Your favorite songs of all time.
 

As the title says. I'm surprised there has never been a topic like this here before. Fire away with your own picks. I don't think this encompasses classical music, as classical pieces aren't "songs", but you choose whatever genres float your boat.

For me, as a child of the '80s, many of my all-time faves are from that synth-happy decade. And, as a Canadian, I love much of the music produced in this country in the eighties. I'll limit my list to stuff that is more or less relatively obscure, omitting mention, other than herewith, of stuff I love such as "Born to Run", "Under Pressure", "American Girl", et al. I'll also limit my selections to ones that can be found on Youtube.

The best of the best even after all these years, a transcendentally moving anthem: Tom Cochrane's "The Boy Inside the Man"

Others, in no particular order:

Bob Seger's "The Fire Inside" - There aren't many catchier, more rousing tunes than this.

Bob Dylan's "Series of Dreams" - Lanois-produced, and denser and more aurally powerful than anything Dylan has done, this is an outtake (?!) from his Oh Mercy album..

Fleetwood Mac's "Bleed to Love Her" - Simply beautiful, beautifully simple.

Corey Hart's "Never Surrender" - Don't laugh, this song kicks ass. Hart may have had the image of a lightweight dreamboat for teen girls, but he made some great music. This is probably his best.

Glass Tiger's "Diamond Sun" - Like Corey Hart, these guys are considered vacuous and minor as "artistes", but they made some good music. This is their best.

Eddie Schwartz's "Special Girl" - Simply classic ballad.

Bruce Springsteen's "Brothers Under the Bridges" - Outtake from "Born in the U.S.A.". One of his very best.

Donovan's "Catch the Wind" - One of the loveliest of folk songs.

Joe Cocker's "Edge of a Dream" - High-voltage pop.

Bruce Cockburn's "Down Here Tonight" - I wanted to also post the Brucester's great "Call it Democracy" off the same album, but Youtube must've taken it down due to profanity or politics. Two other 4-star Cockburn favorites of mine, "When You Give it Away" and "Don't Feel Your Touch", are also not posted at Youtube.

Barry McGuire's "Eve of Destruction"

Cat Stevens's "Tuesday's Dead" - Music doesn't get much more celebratory than this.

It has been done before, but not in a while:

<img src="http://images.dvdtalk.com/images/statusicon/thread.gif"> <a href="http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=343868">List your top 3 favorite songs</a>

<img src="http://images.dvdtalk.com/images/statusicon/thread_lock.gif"> <a href="http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=271856">Your top 10 favorite songs ever! [2003] </a>

<img src="http://images.dvdtalk.com/images/statusicon/thread.gif"> <a href="http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=406550">Your #1 favorite 80's song [merged]</a>

<img src="http://images.dvdtalk.com/images/statusicon/thread.gif"> <a href="http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=410942">Your #1 favorite 90's song</a>

Now, to answer an unanswerable question:

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah — "Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth"
The Russian Futurists — "A Mind's Dying Verse (You and the Wine)"
Magnetic Fields — "Reno Dakota"
Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash — "Girl from the North Country"
Sparks — "Angst in My Pants"
Junior Boys — "In the Morning"
Tocotronic vs. Console — "Freiburg v3.0"
Trembling Blue Stars — "Sometimes I Feel the Bruise"
Le Tigre — "Deceptacon"
Shins — "Turn On Me"
Islands — "Swans (Life After Death)"
Broken Social Scene — "Stars and Sons"
LCD Soundsystem — "All My Friends"
Amadou & Mariam — "Politic Amagni"
Arcade Fire — "(Antichrist Television Blues)"
Tinariwen — "Matadjem Yinmixan"
The Brand New Heavies & the Pharcyde — "Soul Flower"
M.I.A. — "Paper Planes"
Roy Orbison — "It's Over"
Bill Withers — "Use Me"

Before you go crazy on me, I know a lot of these songs are recent. I pulled these off recent mix CDs I've made, otherwise this would take me two days to figure out.

A few off the top of my head. A comprehensive (and more valid) list seems impossible to me right now.

Actually, nevermind. I can't. I'd have an easier time picking bands I love than songs. Danzig is one of my favorite artists of all-time, but I'll be damned if I can pick one song that I prefer over all the others.

I have a soft spot for "Her Black Wings."

Radiohead - Paranoid Android

Sorry, I did a search and found nothing. Guess I didn't go back far enough. I wonder why that "Top 10 Favorite" was closed; nothing controversial going on there.

