Your ESSENTIAL 10

Let me just preface by saying this is in no way a list of top ten best songs, but the ones the evoke the strongest feelings or memories for me.

• "Subdivisions", Rush -- Because it so evokes the feel of growing up in one during the 80s like I did. The absolutely hellacious drumming by Neal Peart doesn't hurt either.
  
• "Dancing Queen", ABBA -- Because it's the first pop song I remember liking.
  
• "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh", Allan Sherman -- Because my dad was actually willing to part with it from his massive collection of 45s from the 50s and 60s and give it to me. It felt like a passing of the torch.
  
• "The Trial", Pink Floyd -- Because this was the song that got me over my initial disdain for Pink Floyd and got me to listen to The Wall, which then got me into the rest of their albums.
  
• "I Believe in Father Christmas", Greg Lake -- Because it never fails to get me in the Christmas spirit. A holiday season doesn't go by without it getting played at least a dozen times.
  
• "Veronica", Elvis Costello -- Because it reminds me of the first girl I was ever really in love with. She bought Spike right around the time we started dating and we played it constantly, but she always felt it weird that a song about a senile old lady reminded me of her.
  
• "I Wanna Be Like You", The Jungle Book -- Because when I was a kid we had this old album of Disney songs you could by at a Mobil or Phillips 76 or some other gas station, and I practically wore a hole in it playing this song so many times. It's a pretty vivid childhood memory.
  
• "Cars", Gary Numan -- Because it opened the floodgates to my obsession with 80s music. When I first heard it, it was completely unlike anything I was used to listening to.
  
• "Telstar", The Tornados -- Because it conjures up images of what it must have been like to live during the dawning of the Space Age, when the idea of a little ball of metal orbiting the earth was this amazing thing, and we all thought we'd be living on the moon by the 80s. It's a time I wish I had been old enough to live through.
  
• "Where the Streets Have No Name", U2 -- Because it was the song they opened their concert on the Joshua Tree tour with. I already liked the song before that, but this was the first concert I'd ever been to. The stadium lights went out, the opening chord of the song started, a red glow filled the stage, the band came on stage one by one, and by the time Bono kicked in with "I want to run", the crowd was in a frenzy. It was magical.

Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song. I could have put almost any Zeppelin song here, but decided on this one. My dad raised us on a very healthy Zep diet, and it's one of the first bands I really appreciated.

ZZ Top - Waitin' On The Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago. Yeah, people think of ZZ Top as the craptastic 80s pop shit, but their blues inspired stuff before and after the 80s is classic. This is probably the first song(s) I learned the lyrics too.

Stevie Ray Vaughn - Texas Flood. I remember being in the car with my mom when the news came across that SRV had died in the crash, and I cried. First, and I think only, celebrity death to actually evoke emotion from me. I can listen to Texas Flood all day long.

Underground Kingz - Diamonds and Wood. The best song from the best rap album ever, in my opinion. When this came out I was growing into my own person, finding new things in the world, and not just living off what my parents taught me. I spent many, many, many nights working on cars or cruising around the Westheimer drag listening to this track and having a lot of fun.

Faith No More - Land of Sunshine. This could be the whole of Angel Dust, but this song particular takes me back to when I lived in Toronto and had who thus far was the love of my life. I probably listened to this album damn near exclusively, except for the next album I'm listing, for an entire summer. Every time I listen to it now (which is at least twice a week) as soon as I hear the first note it's immediately bittersweet.

Tragically Hip - Wheat Kings. The ex introduced me to the Hip, and this song reminds me a lot of the time we spent together. Just a really sweet song that I think can bring out emotion in anyone listening.

Jimi Hendrix - Little Wing. After the high school sweet heart break up I spent a couple months just listening to music and doing nothing else. For whatever reason Little Wing became my favorite song during this period, but it actually didn't make me sad. It was very uplifting for me, and still is.

Nirvana - Territorial Pissings. I was a teen of the 90s, and that early/mid 90s era of music is still my favorite. My dad didn't jump on board at first, but once he listened to Territorial Pissings he was with me completely, and was opened to listening to all the great music coming out at the time.

