Archive for the ‘Rankings’ Category

My favorite songs from 1995

Posted: March 6, 2018 in Rankings
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This was the year I was with my first serious girlfriend from the beginning to the end, from mid-94 through towards the end of ’96. She and I were both really into music and there were a lot of car trips/commutes when we listened to the radio. I remember buying Alanis Morissette’s CD and being surprised at just how amazing it was. This was also the year when I decided Collective Soul was one of my favorite bands, period. The World I Know really struck a chord. The Smashing Pumpkins double CD will always remind me of those times with my girlfriend, and Wonderwall (Oasis) and Alanis will always remind me of New Years ’96 into ’97…which means they were with me for more than a full year.

Longer term, Radiohead and The Tea Party grew on me. I liked them and these songs in ’95, but loved them even more over time. The two 311 songs will remind me of visits to my sister in London, Ontario…notably when my car broke down on the way past London to visit another friend!

Unlike most rankings, I haven’t been simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because we can all agree that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow – if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment and I start singing along. So I group them instead of presenting a hard-and-fast order:

Awesome
Great
Pretty Good
Not Bad
…with some inter-group splitting.

Awesome – 1 – You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette
Awesome – 1 – The World I Know – Collective Soul
Awesome – 1 – Brain Stew/Jaded – Green Day
Awesome – 1 – Geek Stink Breath – Green Day
Awesome – 1 – Wonderwall – Oasis
Awesome – 1 – Fake Plastic Trees – Radiohead
Awesome – 1 – Bullet With Butterfly Wings – Smashing Pumpkins
Awesome – 1 – Muzzle – Smashing Pumpkins
Awesome – 1 – Fire In the Head – The Tea Party
Awesome – 10 – Head Over Feet – Alanis Morissette
Awesome – 10 – Don’t Speak – No Doubt
Awesome – 10 – High And Dry – Radiohead
Awesome – 10 – Just – Radiohead
Awesome – 10 – Time Bomb – Rancid
Awesome – 10 – Ruby Soho – Rancid
Awesome – 10 – Zero – Smashing Pumpkins
Awesome – 10 – Lump – The Presidents of the United States of America
Great – 18 – Hand In My Pocket – Alanis Morissette
Great – 18 – Big Me – Foo Fighters
Great – 18 – Brat – Green Day
Great – 18 – Walking Contradiction – Green Day
Great – 18 – I Got Id – Pearl Jam
Great – 18 – Truth Untold – The Odds
Great – 18 – The Bazaar – The Tea Party
Great – 18 – Sister Awake – The Tea Party
Great – 26 – Down – 311
Great – 26 – All Mixed Up – 311
Great – 26 – Ironic – Alanis Morissette
Great – 26 – You Learn – Alanis Morissette
Great – 26 – All I Really Want – Alanis Morissette
Great – 26 – Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Deep Blue Something
Great – 26 – You Were Meant For Me – Jewel
Great – 26 – Champagne Supernova – Oasis
Great – 26 – Cumbersome – Seven Mary Three
Great – 26 – We Only Come Out At Night – Smashing Pumpkins
Great – 26 – Misery – Soul Asylum
Great – 26 – Promises Broken – Soul Asylum
Great – 26 – Name – The Goo Goo Dolls
Great – 26 – Eat My Brain – The Odds
Great – 26 – Peaches – The Presidents of the United States of America
Pretty Good – 41 – Good – Better Than Ezra
Pretty Good – 41 – Country House – Blur
Pretty Good – 41 – December – Collective Soul
Pretty Good – 41 – Gel – Collective Soul
Pretty Good – 41 – Stupid Girl – Garbage
Pretty Good – 41 – Who Will Save Your Soul – Jewel
Pretty Good – 41 – Foolish Games – Jewel
Pretty Good – 41 – Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) – Marilyn Manson
Pretty Good – 41 – They Don’t Care About Us – Michael Jackson
Pretty Good – 41 – Spiderwebs – No Doubt
Pretty Good – 41 – Boombastic – Shaggy
Pretty Good – 52 – Burn One Down – Ben Harper
Pretty Good – 52 – Gangsta’s Paradise – Coolio
Pretty Good – 52 – Hey Man Nice Shot – Filter
Pretty Good – 52 – Only Happy When It Rains – Garbage
Pretty Good – 52 – Can’t Get You Off My Mind – Lenny Kravitz
Pretty Good – 52 – Just A Girl – No Doubt
Pretty Good – 52 – 1979 – Smashing Pumpkins
Pretty Good – 52 – Forgiven – Alanis Morissette
Pretty Good – 52 – Let It Rain – Amanda Marshall
Pretty Good – 52 – On and On – Crash Vegas
Pretty Good – 52 – I’ll Stick Around – Foo Fighters
Pretty Good – 52 – You Are Not Alone – Michael Jackson
Pretty Good – 52 – Don’t Look Back In Anger – Oasis
Pretty Good – 52 – Common People – Pulp
Pretty Good – 52 – Thirty-Three – Smashing Pumpkins
Not Bad – 67 – One Sweet Day – Mariah Carey
Not Bad – 67 – Beautiful Life – Ace of Base
Not Bad – 67 – Mary Jane – Alanis Morissette
Not Bad – 67 – Smashing Young Man – Collective Soul
Not Bad – 67 – Where the River Flows – Collective Soul
Not Bad – 67 – She Gathers Rain – Collective Soul
Not Bad – 67 – Counting Blue Cars – Dishwalla
Not Bad – 67 – Alone & Easy Target – Foo Fighters
Not Bad – 67 – Morning Glory – Oasis
Not Bad – 67 – Disco 2000 – Pulp
Not Bad – 67 – Curious – Sandbox
Not Bad – 67 – Any Man Of Mine – Shania Twain
Not Bad – 67 – Tonight, Tonight – Smashing Pumpkins
Not Bad – 67 – Just Like Anyone – Soul Asylum
Not Bad – 67 – I’ll Be There For You – The Rembrandts
Not Bad – 67 – Perfect – Alanis Morissette
Not Bad – 67 – Not the Doctor – Alanis Morissette
Not Bad – 67 – Roll To Me – Del Amitri
Not Bad – 67 – This Is A Call – Foo Fighters
Not Bad – 67 – Stuck With Me – Green Day
Not Bad – 67 – Doin’ It – LL Cool J
Not Bad – 67 – Believe Me – Moist
Not Bad – 67 – Aeroplane – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Not Bad – 67 – More Human Than Human – White Zombie
Not Bad – 91 – Dear Mama – 2Pac
Not Bad – 91 – The Chanukah Song – Adam Sandler
Not Bad – 91 – Wake Up – Alanis Morissette
Not Bad – 91 – Right Through You – Alanis Morissette
Not Bad – 91 – No More I Love You’s – Annie Lennox
Not Bad – 91 – Do Ya – Barney Bentall
Not Bad – 91 – The Universal – Blur
Not Bad – 91 – The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead – Crash Test Dummies
Not Bad – 91 – Queer – Garbage
Not Bad – 91 – Flood – Jars of Clay
Not Bad – 91 – Rock and Roll Is Dead – Lenny Kravitz
Not Bad – 91 – Your Little Secret – Melissa Etheridge
Not Bad – 91 – Scream – Michael and Janet Jackson
Not Bad – 91 – Acquiesce – Oasis
Not Bad – 91 – She Forgot to Laugh – Rhymes with Orange
Not Bad – 91 – I Will Remember You – Sarah McLachlan
Not Bad – 91 – Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under? – Shania Twain
Not Bad – 91 – Here Is No Why – Smashing Pumpkins
Not Bad – 91 – Hard As A Rock – AC/DC
Not Bad – 91 – Murder Incorporated – Bruce Springsteen
Not Bad – 91 – I Know – Dionne Farris
Not Bad – 91 – Here In Your Bedroom – Goldfinger
Not Bad – 91 – 86 – Green Day
Not Bad – 91 – Tightwad Hill – Green Day
Not Bad – 91 – Bab’s Uvula Who? – Green Day
Not Bad – 91 – Here Comes The Hotstepper – Ini Kamoze
Not Bad – 91 – No More Walking Away – Kim Mitchell
Not Bad – 91 – Zamboni – Martin Zellar
Not Bad – 91 – This Is How We Do It – Montell Jordan
Not Bad – 91 – Downtown – Neil Young
Not Bad – 91 – Angry Johnny – Poe
Not Bad – 91 – You’ve Got A Friend In Me – Randy Newman
Not Bad – 91 – All Uncovered – The Watchmen
Not Bad – 91 – Born Slippy – Underworld

 

1990       1991      1992      1993     1994     1995

1960s          1970s          1980s          1990s

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My favorite songs from 1994

Posted: January 21, 2018 in Rankings
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In April of ’94 I broke up with one girlfriend and had another one in July. Both girls were in (or near) my hometown, whereas I went to university about an hour away in Guelph. So there was a lot of commuting involved, which meant a lot of radio. And this is when I started to get sick of classic rock and move more fully into modern alternative rock and grunge. In the fall I moved in with three buddies and formed lasting friendships with all of them. A lot of this music reminds me of those times, though much of it was really enjoyed in 1995 even if it was released in 1994.

This year was home to several of my favorite 10 albums (just a guess) of all time. I know I would have Live’s Throwing Copper on there. And The Offspring’s Smash. And Weezer’s blue album. And in my favorite 20 of all time, I am certain Pearl Jam’s Vitalogy gets in there as well as the Hip’s Day for Night. I’m also guessing that albums released that year from Hole, Cranberries, Bush and Green Day would get into my favorite 30 of all time. This year marks the beginning of six to eight years in which music was the biggest part of my life. It’s always been huge, but during those years it meant the world to me.

With 179 songs ranked, this tops 1989 when I had 150 and includes 79 songs marked “Great” or better.

Unlike most rankings, I haven’t been simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because we can all agree that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow – if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment and I start singing along. So I group them instead of presenting a hard-and-fast order:

Awesome
Great
Pretty Good
Not Bad
…with some inter-group splitting.