Beatles - A Day In The Life
Phish - You Enjoy Myself
Naive Melody - Talking Heads
Do You Realize - Flaming Lips

Too many to name.

a few off the top of my head:

Foo Fighters - Everlong
Pulp - Disco 2000
Everly Brothers - Unchained Melody
Elvis Presley - Return to Sender (sure it's one of his lesser songs but catchy as hell)
Pearl Jam - Black
Jimmy Eat World - 23

Thunder Road by Bruce
Jesus of Suburbia -- Green Day
A Pirate looks at 40 -- Jimmy Buffett
Hey Girl -- OAR
The Dance by Garth Brooks
Incident on 57th St -- Bruce

"Faded" - the Afghan Whigs
"Nada" - the Refreshments

A few or more that i'm thinking of:

Kiss - Lick It Up
AC/DC - Let's Make It
Loudness - Crazy Nights
Iron Maiden - Wasted Years
Bon Jovi - Only Lonely
Black Sabbath - Zero The Hero
Billy Joel - Allentown
Bad Company - How About That
Autograph - Turn Up The Radio
April Wine - Enough Is Enough
Kim Mitchell - Go For Soda
Alice In Chains - Down In A Hole
Alice Cooper - Crawlin'
Alannah Myles - Love Is
Europe - I'll Cry For You
Eurythmics - Missionary Man
Def Leppard - God's Of War
Deep Purple - Call Of The Wild
Dio - Straight Through The Heart
Dokken - Heaven Sent
Aerosmith - Lightning Strikes
Donnie Iris - Do You Compute?
The Doors - Riders On The Storm
Dream Theater - Pull Me Under
Eddie Money - We Should Be Sleeping
Firehouse - Sleeping With You
Elvis Presley - Suspicious Minds
Eric Clapton - Something's Happening
Extreme - Am I Ever Gonna Change
Fee Waybill - Saved My Life
Fight - Little Crazy
Foreigner - Heart Turns To Stone
Fuel - Million Miles
Joe Cocker - When The Night Comes
Joe Satriani - Lifestyle
Joe Walsh - The Confessor
Journey - Girl Can't Help It
Judas Priest - Heavy Metal
Krokus - Screaming In The Night
Led Zeppelin - Going To California
Level 42 - Something About You
Loverboy - Lucky One's
Marilyn Manson - Mobscene
Mark Morrison - Return Of The Mack
MSG -Anytime
Megadeth - Angry Again
Metal Church - Start The Fire
Metallica - Through The Never
Motley Crue - Sticky Sweet
Motorhead - Love Can't Buy You Money
Michael Bolton - Everybody's Crazy
Mr. Mister - Broken Wings
Nickelback - Photograph
Night Ranger - When You Close Your Eyes
Ozzy Osbourne - Shot In The Dark
Pantera - 5 Minutes Alone
Phil Collins - Sussudio
Pink Floyd - Have A Cigar
Poison - Look What The Cat Dragged In
Police - When The World Is Running Down
Prince - I Would Die 4 You
Queen - Radio Ga Ga
Quiet Riot - Red Alert
Ratt - Lay It Down
Rush - 2112
Slaughter - Reach For The Sky
Sammy Hagar - Baby's On Fire
Scorpions - This Time
Stone Temple Pilots - Dead And Bloated
Stryper - Always There For You
Ted Nugent - Tied Up In Love
Twisted Sister - Like A Knife In The Back
Van Halen - Summer Nights
Vince Neil - Sister Of Pain
Winger - In My Veins
Y & T - Summertime Girls
ZZ Top - Stages
38 Special - Chain Lightnin'
Sam Kinison - Wildthing

some of you might want to plug your ears
Slayer 'Raining Blood'
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Hatebreed 'Doomsayer'
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As Blood Runs Black 'My Fears Have Become Phobias'
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Lamb of God 'Vigil'
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Don Mclean 'American Pie'
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the Doors 'Break on Through'
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Iron Maiden 'Number of the Beast'
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Pantera 'Fuckin Hostile'
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Walls of Jericho 'The Haunted'
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and finally (for now)
Nightwish 'Nemo'
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Just a few that sprang to mind, but in no way a definitive list:

The Pixies- "Wave of Mutilation" (the slow, surf rock recording)
David Bowie- "Moonage Daydream"
Nick Cave- "The Ship Song"
Pink Floyd- "Welcome to the Machine"
Donovan- "Hurdy Gurdy Man" (although Zodiac forever changed how I'll hear this song)
Danzig- "Sistinas"
Del Shannon- "Runaway"
Bjork- "Human Behaviour"
The Platters- "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"
Creedence- "Run Through The Jungle"