Alice In Chains - Whale and Wasp. I like a lot more AIC songs just for hanging out and listening to, but I think Whale and Wasp is one of the most beautiful songs I've heard. And that it came from a group that was completely metal (unfairly called 'grunge' in my opinion) it just felt like a shock to the system.

Jethro Tull - Aqualung. I'm not a fan of Tull, like at all. But my brother, sister, and I would sing the shit out of Aqualung together. So many memories being in the back seat of my parent's car and it coming on and all of us singing it together. Just reminds me of being a kid again with my family close and happy.

Great topic. I have no idea where to start.

Soundgarden - "Black Hole Sun" & RHCP - "Under the Bridge": Those wonderful youthful days of taping music videos off of MTV.

Guns N' Roses - "Welcome to the Jungle": When I went to sleepaway camp one summer, this song got heavy rotation on my walkman, and I have a vivid memory of singing along to it while walking through the woods.

Pink Floyd - "Dark Side of the Moon": My brother put this album on our awesome stereo, turned off all the lights and we sat in complete darkness through the entire album when I was seven. This explains alot.

Weird Al Yankovic - "Off The Deep End" and REM - "Monster": Family car trips. Luckily, my parents were into cool music.

Mr. Big - "To Be with You": I can't believe this crap actually evokes my childhood home.

C & C Music Factory - "Gon' Make You Sweat" - I spent a summer with my cousins in Houston. This song will always remind me of that. Thankfully, I don't remind myself very often.

Jon Brion - "Here We Go": My wife and I fell in love over this song. Thank goodness my music taste is better now.

The Who - "Baba O'Riley" & The Beatles "A Day In The Life": In addition to being pretty much the best songs ever, they represent the many stages of my life that I've continued to listen to them. Some of the first music I ever remember hearing, as my dad had both albums on heavy rotation.

Richard Dickson, you stole my number one pick:

- Rush: 'Subdivisions': Richard nailed it perfectly. It's the first song that popped into my head when I saw this topic.
- Saga: 'On the Loose': It came out when I was really starting to get into music and has just stuck with me. GREAT song from an underrated band.
- Dream Theater: 'Metroplis Part 1': The first time that I really listened to 4 virtuoso musicians absolutely beat the crap out of their instruments. WOW.
- Alice in Chains: 'Down in a Hole': I could have written this.
- Robin Trower: 'Day of the Eagle': Just a monster song with great guitar work. Bridge of Sighs is such an awesome album.
- Stevie Ray Vaughan: 'Cold Shot': I lived in Houston when this album came out. This song was my intro to SRV and I became a huge fan. I saw him live 20 days before he died.
- Queensryche: 'Breaking the Silence': Just love it.
- Queen: 'Dead on Time': You've never heard it but it should have been a single from their 'Jazz' album. GREAT guitar work from Brian May.
- Van Halen: 'Light Up the Sky': Their best song that you've never heard. Once again, should have been a single from their VH2 album.
- The Cult: 'She Sells Sanctuary': Just love it.

1. Guest Informant – The Fall – impossible to pick a favourite fall track but I blame John Peel.

2. The fuses have been lit – PWEI - a musical homage to V for Vendetta from before it was even a graphic novel – a moving hymn to anarchy by the best band on earth.

3. Money for Nothing – Dire Straits – I remember being about 10 in my dad’s car when he turned this up to 11 one time. Probably the only song we both liked. Ever.

4. Lake Shore Driving – Duran Duran – This is the last track off what is probably their most hated/unknown album but I listened to this album again and again, the whole thing is a superb piece of work and I’ll always be a fan because of this album (there is a 30 second flute interlude I love but that would be far too pretentious to select) especially how it ends.

5. Open Up – Leftfield and Lydon – Never much cared for dance music before but suddenly I got it. Leftism changed me – bizarrely I can’t listen to it now.

