Sunday, November 16, 2008

POS: Your Own Top 4

We analyzed Rolling Stone's top 4 songs of all time. Post your top 4 here with: 1. an explanation of your general criteria 2. a list of your song selections 3. a brief explanation of each selection.

28 comments:

Calvin said...

1. Mrs. Potter's Lullaby-Counting Crows
2. One Last Breath-Creed
3. Always-Blink 182
4. Where The Streets Have No Names-U2

All the songs on this list are meaningful in some way. I can connect with them and when listened to they make people feel a certain way. They are powerful.

Anonymous said...

criteria- good rhythm, meaningful lyrics, not to popular.

4-lose yourself eminem
3-juicy Biggie Smalls
2-im me Lil Wayne
1-what a job- Devin The Dude ft. Snoop Dogg and Andre 3000

Anonymous said...

Top 5 songs
• Bob Marley-No woman No cry; Greatest reggae song of all time
• Sublime- What I got; universal theme with a good rhythm
• 2pac-Thugz mansion; meaningful rap and good rhymes
• 311- Beyond the Gray sky; meaningful and just awesome
• Mobb Deep-Shook ones; good rhyme and rhymes
-Patrick Traverse
Rap and reggae are very popular types music and these songs represents the top 5 songs

Anonymous said...

CRITERIA:
-meaningful lyrics
-universal theme
-good beat/rhythm
-catchy chorus

TOP 4 SONGS:
1.) "Twist & Shout" by The Beatles
-This song is really up-beat and catchy. It is about a young couple dancing and explains how the boy is really into the girl. It is a universal song because many people can relate to the theme of lust.

2.) "Calling you" by Blue October
-This chorus is also very catchy and the lyrics explore the universal theme of really wanting/caring about someone.

3.) "Crush" by Dave Matthews Band
-This song is about falling in love/having a crush. The lyrics demonstrate how everything seems so crazy and unreal to the singer, but he doesn't mind how confusing everything it, he embraces it. It is a really catchy song with a good beat and rhythm.

4.) "Saving Grace" by Tom Petty
-This song's theme is about someone Tom Petty thought he used to know well and how she has changed so much, in a bad way, that it is hard to recognize her. He questions if she even recognizes herself, and says that she keeps "running for another place, to find that saving grace."
This too is also very catchy.

Anonymous said...

The Best Songs Should include:a good, universal, theme; a rhythm, and evoke some type of emotion.

My Top Four:
1. 'Butterfly Kisses' by Bob Carlisle (many women getting married can relate to it; heatwarming yet tear jerking)
2.'Lyrical Lies'by Cute is What We Aim For (good message and rythm)
3. 'I hope You Dance' by Lee Ann Womack (inspirational)
4. 'Amber' by 311 (intreging rythm)

-Laura R.

Nicole N. said...

My general criteria for my top 4 best songs ever are more fitted for my personal likes obviously. I chose the songs I did because they generally have universal themes that many, if not all people can relate to. Also they have funky, cool rhythms, and the overall lyrics evoke powerful emotions for their listener.
My list is:
1. Aerosmith- I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing
2. Rascal Flatts- Stand
3. John Mayer-Waiting on the World to Change
4. Michael Buble-Home

First, I chose I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith as by first choice because it can be very ambiguous. Steve Tyler actually wrote it for his little girl, Liv. He felt guilty that he wasn’t around much to be with her. And yet, many people interpret it to be a love song, which is how I listen to it. It is a rock and roll song but it’s a slower one with some sick guitar.
I chose Stand by Rascal Flatts because it has a universal theme of getting back up after life has knocked you down. Everyone needs a song like that on their life’s playlist. It’s a feel good song that makes the listener want to get up and try life again.
I chose Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer for my number three spot because the whole song is the general idea that the world isn’t doing so hot right now but we need to wait it out, things will get better. The instrumentals are also a fresh “catchy” addition that makes Mayer’s song more desirable. He says that some people don’t have the means to change the world so they have to wait it out.
Lastly I chose Home by Michael Buble because it is a sadder song but definitely influential. He uses a lot of imagery in his lyrics which is appealing. The general theme is just the need to be back where your roots are and be back around people that you know. Everyone at some point in their life has been home sick and sad because they’re away from what they know and love.
Enjoy the list!

Doug said...

Top 4 Songs of All Time (Doug V. List)
These songs must contain inspiring lyrics, envoke emotion, have very high quality music.
1. Piano Man - Billy Joel :
This song is easily related to because you could go to almost any town bar in America and find a guy like the one Joel is singing about. You can also find the people who he describes in the song as well.
2. Space Oddity - David Bowie :
The song is an inspiring story of a journey into space. The lyics are told from two points of veiw, and when thought about it can be adapted into any situation. For example, if you were approaching a girl, you could play this song in your head and you can see some similarities.
3. My Girl - The Temptations :
This song is applicable to any male who enjoys girls. The harmonies of the members of the band fit perfectly together and the beat of the song is quite recognizable.
4. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen :
The song would be number one. However the seriousness of the song is not really applicable to any person or situation. Lyrically and musically it is one of the strongest songs ever written.

