My Favorite Songs Of All Time

Making lists is sometimes hard, because trying to sort between the levels of affection we have for pieces of music can be like taking a taste test between brands of bottled water. It can be done, but the differences are nearly negligible, and at some point the comparison only starts to make you doubt your own senses. Ranking albums is easier, and I have done that several times over the years, but only once before have I sat down to try to decide my favorite songs of all time. That list has gotten lost, so I was in no way effected by the inertia of my previous decisions. I started from scratch this time, which is both a blessing and a curse.

While I do love all of these songs, and I have no hesitation about any of them, I have a lingering feeling that I have missed some important songs. Either they didn't carry over as I moved from one computer to another, or my memory is failing me after years without hearing an old favorite. Those will be my excuses when I inevitably smack myself in the forehead for forgetting something that should have been obvious to me. With the caveat that I'm limiting this to one song per band/artist for the sake of keeping this from being overrun by a few favorites, let's get started.

In quasi alphabetical order:

Dilana - Falling Apart

Here's the exception. This is my favorite song, as I have previously written about. From the very first time I heard a low-quality live performance, I was swept up in this song. I love its power, its emotion, its versatility, and of course Dilana's majestic vocals. It is an anthem for the broken, those matching the edges to see if the pieces of themselves still fit together. Listening to this song, they always seem to.

Tonic - If You Could Only See

The other exception. This is the song that gave me the idea to become a musician myself, and it was my favorite song from the time I heard it until it got replaced by the song above. There are plenty of other Tonic songs I love just as much, but the importance of this one to my life gives it the edge.

Avantasia - The Story Ain't Over

The best Meat Loaf song that never was. The string arrangement is lovely, and accentuates the dramatic swells that lead into that epic chorus. The twinkling piano, and the massive hook are pompous and grandiose, but that's what makes it so great. As it was said, if you don't go over the top, you won't know what's on the other side.

Backstreet Boys - I Want It That Way

This is one of the best written pop songs, even if it may not be cool to admit. It really is an infectious song, and I have memories of my college friends doing sing-alongs to this one all the time. That was silly and stupid, but I laugh a little bit to myself every time I hear this song.

Blues Traveler - Hook

I can't tell you how many times in my younger days I recited the rapid-fire bridge, only to want to do it again right afterward. I memorized the harmonica solo, and could at one time whistle it note for note. I've never understood the fascination with Peter Pan, and I didn't at the time get the cynicism of the music industry, but that just means the song has been able to evolve with me.

Bon Jovi – Livin' On A Prayer

If you had to sum up 80s rock in one song, it might just be this one. It's everything good about that decade, without any of the bad. It's the stadium anthem of all anthems, and there are few things as rousing as when that chorus hits, whether you can hit that note or not.

Dave Matthews Band - Grey Street

This song is one of the few times Dave wrote a lyric that really caught my ear. Some of the imagery spoke to me, but the key has always been that four-chord riff. The voicings are unique, and I've stolen from them on more than one occasion. Dave is hit-and-miss, but this one is a grand slam.

Elton John - I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues

One of the few timeless songs from the 80s, which is a decade I continue to hate the sound of. My favorite Elton albums would actually come much later, not earlier, but the slow bounce of this song has been a favorite since I heard it on the radio as a kid. The passion in it shines through.

Gin Blossoms - Til I Hear It From You

Was there ever a more fitting title for a time than "New Miserable Experience"? While not from that album, everything the band did embodied that sound, with this song being my favorite example of it. It's a perfect little pop song, wrapped up in that 90s detachment. Man, I miss those days.

Graham Colton - Can't Stand Here Waiting

This is an odd one, since I can't point you toward the version of the song I am referring to. It doesn't exist on the internet, as far as I know. I found this by chance, when a different song of his was mislabeled as a Tonic song, and I have never been able to forget this one. I borrowed ideas of how to build chord progressions from it, and it remains a magical few minutes, even if I share the experience with no one.

The Heights - How Do You Talk To An Angel?

I shouldn't like a song put together for a tv show, but I always have. There was something in the longing sound of this one that I connected to, so it has always been a favorite. Nowadays, I have a different reason for embracing the song, since the title is a question I ask myself on a fairly regular basis.

Jim Steinman - Bad For Good

I have always loved Steinman's sense of drama. His voice is unique (both singing and writing), and it's one of my formative musical memories. This multi-part mini-epic is everything I love about his music, and it always feels triumphant when it builds us back up after we fall.

Matchbox Twenty - Bent

My memories of the "Yourself Of Someone Like You" album are stronger, but "Bent" was always such a searing song. The biting guitar leads make the most out of those bent (sorry for the pun) notes, and the chorus is darkly lush. It spoke to a younger me.

Meat Loaf - Couldn't Have Said It Better

Not at all one of the famous Meat Loaf ballads, this one is my favorite. It rocks harder than just about anything else he's done, Patti Russo is my favorite of his partners, and damn if it doesn't sound epic when they belt out the chorus. I don't think I can listen to this song without smiling by the time it's over.

Michelle Branch - All You Wanted

If it seems like I love semi-forlorn pop/rock songs, yeah, I totally do. I was a big fan of the show Daria, and songs like this give me the same feeling. It was a very late 90s thing, and maybe you had to be there to understand.

Mr Big - To Be With You

As a sucker for ballads, and a lover of acoustic guitars, this song was always right up my alley. Yes, it's hokey. Yes, it's wuss-tastic. I don't care about any of that. It brings me immense joy. I'm the type of person who enjoys these sorts of things.