6. Mars Needs women – Doof – Proper trance techno, my big 1st year university tune.

7. Jackie (aka La chanson de Jackie) – Scott Walker / Jacques Brel - also marc almond – I’d always known tune but when I started to listen to the words it just blew my mind – what the hell was going on. When I found out the original was from the 60s and in French and was even more wild I was totally hooked, You know you like a song when you learn it phonetically in another language.

8. Take on me – A-ha – the wife’s favourite song and so has gained new meaning for me. Not bad live too – I actually prefer Cry Wolf as a song.

9. I’ve been to marvellous party – Divine Comedy (Noel Coward) – An oddity truly but once heard never forgotten, it takes a practically unknown Coward piano composition about Wodehouse-ian parties and stamps a born-slippy 4/4 all over it.

10. Dog and Pony Show – Shellac – A token American selection steve albini’s use of analogue equipment and the heaviest vinyl on earth coupled with the most insidious guitar work – this song measurably increases stress and heart-rate. Crazy.

I'd probably have different list if you asked me tomorrow.

And here I thought that I was the only person who remembered this song. 'Cry Wolf' should have been a HUGE hit for them.

"The Sun Always Shines on TV" is Jupiter to "Take On Me"'s Pluto.

Yeah.. there are so many songs. This is just a list for today that are songs that I always seem to have in my head.

1) I could dream all day- The Posies- Really the perfect rock/pop song because it has always been a reminder of how I can escape reality.

2) Army of Me- Bjork- Everyone has a song that makes them feel like killing everyone in the room. For me, this is that song.

3) Stripsearch- Faith No More- To me this is the quintessential FNM song it has everything I love about the band

4) The Universal- Blur- Everything Damon does is brilliant, but this song just hits me every other year.

5) Same Song- Digital Underground- Its a fun hip hop song feat. Tupac. I just love the wordplay, it reminds me of timeless rap.

6) Traveling- Utada Hikaru- This brings back my love of japanese music, the fun and sometime dance that j-pop can bring and reminds me of my love of anime.

7) Skin of My Teeth- Megadeth- There are a lot of Megadeth songs that shred, but this song gets me everytime, I love the lyrics and always worth scaring the shit out of me when I drive.

8) Grey Cell Green- Ned's Atomic Dustbin- This song got me into "college" and "alternative" music for my highschool 1990's life. It still rocks today.

9) Firestarter- Beat Crusaders- Imagine if Beck was purely grunge and was Japanese, and you get one of the best Japanese rock bands around. This song gets me everytime.

10) Ooh Poo Pah Doo- Jesse Hill- My Dad always sang this song to me as a kid. I'll never forget it.

I like the 90's, man.

1. California From the record "The Poop Alley Tapes". - the Rentals:

An early demo of the song Barcelona, or what was retooled into Barcelona, is one of the more fuzz-laden Rental tunes, not featuring any Moog keyboards, yet still retains what made the Rentals one of my favorite bands. The drum tone is reminiscent of Steve Albini, and the lack of female backups set this as a unique snapshot of mid-90's heavy fuzz-rock.

2. Then Comes Dudley From the record "Goat". - The Jesus Lizard:

This is the lead track from their 3rd record, and arguably their best. The swirling bass and plodding drums make for a truly dark listening experience. Duane Denisons lead and riffing make up one of the more signature guitar tones and techniques to emerge from the 90's. Nobody sounds like these guys, and that's the way I think it'll always be.

3. Tequila Sundae From the record "Saturation". - Urge Overkill:

Tequila Sundae has to be one of the better arena rock riff-tunes of the 90's. This is one of the songs that bleed heavily from Blackie Onasis' drumming, if it is indeed his shit on that record. The "beyoooooooom" sound effect during the chorus is wicked too.

4. No One Else From the record "weezer". - weezer:

One of the few songs I used to sing in my band back in the glory days. I think this song really epitomizes what made weezer work until their 4th album. Simple 4X4 beats, all downstroke's and it makes you want to bob your head back and forth. Great song by a used-to-be-great band.

