song 1

Wow, full circle. A year ago today i was sitting on the floor of Pete's room in Mark and Tracey's house going through the painstakingly-made top 15 lists of some of my besties. i highly, highly recommend having a top 15 'party' of your own with your besties. It's enlightening and fun. It's really easy too: you plan a date and tell everyone to come with a cd of their top 15 songs, in order of toppest to 15th-est, then you take turns going through your choices and why you chose them. The only rule is that there's no judgement. 14 Britney Spears songs and 1 Muse song? So be it. You must ascribe to 'to each his/her own' when engaging in the top 15 sharing circle. Anyway, we made copies of our mixes for everyone. It's best to plan the event a month out to allow everyone time to really think about their lists, because for most, it's a challenging task. Although it has nothing to do with new years, ours happened to be on new years and it's a superb memory.

i hadn't planned on stretching out the bloglist of my top 15 for the entire year, but i just happened to realize today was the anniversary and i'm down to my number 1. How keen! Perhaps it's a sign and 2010 will be a keen year..... hmmmm....

Song One.

You know this song, it's programmed into your subconscious if you were born around or after 1979. It was originally written by Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher as a soundtrack song and recorded by Jim Henson's alter ego, Kermit, the frog. (Wiki has good backstory on this song, in case you're curious.) Many, many artists have recorded their own versions, to varying results. Sarah McLachlan has a beautiful version and the Dixie Chicks prominently feature the original's signature banjo in theirs. But these are not my choice.

My choice is Willie.

As i've said before, when i began constructing my top 15 it was helpful to list a few artists i knew were important enough to my musical life to include, and then select a favorite song from said artist. One such artist was Willie Nelson, because my siblings and i were raised on Willie, James Taylor, and the Eagles. And because like everyone else born in the early 80s, i was also raised on/by The Muppets, the natural convergence would be the song of all songs, The Rainbow Connection. Is it a little cliche of a choice? Sappy? Sure. But i'm not just choosing a childhood song, and a 'can't-we-all-just-get-along-while-we-follow-our-dreams?' song at that. i chose Willie's version for it's musicality. (Kermit, bless his goofy heart, is not the world's most melodious singer) Sarah McLachlan's version is very musical, but too ethereal. i prefer Willie's version for it's grounded simplicity and guitarity. (Yup, just made up a really awesome word.)

It's a great song because it's a little melancholy and wistful in that Robert Browning 'ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?' sense. (you know, that sense? the one everyone's always talking about? no? just me? *sigh*) It's also very optimistic and inspirational, which is why, i think, i gravitate toward to the Willie Nelson recording. His voice is at times raw, at times wavery, at times imperfect, and those factors, combined with the earthy and bare guitar keep the 'follow your dreams' message from taking over and making it a very saccharine, very American-Idol-finale type of musical gag-inducer. i love Willie Nelson's voice, some songs much more so than others, so when i knew i wanted a Willie song on my top 15 i searched for one that i felt accurately demonstrated why his voice is one of my most favorites and this was obviously one.

Another one of my methods for deciding which songs would make the top 15 was the method of 'would i want this song played at my funeral and what would it say about me if it were?' i know, totally dramatic and self-absorbed, right? Whatever. This was one that made it through that filter.

Concluding, in sum, finally and at last: please to enjoy my number-1-most song of everness, 'Rainbow Connection', as performed by Willie Nelson.

song 2

Oh song 2, i love you. i love you more than all the other songs except song 1. i've found that i have an affection for a heavy down beat and chipper lyrics, especially in congress. These lyrics are decidedly optimistic:

"Bad news comes don't you worry even when it lands
Good news will work its way to all them plans
We both got fired on exactly the same day
Well we'll float on good news is on the way

And we'll all float on, ok....
Alright already we'll all float on
Alright don't worry even if things end up a bit too heavy
We'll all float on...alright already we'll all float on"

Tell me all about it, Wikipedia!
-The song came out in 2004 on the album "Good News for People Who Love Bad News." Asked about the song in an interview with The A.V. Club, Isaac Brock said that he consciously intended to write something that felt more positive than some of his previous work:

