The D Man's 101 Favorite Songs of All-Time

Robbie hounded us to put together our Top 100 Songs of All Time in the wake of Rolling Stone's recent list.  I simply did not have the bandwidth for that detailed calculation.  But it was not too difficult to approximate my favorite 100 songs of all time (with one extra song for good measure because Robbie said all the songs had to be in English, and I refused to leave Sigur Ros off the list).

Mostly in real time over the arc of my life, arranged in chronological order, these are my 101 favorite songs, i.e., the songs that drew/draw nearest to me.  High, middle, and lowbrow--all inconsequential, all here.  Just one difficult limitation: one song per artist.  Otherwise, it would mostly be '80s yacht and soft rock, New Order and Blue Nile tracks, all of Blue Sky Mining and August and Everything After, and heavy does of Radiohead and Sufjan Stevens, etc.  Enjoy.

• “Like A Rolling Stone” by Bob Dylan
• Arguably the greatest rock song from arguably our most gifted writer.
• “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” by The Beach Boys
• While “God Only Knows” is a navel gazing pocket symphony for the ages, this Pet Sounds track sees the horizon.
• “The Only Living Boy in New York” by Simon & Garfunkel
• Alone in the city, Paul’s glorious love letter to Art while he is away filming in Mexico.
• “If You Could Read My Mind” by Gordon Lightfoot
• I wrote a poem called “Turning Into Gordon Lightfoot”; my dear departed mother-in-law loved him.  The apex song from early ‘70s singer-songwriters.
• “Famous Blue Raincoat” by Leonard Cohen
• Maybe the finest writer who ever tried his hand at music.
• “Walking on the Moon” by the Police
• Showcasing the space and texture from the trio’s regatta de blanc.
• “Once in a Lifetime” by Talking Heads
• Finally hearing this giddy masterpiece performed live was transfixing.
• “Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do)” by Christopher Cross
• This quintessential movie theme song once got stuck in my head for five months.
• “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran
• The video is one of my earliest MTV memories; colonialism with keyboards.
• “Don’t Change” by INXS
• It’s either this early anthem or “Never Tear Us Apart”; Hutchence always a bird of prey.
• “Maneater” by Hall & Oates
• This song scared and thrilled me as a little kid.  That intro quivers with mystery.
• “Let’s Dance” by David Bowie
• I love early ‘80s, Labyrinth Bowie, dance lord of all he surveys.
• “Age of Consent” by New Order
• One of the best tracks of all time from one of the most imitated bands.
• “True” by Spandau Ballet
• That breathy chorus will melt every pretense, you know this much is true.
• “Stuck on You” by Lionel Richie
• The height of Top 40 R&B.
• “West End Girls” by Pet Shop Boys
• Still as evocative and transportive as ever; a watershed moment in British pop music.
• “Drive” by The Cars
• Of all the late-night ‘80s car songs, this might be the best.  It was meant to be.
• “Dancing the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen
• When the Boss started pumping iron and twiddling synths, i.e., blue jean heaven.
• “Take on Me” by a-ha
• The definitive 80’s time capsule; the video still bangs, the high notes still ring.
• “The Captain of Her Heart” by Double
• Vacuous yacht rock that sways in the breeze; remember listening to it in the truck circa 1985, still pulses with nostalgia.
• “Power of Love” by Huey Lewis & The News
• Guitars, amps, skateboards, life vests, late for school, damn, I loved Marty and this band.
• “Graceland” by Paul Simon
• A masterclass in songwriting, rhythm, recording, and losing love.
• “Running Up that Hill (A Deal with God)” by Kate Bush
• When art school marries pop perfection.  Yoohoo.
• “There is A Light That Never Goes Out” by The Smiths
• There is no combination as strikingly peculiar as Morrissey and Johnny Marr.
• “Lady in Red” by Chris Deburgh
• A perfection of the form.  Junior Prom, future wife in red, cheek to cheek.
• “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears
• Eternal, overwhelming, everything.
• “Bonny” by Prefab Sprout
• This superb song—and the entire record—is the most underrated of the ‘80s.
• “In Your Eyes” by Peter Gabriel
• The greatest pop-rock song of all time.
• “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” by Starship
• My Mom did not know I was watching Mannequin on HBO.