5. Hyperspace From the record "The Proximity Effect". - Nada Surf:

The smooth, almost childlike vocals all the way to the glockenspiel, this is by far the best song Nada Surf ever penned. The guitar layers, the tones, the drum playing are all executed masterfully, and this is the one song they should be remembered for, even if nobody has heard it.

6. Last Stop: This Town From the record "electro-Shock Blues". - eels:

Can you spot me a song that sounds as unique as this? this is a one of a kind tune that should have been a much bigger hit. When this was released, I heard it with a friend and he said that it sounded like the Carnival from Hell. i just think it sounds like Beck if Beck weren't so Becky.

7. Move Along From the record "Move Along". - All American Rejects:

Hate them all you want, but Ritter has one fuck of a vocal range, I have a serious man-crush on him, and he's a good bass player to boot! A great song by a mediocre band. and the drummage during the second verse is mind boggling.

8. The Afternoon - Forever Afternoon (Tuesday) - Time To Get Away From the record "Days of Future passed". - The Moody Blues:

I picked this one over Nights in White Satin due to the quirky, from left field chorus. This is a masterpiece, and when I spoke of this whole album with my Dad, he told me that when they hit the scene, everybody was like "these guys have all the answers, maaaaaaan". Love it. The opening with the keyboard and acoustic guitar really set the mood. As a concept album, I wish they had started the thing with this, instead of burying it toward the end, along with NIWS.

9. Loudmouth From the record "Ramones". - Ramones:

My fave Ramones tune, by far. Simple lyrics, simple beat, simple chords, and if you don't have sharp ears, you believe it's Blitzkreig bop for about 3 seconds until the third chord. Either way, it's a steamroller of a song. I suggest finding the footage of the Ramones playing it in their loft back in '76.

10. Scentless Apprentice From the record "In Utero". - Nirvana:

One of my favorite drum beats, one of the first drum beats I mastered, and the bass, much like Then Comes Dudley (another Albini-produced gem) swirls like a bad acid trip. I highly recommend listening to the demo included on the With the Light's out set, as you can hear the song being birthed from out of the air like fucking magic.

Ah, I haven't heard this song in ages. Thanks for the link!

1) Led Zeppelin, "When The Levee Breaks" - I liked Zeppelin, but hearing this song for the first time on headphones blew my mind. Because of this song, I asked for and got a drumset for Christmas. I'm still a sucker for nearly any song with a gigantic drum sound.

2) Rolling Stones, "Loving Cup" - I bought Exile on Main Street in high school, but didn't really get into it until college. This song still cheers me up every time I hear it.

3) The Jayhawks, "Blue" - my obligatory "reminds me of a chick" song.

4) Digital Underground "Gutfest '89" - Sex Packets was the first rap cassette (!!) I bought. A wise choice, I think.

5) Funkadelic, "Super Stoopid" - All of Maggot Brain, really.

6) Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, "Ditch" - Another college memory.

7) Bob Dylan, "Visions of Johanna" - While in high school, I visited my Dad, and revealed to him that I'd never heard Blonde on Blonde, which is pretty much blasphemy as far as my dad is concerned. He played me this, and I was hooked.

8) Led Zeppelin, "Stairway to Heaven" - I was really young when I heard this the first time, and I was somewhat stunned. I asked my Mom, "What is that?" With a sigh, my Mom said, " 'Stairway to Heaven.' " I said, "Wow, I don't think I've ever heard that before." My mom said, "Don't worry, you'll hear it a billion times before you die." I was introduced to Led Zeppelin and my mom's cynical streak at the exact same time.

9) MC5, "Skunk" - I love High Time . . . to me, it's as close to an American Who album as you can get. This song is the album closer, and always gets me pumped when I hear it.

10) Built to Spill, "Carry The Zero" - For about a year, I lived in Clarksville, TN, and Keep It Like A Secret was the CD that kept me sane.

In somewhat chonological order...

iTunes links for those that want 'em!

1. Prince – “Computer Blue”: This could be one of thirty different songs as Prince was kind of like the fifth Jochman in our home.

2. Traveling Wilburys – “End of the Line”: As a middle-schooler I’d run home from school and sing my heart out to this tape while reading comics.

