Saturday, September 26, 2009

Top 20 List Songs

This has got to be one of my all time favorite categories. A "List Song" is basically a song that is totally or partially based on a list, and they are damn cool. Of course, in Spanish, Joaquin Sabina is the undisputed king of list songs. However, there are many other really cool list songs out there. These are my top 20 List Songs.



1. Billy Joel – We Didn’t Start the Fire

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray, South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio, Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television, North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe, Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom, Brando, "The King and I" and "The Catcher in the Rye", Eisenhower, vaccine, England's got a new queen, Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

2. The Pirates of Penzance – The Very Model of a Major General

I am the very model of a modern Major-General / I've information vegetable, animal, and mineral / I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical / From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical / I'm very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical / I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical / About binomial theorem I'm teeming with a lot o' news / With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse

3. Rent - La Vie Boheme

To days of inspiration, playing hookey, making something out of nothing, the need to express- To communicate, To going against the grain, Going insane, Going mad, to loving tension, no pension, to more than one dimension, to starving for attention, hating convention, hating pretension, not to mention of course, hating dear old mom and dad, to riding your bike, midday past the three piece suits- To fruits- To no absolutes- To Absolut- To choice- To the Village Voice- To any passing fad, To being an us- For once- Instead of a them- La Vie Boheme, La Vie Boheme

4. REM – It’s the End of the Word (As we Know it)

That's great, it starts with an earthquake, birds and snakes, an aeroplane and Lenny Bruce is not afraid. Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn - world serves its own needs, dummy serve your own needs. Feed it off an aux speak, grunt, no, strength, Ladder start to clatter with fear fight down height. Wire in a fire, representing seven games, a government for hire and a combat site. Left of west and coming in a hurry with the furies breathing down your neck.

5. Joaquin Sabina – Mas de 100 Mentiras

Tenemos caprichos, muñecas hinchables, ángeles caídos, barquitos de vela, pobre exquisitos,
ricos miserables, ratoncitos Pérez, dolores de muelas. Tenemos proyectos que se marchitaron,
crímenes perfectos que no cometimos, retratos de novias que nos olvidaron,
y un alma en oferta que nunca vendimos. Tenemos poetas, colgados, canallas,
Quijotes y Sanchos, Babel y Sodoma, abuelos que siempre ganaban batallas,
caminos que nunca llevaban a Roma.

6. Johnny Cash – I’ve Been Everywhere

I've been to: Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota, Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota,
Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma, Tampa, Panama, Mattawa, La Paloma, Bangor, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo, Tocapillo, Baranquilla, and Perdilla, I'm a killer. I’ve been everywhere, man. I've been everywhere, man.

7. Reunion – Life is a Rock

B.B. Bumble and the Stingers, Mott the Hoople, Ray Charles Singers, Lonnie Mack and twangin' Eddy, here's my ring we're goin' steady, Take it easy, take me higher, liar liar, house on fire, Locomotion, Poco, Passion, Deeper Purple, Satisfaction, Baby baby gotta gotta gimme gimme gettin' hotter, Sammy's cookin', Lesley Gore and Ritchie Valens, end of story, Mahavishnu, fujiyama, kama-sutra, rama-lama, Richard Perry, Spector, Barry, Archies, Righteous, Nilsson, Harry, Shimmy shimmy ko-ko bop and Fats is back and Finger Poppin', Life is a rock but the radio rolled me, Gotta turn it up louder, so my DJ told me (whoa whoa whoa whoa), Life is a rock but the radio rolled me, At the end of my rainbow lies a golden oldie

8. Savage Garden – Affirmation

I believe the sun should never set upon an argument / I believe we place our happiness in other people's hands / I believe that junk food tastes so good because it's bad for you / I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do / I believe that beauty magazines promote low self esteem / I believe I'm loved when I'm completely by myself alone

9. Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues

Get sick, get well, hang around a ink well, ring bell, hard to tell, If anything is goin' to sell, try hard, get barred, get back, write braille, get jailed, jump bail, join the army, if you fail, look out kid, you're gonna get hit, but users, cheaters, six-time losers, hang around the theaters, girl by the whirlpool, lookin' for a new fool, don't follow leaders, watch the parkin' meters

10. Joaquin Sabina – La del Pirata Cojo

Al Capone en Chicago / Legionario en Melilla / Pintor en Montparnasse.
Mercenario en Damasco / Costalero en Sevilla / Negro en Nueva Orleans.
Viejo verde en Sodoma / Deportado en Siberia / Sultán en un harén.
¿Policía? ni en broma / Triunfador de la feria / Gitanito en Jerez.

