My Top 10 Favorite Songs of All Time

Hoping I introduced you to at least one song you haven't heard of and end up enjoying.

Today I’ve decided to count down my ten favorite songs of all time. My goal is to spread awareness to some of my favorite songs and hope that you the reader discover new music. The best gift we can give each other is great art recommendations.

10. Somebody Else- The 1975

Say what you will about Matty Healey and The 1975. This band is what really got me interested in music in the first place- and while I believe Matty is a problematic figure, he’s also written the music that feels like the score to my college experience. I’ve seen the band three times in concert, one of those times at their show in Madison Square Garden. I believe Somebody Else is my favorite song of theirs, even tho it could change time to time. It’s a moody, melancholic banger about repressed feelings for someone. The chorus states “I don’t want your body but I’d hate to think about you with somebody else” a general statement of healing from someone but still grappling with feelings of abandonment- not wanting them to move on so easily. The indie pop sensibilities of this song are so infectious and the mixing is pretty pitch perfect. It’s one of the most brilliantly structured songs I’ve heard in the past decade as well- the sound evolves as the story of the song progresses beautifully.

9. Already Gone- Alvvays

Alvvays is one of my favorite bands making music today and I could chose a number of their tracks for this list. However, I decided to go with the one that never fails to make me into a puddle of tears. Already Gone, off their album Antisocialites, is such an emotional ballad. In an album filled with blissful pop, this tracks slows down to give us a reflective and nostalgic look at something that is already gone- but we haven’t quite processed it yet. The song is about the passing of the singer Mollys father- who tragically died in a car accident. In an unexpected moment, her father was gone and she wasn’t given the proper time to grieve. It’s a song about regret of not processing something that life wouldn’t allowed to be processed. It’s a heavy song for sure, but it’s one that’s stayed with me since I’ve listened to it.

8. Iceblink Luck- Cocteau Twins

Cocteau Twins was an earth shattering band for me to discover. Their songs are like finding a different species, it’s a fascination. Iceblink Luck was a watershed song for me. Anytime I listen to its hazy distortion, beautiful synths and Elizabeth Fraser’s angelic voice, I feel like I’ve ascended into a different realm. Even if I can’t entirely make out the lyrics through this songs hazy soundscape, it’s one of the most freeing songs I’ve ever heard. It’s a joyful song about escape and it’s one of those few songs I wish I could hear for the first time again.

7. New Mistake- Jellyfish

If you’ve never heard of Jellyfish, please go out and listen to their discography. This under appreciated 90’s band sadly only released two albums, but these albums have some of the best baroque pop you’ll hear in it. Their second album Spilt Milk, I believe is one of the best psychedelic pop albums ever made. The song New Mistake has to be their best. A triumphant power ballad about embracing the mistakes one can make in this life and not letting them define you and taking power in said mistakes. I think it’s about accidentally having a child outside of marriage, but that up for debate I guess. The guitars in this song as some of the best I’ve heard in any song and lead singer Andy Strummers vocal performance is incredibly powerful. Listen to this song and this band right now.

6. I Know It’s Over- The Smiths

This is another song that I will tear up listening to. This song is written and performed by Morrissey, which much like Matty Healey is a problematic figure to say the least. But his gentle, sad song about his own self reflection about his own insecurities after the end of a relationship is enough to get anyone to choke up. Likes like “it’s so easy to laugh it’s so easy to hate, it takes strength to be gentle kind” and “and I know it’s over but I cling, I don’t know where else I could go”. I could continue to quote the rest of the song and it’s all just devastating truths. It’s not only one of the lushest songs ever produced, it transcends as one of the best poems ever written as well. As far as the British New Wave is concerned, the music probably topped with this song.

