[Dan Marsicano]
5. Deep Purple - Tie Between "Child In Time" and "Highway Star": It was insanely difficult to pick between these two, so I decided to put them both as number 5. The former song is one of the longest studio recordings Deep Purple has ever done and the solo ranks as Blackmore's best of his career. The latter is the song that arguably put Deep Purple on the spot and has my favorite organ solos of all time. Thanks to Rock Band, I can feel like Ian Gillan for six minutes of my life. Well, except for that opening scream; my vocal chords can't handle that much awesomeness in such a short period of time.
4. Slayer - "Angel Of Death": The opening shriek by Tom Araya blew my mind the first time I heard it, but that's wasn't the only moment. From the minute trade - off guitar solo from hell, coupled with the double bass fury of Lombardo, everything I knew as a young 13-year-old music fan was changed that one faithful day. While I wouldn't buy Reign In Blood for a few years, due to the high price and "shocking" cover art, "Angel Of Death" was my introduction to not only Slayer, but extreme music in general.
3. Dream Theater - "Octavarium": Picking my favorite Dream Theater song is like picking the five most influential songs on my life. It's fucking hard as hell, but the title track from the progressive metal band's last album still amazes me to this day. When I first heard the 24 minute epic, I scoffed at it, finding it too bloated and over-the-top. After a few months, at a recommendation of a fan, I played it again. All of a sudden, it clicked. I fell in love with it, and to this day, I still listen to it at least once a week. While some may be bored by 24 minutes of progressive metal, it helped me open my ears to the real definition of progressive music.
2. Tie Between Opeth's "Ghost Reveries" and Black Sabbath's "Iron Man": I know, doing two ties in the same list is cheating, but my justification is that it is my list and I can do whatever I want with it. Thinking about this list, I was torn between these two, because they both influenced me for different reasons. "Ghost Reveries" opened my mind to death metal, while "Iron Man" opened my eyes to metal in general. While for some that might make the decision a lot easier, I sit and stare at my computer screen, realizing that without these two tracks, my life would be a lot different. I probably wouldn't be writing this right now and would be listening to the new Soulja Boy hit that has a stupid fucking dance to boot.
1. Metallica - "Master Of Puppets": This was a no - brainer for me. Anybody who has read any of my work knows I love Metallica. They were the first real band I got into and help me to get out of my pop-rock phase as a young teenager. The song may be over-played, and to some over-rated, but without "Master Of Puppets," I wouldn't have gotten into any type of rock/metal music period.
[Ric Switzer]
Honorable mentions: Killswitch Engage - "My Last Serenade", Sinch - "Plasma"
5. Haste the Day - "American Love": Being a follower of the Christian faith, this song has a much deeper meaning than some may at first interpret. Though this track could easily be translated into a song about a girl, or a loved one, whathaveyou; I've always taken from it that sometimes even those with the best intentions, make mistakes. I for one haven't always been the best Christian, and I know that. There have been times when I've doubted the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. Though my love for him and belief in his teachings have always found a way back into my heart, where he resides to this day. Plus the breakdown in this song destroys any preconceived notion of Christian Rock. Haste the Day will chew you up and spit you out.
4. Pantera - "This Love": The anti love song is easily one of the most bad ass tunes ever written. I think every dude (and some chicks) reading this have someone in their life that they've given their heart to, only to have it crushed. The level of admiration you once had for that person, is nothing compared to the hatred you felt when they shattered your world. "I'll kill myself for you, I'll kill you for myself." For this observer, this is the definitive Pantera track.
3. Flaw - "Best That I Am": This song is pretty much how I live my life. I strive to be the absolute best person that I'm capable of being, though sometimes I falter. The basic message here is that when you fall, you learn from it and move on. Nonetheless, aiming for excellence and leading by example is an extremely rewarding way to live your life.
2. Staind - "Home": Never before have Aaron's lyrics hit so close to home, as he struggles with the idea of being out of sight and out of mind with his family and loved ones. Depression, anxiety, and self doubt encompass this beautiful song from one of hard rocks finest; issues that even the novice listener can pick up on and relate to.
1. Fear Factory - "Resurrection": This song has the most powerful melodies I've ever heard, contributed by legendary FF frontman Burton C. Bell. However, the video for this track is what first caught my attention with its theme of becoming overly dependent on technology and losing our humanity, displayed artistically with tech-vampires straight out of an H.R. Giger wet dream.
[Matt Shoemaker]
5. Rammstein- "Ohne Diche": The song is technically about drug use, but to me, it symbolizes the loss of a loved one, which relates back to my selection of "Adagio for Strings". Again, a really depressing song that holds so much significance in my life.
4. The Doors- "Light My Fire": I grew up in a household that listened to A LOT of classic rock. My mom and her brothers had a collection of records that damn near filled my grandparent's entire basement. I remember listening to a good amount of The Doors growing up, and I always remember "Light My Fire" as being one of my favorites. To me, anything by The Doors symbolizes freedom and well… drugs, now that I'm old enough to realize what their songs are about/inspired by, but the band is such a big part of my life musically.
3. Aesop Rock- "No Regrets": The title pretty much explains it all. It tells the story of a girl names Lucy who just wants to draw and be an artist, and works her ass off towards that goal. The chorus goes: You can dream a little dream/or you can live a little dream/I'd rather live it/'cuz dreamers always chase but never get it". It always seems to be a little bit of a confidence booster for me.
2. Samuel Barber- "Adagio For Strings": Famous for being like, the entire Platoon soundtrack, this song hits me hard. It's a beautiful nine minute piece, and is probably one of the saddest songs I've ever heard. It brings up a lot of personal memories for me, which is why it's so influential.
1. Metallica- "Master of Puppets": This is the first song I heard by Metallica, at my buddy Rich's house, in the 7th grade. I've been hooked ever since. While the meaning of the song is not really influential, as I can't relate to war or drugs, this is the song that truly got me into both metal and playing the drums. I remember being blown away by this song, and this album, and it remains at the top of my list as far as favorite anything musical.