3. Spike Jones – “My Old Flame”: My dad and I would laugh our asses off listening to his old record collection and then go watch reruns of Mister Ed.

4. Queen – “Body Language”: For our last day of 7th grade class we were supposed to bring in our favorite song as a show-and-tell. This would have been it. Unfortunately, every fucking guy brought in “Pour Some Sugar on Me” and the teacher played the damn thing at least 5 times that hour. The class ran out of time and, in retrospect, thank god this wasn’t played. Growing up with Prince, I didn’t really have a concept of what some might consider “inappropriate” lyrics. Annnd…it’s not really that great of a song.

5. Bon Jovi – “Lay Your Hands on Me”: Shortly after buying my first stereo, I put the speakers on opposite sides of my tiny bedroom and was stunned by the intro’s acoustical gymnastics.

6. White Zombie – “Thunderkiss ‘65”: A free demo tape of this song found at a comic store started my metal/rock phase…and my first stiff neck from headbanging.

7. Sting – “I Was Brought to My Senses”: Ah, unrequited love…

8. Franz Schubert – “Ave Maria”: Not knowing what the song was called, except “beautiful”, I put this on a mixed CD for myself that would make me cry because I was so alone. About four years later my wife walked down the aisle to a string quartet-only version of this song. *welling up as I type this *

9. Bob Schneider – “Big Blue Sea”: Heard this song for the first time back in Wisconsin, which led to becoming fans of Bob and subsequently Austin, TX (where Bob is based out of ) , which started the idea of moving across the country.

10. Tom Petty – “Christmas All Over Again”: Best holiday song. Ever.

You DO know that you would have gotten your ass kicked, right?

Nice! I remember sneaking in to my sister's bedroom to Led Zepplin IV, especially for that song. Oh, and I hear ya on the "Blue", except the equally fantastic version by The Thorns.

Levee Breaks could have easily been my Zeppelin song. It's my mom's absolute favorite, and I still hear it anytime I get in the car with her. Great pick.

Great choice on Computer Blue as well. One of my favorite songs, but nowhere near the Top 10 as this list is meant to reflect.

Shit, there would be a line out the door, ending with my parents holding a suspension slip. Narrowly averted disaster, I tell you.


Memory-wise for me, it is, but I'd agree with the Top 10 Prince bit. I'm not sure quite where to start with that guy's catalog.

Crikey, I find myself crossing over slightly with a couple of folks here, so I've discounted Money for Nothing and Territorial Pissings. Also: Ned's Atomic Dustbin, cor! This isn't even close to being my favourite 10 songs ever but it's chronological y'all and it goes a little something like this:

1. Nowhere Man - The Beatles

I caught Yellow Submarine on TV sometime in the early 80s and immediately wanted to own whichever Beatles album this was on and so went record shopping with my Grandfather the next Saturday. I didn't even get Rubber Soul in the end, it was a cassette of the Rock and Roll Music album that had random songs from throughout their career on. None of which were Nowhere Man. It was still good, mind! I don't really listen to The Beatles at all any more but it's as good an entry point into music as any.

2. No Sleep Till Brooklyn - Beastie Boys

It is 1987, the Beastie Boys were being banned from venues up and down the country, every Volkswagon in town was badgeless and Licensed to Ill was the cool album to own amongst discerning 11-year olds. Got me into the hop that is hip.

3. I Wanna Be Adored - The Stone Roses

It's 1990 - baggy has taken over and I'm at my fist ever proper concert with my friend and his older brother. It's the Stone Roses. They're beyond terrible live - or at least the singing is - but I'm not to know that at the time.

4. Spacemen 3 - Revolution

They weren't really shoegaze, but these along with the likes of Ride, Swervedriver and MBV were pretty much when I realised there was another side of rock music beyond what got into the charts. A world of 10" vinyl, feedback, The Velvet Underground, drugs and cool-ass Band T-Shirts. Plus, this song is fucking great.

