Grammys!

So unless you live under a rock you probably know of the grammys. Even if you didn't watch you probably heard of somebody talking about how this one weird band one for best album of the year. That band, was Arcade Fire. Performing one of the most exciting and left field turns in the history of the grammys. Even the people who announced the winner seemed shocked at the results stuttering saying "and the grammy goes to... The Su.. Suburbs?" After that the band accepted to which front man Win Butler stated in total shock "OK, what the hell!?"

After that the band played "Ready To Start" A surprisingly perfect track for the win. Although it felt weird seeing a song that I greatly considered to be a vicious battle cry turned into a victory dance. I caught myself laughing as the band bounced around with huge grins singing about the pains of growing up.


Overall I was excited to see Arcade Fire walk away with the top prize. They were easily the most deserving of the nominees and it just showed me that maybe good music in the mainstream isn't as dead as I thought it was.

Number 1: LCD Soundsystem- All My Friends

 

I could try to explain why this is number one, but I can't. I couldn't do it justice. But I will say this, this is the most passionate and powerful song that I have ever heard, or ever will hear.

Number 2: The Velvet Underground- "Sweet Jane"

If you asked me what song I would still be listening to 70 years down the road I would say "Sweet Jane" by The Velvet Underground. I can hear my youth in this song, I can hear my present in this song, I can hear my golden years in this song. I can hear my adulthood in this song, I can hear my mid life crisis, I can hear the sound of my grandkids in this song, I can hear the sound of my death in this song I can hear whatever awaits me afterward. For that reason, this will be the song that will stick with me forever. 

Number 3: The Beatles- "Strawberry Fields Forever"

The single greatest band to exist in the history of forever had changed their game following the release of the so called greatest album of all time "Sgt Pepper." But to me, the greatest moment of The Beatles career came shortly after the release of that masterful album. While shooting for their zany movie "The Magical Mystery Tour" John Lennon went unusually personal with the track that would later become the centerpiece of the soundtrack. "Strawberry Fields Forever" found Lennon detailing his youth and his journeys as young boy playing at the Strawberry Fields orphanage. John's lyrics are at once bizarre and universal. George Martians production aids in creating a sound that even by today's standards is still unique and twisting. Maybe I'm not giving the rest of The Beatles enough credit, but this is almost entirely John's song. Its his life, its his pain and its his brilliant vision that allows him to quiet the demons of his present by looking into the past.

Number 4: The Rolling Stones- "Gimmie Shelter"

Defining one of the most important and bizarre moments in history is difficult but The Stones do it with only with a single powerful punch of a lyric"War, Children its shot away." With "Gimmie Shelter" The Stones turned the start of the darkest war in history and turned it into a furious battle cry. For the song Keith Richards created what is arguably his greatest guitar riff with a shocking effect. However it was Jagger's and more notably, Merry Clayton's howling vocals that steal the show. The punch of the lyrics combined with Richards electrifying riff come together to create the most intense and explosive rock song that I have ever heard.

Number 5: Bob Dylan- "Shelter From The Storm"

"This is poetry" is probably the most abused compliment that a listener can give to a song or a songwriter, but for this one here, I cant quite think of a better way to describe it. Dylan is quite possibly the greatest songwriter the world has ever known but here, he conjures up something that even he should be proud of. With every lyric in this masterful track Dylan tackles another topic, whether it be the war, love, loss of innocence, fighting, religion or the concept of pain. Part of the beauty of this song is the fact that the mysterious "She" that gives Dylan the shelter that he seems to lack can be anything the listener wants her to be. Could she be divine? Could she be a thing an entity? Or is she just that one woman that can make everything alright. There is no right or wrong answer and perhaps like poetry, that's entirely the beauty of it.

Number 6: The Ronettes- Be My Baby

To this day the challenge of creating THE perfect pop song still has not been accomplished. For my two cents, the closest that the world has ever gotten, is The Ronettes "Be My Baby." Indeed this is not a complex song by any means. However, there is something so wonderful here. The song teams with a fire and passion that makes the listener swoon. Even if he or she has never felt the comfort of love should be able to identify with this. The vocal performances and harmonies and awe inspiring in themselves but the real star here is Phil Specters legendary "Wall of Sound." The sound here is simultaneously sweeping and intimate. While I may be overstating what I am about to say, its just my opinion so please don't hate. This is the epitome of pop music. Without a doubt and without a question.