[Joshua George]
When asked to participate in a Top 5 for the Most Influential Songs on my Life, I almost fell out of my chair. You see, being such a huge music dork all my life, I've listened to music from every genre and loved it. I'm not as big into Country anymore, but there was a point in my life when I even listened to that on a regular basis. Anyway, after much consideration, here are my top 5:
5. Matchbox Twenty - "Bent": The reason this song has been influential is not necessarily because of it's lyrical content, even though the lyrics can strike a chord anytime you really need them to, but more so because of what it provided me over the course of time. Matchbox Twenty is that band for me that I can listen to when I'm pissed, when I'm happy, when I just need to think. "Bent" was the first song that took me into the world of that band and I'm happy to say that I can still turn to any CD in their entire discography when I need it.
4. Gary Jules - "Mad Mad World": This song, originally done by Tears for Fears, has been a central part of my life in the last 3 years. There have been heartaches, disappointments, sadness, upsets, and craziness in the last 3 years more than any other span of time. There have also been the opposites but Gary Jules' rendition of "Mad Mad World" is a FANTASTIC song to wallow in self-pity and just get all those bad feelings out; a great "sit and stew" song.
3. Section 8 - "Insomniac": This song, originally done by Billy Pilgrim, has been a very important part of my life. Now I know you're wondering... who's Section 8. Well, like Indiana University's Straight No Chaser who also did a rendition of "Insomniac", Section 8 is a college a cappella group that finds its own members arranging songs from all genres for voices, either mixed (male and female) or all-male/all-female ensembles. I went to Ohio University in Athens, OH and while in The Singing Men of Ohio, had the opportunity to be a part of Section 8. They are an all-male a cappella ensemble within the larger group of the all-male Singing Men of Ohio. Within this group I was able to meet a person who will be easily one of my best friends, Cliff, and his fantastic wife, Linny. Cliff has easily been one of the most influential people in my life and someone I hold in a very high regard, so without this song driving me to that group, we never would've been as good of friends as we are. If you're interested in hearing this song performed by Section 8, you can do so http://www.myspace.com/ousection8on their MySpace.
2. Sting - "Fields of Gold": This is another song that has to do with Section 8 in a weird sort of way. Cliff had arranged this song which happens to be one of his wife's favorite songs of all time, and she was completely in the dark about it. At their wedding reception she was called up, sat in a chair and we all gathered around and sang his arrangement to her. To see the look on her face, and to feel the electricity in the room really helped me see that true, real love does exist. I think any song that can be involved in your discovery that true love exists should definitely be high up on your influential songs list.
and finally... the number 1 influential song on my life is.......
1. Tenacious D - "Wonderboy": Oh goodness. The things I can say about this song. You think to yourself that I'm stupid for having all of these real songs and then my number 1 is Tenacious D? True story. The fact is that this song has given me so many memories in the last 5 years of my life that I can't possibly not let it be number 1. I karaoke this song on a regular basis... pretty much anywhere that has karaoke and when the DJ has it (which I would say a good 95% of karoke DJs have this song). I have done this song at Tavern at the Mill in Lancaster, Ohio (my hometown) with my crew of friends in attendance. The cheers and the laughter and the happiness that this song brought to us is completely unparalleled. We spent so many nights with a few shots and drinks flowin and Tenacious D being blasted that just hearing the song makes me miss being back there with those people. There were so many good memories surrounding a night with Tenacious D karaoke that it definitely serves as my number 1 song.
[Jacob Leslie Crogie]
5. Meat Loaf - "Bat Out of Hell": Absolutely amazing song from front to back! Whether it was Steinman's amazing lyrics and music, Rundgren's guitar work and production or the POWERFUCKINGFUL voice of one Marvin Lee Aday, this song is far too impressive to ignore. I remember listening to this as a kid and being hooked right away, now I' m the biggest Meat Loaf fan...EVER...I saw him in concert and sat about 10 rows back from the stage, it was an amazing experience and it all started with Bat Out of Hell.
4. Derek & The Dominos - "Layla": This introduced me to a whole other form of music and began the development of my fondness for the blues. Its in Clapton's guitar playing that I heard what was lacking from pop music, I was twelve. After reading his autobiography I have even more respect for the artist, and the man. I had the great privilege of witnessing this legend in action, and let me say that he did not disappoint!
3. Howie Day - "Collide": Ever sang in front of people, like actually performed? This wasn't karaoke night at a bar...it was tough as shit to put myself out there, and it is with Howie Day that I started. Now, I can't stop and I have this song to thank for that. P.S. chicks dig it.
2. The Clash - "London Calling": First song I learnt on bass, it was tough, but I sucked it up and got it down. Now it influences not only my playing style, but the songs I want to play, and how I want to perform. This song with its high energy, and bass driven melody made me into the bass player I am today, capable of memorizing any song within half an hour and performing it well within another half. As Paul Simonon made clear, you don't need to hit all the notes, you just have to give them a hell of a show!
1. Three Days Grace - "Riot": My little high-school covered this song for the end of year assembly. So, I took one of my basses, a Fender Squire shitbox...and spray-painted it fluorescent orange. I then took my guitar and smashed it against the wall, I smashed it against the floor, (that was a Steinman reference...) and generally appalled the faculty while my fellow students screamed along with the chorus and actually attempted a mosh...good times and a hell of a good memory!
[Jasper Jones]
5. Flogging Molly - "F*ck You, I'm Drunk!": Back in 2005 I lived in a duplex with a crap load of friends and this song was pretty much our anthem. We had a drinking game that consisted of finishing a beer before this song was over. Doesn't seem too bad, but we'd do it over and over again until one man was left standing. I had lots of fun with this song, but I also blame this Flogging Molly song for doing lots of stupid things that year, some that still effect me today.
