70. Hall & Oates — “You Make My Dreams Come True” — I admit it: It’s on my list totally because of how it was used in “(500) Days of Summer.” Not that it was a bad song before that.
69. Bruce Springsteen — “Better Days” — Bruce argues that it doesn’t have to be all downhill after your “glory days.” He’s halfway to heaven and just a mile outta hell, and he feels like he’s comin’ home.
68. Butch Walker — “Ponce De Leon Ave.” — This is one of the prettiest songs from a guy who struggles with sweet ballads although rocking out comes naturally to him. Also, the instrumentation is outstanding.
67. Neko Case — cover of Aretha Franklin’s “Running Out of Fools” — This is an example I cite whenever someone argues that classics should never be covered. Neko can make anything sound nice, but when it’s a good song to begin with, the results are amazing.
66. Jewel — “2 Become 1” — I first caught this romantic song on “Joan of Arcadia,” and I remember thinking how much better the song was than the show.
65. Tom Russell — “Who’s Gonna Build Your Wall” — One of the best songwriters of all time gives a compelling perspective on illegal immigration. Great lyric: “We got fundamentalist Muslims/ We got fundamentalist Jews/ We got fundamentalist Christians/ They’ll blow the whole thing up for you.”
64. Michael Jackson — “Smooth Criminal” — “Annie are you OK/ So Annie are you OK/ Are you OK Annie.” Doesn’t look like much on paper, but dang is it catchy.
63. The Jayhawks — “Save It For a Rainy Day” — Gary and the boys have a sound that would be perfect for sad songs, but they use their powers for good on this uplifting tune.
62. Gwen Stefani — “Cool” — Look up “wistful” in an online dictionary and it links you to this contemporary classic about a relationship that created fond memories but didn’t quite work out.
61. Collective Soul — “Run” — The most beautiful song ever written about being a bored teenager looking toward the future. Better than “Varsity Blues” deserved, and I kinda liked “Varsity Blues.”
Comments
Hall & Oates are amazing. Hopefully Rich Girl is somewhere on your list. And the Neko Case song is great. Boo on the Gwen Stefani and Collective Soul songs though. I think Collective Soul may be the most boring band on earth# Posted By Matt | 7/29/10 10:45 PM
More Hall & Oates on the list? Only time will tell … Well, to each their own. I think the Stefani and Collective Soul entries are fine pop songs. I am not a fan of Stefani’s career in general, but that’s a good tune. As for CS, I think their first four albums are great, and after that I can see where you’re coming from; they start to get in a rut on their 2000s albums. Still, they are a beloved band from my high school years, so I am attached to their early work.# Posted By John Hansen | 7/29/10 10:51 PM
i agree with your commentary on 70. also, Collective Soul influences me to think about Animal Collective. you should totally get the ’09 album, “Merriweather Post Pavilion”.# Posted By chance | 8/1/10 12:21 AM
I liked You Make My Dreams Come True from the scene in The Wedding Singer where they are wedding shopping, but it was great in 500 Days of Summer too.# Posted By Danielle | 8/1/10 6:44 PM
I knew “You Make My Dreams Come True” was a song before “(500) Days” but it didn’t know it was a great song until that movie. I know I’ve seen “The Wedding Singer” but I don’t remember that scene at all (or any other scene).# Posted By John Hansen | 8/1/10 10:37 PM
Well John, you clearly need to watch The Wedding Singer again. It’s got a great soundtrack…How Soon Is Now by The Smiths, Blue Monday by New Order …# Posted By Danielle | 8/3/10 9:48 PM
I should watch “The Wedding Singer” just to remember those long ago days when Adam Sandler made movies that didn’t suck.# Posted By John Hansen | 8/4/10 2:23 AM