Choosing ten songs that I would be limited to for the remainder of my days was obviously extremely difficult. In trying to limit my choices, I constantly thought of alternates and wrestled with the idea of substituting new ones. As it was, I threw in a few honorable mentions but could have added an endless list of substitutes. My “final” list demonstrates a few attributes that are telling regarding what moves me musically. Primarily I am moved by melodies and harmonies. I have been an amateur musician and singer for almost 50 years and the songs I like best are ones that I like to sing or with which to harmonize. I also enjoy guitar leads that are melodic and have a strong, logical structure. Frantically moving about the fret board playing scales with blazing speed is impressive, but is not what grabs and holds my attention. Finally, I am moved by added orchestral elements that provide a counterbalance to the main melody of the song. The following are my ten songs ( and a few alternates). They are not offered in any particular order of importance. The list is heavily weighted to the late sixties and seventies. I will readily admit that I am a dinosaur and not a fan of the vast majority of current music except for some of the country genre. If you ask me next week, it may be a somewhat different list.

Brothers in Arms

This is the last track on the Dire Staits album of the same name that was produced in 1985. The song was written by guitarist and band leader Mark Knopfler whose restrained but powerful lead guitar is the featured element of the song. The organ part throughout the song provides a firm foundation. Although he wrote the song in response to Great Britain’s involvement in the Falkland Islands War, the theme depicts the ravages and senselessness of war in general. The alternating surges and the gradual crescendo create the drama and haunting nature of the song. One of the best uses of the song is in the season two finale of the West Wing when President Bartlett has a crisis of faith and has to face the press. The song plays as he marches soaking wet through a rainstorm to defiantly face the press corps.

All the Young Dudes

Written in 1972 by David Bowie it was recorded and released by Mott the Hoople who were actually in the process of breaking up. It was written as a glam rock anthem and produced by Bowie. The band had turned down a chance to record another Bowie song- Suffragette City. Bowie then went back and wrote All the Young Dudes for them. Ian Hunter’s vocals, and the infectious refrain, are the keynotes to the song. You almost cannot help yourself from joining in on the refrain especially at the end as it extends and there are the call-backs from Hunter as it fades out. The song was number 166 on Rolling Stones’ 500 Best Songs list.

The End

The final compilation of songs at the end of side two of Abbey Road which are referred to as “The End”, which includes Golden Slumber, Carry that Weight and The End, are a fitting finale to a great album bringing in earlier elements of the album. The compilation includes a call back to the previous track You Never Give Me Your Money and two unique musical elements for the band. The first is the only recorded drum solo by Ringo Starr, who much preferred to be the backbone and rhythm of the band, and a lead guitar battle by the remaining three Beatles alternating lead parts. The compilation contains the beautiful melody of Golden Slumbers followed by an orchestral interlude along the previous musical theme of You Never Give Me Your Money. That interlude forcefully leads into the hard rock solos and finishes with the lilting and philosophical The End. In all honesty, I cannot listen to the is part of the album without feeling it emotionally. The reason for that would likely rest with a session of psychotherapy.


Comfortably Numb

Comfortably Numb, from the Pink Floyd album The Wall, was released as a single in 1980. The lyrics were written by Roger Waters. David Gilmour put the lyrics to music that he had written a few years before. The song was actually based on an experience that Waters had at a concert where he was given medication by a doctor right before performing. The experience fit the theme of isolation and confusion that was expressed in The Wall. There are three powerful elements to the song that build as the song progresses. The first is the conversation between the doctor and the patient performed by Waters. The second is the chorus which is performed by Gilmour. This section is highlighted by the orchestral arrangement and harmonies which build on the drama. Being a guitar player, it is of interest to me that Gilmour, and the famous session guitarist Lee Ritenour, play dual acoustic guitars in the chorus that are Nashville tuned (high tone) giving the chorus a very distinctive sound. The third, and most powerful are the two lead sections following the choruses. David Gilmour can make a guitar sing like no other. His leads have an emotional power that pull you into the song. Comfortably Numb was voted number 179 on Rolling Stones’ 500 Best Songs.

Wichita Lineman

In 1968 Glen Campbell had become enamored of what he called “place” songs and asked the famous songwriter Jimmy Webb to write him another place song following his hit, By the Time I Get to Phoenix. The song was recorded with the assistance of the famous session players known as The Wrecking Crew, with whom Glen Campbell often played during sessions including the recording of the Beach Boys Pet Sounds and Good Vibrations. In fact, the famous six note bass line at the beginning of the song was written by Carol Kaye who was the female bass player in the Wrecking Crew. Besides the melody, orchestration, and Glen Campbell’s great voice, the song has one of the best lines ever in the second “chorus”, “And I need you more than want you – And I want you for all time” .

These Eyes

The song was written by Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings of the Guess Who in 1969. Burton Cummings had one of the strongest and clearest voices of that era with tremendous range. The song was their first hit. The band wanted to move on to a harder rock sound but producers talked them into staying with more of a ballad approach. They followed with a couple of more hits such as Laughing and Undun before branching out to a harder sound with songs like American Woman. Burton Cummings was known for adding variations to the melody late in songs using his tremendous range which is true of These Eyes as well. I used to sing the song and could hit those high notes. Sadly, no longer.

