What is it with blokes and lists, eh? A few years ago I hit on the crazy idea of putting together a list of my top 100 songs, with the rule that you can only have one per artist, the 2017 version is here, and the first attempt in 2011 is here.
Spotify has given us the means to create and curate lists to our heart's content. On my Spotify, which I now spend an enormous amount of time on, there are lists galore. You can link to those here, and I'm leaving everything open for people to copy and share. But not collaborate, I can't let go. You'll also find every episode playlist for our Music Therapy radio show on Tameside Radio, if you ever wanted to get easy access to the songs. They're not always the right versions though, especially as I have a proper DJ as a partner on this project, who has a superpower for finding rare grooves and hidden gems.
The 100 seemed inadequate. Especially as I discovered I can't count and that there were 112 songs on the 2017 version.
As if by magic, I stumbled upon the 143, a music blog curated by Andrew Collins, the former editor of Q and a prolific writer. He's utilised the same formula where you can pick just one song per artist. He started at 50, but it was a definitive, heroic, primal list of songs that were massively important to him. He kept going and stuck at 143. Where Andrew absolutely excels is the commentary around each song. That's a really impressive project and as you'd expect from a music writer of his calibre, it's a work of real quality that I don't think I could match.
And just to be absolutely clear, again. These are memories, some are deeply personal, some are dedicated to lost friends, to broken hearts and to better times ahead, but all are in some way connected to the sheer raw power of music. Maybe I will, but this is enough for now.
All of my Heart, ABC
We Could Send Letters, Aztec Camera
A Day in the Life, The Beatles
One Last Love Song, The Beautiful South
E=MC2, Big Audio Dynamite
Let Em in, Billy Paul
The Day Before You Came, Blancmange
Union City Blue, Blondie
There's a Reason Why, Blossoms
Tinseltown In The Rain, The Blue Nile
Subterranean Homesick Blue, Bob Dylan
Could you be loved, Bob Marley and the Wailers
Born To Run, Bruce Springsteen
Nobody Does It Better, Carly Simon
Father and Son, Cat Stevens
Ain't Nobody, Chaka Khan
The British Way of Life, The Chords
Under the Milky Way Tonight, The Church
Straight to Hell, The Clash
Let's Go Out Tonight, Craig Armstrong
Bloody Revolutions, Crass
Weather With You, Crowded House
Boys Don't Cry, The Cure
Instant Crush, Daft Punk
Life On Mars, David Bowie
Dignity, Deacon Blue
California Über Alles, Dead Kennedys
Enjoy the Silence, Depeche Mode
There, There My Dear, Dexy's Midnight Runners
Romeo and Juliet, Dire Straits
I Touch Myself, Divinyls
Jolene, Dolly Parton
MacArthur Park, Donna Summer
Ordinary World, Duran Duran
You Don't Have to Say You Me, Dusty Springfield
The Killing Moon, Echo and the Bunnymen
One Day Like This, Elbow
Getting Away With It, Electronic
Stan (Featuring Dido), Eminem with Dido
Paid in Full, Eric B. and Rakim
Missing, Everything But the Girl
Lost in Music, The Fall
Love See No Colour, The Farm
Do You Realize?? The Flaming Lips
Weekender, Flowered Up
Welcome to the Pleasuredome, Frankie Goes to Hollywood
My Sweet Lord, George Harrison
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Gil Scott-Heron
La vie en Rose, Grace Jones
The Message, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, Gil Scott-Heron
Your Evening of Swing (has been Cancelled), Half Man Half Biscuit
Wrote for Luck, Happy Mondays
Zeus and Apollo, Hatchback
Silver Machine, Hawkwind
Temptation, Heaven 17
Beautiful Girl, INXS
Love Train, Holly Johnson
Open Your Heart, Human League
Visions of You, Jah Wobble
When You're Young, The Jam
Tomorrow, James
Hallelujah, Jeff Buckley
Annie's Song, John Denver
Ring Of Fire, Johnny Cash
Atmosphere, Joy Division
Cloudbursting, Kate Bush
The Gambler, Kenny Rogers
Sunny Afternoon, The Kinks
Aria [with Michael Gambon - Layer Cake speech] Lisa Gerrard
All Woman, Lisa Stansfield
Rattlesnakes, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
Wasting My Young Years, London Grammar
Idiot Child, Madness
Madam Butterfly, Malcolm McLaren
Working Class Hero, Marianne Faithfull
Motorcycle Emptiness, Manic Street Preachers
Teardrop, Massive Attack
What's Going On, Marvin Gaye
Fade into You, Mazzy Star
Anchorage, Michelle Shocked
Irish Blood, English Heart, Morrissey
Express Yourself, N.W.A.
True Faith, New Order
New Dawn Fades, Moby
Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon, Neil Diamond
Time Of No Reply, Nick Drake
Into My Arms, Nick Cave
Don't Speak, No Doubt
All Around the World, Oasis
If You Leave, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Because the Night, Patti Smith
No Tears to Cry, Paul Weller
Being Boring, Pet Shop Boys
Reachin, Phase II
Cruel, Prefab Sprout
Purple Rain, Prince and the Revolution
Pretty In Pink, The Psychedelic Furs
Common People, Pulp
Losing My Religion, R.E.M.
Fake Plastic Trees, Radiohead
Open up Your Arms, Ren Harvieu
Run for You, Richard Hawley
Orange, Richard Lumsden
Please Read The Letter, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
Gimme Shelter, Rolling Stones
More Than This, Roxy Music
The Greatest Love of All, Kevin Rowland
In Dreams, Roy Orbison
The Spirit Of Radio, Rush
Over the Border, Saint Etienne
The Word Girl, Scritti Politti
The Great Rock n Roll Swindle, Sex Pistols
We are Family, Sister Sledge
Run, Baby, Run, Sheryl Crow
Nothing Compares 2 U, Sinéad O'Connor
Itchycoo Park, The Small Faces
How Soon Is Now, The Smiths
Say Hello Wave Goodbye, Soft Cell
I Got You Babe, Sonny and Cher
Ghost Town, The Specials
Black Coffee in Bed, Squeeze
Suspect Device, Stiff Little Fingers
I Am The Resurrection, The Stone Roses
No More Heroes, The Stranglers
Ever Changing Moods, Style Council
Good Day to Die, Sunhouse
Give A Little Bit, Supertramp
It's My Life, Talk Talk
Let it Happen, Tame Impala
Reward, The Teardrop Explodes
Heartland, The The
Song to the Siren, This Mortal Coil
Up Against the Wall, Tom Robinson Band
Funky Cold Medina, Tone Loc
Wide Open Road, The Triffids
Red Hill Mining Town, U2
Lucky Man, Verve
Story of the Blues, Wah
And A Bang On The Ear, The Waterboys
Teardrops, Womack and Womack
Baba O'Riley, The Who
Seven Seconds, Youssou N'Dour and Neneh Cherry
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