Man, this is hard. Picking your favorite twenty songs of all times...
This list may be changing as I write this. But I think the upper half
of the list is quite constant. I've tried to consider as many aspects
as possible, so the list is pretty varied. I.e. this is not my list of
the 20 most beautiful songs, best singles, most important
songs in rock history or whatever... just a list of the 20 songs that
have meant the most to me through the years. Now, on to the list....

19. Creedence Clearwater Revival - DOWN ON THE CORNER
For starters, John Fogerty's voice hardly needs a comment - in my opinion he's easily one of the best, if not the best, rock singers around. Not only is it a fantastic lead, the song is incredibly groovy. (In fact, so groovy that the hip-hop-hardcore group The Beastie Boys decided to sample it on Time to get ill, how's that?). 'Nuff said.

18. Radiohead - STREET SPIRIT (FADE OUT)
It's just plain beautiful. These guys from Oxford are probably one of the most underrated bands of the 90s. This song, together with most songs, from the '95 album the bends is a masterpiece, nothing more, nothing less. Listen to the hypnotic guitar line or lead singer Thom Yorke's fragile, yet piercing, voice. Wow.

17. Simon & Garfunkel - THE SOUND OF SILENCE
The harmonies, the song structure, the lyrics, it all adds up: Paul Simon was a genius, and Art Garfunkel has an angelic voice. It's that simple.

16. Jimi Hendrix - VOODOO CHILE (SLIGHT RETURN)
Was he ahead of his time or what? Not only a fabulous guitarist (the best?), a great songwriter too. This is hard rock several years before the big "metal wave". Yet it's blues, which makes it an incredibly groovy song too.

15. Stevie Wonder - LIVING FOR THE CITY
If you're one of those people who don't know your 70s pop history that well, you might think: "Stevie Wonder? Eww! Wasn't he the one behind that awful 'I just called to say I love you'?" Sorry to disappoint you, he's not just another cheezy Motown artist, he's a genius. Actually, he was the one behind that horrible 80s song. But let's not remember him for that. Let's remember him for his 70s work (the early 70s in particular).
This song, like #5, is taken from the album Innervisions from 1973. There's a groove there, but also genius. Listen to the bridge and figure out those chords! Not only could the man write the songs, play almost all instruments by himself (and he did!), but also sing. And could he sing...

14. The Byrds - EIGHT MILES HIGH
This is 1967 - welcome to the revolution. A revolution not only in society, but also in music. The harmonies and the amazing guitar solo make this a song raised above the trippy acid rock so common in 1967.

13. Oasis - THE MASTERPLAN
"What?!?!?!", you think. Another Oasis song? Get those Beatle-wannabes out of here!
Hey, listen to this song. If this isn't a masterpiece, I don't know what is.

12. David Bowie - CHANGES
Wow, what a song. It's got that Paul McCartneyish "bounce" and a whole lot of other influences, yet, of course, Bowie makes the song completely his own. I don't fancy his latest work, but the music he did in the 70s is fantastic. A fun game for all you Bowie fans out there - buy a Suede record and play "spot the Bowie song thefts"!

11. The Beatles - NORWEGIAN WOOD (This bird has flown)
The Beatles, the album Rubber Soul, 1965, need I say more? Well, if I have to... this was probably the first (at least popular) song incorporating the ancient Indian instrument sitar. It also featured some amazing lyrics (ahead of their time) and some great harmonies. Sheer pop brilliance.

10. Miles Davis - SO WHAT
This is the man who revolutionized jazz five times. If you don't understand jazz now, maybe you never will. Frankly, it's your loss. You won't find more beautiful music than this easily...

9. U2 - WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME
This band started out as an Irish garage rock band, and is now probably the biggest band in the world. I liked them better in the late eighties-early nineties, when they hadn't gotten so aware of that fact. This is a musical and political outcry, with The Edge's characteristic guitar patterns, Bono's wonderful soulful voice, and a driving rhythm section. Wonderful.

8. Marvin Gaye - WHAT'S GOING ON
Again, if you don't know your 70s music history that well, you might consider this man an embarrassing Motown act. But did you know the album What's going on from 1971 is acclaimed as one of the best album of all times? This title track is just one of nine pieces of evidence. Starts off with some talking, then a wonderful sax kicks in. The rest is just a journey into musical heaven.

7. The Beach Boys - SURF'S UP
No, this song is not about surfing. In fact, the song is as far from the Beach Boys' 60s "fun in the sun" style as possible. It's a piece from the Smile puzzle, Smile being the Beach Boys' great unreleased album, perhaps one of the most fascinating and discussed topics in pop history; the album that, without a doubt, would have changed the world in 1967, and perhaps would've knocked The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band off its feet. But the legendary Brian Wilson never finished it. However, throughout the years, the Beach Boys released a few pieces of the lost album, this may be the best.
Amazing lyrics, an extraordinary lead and a very complex arrangement (in fact Leonard Bernstein himself called it complex). Now I haven't even mentioned the fade-out, with harmonies out of this world.

6. The Beatles - TICKET TO RIDE
This song made me start listening to the Beatles. A very heavy track for its time (this was 1965, mind you), it may be the first "hard rock" song ever.

5. Stevie Wonder - HE'S MISSTRA KNOW-IT-ALL
Another overlooked gem from the 70s. This song made me realize Stevie Wonder wasn't some embarrassing, synth-loving, 80s cheeseball - but a genius. It's beautiful, it's groovy, it's got great lyrics, it's (almost) perfect.

4. The Beach Boys - GOD ONLY KNOWS
Written by Brian Wilson (with lyrics by copywriter(!) Tony Asher) and sung by younger brother Carl, this song makes one wonder if God really wasn't involved. Carl Wilson has an angelic voice (I'd dare to say even more angelic than Art Garfunkel), and the song is pure pop perfection from the first to the last second. Oh... a little anecdote: when hearing it, Paul McCartney said this was the most beautiful song he'd ever heard.

3. The Beatles - A DAY IN THE LIFE
The Byrds (see #14) may have participated in the music revolution, but the Beatles were creators. This song just blows me away every time I hear it. Where did John Lennon (and Paul McCartney) find the inspiration for writing a song like this? If you ask me, I'm not sure anyone can find that inspiration ever again.

2. Marvin Gaye - MERCY MERCY ME (THE ECOLOGY)
Another work of perfection. When I first heard it, I was a bit distant. "Soul? Sure, I like soul, but is this Marvin Gaye supposed to be a genius? Nah..." After a couple of listens, it struck me. The man is one of the most gifted composers (and singers) of all times. The album, What's going on, is definitely a "desert island" record for me, I couldn't probably live without it.

1. The Beach Boys - 'TIL I DIE
I thought this was the most perfect & beautiful piece of pop music I ever heard upon first listen. I still do. I dare to say I always will. If you haven't heard anything by the Beach Boys after 1965 (and you probably haven't), at least listen to this. I won't say it will change your life as it changed mine, but maybe you can start to realise why thousands, even millions of people all over the world think Brian Wilson is one of the greatest, if not the greatest of all time, composer, in pop history (the more famous ones being Paul McCartney, George Martin, John Cale (Velvet Underground), Tom Petty and many more). Or why artists continually pay tribute to him (Frank Black (Pixies), Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Bruce Springsteen, The Ramones, Daft Punk, St. Etienne, to mention a few). But all this really wouldn't make sense if you haven't heard the music. So give it a listen yourself. Maybe a few more. If you still don't get it, I am honestly sorry for you. Because in my opinion, this isn't just music. It's deeper than that. I can't explain it, so I should probably just sign off now. I'm off to listen to the sounds of heaven...

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