• “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac
• This late-era gem is still mesmerizing; Buckingham’s tape-slowed guitar intro, McVie’s vocals, all of it.
• “Alex Chilton” by The Replacements
• It is still incredible that Paul Westerberg’s guitar-pop brilliance flew under the radar.
• “Where the Streets Have No Name” by U2
• There is a reason they have filled arenas across the world.  This is #1.
• “Just Like Heaven” by The Cure
• This colossal rush of new wave, goth, and romance paved the way for Disintegration, “the best album ever” according to Kyle from South Park.
• “Under the Milky Way” by The Church
• I know what I’m looking for: one of the the most sublime songs ever recorded, shimmering and white.
• “Elephant Stone” by The Stone Roses
• Seems like there’s a hole in my dreams.  Or so it seems.  A sparkling track from the UK originals.
• "Man in the Mirror" by Michael Jackson.
• Make a change.
• “The Promise” by When in Rome
• The summit of late-80’s synth-pop.  Escaping the chorus is futile.
• “Have I Told You Lately” by Van Morrison
• I always swoon for the Irish singer, and I'm always a sucker for late-career diamonds.
• “Downtown Lights” by The Blue Nile
• Scotland’s sophisti-pop stalwarts revel in romance and late-night noir.
• “All This Time” by Sting
• I have turned this favorite into a lullaby for my kids—hundreds of recitations.
• “Blue Sky Mine” by Midnight Oil
• Who’s gonna save me?  This entire album, really.
• “Caribbean Blue” by Enya
• The Celtic Queen has soundtracked some of the most poignant moments of my life.
• “Here’s Where the Story Ends” by The Sundays
• Leaves me tongue-tied; Harriet Wheeler’s voice is heaven sent.
• “Rush” by Big Audio Dynamite II
• If I had my time again!  I’d still listen to it before my junior high basketball games.
• “Nightswimming” by R.E.M.
• Eight albums in, America’s greatest band still created pop epiphanies.
• “Found Out About You” by Gin Blossoms
• There is a reason Ted Lasso loves ‘em.
• “Bizarre Love Triangle” by Frente
• Summer night, top down in Rob’s jeep, and the magic of this New Order cover.
•  “So What-Cha Want” by The Beastie Boys
• Well, I’m Dr. Spock, I’m here to rock, ya’ll!
• “Mr. Wendal” by Arrested Development
• Be strong, serve God only, know that if you do, beautiful Heaven awaits.
• “Hip Hop Hooray” by Naughty By Nature
• Gangsta rap’s party anthem soundtracked my 8th-grade VHS hoop highlights.
• “Runaway Train” by Soul Asylum
• Brandon Smith called me: “It’s on the radio!”  I ran and caught the last half.  Still know every word.
• “Two Princes” by Spin Doctors
• I know what a prince and lover ought to be!  They don’t make’em like this anymore.
• “My Name is Jonas” by Weezer
• The first shot of The Blue Album is spectacular; and I was the first kid in Spanish Fork to hear it.
• “Rain King” by Counting Crows
• There is a world where this was the best album of the ‘90s, i.e., my bedroom.
• “Selling the Drama” by Live
• I loved Live.  So did a lot of other people.  Now they forgot.
• “Windmills” by Toad the Wet Sprocket
• Tilting windmills, those imaginary foes, and wrecking my heart too.
• “No More I Love Yous” by Annie Lennox
• A not-in-love love song, strange and beautiful.
• “Thirty-Three” by Smashing Pumpkins
• Billy Corgan writes about Jesus during his band’s imperial age.
• “Off He Goes” by Pearl Jam
• Damn, this wistful downer off the weird No Code gets me every time.
• “Mo Money Mo Problems” by The Notorious B.I.G.
• Biggie and Puff together, times were simpler, tapping cells 'coz their flagrant.
• “Ce Matin-La” by Air
• The French duo’s space-lounge horns got me through an early month of the pandemic.
• “In Need of a Miracle” by New Radicals
• I still feel the throbbing angst waiting for Shelley to return home from her study abroad.  I think it’s time you tell me where we stand!
• “Olsen Olsen” by Sigur Ros
• They sing in Icelandic.  Take that, Robbie.
• “Race for the Prize” by The Flaming Lips
• All-time refrain: They’re just humans with wives and children!
• “Everything in its Right Place” by Radiohead
• The unsettling sound of the world falling into the 21st Century.  A millennial masterpiece.