11. Don Williams – I Believe in You

I don't believe in superstars, organic food and foreign cars / I don't believe the price of gold; The certainty of growing old / That right is right and left is wrong, that north and south can't get along / That east is east and west is west and being first is always best / But I believe in love, I believe in babies, I believe in Mom and Dad, and I believe in you.

12. U2 – Numb

Don't move / Don't talk out of time / Don't think / Don't worry / Everything's just fine / Just fine / Don't grab / Don't clutch / Don't hope for too much / Don't breathe / Don't achieve or grieve without leave / Don't check / Just balance on the fence / Don't answer / Don't ask / Don't try and make sense / Don't whisper / Don't talk / Don't run if you can walk / Don't cheat, compete / Don't miss the one beat

13. The Sound of Music – A Few of My Favorite Things

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things / Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels, doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles, wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings, these are a few of my favorite things

14. Chris Gaines – Right Now

Maybe it’s the movies, maybe it’s the books, maybe it’s the government and all the other crooks, maybe it’s the drugs, maybe it’s the parents, maybe it’s the gangs, or the colors that we’re wearing, maybe it’s the high schools, maybe it’s the teachers, tattoos, pipe bombs underneath the bleachers, maybe it’s the music, maybe it’s the crack, maybe it’s the bible, or could it be the lack?

15. Hair – Ain’t Got No

Ain't got no home / So? / Ain't got no shoes / Poor / Ain't got no money / Honey / Ain't got no class / Common / Ain't got no scarf / Hot / Ain't got no gloves / Cold / Ain't got no bed / Beat / Ain't got no pot / Busted / Ain't got no faith / Catholic / Ain't got no mother / Orphan / Ain't got no culture / Man / Ain't got no friends / Lucky / Ain't got no schoolin' / Dumb / Ain't got no shine / Dull / Ain't got no underwear / Bad / Ain't got no soap / Dirty / Ain't got no A-Train / Jump / Ain't got no mind / Lost it

16. Joaquin Sabina – Todos Menos Tu

Nietos de toreros disfrazados de ciclistas, ediles socialistas, putones verbeneros,
peluqueros de esos que se llaman estilistas, musculitos, posturitas, cronistas carroñeros, divorciadas calentonas con pelo a lo madonna, trotamundos fantasmas, soplones de la pasma, pintorcillos vanguardistas, genios del diseño, camellos que te pasan papelinas contra el sueño , marcadores de paquete en la cola del retrete, escritores que no escriben, vividores que no viven, jet de pacotilla, directores que no ruedan, mas chorizos que en revilla con corbatas de seda, muera la locura, viva el trapicheo, tontopollas sin cura, estrategas del magreo, petardeo de terraza, pasarela, escaparate, archy, joy, stella, ¿como vais de chocolate?, tiburones de la noche con telefono en el coche y con fax, caballeros en oferta, señoritas que se quieren casar, caraduras, obsesos, gualtrapas, lameculos, azafatas de congreso del brazo de sus chulos, Superman en camiseta, y en la pista dando brincos , la coleccion de tetas que hacen bulto en telecinco, mulatonas caribeñas que ponen a la peña de pie, Blancanieves en trippie, amor descafeinado, Cenicienta violando al Principe encantado, cicerones de la ruta del mal, mercachifles del vacio total, especialistas en nada, inventores del TVO, Julietas demacradas que no encuentran a Romeo, estaban todos menos tu

17. Hair – Hair

I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy, snaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty, oily, greasy, fleecy, shining, gleaming, streaming, flaxen, waxen, knotted, polka-dotted, twisted, beaded, braided, powdered, flowered, and confettied, bangled, tangled, spangled, and spaghettied!