4. Alan Jackson/Hank Williams, Jr. - "The Blues Man": There is something very, very calming about this song. When I'm angry, stressed, or depressed, I can throw on some head phones, play this song, and just slow everything down for a minute. Its worked for me on some very special occasions, one last week even. The last two-and-a-half minutes when its just the music with no lyrics is the most powerful.
3. The Fabulous Freebirds - "Badstreet, USA": I freakin' love this song. I've been a wrestling fan since I was knee-high to a grasshopper. I remember my mom and grandmother taking me to the SportsCenter to see USWA before I was even in school. Wrestling has been a love of my life, and I think that love manifests itself in "Badstreet, USA". I've connected with new friends through this song. I've even gone on record stating that if I could find a cute girl who knew the words to this song by heart, I'd marry her on the spot. That's pretty damn influential.
2. Bobby Bare - "That's How I Got To Memphis": Music in my house when I was growing up consisted of country music and not much else. For years all I liked was country, because that's all I heard my parent's play. George Strait, Vern Gosdin, Alabama, Tanya Tucker, etc. I remember getting ridiculed in school because I told people my favorite singer was Conway Twitty. Through friends I was eventually exposed to other stuff and shied away from country for a while. When I got back into it in college, I discovered "classic country" and stared getting into people like Marty Robbins, Lefty Frizzell, Johnny Cash, and George Jones. That brought me closer to my mother than I had been in a long time. I started spending more time with her talking about old songs and listening to them. I am so glad that happened. "That's How I Got To Memphis" by Bobby Bare was one of Mom's favorite old country tunes, so I chose that to represent the genre.
1. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - "Mary Jane's Last Dance": As I mentioned before, country was all I was really exposed to growing up. I had friends who tried to get me to listen to various stuff, but none if it really interested me. Then one day I happened to hear "Mary Jane's Last Dance" on the radio and it blew me away, it was great! Instead of turning on my local country station, I'd start leaving it on the rock/pop station so I could hear the song again. In the process I started to like other songs on the radio at that time and the rest is history. I credit "Mary Jane's Last Dance" with blowing the doors of music open to me. It sparked an interest that still rages today. Without it, I might still be doin' the "boot scootin' boogie" and that wouldn't be pretty.
[Tom Santoro]
I chose my list based on how these songs have always been with me like an old friend.
5. Radiohead - "High and Dry": In college I was a mopey skinny man. When things would not go my way I would pop in The Bends and wallow in my self-pity. "High and Dry" was the most desperate and angry of all the tracks. Girls may not have liked me but Radiohead did.
4. Frank Black - "Headache": I started as a Saturday morning DJ in college. It was brutal waking up to do a 6am shift. I was always hung over and had my head pounding. I would play this song once every hour. It still is in my "heavy rotation" as now it is played because I have 2 year old twins.
3. The Cure - "Love Song": Now my wife thinks our song is the 311 version because we needed something with a slow tempo to dance to and she would not let me dress like Edward Scissorhands. The lines in the song could be used as vows. This song makes the list because I know my wife will read this.
2. Michael Jackson - "Beat it": I am putting this on here because without Michael Jackson, I would have never been given a boom box, without a boom box, I would never have been an avid music lover. Now, when Doc Brown asks me to get into his time machine I would tell him to place a Social Distortion or Metallica cassette tape in my room.
1. Rusted Root - "Send Me On My Way": I know I will get killed for this one. But this song always shows up at different parts of my life. It started as just a song my roommate in college would play on our way to the bars. Later, this song would be played especially for our group of friends at every one of our weddings and took on a new meaning as a rite of passage. It also was the center of a great story involving hippies, hula hoops and crack whores. Another time perhaps.
[José Aarón Mayagoitia Ponce]
My Top 5 Most Influential Songs on My Life are set in the order in which they influenced my life. There's no ranking based on quality or impact, just the order in which they took me by surprise and caused ripples in the way I make decisions, how I feel about things, what I think about things, and how I see life. So let's go all the way back to 1985 and do this timeline-style.
5. Franz Liszt – "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2": This is the one that started it all for me. As a kid, the things I enjoyed most were to play with my toys and to watch cartoons; I just couldn't get enough Duck Tales and Tom & Jerry, no matter how many times I watched the same episodes over and over again. Of all the Tom & Jerry episodes, there was one which I enjoyed watching the most: the famous Cat Concerto episode (the one in which Tom plays Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 while Jerry tries to sabotage his performance). At that time, I was more interested in the cartoon itself and not the music, but it grew on me. I had already been exposed to other music (mostly pop music of the time) before Cat Concerto, but Liszt's piece was something else. For starters, there were no lyrics, it was longer than a ‘normal' song, it sounded like many little songs put together, -and most importantly- it was exciting, dark, explosive, and melancholic; never had I heard so many emotions in a single strand of music. So, why is this song so special? How did it influence my life? This song broke me into music. After listening to Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, I went on to listen to other classical pieces -my dad had and still has tons of records- that only made me want even more. I was in heaven when I listened to music; I started playing with my toys while I listened to music and that took the experience to another level: I started making up my own interpretation of the music without having to watch a cartoon, my toys became the characters and the music became the inspiration. Also, the fact that classical music was my very first exposure to the art made me become more of an instrumentalist (I didn't care for lyrics until later on). More changes would come, but that would be for someone else to provoke.
4. The Beatles – "Day Tripper": Again, cartoons had to do with this one. I don't know how my dad got to tape an episode of the Beatle's cartoons that aired in the late ‘60s, but he did. And once he did, he showed it to me. The cartoon was basically an animated music video for Day Tripper, but as soon as the opening riff started twanging through the TV speakers, I was hooked for life. That's when I first knew that guitars existed and what they were. I got goose bumps (and I still do) every time I listened to the middle section of the song with the guitar solo and the building choruses. That song was new in many ways for me, but most importantly, it made me pay close attention to lyrics. I was just a kid, there was no way I would've known what Day Tripper was exactly about, but it tuned my ear to a whole new frequency, a frequency which would let me master a skill that has opened many doors for me: the English language. I was born in Mexico; Spanish is my native language, but my father (he learned English as a child because he studied grade school in California) taught me English whenever he could. After listening to Day Tripper, I started to learn how people expressed themselves through English; the fact that I had to listen to those guitars twanging over and over again turned the song –and any other Beatles song- into one of those "Learn English in 14 Days" kind of taped lessons that make you learn through repetition. So I owe my proficiency in English to the Beatles.