5. Sonic Youth - Sugar Kane

Grunge happens! It could equally have been Teen Spirit, Touch Me, I'm Sick or Pretend We're Dead but I've gone for this. It was the first song of theirs I heard and it started a lifelong love affair with the band and indie rock in general. I'd just learned to drive at the time and had the most kick-ass C90 of music to drive to, like, ever and this was side 1, track 1!

6. New Face in Hell - The Fall

Like mr_adam up there, I find it hard to pick one Fall song, so again I'll go for the first one I heard. I was aware of the Fall and knew two things about them: John Peel liked them and all the songs sounded the same. I heard this on late night radio at some point in my teens and thought, "well if it all sounds like this, they're the best band ever." An even better discovery was that all the songs didn't sound the same and they were still the best band ever.

7. Impact (the Earth is Burning) - Orbital

My first music festival was Glastonbury in '94. I wasn't into any of that dance rubbish (outside of the KLF but that's a whole other story) at the time but I think I had the choice of James on one stage and Orbital on the other and I really really hated James. Mind. Blown. Whole new worlds of music and fun things to do while listening to it were opened.

8. Daft Punk - Rollin' & Scratchin'

To this day, the greatest experience I've ever had with live music was watching two anonymous Frenchmen playing with 4 decks and a drum machine in a tent on a disused airstrip in rural Scotland. It was also the time I was clubbing a lot and going to raves in disused railway arches and such till far too long into the night. This song also doubles as the hilarious choice to put on the jukebox in my local rock bar, or at least it did until the manager took the CD out a month or so ago.

9. Wire - Ex Lion Tamer

I was quite a latecomer to actual original punk/post punk stuff beyond the obvious (Sex Pistols, Joy Division) but got into it in a big way once I discovered it all. Anyway, this song works for me in a couple of ways. Firstly, I remember hearing it on MTV in the 80s but not having a clue who it was by or what any of the lyrics actually were, so I was surprised to find it sitting right there at track 4 on Pink Flag the first time I put it in the CD player. Secondly, I was long past the age where I could have been an ice-cool rock star by the time I got round to picking up a guitar and learning how to play it. Anyway, after learning a few chords, having it sound completely awful and then going out to the music shop to buy a guitar tuner and trying the same chords again. I found that if you played that chord, then that chord, then these other two chords it sounded a bit like the riff from Ex-Lion Tamer! I'd learned how to play a song. Sort of. Chuffed to bits I was!

10. Ballboy - Sex is Boring

10 already, damn. I struggled with what to put here, whether my girlfriend's favourite song (Holiday in Cambodia, fact fans!), a funny one, a funky one, the best cover version ever or one that reminded me of that great summer that time. In the end I went for this because it's probably my favourite song ever.

Or at least it is today.

It's too hard to narrow this down to ten, so I'll go with songs from my early life, in no real order.

Karma Chameleon/ The Culture Club: This is the first song I ever remember asking my mother to play that wasn't a Seasame Street or Muppet record.

Santa Clause is Coming to Town/ Bruce Springstein and the E Street Band: This was the first record I ever owned that wasn't a Star Wars read-along. My parents had to make a rule that I couldn't play it any month but December,

Homeless/ Ladysmith Black Mambazo: Paul Simon's Graceland was one of three albums that played consistently in the car when I was in elementary school. Homeless was my favorite, and my introduction to music outside of the pop arena (except for traditional Mexican music, which played everywhere in Tucson)

Ave Maria/ Stevie Wonder: My favorite Christmas album (other then the Boss') was A Motown Christmas.

Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner/ Warren Zevon: Warren Zevon's greatest hits got a huge workout in the car, and this track was my favorite because it told a story.

Tweeter and the Monkey Man/ Traveling Wilburys: I loved the whole album, but again, this song told a story (and it made me want to look back at Bob Dylan's music at a pretty young age, which led to 'classic rock' becoming my favorite brand of music).

Bust a Move/ Young M.C.: Young M.C.'s 'Stone Cold Rhymin'' was the first hip-hop album my mother let my buy because Newsweek said it was harmless. It's still one of my favs.