18. Alanis Morrissette – 21 Things I Want in a Lover

Do you derive joy when someone else succeeds? / Do you not play dirty when engaged in competition? / Do you have a big intellectual capacity but know that it alone does not equate to wisdom? / Do you see everything as an illusion
but enjoy it even though you are not of it? / Are you both masculine and feminine, politically aware, and don't believe in capital punishment?

19. Weird Al Yankovic – Hardware Store

They've got Allen wrenches, gerbil feeders, toilet seats, electric heaters, trash compactors, juice extractor, shower rods and water heaters, walkie-talkies, copper wires safety goggles, radial tires, BB pellets, rubber mallets, fans and dehumidifiers, Picture hangers, paper cutters, waffle irons, window shutters, paint removers, window louvers, masking tape and plastic gutters, kitchen faucets, folding tables, weather stripping, jumper cables, hooks and tackle, grout and spackle, power foggers, spoons and ladles, pesticides for fumigation, high-performance lubrication, metal roofing, water proofing, multi-purpose insulation, air compressors, brass connectors, wrecking chisels, smoke detectors, tire gauges, hamster cages, thermostats and bug deflectors, trailer hitch demagnetizers, automatic circumcisers
Tennis rackets, angle brackets, Duracells and Energizers, soffit panels, circuit brakers, vacuum cleaners, coffee makers, calculators, generators, matching salt and pepper shakers

20. Tom Lehrer – The Elements

There's antimony, arsenic, aluminum, selenium, and hydrogen and oxygen and nitrogen and rhenium,
and nickel, neodymium, neptunium, germanium, and iron, americium, ruthenium, uranium, europium,
zirconium, lutetium, vanadium, and lanthanum and osmium and astatine and radium, and gold and
protactinium and indium and gallium, and iodine and thorium and thulium and thallium
 
 

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Top 20 Songs About Friendship

This is one of the broadest categories in Pop/Rock music. There are so many good songs about friendship that were left out... but hey I only have room for the Top 20... so here they are... My top 20 songs that celebrate friendship.

  1. Ben E King - Stand by Me

If the sky that we look upon / Should tumble and fall / And the mountain should crumble to the sea / I won't cry, I won't cry / No I won't shed a tear / Just as long as you stand, stand by me


  1. Carole King - You’ve Got a Friend

You just call out my name / And you know where ever I am / I’ll come running, oh yeah baby / To see you again / Winter, spring, summer, or fall / All you have to do is call / And Ill be there, yeah, yeah, yeah / You’ve got a friend.

  1. Dionne Warwick - That’s What Friends are For

Keep smiling / keep shining / knowing you can always count on me for sure / That's what friends are for / For good times and bad times / I'll be on your side forever more - That's what friends are for.

  1. The Beatles - With a Little Help from my Friends

I get by with a little help from my friends / I get high with a little help from my friends / Going to try with a little help from my friends.

  1. Bette Middler - The Wind Beneath My Wings

It might have appeared to go unnoticed / but I've got it all here in my heart / I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it / I would be nothing without you / Did you ever know that you're my hero? / You're everything I wish I could be / I could fly higher than an eagle / for you are the wind beneath my wings.

  1. Christina Aguilera - I Turn to You

For a shield from the storm / For a friend / for a love / To keep me safe and warm / I turn to you.
For the strength to be strong / For the will to carry on / For everything you do / For everything that’s true / I turn to you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpBLGTBmTJg

  1. Bill Withers - Lean on Me

Lean on me, when you're not strong / And I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on / For, it won't be long / Til I'm gonna need somebody to lean on / Please swallow your pride / If I have things you need to borrow / For no one can fill / Those of your needs that you won't let show

  1. Randy Newman - You’ve Got a Friend in Me

You've got your troubles, I got 'em too / There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you / We stick together we can see it through / Cause you got a friend in me.

