Monday, November 01, 2021

My FIFTH 100 Songs


Okay I did it, 500 of my favorite songs of all time divided into five 100 songs playlists!

To finish this last group of 100, I actually had to go back to the other four playlists and ended up reshuffling and organizing all 500 songs. I also went back to the four blogs and included a written song list to track my selections as YouTube songs get routinely deleted (damn you Don Henley), and I forget what was actually missing from the previous playlist. So be my guest and revisit the other four blogs in this series at you leisure as everything is updated.

This FIFTH 100 SONGS was an exercise in trying to find all the other songs I didn't put in the other four playlists. I found myself deleting songs like Elvis' Jailhouse Rock because there's that Tom Petty song I just could not exclude. Over time with a 500 cap, some songs are going to bite the dust to another new or rediscovered song. In any event, if the song has a personal connection to my past or present, it's probably going to even replace a classic.

Now before I get into this playlist I thought I'd revisit a few other lists of my music favorites.

My Top Ten Favorite Bands 
Notice if a band started their name with "The" they were making a statement, at least with me. Note- Glenn Fry refused the 'The' in front of the Eagles.

I also flunk the 'critic' test by choosing the Eagles as most hip critics go out of their way to make sure they are on their most hated band list. Same for the Buckingham/Nicks Fleetwood Mac, but I've always embraced all the iterations of their band.

  1. The Beatles
  2. The Rolling Stones
  3. The Who
  4. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
  5. The Byrds
  6. Eagles 
  7. Fleetwood Mac
  8. The Jayhawks
  9. The Kinks
  10. The Bangles
My Top Ten Favorite Solo Artists
  1. Bob Dylan
  2. Neil Young
  3. James Taylor
  4. Jackson Browne
  5. Paul Simon
  6. Joni Mitchell
  7. Paul McCartney
  8. Linda Ronstadt
  9. John Prine
  10. Mark Knopfler
My Favorite Duo's and a Special Trio

  1. Simon and Garfunkel
  2. Crosby, Stills & Nash
  3. The Everly Brothers
  4. The Milk Carton Kids
  5. Mandolin Orange (now called Watchhouse)
  6. The Cactus Blossoms
  7. The Weepies

My Favorite Concert

  1. Elton John at The Troubadour, August 27, 1975
    My girlfriend Mary Kit Smith had entered a raffle contest to fill several audiences for celebrating Elton's fifth anniversary of his triumphant debut in America at The Troubadour club in Los Angeles CA, in 1970. She won two tickets and we drove up and back from San Diego with a barely working clutch in my car. We were 15 feet from Elton, loved the show, and Mary Kit was even kissed by Bernie Taupin expressing her admiration for Bernie and Elton in the wings. I didn't mind.
My Favorite Album

  1. After The Gold Rush, Neil Young
    I would say if I had to pick one album it would be The White Album, but this week in the cold and rainy weather, it's After The Gold Rush.
My Favorite Song

  1. Penny Lane, The Beatles
    In 1980, I started my teaching career with a group of students with multiple physical and mental challenges. One student Kenny Lane, responded to me playing and singing along to a mix tape I had made for the class. When Penny Lane came on, all the adults in the room would get around Kenny and sing the chorus, inserting "Kenny" for Penny. Kenny would rock back and forth in his wheelchair, laugh and had the biggest smile when we did that.

    Kenny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes.

