3DD Favorite Songs of All Time

[Tequila Cowboy]

Ok folks, no one likes to list things more than we do here so I would like to start a series of real lists similar to what Cortez did with all time albums a few years back on 9B. I'd like the first one to be favorite songs of all time. So here's the drill, make a list of your top 50 favorite songs of all time (please include the artist) and post it here. Please keep these to lists of 50, no more, no less. I will compile them and come up with a comprehensive top 25. I'm going to set the deadline for 1/31/2011 with the results in early February. If all goes well I'd like to do these every couple of months.

Now get to listing...

[shuffle]

great idea!


although I'm useless with songs lists...never remember the names of songs unless the title is the chorus that's what I get for almost only listening to full albums.

[Iowan]

This is the order I think them up, not necessarily the order in my mind:

1) "Wild Horses" The Rollings Stones
2) "Free Fallin'" Tom Petty
3) "Marry Me" Drive-By Truckers
4) "Goddamn Lonely Love" Drive-By Truckers
5) "Over the Hills and Far Away" Led Zeppelin
6) "You Can't Always Get What You Want" Rolling Stones
7) "Alive" Pearl Jam
8) "Thunder Road" Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
9) "Ooh La La" The Faces
10) "Cortez the Killer" Neil Young

11) "Soulshine" Gov't Mule
12) "Free Bird" Lynyrd Skynyrd
13) "Twice As Hard" The Black Crowes
14) "Sweet Jane" Velvet Underground
15) "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'" Velvet Underground
16) "Warehouse" Dave Matthews Band
17) "Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)" Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
18) "Sullivan Street" Counting Crows
19) "Zip City" Drive By Truckers
20) "The Weight" The Band

21) "Wagon Wheel" Old Crow Medicine Show
22) "Down By The River" Neil Young
23) "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
24) "Sequestered in Memphis" The Hold Steady
25) "Stuck Between Stations" The Hold Steady
26) "Every Picture Tells a Story" Rod Stewart
27) "Waitress in the Sky" The Replacements
28) "Can't Hardly Wait" The Replacements
29) "Better Man" Pearl Jam
30) "I Could Have Lied" Red Hot Chili Peppers

31) "Venice Queen" Red Hot Chili Peppers
32) "No Woman No Cry" Bob Marley and the Wailers
33) "Daughter" Pearl Jam
34) "Immortality" Pearl Jam
35) "Bullet in the Head" Rage Against the Machine
36) "Take the Power Back" Rage Against the Machine
37) "Farmhouse" Phish
38) "Friend of the Devil" The Grateful Dead
39) "Make it Wit Chu" Queens of the Stone Age
40) "Birthday Boy" Drive By Truckers

41) "Rebels" Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
42) "Big Me" Foo Fighters
43) "New Way Home" Foo Fighters
44) "Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart" Whiskeytown
45) "Firecracker" Ryan Adams
46) "Bar Lights" Whiskeytown
47) "Box Full of Letters" Wilco
48) "The Real Me" The Who
49) "Night Train" Guns N Roses
50) "Tumbling Dice" The Rolling Stones

[Tequila Cowboy]

Order isn't important. Unless folks think I should I'm not planning on weighting the results.

[shuffle]

oh, no weighting? then it's a lot easier at least.

[beantownbubba]

Order isn't important. Unless folks think I should I'm not planning on weighting the results.

Oooooh. That'll save a few hours for sure. For each of us. Plus untold hours for you. As it is, I'm guessing you're gonna have hundreds of separate entries.

[Tequila Cowboy]

Order isn't important. Unless folks think I should I'm not planning on weighting the results.

Oooooh. That'll save a few hours for sure. For each of us. Plus untold hours for you. As it is, I'm guessing you're gonna have hundreds of separate entries.

Easier, plus I think with "any given day" nature of most of our tastes, the rankings would be arbitrary and semi temporary anyway.

[beantownbubba]

Order isn't important. Unless folks think I should I'm not planning on weighting the results.

Oooooh. That'll save a few hours for sure. For each of us. Plus untold hours for you. As it is, I'm guessing you're gonna have hundreds of separate entries.

Easier, plus I think with "any given day" nature of most of our tastes, the rankings would be arbitrary and semi temporary anyway.

That's for sure. I'm down to 52 from a starting list i arbitrarily cut off in the low 60s (and which i easily could have doubled). Which 2 ultimately don't make the cut will be totally arbitrary, not just compared to "#50" but really as compared to pretty much all but maybe 10 or 15.

