I’m a hyper-station switcher when it comes to listening to music on the radio. It’s not that I have attention deficit disorder, I’ve just been listening to music for a long time so I’ve heard a lot songs. This means that even though a song might be on the Rolling Stone Top 500, I’ve heard it 500 times and can’t stand to listen to it 501. Other songs though, no matter how many times I hear them, I don’t turn off. They are a notch higher TO ME. I don’t get sick of them by over listening to them and there is some meaning in the songs that interests me more than your typical catchy chorus tune. This list will go over a few that pop up in my mind of songs I never switch.
The Songs
Tears For Fears – Everybody Want To Rule The World
I would assume almost everyone has heard this song especially since Lorde did a cover of it for the Hunger Games. Needless to say, covers don’t compare to the original. The opening notes sound like you are entering the world which is probably what TFF was going for with the opening line “welcome to your life.” This song is about the quest for power, and how it can have unfortunate consequences. Says producer Chris Hughes, ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ was so simple and went down so quickly, it was effortless, really. In fact, as a piece of recording history, it’s bland as hell,”
REM – Nightswimming
The tempo of this song is what gets me. Sources say it’s about a group of friends who go skinny dipping at night, which draws from similar experiences in the band’s early days. However, front-man Michael Stipe has denied that that is the topic of the song; rather, Stipe says the song is about a “kind of an innocence that’s either kind of desperately clung onto or obviously lost.
Nightswimming deserves a quiet night
I’m not sure all these people understand
It’s not like years ago
The fear of getting caught
The recklessness in water
They cannot see me naked
These things they go away
Replaced by every day
The Postal Service – Nothing Better
The back and forth between boy and girl in this song is what sets it apart. Postal service drops an electronic beat which gives the song a cold feeling and that’s exactly what the song is going for. The guy is looking to get the girl back and the girl is saying to fuck off. The guys idea of there could be Nothing Better is not shown through his actions which the girl appropriately points out. I believe this song could be the theme song to many relationships.
Jackson Browne – Running On Empty
A huge song that gained even further popularity after its appearance in Forrest Gump. Its about the journey of life and every single person can relate to it. I will never get tired of this set of lines because it is the sheer definition of empathy.
Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels
I don’t know how to tell you all just how crazy this life feels
I look around for the friends that I used to turn to to pull me through
Looking into their eyes I see them running too
Bruce Hornsby and the Range – Mandolin Rain
A wizard on the piano. The album The Way It Is doesn’t get nearly enough respect. This song is about a guy losing his girl and the sadness he feels. He sings it about it in each verse but I think it’s the piano that makes this song. I rarely change Bruce number 2 when his songs play.
Talking Heads – Road To Nowhere
I was first struck by this song in New Zealand bar. It was playing as a music video and I knew I had heard the song before but couldn’t place it. Once I pinpointed it, it became one of my favorite Talking Heads song. I like the premise of a Road To Nowhere because I think that’s where everyone is headed they just don’t know it. David Byrne seems to think that he knows where he’s going, and it’s a road to nowhere and journey is wonderful.
Don’t want to speak on another’s behalf, but I believe Road to Nowhere is a Gourlay favorite.
For Tom, not Sam….