My FIFTH 100 Songs

  1. Strawberry Fields, The Beatles
  2. Get Off Of My Cloud, The Rolling Stones
  3. My Generation, The Who
  4. A Higher Place, Tom Petty
  5. The Bells of Rhymney, The Byrds
  6. I'm Not Like Everybody Else, The Kinks
  7. New Kid In Town, The Eagles
  8. Everywhere, Fleetwood Mac
  9. Save It For A Rainy Day, The Jayhawks
  10. Hazy Shade Of Winter, The Bangles
  11. Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Bob Dylan
  12. My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue), Neil Young
  13. For A Dancer, Jackson Browne
  14. Mother And Child Reunion, Paul Simon
  15. Play With Fire, The Rolling Stones
  16. Your Smiling Face, James Taylor
  17. Blue Bayou, Linda Ronstadt
  18. Brothers in Arms, Mark Knopfler
  19. Help Me, Joni Mitchell
  20. Some Humans Ain't Human, John Prine
  21. Don't Come Around Here No More, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
  22. Yellow Submarine, The Beatles
  23. What's The Frequency, Kenneth?, REM
  24. Leaving On A Jet Plane, Peter, Paul & Mary
  25. Rip It Up, Little Richard
  26. At The Chime Of A City Clock, Nick Drake
  27. He's Got A Secret, The Bangles
  28. Go To The Mirror, The Who
  29. Loves Me Like A Rock, Paul Simon
  30. Watching The Wheels, John Lennon
  31. Paper Wings, Gillian Welch
  32. Sailing To Philadelphia, James Taylor
  33. I Knew I'd Want You, The Byrds
  34. Let The Mystery Be, Iris Dement
  35. The Last Resort, The Eagles
  36. The World Spins Madly On, The Weepies
  37. Tiny Dancer, Elton John
  38. Mustang Sally, Buddy Guy
  39. Radio Free Europe, REM
  40. I Can't Make You Love Me, Bonnie Raitt
  41. [What's So Funny 'Bout] Peace, Love And Understanding
  42. Mannish Boy, Muddy Waters
  43. Sympathy For The Devil, The Rolling Stones
  44. Caroline, No, The Beach Boys
  45. The Only Living Boy In New York, Simon and Garfunkel
  46. 96 Tears, ? & The Mysterians
  47. The End Of The Innocence, Don Henley 
  48. Southern Cross, Crosby, Stills & Nash
  49. California, Joni Mitchell
  50. Rainy Day Man, James Taylor
  51. These Days, Jackson Browne
  52. Fast Car, Tracy Chapman
  53. New York, The Milk Carton Kids
  54. All I Have To Do Is Dream, The Everly Brothers
  55. Fortunate Son, Creedence Clearwater Revival
  56. Don't Worry Baby, The Beach Boys
  57. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag, James Brown
  58. Tangled Up In Blue, Bob Dylan
  59. Rubylove, Cat Stevens
  60. Under African Skys, Paul Simon
  61. Down In Liverpool, The Bangles
  62. In My Life, The Beatles
  63. Golden Embers, Mandolin Orange/Watchhouse
  64. The Times Are A-Changin', Bob Dylan
  65. Brand New Day, Sting
  66. Johnny B. Goode, Chuck Berry
  67. Something, The Beatles
  68. Lo And Behold, James Taylor
  69. Somewhere In Time, John Berry
  70. Better Way, Mandolin Orange/Watchhouse
  71. If I Cant Win, The Cactus Blossoms
  72. Across the Universe, The Beatles
  73. I Need to Know, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
  74. Everyday Is A Winding Road, Sheryl Crow
  75. Everybody Knows, The Jayhawks
  76. The Kids Are Alright, The Who
  77. 25 Or 6 To 4, Chicago
  78. Refuge Of The Road, Joni Mitchell
  79. The Road And The Sky, Jackson Browne
  80. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles
  81. Sunny Day, The Kinks
  82. She's A Rainbow, The Rolling Stones
  83. All I Want, Toad The Wet Sprocket
  84. You Don't Know How It Feels, Tom Petty
  85. Gravity, Sarah Bareilles
  86. You've Got To Be Carefully Taught, James Taylor
  87. Crying In The Rain, The Everly Brothers
  88. Bitch, The Rolling Stones
  89. I'm Gonna Make You Love Me, The Jayhawks
  90. The Wind, Cat Stevens
  91. Tumbling Dice, Linda Ronstadt
  92. For Everyman, Jackson Browne
  93. Duncan, Paul Simon
  94. Sentimental Lady, Fleetwood Mac
  95. After The Gold Rush, Neil Young
  96. Yesterday, The Beatles
  97. You Turn Me On, I'm A Radio, Joni Mitchell
  98. The Last DJ, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
  99. The Song Is Over, The Who
  100. Abbey Road Medley, The Beatles
    1: You Never Give Me Your Money
    2: Sun King
    3: Mean Mr. Mustard
    4: Her Majesty
    5: Polythene Pam
    6: She Came In Through The Bathroom Window
    7: Golden Slumbers
    8: Carry That Weight
    9: The End 

With all this listed, I could have easily slipped in another song from one of my favorite bands or artists over many of the 500 total songs I have selected to date. I think of these 500 songs as a good representative grouping of music that have influenced me, provided a lifetime of therapy, and essentially opened my mind. It's a great 'stuck on a marooned island' list, if not an 'in my room' list from my teenage years, or even, a good mix of tunes running and walking this past week in Lincoln Park (West Seattle). 


Enjoy all these little gems my friends!

The song is over
The song is over
Excepting one note, pure and easy
Playing so free, like a breath rippling by
–Pete Townshend, The Song Is Over

My FIFTH (and final) 100 Songs