On the QT

Friday, February 29, 2008



BEST SONGS ALL TIME


Letterman made famous the Top Ten. If I were making a Top Ten list of the best songs of all time, it would go something like this:


Number 10--When a Man Loves a Woman, Percy Sledge. I better warn you now: most are love songs. This one says it all in a soulful manner. "Sleep out in the rain if she said that's the way it will be." How dedicated, how cool is that?


Number 9--I Can Only Imagine, Mercy Me. A contemporary Christian song that speaks of what he will do when he sees Jesus face to face. If you don't know the lyrics, then look it up; you'll be glad you did. It will make you feel good. It will make you cry.
Number 8--Happy Birthday To You, Millions. As my wife says,"Singing that song makes everybody happy." Except when they do it at Applebys and other establishments. And that's why it's only #8.
Number 7--Mack The Knife, Bobby Darin. Some crazy lyrics, but what a tune. A great dance song.
Number 6--You've Lost That Loving Feeling, The Righteous Brothers. What a heartbreaker. Unmatched vocal depths, even if it took two to reach the maximum high and low octaves.
Number 5--Yesterday, The Beatles. I've never thought it got enough credit for being the greatest ballad of all time. When it's rainy outside, this song just makes the dreary mood stay.
Number 4--Michelle, The Beatles. You knew there had to be another from the greatest group of all time.
Number 3--We are the Champions, Queen. I'm not sure that's even the title, but it's still played at all the important games when championships are won and trophies handed out. As a guy who had turned on his radio against FAA regulations and sat an aisle from me announced on a plane flight from San Diego to Phoenix in 2001, "I don't know what happened, but we must have won--they're playing Queen," and the passengers erupted when the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees for the World Championship. And they're still playing it.
Number 2--(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones. The best song ever with a double negative in its title. A great song that explains a lot about a lot.
Number 1--Amazing Grace, Chris Tomlin. What? Not the original? Words by John Newton, tune by Virginia Harmony. As much as I love the traditional, when Tomlin or congregations sing "My chains are gone/I've been set free," well, I get all lumpy in the throat. It may be new, but it's the best.
There you have it. The Top Ten songs of all time. And if you don't agree, then you're mistaken. Just kidding. Make your own list; it's harder than you think.

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