Tool - Lateralus
Tool - Disposition/Reflection/Triad
Tool - Rosetta Stoned
Pink Floyd - Time
Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
Pink Floyd - Dogs
Pink Floyd - Sheep
Pink Floyd - Pigs
Pink Floyd - Us and Them
Pink Floyd - Mother
Nine Inch Nails - Mr. Self Destruct
Nine Inch Nails - Gave Up
Nine Inch Nails - Wish
Nine Inch Nails - Suck
The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever
The Beatles - Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
The Beatles - Revolution
The Beatles - Come Together
The Beatles - I Am The Walrus
Led Zeppelin - No Quarter
Led Zeppelin - Heartbreaker
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Parallel Universe
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Mary Jane's Last Dance
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - Refugee
Johnny Cash - Cocaine Blues
Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire
Metallica - Disposable Heroes
Guns N Roses - It's So Easy
Guns N Roses - My Michelle
Guns N Roses - Rocket Queen
Rolling Stones - Honkey Tonk Women
Rolling Stones - Paint It Black
Stone Temple Pilots - Sex Type Thing

:up: :up: I should've included this one.

Here's a case where the album version is OK but an alternate version is awesome.



To date, I still get goosebumps listening to this.

Just like this is, in my opinion, the definitive version of "I Might Be Wrong":

Ten Years After-I'd Love To Change The World
Emerson, Lake & Palmer-From The Beginning
Rod Stewart-Reason To Believe
Frijid Pink-House Of The Rising Sun
Led Zeppelin-Over The Hills And Far Away
McCartney-Another Day
George Harrison-What Is Life
Grassroots-Live For Today
Sam Cooke-We're Having A Party
Mott The Hoople-Ready For Love
Bowie-Panic In Detroit
Nazareth-Loved And Lost
Alice Cooper-Hard Hearted Alice
Rolling Stones-Dancing With Mr. D
I Count The Tears-Drifters
Timothy-The Bouys
The Story In Your Eyes-Moody Blues
Racing in The Streets-Springsteen
What If I Came Knocking-Mellencamp

and a zillion others

Alice in Chains - Nutshell

Some other favorites of mine:
Another Animal - Broken Again
The Sword - Freya
Buckethead - Soothsayer
Massive Attack - Dissolved Girl
Rammstein - too many to mention

Some of mine.....

Bob Dylan---Like a Rolling Stone
The Who----Substitute
Rolling Stones---Paint it Black
David Bowie---Space Oddity
The Jam---This is the Modern World
The Clash---Safe European Home
Sex Pistols---God Save the Queen
The Slits---Typical Girl
The Smiths---Bigmouth Strikes Again
Fine Young Cannibals---Johnny Come Home
Husker Du----Don't Wanna Know if You're Lonely
REM----South Central Rain
U2---A Celebration
The Cure---Fascination Street
Echo and the Bunnymen---Bring on the Dancing Horses
Simple Minds---New Gold Dream
Big Country----Flame of the West
The Police---Message in a Bottle
Wall of Voodoo---Call of the West
Bruce Springsteen---Atlantic City

George Harrison - My Sweet Lord
The Beatles - While My Guitar Gently Weeps
The Who - Love Reign O'er Me
Radiohead - Street Spirit (Fade Out)
The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
Matthew Wilder - Break My Stride
Tears for Fears - Head Over Heels
Pavement - Cut Your Hair
Gorillaz - Don't Get Lost in Heaven/Demon Days
Bush - Letting the Cables Sleep
MIA - Galang
Daft Punk - Da Funk
Pink Floyd - Brain Damage
Pearl Jam - Black
Queens of the Stone Age - Mosquito Song
Outkast - BOB
Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
of Montreal - Disconnect the Dots
REM - Losing My Religion
Kasabian - LSF (Lost Souls Forever)
Calexico - Black Heart
Pixies - Bone Machine

ok, that's enough

"Little Wing" - all versions(Hendrix, SRV, Sting, Monte Montgomery)

and Clapton

I would have to write a book to fill in my all-time favorite songs.

Because everyday there is music that I still have not listen to yet that may become a all-time fav in my book.

One of my favorite songs of all time is Man on the Silver Mountain, originally by Rainbow.

Here's Rainbow with Dio (and the late Cozy Powell)
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Here's Dio preforming it on his first solo tour;
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Here's a great cover version by Hammerfall. Unfortunately, this was the only version I could find.

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