[Iowan]

To be honest, I just opened the thread and started banging them out, with out much (if any) thought or deliberation. This list could look pretty different on any given day, and I wanted to capture my state of mind at the moment as accurately as possible.

[beantownbubba]

Here's my list. I basically did the same thing, Iowan, but when i came up for air i had 60 something tunes, so had to do some editing. But on the whole, this is pretty much of a "rorshach" of first thoughts. Among other things it would be semi interesting to see whether i picked the same songs i selected for my "top 5" for those groups that are listed below and have a top 5 list here. I suspect there's less overlap than there "should" be, lol. Anyway:

Like a Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan
Outfit – The Drive By Truckers
Waterloo Sunset – The Kinks
You Really Got Me – The Kinks
Stand By Me – Ben E. King
The Dutchman – Steve Goodman
(Used to be a) Brooklyn Dodger – Dion
My Generation – The Who
Behind Blue Eyes – The Who

Sympathy for the Devil – The Rolling Stones
Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones
Gimme Some Lovin – The Spencer Davis Group
Respect – Aretha Franklin
I Wanna Be Sedated – The Ramones
Acadian Driftwood – The Band
Up on Cripple Creek – The Band
What’s Goin’ On – Marvin Gaye
Frenchette – David Johansen
Who’ll Stop the Rain – CCR

Fortunate Son – CCR
Hey Pocky Way – The Wild Tchoupitoulas
If You See Her Say Hello – Bob Dylan
Tangled Up in Blue – Bob Dylan
Born to Run – Bruce Springsteen
Backstreets – Bruce Springsteen
Thunder Road – Bruce Springsteen
Rosalita – Bruce Springsteen
The Righteous Path – DBT
Zip City – DBT

Brown Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
Moondance – Van Morrison
Side 2 Abbey Road Medley – The Beatles
Waiting on a Friend – The Rolling Stones
First Born – Kate & Anna McGarrigle
The Ballad of Curtis Loew – Lynyrd Skynyrd
My Girl – The Temptations
Groovin’ – The Young Rascals
She’s Gone – Hall & Oates
Hello It’s Me – Todd Rundgren

Girlfriend – Matthew Sweet
Let’s Stay Together – Al Green
Whipping Post – The Allman Brothers Band
If I Fell – The Beatles
While My Guitar Gently Weeps – The Beatles
I’m An Adult Now – The Pursuit of Happiness
September Gurls – Big Star
The Ballad of El Goodo – Big Star
One – U2
Sunday Bloody Sunday – U2
Rockville - REM

[StevieRay]

according to play count in itunes - the alternate "fine print" version of "Goode's Field Road" is my favorite song of all time... followed by "Things You Didn't Know" by The Bottle Rockets, and "Barrel Chested" by Slobberbone.

...this is going to take some work.

[StevieRay]

ok... here goes... (catch me next week for a completely different list):

50. Ray Davies / The Kinks - 20th Century Man
49. J. Mascis / Dinosaur Jr. - Start Choppin'
48. Miles Davis - So What
47. Jason Molina / Songs Ohia (Magnolia Electric Co.)- Farewell Transmission
46. R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe
45. Jim James / My Morning Jacket - Golden
44. Ronnie Wood - Mystifies Me
43. David Bowie - Suffragette City
42. Blind Faith - Can't Find My Way Home
41. Stevie Ray Vaughn - Texas Flood
40. Lynyrd Skynyrd - The Ballad of Curtis Loew

39. John Fogerty / Creedence Clearwater Revival - Effigy
38. James McMurtry - Choctaw Bingo
37. Gregg Allman / Allman Brothers Band - Ain't Waistin' Time No More
36. Jerry Garcia - Mission In The Rain
35. Brent Best / Slobberbone - That Is All
34. Rod Stewart - Maggie May
33. Herbie Hancock - Chameleon
32. Lowell George / Little Feat - Willin'
31. Richard Thompson - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning
30. The Faces - Debris

29. Tom Petty - Listen To Her Heart
28. Jeff Tweedy / Wilco - Kamera
27. Cary Hudson / Blue Mountain - Soul Sister
26. Brian Henneman / The Bottle Rockets - Wellfare Music
25. J.J. Cale - Call Me The Breeze
24. Lucinda Williams - Side Of The Road
23. Will Johnson / Centro-matic - Patience For The Ride
22. Jay Farrar / Son Volt - Drown
21. Jimmy Hendrix - Castles Made Of Sand
20. Alejandro Escovedo - Guilty