“	It was a completely conscious thing. I was just kind of fed up with how bad s**t had been going, and how dark everything was, with bad news coming from everywhere....Then you've got the well-intentioned scientists telling us that everything is f****d. I just want to feel good for a day."	”
—Isaac Brock, The A.V. Club

i love that there are two distinct halves to the song: the stiff, staccato, marching verses and the looping, hand-in-the-breeze-out-the-window-of-the-car, 'floating' (if you will) of the chorus. i love the way it's steps away and then jumps back in around the 2:30 mark. It's a great song to drive to because it's easy to play on the steering wheel. There was a really wonderful alternative rock radio station when we lived in Elk Barf and it would play this song semi-regularly.... just rarely enough that it was still special when it came on. Whenever i heard it then, and now (which is never rarely b/c it's always on a cd since there is a nary a station in the greater Shasta County area that would ever deign to play something alternative, cool, or indie) it instantly improves my mood 96%, which means if i'm already in a good mood, i immediately feel 96% gooder. The following is not the official music video, (i'm not allowed to embed that) it's a fan slideshow, but i knew i had to embed the song in order for you to listen to it, which you MUST, even if you already know the song. You need to listen to it now, in the context of MEEEEEEEEE and things i LIIIIIIIKE.

song #3

Oh baby, top 3. Here we go.

The number 3 song in my top 15 songymost songs is "Maps" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. i heard this song on the radio when i was living in San D and Whitney was savvy enough to know i needed the whole album. i love the guitar/drum intro of it and the beat in general is sublime. The lyrics, though minimal, are a little confusing if you don't the story behind the song. Karen O, the lead singer, wrote the song about/for her then-boyfriend Angus as he was leaving to go on tour with his band. According to internet lore, 'MAPS' is an acronym for 'My Angus Please Stay.' i like listening to it because it's so musical, but i LOVE the lyrics of the chorus: "Wait! they don't love you like i love you." It's so devoted and so desperate. The thing about being married to the spouse i have is that everyone adores him to the utmost, but i feel the same way about Josh as Karen felt about Angus. No matter how he's worshipped, none of 'them', the faceless fans, loves him like i love him. Here is the official music video, watch it! it's the 3rd best song ever. i promise.

Maps by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

song 4

Now is the time for song 4 of my Top 15. This is 'Clark Gable' by The Postal Service, who share their lead singer, Ben Gibbard, with Death Cab for Cutie. i figured a Ben Gibbard song would fit in well on my Top 15 and i discarded several slower, more sentimental ones in favor of this gem. i like it because it's fun, romantic, pensive, frustrated and enthusiastic. And i'm a sucker for 'story songs'. And i like old movies. And back in the day my friends and i would make movies. So, it was kind of a no-brainer. The double clap makes it a fun car song and i love how there's a marker snap sound after he sings 'the marker snapped'. (i know, that sounds incredibly trite and unimaginative, but it still makes me smile.) Here is a fan video, enjoy!

song 5

Oh boy, poodles, we're in the top 5! (i can feel your excitement.) Here's a recap of songs 6-15:

6. Heart of the Matter, India.Arie
7. Mo Ve' la Bella Mia da la Muntagna, Matteo Salvatore
8. Walk Away, Ben Harper
9. Square One, Tom Petty
10. This Year's Love, David Grey
11. Georgia On My Mind, Ray Charles
12. Use Somebody, Kings of Leon
13. Cello Suite No. 1, Yo Yo Ma
14. Motorcycle Drive By, Third Eye Blind
15. Feelin Good, Nina Simone

We're going to Georgia again, but not in our minds this time. No, we're taking the midnight train AND we're bringing the Pips! This Gladys Knight gem wasn't in the original Top 15 i made in January, but the more i listened to it, the more i realized i really truly loved it. The song strikes a balance between heartbreak and sweet devotion: the heartbreak of the man whose dreams refused to come true and the alienation of being a simple southern boy living in the nightmare that is Los Angeles, and on the other side the commitment of the woman who loves him so much she'll follow him to Georgia because she'd "rather live in his world than live without him in [hers]." It's also two songs in one: You have Gladys singing the main lyrics, and the Pips singing a very advanced version of back-up lyrics. You can pick which song you want to sing and it makes for a really fun one to sing with someone else. And how many songs include a harmonized train whistle "whoo whoo!"?? NOT ENOUGH, if you ask me. Here's a good version, but doesn't feature the Pips' sweet background dance moves, so if you need those you can find the other YouTube versions. Enjoy song 5, "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight and the Pips.

song 6

Before it was the background to primetime TV montages of people looking angsty in elevators, before it was in the 'Sex and the City' movie trailer, before a n y o n e e l s e, i loved this song. i discovered it on a blog post somewhere on the internets, probably 3 years ago? i'm not sure. i was totally smitten because, A. i grew up listening to the Eagles and ganked my dad's Hell Freezes Over album and knew every word by heart while the rest of the kids my age were like 'yeaaaah! Weezer and stuff!!!' and B. i'm kind of a sucker for a good cover. As covers go, this one takes the cake. Oh, and C. this lady is great.

