My 100 Favorite Tracks of All Time (10-1)

Alright everyone!! Here's the final installment of my 100 favorite tracks project. Thanks a bunch for checking this out.

Where we've been:
100. Stuck in America - Sugarcult
099. History Lesson - Part II - Minutemen
098. To Clean (Acoustic) - Woods
097. Furr - Blitzen Trapper
096. At the Chime of a City Clock - Nick Drake
095. Search and Destroy - The Stooges
094. Scott Farcas Takes It On The Chin - Less Than Jake
093. Ruby Soho - Rancid
092. B.O.B. - Outkast
091. Monk Time - The Monks
090. Waiting Room - Fugazi
089. Ain't That Peculiar - Marvin Gaye
088. (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone - Minor Threat
087. Daylight - Aesop Rock
086. In the New Year - The Walkmen
085. Judy is a Punk - Ramones
084. I'm the Man Who Loves You - Wilco
083. My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes To Bitburg) - Ramones
082. White Riot - The Clash
081. Many Rivers to Cross - Jimmy Cliff
080. Lived In Bars - Cat Power
079. Venus - Television
078. In The Neighborhood - Tom Waits
077. Losing My Edge - LCD Soundsystem
076. Vitamin C - Can
075. International Player's Anthem - UGK (feat. Outkast)
074. Someday - The Strokes
073. These Days - Nico
072. All Falls Down - Kanye West
071. Debaser - Pixies
070. Suspicious Minds - Elvis Presley
069. Goodbye Stranger - Supertramp
068. For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder
067. Leaves That Are Green - Simon & Garfunkel
066. Mr. Pitiful - Otis Redding
065. Four Winds - Bright Eyes
064. Forks and Knives (La Fete) - Beirut
063. If Looks Could Kill - Camera Obscura
062. People Got A Lotta Nerve - Neko Case
061. You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb - Spoon
060. Newsflash - Windmill
059. Rose Parade - Elliott Smith
058. Into the Mystic - Van Morrison
057. You Can Call Me Al - Paul Simon
056. Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
055. Losing Out - Black Milk (feat. Royce Da 5'9")
054. The Boy with the Thorn in His Side - The Smiths
053. Ever Fallen in Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)? - Buzzcocks
052. All I Need - The Temptations
051. God Only Knows - Beach Boys
050. Elephant Gun - Beirut
049. Skating Away - Jethro Tull
048. Man Out Of Time - Elvis Costello
047. Brother Run Them Down - Constantines
046. M79 - Vampire Weekend
045. The Wind - Cat Stevens
044. Constructive Summer - The Hold Steady
043. Reinventing the Wheel to Run Myself Over - Fall Out Boy
042. I'll Be Your Man - The Black Keys
041. A Change Is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke
040. Landslide - Smashing Pumpkins
039. Here Should Be My Home - No Age
038. Metal Firecracker - Lucinda Williams
037. So Far Around the Bend - The National
036. Shakey Dog - Ghostface Killah
035. I Only Want to Be With You - Dusty Springfield
034. July, July! - The Decemberists
033. I Want You - Bob Dylan
032. No Rain - Blind Melon
031. Answering Machine - The Replacements
030. Let's Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and Be Loved) - Bright Eyes
029. Throwing It All Away - Genesis
028. Street Fighting Man - Rolling Stones
027. Disney Girls (1957) - Beach Boys
026. Incident On 57th Street - Bruce Springsteen
025. This Will Be Our Year - The Zombies
024. Life on Mars? - David Bowie
023. Don't Mug Yourself - The Streets
022. I'm A Cuckoo - Belle & Sebastian
021. Mama's Pearl - Jackson 5
020. 11:59 - Blondie
019. Ain't Too Proud to Beg - The Temptations
018. Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads
017. Come On! Feel The Illinoise!: Part I: The World's Columbian Exposition/Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream - Sufjan Stevens
016. Fake Empire - The National
015. Honey In The Sun - Camera Obscura
014. Nightswimming - R.E.M.
013. The Way Young Lovers Do - Van Morrison
012. Train in Vain - The Clash
011. Wait, Wait, Wait - The Format

010. Skyway - The Replacements (http://is.gd/ag3ku)
As a sidenote, Paul Westerberg looks exactly like Thomas Jane in that video. This track is just gorgeous. I love how Westerberg takes such a mundane act of waiting for a ride in downtown Minneapolis and finds this song. Just perfect, tight, and excellent.

009. See You Later - Elliott Smith (http://is.gd/ag58B)
This is kind of an unknown Elliott Smith song. He wrote it when he was with the band Heatmiser, but always played it live solo. It found remastered home on the poorly-named New Moon. This track is, of course, a heartbreaking look at Elliott's addictions and depression. I wish I could say, you know, "I love this song!" but hearing Elliott's pain is devastating to me. But, the fact that he can draw these visceral emotions out of me makes me realize what I love about music. I listen to music to feel something, anything. Just the fact that such beauty can come out of such sadness is the sign of true art.