3. Rage against the Machine – "Guerrilla Radio": This is one very drastic leap in time and music. When I first listened to the song, I was in junior high and I didn't even know the name of the song or the artist! I listened to a little piece of it on an MTV commercial that promoted a Rage against the Machine concert in Mexico City, I think. The song played for about seconds and then faded away; I only listened to it once and that was enough. I remember just sitting in front of the TV hoping for the song to play so I could find out the name of the song; when it did, I exploded; it was like sitting in front of a pot of gold waiting for a leprechaun to appear. Something very similar to Day Tripper happened: guitars. Only this time they were angry, loud and full of rage –no pun intended- and I liked it. I was in my teens, my head was full of shit, I was at the mercy of my hormones, and I blamed the world for my teenage angst. Typical teenage behavior… So Rage against the Machine was a godsend. What's curious about the way this song influenced my life is that –with all the contradictions Zack de la Rocha and co. would fall in- I started to view the world as a whole unified big-ass deal of a problem. The whole hate thing passed away after a while and I started paying more attention to the issues that were being addressed in the songs, because when you're a kid, you have no idea about what's going on in the rest of the world, or at least I didn't. Music that came from an urban battlefield and lyrics that put your head on fire like napalm, Rage against the Machine was also my introduction into heavier music, and thus my musical spectrum grew.
2. Ange – "Capitaine Coeur de Miel": Yep, that's French, folks. If I'm not mistaken, the title of the song translates to something like "Captain Heart of Honey" (I am no authority in French, my knowledge of the language is reduced to about 1%). I guess this could be considered the most important song in my life. It's a long story, but I'm willing to write it all down. It all started when friends of mine asked me if I wanted to go with them to a progressive rock festival. Shit, I didn't even know what progressive rock was, but I went because I had nothing better to do. Boy was I wrong. It's important to mention that by that time (high school) I was in a musical rut. I liked nothing that the people at school were listening to (punk and ska revival bands that still make me cringe) and I simply didn't seam to latch on to any band or genre at the time, I was adrift. So, going to a musical event of a genre I didn't even know about generated no expectations. We sat down and waited for the curtain to open; first comes Magenta, a keyboard-based band. I had never listened to anything like that in my life, for you see, progressive rock (with all it's excess and sometimes ridiculous tendencies) brought together two things I loved but had forgotten because of my –at that time- musical tastes: classical music and rock. It clicked right away; I never thought people would make music like that and much less come all the way to Mexicali (my hometown) to play. Magenta finished and I was excited, I couldn't imagine what would be next. The lights went dim, the curtain opened and there's this bearded man in a coat, top hat and sneakers yelling at the audience and then comes a crash of metallic riffing. What the hell was going on!? It was a mish-mash of symphonic cascades and heavy-metal guitar somersaults, and in a language I didn't even understand! Not only the music had me with my jaw dropped, the light show and the onstage theatrics were mind-boggling. It was like watching a bizarre movie with a kick-ass soundtrack. I didn't want to blink; every second of that show was magic. And then THE song starts… By what I understood at the time, the song is about some sort of crazed bum who thinks he's a captain of a ship that sails the stars; he tells his story hammered as a nail, but that doesn't stop him from giving the bottle a go while he's in full story-telling flight. The music is really sad; it really goes with the lonely mood that the bum character wants to set; bluesy solos and mellotronic-like keyboard sounds take you on a miserable and heartfelt journey through madness. This is when I really don't know if I got it but, I think the bum kills himself by taking a dive into the ocean and drowning once he realizes he's not the captain he thinks he is. Words can't explain the whole experience I went through; at the climax of the song, I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life: anything that had to do with music, anything that brought me closer to people who could take me on journeys like that one, people who had unique and strange ways of viewing the world. Ange finished their set after about three encores and then comes Focus to close the night. Focus only made my decision even more heartfelt, but that was only the icing on the cake. By the end of the night, I felt like I had lived a key moment of my life. And I did.
1. Eric Clapton – "Circus": This is probably the hardest for me to talk about, since it marked one of the darkest hours of my life. It came when a perfect storm of bad health, family issues and bitter winter fell on me like one thousand semi-trucks. I don't want to get into too many details, but the song talks about when things you loved so much just leave you. The song helped me realize what was going on in my life at that moment and that I had to suck it up and soldier on. Eric Clapton's Circus helped me understand that there's a time when you stop being a boy and start being a man.
[Taylor Martin]
Honorable Mentions: Jimmy Eat World – "A Praise Chorus", Modest Mouse – "Float On"
5. R.E.M. – "Everybody Hurts": I'm not afraid to admit that this song has helped me through some tough times. Its message was so powerful that it was once used in an advertisement for a suicide hotline.
4. U2 – "One": Known as "the song that saved U2", this song gives me hope that unity and togetherness is possible.
3. Jay-Z – "Dirt off Your Shoulder": A message to everyone on how to deal with the haters: brush your shoulders off.
2. Pantera – "Walk": If I want to get pumped up, angry or I just want to beat the shit out of somebody, this is the song I listen to. Walk on home, boy!
1. Radiohead – "Optimistic": During the Kid A/Amnesiac recording sessions, Thom Yorke was constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown because he wanted to make the albums as perfect as possible. His girlfriend would reassure him and tell him "the best you can is good enough". I guess that's all anyone can do.
[Leo Rivera]
Hey my name is Leo Rivera, I'm a new columnist and here is my top five most influential songs on my life:
5. Bon Jovi - "Living on a Prayer": what can I say I am a product of the 80's and as a very young boy back then I remember listening to this song on constant rotation on MTV and it was at this early age that my sub-conscious love and appreciation for rock music began to seep into my mind.