5. Disney Girls- The Beach Boys

I know what you are thinking. Brett? What about Pet Sounds? Pet Sounds is my fourth favorite album of all time. There isn’t a single bad song on it, it’s been a foundational album to me. The song God Only Knows is one of (if not the) greatest song ever written. But, if I have to be honest what Beach Boys song is my favorite, I have to go with Disney Girls- on their album Surf’s Up (which by the way is a really underrated and terrific album in its own right). Disney Girls is the type of song that encapsulates the feeling of blissful love. “Clearing skies and drying eyes, now I see your smile”. It’s a song about reminiscing about “the one” rather someone in your life right now or reflecting on a shared life with someone you haven’t met yet. A fantasy of a peaceful life, and a forever wife and kids someday- a quote on quote “Disney” existence. It’s a peaceful and hopeful song that feels like a nice warm blanket. It reminds me a bit of the musical number “Somewhere That’s Green” in Little Shop of Horrors, but a little less bleak. Sometimes, our biggest fantasies in life is just a life filled with affection and love.

4. 1979 - The Smashing Pumpkins

1979 is simply one of the best songs to ever be recorded. Singer of the pumpkins Billy Corgan decided to write an anthem about coming of age, the last embrace of innocence. A time where you don’t have to worry about making enough money to support yourself, you can just run around and hang out with your friends and talk about movies and music. But on the horizon of this time is knowing one day, your friends will move away and you’ll have to focus on responsibilities. School, what was once a prison, will become a reflective memory of a bygone era. 1979 is a lush song with beautiful instrumentals and a compelling narrative- a hazy look at time where nothing and everything made sense at the same time.

3. Sometimes - My Bloody Valentine

Discovering My Bloody Valentine is similar to me as discovering Cocteau Twins. The genre of music that is shoegaze is a beautiful collection of hazy, lush distorted synths that will make you feel like you have ascended to a higher place. Soundscapes are the thing that gravitate me to most songs, and I would argue sometimes has the best soundscapes of any song I’ve ever heard in my life. I first discovered the song when watching Lost in Translation (one of my favorite movies of all time). The mood of the song immediately resonated with me. What I’ve discovered after listening to this song over and over again is that through all of its harsh instrumentals is deeply sobering lyrics about the last time you are in love with someone and those last moments you have with them. Those quiet, somber moments that will never leave you. “Close my eyes, feel me now, I don’t know how you could not love me now”. I’ll never forget the first time listening to the album, laying in my bed staring at the ceiling, having no idea music could actually make me feel this way. I’ve been hooked on shoegaze ever since.        

2. The Downtown Lights- The Blue Nile

Hats by the Blue Nile is another contender for my all time favorite album. I have listened to it so many times front to back and it never fails to give me chills. The song Downtown Lights has to be my favorite off the album. It’s the ultimate vibe. Listen to this while driving the streets at night is the ultimate music listening experience. This song is masterfully crafted, expertly mixed and performed to perfection. It’s a masterpiece. A simple meditation on how lonely, isolating and euphoric an empty street at night can be. Who are the shadowy figures who drive around and walk at night and what are their stories? This song feels like the panels of a Frank Miller comic and I mean that as a compliment. A gorgeous song that never fails to put me in ease.

1. This Must Be The Place - Talking Heads

Talking Heads are my favorite band of all time and their song This Must Be The Place is my favorite song of theirs (Once in a Lifetime is a close second). This Must Be The Place is such a life affirming song. It gives off an aurora of peace and love, understanding where you’ve finally found home. Yet, the song doesn’t have any real narrative. It also portrays the uncertainty of that. Life changes and out safe spots and where we find love will change and shift and we have to navigate that. The song however, is a gentle reminder that it’ll all be okay. “Home, is where I want to be pick me up and turn me round”. It’s such a sweet melody, it’s singer David Byrne at his most authentic and honest self. The songs tempo and groove are on par with the rest of the bands discovery as well, making a melody that’s endlessly catchy and fun. Such an infectious track and my favorite song of all time.

Rainbow Connection is actually my favorite song of all time, but my personal connection to the song and it’s correlation to the muppets in general makes it impossible to rank it among the songs I’ve listed, so here is me mentioning it. This song never fails to motivate me to peruse my dreams and passions. A song so gentle and moving that it’s genuinely saved me at so many different points of my life where I felt so lost and confused. Thank you Jim Henson and Paul Williams for everything you’ve done!

What are some of your favorite songs? Comment below!