brown paper packages tied up with string,

these are a few of my favorite…songs? (of all-time. in rank order.)

if you care enough to read this blog, you probably want to know what my tastes are. that way, if you hate what i love, you can stop wasting your time here. because chances are, you won’t ever find anything here that you like. sorry.

these are followed by a bit of commentary, as every song has a story.

1. walking in memphis- marc cohn : the height of my unexplainable obsession with this song came when the grizzlies drafted shane battier in the ‘01 draft. he got traded, oh well, but i still love this song.
2. #41- dave matthews band : one of the few dave songs that i prefer live over the studio version. this statement probably hurts my credibility as a dave fan, but i won’t apologize. my favorite version of this is on live at luther college with tim reynolds, the first dave cd i ever bought.
3. the rescue blues- ryan adams : ryan adams is an absolute genius, almost to the point of insanity. the gospel choir at the end of this track still gives me goosebumps. beautiful, beautiful song. and no, i don’t mind that he’s rumored to be dating mandy moore. or that most of his stuff was written under the influence of heavy drugs.
4. simple as it should be- tristan prettyman : i would play this song myself if i knew how to play guitar. and if i had someone i wanted to sing it (and mean it) to. i wonder if she wrote this for jason mraz when they were together. too bad that didn’t work out…
5. love, love, love (love, love)- as tall as lions : i have my honorary little brother/husband cam to thank for this one. i’ve burned this song on many a mix cd, and no one can get enough of it. what can i say? ATAL is magical. one of my favorite new bands of college, hands down.
6. compliment- collective soul : love this. not too sure why. but i love it even more when brandon sings harmony. seeing CS live was one of the best decisions i ever made.
7. it was a good day- ice cube : i know every single word. talk about dirrrrrrrty. catchy, nonetheless. plus, the video is ridiculous (a throwback to a time before ice cube was making kid-friendly movies about roadtrips). this song reminds me of a group of boys who call themselves the pappys. i love this song almost as much as i love them :)
8. penny & me- hanson : cruising. windows down. in bj’s civvy. the ultimate driving song. don’t let the hanson part fool you.
9. love’s a game- the magic numbers : a little depressing, but i think it’s true. sometimes, the magic numbers are a little much for my ears, but this song is perfection.
10. starts with goodbye- carrie underwood : call me cheesy, but this one’s got some good advice. i wore the some hearts album out freshman year, especially this track. it gets a little high and hard to sing along to, but that just makes you appreciate carrie even more.
11. strawberry wine- deana carter : i won’t apologize for my love for country music. after all, i’ve spent my entire life in the great state of texas. this song takes me back to when i actually started listening to music i liked, and not just what my parents played in the car.
12. holiday in spain- counting crows : not only do i associate it with my dear chinny (senior soundtrack represent!) but i distinctly remember this being played the first and only time i snuck out of my house in high school. you know, i’m not a huge crows fan but this one’s just so good. some of the lyrics make zero sense though.
13. dog problems- the format : first of all, R.I.P. second, oh, nate ruess. he turns this into a complete rant, but it is AWESOME. you may think it’s weird, but give it a chance. it’s a nice one to sing when you’re angry. C, C’S FOR SEEIN THROUGH YOU. YOU ARE A FAKE!!!
14. ghost of a good thing- dashboard confessional : “maybe it’s love but it’s like you said, ‘love is like a role that we play.’ ” also kinda reminds me of philippians 3:13. maybe chris carrabba is preaching the gospel haha.
15. don’t stop believin’- journey : had to have a classic on here somewhere. kanye played this during his set on the glow in the dark tour. i don’t think i’ve ever screamed so loud in my life. granted, he was sitting on a fake planet, wondering if he’d ever make it back to earth, but it was kanye and journey. COME on. a once in a lifetime opportunity on so many levels.

~ by CJL on May 26, 2008.