 

Awesome – 1 No Excuses – Alice in Chains
Awesome – 1 Glycerine – Bush
Awesome – 1 Hold My Hand – Hootie & the Blowfish
Awesome – 1 Lightning Crashes – Live
Awesome – 1 Hurt – Nine Inch Nails
Awesome – 1 Better Man – Pearl Jam
Awesome – 1 Strange Currencies – R.E.M.
Awesome – 1 What’s the Frequency, Kenneth? – R.E.M.
Awesome – 1 Self Esteem – The Offspring
Awesome – 10 Starseed – Our Lady Peace
Awesome – 10 Basket Case – Green Day
Awesome – 10 When I Come Around – Green Day
Awesome – 10 Doll Parts – Hole
Awesome – 10 Violet – Hole
Awesome – 10 Let Her Cry – Hootie & the Blowfish
Awesome – 10 Nothingman – Pearl Jam
Awesome – 10 Come Out And Play – The Offspring
Awesome – 10 Gotta Get Away – The Offspring
Awesome – 10 You Don’t Know How It Feels – Tom Petty
Awesome – 10 Grace, Too – The Tragically Hip
Awesome – 10 Yawning or Snarling – The Tragically Hip
Awesome – 10 Inevitability of Death – The Tragically Hip
Awesome – 10 Undone – The Sweater Song – Weezer
Awesome – 10 Plateau – Nirvana
Awesome – 10 Where Did You Sleep Last Night – Nirvana
Awesome – 10 The Man Who Sold the World – Nirvana
Awesome – 10 Lake of Fire – Nirvana
Great – 28 F.O.D. – Green Day
Great – 28 She – Green Day
Great – 28 Miss World – Hole
Great – 28 I Alone – Live
Great – 28 Closer – Nine Inch Nails
Great – 28 Supersonic – Oasis
Great – 28 Jesus Don’t Want Me for a Sunbeam – Nirvana
Great – 28 Oh, Me – Nirvana
Great – 28 Immortality – Pearl Jam
Great – 28 Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden
Great – 28 Interstate Love Song – Stone Temple Pilots
Great – 28 Zombie – The Cranberries
Great – 28 Thugs – The Tragically Hip
Great – 28 Buddy Holly – Weezer
Great – 28 My Name Is Jonas – Weezer
Great – 28 Only In Dreams – Weezer
Great – 28 Say It Ain’t So – Weezer
Great – 28 Sure Shot – Beastie Boys
Great – 28 Loser – Beck
Great – 28 Comedown – Bush
Great – 28 Little Things – Bush
Great – 28 Machinehead – Bush
Great – 28 Satellite – Dave Matthews Band
Great – 28 Allison Road – Gin Blossoms
Great – 28 Pillar Of Davidson – Live
Great – 28 Push – Moist
Great – 28 Live Forever – Oasis
Great – 28 Tomorrow – Silverchair
Great – 28 Spoonman – Soundgarden
Great – 28 Big Empty – Stone Temple Pilots
Great – 28 Vasoline – Stone Temple Pilots
Great – 28 Free As A Bird – The Beatles
Great – 28 Ode To My Family – The Cranberries
Great – 28 Bad Habit – The Offspring
Great – 28 It’ll Be a Long Time – The Offspring
Great – 28 Scared – The Tragically Hip
Great – 28 In The Garage – Weezer
Great – 28 Surf Wax America – Weezer
Great – 66 I Stay Away – Alice in Chains
Great – 66 Sabotage – Beastie Boys
Great – 66 Everything Zen – Bush
Great – 66 Chump – Green Day
Great – 66 Longview – Green Day
Great – 66 Welcome To Paradise – Green Day
Great – 66 All Over You – Live
Great – 66 Selling the Drama – Live
Great – 66 Silver – Moist
Great – 66 Corduroy – Pearl Jam
Great – 66 Crush With Eyeliner – R.E.M.
Great – 66 Fell On Black Days – Soundgarden
Great – 66 Possum Kingdom – Toadies
Great – 66 Crazy Mary – Victoria Williams
Pretty Good – 80 Waitress – Live
Pretty Good – 80 Hope – Our Lady Peace
Pretty Good – 80 Naveed – Our Lady Peace
Pretty Good – 80 Ocean Pearl – 54-40
Pretty Good – 80 Hasn’t Hit Me Yet – Blue Rodeo
Pretty Good – 80 Run-Around – Blues Traveler
Pretty Good – 80 Girls And Boys – Blur
Pretty Good – 80 Alien – Bush
Pretty Good – 80 Dissident – Pearl Jam
Pretty Good – 80 Not For You – Pearl Jam
Pretty Good – 80 What Happened to You – The Offspring
Pretty Good – 80 Holiday – Weezer
Pretty Good – 80 Always – Bon Jovi
Pretty Good – 80 What Would You Say – Dave Matthews Band
Pretty Good – 80 New Age Girl – Deadeye Dick
Pretty Good – 80 Connection – Elastica
Pretty Good – 80 Bang and Blame – R.E.M.
Pretty Good – 80 Cotton Eye Joe – Rednex
Pretty Good – 80 Greasy Jungle – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 80 Nautical Disaster – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 80 Mykel And Carli – Weezer
Pretty Good – 101 Supersatellite – Our Lady Peace
Pretty Good – 101 Blame Your Parents – 54-40
Pretty Good – 101 Nutshell – Alice in Chains
Pretty Good – 101 Jane – Barenaked Ladies
Pretty Good – 101 Pay No Mind (Snoozer) – Beck
Pretty Good – 101 The Power of Love – Celine Dion
Pretty Good – 101 Goodnight Good Guy – Collective Soul
Pretty Good – 101 Return To Innocence – Enigma
Pretty Good – 101 Softer Softest – Hole
Pretty Good – 101 Only Wanna Be with You – Hootie & the Blowfish
Pretty Good – 101 Time – Hootie & the Blowfish
Pretty Good – 101 Stay – Lisa Loeb
Pretty Good – 101 Shit Towne – Live
Pretty Good – 101 Backwater – Meat Puppets
Pretty Good – 101 I Can’t Be With You – The Cranberries
Pretty Good – 101 Nitro – The Offspring
Pretty Good – 101 Waterfalls – TLC
Pretty Good – 101 You Wreck Me – Tom Petty
Pretty Good – 101 Cornflake Girl – Tori Amos
Pretty Good – 101 Daredevil – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 101 So Hard Done By – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 101 An Inch an Hour – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 101 Titanic Terrarium – The Tragically Hip
Not Bad – 124 Omaha Stylee – 311
Not Bad – 124 Blind Man – Aerosmith
Not Bad – 124 A Girl Like You – Edwyn Collins
Not Bad – 124 Tremor Christ – Pearl Jam
Not Bad – 124 Down With Disease – Phish
Not Bad – 124 Kiss From A Rose – Seal
Not Bad – 124 Coax Me – Sloan
Not Bad – 124 The Day I Tried To Live – Soundgarden
Not Bad – 124 Still Remains – Stone Temple Pilots
Not Bad – 124 Empty – The Cranberries
Not Bad – 124 Genocide – The Offspring
Not Bad – 124 Save Me – The Tea Party
Not Bad – 124 Emergency – The Tragically Hip
Not Bad – 124 Sunshine Country – Victoria Williams
Not Bad – 124 The World Has Turned And Left Me Here – Weezer
Not Bad – 124 Hook – Blues Traveler
Not Bad – 124 Until I Fall Away – Gin Blossoms
Not Bad – 124 Pulling Teeth – Green Day
Not Bad – 124 Horse – Live
Not Bad – 124 Top – Live
Not Bad – 124 White, Discussion – Live
Not Bad – 124 River Of Deceit – Mad Season
Not Bad – 124 Red Right Hand – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
Not Bad – 124 Pretty Penny – Stone Temple Pilots
Not Bad – 124 Big Poppa – The Notorious B.I.G.
Not Bad – 124 Something to Believe In – The Offspring
Not Bad – 124 Boom Boom Boom – The Outhere Brothers
Not Bad – 124 Love Spreads – The Stone Roses
Not Bad – 124 Impossibilium – The Tragically Hip
Not Bad – 124 Headline News – Weird Al Yankovic
Not Bad – 154 Assoholic – 54-40
Not Bad – 154 5 Days In May – Blue Rodeo
Not Bad – 154 Bad Timing – Blue Rodeo
Not Bad – 154 Someday I’ll Be Saturday Night – Bon Jovi
Not Bad – 154 I’ll Make Love To You – Boyz II Men
Not Bad – 154 Please Forgive Me – Bryan Adams
Not Bad – 154 All For Love – Byan Adams/Stewart/Sting
Not Bad – 154 Afternoons and Coffeespoons – Crash Test Dummies
Not Bad – 154 Sassafrass Roots – Green Day
Not Bad – 154 Love, Love, Love – Hemingway Corner
Not Bad – 154 I Think That I Would Die – Hole
Not Bad – 154 Iris – Live
Not Bad – 154 T.B.D. – Live
Not Bad – 154 I’ll Remember – Madonna
Not Bad – 154 Reptile – Nine Inch Nails
Not Bad – 154 Shakermaker – Oasis
Not Bad – 154 The Most Beautiful Girl In The World – Prince
Not Bad – 154 Nobody’s Hero – Rush
Not Bad – 154 Kitchenware and Candy Bars – Stone Temple Pilots
Not Bad – 154 Ridiculous Thoughts – The Cranberries
Not Bad – 154 One More Chance – The Notorious B.I.G.
Not Bad – 154 Killboy Powerhead – The Offspring
Not Bad – 154 Not the One – The Offspring
Not Bad – 154 Boneyard Tree – The Watchmen
Not Bad – 154 Fire in the Hole – The Tragically Hip
Not Bad – 154 Saturday Night – Whigfield

 

1990       1991      1992      1993     1994

1960s          1970s          1980s          1990s

 

 

 

 

 

My Favorite Songs From 1993

Posted: December 13, 2017 in Rankings
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In 1993 I finished high school and started at the University of Guelph. I turned 19 that April, legal drinking age in Ontario. I was still into Classic Rock, with a lot of Tragically Hip on the playlist. But I was also exposed to Alternative/Grunge and was starting to appreciate it. By the time 1995 began, I was completely into that music. But it was a transition that took a couple of years and I never did lose my love of classic rock. While I got into the Hip album of 1993 (Fully Completely), and Kravitz and Pearl Jam…many of the Alternative songs from that year I got into in ’94. Including ‘Shine’, which to this day is still one of my favorite songs of all time.