19. DBT (Hood) - The Living Bubba
18. DBT (Cooley) - When The Pin Hits The Shell
17. Paul Westerberg / The Replacements - Can't Hardly Wait
16. Eric Clapton / Derek & The Dominos - Layla
15. George Harrison - My Sweet Lord
14. Lou Reed / Velvet Underground - Sweet Jane
13. Alex Chilton / Big Star - The Ballad of El Goodo
12. Mark Knopfler / Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing
11. Bruce Springsteen - Atlantic City

10. Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
9. Gram Parsons - Streets Of Baltimore
8. Led Zeppelin - Hey Hey What Can I Do
7. Townes Van Zandt - Pancho & Lefty
6. John Prine - Angel From Montgomery
5. John Lennon / Paul McCartney - A Day In The Life
4. Neil Young - Cortez The Killer
3. Kieth Richards / Mick Jagger - Gimme Shelter
2. Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone
1. Robbie Robertson / The Band - The Weight

[Slipkid42]

Here's 50 (of the 500 songs in my Top 50)

Paint It Black - Rolling Stones
Layla - Derek & the Dominoes
Our Lady of the Well - Jackson Browne
Powderfinger - Neil Young
Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen
King of the Road - Roger Miller
Willin' - Little Feat
Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who
The Weight - The Band
Happiness is a Warm Gun - The Beatles

Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin
Flaming Telepaths - Blue Oyster Cult
Whiter Shade of Pale - Procal Harum
All Along the Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix
Day of the Eagle - Robin Trower
Zip City - Drive-by Truckers
When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge
Blue Sky - Allman Brothers
Wild Horses - Rolling Stones
Sittin' On (the Dock of the Bay) - Otis Redding

Better Off Without a Wife - Tom Waits
Sleepwalk - Santo & Johnny
Jambalaya - Hank Williams
Souvenirs - John Prine
2112 - Rush
Starship Trooper - Yes
Winterlong - Neil Young
Fortunate Son - CCR
When the Angels Sing - Social Distortion
Jumpin' Someone Else's Train - The Cure

Going to California - Led Zeppelin
Farther On - Jackson Browne
Rosalita - Bruce Springsteen
That Smell - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Across the Universe - The Beatles
Duke of Earl - Gene Chandler
Strange Kind of Woman - Deep Purple
Love Like This - Drive-by Truckers
Is This Love? - Bob Marley
The Kids Are Alright - The Who

Rock Bottom - UFO
Green Grass & High Tides - The Outlaws
My Special Angel - Bobby Helms
Wonderful World - Sam Cooke
I'd Love to Change the World - 10 Years After
Come As You Are - Nirvana
Come Out & Play - The Offspring
In Memory of Elizabeth Reed - Allman Brothers
Stage Fright - The Band
Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner - Warren Zevon

[never going back]

Lynyrd Skynyrd- Tuesdays Gone
Pure Prairie League- Amie
Rolling Stones- Torn and Frayed
Steve Earle- Copperhead Road
Cat Stevens- Trouble
Widespread Panic- Pleas
Whiskeytown- 16 Days
Thad Cockrell- He Set Me Free
DBT- Zip City
Rolling Stones- Dead Flowers

Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton- Islands in the Stream
Blind Melon- Change
Bloodkin- End Of The Show
Steely Dan- Dirty Work
The Band- The Weight
Bob Seger- Night Moves
Elton John- Tiny Dancer
Bruce Springsteen- Glory Days
Lefty Frizzell- Long Black Veil
Social Distortion- When The Angels Sing

John Prine- Sam Stone
Gordon Lightfoot- Sundown
Lionel Richie- Easy Like Sunday Morning
Grateful Dead- Easy To Love You
Shawn Mullins- Beautiful Wreck
Amos Lee- Whats Been Going On
Ray Lamontagne- Jolene
The Black Crowes- She Talks To Angels
Eric Clapton- In the Presence of The Lord
Creedence Clearwater Revival- Someday Never Comes

Kim Carnes- Bette Davis Eyes
Patterson Hood- World Of Hurt
REO Speedwagon- Time For Me To Fly
Son Volt- Windfall
Van Morrison- Caravan
Allman Bros- Soulshine
Tom Petty- The Waiting
The Jayhawks- Trouble
Little Feat- Willin'
Lynyrd Skynyrd- All I Can Do Is Write About It

Uncle Tupelo- Still Be Around
Little River Band- Cool Change
Cowboy Junkies- Anniversary Song
Johnny Cash- Bird On A Wire
DBT- Tales Facing Up
Widespread Panic- Aunt Avis
REM- Wendell Gee
Jerry Garcia Band- Sisters and Brothers
Kenny Rogers- The Gambler
Ryan Adams- New York, New York