008. Cemetry Gates - The Smiths (http://is.gd/ag6Lj)
This is the only album, The Queen is Dead, that has two tracks on this list. This song is so clever, and a testament to how great of a songwriter Morrissey is. I love the allusions and the little bits of philosophy he imparts in a catchy pop song. I just realized how pretty evenly divided this top 10 list is among the decades. This track is perfect example of why the 80s produced some of the best pop music of all time; better than the 90s and 00s and debatable to the 70s

007. Rock and Roll - Velvet Underground (http://is.gd/ag7BB)
This track has it all: the great rhythm and guitar, Lou Reed showing that he doesn't have to be completely abrasive and maybe, just maybe, he can write a straight solid rock and roll song, an incredible hook and blistering guitar solos. Looking back on Minutemen's "History Lesson - Part II," ("Punk rock changed our lives") this song, released in 1970, has the exact same mentality. Times and sensibilities change, but the power of music as an outlet for rebellion and escape is constant.

006. Stuck Between Stations - The Hold Steady (http://is.gd/ag9rL)
Just like what I said about The National, The Hold Steady's Craig Finn writes about America. This song, I think, is his masterpiece in that regard; full of literary allusions, colloquial references and common threads that tie us all together as Americans. Finn delivers these intelligent lines with so much vitriol; chocked full of piss, vinegar & Pabst. I don't think I could pick a favorite line if I tried. And on top of everything this track rips and roars, and then hits you with that smooth, almost Bruce Hornsby-esque bridge.

005. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen (http://is.gd/aga5i)
Springsteen is incredible for a lot of reasons, but what I love him most for is his overabundance of incredible lyrics. This song clocks in at about 5:00, and throughout most of it the Boss is singing (lyrics: http://is.gd/ahDgh). I'm sure you've heard this song, so I don't need to give you a play-by-play. Some of my favorite parts: "Come take my hand/We're riding out tonight to case the promise land," "Your graduation gown lies in rags at their feet," and the hopelessly "triumphant" end.

004. For No One - The Beatles (http://is.gd/agauv)
This is my favorite Beatles song, which is sort of odd, because it was recorded solely by Ringo and Paul, who are not my favorite Beatles. But, this song is emblematic of why the Beatles are incredible: even deeper cuts on their records were perfectly crafted pop music. They couldn't write bad pop songs. It just didn't happen. The French Horn in this song is perfect, too.

003. Holland, 1945 - Neutral Milk Hotel (http://is.gd/aiA)
THE song of the 1990s. Where to begin with this one? I'll start with just general attitude and work backwards: this song is manic. Everything about this song sounds like it belongs in a schizophrenic's head. Musically, to this day I've never heard a guitar song like that fuzzy, raucous acoustic monster Jeff Mangum's playing. The drums and rhythm are powerful and officious. The vocals are just all over the map and furious. The horns just fan the flames that is this song. The lyrics are completely obsurd: basically a historial account/sympathy letter to Anne Frank. I don't think there has been a more powerful song written in the "indie" canon to this day.

002. I Want You Back - Jackson 5 (http://is.gd/agegM)
OK! So this is my favorite pop song ever written. Simply enough. If you've heard this song and not liked it, excuse me, but there is something seriously wrong with you. I could pick out dozens of things I love about this song, but it really boils down to 1 thing: the chord progression. Flawless, unapologetic, up-beat, brilliant pop music.

001. Like A Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan (http://is.gd/aggXd)
I don't care if this is cliche. This song is the culmination of everything I love in a song. As I discussed in the intro, I think a good critic has to draw lines between what's good and what they like. But, for me, when I listen to music, the historical significance of the song or album plays into my enjoyment. Like, "Like A Rolling Stone" wasn't created in a vaccuum. It's important to see where/when the song was born to understand its creation. I don't even know where to begin with this one either. It's the ultimate triumph of iconoclastic songwriting, both sonically and lyrically. The words are the voice of the changing guard of every era. And the voice of changing ways. I constantly find myself in a state of transition, and this song screams into that void of uncertainty.

I recently heard this song back-to-back with "The Times They Are A-Changing." "Like A Rolling Stone" is the next step in the percieved peaceful revolution. Like, instead of changing times it's, "Times have changed. Learn to live in the new world or die. And PS. Go fuck yourself." This changing attitude also coincided with Dylan going electric. Listen to this track closely and acoustic instruments (guitar and piano) are isolated to one channel and electric (organ and guitar) are isolated to the other. Dude was battling himself and his changing musical ways in his own song!

I also spoke of the "Knock out" verse earlier. This entire song is a knockout verse. It could end at any time, but just when you think it could end he comes right back, "Awwwwww! Princess on the steeple..." And every verse is perfect.

What else. The chorus. "HOW DOES IT FEEL?!" The way those words are sung just cuts through everything with a hot knife of disdain and anger. Please, I impore you, if you've never seen the video I posted for this song, watch it. He's literally screaming into the mic as these passive folk-fucks stare blankly into this typhoon of protest. When the so-called forces of change aren't forceful enough you have to be bigger than they are. This song is why Bob Dylan is revolutionary. And why this is my favorite song of all time.

Thanks a lot for checking this out.

8tracks: External:


Best,
Erik