  1. Celine Dion - Because You Loved Me

For all those times you stood by me / For all the truth that you made me see / For all the joy you brought to my life / For all the wrong that you made right / For every dream you made come true
For all the love I found in you / Ill be forever thankful baby


  1. Queen - You’re My Best Friend

You're the first one / When things turn out bad / You know I'll never be lonely / You're my only one
And I love the things / I really love the things that you do / You're my best friend

  1. The Rembrandts - I’ll Be There For You

I'll be there for you / When the rain starts to pour / I'll be there for you / Like I've been there before / I'll be there for you / 'Cause you're there for me too

  1. Elton John - Friends Never Say Goodbye

What is done has been done for the best / Though the mist in my eyes might suggest / Just a little confusion about what Ill lose / But if I started over I know I would choose / The same joy the same sadness each step of the way / That fought me and taught me that friends never say / Never say goodbye

  1. The Pretenders - I’ll Stand By You

So if you’re mad, get mad / Don’t’ hold it all inside / Come on and talk to me now /
Hey, what you got to hide? / I get angry too / Well I’m a lot like you / When you’re standing at the crossroads / And don’t know which path to choose / Let me come along / cause even if you’re wrong / I’ll stand by you

  1. The Jackson 5 - I’ll Be There

I’ll reach out my hand to you, I’ll have faith in all you do / Just call my name and I’ll be there / I’ll be there to comfort you / Build my world of dreams around you / I’m so glad that I found you / I’ll be there with a love that’s strong / I’ll be your strength, I’ll keep holding on

  1. Amy Grant - I Will be Your Friend

Cause I’m never gonna walk away / If the wall comes down someday / All alone and you feel afraid / Be there when you call my name / You can always depend on me / I believe until forever ends / I will be your friend

  1. Simon & Garfunkel - Old Friends

Old friends / Old friends / Sat on their park bench / Like bookends / A newspaper blown through the grass / Falls on the round toes / Of the high shoes / Of the old friends

  1. Mariah Carey - Anytime you Need a Friend

Anytime you need a friend / I will be here / You’ll never be alone again / So don’t you fear /
Even if you’re miles away / I’m by your side / So don’t you ever be lonely / Love will make it alright

  1. Michael Jackson - Ben

Ben, the two of us need look no more / We both found what we were looking for / With a friend to call my own / I'll never be alone / And you my friend will see / You've got a friend in me

  1. Andrew Gold - Thank You For Being a Friend

Thank you for being a friend / Traveled down the road and back again / Your heart is true you're a pal and a confidant / I'm not ashamed to say / I hope it always will stay this way / My hat is off, won't you stand up and take a bow / And if you threw a party / Invited everyone you knew / You would see, the biggest gift would be from me / and the card attached would say / Thank you for being a friend

  1. Rhianna - Umbrella

When there’s sunshine, we’ll shine together / told you I'll be here forever / said I'll always be a friend / Took an oath I'm-a stick it out till the end / Now that it's raining more than ever / Know that we'll still have each other / You can stand under my umbrella

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5jdA9Tdg-k

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Top 20 Songs about September and 9/11

As expected, the vast majority of songs about the month of September make reference to one specific day, namely September 11th. However, there are also a few other songs that make reference to other days in September (September 7th or September 21st), and other songs just make reference to the month in general and have no relation to 9/11. These are my top 20 songs about September 11th and the month of September in general.

Note: It seems Youtube is getting into the habit of disabling the embedding of official videos. Rats!!

1. Alan Jackson – Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)


Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day? / Teaching a class full of innocent children? / Driving down some cold interstate? / Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor? / In a crowded room, did you feel alone? / Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her / Did you dust off that bible at home?