Natalie Imbruglia - Torn

Maybe I'm weird, but if you ask me for a song that embodies sex appeal, it would be this one. There's something about the pulsing acoustic guitar, the ecstatic moaning of the electric guitar, and Natalie's breathy voice that does it for me. I must have watched the video hundreds of times back when it came out, and now I get a nostalgic rush from the song.

Opeth - Bleak

Here's how I know this song is special; I've never once thought it would be better without the growling. The death metal verses accentuate the beautiful melody the song spins into, as well as the complicated dissonances of the chords. It's a visceral song that becomes a stirring song, and I love the dichotomy.

Richard Marx - Take This Heart

If I could choose to have someone's voice, Richard Marx would be on that list. I love the slight rasp he has, which makes everything sound heart-wrenching even when there isn't much meaning behind it. So when it comes to soft rock, I can't think of anything better than this song.

Robbie Williams - Angels

If you ask me for a list of my favorite vocal performances (which I may do at some point), this would be on the list. A glorious song already (I'm a sucker for ballads), the strain in Robbie's voice as it sounds close to breaking on the choruses is sublime.

$ign Of 4 - Dancing With St Peter

I am not a spiritual person, but some songs have that feeling of being a rock and roll hymn. This is one of those for me. It's a sad, somber track that still manages to lift my spirits. Balancing on that knife's edge is difficult, and I'm awed when it's pulled off so well.

The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

This song is hard to listen to, both because Morrissey has shown himself to be an awful human being, but also because this song is tied to the memory of a certain person. The good parts of those memories are brought back every time I hear this song, and even if that's unhealthy, I like having the option.

The Thorns – I Can't Remember

Without a doubt, my favorite aspect of this song are the warm, wonderful harmonies. The three voices blending together are a glorious sound, and hearing this on VH1 in the old days was probably the first time I heard anything quite like it. It's a sound I love, and the genesis of that is always going to remain a favorite.

Tom Petty - Walls (Circus)

No one did laid back quite like Tom Petty, who could always make more from less than almost anyone. Maybe I'm just being a contrarian taking this song over "Free Fallin", but there's an extra nudge of pop to the melody that kills me.

The Wallflowers - Letters From The Wasteland

When does a song that isn't heavy still sound overwhelmingly powerful? This one does, and it's because of the ties between the band's Americana rocking and Jakob Dylan's poetry. The song feels to me like an anthem for a certain type of outcast. It's always stuck with me.

And here are some of the songs that either just missed the cut, or would have made it if I didn't limit things to one per artist:

Air Supply - Making Love Out Of Nothing At All (Not every great Jim Steinman track went to Meat Loaf)
Avantasia - Dying For An Angel (Stickier than gum in your hair)
The Beatles - In My Life (Their most beautiful and haunting song)
Billy Joel - A Matter Of Trust (A tough choice over "For The Longest Time")
Blues Traveler - Canadian Rose (Another song I used to have the harmonica solo memorized for)
The Darkness - I Believe In A Thing Called Love (My one and only karaoke performance)
Dilana - Dirty Little Secret (Raw, searing beauty from Dilana)
Edguy - Tears Of A Mandrake (Showing the gloriously fun side of metal)
Elvis Costello - Indoor Fireworks (Perfecting the beauty of sparse simplicity)
Emerson Hart - If You're Gonna Leave (Optimistic in the face of negativity. I've always liked that)
Goo Goo Dolls - Here Is Gone (Johnny was always so good at selling sad songs)
Graveyard - The Siren (Finally, I understand rock's blues obsession)
Green Day - Deadbeat Holiday (From their best album, no matter how few people agree)
Halestorm - Innocence (That moment when Lzzy lets loose gets me every time)
Heart - Alone (Manufactured or not, I love 80s ballad Heart)
Huey Lewis & The News - Do You Believe In Love? (The best kind of 80s cheese)
Kelly Clarkson - Because Of You (I loved Kelly at this time, and of course it's the ballad I pick)
Meat Loaf - Blind As A Bat ("Your heart is kind, mine's painted black." I've said that before)
Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten (Everyone needs some sunny pop in their life)
Nevermore - The Heart Collector (Crushing, dramatic metal that twists the knife)
REO Speedwagon - Take It On The Run (Cheesy, sure, but it rocks more than stereotype would indicate)
Rob Thomas - Lonely No More (I think I like this one more than "Smooth" with Santana. Not entirely sure why)
Savatage - Believe (Cinematic and overwrought, but in all the right ways)
The Spider Accomplice - Butterflies In A Beehive (The newest entry on the list. I love the gorgeous, forlorn melody, even if I'm more of a pale moth)
Tom Petty - Free Fallin (A classic for a reason)
Tonic - Take Me As I Am (An anthem for me, for many years)
The Wallflowers - One Headlight (A song that sounds perfect for driving by a cemetery at night)

And even a few more:

A Perfect Circle - Judith
Ben Folds Five - Brick
Billy Joel - For The Longest Time
Bruce Dickinson - A Tyranny Of Souls
Bruce Springsteen - You'll Be Comin' Down
Dave Matthews Band - Crush
Dilana - Maybe Just A Little
Dio - Don't Talk To Strangers
Elton John - Original Sin
Elvis Costello - Man Out Of Time
Foo Fighters - Everlong
Graveyard - Slow Motion Countdown
Guns N Roses - Rocket Queen
Halestorm - Private Parts
H.I.M. - Rip Out The Wings Of A Butterfly
The Jayhawks - Take Me With You (When You Go)
Kelly Clarkson - Behind These Hazel Eyes
Killswitch Engage - Lost
Meat Loaf - Read Em And Weep
The Offspring - Self Esteem
Stone Temple Pilots - Interstate Love Song
Taylor Swift - Blank Space
Tonic - Roses
Vertical Horizon - Everything You Want
Weezer - Hash Pipe