[John A Arkansawyer]

I'm going to assume that songs I whistle, sing, hum, or quote a whole lot are favorites and start from there. Warning! I wrote this fast and determinedly did not edit any song out:

Crucify, Tori Amos
Burnin' Hell, John Lee Hooker
In Excelsis Deo/Gloria, Patti Smith/Van Morrison
Blue, The Jayhawks
That's Why Our Kids Go To School, Eugene Chadbourne
Neighborhood, Punkinhead
Small Change, Tom Waits
Decoration Day, Jason Isbell
The Internationale
America the Beautiful

This Land Is Your Land, Woody Guthrie
My Ride's Here, Warren Zevon
Shame, Randy Newman
Eric's Trip, Sonic Youth
Turn On The News, Husker Du
The Man I Shot, Patterson Hood
Answering Machine, The Replacements
Sway, The Rolling Stones
Preservation, The Kinks
I Can See For Miles, The Who

Dreamland, Joni Mitchell
Burnin', The Wailers
Redemption Song, Bob Marley
Boom Boom Mancini, Warren Zevon
Isis, Bob Dylan
Buckets of Rain, Bob Dylan
African Reggae, Nina Hagen
Can You Whoop It, The Dexateens
The Letter, PJ Harvey
A Perfect Day Elise, PJ Harvey

Mesmerizing, Liz Phair
I Found Out, John Lennon
Found A Job, Talking Heads
Come In My Kitchen, Robert Johnson
Admiral Halsey/Uncle Albert, Paul McCartney
Come and Get It, Paul McCartney
The Dealer, Leonard Cohen
Loser, Jerry Garcia
Good Guys and Bad Guys, Camper Van Beethoven
White Room, Cream

Angel From Montgomery, John Prine
Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?, Bruce Springsteen
A Ghost to Most, Mike Cooley
My Goodness, X
Caravan, Van Morrison
Genius, Warren Zevon
Tomorrow Never Knows, John Lennon
Lucky Man, Emerson Lake and Palmer
I Think It's Going To Rain Today, Randy Newman
Hey Baby (Rays of the New Rising Sun), Jimi Hendrix

[Tequila Cowboy]

So few repeats, this is going to be a lot of work. Those results might be delayed a bit. Will be cool though.

[Iowan]

I don't think there's been a single song to make every list. I've seen a few on most lists, namely "Thunder Road" and "The Weight".

[Clams]

I don't think there's been a single song to make every list. I've seen a few on most lists, namely "Thunder Road" and "The Weight".

Seriously. Just thinking about the task of narrowing my entire library down to 50 songs is giving me a stomach ache.

[Iowan]

I don't think there's been a single song to make every list. I've seen a few on most lists, namely "Thunder Road" and "The Weight".

Seriously. Just thinking about the task of narrowing my entire library down to 50 songs is giving me a stomach ache.

Agreed. That's why I didn't think about it. The more you deliberate, the harder it will be. Just reading through these lists I see songs and I'm like "how the fuck did I leave that off?!?"

[beantownbubba]

I don't think there's been a single song to make every list. I've seen a few on most lists, namely "Thunder Road" and "The Weight".

Seriously. Just thinking about the task of narrowing my entire library down to 50 songs is giving me a stomach ache.

Agreed. That's why I didn't think about it. The more you deliberate, the harder it will be. Just reading through these lists I see songs and I'm like "how the fuck did I leave that off?!?"

Like the shoe said, "just do it." There is no other way. Besides, my library is bigger than your library.

[Iowan]

Seriously. Just thinking about the task of narrowing my entire library down to 50 songs is giving me a stomach ache.

Agreed. That's why I didn't think about it. The more you deliberate, the harder it will be. Just reading through these lists I see songs and I'm like "how the fuck did I leave that off?!?"

Like the shoe said, "just do it." There is no other way. Besides, my library is bigger than your library.

I'd hope so. You've had twice as much time to be exposed to music as I have.

[beantownbubba]

If you look carefully, grasshopper, you'll see that i wasn't even talking to you. But i understand, you're young and impetuous and you just had to get that in. But inquiring minds want to know: Did u get your g/f off yet? From work i mean. IOW, are u coming? To Athens I mean.

Of all the songs I left out of my list these are bugging me the most today:

All Right Now - Free
Something, anything by Neil Young
The Boys are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy

After that, i'm just on my way to another 50.

[John A Arkansawyer]

So few repeats, this is going to be a lot of work. Those results might be delayed a bit. Will be cool though.