2. System of a Down – Lonely Day

Such a lonely day / And it's mine / The most loneliest day in my life / Such a lonely day / Should be banned / It's a day that I can't stand


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYKPyjH2sVQ

3. Green Day – Wake Me Up When September Ends


Summer has come and passed / the innocent can never last / wake me up when September ends / ring out the bells again / like we did when spring began / wake me up when September ends






4. Toby Keith – Courtesy of the Red, White & Blue


Hey Uncle Sam / Put your name at the top of his list / And the Statue of Liberty / Started shakin' her fist / And the eagle will fly / Man, it's gonna be hell / When you hear Mother Freedom / Start ringin' her bell / And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you / Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSWuA-RttGU


5. Bruce Springsteen – The Rising

Sky of blackness and sorrow (a dream of life) / Sky of love, sky of tears (a dream of life) / Sky of glory and sadness (a dream of life) / Sky of mercy, sky of fear (a dream of life) / Sky of memory and shadow (a dream of life) / Your burning wind fills my arms tonight / Sky of longing and emptiness (a dream of life) / Sky of fullness, sky of blessed life


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNnB4dkVRJI


6. U2 – City of Blinding Lights


I've seen you walk unafraid / I've seen you in the clothes you made / Can you see the beauty inside of me? / What happened to the beauty I had inside of me?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6IQoOvvc1g


7. Earth Wind & Fire – September


Do you remember the 21st night of September? / Love was changing the mind of pretenders / While chasing the clouds away / Our hearts were ringing / In the key that our souls were singing. / As we danced in the night / Remember - how the stars stole the night away, yeah yeah yeah.






8. Natalia Imbruglia - Come September


No hope for Cinderella / Come September / Her violet sky will need to cry / ‘Cause if it doesn’t rain then everything will die / She needs to heal / She needs to feel / Something more than tender / Come September






9. Neil Diamond – September Morn


September morn / We danced until the night became a brand new day / Two lovers playing scenes from some romantic play / September morning still can make me feel this way






10. Darryl Worley - Have you Forgotten?


Have you forgotten how it felt that day? To see your homeland under fire And her people blown away Have you forgotten when those towers fell? We had neighbors still inside going thru a living hell And we vowed to get the one’s behind bin Laden Have you forgotten?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_-x9kMPauc



11. Ray Stevens – Osama, Yo' Mama


Osama - yo' mama could have done a lot better / Though I bet every day you did somethin' to upset her / By the way, we got an answer to your anthrax letter / New York City's where it's from - it's called a smart bomb






12. Daughtry – September


All the things I still remember / Summers never looked the same / Years go by and time just seems to fly / But the memories remain / In the middle of September / We still play out in the rain / Nothing to lose but everything to gain / Reflecting now how things could've been / It was worth it in the end





13. Mecano – El 7 de Setiembre


El siete de Septiembre es nuestro aniversario / y no sabremos si besarnos en la cara o en los labios.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icwr56R5LBI


14. Melissa Etheridge – Tuesday Morning


10:03 on a Tuesday morning / in the fall of an American dream / a man is doing what he knows is right / on flight 93 / loved his mom and he loved his dad / loved his home and he loved his man / but on that bloody Tuesday morning / he died an American




15. Neil Young – Let’s Roll


Let's roll for freedom / Let's roll for love / We're going after Satan / On the wings of a dove / Let's roll for justice / Let's roll for truth / Let's not let our children / Grow up fearful in there youth.





16. Bon Jovi – Undivided


That was my brother lost in the rubble / That was my sister lost in the crush / That was our mothers, those were our children / That was our fathers, that was each one of us / A million prayers to God above / A million tears make an ocean of




17. Sarah MacLachlan – World on Fire


I watch the heavens and I find a calling / Something I can do to change this moment / Stay close to me while the sky is falling / Don't wanna be left alone, don't wanna be alone


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzoNInZ2ClQ


18. Bruce Springsteen – Into the Fire


The sky was falling and streaked with blood / I heard you calling me, then you disappeared into the dust / Up the stairs, into the fire / Up the stairs, into the fire / I need your kiss, but love and duty called you someplace higher / Somewhere up the stairs, into the fire





19. Chris Cornell – Ground Zero


Where in the world you gonna go? / Who in the world you gonna hold? / When all the world keeps holding on at ground zero / We'll leave it all with God.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbNHaJKTk7g


20. Plain White T-Shirts - A Lonely September


I'm sittin' here all by myself / just tryin' to think of something to do / Tryin' to think of something, anything / just to keep me from thinking of you / But you know it's not working out / 'cause you're all that's on my mind / One thought of you is all it takes / to leave the rest of the world behind