 

Unlike most rankings, I haven’t been simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because we can all agree that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow – if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment and I start singing along. So I group them instead of presenting a hard-and-fast order:

Awesome
Great
Pretty Good
Not Bad
…with some inter-group splitting.

 

Awesome – 1 Shine – Collective Soul
Awesome – 1 Believe – Lenny Kravitz
Awesome – 1 All Apologies – Nirvana
Awesome – 1 Pennyroyal Tea – Nirvana
Awesome – 1 Daughter – Pearl Jam
Awesome – 1 Cherub Rock – Smashing Pumpkins
Awesome – 1 Pigeon Camera – The Tragically Hip
Awesome – 1 Mary Jane’s Last Dance – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Awesome – 9 Low – Cracker
Awesome – 9 Laid – James
Awesome – 9 Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz
Awesome – 9 Dumb – Nirvana
Awesome – 9 Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town – Pearl Jam
Awesome – 9 Creep – Radiohead
Great – 15 The Sign – Ace of Base
Great – 15 Mr. Jones – Counting Crows
Great – 15 Come Undone – Duran Duran
Great – 15 Ordinary World – Duran Duran
Great – 15 Linger – The Cranberries
Great – 15 Courage (For Hugh MacLennan) – The Tragically Hip
Great – 15 We’ll Go To – The Tragically Hip
Great – 15 At the Hundredth Meridian – The Tragically Hip
Great – 15 Can’t Help Falling In Love – UB40
Great – 24 All That She Wants – Ace of Base
Great – 24 Heart-Shaped Box – Nirvana
Great – 24 Soul to Squeeze – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Great – 24 Disarm – Smashing Pumpkins
Great – 24 Today – Smashing Pumpkins
Great – 29 Two Steps Behind – Def Leppard
Great – 29 Hey Jealousy – Gin Blossoms
Great – 29 Come to My Window – Melissa Etheridge
Great – 29 I’m the Only One – Melissa Etheridge
Great – 29 Rape Me – Nirvana
Great – 29 Glorified G – Pearl Jam
Great – 29 Dissident – Pearl Jam
Great – 29 All I Wanna Do – Sheryl Crow
Great – 29 Dreams – The Cranberries
Great – 29 She Don’t Use Jelly – The Flaming Lips
Great – 29 Eldorado – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 40 More – 13 Engines
Pretty Good – 40 Amazing – Aerosmith
Pretty Good – 40 Crazy – Aerosmith
Pretty Good – 40 Cryin’ – Aerosmith
Pretty Good – 40 Asshole – Dennis Leary
Pretty Good – 40 Sister – Lenny Kravitz
Pretty Good – 40 Rearviewmirror – Pearl Jam
Pretty Good – 40 Cannonball – The Breeders
Pretty Good – 40 The River – The Tea Party
Pretty Good – 40 Looking For a Place To Happen – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 40 Lionized – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 40 Fully Completely – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 40 Fifty Mission Cap – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 40 Sober – Tool
Pretty Good – 54 Livin’ On The Edge – Aerosmith
Pretty Good – 54 Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm – Crash Test Dummies
Pretty Good – 54 Heaven Help – Lenny Kravitz
Pretty Good – 54 My Love – Lenny Kravitz
Pretty Good – 54 Animal – Pearl Jam
Pretty Good – 54 Strong Enough – Sheryl Crow
Pretty Good – 54 Numb – U2
Pretty Good – 61 Found Out About You – Gin Blossoms
Pretty Good – 61 Will You Remember Me – Jann Arden
Pretty Good – 61 Go – Pearl Jam
Pretty Good – 61 Rats – Pearl Jam
Pretty Good – 61 Indifference – Pearl Jam
Pretty Good – 61 Shoop – Salt-N-Pepa
Pretty Good – 61 Whatta Man – Salt-N-Pepa
Pretty Good – 61 Who Do You Think You Are – Sass Jordan
Pretty Good – 61 Oh Carolina – Shaggy
Pretty Good – 61 Rocket – Smashing Pumpkins
Pretty Good – 61 Love Doesn’t Live Here Anymore – Sven Gali
Not Bad – 72 Keep Ya Head Up – 2Pac
Not Bad – 72 5 Days In May – Blue Rodeo
Not Bad – 72 Round Here – Counting Crows
Not Bad – 72 The Wherewithal – The Tragically Hip
Not Bad – 76 No Apologies – Alanis Morissette
Not Bad – 76 What a Good Boy – Barenaked Ladies
Not Bad – 76 The River Of Dreams – Billy Joel
Not Bad – 76 Rain King – Counting Crows
Not Bad – 76 Mr. Vain – Culture Beat
Not Bad – 76 Man on a Mission – Hemingway Corner
Not Bad – 76 That’s The Way Love Goes – Janet Jackson
Not Bad – 76 Lost In Your Eyes – Jeff Healey Band
Not Bad – 76 Long May You Run – Neil Young
Not Bad – 76 W.M.A. – Pearl Jam
Not Bad – 76 Leash – Pearl Jam
Not Bad – 76 Gin And Juice – Snoop Dogg
Not Bad – 88 Harvest Moon – Neil Young
Not Bad – 88 Prairie Town – Randy Bachman
Not Bad – 88 Nobody’s Hero – Rush
Not Bad – 88 Goin’ Back Again – Sass Jordan
Not Bad – 88 Informer – Snow
Not Bad – 88 It’s Probably Me – Sting
Not Bad – 88 Whoomp! There It Is – Tag Team
Not Bad – 88 Rise Again – The Rankin Family
Not Bad – 88 Another Night – The Real McCoy
Not Bad – 88 Breathe Again – Toni Braxton
Not Bad – 88 Bedrock Anthem – Weird Al Yankovic
Not Bad – 88 Shine – Doughboys
Not Bad – 88 Sappy – Nirvana

 

1990       1991      1992      1993

1960s          1970s          1980s          1990s

My favorite songs from 1992

Posted: October 25, 2017 in Rankings
0

As I reviewed this year it became clear that in terms of music, this was a ho-hum year. I was 18 years old and by this point I was well into Classic Rock and only just getting started with Alternative Rock and Grunge. Only a couple of dozen songs I’d consider as “Great” or “Awesome” with the bulk of the songs merely “Not Bad”. And of those great songs, many of them I got into in future years. Alice in Chains I didn’t get into for another five years. I did like STP, The Black Crowes and of course The Hip right away but even Soul Asylum and Rage took me a couple of years to appreciate. And Nirvana’s Sliver I didn’t get introduced to for another decade. Clearly, 1992 was still heavily Classic Rock when it comes to my personal history of music. You can also see some of the local “Buck and Doe” music here, with several country music entries.

Unlike most rankings, I haven’t been simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because I know better than anybody that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow, if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment and I start singing along. You understand. So I group them instead of presenting a hard-and-fast order:

Awesome
Great
Pretty Good
Not Bad
…with inter-group splitting.

 