I could write you another fifty, if that'll help. Just let me know.

[beantownbubba]

If you look carefully, grasshopper, you'll see that i wasn't even talking to you. But i understand, you're young and impetuous and you just had to get that in. But inquiring minds want to know: Did u get your g/f off yet? From work i mean. IOW, are u coming? To Athens I mean.

Of all the songs I left out of my list these are bugging me the most today:

All Right Now - Free
Something, anything by Neil Young
The Boys are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy

After that, i'm just on my way to another 50.

And Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum !!

Quick! Close the voting before i drive myself crazy!

[Smitty]

fuckin impossible

[Clams]

If you look carefully, grasshopper, you'll see that i wasn't even talking to you. But i understand, you're young and impetuous and you just had to get that in. But inquiring minds want to know: Did u get your g/f off yet? From work i mean. IOW, are u coming? To Athens I mean.

Of all the songs I left out of my list these are bugging me the most today:

All Right Now - Free
Something, anything by Neil Young
The Boys are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy

After that, i'm just on my way to another 50.

And Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum !!

Quick! Close the voting before i drive myself crazy!

Seriously? Spirit in the Sky and Alright Now are two of the best 50 songs ever??? That's even better than TC listing BOC as one of the best 5 bands of the 70's.

[Tequila Cowboy]

Seriously? Spirit in the Sky and Alright Now are two of the best 50 songs ever??? That's even better than TC listing BOC as one of the best 5 bands of the 70's.

Now I'm going to really blow your mind and agree with him, on Alright Now at least. Paul Rodgers can really sing and that's one of the all time best radio songs.

[Smitty]

Seriously? Spirit in the Sky and Alright Now are two of the best 50 songs ever??? That's even better than TC listing BOC as one of the best 5 bands of the 70's.

Now I'm going to really blow your mind and agree with him, on Alright Now at least. Paul Rodgers can really sing and that's one of the all time best radio songs.

Agree - my favorite Rodgers song is "Shooting Star" though - 70's rock personified to me

[Smitty]

here's some sorta list
remember this is "favorite songs" not "greatest"

Heathens - DBT
I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - Hank Williams
Pancho & Lefty - Townes Van Zandt
Albuquerque - Neil Young
$1000 Dollar Wedding - Gram Parsons
The Way I Am - Merle Haggard
Wild Horses - Rolling Stones
Lumberlung - Slobberbone
One of These Days - DBT
Golden Ring - George Jones/Tammy Wynette
Here Comes a Regular - The Replacements
Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town - Pearl Jam
Going to California - Led Zeppelin
Rachel's Song - James McMurtry
Ride On - AC/DC
Roll Gypsy Roll - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Wreck on The Highway - Louvin Bros
Racing in The Street - Bruce Springsteen
Just As I Am - traditional/Willie Nelson vers on Red Headed Stranger
Frank & Jesse James - Warren Zevon
Sittin On The Dock of a Bay - Otis Redding
Cortez the Killer - Neil
Blue in Green - Miles Davis
Shooting Star - Bob Dylan
I Feel Alright - Steve Earle
The Viper - Bloodkin
Midnight - Red Foley
Wee Small Hours of the Morning - Frank Sinatra
It Makes No Difference - The Band
Living Bubba - Drive-By Truckers
Isadora Duncan - Vic Chesnutt
Unsatisfied Mind - Porter Wagoner
L.A Freeway - Guy Clark
Play a Train Song - Todd Snider
Whiskey Girl - Gillian Welch
Blue Bayou - Linda Ronstadt
Clay Pigeons - Blaze Foley
Sam Stone - John Prine
My Old Man - Steve Goodman
33rd of August - Mickey Newbury
Lost Highway - Hank Williams
Mystery Train - Elvis Presley
Shooting Star - Bad Company
Rockin In The Free World - Neil Young
Stand By Me - Ben E. King
Midnight Special - Leadbelly
Moonlight Mile - Rolling Stones
Ventura - Lucinda Williams
I Ain't Ever Satisfied - Steve Earle

[beantownbubba]

First of all, Mr. Clams, it's "favorite" songs, so that covers "Spirit in the Sky". To me it's better than a guilty pleasure, but sure, it's on the "personal" rather than "quality" side of "favorite" if push comes to shove.

But "All Right Now"? Are you kidding me? That song belongs in all kinds of company the band as a whole has no business being considered a part of, and that easily included legit inclusion in anybody's top 50, favorite or greatest and i will defend that as long as you want to argue it. So there.