4. Aerosmith - "Janie's Got a Gun": This was the first deep rock song that i got into. it showed me that rock music was not just about catchy guitar riffs, but rather if used right can serve as a public service announcement to those in need.
3. Gun's N' Roses - "Knockin' on Heaven's Door": I know its a Bob Dylan original but GN'R really made this song their own...the reason why this song means so much to me....i can hear it today close my eyes and imagine myself right back in 1992....that was a great year for music and just the vibe in general.
2. Third Eye Blind - "Jumper": This song came at a confusing time in my life back in 98 when i was in high school and everything is weird the chorus "I will understand" and the whole song was awesome!!! this is the song that got me back into rock music.
1. Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Under the Bridge": This was the song of the 90's, probably just as relevant as "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Anthony Kiedis is the epitome of a great rock front man, and here he proved that he's got some soul too!
[Weng Yu]
I have to say that picking a top 5 influential songs for me was a virtually impossible task, and any of the songs in my list can change positions quite easily if I thought about it a bit longer. However a deadline is a deadline so I had to bite the bullet and go with my gut instincts.
Honorable mentions: Duke Ellington and John Coltrane - "In a sentimental mood", Frank Sinatra -"I've got you under my skin", Oasis - "Wonderwall", "Craig David - "Rewind", 112 feat Notorious B.I.G & Ma$e "Only you(Bad Boy Remix)", Boyz II Men - "End of the Road", "Lady" - Modjo.
5. Eagles – "Hotel California (live)": The version I'm talking about is from the "Hell Freezes over" concert recording. This song made me pick up the guitar and force myself to learn it in the vain hope that I could play the intro. Unfortunately it's so ridiculously hard that I gave up trying, and moved onto easier songs. Doh.
4. 2Pac - "Bury Me a G": The song that initiated me into gangsta rap - I loved the sampling of the Isley Brothers classic "For the love in you", and 2Pac's flow was a thing of beauty. Gone but never forgotten.
3. Jason Mraz – "Unfold": Before I discovered Mraz I'd been a staunch lover of urban music all through my adulthood. I'd turned away from rock and indie after the Britpop explosion because it became too depressing and pretentious. Once I heard the live version of "Unfold" I was immediately reminded how good guitar music could be if it was done right with good vocalists who can actually sing. It's a shame he can't re-create this sound in the studio, but out of all the gigs I've been too, he was by far the best singer I've ever heard (considering I've seen Boyz II Men live, that's some compliment).
2. Michael Jackson - "Jam": It seems like a strange choice, but I was still a toddler when the albums Thriller and Bad were released. Dangerous came out when I was just starting to develop a serious love for music. That led me to discover New Jack Swing, and subsequently I became an urban music fan for life.
1. D'Angelo – "Brown Sugar": This song had a huge impact not just on me, but on the urban music scene by bringing Neo Soul into the mainstream. D'Angelo's smooth lyrics combined with innovative and soulful composition was something I had never imagined was possible. It changed my taste in music completely - after that I started to demand more quality and substance in my music, and from it I also discovered the beauty of jazz, which is another story altogether.
[Brandy]
Honorable mentions: DMX - "I Miss You": It's a song that holds a special place in my heart since losing my grandma in May of this year.
5. Dmx - "Ruff Ryder's Anthem": I don't know it's just one of those catchy songs that everyone knows.
4. Smile Empty Soul - "Adjustments": My go to angry song that always makes me feel better, and a past relationship that seemed to be mirrored in this song.
3. 30 Seconds to Mars - "The Kill": Everyone at one point or another has been in a relationship where they've taken you for granted and for me it's this song that gets that point across that I'm done with it.
2. T.I feat. Justin Timberlake - "Dead and Gone": "The old me is dead and gone." That quote alone is what gives this song a spot. 2008 has been horrible yet rewarding at the same time, I've lost some things but also found a confidence I needed and this song pretty much sums it up.
1. Staind - "It's Been Awhile": Everyone has that song that is the song of their life, and for me it's this one. It's one of those songs that no matter how it was written, it could be turned around and suited to fit your life however you seen fit.
[Jesse Coy]
5. Jerry Lee Lewis - "Great Balls of Fire": When I discovered the root musicians of rock ‘n' roll, without whom there would be no Beatles or Rolling Stones, it was an eye opener. To this day, I have my favorite track to sing during any karaoke session. The piano work is awesome and the energy can't be matched. For me, Jerry was the gateway into some of the other great classic rock ‘n' roll music treasures the U.S.A. has. Here's his '57 hit.
4. Judas Priest - "Exciter": Okay, if we're going to call it here, I guess you can say, despite hearing Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, the Doors, and Led Zeppelin in the crib, when it came to the first heavier music I owned (heavier than Kiss)… the first was Unleashed in the East (‘79). I bought it on tape at a drug store for $5 or so, probably back in '87. I kind of jumped quicker into Iron Maiden after that, and also slammed into thrash music a few months later. But that live Judas Priest release, and particularly the charged song I picked… great stuff, or the gateway track.
3. Mojo Nixon - "You Can't Kill Me": It's disobedience at its most core level, going against social norms. Where else can you hear the bold assertion "I ain't gonna eat any McDonald's anymore, because it don't taste good," side by side with, "I'm gonna go to the West Virginia armory, and I'm gonna liberate me some guns." Rockabilly never sounded so sweet. And even on the execution block, which is what this song promises near the end, there's no killing that will truly be done here, "because you can't kill the spirit of rock ‘n' roll" (‘95).
2. David Bowie and Pink Floyd - "Five Years" and "In the Flesh?": Both are openers to epic concept albums, Bowie's album a little looser in concept than Pink Floyd's album. We're talking '72 and '79 here. This one obviously is a tie for me. I've listened to both of these albums more times than I can count. I guess the simple way in how these two (tied) influenced my life… whenever feeling down, I could put either of them in, and these opening tracks, as great as they were, promised more great things to come.
