We all have songs we really love, and songs we really love for different reasons. The great thing about music is there is no wrong answer.
If you like Iggy Azalea's music, there's no way I can convince you how awful it is. And isn't it funny how just a few years ago, we loved her music because we loved her. Now that she's not popular anymore, we all say her music sucked. But if it does, why did we all like her back then? I I mean, she was a headliner at KDWB's Jingle Ball!
NOTE: Most of these songs are old, because for a song to be A Song You Must Hear Before You Die, it has to have stood the test of time. Cardi B might be catchy now, but in 10 years, will we be laughing at ourselves for once liking her music? Probably.
So, judge away, but here are Ten Songs You Must Hear Before You Die.
Links to each video is in the song title.
"Imagine" by John Lennon. It's haunting, it's beautiful, it's hopeful, it's sad and it's simple.
"Some Nights" by Fun. I've never heard a song like this ever. Everything from the drums to the piano to harmonies and even the Autotune just work on this. It's an amazing piece of creativity and music that just rarely happens.
"Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin. Who knows what the words mean? No one. And that's part of the mystique and appeal of this song. But aside from the words, the simple acoustic guitar intro, growing slowly, instrument by instrument until it's just screaming. The vocals are incredible and the way it ends similar to the beginning is epic.
"More Than a Feeling" by Boston. I consider this one of the top five greatest songs of all time. It borrows the formula of "Stairway to Heaven" by starting softly with just an acoustic guistar and then growing to a full-blown rock anthem. The vocals are incredible and impossible to duplicate when he hits that high note before the last chorus.
"Man in the Mirror" by Micheal Jackson. Why not "Beat It" or "Billie Jean"? Because those songs, lyrically mean nothing. They're super-catchy, but what the eff?
Show 'em how funky, strong is your fight; it doesn't matter who's wrong or right, just Beat It
Wait, what's that again?
But "Man in the Mirror" is powerful not only because it's a beautiful song but it reminds us that we all have some growing up to do, and we can change things around us if we are that change we want to see.
"A Day in the Life" by The Beatles. I think this is their masterpiece and they had a ton of great songs. Again, this one starts with, guess what? An acoustic guitar and slowly adds instruments and vocals until it's a full-sounding, amazing song. It's actually two songs in one; John and Paul combined two songs they'd been working on individually into one classic. It shows John's dark and weird side, and Paul's always-happy, cheerful side. Ringo's signature drum fills are unmistakable. The orchestra, conducted by Paul, climbing the scale, the random alarm clock and that final EPIC piano chord, played on three pianos by all four Beatles combine to make this possibly the best song of all time.
"Good Vibrations" by The Beach Boys. A timeless, happy and complex song that was written by Brian Wilson, one of the least-happy musicians in the biz at that time. The Beach Boys music might seem corny and dated now, but this song is still so impressive melodically and creatively.
"Our Lips Are Sealed" by The Go-Gos. There's no flashy impressive musicianship on this song, but that infectious melody makes it one of the best pop songs of all time. The bass line is genius and so is that 6-note guitar lick that repeats through the song. And the drum fill right after the bridge builds the perfect musical tension, which is relieved by the soaring last chorus.
Damn! I'm really getting into this!
"Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney. This song is like a giant seven-layer dip. There's SO much to enjoy in it. The bass line is maybe the best bass line of all time. The four repeating noises at the very beginning are absolute genius and I still wonder what the hell they are. Listen near the end how three different vocals are singing three different lines and it blends together perfectly. Paul and The Beatles wrote a lot of great songs, and this one is usually overlooked but it's really amazing.
"Rapper's Delight" by Sugar Hill Gang. This song basically opened a lot of white kids' eyes and ears to rap and hip-hop. For me, a kid who's exposure to anything diverse was The Jackson 5 and Earth, Wind and Fire this was something amazing. The long version of the song was FIFTEEN minutes long and I listened to those 15 minutes over and over until I knew every single word.
Yes, it's stupidly simplistic and silly now, with no social meaning at all. It's happy, it's entertaining and it's ground-breaking.
Okay, comment below with your thoughts!