Wayne Everett
(The Lassie Foundation, Cush, Starflyer 59, The Prayer Chain)
Label:
Northern Records
My favorite songs of all time. While there are better songs out there than I have listed here, and while there are definitely better songwriters (notice no Beatles, Dylan, Bowie, Young, etc.), these are simply songs that have been meaningful along my particular path through music and life.
The Beach Boys - "God Only Knows"
The brilliant move here was to have Carl sing the lead vocal. Carl's voice is a little more cherubic than Brian's, and I think that makes this already stunning song even more emotional and touching.
U2 - "Bad"
Seeing U2 perform this song on The Unforgettable Fire tour changed my life forever. I went to that show liking music, and I left loving it. To me, "Bad" has a raw emotional power that is both vulnerable and cathartic.
Sex Pistols - "God Save the Queen"
Like other punk pioneers such as The Ramones and The Stooges, the Pistols gave a big middle finger to the music they grew up on, yet still loved. This song is a great example of that love and hate, combined with blind anti-establishment rage. Ever get the feeling you have been cheated?
The Verve - "Slide Away"
Before the television commercials and acoustic ballads, these guys were the shoegazer Grateful Dead. I loved the psychedelic waves of guitars and the dynamic vocals that tried to navigate them, with mixed results. "Slide Away" is the more creative, more drugged-out Verve at their poppiest and most powerful.
Queen - "Under Pressure"
By typical rock-songwriting standards, this is a bizarre song. Like most great songs, it has a uniqueness that means nobody else could have done it so brilliantly. Who could possibly do David Bowie and Freddie Mercury besides those two?
Nick Drake - "Pink Moon"
I am thankful I never saw the commercial that used this song. That way, I will never associate it with anything other than sitting in my apartment and being blown away by the fact that Drake had died 20 years earlier, yet his music still touched me so deeply. I then realized that songs are your children: they carry part of you into future generations, but they do not ask you for money.
James Brown - "Get on the Good Foot"
The hardest-working man in show business makes his jams seem effortless, just like the best parties you have ever attended: fun, flowing, and free. The fact that he can carry a ten-minute song with only two parts demonstrates how powerful his presence is. His fluid melodies, tight raps, and wild screams make you feel as though you are standing at the center of the party.
The Smashing Pumpkins - "Siva"
Great songwriting? No. Brilliant arrangement? No. Compelling lyrics? I do not know, because I cannot understand them. But a completely ass-kicking and indulgent guitar riff-fest? Oh, yes, and it tastes delicious!
ABBA - "Dancing Queen"
Those two Swedish guys, Benny and Bjorn, are among the most underrated songwriters ever. Because many of their hits were disco-styled, the band was dismissed as frivolous. Their hooks and grooves, however, were incredibly catchy, and their recordings were as polished and tight as anything else on the dance floor. I have borrowed this song's chorus melody so many times that it is disgusting.
Echo & the Bunnymen - "The Killing Moon"
It is difficult to say anything nice about an album the label advertised as "the greatest album ever made," but it is even harder when you mostly agree with them. This is one of the greatest songs ever for me: haunting strings, an even more haunting melody, and heartbroken lyrics about love and fate.
George Harrison - "All Things Must Pass"
This is an incredible reflection on life and death. Like many of the best Beatles songs, its lyrics are simple yet compellingly delivered and supported. I only started listening closely to George Harrison in recent years, but his work, especially the music on this album, changed me forever. In the end, he did not like the Phil Spector production, but I love it.
