Thanks for the support everybody! I had more visitors yesterday than I could've hoped for. I'm gonna go ahead and call this project a success.
Now I don't have time today to include a super long introduction, since it's my mom's birthday. But that's probably for the best. After all, you probably want to jump right into the list. Numbers 40 through 31 are on the other side of that Read More button. Read at your leisure.
40. “Come Sail Away” by Styx
This song is on the list for one reason. Because it’s about aliens. I do like Styx, being part of the minority that still does. And while I like most everything about this song, it is still mostly forgettable. Except for the aliens. The aliens are the reason I listen to this song every time it comes on.
39. “In the Garage” by Weezer
Everybody has that place, typically their room, where they feel most like themselves, where they find themselves to be the most honest. That’s what this song is about. It’s about a geeky guy who keeps all his prized possessions in the garage, and whenever he feels depressed, he goes out to the garage to go through his things and be himself. So, of course I relate quite a bit to this song, since, you know, I’m a geek and am obsessed with things not exactly mainstream. And sometimes I just need to escape.
38. “Summer of ’69” by Bryan Adams
Just like music itself, growing up is a part of life. And this song epitomizes that. Promises are broken, friends drift away, and sometimes you just have to suck it up and move on. But you always can reminisce about those great times you had with friends back when you were young. To move forward, sometimes you have to look back. And maybe you’ll finally end up back to the place where you were most happy.
37. “All the Above” by Maino
This is my all-time favorite rap song. Nothing else even comes close. The strings used in the beat are amazing. Maino’s lyrics perfectly convey the story he’s telling. And T-Pain caps it off with a soaring chorus. There are a lot of “from the bottom to the top” rap songs out there. But none of them are as charismatic or as encouraging as this one is.
36. “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar
Is there anything sexier than a woman standing up for herself? The answer is no. Benatar spear-headed the movement that said “Women can rock hard too.” And none of her other songs says that quite like this one. In it, she is literally provoking a fight because she thinks the guy trying to hit on her is too high and mighty for his own good. And we all know that sometimes women need to slap a bit of sense into us men from time to time.
35. “Holiday” by Green Day
There was a time in my life where I liked to think of this as my theme song. This is the song that had me sold when it came to Green Day. And yes, I do know what the political commentary of this song is supposed to be about. But I normally look past that to the simpler message of “Screw you, I’m gonna think for myself.” And so far in my life, I have. As much as people like to pretend otherwise, I’m the way I am by choice, not by force of nature. I like being this way, and I’m gonna stay this way. Which is why I sing this song so much.
34. “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osborne
When most people think of Ozzy Osborne, they think of the Brit that nobody can understand. I, on the other hand, think of the demented yet well-meaning musical artist. “Crazy Train” is a song that’s supposed to point out that a lot of things that divide us politically, both domestically and abroad, are meaningless, and we should just learn to get along. Now, who could have possibly predicted good ol’ Ozzy saying that? Other than, you know, the people who actually listen to his music. But that’s a rant for another day.
33. “Castles Made of Sand” by Jimi Hendrix
Yes, the greatest guitar player the world has ever seen is on my list. How could he not be. But it’s not “Foxy Lady” or his cover of “All Along the Watchtower” that’s my favorite song of his. No, it’s the subdued “Castles Made of Sand.” Now what is the song actually about? I’m not exactly sure. But I think that’s the allure of it, that it can be interpreted differently, and can mean different things for different people. I personally think it’s about the inevitability of death and how we should live life to its fullest. But that’s beside the point.
32. “White Wedding” by Billy Idol
And on the flip-side of that coin, I know exactly what this song is about. It’s about a guy who’s in love with a woman who’s about to marry another man, and not about incest like most people would assume. But of course when I’m listening to it, I forget about it entirely. It’s just so much fun to sing along with this song. Hell, I’ve gotten so good at singing along that people will think that I’m lip-synching. And it’s so needlessly aggressive, that it undermines the original intent of the song. And that’s why I love it.
31. “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who
Now I’ve always loved this song, even before CSI: Miami and the many many parodies. It’s one of the first rock songs to successfully integrate synthesizers, which is a feat in and of itself. And it’s also a critical look at the idealized revolutions that happened in the 20th century, and how the regimes that took over seemed exactly like the governments they had overthrown. It’s this cynicism that separates The Who from other rock bands at the time which encouraged civil disobedience and resistance. Sometimes rebellion is useless, and much of the world has had to learn that the hard way.
And that's it for today. The third part will be up tomorrow around the same time. See ya then.
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