Awesome – 1 Down In A Hole – Alice in Chains
Awesome – 1 Plush – Stone Temple Pilots
Awesome – 1 Locked in the Trunk of a Car – The Tragically Hip
Awesome – 4 What’s Up – 4 Non Blondes
Awesome – 4 Rooster – Alice in Chains
Awesome – 4 Lost Together – Blue Rodeo
Awesome – 4 Just Another Day – Jon Secada
Awesome – 4 Yellow Ledbetter – Pearl Jam
Awesome – 4 Everybody Hurts – R.E.M.
Awesome – 4 Killing in the Name – Rage Against the Machine
Awesome – 4 Creep – Stone Temple Pilots
Awesome – 4 Remedy – The Black Crowes
Awesome – 4 Wheat Kings – The Tragically Hip
Great – 14 Bed Of Roses – Bon Jovi
Great – 14 Tears In Heaven – Eric Clapton
Great – 14 Nightswimming – R.E.M.
Great – 14 Runaway Train – Soul Asylum
Great – 14 Rain Down On Me – Blue Rodeo
Great – 14 Layla (Unplugged) – Eric Clapton
Great – 14 Sliver – Nirvana
Great – 14 State of Love and Trust – Pearl Jam
Great – 22 Brother – Alice in Chains
Great – 22 Enid – Barenaked Ladies
Great – 22 If I Had $1000000 – Barenaked Ladies
Great – 22 So What’cha Want – Beastie Boys
Great – 22 No Rain – Blind Melon
Great – 22 Drive – R.E.M.
Great – 22 Nearly Lost You – Screaming Trees
Great – 22 Hotel Illness – The Black Crowes
Pretty Good – 30 Nice to Luv You – 54-40
Pretty Good – 30 She-La – 54-40
Pretty Good – 30 Angry Chair – Alice in Chains
Pretty Good – 30 Brian Wilson – Barenaked Ladies
Pretty Good – 30 Black Or White – Michael Jackson
Pretty Good – 30 Man On the Moon – R.E.M.
Pretty Good – 30 Wake Up – Rage Against the Machine
Pretty Good – 30 Dead & Bloated – Stone Temple Pilots
Pretty Good – 30 Lovers in a Dangerous Time – Barenaked Ladies
Pretty Good – 30 Bad Luck Blue Eyes – The Black Crowes
Pretty Good – 40 Would? – Alice in Chains
Pretty Good – 40 Try Not To Breathe – R.E.M.
Pretty Good – 40 Sex Type Thing – Stone Temple Pilots
Pretty Good – 40 Thorn In My Pride – The Black Crowes
Pretty Good – 40 No Regrets – Tom Cochrane
Not Bad – 45 I’m In A Hurry (And Don’t Know Why) – Alabama
Not Bad – 45 Achy Breaky Heart – Billy Ray Cyrus
Not Bad – 45 Mr. Wendal – Arrested Development
Not Bad – 45 People Everyday – Arrested Development
Not Bad – 45 Tennessee – Arrested Development
Not Bad – 45 Pass the Mic – Beastie Boys
Not Bad – 45 Human Touch – Bruce Springsteen
Not Bad – 45 Teen Angst (What the World Needs Now) – Cracker
Not Bad – 45 How Do You Talk To An Angel – Jamie Walters
Not Bad – 45 America – Kim Mitchell
Not Bad – 45 Make You a Believer – Sass Jordan
Not Bad – 45 I Want to Believe – Sass Jordan
Not Bad – 45 Wicked Garden – Stone Temple Pilots
Not Bad – 45 My Morning Song – The Black Crowes
Not Bad – 45 Time Will Tell – The Black Crowes
Not Bad – 45 Rump Shaker – Wreckx N Effect
Not Bad – 45 Scenario – A Tribe Called Quest
Not Bad – 45 Let’s Get Rocked – Def Leppard
Not Bad – 45 Free Your Mind – En Vogue
Not Bad – 45 Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta – Geto Boys
Not Bad – 45 Beautiful Girl – INXS
Not Bad – 45 Aneurysm – Nirvana
Not Bad – 45 Digging In The Dirt – Peter Gabriel
Not Bad – 45 The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite – R.E.M.
Not Bad – 45 Bullet In The Head – Rage Against the Machine
Not Bad – 45 Black Gold – Soul Asylum
Not Bad – 45 Where The River Goes – Stone Temple Pilots
Not Bad – 45 Sinking Like a Sunset – Tom Cochrane
Not Bad – 73 Song Instead of a Kiss – Alannah Myles
Not Bad – 73 Baby Doll – Big House
Not Bad – 73 Change – Blind Melon
Not Bad – 73 End of the Road – Boyz II Men
Not Bad – 73 Great Big Love – Bruce Cockburn
Not Bad – 73 Would I Lie To You – Charles & Eddie
Not Bad – 73 Nuthin’ But A G Thang – Dr. Dre
Not Bad – 73 What Is Love – Haddaway
Not Bad – 73 Jump Around – House of Pain
Not Bad – 73 Bad Girl – Madonna
Not Bad – 73 Rain – Madonna
Not Bad – 73 This Used To Be My Playground – Madonna
Not Bad – 73 Harvest Moon – Neil Young
Not Bad – 73 Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough – Patty Smyth and Don Henley
Not Bad – 73 Steam – Peter Gabriel
Not Bad – 73 Monty Got A Raw Deal – R.E.M.
Not Bad – 73 Go Back to Your Woods – Robbie Robertson
Not Bad – 73 You Don’t Have to Remind Me – Sass Jordan
Not Bad – 73 Rhythm Is A Dancer – Snap!
Not Bad – 73 Sting Me – The Black Crowes
Not Bad – 73 Black Moon Creeping – The Black Crowes
Not Bad – 73 No Speak No Slave – The Black Crowes
Not Bad – 73 Sometimes Salvation – The Black Crowes
Not Bad – 73 Friday I’m In Love – The Cure
Not Bad – 73 Washed Away – Tom Cochrane
Not Bad – 73 Crucify – Tori Amos
Not Bad – 73 Smells Like Nirvana – Weird Al Yankovic
Not Bad – 73 I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston

 

1990       1991

1960s          1970s          1980s          1990s

My favorite songs from 1991

Posted: May 11, 2017 in Rankings
0

 

The 144 songs that made the list for 1991 (so far, as I am always adding if I discover a song I’ve missed) gave 1989 a run for its money (148). This is thanks to Nirvana’s timeless Nevermind album (which honestly just gets better over time), and the Hip’s Road Apples – which was an instant favorite of mine. Pearl Jam’s Ten was a huge part of my life, though it took me a year or two to truly appreciate them. Along with the Hip, Lenny Kravitz was my favorite artist at the time and I was waiting to pick up his Mama Said album the day it came out – it didn’t disappoint. And of course – Blood Sugar Sex Magik was another all-time favorite album of mine.

Lots of memories were packed into this music. I was 17. I went to a lot of parties in Stratford and St. Mary’s. This music went with me. And some of the pop music you see towards the bottom of this list were just underrated and underappreciated songs of that year because, to teenagers, they weren’t “cool”. But later in life I can certainly appreciate them. One pop album in particular, Michael Jackson’s Dangerous, was an album that I had no idea was this good until just recently listening through it.

Unlike most rankings, I haven’t been simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because I know better than anybody that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow, if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment and I start singing along. You understand. So I group them instead of presenting a hard-and-fast order:

Awesome
Great
Pretty Good
Not Bad
…with inter-group splitting.

 

Awesome – 1 The Unforgiven – Metallica
Awesome – 1 Alive – Pearl Jam
Awesome – 1 Black – Pearl Jam
Awesome – 1 Little Bones – The Tragically Hip
Awesome – 1 Fiddler’s Green – The Tragically Hip
Awesome – 1 In Bloom – Nirvana
Awesome – 1 Under the Bridge – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Awesome – 8 I Am Here – Grapes of Wrath
Awesome – 8 Stop Draggin’ Around – Lenny Kravitz
Awesome – 8 Jeremy – Pearl Jam
Awesome – 8 Fight – The Tragically Hip
Awesome – 8 The Last of the Unplucked Gems – The Tragically Hip
Awesome – 8 Lithium – Nirvana
Awesome – 8 One – U2
Great – 15 November Rain – Guns N’ Roses
Great – 15 What the Fuck are we Saying – Lenny Kravitz
Great – 15 Breed – Nirvana
Great – 15 Come As You Are – Nirvana
Great – 15 Lounge Act – Nirvana
Great – 15 Polly – Nirvana
Great – 15 Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
Great – 15 I Could Have Lied – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Great – 15 Losing My Religion – R.E.M.
Great – 15 Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) – C+C Music Factory
Great – 25 Play With Me – Bootsauce
Great – 25 Superman’s Song – Crash Test Dummies
Great – 25 Don’t Cry – Guns N’ Roses
Great – 25 Always on the Run – Lenny Kravitz
Great – 25 Fields of Joy (Reprise) – Lenny Kravitz
Great – 25 Enter Sandman – Metallica
Great – 25 Nothing Else Matters – Metallica
Great – 25 On A Plain – Nirvana
Great – 25 Territorial Pissings – Nirvana
Great – 25 Blood Sugar Sex Magik – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Great – 25 Give It Away – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Great – 25 The Luxury – The Tragically Hip
Great – 25 Long Time Running – The Tragically Hip
Great – 25 Bring It All Back – The Tragically Hip
Great – 25 Release – Pearl Jam
Great – 25 Right Here, Right Now – Jesus Jones
Great – 25 Shiny Happy People – R.E.M.
Great – 25 You May Be Right – Grapes of Wrath
Great – 25 It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over – Lenny Kravitz
Great – 25 Stand By My Woman – Lenny Kravitz
Great – 25 Fields of Joy – Lenny Kravitz
Great – 25 Drain You – Nirvana
Great – 25 Something In The Way – Nirvana
Great – 25 Born in the Water – The Tragically Hip
Great – 25 Three Pistols – The Tragically Hip
Great – 25 Even Flow – Pearl Jam
Great – 25 Life is a Highway – Tom Cochrane
Great – 25 Into The Great Wide Open – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Great – 25 Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong – Spin Doctors
Great – 25 Two Princes – Spin Doctors
Pretty Good – 55 Here We Go (Let’s Rock and Roll) – C+C Music Factory
Pretty Good – 55 Get Ready For This – 2 Unlimited
Pretty Good – 55 I Can’t Dance – Genesis
Pretty Good – 55 Breaking the Girl – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Pretty Good – 55 Twist My Arm – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 55 Cordelia – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 55 On the Verge – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 55 Porch – Pearl Jam
Pretty Good – 55 Learning To Fly – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Pretty Good – 55 Mysterious Ways – U2
Pretty Good – 55 Me In Honey – R.E.M.
Pretty Good – 55 Jimmy Olsen’s Blues – Spin Doctors
Pretty Good – 67 My Town – Glass Tiger
Pretty Good – 67 Til I Am Myself Again – Blue Rodeo
Pretty Good – 67 Everyone’s a Winner – Bootsauce
Pretty Good – 67 Flowers For Zoe – Lenny Kravitz
Pretty Good – 67 More Than Anything in This World – Lenny Kravitz
Pretty Good – 67 All I Ever Wanted – Lenny Kravitz
Pretty Good – 67 Stay Away – Nirvana
Pretty Good – 67 Sir Psycho Sexy – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Pretty Good – 67 Suck My Kiss – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Pretty Good – 67 Movin’ On Up – Primal Scream
Pretty Good – 67 To Be With You – Mr. Big
Pretty Good – 67 Oceans – Pearl Jam
Pretty Good – 67 Wash the Rain – World on Edge
Pretty Good – 67 Outshined – Soundgarden
Pretty Good – 67 I Touch Myself – The Divinyls
Pretty Good – 67 Bring The Noise – Anthrax
Pretty Good – 67 Life Could Be Worse – Barney Bentall
Pretty Good – 67 Jam – Michael Jackson
Pretty Good – 67 Heart of Soul – The Cult
Pretty Good – 67 So Cruel – U2
Pretty Good – 67 Radio Song – R.E.M.
Not Bad – 88 Dangerous – Michael Jackson
Not Bad – 88 Why You Wanna Trip on Me – Michael Jackson
Not Bad – 88 If You Have To Ask – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Not Bad – 88 Mama, I’m Coming Home – Ozzy Osbourne
Not Bad – 88 Set Adrift On Memory Bliss – P.M. Dawn
Not Bad – 88 Garden – Pearl Jam
Not Bad – 88 Why Go – Pearl Jam
Not Bad – 88 Even Better Than The Real Thing – U2
Not Bad – 88 Until The End Of The World – U2
Not Bad – 88 Joyride – Roxette
Not Bad – 88 Crazy – Seal
Not Bad – 88 Rusty Cage – Soundgarden
Not Bad – 88 3 A.M. Eternal – The KLF
Not Bad – 88 It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday – Boyz II Men
Not Bad – 88 (Everything I Do) I Do It For You – Bryan Adams
Not Bad – 88 The Difference is Why – Lenny Kravitz
Not Bad – 88 When the Morning Turns to Night – Lenny Kravitz
Not Bad – 88 Butterfly – Lenny Kravitz
Not Bad – 88 O.P.P. – Naughty by Nature
Not Bad – 88 Remember The Time – Michael Jackson
Not Bad – 88 Who Is It – Michael Jackson
Not Bad – 88 Will You Be There? – Michael Jackson
Not Bad – 88 Roll The Bones – Rush
Not Bad – 88 The Path of Thorns – Sarah McLachlan
Not Bad – 88 Can’t Truss It – Public Enemy
Not Bad – 88 Once – Pearl Jam
Not Bad – 88 All I Want – Toad the Wet Sprocket
Not Bad – 88 Walk on the Ocean – Toad the Wet Sprocket
Not Bad – 88 Right Now – Van Halen
Not Bad – 88 Belong – R.E.M.
Not Bad – 88 What About Now – Robbie Robertson
Not Bad – 88 Kiss Me You Fool – The Northern Pikes
Not Bad – 120 Too Hot – Alanis Morissette
Not Bad – 120 Motownphilly – Boyz II Men
Not Bad – 120 Things That Make You Go Hmmmm… – C+C Music Factory
Not Bad – 120 Walking In Memphis – Marc Cohn
Not Bad – 120 Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey) – De La Soul
Not Bad – 120 Good Vibrations – Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
Not Bad – 120 When a Man Loves a Woman – Michael Bolton
Not Bad – 120 Give In To Me – Michael Jackson
Not Bad – 120 Heal The World – Michael Jackson
Not Bad – 120 My Lovely Man – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Not Bad – 120 Into the Fire – Sarah McLachlan
Not Bad – 120 Wild Hearted Son – The Cult
Not Bad – 120 Shut ‘Em Down – Public Enemy
Not Bad – 120 Cream – Prince
Not Bad – 120 Trying To Throw Your Arms Around The World – U2
Not Bad – 120 Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses – U2
Not Bad – 120 Everything About You – Ugly Kid Joe
Not Bad – 120 Only the Lonely – World on Edge
Not Bad – 120 Standing Push and Fall – World on Edge
Not Bad – 120 Blowing Kisses in the Wind – Paula Abdul
Not Bad – 120 I’m Too Sexy – Right Said Fred
Not Bad – 120 Go Back to Your Woods – Robbie Robertson
Not Bad – 120 If – The Cult
Not Bad – 120 Sweet Salvation – The Cult
Not Bad – 120 How Long Can a Man Be Strong – The Jeff Healey Band