It is India Arie covering Don Henley's classic heartache-redemption muser, 'Heart of the Matter'. She gives it a soul beat and a little more musicality because let's face it, her voice is better. (Don't hate, even The Don told India he likes her version better.) She keeps what works, the background vocals, harmonies, etc, but makes it distinctly her own. These are the criteria for a good cover, students. Learn.

Anyway, i love this song. It's wise, sad, universal, and great to sing along with, whether you prefer the Eagles or India. i'm a little bummed that there's now a whole generation of people who think India Arie wrote this song, but we can only hope to educate. i couldn't find a proper video for it (since the music video is going the way of the do-do it's getting quite difficult) but you can listen to the track HERE or just trust me and go buy it on iTunes.

song #7

So close, pudding pops, but these things can't be rushed.

Here we are at lucky #7 and to achieve it we must travel far, far away to a land called Italy. Or to a nearby Blockbuster where we rent 'Big Night', because it's on the soundtrack. The song is "Mo Ve' la Bella Mia da la Muntagna" by Matteo Salvatore. i included it in my Top 15 because it makes me think of Italy and my time in Rome and the old men who would sit outside the shops smoking and drinking cappucinos. It makes me think of nuns too. (You see alot of nuns in Rome.) Winter introduced me to the 'Big Night' soundtrack before i'd seen or even heard of the movie. Turns out it's a very good flick, but don't watch on an empty stomach. i used one of the tracks by Gary DiMichele in my wedding, that's how much i like the music. i thought of putting the DiMichele song on my top 15 but it's just instrumental and doesn't invoke memories of Rome the way the Salvatore song does. It's in Italian, here's a rough translation of the lyrics:
It has been written in your heart
my destiny
even my own existence is poisoned (2x)
I want to stay always close to you
for that red mouth and beautiful perfume
for those I'd willingly lose my life (2x)
for the ability to say to the world that
I have kissed your mouth
if you were a queen and I had a kingdom
I would laden you with pearls from the Orient (2x)
in exchange for your fascinating love.

You can hear the song in this really random video that, believe it or not, i had nothing to do with the title of. The song is the first one in the video, the second is a good followup, but not good enough for my top 15.


And here is a clip from 'Big Night' that kind of terrifies me because i'm afraid i've unknowingly done this to some poor chef at some point in my life.

Song #8

We're getting to the really good stuff, comrades!
Similar to how Tom Petty made the list, i knew in the earliest days of crafting The Topmost that Ben Harper should be included. Story time!
The time: Spring of 2000, freshman year of PLNU. My boyfriend had just yanked the rug out from under me and dumped my already-angsty little heart. i told my mother. Mysteriously, my older brother called the next day with the mysterious desire to take me out to lunch. Yeah. Mysterious fish, i did smell. So he picked me up at school (since i was a lowly dorm-bound freshman with no car) and off we drove into the funky heart of goofy li'l Ocean Beach. We made small talk. Then he said he 'has a song' for me, and put in a cd and chose a track. It was Ben Harper (who i'd never heard or heard of) singing 'Another Lonely Day', the first line of which is 'Yes indeed, i'm alone again. Here comes emptiness crashing in.' i was no dummy, even back then, and was pretty clear on the impetus for the lunch date. i said 'so i guess you talked to mom.' He said something like 'Yeah. Sucks. Sorry.' That was about the extent of discussion of that subject and we let the song play. He bought me a sandwich at a weird little deli and we had our lunch and he returned me to campus and probably said something like 'hang in there' but i don't remember. i really just remember him playing me the song.
A little over a year later, in the summer before junior year, Jason gave me 2 cds he'd grown tired of listening to and thought i might like. They were Ben Harper albums: 'Welcome to the Cruel World' and 'Will to Live.' i was entranced. It was a very complicated summer. My roommate was a friend who was quickly turning out to be a monster, i couldn't figure out if i really wanted to be with the boy who'd dumped me or if just didn't want to be alone, and i was about to move to Italy. i used to get overwhelmed by it all and drive to a parking lot and sit listening to the two albums (even Mama's Trippin'). Three years after that, when i married the boy who'd dumped me, we danced with our parents to Ben Harper's 'Waiting on An Angel' and our last dance of the night was to 'Forever'. His collaboration with the Blind Boys of Alabama is one of maybe 6 cds i've purchased in the last 5 years. i think his lyrics are true and i love his voice.
i chose 'Walk Away' for the top 15 list, which may be kind of odd since it's a sad break-up song, but i just love it. i think it demonstrates his vocals pretty well, but is just an excellent example of good lyric-writing. It's hard to write a break-up song that is true to the pain while resisting wallowing and camp and also containing the slightest bit of optimism. This one is wonderful. My favorite parts are 'You put the Happy in my ness' and 'Time has taken my Tomorrows and turned them into Yesterdays.' Good stuff.
Please to enjoy: Ben Harper performing my song #8, 'Walk Away.'

