25 Songs You Should Listen To
I don't profess to have any great ear for music. My attempts to bang a tune out of a piano range from mildly-ineffective to outrageously offensive. Despite that, I know what I like and my tastes have a wide range. So here are 25 of my favourite songs that may not be top of your hit parade, but which should be. Chiefly because, all of them are brilliant for one reason or another.
1. Words - The Doves
- My sister got me into this album a while back and while the other songs didn't catch my ear, this one did. It has also been used as the music on Match of the Day I think a few years back. A superb song, great melody and simple tune that is catchy from the moment you hear it. Think Coldplay's 'Clocks', only better.
2. Life in a Northern Town - Dream Academy
- A truly haunting and lyrical song which is stunningly evocative for a variety of reasons. It may hanker to a bygone era, with the gentle bassoon giving it a kind of "Emmerdale Farm" when Annie Sugden was in the kitchen feel, but the harmony in the refrain is instantly memorable. A song that you will hear on the radio and instantly you will remember how much you loved it. The refrain was used in Dario G's Sunchyme recently.
3. Best Love - The Course
- There's a real mix of songs in here. This dance song probably isn't one of the most famous you'll have heard but it is absolutely stunning. It makes things like Black Box's Ride on Time seem like the warblings of a mad man.
4. Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack
- A truly epic song. Their Magnum Opus and one of the finest compositions of the 1990's without a shadow of a doubt. Haunting, lyrical, sinister, sad and yet hopeful.
5. Chorus - Erasure
- I got into this over the past year and only then appreciated what an absolute classic this song is. Forget the cheesy video, musically this song is outstanding. The best Erasure song by a country mile and one which you need to listen to again. No honestly, you do.
6. Mad World - Gary Jules
- A remake of the Tears for Fears hit, was a surprise Xmas number 1 in 2003 on the back of its use in the film Donnie Darko. The power of Roland Orlazabal's writing is heightened in this simplified version of the original song. A haunting, simple song but sometimes, that is all that is needed.
7. Are Friends Electric - Gary Numan
- Before the Sugababes butchered this for "Freak Like Me", Gary Numan had a hit in the 1980's with this. Another timeless classic that could easily have hit the charts now, rather than the 80's. Numan was very underrated as a writer, Cars is another of his that could easily have made this list. His edgy, reedy voice compliments perfectly the heavy bassline and the composition is perfect.
8. Passion - Gat Decor
- Another dance song. I am choosing the version with no lyrics because it is the music that I love about this song. I didn't need some vapid bint warbling over it to heighten how it makes you feel and think. I particularly like the piano playing in this.
9. Your Kind of Love - Freddie Mercury
In the mid-80's Freddie recorded his own album, Mr Bad Guy, which was not a huge success, but had some good songs on. In my view, this is the best of the lot. A bouncy, happy song with outstanding piano playing that can't help but make you feel a lot better about yourself.
10. Welcome to the Pleasuredome - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- Nietzsche and Coleridge wrapped up in a pop song, by a group of scousers known only for controversy? Sounds an unlikely combination doesn't it? Truth is, of all Frankie's hits, this is by far and away, and I mean a million miles, better than any of the others. Forget Relax, Two Tribes and that god awful Power of Love. This is stunning. This song is so underrated, it is criminal.
11. White Lines - Grandmaster Flash
- A rapper! My God! I've gone mad. Not really. I dislike most rap music because it is shit. This, however, is utterly brilliant in every way. The message is simple, the lyrics brilliant, musically outstanding. It was a song that I wasn't that keen on as a child, but as I got older I realised how clever it was, even if I still sing "Something like a banana-on" instead of "Something like a phenomenon"
12. Can You Feel It? - The Jackson 5
- If you want clear proof what the difference is between being a good singer and a genius, then listen to this song. It starts with one of the elder Jackson brothers singing the first chorus and it is a pleasant catchy song, with a great refrain. Then we come to the second verse and Michael starts singing and you realise why his brothers spent the rest of their lives not bothering singing. It's like comparing a Rolf Harris daubing with the roof of the Sistine Chapel.
13. Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On - Jerry Lee Lewis
- John Lennon called this the 'perfect rock 'n roll song' and he's right. I know Elvis, Bill Haley and lots of others can claim it, but Jerry Lee got their first with this version. Three chords (C, F and G - as it should be), a brilliant Piano interlude, simple vocals anyone can sing. It doesn't matter if the lyrics are mad, or if he stamps on his piano with his heel. It's the best. Full stop. End of. Period. Slash.Dot.Dash. Quit. Exclamation. Finito.
14. Last Train to Transcentral - The KLF
- I liked the KLF for two reasons, first they always produced superb dance music that was catchy, resonant and you could have a good dance to and secondly and most of all, because they were completely and utterly loopy. Although they probably went nuttiest when teaming up with Tammy Wynette, this is still mildly mental and a fantastic catchy dance tune.
15. Crazy - Seal
- Atmospheric. The best word I can use to describe this song. Seal's voice really comes into its own here and while I was never a big fan of his, this song is utterly brilliant.
16. Never Go West - Seasick Steve.
- My God, how we have needed this fella. After years of Simon Cowell induced shite, Coldplay misery and Oasis pouting, we needed a return to basics. Blues. Seasick Steve take a boo son. If this doesn't appeal to you against the vapid backdrop of most modern shite, then you are dead from the neck up. Best of all he plays it on instruments that everyone else throws away, so he's green too!
17. Dr Who Theme - No idea!
- The song that soiled a thousand pants. It has to be the 1980's version too, not the new one. I love everything about this song, the wandering baseline, the emotive refrain and the fact that the original bit is still guaranteed to bring me out in a cold sweat. Forget the "Exorcist" music, if you want to reduce a child to whimpering fear stained tears, this is the song to go for.
18. Out of the Blue - System F
- I've always loved Trance music and this, along with a later entry is the best example of if that there is. Trance is meant to take you on a journey and this song does that best of all. It has brilliant pace, a superb melody and progression and builds to a fantastic climax. Perfection.
19. The Professionals TV Theme - No Idea.
- As soon as you hear the first bars of this, you want to jump through a window. It is the best start to a TV show ever, the best music. If you do not pull out a pretend gun, leap on the floor and try to down a bad guy when this song comes on, then there is something wrong with you.
20. Tears in Rain - Vangelis
- Taken from the Blade Runner Soundtrack - which is still the best Soundtrack for a film ever made. This final song comes overlaid with Rutger Hauer's moving speech in the finale and accompanies it perfectly. Don't just listen to this though, listen to the whole album and before long you'll feel you are in Los Angeles with Deckard.
21. Adagio for Strings - Ferry Corsten Remix
- A trance remix of Barber's classic "Adagio for Strings" could have been heresy. It could have been a disaster. It could have ended in tears and misery. Instead, it was a triumph. Along with System F's Out of the Blue, the best Trance song there has been, or will be. And both done by Ferry Corsten. Clever little Dutchman.
22. Pot Black Theme - Winifred Atwell.
- Dear old Winnie could tinkle the ivories and I just love her playing on this and the fact that despite it being inordinately complex - well to my eyes it is - she spends most of the song smiling at her audience and winking.
23. (Forever) Live and Die - OMD
- Just listen to it. It's great and it allows me to sing "I never wanted an oven" for the first line.
24. Ghostdancing (Instrumental) - Simple Minds
- I don't have anything against Jim Kerr, but I just love the instrumental version of this song. The song itself is one of Simple Minds best, and is the feature of their live set. It's musical perfection and is a song U2 would give Bono's daft hat to have written anything nearly a tenth as good.