1. Jello Biafra and D.O.A. - "Full Metal Jackoff": Clocking in at nearly 14 minutes, I had to go with this one over "The Stars and Stripes of Corruption," a great Dead Kennedys song. But this one just has more going on. It paints a cryptic, cynical, and likely 90% accurate picture of what goes on in the government. To be exposed to songs like this in high school ('89), it helped reaffirm the lost art of critical thinking.
[Jeff Modzelewski]
Honorable Mentions: Guns and Roses - "You Could Be Mine", Pantera - "Cowboys from Hell", Black Sabbath - "Supernaut", Nine Inch Nails - "Down In It", Alice in Chains - "Would?", Faith No More - "Falling to Pieces"
5. Pantera - "Suicide Note Pt. 1 & 2": I wasn't really exposed to real heavy metal music until my sophomore year of high school. Prior to that, I knew Metallica and a lot of hard rock stuff. I had a good friend that really started throwing a whole variety of heavy music at me. Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Life of Agony, and, above all Pantera. - "Suicide Note Pt. 1 & 2" where the two songs off of - "The Great Southern Trendkill" album that really got me excited right off the bat. The difference between the quiet and dark - "Pt. 1" and the heavier-than-hell - "Pt. 2" was what really showed me that metal was more than just playing fast and screaming. Once I came to that realization, it was easy to move on to Machine Head, Sepultura, Slayer, and all sorts of other metal. It all comes back to Pantera for me, though, and these were the songs that are responsible for me getting into that band.
4. Dave Matthews Band - "Typical Situation": Something about DMB got me interested as soon as I heard them on the radio. I had a little bit of money to burn, so I bought - "Under the Table and Dreaming" on tape. The album was just so different from anything that I was listening to at that time. It was acoustic, but not mellow. The music was extremely layered and had so many different parts, but it also had a very simple melody that you could hum along to.
The whole album instantly became a favorite of mine, but - "Typical Situation" was the song that jumped out more than any other. The lyrics were thoughtful and poetic, and the music was simple but powerful. I won't go so far as to say this is DMB's best song, but, more than any song, it was the song that turned DMB from a band that I liked into a band that I loved.
3. Pink Floyd - "Us and Them": Again, not my favorite Pink Floyd song, but it's the song that really helped my father and I connect over music. When I was a kid and this song would come on the radio, we would always play a game where he would try to get me to guess the lyrics. I even remember how proud I felt once I remembered that it was - "Down and Out" - "Black and Blue" and - "With, Without." My brother has always connected with my father over sports. For me, it was always music, and this song is one of the main examples of that.
2. Metallica - "One": Although Guns and Roses was really the first band that I listened to that was part of my - "teenage rebellion," this song set the stage. Prior to this song, I had never heard heavy metal before. This song (and video) was like nothing I had heard before. The double bass at the end was exponentially heavier than the Aerosmith or Led Zepplin that I had grown up listening to. My brother was listening to a lot of rap music at the time, but that never really interested me too much. This did. Although it was a while before I fully got into metal, this was the song that planted the seed.
1. Aerosmith - "Mama Kin": Aerosmith was my favorite band from the time I was a kid, and - "Mama Kin" was my favorite song. - "Mama Kin" isn't really that much better than any other song from this Aerosmith era, but it was always my favorite. Maybe it was because Steven Tyler has a tattoo of the song on his arm. Maybe it's because the lyrics have 'shit" in them, and that was a big deal for me as a kid. Whatever it is, this was the first song that I remember listening to over and over again. This is the song that made my musical obsession first come out. Great band, great song.
[Michael Adler]
5. Enya - "Only Time": This song makes me have to poo, but I mean that in a good way. For being a homeopathic cure to constipation, this song snags #5 on my list. I'm listening to it right now as a matter of fact, so I'll be right back....
4. U2 - "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)": This is the feel good (maybe bittersweet) song of 1991, and the top song I put on to cheer myself up. Aside from being brilliant musically-Awesome guitar riff, throbbing baseline, great beat-the lyrics are an amazing meditation on the mysteries and contradictions of love and aging.
3. Van Halen - "Hot for Teacher": Well this song is just a spectacular song from beginning to end, and it has a great video to boot. It's also responsible for my hopes every year of having a hot teacher. Unfortunately this only happened in 1992-but the song was still there for me. It certainly plays in my head nonstop whenever I do meet a teacher who's reasonably attractive-and I blame it for my tendency to, given two equally attractive females, always pick the teacher.
2. Led Zeppelin - "What is and What Should Never Be": Along with Rockband, I blame this song for my picking up and learning bass guitar. This song is Zeppelin at the top of their game. When I first heard the bassline, I said to myself I should learn to play bass; John Paul Jones manages to actually overshadow Page on this one, which is quite an accomplishment considering the awesome guitar work on the song. Ironically I can't actually play this song for my life.
1. Tom Petty - "I Won't Back Down": I'm not sure why I'm taking life advice from Tom Petty, but this is a life-affirming song, and I'd like to think of it as the soundtrack going on in my head whenever I've confronted any of life's problems, from small to big. Most recently it helped me make up my mind to sue Pep Boys after they destroyed the fuse box in my car. You can stand me up at the gates of hell, and I won't back down...brilliant in its simplicity.
[Sandeep Murali]
5. MLTR - "Someday": I can already see the "You CANNOT be serious" comments. But you see, that's the wonderful thing about music. Different songs mean different things to different people. Quite a few years have passed by since I grew out of the age group that the band targeted, but this song never fails to put a smile on my face. My "Feel good" song, if you will.
4. Bon Jovi - "Runaway": The song that got me into Rock. For someone who grew up listening to dad's ABBA/BeeGees/BoneyM collection, this new music style was a refreshing change. And I shall always cherish this song for that reason.
3. Van Halen - "Right now": The only song that can get me to move my lazy ass and do something that I was supposed to finish hours ago. Like, well… Right now.