Number 7: The Stone Roses- "Waterfall"

 Every once and awhile you get a band so spectacular and so jaw dropping that they just cant hold it together for long. The Stone Roses were that band. The kind of flash in the pan band that would make listeners crazy to hear ANYTHING that the band would put out next. Sadly, The Roses have never put anything out that could quite equal the magnitude that was their debut. However, that seemed to be enough. The album was simultaneously epic and intimate at the same time. Indeed this was an album where any of the songs could have been my favorite but I stand by "Waterfall" as the number one SR track. The song tells the narrative of a girl old enough to live out on her own and undergoes the journey of a lifetime. Even if one were to remove the lyrics from the song completely, it would still be obvious that this is a song of freedom and escape. The guitar riff alone is enough to inspire anyone who has an ounce of a soul to escape their daily life and undergo a journey of their own. "Waterfall" feels like a rush of air, a song that would make the likes of Bruce Springsteen envious of its ability to create the feeling freedom. But above all "Waterfall" feels like dropping the stress and pain that has been accumulated in a lifetime and at last, letting go of it all.

Number 8: Pavement- "Summer Babe (Winter Version)"

 

Once upon a time age, in the bizarre world of the early 90s, a little band called Nirvana was destroying the charts in sales and had take the crown as the most respected and beloved band of the time. However around the same time, a small band called Pavement was also making a name for itself. Pavement in some ways was an opposite to Nirvana implying a theme of feeling good and being young as opposed to Nirvana s themes of isolation and angst. Both would clash for the title of the best band of the nineties. But to me, Pavement will always be on top. And their very first single of their debut is one of the many reasons why. "Summer Babe"

takes the idea of a perfect girlfriend and makes it a reality. A girl that can make you feel loved even at your lowest, a woman willing to look through your flaws to help you see the light that you cant quite find. This is love seen through the mind of a sixteen year old whose mind hasn't been contaminated with thoughts and need for sex. This is a gem in its finniest form and the perfect song of my youth and love life.

Number 9: Animal Collective- "My Girls"

"There isn't much, that I feel I need, a solid soul and the blood I bleed. But with a little girl and by my spouse, I only want a proper house." Croons Animal Collective's current genius Noah Lennox in the opening bars to 2009's greatest song. Just like that he creates a persona for himself, a romantic with a heart of gold. Here Noah promises his wife and daughter a house, a simple statement but when tied together with the bands harmonies and sweeping sounds, it becomes a song that is unforgettable and utterly beautiful. There is a certain power and passion in Noah's voice that has been typically avoided in an Animal Collective song. This is a love song and honestly, to this day I have never heard a man so full of love for his family as I have here. It rivals the passion of John Lennon as he sings about his nearly obsessive love for Yoko Ono. Now the lyrics while simple are brilliant and affectionate coincide brilliantly with the sound the rest of the band creates. There really is no way to fully describe the sound, it feels like a warm summer morning waking next to the girl you love, and honestly, that;s the best way I can describe it. It just feels that good. It really does. Mrs. Lennox, wherever you are, you are one lucky woman.

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Number 10: Talking Heads- Once In A Lifetime.

When I was around the age of six or seven, I began to pay attention to the music that both my mother and my father played in their car as they drove me from one place to the other. My dad mainly listened to Jazz and the occasional mixtape filled with obscure music that never really got my attention. However every time I entered my mothers car, there were usually about two bands that played. One being her all time favorite, Bruce Springsteen and the other being U2. However every once and awhile she played something new and interesting. She had me listen to artists that she enjoyed like Billy Idol and David Bowie and every once and awhile some forgotten indie band like Carbon Leaf. But nothing caught my attention quite like "Once In A Lifetime." I remember listening to it without quite understanding what it was David Bryne was trying to say. I just enjoyed for the unique sounds of an odd synthesizer and the unusual sense of rhythm. I also often found myself laughing at David Bryne's  ecstatic vocal delivery and bizarre lyrics (I still remember asking my mother how one would take the water from the bottom of the ocean.) As I aged this song sat in the back my mind never moving and never losing its place in my memory. However, I never went out of my way to listen to it. It wasn't on my Ipod and I never felt the need to look it up on youtube. But something changed once I sat down and watched the bands concert movie entitled "Stop Making Sense." I enjoyed the movie quite a bit but I always kept on the edge of my seat just waiting to see Once In A Lifetime. Once it came, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I sat in awe as I witnessed what was arguably the best live performance of a song I had ever heard. Suddenly my feelings for the song returned and I was at last old enough to comprehend what David Bryne was communicating so effortlessly. But one thing stuck to me during the following days, I realized that this was the first song I had ever been truly in love with, and now as I continue to grow up and I look towards the uncertainty of the future, I can take comfort in the fact that this song has shown me that life is strange and it can be painful, but above all, its an exciting mysterious and beautiful journey.

Let the countdown begin!

So what I decided I was going to do with this new fangled blog that my hipster friends decided to get me to do, is make lists and stuff. So first off, I figured what I was going to do was make a list of my top ten favorite songs of all time, starting with number ten respectively.

Well here I am.