25. A Day in the Life - The Beatles
- The best song ever. Don't argue, it just is. That's the rule. I could wax on about this song all day so good is it, but suffice to say it is the best song ever written.
So dig em out and enjoy, or explain why I am deluded.
1. Words - The Doves
- My sister got me into this album a while back and while the other songs didn't catch my ear, this one did. It has also been used as the music on Match of the Day I think a few years back. A superb song, great melody and simple tune that is catchy from the moment you hear it. Think Coldplay's 'Clocks', only better.
2. Life in a Northern Town - Dream Academy
- A truly haunting and lyrical song which is stunningly evocative for a variety of reasons. It may hanker to a bygone era, with the gentle bassoon giving it a kind of "Emmerdale Farm" when Annie Sugden was in the kitchen feel, but the harmony in the refrain is instantly memorable. A song that you will hear on the radio and instantly you will remember how much you loved it. The refrain was used in Dario G's Sunchyme recently.
3. Best Love - The Course
- There's a real mix of songs in here. This dance song probably isn't one of the most famous you'll have heard but it is absolutely stunning. It makes things like Black Box's Ride on Time seem like the warblings of a mad man.
4. Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack
- A truly epic song. Their Magnum Opus and one of the finest compositions of the 1990's without a shadow of a doubt. Haunting, lyrical, sinister, sad and yet hopeful.
5. Chorus - Erasure
- I got into this over the past year and only then appreciated what an absolute classic this song is. Forget the cheesy video, musically this song is outstanding. The best Erasure song by a country mile and one which you need to listen to again. No honestly, you do.
6. Mad World - Gary Jules
- A remake of the Tears for Fears hit, was a surprise Xmas number 1 in 2003 on the back of its use in the film Donnie Darko. The power of Roland Orlazabal's writing is heightened in this simplified version of the original song. A haunting, simple song but sometimes, that is all that is needed.
7. Are Friends Electric - Gary Numan
- Before the Sugababes butchered this for "Freak Like Me", Gary Numan had a hit in the 1980's with this. Another timeless classic that could easily have hit the charts now, rather than the 80's. Numan was very underrated as a writer, Cars is another of his that could easily have made this list. His edgy, reedy voice compliments perfectly the heavy bassline and the composition is perfect.
8. Passion - Gat Decor
- Another dance song. I am choosing the version with no lyrics because it is the music that I love about this song. I didn't need some vapid bint warbling over it to heighten how it makes you feel and think. I particularly like the piano playing in this.
9. Your Kind of Love - Freddie Mercury
In the mid-80's Freddie recorded his own album, Mr Bad Guy, which was not a huge success, but had some good songs on. In my view, this is the best of the lot. A bouncy, happy song with outstanding piano playing that can't help but make you feel a lot better about yourself.
10. Welcome to the Pleasuredome - Frankie Goes to Hollywood
- Nietzsche and Coleridge wrapped up in a pop song, by a group of scousers known only for controversy? Sounds an unlikely combination doesn't it? Truth is, of all Frankie's hits, this is by far and away, and I mean a million miles, better than any of the others. Forget Relax, Two Tribes and that god awful Power of Love. This is stunning. This song is so underrated, it is criminal.
11. White Lines - Grandmaster Flash
- A rapper! My God! I've gone mad. Not really. I dislike most rap music because it is shit. This, however, is utterly brilliant in every way. The message is simple, the lyrics brilliant, musically outstanding. It was a song that I wasn't that keen on as a child, but as I got older I realised how clever it was, even if I still sing "Something like a banana-on" instead of "Something like a phenomenon"
12. Can You Feel It? - The Jackson 5
- If you want clear proof what the difference is between being a good singer and a genius, then listen to this song. It starts with one of the elder Jackson brothers singing the first chorus and it is a pleasant catchy song, with a great refrain. Then we come to the second verse and Michael starts singing and you realise why his brothers spent the rest of their lives not bothering singing. It's like comparing a Rolf Harris daubing with the roof of the Sistine Chapel.
13. Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On - Jerry Lee Lewis
- John Lennon called this the 'perfect rock 'n roll song' and he's right. I know Elvis, Bill Haley and lots of others can claim it, but Jerry Lee got their first with this version. Three chords (C, F and G - as it should be), a brilliant Piano interlude, simple vocals anyone can sing. It doesn't matter if the lyrics are mad, or if he stamps on his piano with his heel. It's the best. Full stop. End of. Period. Slash.Dot.Dash. Quit. Exclamation. Finito.
14. Last Train to Transcentral - The KLF
- I liked the KLF for two reasons, first they always produced superb dance music that was catchy, resonant and you could have a good dance to and secondly and most of all, because they were completely and utterly loopy. Although they probably went nuttiest when teaming up with Tammy Wynette, this is still mildly mental and a fantastic catchy dance tune.
15. Crazy - Seal
- Atmospheric. The best word I can use to describe this song. Seal's voice really comes into its own here and while I was never a big fan of his, this song is utterly brilliant.
16. Never Go West - Seasick Steve.
- My God, how we have needed this fella. After years of Simon Cowell induced shite, Coldplay misery and Oasis pouting, we needed a return to basics. Blues. Seasick Steve take a boo son. If this doesn't appeal to you against the vapid backdrop of most modern shite, then you are dead from the neck up. Best of all he plays it on instruments that everyone else throws away, so he's green too!
17. Dr Who Theme - No idea!
- The song that soiled a thousand pants. It has to be the 1980's version too, not the new one. I love everything about this song, the wandering baseline, the emotive refrain and the fact that the original bit is still guaranteed to bring me out in a cold sweat. Forget the "Exorcist" music, if you want to reduce a child to whimpering fear stained tears, this is the song to go for.
18. Out of the Blue - System F
- I've always loved Trance music and this, along with a later entry is the best example of if that there is. Trance is meant to take you on a journey and this song does that best of all. It has brilliant pace, a superb melody and progression and builds to a fantastic climax. Perfection.
19. The Professionals TV Theme - No Idea.
- As soon as you hear the first bars of this, you want to jump through a window. It is the best start to a TV show ever, the best music. If you do not pull out a pretend gun, leap on the floor and try to down a bad guy when this song comes on, then there is something wrong with you.
20. Tears in Rain - Vangelis
- Taken from the Blade Runner Soundtrack - which is still the best Soundtrack for a film ever made. This final song comes overlaid with Rutger Hauer's moving speech in the finale and accompanies it perfectly. Don't just listen to this though, listen to the whole album and before long you'll feel you are in Los Angeles with Deckard.
21. Adagio for Strings - Ferry Corsten Remix
- A trance remix of Barber's classic "Adagio for Strings" could have been heresy. It could have been a disaster. It could have ended in tears and misery. Instead, it was a triumph. Along with System F's Out of the Blue, the best Trance song there has been, or will be. And both done by Ferry Corsten. Clever little Dutchman.
22. Pot Black Theme - Winifred Atwell.
- Dear old Winnie could tinkle the ivories and I just love her playing on this and the fact that despite it being inordinately complex - well to my eyes it is - she spends most of the song smiling at her audience and winking.
23. (Forever) Live and Die - OMD
- Just listen to it. It's great and it allows me to sing "I never wanted an oven" for the first line.
24. Ghostdancing (Instrumental) - Simple Minds
- I don't have anything against Jim Kerr, but I just love the instrumental version of this song. The song itself is one of Simple Minds best, and is the feature of their live set. It's musical perfection and is a song U2 would give Bono's daft hat to have written anything nearly a tenth as good.
25. A Day in the Life - The Beatles
- The best song ever. Don't argue, it just is. That's the rule. I could wax on about this song all day so good is it, but suffice to say it is the best song ever written.
So dig em out and enjoy, or explain why I am deluded.
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