Song #9

GAH! i'm upset at the internet. i wanted to post an mp3 or a video of my #9 song for you to examine and subsequently completely love (because i have super taste and because you are impressionable) but i cannot make it happen. i could embed a subpar live version or a cover, but it's not the same. i'm upset. i need to watch THIS again because i'm irrationally bothered that i cannot snap my fingers and put this song on my bliggityblog.
Sigh.

So, my #9 song is 'Square One' by Tom Petty. When i first started crafting my Top 15 list i began with a handful of artists who i loved and who have formed me into the supreme being you want to live and shop with. Tom Petty was one of the first i listed. i can remember his Wildflowers album coming out when i was in junior high, and how the song 'You Don't Know How It Feels' became my personal anthem for a while. That song, coupled with the title track, made me believe that even if i was a weird-looking, dorky, confused kid for the rest of my life, Tom Petty would still care about me. It was one of the first cds i ever bought (and i don't buy very many cds) and i had the entire album memorized. Front-runners for the 'Tom Petty Representational Song on Kallie's Top 15' included 'Don't Fade on Me' and 'Higher Ground' as well as 'Wildflowers'. There are other songs worthy of being called his best, but i eventually settled on 'Square One', off the more recent 'Highway Companion' album that John bought while we were housemates. (John bought a new cd at least every week and i would dutifully steal them, upload them into my iTunes, and return them). i chose this song because i felt it best represents Tom Petty's optimism, lyricism, and musicality, my three favorite things about his work. Since i can't embed the song, here are the lyrics and you are hereby assigned to buy it from iTunes and listen to it in its entirety. Then repeat.

Had to find some higher ground
Had some fear to get around
You can't say what you don't know
Later on won’t work no more

Last time though I hid my tracks
So well I could not get back
Yeah my way was hard to find
Can't sell your soul for peace of mind

Square one, my slate is clear
Rest your head and meet my dear
It took a world of trouble, it took a world of tears
It took a long time to get back here

Try so hard to stand alone
Struggle to see past my nose
Always had more dogs than bones
I could never wear those clothes
It's a dark victory
You won and you are so lost
Told her you were satisfied
But it never came across

Square one, my slate is clear
Rest your head on me my dear
It took a world of trouble, it took a world of tears
It took a long time to get back here

Song #10

Getting back to the countdown of my recently created Top 15 Songs, we are finally cracking the top 10. Coming on the heels of Mr. Ray and his immortal ode to Georgia, we have David Grey and my favorite of his many contributions to Life As We Know It. Here we have 'This Year's Love'. i love the way this one rocks back and forth, and even though the lyrics are kind of standard love song fare, i think they're quality all the same and a great fit to the melody. i really dislike the video and find it a terrible distraction from the song, but i don't know how to embed just the song into a blog post, so i recommend starting the clip yet not watching the cheesy video.

Song #11

Getting back to the top 15 countdown of my all time besty-songzies, we are making a most logical jump from rock-n-roller prettyboys Kings of Leon to The Mister of all Misters, Mr. Ray Charles. i chose 'Georgia On My Mind', which you might think is kinda cliche' of me but to which i say 'stop with all the hate, we're already in a recession, you jackweed.' Try to deny the beauty of this song- the way his voice oooozes, the way it creates an intimate sense of place between you and somewhere you've probably never been, the everyone you know can identify it within the first few notes.... The fact that it's historical and popular doesn't make it less of a good choice for a personal list. It's still a very good song. The 11th best song ever, if you ask me. Since this song was performed by Ray so many times and has been covered and covered and covered (and never matched, in my opinion), it was hard to find my favorite version to post here. i am very resourceful though, and i used The Google. Please excuse the foreign subtitles. Sit back, turn up the volume, and drift away.

