I Go Again- Whitesnake My first Thanksgiving in L.A. was spent at my friend Barry’s house. The day was tense in a way and I was a little homesick, but Barry blasted this song for some reason and we all sang at the top of our lungs. It is one of my favorite memories.
Hard to Handle- Black Crowes I was not a bad girl by any stretch of the imagination, but senior year I could often be convinced to skip typing class to drive down the highway with my boyfriend, windows down, singing this song. This song makes me feel free and a little bad too.
All I Want Is You- U2 One of my boyfriends in college used to play this for me on his guitar. He had this incredible deep voice. I had never heard the U2 version, only him. A long while after we broke up I saw
Reality Bites and heard the U2 version in that movie for the first time. I cried my eyes out. I think it was less about the movie and more about remembering this guy singing to me.
Theme Song From One Day At A Time- ?Anyone who really knows me, knows that I know a lot of t.v. show theme songs. I have no idea why. Somewhere in my brain, some cells think that this kind of information is important. The theme song from One Day At a Time is my favorite.
Ring My Bell- Anita WardWhen I hear this song, I go right back to a college party. I have usually had way too much Southern Comfort and Coke and I am about to do a door dance. This involved taking turns going out a door and then suddenly reappearing in the door which much panache and pizazz, then showing how sexy you could be dancing in a doorway. Like you do…
Blame it on the Rain- Milli VanilliGotta blame it on something…I love this song. Don’t judge.
Mandolin Rain- Bruce Hornsby Such a great song. It sucks when you have no one to blame but yourself for screwing up the love of your life. Perfect rainy day feel sorry for yourself song. Makes me want to wear pajamas and refuse to bathe.
I Would Die Without You- PM Dawn
More unrequited love. I believe PM Dawn to be a completely under-appreciated band. This song also reminds of someone in particular and I am not sure why- we weren’t in love or anything. A little like, but no love.
Shook Me All Night Long- AC/DC
This song reminds me of the same person as the PM Dawn song, but I do know why this time. He loves AC/DC and he used to sing it around me all the time. A dear friend that is one of those people I just don’t know anymore but I still think of fondly.
Love Look What You’ve Done To Me- Boz Skaggs From the soundtrack of one of my all-time favorite movies,
Urban Cowboy. I still want to be Pam with her long, straight brown hair. Sometimes I still want a cowboy. If you knew my sweet hubby, this would make you laugh.
Better Man- Clint BlackThis is the all time best song to two-step to- at least as far as I am concerned.
Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want- MorriseyFerris Bueller’s Day Off…excellent montage and excellent song.
You Never Even Call Me By My Name- David Allen Coe This is the best country song ever written. It is perfect for all of the reasons mentioned in the song and also because it is the perfect song to sing loudly and badly when you have had far too much to drink. The kind of song where you all put your arms around each other for camaraderie and to hold each other up so you don’t fall down.
True Companion- Marc CohnI have sung this song at a bergillion weddings. Whenever someone asks the hubz and I to perform at their wedding, we give them a list of songs we can do and they invariably pick this one. It really is sweet and beautiful. I also love Walkin in Memphis a lot too.
Am I Wasting Your Time- David GarzaI don’t know if I actually have the name of this right. I can’t do a top song list without including David Garza (pronounced Dah-Veed). Alone, with the Love Beads, or in Twang Twang Shocka Boom I loved this man and his music. I was introduced to his music in college and it is the soundtrack for that time in my life. I nearly peed myself when after a show in Nacogdoches, TX, my roommate and I got to go back to the band’s hotel and play Scrabble. When they dropped us off, we literally did that thing you do where you play cool till the guy drives away and then scream and freak out. My best friend (who also loves him dearly and for way longer) went with me to a show a few years ago in L.A. We were beside ourselves with joy and we sent notes back to him saying we were old-school Texas fans and could he play some of the old stuff. That was the most depressing show of my life on several levels:
One- he used to play the happiest music I ever heard and now his music is like a funeral dirge.
Two- he did read our note and condescend to play an old tune, but he played it in the style of a funeral dirge.
I will love old David. I know that an artist has the right to move on, but sometimes it breaks your heart.
You Oughta Know- Alanis MorissetteThis is the I am Woman Hear Me Roar of the 90’s. If you are in your 30’s right now and female, I promise that even if you don’t remember, you have cranked this song and sung- no yelled it at the top of your lungs. You have for 3.5 minutes hated all men. It’s a good song.
That’s Right You’re Not From Texas- Lyle LovettI am a Texan way before I am an American. People who aren’t from Texas don’t really get it and this song sums that up perfectly.
To Be With You- Mr. BigWell it was either More Than Words or this. This won. My personal favorite power ballad.
Lessons in Love- Level 42This is another song that I just really like and I don’t know why. No particular memory associated with it.
Against All Odds- Phil CollinsAnother in the long line of totally sad love songs I adore. Never have seen the movie. Remember Phil in front of all that green rain in the video?
Talkin to the Moon- Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin BrothersLove to sing this. Another sad but happy sounding song. I must REALLY have a super deep hole in my heart somewhere. My musical taste is more than a little depressing. Plus the Gatlin Brothers have amazing harmonies and I think that is fun to sing and listen to.
Freedom- WhamNot to be confused with that other Freedom song by the solo artist George Michael. Fun song. Makes me think of my Ali and Mattie.
Silent All These Years- Tori AmosIt was a rainy Saturday in 1992 and my friend Lana and I were hanging out and shopping. She said she wanted to go to Tower Records on The Drag and get a tape of this Tori Amos chick. We played it for the rest of the day while we drove around rainy Austin and shopped vintage. I can almost smell the Texas rain when I hear this.
While You See A Chance- Steve WinwoodOk, this one is uplifting. I think Steve Winwood has an amazing voice.
Drive South- John HiattI would love to just chuck it all and run away some day. Maybe when the kids are gone…
The Road Goes on Forever- Robert Earl KeenKind of like Drive South. I don’t want to go on a crime spree that ends with my fella in jail, but the wild freedom aspect of it is kind of cool. Robert Earl Keen is an incredible and really funny storyteller.
I’m On Fire- Bruce SpringsteenI couldn’t really decide between this and Born to Run. This one appeals more to the darkness we have been discussing, so I picked it. His voice is just so darn sexy.
I Want You Back for Good- Take ThatOnce again, you are not allowed to judge. I love to sing this song and you cannot deny the talent of Robbie Williams. So there.
Margaritaville- Jimmy BuffetWhen I was in college, one of our professors, named Juanita, owned an apartment complex. It was a fourplex and was inhabited entirely by fellow members of the theatre department. We had all the parties there and they were indeed PARTIES. Those folks were sort of the elite of the theatre department and they knew it. We took to calling that complex the superiority complex (as opposed to an inferiority complex). But when we were not calling it that, we called it Juanitaville. We sang this song a lot over in Juanitaville.
Mother, Father- JourneyI must make a confession. I can’t pick an all-time favorite Journey song, so I will just pick my favorite for right now. I love Journey. My favorite concert is Journey. The new singer is incredible and although let’s face it, I would pee if Steve joined back in, the new guy rocks.
Like the Way I Do- Melissa EtheridgeMy go-to karaoke song.
Stay- Lisa LoebThis is one of those songs that you are really proud of yourself after you learn all of the words to it. Also so very 90's. Bring out your babydoll dress and the Doc Martens. I never had any actual Doc Martens. I had many fake (let's say faux to be awesome) pairs.
So there you have it. I can cross one thing off the list. This one was really fun for me and now I have the strange desire to make a mix tape.
p.s. I am pretty sure you can hear any of these on You Tube.
More soon…
