"His goal in life was to be an echo."
This line is, of course, pure genius - rich, creamy imagery surrounding a satisfying nougat with just the right amount of artsy fartsy. It reminds me of moi, frankly. Especially the nougat.
The rest of the song is just as good. In fact, when the song got to these words...
"Remember to remember me
Standing still in your past
Floating fast like a hummingbird"
...I realized that "Hummingbird" is one of The Five - my personal list of the five best songs ever written. As you might expect, this is not a permanent list. The collection varies, sometimes on whim. There was a dark day this summer, for instance, when "I Kissed a Girl" occupied all five spots. I don't like to talk about that day or my brief struggle with lesbianism.
As of today, though, The Five are as follows:
"Hummingbird" by Wilco
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" as covered by Israel Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole A.K.A Bruddah Iz
"My Babe" by Little Walter
"Love Stinks" by the J. Geils Band
"Little Tornado" by Aimee Mann
As you can see, I'm feeling a little "sensitive" right now. BTW, If you've got a list of The Five, let me see 'em.
13 comments:
These are just off the top of my head...
Bleed Like Me – Garbage
Down to the River to Pray – Alison Krauss
Mercy – Duffy
Still Alive – Jonathan Coulton (as sung by G.La.D.O.S.)
Amnesia – Chumbawamba
Hmmmm.... maybe:
War Pigs - Black Sabbath
God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
Heartbeats - The Knife
Surgery of Impalement - Suffocation
Earth Song - Michael Jackson
Okay, not in any particular order:
Vienna by Billy Joel
You Dance by eastmountainsouth
What About Everything by Carbon Leaf
Song for You by Chicago
Hands to Heaven by Breathe
Amusingly enough, my 13-year-old daughter's five are:
Old Time Rock and Roll by (I forget)
Russians by Sting
Vienna by Billy Joel
Mary Jane by Alanis Morrissette
Shout by Tears for Fears.
I was gobsmacked to hear this.
How can you not have Mother by Danzig on that list?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgSn0SbQJQI
Well, Tim...why don't you show us how it's done.
Flight of the Conchords
"Ladies of the World"
ELO
"Mr. Blue Sky"
Jethro Tull
"Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day"
The La's
"Timeless Melody"
They Might Be Giants
"She's An Angel"
Iron Man – Black Sabbath
Iron Man – Sir Mix A Lot
Sixteen Tons – Tennessee Ernie Ford
God’s Gonna Cut You Down – Johnny Cash
Hurt – Johnny Cash
Top 5, no order
Everlong - Foo Fighters
Bittersweet Symphony - Verve
Everyday Is Exactly the Same - Nine Inch Nails
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
White Men in Black Suits - Everclear
People that know me will wonder why there are no selections by the Cure on my list. Simply put, there's no way I can take a hundred songs & distill it down to one or two favorites. Therefore, I'm omitting the band completely. So, that leaves me with.........
"Under Pressure"-David Bowie/Queen
"Careful Boy"-The Blue Aeroplanes
"Exit Music(for a film)-Radiohead
"The Heavens"-The Raveonettes
"Alec Eiffel"-The Pixies
This was a difficult list to comeby. The absence of bands like Pulp, The Smiths, The Afghan Wigs, The Psychedelic Furs,The The, &, of course, T-Rex, feels wrong to me. Still you limited me to 5, & 5 is what you got.
It should be noted that "The Essential Adam Ant" has been living in my CD player for the past several days,so songs like "Prince Charming" & "Apollo 9" came very close to making the list.
Bales of Cocaine - Reverand Horton Heat
Born to Lose - Social Distortion
Operator - Jim Croce
Smile As You Go By - Hoyt Axton
It's A Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo
Social Distortion AND Hoyt Axton? Nicely done.
White Lightning - George Jones
Cheese-Burger in Paradise - Jimmy Buffet
Whip It - Devo
A Country Boy Can Survive - Hank Williams Jr.
U Can't Touch This - MC Hammer
In the Summer Time - Mungo Jerry
Movin' Right Along - The Muppets
Centerfield - John Fogerty
B-Side of Life - Timbuk III
Pistol Packin' Mama - Bing Crosby
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