Let’s Stay Together

This R&B classic was written by The Rev. Al Green (the minister of R&B), Willie Mitchell, and Al Jackson Jr in 1972. Who has not sung along with this classic and with other Al Green classics when they come on the car radio? Al Green’s unique style and soft lilting voice are irresistible whether you can sing or not. His band is both understated and powerful at the same time especially the electric guitar fill and the horns lending punching accent in just the right place. His background singers are near perfection. The song was listed as number 60 on Rolling Stones’ 500 best songs.

Operator (That’s Not the Way it Feels)

The song was written by Jim Croce in 1972. It has both a sad, compelling storyline and beautiful guitar work. The main character starts out believing that he is over the betrayal of his girl and his best friend who have moved away together. In the end he talks himself into realizing that he is not over it and the image of him not being able to read the number through his tears is a dramatic visual image. The guitar work in the song is intricate with the descending bass line that occurs throughout and the accompanying fills by Croce’s side man Maury Muehleisen who was one of the best side men in the business. Although I was only sixteen in 1972, I could imagine that this scenario was not an uncommon occurrence at that time. The subject matter probably resonated with many.

Late for the Sky

It was very difficult to pick one Jackson Browne song to include in this list. Conservatively, I could have likely chosen five or six. This song is the title song of the album. The song and album were published in 1974. Late for the Sky, both the album and song, feature elements that continue to draw me to Browne’s music to this day. If I am going to sit down and play for a while, I will often listen to this song and a few others first to get in the mood. The acoustic melodies, whether guitar or piano, are always impeccable and the electric guitar fills and leads by David Lindley are intricate and match and support the melody perfectly. Browne always knows when to build up the intensity and pace in these songs that start out slowly and add elements. He does not disappoint in this one when the chorus builds. Browne is also one the greatest lyricists of his generation, and of any generation. There are too many lyrics over time to feature, but the best from this song is when he sings, “For me some words come easy … But I know that they don’t mean that much. Compared with the things lovers say when they touch” He is admitting that his words empty and meaningless and that he is not as committed as she is. He almost creates a movie with his words.

Gimme Shelter

My enduring memory of this song, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in 1969, is getting in the first car I ever owned, a Rambler Nash that I bought for $150 in 1972, and hearing that haunting Richards guitar riff that starts the song though my eight-track player. If it wasn’t the first song that played, I would fast forward through the rest to get to it. The guitar intro was soon followed by that driving drum line by Charlie Watts that drives the rest of the song. I will freely admit that I am not the biggest Stones fan, but this song could not be left off this list. The other portion of the song that I loved was the background vocal. That powerful female voice belongs to Merry Clayton. The story is that they were recording at two or three in the morning and they decided they needed a background singer. They got Merry Clayton’s name and address, and a person was sent to her apartment at that late hour to ask her to sing back-up. She relates that she felt a bit strange singing the line “ Rape. Murder. It’s just a shot away “. Nevertheless, without her contribution the song is just not the same. This song is listed as number 13 on Rolling Stones’ 500 Best Songs.

Honorable Mention

Elanor Rigby

Written by Paul McCartney (disputed by John Lennon) in 1966, and included on the iconic Revolver album, this song was an anthem to loneliness through the eyes of characters like Elanor Rigby and Father McKenzie. McCartney had seen the name on a gravestone in Liverpool. This song is one of the first where we start to hear the direct influence of producer George Martin and his connection with McCartney. For me, and I can imagine countless others, it was an introduction to classical music and classical instruments and how they melded with our music. The bass lines and the staccato violins and cellos are dramatic and moving.

Whipping Post (Live Version – Fillmore East)

Whipping Post is an Allman Brothers original that was played live over the course of three nights in March 1971 at the famed Fillmore East in New York. The entire album is stunning, but Whipping Post best represents the band to that point in my eyes. The song starts with a driving bass line by Barry Oakley and is followed by the Greg Allman organ, the dual guitars of Duane Allman and Dicky Betts and the driving sound of dual drums by Butch Trucks and Jaimoe drive the song. Every element of the band is on display but Greg Allman’s tortured vocal and the dueling guitars are featured. If there were ever a greater guitar duo than these two, I have not heard them. And Duane Allman was and still is the greatest slide guitarist who ever lived.

He Ain’t Heavy -He’s My Brother

The song was recorded by a few people but the version that I am referring to was recorded by the Hollies in 1969. It featured Allen Clarke on lead vocals and Elton John on piano. The title of the song, and its origin, are both very interesting. It goes back to a religious origin in Scotland and a tale of a little girl carrying a sick boy who was bigger than her. When asked if he was heavy, she answers with the line, “He’s not heavy -He’s my brother. “ The line was also used by Father Flanagan as the motto for Boys Town. The story of the writers is also amazing. Bobby Scott and Bob Russell were introduced to each other and met only three times. Bobby Russell was actually dying and the result of those meetings was this song. Besides the subject and the lyrics, it is a beautiful melody with beautiful harmonies.