 

1990

1960s          1970s          1980s          1990s

My favorite songs of 1990

Posted: March 27, 2017 in Rankings
0

After seeing all the songs that I enjoyed from 1989 (148 of them so far), I figured that this was the year that ushered in my favorite decade. If 1989 brought me 148 quality songs, then each year in the 90s should top 150. Well apparently that isn’t so. Over the last couple of months I have gone through music from 1990 and barely managed to find 80 songs. I was 16 and really into classic rock. Apparently because the quality new rock songs at the time were pretty sparse.

The Sinead O’Connor song may seem out of place here, but man it was a big part of my teenage years. In my head a lot! By the way, if you’re not from Canada and you’re reading this – The Grapes of Wrath were a very underrated and under-exposed band. Love their songs even to this day. And now I see that I enjoy Crash Vegas too, though 20 years ago I was only into their ’94 tune Pocahontas (Neil Young cover).

Unlike most rankings, I haven’t been simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because I know better than anybody that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow, if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment and I start singing along. You understand. So I group them instead of presenting a hard-and-fast order:

Awesome
Great
Pretty Good
Not Bad
…with inter-group splitting.

 

Awesome – 1 Hunger Strike – Temple of the Dog
Awesome – 1 Hard To Handle – The Black Crowes
Awesome – 1 She Talks To Angels – The Black Crowes
Awesome – 1 Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinéad O’Connor
Awesome – 5 Been Caught Stealing – Jane’s Addiction
Awesome – 5 Mama Said Knock You Out – LL Cool J
Awesome – 5 Something to Believe In – Poison
Awesome – 5 Wind Of Change – Scorpions
Great – 9 Disappear – INXS
Great – 9 Roam – B-52s
Great – 9 Thunderstruck – AC/DC
Great – 9 Man In The Box – Alice in Chains
Great – 9 Shelter Me – Cinderella
Great – 9 Hole Hearted – Extreme
Great – 9 Friends In Low Places – Garth Brooks
Great – 9 Freedom ’90 – George Michael
Great – 9 Brothers Gonna Work It Out – Public Enemy
Great – 9 Silent Lucidity – Queensrÿche
Great – 9 What Was Going Through My Head – The Grapes of Wrath
Great – 20 Joey – Concrete Blonde
Great – 20 More Than Words – Extreme
Great – 20 Stop! – Jane’s Addiction
Great – 20 Blaze of Glory – Jon Bon Jovi
Great – 20 Twice As Hard – The Black Crowes
Great – 20 Jealous Again – The Black Crowes
Great – 20 Sister Luck – The Black Crowes
Great – 20 Particle Man – They Might Be Giants
Pretty Good – 28 Can I Kick It? – A Tribe Called Quest
Pretty Good – 28 Do Me! – Bell Biv DeVoe
Pretty Good – 28 Seeing Things – The Black Crowes
Pretty Good – 28 I’m Free – The Soup Dragons
Pretty Good – 28 Inside Out – Crash Vegas
Pretty Good – 33 Wordz of Wisdom – 3rd Bass
Pretty Good – 33 Groove Is in the Heart – Deee-Lite
Pretty Good – 33 Doowutchyalike – Digital Underground
Pretty Good – 33 Unbelievable – EMF
Pretty Good – 33 Justify My Love – Madonna
Pretty Good – 33 Dangerous – Roxette
Pretty Good – 33 It Must Have Been Love – Roxette
Pretty Good – 33 Could I’ve Been So Blind – The Black Crowes
Pretty Good – 33 Istanbul (Not Constantinople) – They Might Be Giants
Not Bad – 42 Yer so Bad – Tom Petty
Not Bad – 42 The Gas Face – 3rd Bass
Not Bad – 42 I Left My Wallet in El Segundo – A Tribe Called Quest
Not Bad – 42 Poison – Bell Biv DeVoe
Not Bad – 42 Personal Jesus – Depeche Mode
Not Bad – 42 U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
Not Bad – 42 She Ain’t Prety – The Northern Pikes
Not Bad – 42 (I Need You Now) More Than Words Can Say – Alias
Not Bad – 42 Enjoy The Silence – Depeche Mode
Not Bad – 42 The Humpty Dance – Digital Underground
Not Bad – 42 Have You Seen Her – MC Hammer
Not Bad – 42 Do You Remember? – Phil Collins
Not Bad – 42 Get Up (Before The Night Is Over) – Technotronic
Not Bad – 42 Girl With a Problem – The Northern Pikes
Not Bad – 56 Heartbreak Station – Cinderella
Not Bad – 56 Sadeness (Part One) – Enigma
Not Bad – 56 Praying For Time – George Michael
Not Bad – 56 King Of Wishful Thinking – Go West
Not Bad – 56 All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You – Heart
Not Bad – 56 Suicide Blonde – INXS
Not Bad – 56 Vogue – Madonna
Not Bad – 56 Blue Sky Mine – Midnight Oil
Not Bad – 56 Burn Hollywood Burn – Public Enemy
Not Bad – 56 Welcome to the Terrordome – Public Enemy
Not Bad – 56 The Emperor’s New Clothes – Sinéad O’Connor
Not Bad – 56 Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice
Not Bad – 56 Cherry Pie – Warrant
Not Bad – 56 Hold On – Wilson Phillips
Not Bad – 56 Just Came Back – Colin James
Not Bad – 56 High Enough – Damn Yankees
Not Bad – 56 How Can We Be Lovers? – Michael Bolton
Not Bad – 56 Let’s Talk About Sex – Salt-N-Pepa
Not Bad – 56 Let Your Backbone Slide – Maestro Fresh Wes
Not Bad – 56 Cliffs of Dover – Eric Johnson
Not Bad – 56 Unskinny Bop – Poison
Not Bad – 56 911 is a Joke – Public Enemy
Not Bad – 56 Can’t Do Nuttin’ For Ya Man – Public Enemy
Not Bad – 56 Downtown Train – Rod Stewart
Not Bad – 56 The Power – Snap!
Not Bad – 56 What Time Is Love? – The KLF
Not Bad – 56 Impulsive – Wilson Phillips
Not Bad – 56 Release Me – Wilson Phillips
Not Bad – 56 Lover of Mine – Alannah Myles

 

1990

1960s          1970s          1980s          1990s

My favorite songs of the 1980s

Posted: December 22, 2016 in Rankings
0

I gathered up all the songs I rated “awesome” in a decade – this time from the 80s. And while the individual years weren’t ranked in numerical order, this decade summary is. Once again, this order is based on how I feel right now. Today. Sitting at a computer. Whereas my preference while driving around town would probably result in a different order…and sitting on the deck in the sun with a beer would generate yet another order.

The 80s started off very weak according to my tastes. I hated the fake drums – that may have been the worst part of 80s music. And 1981 had just 44 songs rated “not bad” or better, 1985 and 1986 each had just two songs rated “awesome”. But as I put each year’s list together I was astonished to realize how many songs I love. In the mid-80s there were a lot of great slow songs. And in the late 80s some rock’n roll greats emerged. And without having yet looked at the 90s, I wondered if 1989 was my favorite year for music.

In forcing myself to give a ‘hard’ ranking of these songs – I found it to be a real struggle once I got to the final 40. These 40 songs I truly love and they differ to widely in style and rhythm. Now I remember why I don’t give ‘hard’ rankings in the year-by-year lists! Oh man, by the time I got into the Top 20 I may as well have thrown darts. Elite, elite tunes of several genres.