Can't Truss It/ Public Enemy: After my mother finally relaxed her content restrictions I was able to get a Public Enemy album, and Can't Truss It was a better history lesson then I got in school. Apocalypse 91 actually shaped my political views for the rest of my life.

Bring the Noize/ Anthrax and Public Enemey: My first heavy metal song, and the one that got the most play on the album. Soon after I was discovering Metalica, Megadeth, and Sepultura.

Mary Jane's Last Dance/ Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: I had always liked Petty, but when this song hit I ended up spending a lot of my time and money with the Heartbreakers, and today I still consider them my favorite band.

(special bonus because I wasn't counting to ten correctly) Salvation/ Rancid: Seeing the video for Salvation on The Box was my first real hook into punk, which colored the rest of my highschool experience.

Here's where I get outed for my very mainstream music taste. Most of the songs that come to mind are late eighties to mid nineties. I'm sure this is true for the rest of you, at least half this list will be different tomorrow.

Led Zeppelin, "Babe I'm gonna leave you" I was on a solo road trip when I heard this for the first time, and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

Metalica, "The Unforgiven" the black album hit when I first became a teen and it was just what the doctor ordered.

The Beatles, "Hey Jude" Absolutely my favorite song of all time. This one has so many good memories attached.

Bon Jovi, "Wanted Dead or Alive" it just seemed so cool, love every second of it.

Steve Earle, "Copperhead Road" this still gets regular rotation on the local rock station. It's just one of those songs that's seems omnipresent in my life.

Eminem, "One shot" gets me pumped like few others

Queen, "Who wants to live forever?" I was Highlander nerd(even the TV show) and this was sad enough for the emo teenager in me to love it.

Radiohead, "Creep" see above emo teenager explanation.

Tom Petty "Mary Jane's Last Dance" I've always liked Tom Petty and this is my favorite of his.

Headstones cover of "Tweeter and the Monkey Man" Once again strong teenage association

Honorable mention to the Once soundtrack I love it love it love it.

I would kill for that song to bring memories to me like you got. My dad hated Prince, and just in the past couple years has my mom admitted to liking him all along. I probably first listened to Prince with an open mind around 2000 (I was class of 1999 so all through high school I hated him) and Computer Blue became my instant favorite. Prince always just gives the memory of "I was probably having a good time listening to it."

Considering you grew up with it, I can guess your favorite memory to it is friendo.

'Highlander' nerd here too. That movie got me into the band Queen in a major way, even if that album (A Kind of Magic) is a fairly weak entry in their catalog of music.

Oh man, some of the lyrics are terrible, but the production is wonderful. Dust Brothers and Flea on bass! 'Non Stop' is probably my fav. It's got this Morricone-esque harmonica on it. Awesome.

Silver lining, my friend? You probably haven't seen your drunken parents dance to "Erotic City", much less within recent history. Sure, it's more like my dad playing the part of "pole" while my 60 year old mom dances around him, but still...

Following Fabulous' excellent post, I'll do mine:

1- Host of Seraphim by Dead Can Dance from The Serpent's Egg

2- True Faith by New Order from Substance

3- Straight to You by Nick Cave from Henry's Dream

4- Solitary by VNV Nation from Praise The Fallen

5-Mistaken by The National from Boxer

6- I'll Believe in Anything by Wolf Parade from Apologies to the Queen Mary

7- Black Celebration by Depeche Mode from Black Celebration

8- Olsen Olsen by Sigur Ros from Agaetis Byrgun

9- Sin by Nine Inch Nails from Pretty Hate Machine

10- Running Up That Hill by Kate Bush from Hounds of Love

I Heart Jeremy Jochman

not exactly listened at my earlier years...

(I'm omitting lots of Latino rock).

live takes...

• An hymn. Take me out please.
  
• The former goes solo. I forgive you.
• and grow up!
• Some dudes talks about drugs and stuff [inside a Banana].
  
• The hot drummer and Jack. My only hope.
  
• Hallelujah & Bad Seeds.
  
• John Frusciante and some dudes.

You have great taste. And I can't believe MTV ever played a Wire video...