• “One More Time” by Daft Punk
• The closing scene dance anthem to end all closing scene dance anthems.
• “Silver & Gold” by Neil Young
• From Uncle Neil’s finest “old man” album—another long-time lullaby for my kids.
• “Desire” by Ryan Adams
• He has written better songs.  But this one, man.
• “I Love NYE” by Badly Drawn Boy
• This gorgeous instrumental has accompanied our kids' home movies and my parents' 60th birthday montage.
• “Clarity” by John Mayer
• Crisp Ohio fall morning, sun shining, driving to law school, my life in front of me.
• “Golden” by My Morning Jacket
• One of the best open road songs of all time; pair with “Mahgeetah” for ultimate impact.
• “Window” by The Album Leaf
• Otherwordly, forlorn, beautiful; In a Safe Place was produced by Jonsi and recorded in Iceland.
• “Homesick” by Kings of Convenience
• Two soft voices blended in perfection.
• "Weightlifting" by Trashcan Sinatras
• The Scottish tunesmiths hit glorious highs again.
• “Streetlights” by Josh Rouse
• This alt-country song touches Big Star rafters.
• “Float On” by Modest Mouse
• Isaac Brock managed to make his zany nihilism huge and comforting.
• “Touch the Sky” by Kanye West
• Before Kanye’s recent holy messes, his impeccable productions soared.
• “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire
• The indie-rock totem of the ‘00s.
• “Abacus” by Fionn Regan
• This timeless folk track—later sampled by Bon Iver—is tucked at the back of the Irish troubadour’s best record.
• "In Front of the House" by Human Television
• Jangle pop that would make R.E.M. blush a bit.
• “Your Arms Around Me” by Jens Lekman
• We are rarely worthy of the Swede's splendid gifts, whimsical and life-affirming.
• “Lump Sum” by Bon Iver
• Considering his staggering oeuvre, it is hard to remember Justin Vernon marooned in a snow-banked cabin.
• “Daniel” by Bat for Lashes
• Black magic, Karate Kid, and arresting pop alchemy from Natasha Kahn.
•  “Heaven’s on Fire” by The Radio Dept.
• Apex indie-pop from the mid-tempo mavens of the North.
• “Chinatown” by Wild Nothing
• I never stray far from Jack Tatum’s dreamy, new wave collages. 
• “Bloodbuzz Ohio” by The National
• I still owe money to the money I owe; a debt that flying back home may never pay off.
• “On Melancholy Hill” by Gorillaz
• The singular Damon Albarn, sans his usual assortment of friends, hits his zenith.
• “Midnight City” by M83
• Indomitable pyrotechnics from one of France’s all-time greatest exports.
• “Dear Friends” by Elbow
• I could listen to Guy Garvey sing about mowing his lawn.
• “Suicide Demo for Kara Walker” by Destroyer
• This sprawling track is incomparable; so is Dan Bejar’s inscrutable genius.
• “The House That Heaven Built” by Japandroids
• In the Bayou, all the Reid men together, blasting this epic track down the highway.
• “Step” by Vampire Weekend
• I feel it in my bones.  The best track from one of the last decade's best records.
• “Red Eyes” by The War on Drugs
• The moment Adam Granduciel lifted off by distilling Dylan, Springsteen, and ‘80’s heartland rock through the prism of his Jazzmaster Fender.
• “Death with Dignity” by Sufjan Stevens
• The greatest folk song of all time.  It left Shelley and me in tears on our first listen together.
• “Wildflower” by Beach House
• All dazzling romance, Legrand’s vocals and Scally’s guitar licks find another perfect pocket.
• “The Less I Know the Better” by Tame Impala
• This groove is undefeated.  There are no signs of stopping it.
•  “Run Away with Me” by Carlie Rae Jepsen
• The Canadian sneakily became our best pop siren.
• “I’ve Been Lost for So Long” by American Football
• Midwest emo’s champions deliver another heart wrenching internal dialogue.
• “Begin” by Shallou
• This brainworm and its friends accompanied me on hundreds of bike rides.
•  “Bright Horses” by Nick Cave
• A staggering aesthetic triumph in the wake of unspeakable loss.
• “Sunblind” by Fleet Foxes
• An instant classic.  Robin Pecknold is a singer-songwriter for the ages.