Here are all of the songs from the 1980s that I consider “awesome”:

1 New Orleans Is Sinking – The Tragically Hip
2 Patience  – Guns N’ Roses
3 Blow at High Dough – The Tragically Hip
4 Let Love Rule  – Lenny Kravitz
5 Boots or Hearts – The Tragically Hip
6 You’re the Inspiration  – Chicago
7 Sweet Child O’ Mine  – Guns N’ Roses
8 Every Rose Has Its Thorn  – Poison
9 Oh Sherrie  – Steve Perry
10 When Doves Cry  – Prince
11 Beds Are Burning  – Midnight Oil
12 Rosemary – Lenny Kravitz
13 Paradise City  – Guns N’ Roses
14 Girl I’m Gonna Miss You – Milli Vanilli
15 Love Bites  – Def Leppard
16 Hey, Hey, What Can I Do – Led Zeppelin
17 Pour Some Sugar On Me  – Def Leppard
18 Does Anybody Out There Even Care – Lenny Kravitz
19 Glory Of Love  – Peter Cetera
20 What It Takes  – Aerosmith
21 Keep On Loving You  – REO Speedwagon
22 Here I Go Again  – Whitesnake
23 Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)  – Phil Collins
24 You Shook Me All Night Long  – AC/DC
25 Buffalo Soldier  – Bob Marley & the Wailers
26 I Love Rock And Roll – Joan Jett
27 Wanted Dead Or Alive  – Bon Jovi
28 Don’t Stop Believin’ – Journey
29 Redemption Song  – Bob Marley
30 Billie Jean –  Michael Jackson
31 Red Red Wine  – UB40
32 Sister Christian  – Night Ranger
33 Total Eclipse Of The Heart  – Bonnie Tyler
34 Money For Nothing  – Dire Straits
35 Epic  – Faith No More
36 Jessie’s Girl – Rick Springfield
37 Start Me Up – The Rolling Stones
38 Hurts So Good – John Mellencamp
39 Rock N’ Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution  – AC/DC
40 Wild Flower  – The Cult
41 Gimme All Your Lovin’  – ZZ Top
42 Every Breath You Take  – The Police
43 With Or Without You  – U2
44 One More Night  – Phil Collins
45 Straight Outta Compton  – N.W.A
46 What I Am  – Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
47 Born In The U.S.A.  – Bruce Springsteen
48 In The Air Tonight – Phil Collins
49 Back In Black  – AC/DC
50 Traveling Riverside Blues –  Led Zeppelin
51 Just Like Paradise  – David Lee Roth
52 Eternal Flame  – Bangles
53 Coming Home  – Cinderella
54 Hard Habit To Break  – Chicago
55 Super Trouper  – ABBA
56 Stand  – R.E.M.
57 Last American Exit – The Tragically Hip
58 Alone  – Heart
59 Hysteria  – Def Leppard
60 Islands in the Stream  – Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
61 Sharp Dressed Man  – ZZ Top
62 They Don’t Know  – Tracey Ullman
63 All Through The Night  – Cyndi Lauper
64 Another One Bites The Dust  – Queen
65 The Tide Is High  – Blondie
66 Touch Of Grey  – Grateful Dead
67 The Way You Make Me Feel  – Michael Jackson
68 Father Figure  – George Michael
69 Brilliant Disguise  – Bruce Springsteen
70 Rag Doll  – Aerosmith
71 Angel  – Aerosmith
72 Slow and Low – Beastie Boys
73 Jack & Diane –  John Mellencamp
74 Blister In The Sun –  Violent Femmes
75 Legs  – ZZ Top
76 Push It  – Salt N Pepa
77 Need You Tonight  – INXS

1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989

1960s          1970s          1980s          1990s

My favorite songs of 1989

Posted: December 16, 2016 in Rankings
0

I do go through the old lists and add songs if I stumble on them, though that’s been rare. But as of this post I had 131 songs on the 1987 list and 150 songs on today’s (1989) list…but only 85 songs on the 1988 list. And the best of 1988 consisted mostly of great slow songs. I wonder why the lack of rock greats that year?

In 1989 I was 15 years old and still into rap music. My favorite band was the Beastie Boys but I also loved Public Enemy. However, in 1990 I started to love The Tragically Hip and the other members of our high school’s “Big 3”: The Cult and Lenny Kravitz. The transition to rap to rock was a smooth one, as for a good year or two I loved both music types. I even made mixed tapes that rotated – one rock song, one rap song. Weird, right?

So while 1989 was a year in which I didn’t yet know the Hip, Cult, or Kravitz – it is a year in which a lot of their great songs were released. So they appear on this list.

Wow…150 songs. Could 1989 have been my favorite year of all time for music? I suspect not, but until I go through the 90s I honestly won’t know. (Update: Nope, 1994 topped it)

Unlike most rankings, I haven’t been simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because I know better than anybody that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow, if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment and I start singing along. You understand. So I group them instead of presenting a hard-and-fast order:

Awesome
Great
Pretty Good
Not Bad
…with inter-group splitting.

 

Awesome – 1 – What It Takes – Aerosmith
Awesome – 1 – Epic – Faith No More
Awesome – 1 – Let Love Rule – Lenny Kravitz
Awesome – 1 – Does Anybody Out There Even Care – Lenny Kravitz
Awesome – 1 – Rosemary – Lenny Kravitz
Awesome – 1 – Girl I’m Gonna Miss You – Milli Vanilli
Awesome – 1 – Blow at High Dough – The Tragically Hip
Awesome – 1 – New Orleans Is Sinking – The Tragically Hip
Awesome – 1 – Boots or Hearts – The Tragically Hip
Awesome – 10 – Baby Have Some Faith – 54-40
Great – 11 – All the Things I Wasn’t – Grapes of Wrath
Great – 11 – I Build This Garden for Us – Lenny Kravitz
Great – 11 – Blues for Sister Someone – Lenny Kravitz
Great – 11 – About A Girl – Nirvana
Great – 11 – Trickle Down – The Tragically Hip
Great – 11 – Opiated – The Tragically Hip
Great – 11 – Listen To Your Heart – Roxette
Great – 11 – Sweet Soul Sister – The Cult
Great – 11 – Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty
Great – 11 – I Won’t Back Down – Tom Petty
Great – 21 – Janie’s Got A Gun – Aerosmith
Great – 21 – Love In An Elevator – Aerosmith
Great – 21 – Johnny Ryall – Beastie Boys
Great – 21 – The Sounds of Science – Beastie Boys
Great – 21 – 3-Minute Rule – Beastie Boys
Great – 21 – Sweet Jane – Cowboy Junkies
Great – 21 – Volare – Gipsy Kings
Great – 21 – Hard Sun – Indio
Great – 21 – Freedom Train – Lenny Kravitz
Great – 21 – Don’t Know Much – Linda Ronstadt
Great – 21 – Baby Don’t Forget My Number – Milli Vanilli
Great – 21 – Blame It On The Rain – Milli Vanilli
Great – 21 – Girl You Know It’s True – Milli Vanilli
Great – 21 – Head Like A Hole – Nine Inch Nails
Great – 21 – 38 Years Old – The Tragically Hip
Great – 21 – When the Weight Comes Down – The Tragically Hip
Great – 21 – I Wish It Would Rain Down – Phil Collins
Great – 21 – Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos – Public Enemy
Great – 21 – Fight The Power – Public Enemy
Great – 21 – Fire Woman – The Cult
Great – 21 – It’s Funky Enough – The D.O.C.
Great – 21 – Runnin’ Down A Dream – Tom Petty
Pretty Good – 43 – Egg Man – Beastie Boys
Pretty Good – 43 – Hey Ladies – Beastie Boys
Pretty Good – 43 – High Plains Drifter – Beastie Boys
Pretty Good – 43 – Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun – Beastie Boys
Pretty Good – 43 – Shake Your Rump – Beastie Boys
Pretty Good – 43 – Misguided Angel – Cowboy Junkies
Pretty Good – 43 – Buddy – De La Soul
Pretty Good – 43 – The Heart Of The Matter – Don Henley
Pretty Good – 43 – Good Thing – Fine Young Cannibals
Pretty Good – 43 – She Drives Me Crazy – Fine Young Cannibals
Pretty Good – 43 – Mr. Cab Driver – Lenny Kravitz
Pretty Good – 43 – Sittin’ on Top of the World – Lenny Kravitz
Pretty Good – 43 – Like A Prayer – Madonna
Pretty Good – 43 – Rockin’ In The Free World – Neil Young
Pretty Good – 43 – Another Midnight – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 43 – Batdance – Prince
Pretty Good – 43 – I Want It All – Queen
Pretty Good – 43 – Higher Ground – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Pretty Good – 43 – Good Times – Tom Cochrane
Pretty Good – 43 – Black Velvet – Alannah Myles
Pretty Good – 43 – Poison – Alice Cooper
Pretty Good – 43 – Shadrach – Beastie Boys
Pretty Good – 43 – Car Thief – Beastie Boys
Pretty Good – 43 – What Comes Around – Beastie Boys
Pretty Good – 43 – We Didn’t Start The Fire – Billy Joel
Pretty Good – 43 – Just A Friend – Biz Markie
Pretty Good – 43 – Rockland Wonderland – Kim Mitchell
Pretty Good – 43 – Empty Hands – Lenny Kravitz
Pretty Good – 43 – I’ll Believe in You (Or I’ll Be Leaving You) – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 43 – She Didn’t Know – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 43 – Everytime You Go – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 43 – Here Comes Your Man – Pixies
Pretty Good – 43 – Night of the Living Baseheads – Public Enemy
Pretty Good – 43 – Get Up – R.E.M.
Pretty Good – 43 – Back To Life (However Do You Want Me) – Soul II Soul
Pretty Good – 43 – Big League – Tom Cochrane
Pretty Good – 43 – Principal’s Office – Young MC
Pretty Good – 43 – Smoke – Crash Vegas
Pretty Good – 81 – Miss You – 54-40
Pretty Good – 81 – Love Is – Alannah Myles
Pretty Good – 81 – B-Boy Bouillabaisse – Beastie Boys
Pretty Good – 81 – Why’d You Lie – Colin James
Pretty Good – 81 – The End Of The Innocence – Don Henley
Pretty Good – 81 – Sacrifice – Elton John
Pretty Good – 81 – Still Lovin’ You – Honeymoon Suite
Pretty Good – 81 – Rock’n Roll Duty – Kim Mitchell
Pretty Good – 81 – Express Yourself – Madonna
Pretty Good – 81 – Toy Soldiers – Martika
Pretty Good – 81 – Dr. Feelgood – Mötley Crüe
Pretty Good – 81 – Kickstart My Heart – Mötley Crüe
Pretty Good – 81 – Another Day in Paradise – Phil Collins
Pretty Good – 81 – Bring the Noise – Public Enemy
Pretty Good – 81 – Don’t Believe the Hype – Public Enemy
Pretty Good – 81 – She’s So Young – Pursuit of Happiness
Pretty Good – 81 – Sowing the Seeds of Love – Tears for Fears
Pretty Good – 81 – The Best – Tina Turner
Pretty Good – 81 – Victory Day – Tom Cochrane
Pretty Good – 81 – Heaven – Warrant
Pretty Good – 81 – Bust A Move – Young MC
Not Bad – 102 – Me Myself And I – De La Soul
Not Bad – 102 – New York Minute – Don Henley
Not Bad – 102 – Trista Pena – Gipsy Kings
Not Bad – 102 – Everlasting Love – Howard Jones
Not Bad – 102 – Fear – Lenny Kravitz
Not Bad – 102 – Buffalo Stance – Neneh Cherry
Not Bad – 102 – Right Here Waiting – Richard Marx
Not Bad – 102 – 18 And Life – Skid Row
Not Bad – 102 – Rooms On Fire – Stevie Nicks
Not Bad – 102 – Pump Up The Jam – Technotronic
Not Bad – 102 – Love Shack – The B-52s
Not Bad – 102 – Edie (Ciao Baby) – The Cult
Not Bad – 102 – Me So Horny – 2 Live Crew
Not Bad – 102 – When I See You Smile – Bad English
Not Bad – 102 – One – Bee Gees
Not Bad – 102 – How Long – Blue Rodeo
Not Bad – 102 – Wicked Game – Chris Isaak
Not Bad – 102 – Eye Know – De La Soul
Not Bad – 102 – Say No Go – De La Soul
Not Bad – 102 – The Magic Number – De La Soul
Not Bad – 102 – Rhythm Nation – Janet Jackson
Not Bad – 102 – I Beg Your Pardon – Kon Kan
Not Bad – 102 – My Precious Love – Lenny Kravitz
Not Bad – 102 – Oh, Father – Madonna
Not Bad – 102 – Something Happened On The Way To Heaven – Phil Collins
Not Bad – 102 – Monkey Gone To Heaven – Pixies
Not Bad – 102 – So Hard – Sass Jordan
Not Bad – 102 – I Remember You – Skid Row
Not Bad – 102 – Keep on Movin’ – Soul II Soul
Not Bad – 102 – Love Song – Tesla
Not Bad – 102 – Me So Horny – The 2 Live Crew
Not Bad – 102 – Love Song – The Cure
Not Bad – 134 – On Our Own – Bobby Brown
Not Bad – 134 – Born to Be My Baby – Bon Jovi
Not Bad – 134 – If a Tree Falls – Bruce Cockburn
Not Bad – 134 – If I Could Turn Back Time – Cher
Not Bad – 134 – Cherish – Madonna
Not Bad – 134 – How Am I Supposed to Live Without You – Michael Bolton
Not Bad – 134 – When I’m Back On My Feet Again – Michael Bolton
Not Bad – 134 – Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) – Mötley Crüe
Not Bad – 134 – Hangin’ Tough – New Kids on the Block
Not Bad – 134 – Terrible Lie – Nine Inch Nails
Not Bad – 134 – My Brave Face – Paul McCartney
Not Bad – 134 – Dressed For Success – Roxette
Not Bad – 134 – You Got It – Roy Orbison
Not Bad – 134 – Woman In Chains – Tears for Fears
Not Bad – 134 – American Horse – The Cult
Not Bad – 134 – Almost Hear You Sigh – The Rolling Stones
Not Bad – 134 – A Girl Like You – The Smithereens

