Today's the day. We've reached the top ten. Let's not waste anymore time. We work our way down from ten on the other side of that jump.
10. “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen
I’ve never been quite sure what to make of this song. Most songs by Queen have one specific style to suit the subject matter. This song, on the other hand, is a sort of amalgamation of five different styles that blend into each other. And, while I’m not sure, I think there are anywhere between two and four different narratives. But that is why it’s awesome. It’s a long song, but it doesn’t overstay its welcome, because it’s constantly changing. And it flows naturally from the dream-like state in the beginning to the excitement of the operatic middle, to the angry rebuttal, and finally to the melancholy end. This song is, simply put, a masterpiece.
9. “Eruption” by Van Halen
This one song says more about musical tastes than probably every other song on this list. Why do I say that? Because it’s really just one face-meltingly awesome guitar solo. I’ve said before that Eddie Van Halen is my favorite guitarist. This song shows why. It is so fast-paced, that it’s one of the hardest songs to learn on the guitar. And while it’s not tightly controlled, like the almost mathematical Joe Satriani, it’s not chaotic either. It confidently walks that very thin line between sensible and natural and blow-your-mind amazing.
8. “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd
I’ve never lived an extravagant life. My parents are lower middle class, I’ve always worked less than menial jobs, and other than my Macbook and my TV, I tend to avoid bigger purchases. And oddly enough, I’ve always been okay with this. I like a simple and comfortable lifestyle. That’s all I want. And that’s why I love this song so much. In the song, a mother gives some advice to her son on how to live. Namely, don’t be something that you’re not. The song itself echos this, as the instrumentation itself is rather simple, but at the same time, reverb is added to give it weight. And weighty it is.
7. “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC
Okay, fine, I’ll admit it. AC/DC is my favorite rock band. They have fun with their songs, and they are closest to the core theme of Rock’n’Roll, namely to live life with reckless and wild abandon. Contrary to popular belief, this song is no different. It’s about having a good time being a famous rock band. But the guitar riff is what sells this song for me. Angus Young, the guitarist, usually composes very simple riffs. This one, though, sounds more like a riff from a Van Halen song. This sounds completely different from almost any other song the band has written, showing that they can be flexible, but choose to just have fun and write simple songs that everyone will love. And I love them for it.
6. “Under Pressure” by Queen with David Bowie
As soon as I learned that the opening of “Ice Ice Baby” was a sampling of a Queen song, I had to listen to it. Oh my GOD, what a difference. This song is inspired! An impromptu collaboration between David Bowie and Queen, “Under Pressure” is quite possibly the best collab ever. Freddie Mercury’s parts make the song soar, while Bowie’s anchor it down and give it emotional weight. It tells how the pressures of everyday life can drive a person mad or even into homelessness, and how ultimately the solution is love, to care for others and lift them up out of the confusion. This is something people often forget. So I ask, why CAN’T we give love another chance?
5. “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin
Well of course this had to be high on the list. This is the most popular rock song ever. This is yet another long song that somehow manages to not feel long. The several acoustic guitars are layered on top of each other as the song progresses, and then the drums kick in, and finally the electric guitar. The story will confuse you upon your first listen, the lyrics being as cryptic as possible. It’s about a woman who accumulates a great fortune, but when old age comes, she finds that she can’t enter Heaven because of her greed, though Hell can’t take her because she wasn’t evil enough. So she is trapped on Earth, until she finally learns that she, like everyone else, can change the way she’s lived. And so she leaves her fortune behind to travel the world, in hopes that she’ll find herself a way into the afterlife.
4. “Higher Power”/“Higher Power (Kalodner Edit)” by Boston
I’ve always believed in God. The existence of God being the answer to why the universe exists makes the most sense to me. Whether or not I wanted to worship him is a different matter. I’ve had some dark moments in my life, and I’ve stopped going to church a couple times. But I always went back, because he would always come through for me. This song illustrates a similar situation. A man is lost in life, and is trying to find a direction. He eventually turns to religion, and that’s where he finds the answers he’s been looking for. And being such a deep and spiritual song, the instrumentation is amazing. There are actually two edits of this song, and for the life of me, I can’t decide which one I like more. This was the song that convinced me that Boston needs more attention.
3. “Hotel California” by The Eagles
Before we proceed further, I have to specify that you have to listen to the live version with the extended opening guitar solo. Now, while The Eagles insist that this song is about the dark side of the American Dream and negatives of excess, the actual song is far more interesting. The opening solo draws you in, setting a mysterious, though still pleasant atmosphere. In the story, a man grows tired while driving, and so stays in a hotel, meets a beautiful young woman that every man there wants, and is then invited to a dinner where the guests are eating what is implied to be another human. Terrified, the man tries to escape, only to find that he can’t. The imagery is haunting, and the instrumentation is perfect. It is easily one of the best songs I’ve ever heard.
2. “Piano Man” by Billy Joel
It’s always been a curious site to me whenever I had to walk into a bar (or at least a bar not overrun by college students or sports fans). There are people who, you’re pretty sure, don’t know each other drinking beer and talking about something that they’re mutually interested in. There are people who just sit on their stool and drink their sorrows away. Sometimes, there’s a waitress trying her best to smile while dealing with the more disgruntled customers. There’s a bartender who’s friendly, but has a mostly hidden sadness in his or her eyes. And sometimes there’s live music. This song recounts everything I’ve described from the performer’s perspective. It captures the atmosphere of a bar on a saturday night, and the mood of a lot of the people there. And more profoundly, it shows how we’re all human, and we don’t have to be human alone.
"...What the-? Where's number one?" Funny story about that. I changed my plans at the last minute. Favorite Song #1 will be getting its own article, which will be up tomorrow. Hope to see you there.
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