2. Metallica - "Nothing else matters": Metallica perhaps made more young men pick up a six string than any other band in the history of rock/ metal. Count me in as one of them because this song did it for me. And yes, I am aware of the irony in citing the softest song from one of the pioneers of Thrash Metal as my muse.
1. Pink Floyd - "Comfortably Numb": This is a song that talks about the pressures that a Rockstar faces in the course of his career. Well I ain't no Rockstar but whenever life decides to pack me into a tiny little sardine can, I pop a cold one, kick back and let Gilmour and Waters calm my nerves. I've mentioned before that this is one song I listen to very attentively every time it's played. And concentrating my mental faculties in this direction makes me forget my troubles. Works like a charm. Every single time.
[Chris Beckett]
Damn, as one of my first contributions to 411, I'd better make this a good one. It's a difficult topic, because it's not the songs that are my favorite, or the songs that I think are the best (which is an ever shifting landscape at the best of times anyway) it's the songs that have been most influential to me. So I guess this should serve almost as a roadmap of the salient songs that sent me down new aural pathways and shaped my musical taste and appreciation. This could get embarrassing.
Honorable mentions: Depeche Mode - "It's No Good": For showing me that electronic music can be compelling and addictive. Pearl Jam - "Rearviewmirror": For getting me into Pearl Jam, and the blusier side of grunge. Deftones -"Be Quiet & Drive (Far Away)": For being the best nu-metal I've ever heard, even if it is "Everlong" with different words. System of a Down -"Suite-Pee": For teaching me all about frantic tempos and so-crazy-it's-intelligent lyrics. Foo Fighters -"Everlong": for being the soundtrack to the greatest romance of my life. I'll be a sap once in a while. Fear Factory - "Replica": For being the first song to truly rip my face off and make me want to break EVERYTHING. Black Label Society - "Stillborn (Acoustic version)": For making me fall in love with the acoustic guitar all over again. VAST -"Take Me With You": Just for being amazing and beautfiful and once agian bringing contrast into my hard rock dominated world.
5. Oasis - "Wonderwall": Much as I can scarce bear to listen to them now, and have a positive loathing for the band and their core fan base, it was Oasis and this song in particular that first had me pick up a guitar, more than 12 years ago. For that alone, they are influential. Don't judge me, I was fifteen!
4. Foo Fighters - "Monkey Wrench": After consuming Metallica's entire back catalogue in a matter of months and discovering Pantera and Fear Factory, I was a bit burned out with heaviness and aggression, but couldn't see anything in the British scene that compared with the life affirming energy of that music. Enter the Radio One Evening Session and a special on the Foo Fighters. I was hooked, most of all on "Monkey Wrench," with it's fast pace, breathless delivery and unashamed pop hooks. Nerve had heavy music been so much fun. This led me into alt.rock, and my abiding love for the Foos, the Smashing Pumpkins and all forms of pop-punk and anthemic arena rock.
3. VAST - "Pretty When You Cry": In my late teens I was a committed lover of all things guitar based, from Metallica through the Foo Fighters to the Seahorses and if it didn't go up to 11, I wasn't interested. However, I caught the video for this dark, electronic, sampled slice of alt.rock on some late 90 alternative culture show, and it blew me away - it still does. Some of the best lyrics I've ever heard and a driving heartbeat makes this one of my favorite songs EVER, and through VAST, I spread my wings into Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode any so much more electro-tinged brilliance.
2. Queen - "Bohemian Rhapsody": Still a guilty pleasure, but given that Queen were ever present in the UK in the 80s, and this songs legendary appearance on Wayne's World - something had to rub off. I remember being ten years old, knowing all the words to this song and head banging along with gusto. Who knew what kind of metal head I would become. No matter where my musical taste goes, this is where it all began.
1. Metallica - "Until It Sleeps": Not my favorite song, and not even close to my favorite Metallica song, but this was the song that turned me from a standard issue, Oasis loving, British teenager of the 1990s to a lover of all things alternative, dark and heavy. Sure, in the pantheon of things that I like now, "Until It Sleeps" is pretty middle of the road, but without that uber-stylish 'Lord of Misrule' video, and the hooks the song itself dug in me, I'd have never found Metallica, never moved on to discover the wider pantheon of metal, never moved on into industrial and darker climes, and by the same token probably wouldn't have found grunge and alt.rock. If it wasn't for this song, this video on the ITV chart show at that point in time, I'd probably think the Arctic Monkeys or Razorlight were the best thing ever. Shudders....
Like I said, these are not the best songs ever, but they are the songs that led me to the best songs ever. OK, it led me to some of the best songs ever in my opinion, up to this point in time, because there is still so much to hear but no matter where my taste and travels take me, it will all have started with these songs...
[Norman Williams]
5. Trace Lawrence - "Find Out Who Your Friends Are": The song title is explanation enough.
4. Louis Armstrong - "What a Wonderful World": The simple joys in life, optimism for the future and family values are what I draw from this song. It is the simple things in life that bring true joy and there aren't many songs these days that highlight.
3. Bill Wither's - "Lean on Me": Growing up in small, close-knit farming community you really take for granted the small community ethics and the saying "love thy neighbor". But when you move to a metropolis like Los Angeles and the culture shock sets in you really long for someone to lean on.
2. Boyz II Men - "Song for Mama": I am and always will be a mama's boy, not dependent on my mama (there's a difference). But this song reaffirms everything that mom is and should be, and it not only inspires me to make her proud but to live according to the standards that she set for me.
1. Harry Chapin - "Cat's in the Cradle": At one time I hated this song only because my dad would make my two brothers and I perform this song at family gatherings, singing each verse from youngest from oldest. But know I understand why he had such an affinity for this song, every boy longs to spend time quality time with his father and as that boy becomes a man every father longs for the quality time they once had. I really appreciate him having us perform this song as it is attached to many of my fondest memories and I can't wait to share this song with sons of my own.
