Don't call it a comeback, I've been here for years! And so have the greatest songs of all time, which we shall revisit now.
89. "California Dreaming"-The Mamas and the Papas
The quintessential song of wintertime depression. On the outside it's a pretty jangly little pop song, but on the inside it's actually a song of deep sadness, or maybe that's just how I see it when I'm listening to it and there is a good foot of snow outside during the winter.
88. "My Girl"-The Temptations
This song has just such a smooth as butter groove that just really takes you to another place. Smokey Robinson is milking it for all it's worth here with just an incredibly saturated vocal, but it's just so sugary sweet in the best way possible. Great summery track for laying in a hammock just relaxing.
87. "Ring of Fire"-Johnny Cash
Now, normally I'm not much of a country music gal. In fact, I loathe country music. However, Johnny Cash just has something universal that transcends genre and appeals to everyone. "Ring of Fire" is no exception, and I think it ranks up there with some of his best work. It's just so menacing and dark lyrically, but it has a peppy mariachi band type of instrumentation that keeps the song from being too dark. Another great summer track!
86. "Thunder Road"-Bruce Springsteen
Oh "Thunder Road". There are times when it seems like this is possibly the greatest song ever recorded by everyone ever in the history of time and space. I love the story element of the lyrics and I think that the feeling of wanting to break free from the town you've spent most of your life in. The piano introduction is just pure euphony and by the time the guitars kick in your already blissed out. An amazing track.
85. "Crazy"-Patsy Cline
Again, I'm normally not a big fan of this type of music. I'm not crazy about this track (no pun intended...) but she does have crazy vocal control and you can tell on this track. I compare it to the Smoky Robinson vocal on "My Girl".
84. "Every Breath You Take"-The Police
I know this is the ultimate stalker song, but I still find it actually kind of romantic in a way. Sting's vocal is almost a whisper and you can just feel the tension oozing from the speakers when you listen to it. Everything from the instrumentation to the vocal is pitch perfect and I just love it. A lot.
83. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)-The Beatles
I've already made it clear that this is probably my favorite Beatles song, and I maintain that. It just screams low light and black turtlenecks, and much like the fore mentioned Police song, it's got a very sort of sexy tone to it. I love the story of the lyrics and the instrumentation accompanies them perfectly. My favorite of all time!
82. "Blueberry Hill"-Fats Domino
I admit that I listened to the Led Zeppelin version first, and I liked it better. They really just accentuated the really bluesy elements that Fats Domino just sort of glanced over with his more piano based track. The Elton John version I listened to next was more faithful to the original, and I realized that this is just one of those tracks that has just lived so many lives in so many different ways that each one is really good in its own way. If I had to recommend a version however, it would be the Led Zeppelin version.
81. "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"-Marvin Gaye
This track has possibly one of the greatest bass riffs of all time and Marvin Gaye just has an astounding voice that sounds better every time you hear it. I just can't say enough about the instrumentation on this track, it might even outshine the lyrics here because it's just so perfectly executed and complimentary. I highly recommend.
80. "You Really Got Me"-The Kinks
And now, we have the birth of punk rock according to many. Everybody who hasn't been living under a rock has heard this song at one time or another, it's that just classic. It's also very classic in the respect that it influenced so many great people to write so many great songs, like Pete Townshend who basically copied this for "I Can't Explain". Ray Davies vocals are just so rock and roll and so "I've just smoked a whole packet of cigarettes before coming to record this". It's short, sweet, and to the point, and it's effective.
My overall favorite? Probably "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)", but "Thunder Road" is a very close second.
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