 

 

1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989

1960s          1970s          1980s          1990s

 

My favorite songs of 1988

Posted: November 21, 2016 in Rankings
0

More great classic slow songs, plus we’re getting into the heart of my hip hop phase. But as with most 80s songs, nearly half of the ones worth noting are merely “not bad”. I’m curious to see how the 90s do when I go through those. Because at the start of all this, I felt that the 90s was my favorite decade for music. Soon we shall see.

Unlike most rankings, I haven’t been simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because I know better than anybody that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow, if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment and I start singing along. You understand. So I group them instead of presenting a hard-and-fast order:

Awesome
Great
Pretty Good
Not Bad
…with inter-group splitting.

 

Awesome – 1 – Beds Are Burning  – Midnight Oil
Awesome – 1 – Every Rose Has Its Thorn  – Poison
Awesome – 1 – Patience  – Guns N’ Roses
Awesome – 4 – Coming Home  – Cinderella
Awesome – 4 – Eternal Flame  – Bangles
Awesome – 4 – Just Like Paradise  – David Lee Roth
Awesome – 4 – Stand  – R.E.M.
Awesome – 4 – Straight Outta Compton  – N.W.A
Awesome – 4 – What I Am  – Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
Great – 10 – Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)  – Cinderella
Great – 10 – End Of The Line  – The Traveling Wilburys
Great – 10 – Jane Says  – Jane’s Addiction
Great – 10 – The Flame  – Cheap Trick
Great – 14 – All I Want Is You  – U2
Great – 14 – American Dream  – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Great – 14 – Handle With Care  – The Traveling Wilburys
Great – 14 – Gypsy Road  – Cinderella
Great – 14 – I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)  – The Proclaimers
Great – 14 – Orange Crush  – R.E.M.
Great – 14 – The Look  – Roxette
Great – 14 – Used To Love Her  – Guns N’ Roses
Pretty Good – 22 – Copperhead Road  – Steve Earle
Pretty Good – 22 – Angel Eyes  – The Jeff Healey Band
Pretty Good – 22 – Angel Of Harlem  – U2
Pretty Good – 22 – Bad Medicine  – Bon Jovi
Pretty Good – 22 – Cult of Personality  – Living Colour
Pretty Good – 22 – Desire  – U2
Pretty Good – 22 – Pop Song ’89  – R.E.M.
Pretty Good – 22 – There She Goes  – The La’s
Pretty Good – 30 – A Little Respect  – Erasure
Pretty Good – 30 – Funky Cold Medina  – Tone-Loc
Pretty Good – 30 – Big League  – Tom Cochrane & Red Rider
Pretty Good – 30 – Chains of Love  – Erasure
Pretty Good – 30 – Devil Inside  – INXS
Pretty Good – 30 – Finest Worksong  – R.E.M.
Pretty Good – 30 – Kokomo  – The Beach Boys
Pretty Good – 30 – Lay Your Hands On Me  – Bon Jovi
Pretty Good – 30 – Never Tear Us Apart  – INXS
Pretty Good – 30 – One  – Metallica
Pretty Good – 30 – Tall Cool One  – Robert Plant
Pretty Good – 30 – When It’s Love  – Van Halen
Pretty Good – 30 – Five Long Years – Colin James
Pretty Good – 30 – Fuck the Police – N.W.A
Not Bad – 44 – Fast Car  – Tracy Chapman
Not Bad – 44 – Don’t Worry Be Happy  – Bobby McFerrin
Not Bad – 44 – Fat  – Weird Al Yankovic
Not Bad – 44 – I Hate Myself For Loving You  – Joan Jett
Not Bad – 44 – Kissing A Fool  – George Michael
Not Bad – 44 – Make Me Lose Control  – Eric Carmen
Not Bad – 44 – Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)  – Enya
Not Bad – 44 – Roni  – Bobby Brown
Not Bad – 44 – Simply Irresistible  – Robert Palmer
Not Bad – 44 – Where Is My Mind?  – Pixies
Not Bad – 44 – Hands Up – Sway
Not Bad – 44 – My Song – Glass Tiger
Not Bad – 44 – Voodoo Thing – Colin James
Not Bad – 44 – Chick and Cars (and the Third World War) – Colin James
Not Bad – 44 – I’m Your Pusher – Ice T
Not Bad- 59 – Colors – Ice T
Not Bad- 59 – Bring Me Some Water  – Melissa Etheridge
Not Bad- 59 – Doctorin’ The Tardis  – The Timelords
Not Bad- 59 – Don’t Be Cruel  – Bobby Brown
Not Bad- 59 – Every Little Step  – Bobby Brown
Not Bad- 59 – Forever Young  – Rod Stewart
Not Bad- 59 – Gimme Hope Jo’anna  – Eddy Grant
Not Bad- 59 – Helter Skelter  – U2
Not Bad- 59 – I Know You’re Out There Somewhere  – The Moody Blues
Not Bad- 59 – I’m Your Man  – Leonard Cohen
Not Bad- 59 – In Your Room  – Bangles
Not Bad- 59 – It Takes Two  – Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock
Not Bad- 59 – Like the Way I Do  – Melissa Etheridge
Not Bad- 59 – Look Away  – Chicago
Not Bad- 59 – My Prerogative  – Bobby Brown
Not Bad- 59 – Nothin’ But a Good Time  – Poison
Not Bad- 59 – Parents Just Don’t Understand  – DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince
Not Bad- 59 – Perfect World  – Huey Lewis & the News
Not Bad- 59 – Plug Tunin’  – De La Soul
Not Bad- 59 – Potholes in My Lawn  – De La Soul
Not Bad- 59 – Roll With It  – Steve Winwood
Not Bad- 59 – Straight Up  – Paula Abdul
Not Bad- 59 – The Living Years  – Mike + the Mechanics
Not Bad- 59 – Two Hearts  – Phil Collins
Not Bad- 59 – What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy)  – Information Society
Not Bad- 59 – Wild Thing  – Tone-Loc
Not Bad- 59 – Wild Wild West  – The Escape Club
Not Bad- 59 – I’m Still Searching – Glass Tiger
Not Bad- 59 – Love Changes Everything – Honeymoon Suite

 

 

1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989

1960s          1970s          1980s          1990s

 

My Favorite Songs of 1987

Posted: November 10, 2016 in Rankings
0

It has come to my attention that the source I was using for song releases almost completely ignored Canadian songs unless they were hits in America. Man, I’d be missing a ton of great songs if I didn’t fix that. Going back to 1980, I added a song or two each year until 1984 when I found several songs to add. And in 1986 I added a dozen! I mean – Boy Inside the Man? Fantastic tune! Anyway, going forward I’m using two sources for the songs and making sure the Canadian stuff gets on these lists. It was late 80s and into the 90s that Canadian rock really hit it’s stride.

