The Top-10 Songs of All (My) Time, Part 1

Recently, Apple Music and Rolling Stone published their list of greatest-albums-of-all-time lists. I love lists like this. Sometimes these lists remind me of albums I’ve never listened to or other albums I haven’t listened to in a while. These lists are mostly click bait. I get that. I’m not even offended or ready to march out front of Apple’s headquarters because they picked The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill as their #1. Over Thriller? Over Nevermind or Rumours? I get it … beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and there might be a huge group of people that love Lauryn Hill and this album, but my gut tells me Apple picked this as #1 just to get attention. To be different for the sake of being different. Rolling Stone did the same when they picked Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On album as their #1. Over Pet Sounds or Songs in the Key of Life?

Again. I get it. Best-of lists and judging greatest-of-all-time in any category can never be perfect. But at least try to get close.

With AI, Greatest Albums should be more accurate than ever and should factor in album sales, streaming numbers, number of Billboard hits, and year released and then multiply it by some ratio of population at the time an album was released and available formats at the time, divide by how many times the songs have been played on FM radio and then run it through an algorithm that factors in how many times songs on that album have been covered by other artists and how many movie soundtracks and TV shows have featured the songs. Play albums for infants or lab mice, or for house plants, and see how the songs effect brainwaves, mood, facial expressions, and plant growth.

Math and AI, people. Let’s use it for good, for once.

I read an essay a long time ago and it had a profound impact on my life and how I believe I know things and then, conversely, how others believe opposite or different than I do, and explains why it makes sense. The essay was “What You Are is Where You Were When” by Morris Massey. It’s essential theory is…

… the “when” is around the time we reach those wonderful, early teen years, age 14 or 15. Up until then, the world is all about just ourselves. But something happens when we get to 14 or 15. We see ourselves as part of the world. We socialize. And we often start developing our outlook on life. Call it even the beginning of our philosophy of life. If I were to ask you what was going on in your life, within your immediate environment, or in the world you were experiencing at 14 or 15, there’s a good chance that period will have been significant to you and will have remained a driving force in your life.

Hence, any Top-10 or Top-100 list can never be universally agreed upon or applauded because it’s impossible for me to put anything by The Who into my lists because I’ve never been able to slog through a single album from beginning to end. The Who, to me, is like lots of 80s TV shows were for me …they were there. They were on TV. So I watched them and loved them. But I’d never make my son sit through 1980s sitcoms “A Different World” or “Silver Spoons” …even though I loved them …and I would never make him sit through an album by The Who.

But, doesn’t mean I won’t give you, what I think, are the Top-10 Songs of All (My) Time. I’m making a page where I’ll have them all listed in the public record, but I’ll slowly reveal them over the next month. I’ll bet Drudge is going to pick this up.

#10 – “Just What I Needed” by The Cars

It starts. And then it builds. Then it builds some more. Then it goes crazy with guitars and harmonizing and it’s quirky. Things I like in a song …an unforgettable opening riff and quiet-loud stuff. It’s a love song but a little broken with lyrics like “needed someone to feel/bleed/breathe” which, to me, means more than just falling in love with beauty and flash. I love that. “You look so fancy” and “it’s not the perfume” acknowledges, yes, this girl is pretty and that’s all fine and good, but that’s not what’s important. Or, at least, it’s what surprised the song writer is that the attraction was about more than the beauty. Every time I heard this song during my youth and adolescence it reminded me there’s more to love than a pretty face and perfect body, which speaks to my life philosophy on friendships and people in general …don’t fall for the “pretty ribbons” in the hair …but find the substance. The life. The humor. The kindness. The humanity.

I’m not defined by my bank account, the things I buy, or my car. I hope when people look at me, they see that I’m a pretty good guy, not perfect, but always working to get better.

“Just What I Needed” is really, really cool musically and packs a powerful message.

You’re gonna see … my Top-10-Songs-of-All-Time have this common theme. Stay tuned.