georgia on my mind stereo
Uploaded by ces

Song 12

Moving right along to song 12 out of my Top 15. 'Use Somebody' by Kings of Leon ultimately eliminated the Foo Fighters' 'Best of You' from contention based on the strength of its musicality. i could listen to Caleb Followill sing the phone book or the script to The Bachelor (yes, there's a script, don't be naive), i love his voice that much. This is one of Kings more mainstream/radio-y songs, but i still love it. If you like it you should also check out 'Sex On Fire' and my other favorite, 'Day Old Blues'. Just don't tell my parents that i put the word sex on my blog.

song 13

Yo Yo Ma takes his bow as we count down my Top 15 songs. (yay! unintentional pun! Bow. Bow. Okay whatever.) i love cello music, i don't know anyone who doesn't. All the beauty of classical music without the squealy flutes and violins and scary cymbals and sopranos. Cello music is red wine and feathers and orchids. Here is my favorite cellist, playing my favorite cello song, Bach's Cello Suite No. 1. The way it builds in the third minute is so great, i listen to this song on repeat all the time.
(i realize the video is a little random, but it beats the version i found of this song set to a slideshow of Salvador Dali's more...terrifying surrealist pieces. Be sure to stick around for the amazingly bizarre city councilman hologram at the end. It was too good to pass up.)

song 14

The 14th song on my top 15 list is Third Eye Blind's Motorcycle Drive By. This song made the list by virtue of its nostalgic connections. Find a carpet square, kiddies, cuz it's story time.
---
Once upon a time there was awkward Nazarene girl who had just graduated from high school. She joined a bunch of other awkward Nazarene kids on a trip to Toronto, Canada. In that group there was a goofy-looking Filipino wearing a PLNU sweatshirt. The girl, who was shy, asked, 'are you going there?' the boy grinned and said 'yes!' (he had crazy teeth). He asked if she was, too. She said, 'Yes. This fall?' 'Yes!' he said, and then pointed to another boy and said, 'he is too.' That boy was not Filipino, he was pale, pale white. The three awkward PLNU-bound kids became fast friends on their trip.
That Fall, they all met up at PLNU. Only the pale white boy had a car, and it was a beater with lots of bumper stickers for Christian bands. Sometimes the window didn't roll up and other times the clutch didn't work. The pale white boy drove his friends everywhere and he always played the same album. Even when the album was not playing, the crazy-toothed Filipino would sing the same song off that album. Very soon, that girl began to associate that song with that year and that car and those boys. Eventually there were other boys and girls who came and went from that car and they joined in the song too. Now the girl hears the song and thinks of 4 years and a dozen people. That is why to this day, she loves the song very much. The end.
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So here you have it: i couldn't find the official video...i'm not even sure there is one. You'll have to make do with this fan's slideshow.

torture

For some reason, we thought it would be fun to make a list of our Top 15 songs. We set a date to get together with some friends and all share our lists and swap mix cds of our picks. (Sidebar: i find it incredibly redundant to write/type/say "to get together," since the word 'together' begins with the words 'to get.' It's terribly annoying and English is bonkers, but whatever.) Anyway, the sharing of lists was supposed to be revelatory and fun. The making of the lists was supposed to be trying, yet indulgent. In truth, for most of us the making of the list was frustrating and painful and confusing and not at all indulgent (except that we're educated, priveliged white kids with ipods and enough leisure time to sit around making song lists...so maybe indulgent in that sense). It was, in a word, torturous. And self-inflicted, which is an added layer of bothersome. Oh, and they had to be in order of1st Ultimate Topmostest to 15th Topmostest. The sharing was revelatory and fun, so our efforts were rewarded, but sweet baby jesus in the manger, what efforts. i was near tears when the Foo Fighters had to be booted because i couldn't make room for 'Best of You'. It felt like i was telling a very dear friend that they weren't good enough and that i wasn't inviting them to my super awesome birthday slumber party. It was difficult, but i highly recommend having a Top 15 party with your best pals. Just know there will be work involved, but you'll come away a better sense of your friends and a bunch of rad new music. Or a bunch of Radiohead, depending on your friends.
i'll post my top 15 in bits and pieces and if you want Josh's you'll have to beg him for it. Or he can pay me $5/song to post them for him.
My number 15 was Nina Simone's "Feelin Good". This song is a complete package: great lyrics set to balls-out music and a delivered by a worthy singer. It totally captures the feeling of being on top of the world, and if you're feeling on the BOTTOM of the world, with, oh, say a runny nose, phlegm-y chest, sore throat and chapped lips AND a monster crick in your neck...it will still manage to make you feel like you can capture the castle.
This is a really cool music video i found for the song. If the video doesn't work you can go to its page HERE. Turn up your volume, sit back, and hear how Miss Nina does it.

Feeling Good, Nina Simone
by mrfnk