[Byron]
5. Red Hot Chili Peppers - "I Could Have Lied": Men catch a lot of flack for expressing their emotions, that's why genuine hurt, at least the kind that isn't expressed with rage, is rarely shown by men in pop/rock. "I Could Have Lied" bucks that convention fearlessly. The song finds lead singer Anthony Kiedis pouring out his heart ("I could never change just what I feel. My face'll never show what is not real."). In this vein, the song is like "Under The Bridge" with more angst and without the hopeful second half. The mood is punctuated by a solo from guitarist John Frusciante that cuts right to the bone.
4. Black Sheep - "The Choice Is Yours (revisited)": This song showed me that a group can have a message without being overtly political. (It is this approach that, arguably, reaches more people. The "engine, engine, number 9" chant is a party starter to this day.) The statement on individual identity ("I do as I feel inside."), self-reliance ("I be with me. I got my back tonight."), and personal responsibility (the title) was delivered so infectiously that, a couple of years ago, the song received the ultimate, though dubious, stamp of modern approval: it was used in a tennis shoe commercial.
3. Body Count- "There Goes The Neighborhood": As a black man who likes heavy metal music, I can't tell you how gratifying it was to see the video for this song on Headbanger's Ball, as a kid. The video, a haunting black & white affair, depicts burning guitars sticking out from front lawns and jewelry in display windows being hidden from the eyes of black passersby.
The song mirrors the powerful visuals. Opening with Sabbath-eque solitary riffs, the song has lyrics that acknowledge society's paranoia regarding black men being with white women, as well as the general fear of outsiders held by the privileged class. It's fitting, then, that the bridge of the song climaxes with Ice-T saying "We're here. We ain't going nowhere."
2. Living Colour - "Cult Of Personality": At this point in my life, I knew of Hendrix, but I had not yet delved into his catalog, and I had not yet been exposed to Bad Brains. I loved rock music, but I rarely saw black people playing it.
Therefore, Living Colour's "Cult of Personality" was a shock to the senses. The listener's attention is grabbed by guitarist Vernon Reid's chord shredding, which eventually gives way to same weighty thoughts belted out by vocalist Corey Glover. The song explores the perils of investing too much in political leaders, those pitfalls being that some leaders will inevitably start to believe their own hype ("The mirror speaks. The reflection lies.") and that these figures will feel constrained by the expectations of their supporters ("You don't have to follow me. Only you can set me free.").
"Cult of Personality" showed me that black people could rock hard, and do it with skill and intelligence.
1. 2pac-"Death Around The Corner": When choosing 2pac's defining moment, most people pick "Dear Mama," more out of the ongoing deification of the rapper, than for how many dimensions of the artist the song encompasses. In contrast, "Death Around The Corner" showcases the complexity of Tupac: the early sacrifice of innocence, the anger and nihilism that vulnerability breeds, and the misogyny born out of the mistrust of women. "Death Around The Corner" represents what gangsta rappers should aspire to do: put their audience in the shoes of frustrated people in desperate situations.
[Paul Hollingsworth]
5. The Talking Heads – "City of Dreams":The Talking Heads were part of the New York punk scene of the late 70's and early 80's. Not punk in the Ramones sense, but punk for ignoring traditional song format and instrumentation. The punk scene wasn't just about playing loud and fast. The Heads moved away from excess and instead went as direct as possible toward whatever was on (mostly) David Byrne's mind. The song, from one of their later records, is one of their finest moments. I brought this on cassette back in 1986 or so and it made me a fan for life. Even now, there's a Heads song for almost any mood you find yourself in. The Heads were rock stars for a time, MTV stars, but except for a few singles, they were never mainstream. This song made me realize, for the first time, that music existed apart from the Top 40 and whatever MTV was shilling at the time. For me, this was a very important revelation.
4. The Action – "Things You Cannot See": The Action are a forgotten British band from the 60's. Discovered by Beatles handler/manager Brian Epstein, the Action are my pick for the greatest band no one has heard. They released several singles, but never scored a hit. They also recorded an album, Rolled Gold, which lay forgotten in the vaults somewhere until it was released in 2001. It's also available on iTunes. This song made me abandon Top 40 radio for good. Each of the songs are so good, so full, that current pop music can't hold a candle to it. There are hundreds of bands out there like the Action, just waiting to be discovered, if you take the time to search.
3. Moby Grape – "Murder In My Heart For The Judge": Moby Grape were a psych-rock band from California. They had a few minor hits during the 60's but are mostly forgotten now. The lead singer, Alexander Spence, spent time in a mental hospital after the band broke up. However, when he was 'released', (some reports say 'escaped' some say 'released') he drove a stolen motorcycle to Nashville, (after a brief stop at a band mate's house to attack him with a chainsaw) recorded his solo album and then disappeared. That's freaking rock and roll, baby. All the premeditated music that's put out today can't compete with that. Moby Grape introduced me to psychedelic music: drugs and love-ins not required.
2. Kiss – "Calling Dr. Love": I may have been all of five years old when I first heard this on my father's 8-track player. (Hi. I'm Paul. I'm old.) I used to run around the house, quite naked, singing the song's chorus into a giant soup spoon. I had no idea what the words meant, but I knew it was fun and made everybody smile and laugh. This song taught me how music is made to be enjoyed. I hope I never lose sight of this simple fact.
1. Jackson Browne – "Late For The Sky": Here are the three steps anyone can follow to appreciate this song:
1. Meet a great girl/guy. Marry great girl/guy.
2. Screw up. Divorce great girl/guy.
3. Discover this song. Realize someone else has done the same and somehow survived.
Alright, folks. Thanks for reading. Here's what you should do. Enter your list in the comment's section. You do not have to register to comment. Here's how your list should look:
Honorable Mentions: If you have any...
5. Artist - "Song": Explanation of choice
4. Artist - "Song": Explanation of choice
3. Artist - "Song": Explanation of choice
2. Artist - "Song": Explanation of choice
1. Artist - "Song": Explanation of choice