Looking at the songs from 1987, I’m starting to think that the 80s weren’t so bad. Some of the best slow songs in history were released this year, and we also had Guns N’Roses Appetite For Destruction and Def Leppard’s Hysteria albums.

Unlike most rankings, I haven’t been simply tossing these up in a numerical order. Because I know better than anybody that on some days, some songs kick more ass than other songs. A song that is ranked 14th today could very well rank 1st tomorrow, if it suddenly comes on the radio during the perfect moment and I start singing along. You understand. So I group them instead of presenting a hard-and-fast order:

Awesome
Great
Pretty Good
Not Bad
…with inter-group splitting.

 

Awesome – 1 – Here I Go Again –  Whitesnake
Awesome – 1 – Love Bites –  Def Leppard
Awesome – 1 – Paradise City –  Guns N’ Roses
Awesome – 1 – Pour Some Sugar On Me –  Def Leppard
Awesome – 1 – Sweet Child O’ Mine –  Guns N’ Roses
Awesome – 1 – With Or Without You –  U2
Awesome – 7 – Slow and Low – Beastie Boys
Awesome – 7 – Alone –  Heart
Awesome – 7 – Angel –  Aerosmith
Awesome – 7 – Brilliant Disguise –  Bruce Springsteen
Awesome – 7 – Father Figure –  George Michael
Awesome – 7 – Hysteria –  Def Leppard
Awesome – 7 – Need You Tonight –  INXS
Awesome – 7 – Push It –  Salt N Pepa
Awesome – 7 – Rag Doll –  Aerosmith
Awesome – 7 – The Way You Make Me Feel –  Michael Jackson
Awesome – 7 – Touch Of Grey –  Grateful Dead
Awesome – 7 – Wild Flower –  The Cult
Awesome – 7 – Last American Exit – The Tragically Hip
Awesome – 7 – One Gun – 54-40
Great – 21 – Fishin’ in the Dark – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Great – 21 – Lil’ Devil – The Cult
Great – 21 – Highway Girl – The Tragically Hip
Great – 21 – Pop Goes the World – Men Without Hats
Great – 21 – Try – Blue Rodeo
Great – 21 – Together (the new wedding song) – Joey Gregorash
Great – 21 – Animal –  Def Leppard
Great – 21 – Bad –  Michael Jackson
Great – 21 – Dirty Diana –  Michael Jackson
Great – 21 – I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For –  U2
Great – 21 – Paper in Fire –  John Mellencamp
Great – 21 – Welcome To The Jungle –  Guns N’ Roses
Great – 21 – Seven Wonders –  Fleetwood Mac
Great – 21 – Bamboleo – Gipsy Kings
Great – 35 – Small Town Bringdown – The Tragically Hip
Great – 35 – Last of the Red Hot Fools – The Jitters
Great – 35 – A Hazy Shade of Winter –  Bangles
Great – 35 – Always –  Atlantic Starr
Great – 35 – Armageddon It –  Def Leppard
Great – 35 – Dude (Looks Like A Lady) –  Aerosmith
Great – 35 – Everywhere –  Fleetwood Mac
Great – 35 – Fairytale of New York –  The Pogues
Great – 35 – Faith –  George Michael
Great – 35 – Love Removal Machine –  The Cult
Great – 35 – The One I Love –  R.E.M.
Great – 35 – What Have I Done To Deserve This? –  Pet Shop Boys with Dusty Springfield
Pretty Good – 47 – Killing Time – The Tragically Hip
Pretty Good – 47 – Just One Night – Triumph
Pretty Good – 47 – Dirty Water – Rock & Hyde
Pretty Good – 47 – Kiss Him Goodbye – The Nylons
Pretty Good – 47 – Can’t Help Falling in Love – Corey Hart
Pretty Good – 47 – Boyzn the Hood –  N.W.A
Pretty Good – 47 – Bring The Noise –  Public Enemy
Pretty Good – 47 – It’s the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) –  R.E.M.
Pretty Good – 47 – La Bamba –  Los Lobos
Pretty Good – 47 – La Isla Bonita –  Madonna
Pretty Good – 47 – Little Lies –  Fleetwood Mac
Pretty Good – 47 – Man In The Mirror –  Michael Jackson
Pretty Good – 47 – Mandinka –  Sinéad O’Connor
Pretty Good – 47 – Rocket –  Def Leppard
Pretty Good – 47 – U Got the Look –  Prince
Pretty Good – 47 – Sweetest Thing –  U2
Pretty Good – 47 – Tom’s Diner –  Suzanne Vega
Pretty Good – 64 – The New Style – Beastie Boys
Pretty Good – 64 – Easy to Tame – Kim Mitchell
Pretty Good – 64 – Ordinary People – The Box
Pretty Good – 64 – Bad Boys –  Inner Circle
Pretty Good – 64 – Going Back to Cali –  LL Cool J
Pretty Good – 64 – Heat Of The Night –  Bryan Adams
Pretty Good – 64 – I Just Can’t Stop Loving You –  Michael Jackson
Pretty Good – 64 – I Want Your Sex –  George Michael
Pretty Good – 64 – Luka –  Suzanne Vega
Pretty Good – 64 – Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now –  Starship
Pretty Good – 64 – Sign Your Name –  Terence Trent D’Arby
Pretty Good – 64 – Smooth Criminal –  Michael Jackson
Pretty Good – 64 – Another Part Of Me –  Michael Jackson
Pretty Good – 64 – Big Love –  Fleetwood Mac
Pretty Good – 64 – Circle In The Sand –  Belinda Carlisle
Pretty Good – 64 – (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life –  Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes
Pretty Good – 64 – Heaven Is A Place On Earth –  Belinda Carlisle
Pretty Good – 64 – Time Stand Still –  Rush
Pretty Good – 64 – Wishing Well –  Terence Trent D’Arby
Not Bad – 83 – Peace Dog – The Cult
Not Bad – 83 – Evelyn – The Tragically Hip
Not Bad – 83 – I Will Be There – Glass Tiger
Not Bad – 83 – Contact – Platinum Blonde
Not Bad – 83 – Teenland – Northern Pikes
Not Bad – 83 – Got My Mind Set On You –  George Harrison
Not Bad – 83 – Heart and Soul –  T’Pau
Not Bad – 83 – I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) –  Aretha Franklin and George Michael
Not Bad – 83 – Is This Love? –  Whitesnake
Not Bad – 83 – Meet Me Half Way –  Kenny Loggins
Not Bad – 83 – Paid In Full –  Eric B. & Rakim
Not Bad – 83 – Where The Streets Have No Name –  U2
Not Bad – 83 – She’s Crafty – Beastie Boys
Not Bad – 96 – One Day In Your Life – 54-40
Not Bad – 96 – Closer Together – The Box
Not Bad – 96 – You’re What I Look For – Glass Tiger
Not Bad – 96 – Wild Horses – Gino Vannelli
Not Bad – 96 – 123 –  Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine
Not Bad – 96 – Can’t We Try –  Dan Hill
Not Bad – 96 – Could’ve Been –  Tiffany
Not Bad – 96 – Don’t Shed a Tear –  Paul Carrack
Not Bad – 96 – Electric Blue –  Icehouse
Not Bad – 96 – Hot Hot Hot –  Buster Poindexter
Not Bad – 96 – Hourglass –  Squeeze
Not Bad – 96 – Hungry Eyes –  Eric Carmen
Not Bad – 96 – I Think We’re Alone Now –  Tiffany
Not Bad – 96 – I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) –  Whitney Houston
Not Bad – 96 – In God’s Country –  U2
Not Bad – 96 – It’s A Sin –  Pet Shop Boys
Not Bad – 96 – Jammin’ Me –  Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Not Bad – 96 – Just Like Heaven –  The Cure
Not Bad – 96 – Learning To Fly –  Pink Floyd
Not Bad – 96 – Lessons In Love –  Level 42
Not Bad – 96 – Looking For A New Love –  Jody Watley
Not Bad – 96 – Midnight Blue –  Lou Gramm
Not Bad – 96 – Monkey –  George Michael
Not Bad – 96 – Moonlight Desires –  Gowan
Not Bad – 96 – Never Gonna Give You Up –  Rick Astley
Not Bad – 96 – Pump Up The Volume –  M/A/R/R/S
Not Bad – 96 – She’s Like The Wind –  Patrick Swayze
Not Bad – 96 – Together Forever –  Rick Astley
Not Bad – 96 – Who’s That Girl –  Madonna
Not Bad – 96 – On The Turning Away –  Pink Floyd
Not Bad – 96 – One More Try –  George Michael
Not Bad – 96 – Rebel Without A Pause –  Public Enemy
Not Bad – 96 – Shattered Dreams –  Johnny Hates Jazz
Not Bad – 96 – Sign O’ the Times –  Prince
Not Bad – 96 – Somewhere Down The Crazy River –  Robbie Robertson
Not Bad – 96 – True Faith –  New Order
Not Bad – 96 – Tunnel of Love –  Bruce Springsteen
Not Bad – 96 – When The Children Cry –  White Lion
Not Bad – 96 – I’m an Adult Now – Pursuit of Happiness

 

1980  1981  1982  1983  1984  1985  1986  1987  1988  1989

1960s          1970s          1980s          1990s

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