(#5 Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry)
(#6 Let It Be - The Beatles)
(#7 Layla - Eric Clapton)

Molli B said...

Top 4:
1.Free Fallin'- Tom Petty
2.What Hurts the Most-Rascal Flatts
3.Summer of 69-Bryan Adams
4.Ring of Fire-Johnny Cash

1. Free Fallin' has a good message that a lot of people can relate to and the chorus is catchy. It is about a man falling in love with a girl because of the little things he notices about her.

2.What Hurts the Most is a universal theme that connects to many listeners. Because it is about death of a loved one, it is easily relatable.

3.Summer of 69 has a catchy rhythm. This song is about being a teenager in the year 1969 and how times were a lot simpler then.

4. Ring of Fire has a simple message that is straight to the point. People can listen to it and relate. It is about a man falling deeper into love.

Mike said...

I found this really difficult. And I had to do five songs.

Criteria: Evoke emotion
Intelligent use of words
Significant matter
Can influence, persuade, and provoke thought.
Universal Theme.

1. "Big Yellow Taxi" - Joni Mitchell
(Great chorus, good meaning, it makes you think.)

2. "What's Going On" - Marvin Gaye
(Relateable to most events going on now and was relateable back in the 60s and 70s)

3. "Try" - Nelly Furtado
(It's a strange selection but the song evokes a lot of emotion and its simply her playing an acoustic guitar.)

4. "Rebellion (Lies)" - Arcade Fire
(The music blends well together, it's a catchy song. It's ambiguous, therefore relateable to many events)

Honorable Mentions:

5. "How Far We've Come" - Matchbox Twenty

6. "Caves" - Jack's Mannequin

7. "Mr. Brightside" - The Killers

8. "Babylon" - David Gray

9. "Everlong" - Foo Fighters

10. "Here Comes The Sun" - The Beatles

Tina said...

Criteria:
a new sound
catchy tune
meaningful lyrics
universal theme.

My Top 4:
1.)Any Way You Want It - Journey
(This is one of my favorite Journey songs because Steve Perry shows off his amazing voice and it's so catchy.)

2.)Hey Jude - The Beatles
(I love how soothing this song is. And the chorus towards the end is sweet).

3.)Beautiful Day - U2
(The beginning is really pretty and the whole song is just really inspirational to me.)

4.)The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
(This is one of the songs that I jam out to on a regular basis.)

Caitlin Q said...

TOP 4:
1.]"No Lies, Just Love" By: Bright Eyes
2.] "Texas Is South" By: The Devil Wears Prada
3.] "Scene Kidz" By: Geoffrey Paris
4.] "Snowflakes" By: Katy Rose

Honorable Mention:
"If Winter Ends" By: Bright Eyes
"The Show Must Go On" By: Drop Dead, Gorgeous
"So Rich, So Pretty" By: Mickey Avalon
"Your Heart Is An Empty Room" By: Death Cab for Cutie

In my opinion, if I can relate to the song- it automatically gets put in my iPod. It has to evoke emotion. If I don't get in a certain mood when listening to it, I'm done listening to it. I love when I feel like the artist is reading my diary. I like it to be really loose, where you can relate it to many different things.

"No Lies, Just Love" By: Bright Eyes, is a terribly depressing song that mnakes me tear up, but it's beautiful. The vocabulary he uses just breaks your heart, but i want emotion out of music I listen to.
"Texas Is South" By: The Devil Wears Prada, might be hard to understand to new ears. Theres even a few time that i have to look up certain lines in the song, but for the most part it's upbeat, loud and definately my style of music.
"Scene Kidz" By Geoffery Paris, is a dance song. 'Nuff said. I have a mix with all sorts of dance style songs for when I get ready.
"Snowflakes" By Katy Rose, is just a sad song. It's a song about depression, and the fact of the matter is everyone gets sad sooner or later.

Rachel<3 said...

General Criteria-
1. great bass line
2. compelling lyrics
3. rythm and beat

1. A Single Second-AFI
2. The Pot-Tool
3. Stand by Me- Temptations
4. Hurt- Johnny Cash
5. Runaway- Del Shannon


I really really love the songs that I chose. I know that the assignment was to choose the best songs, but I can't really do that because I'm not everyone, and I can't possibly know what they love. I know that I love the song A Single Second, and it is my favorite song ever. I like the bass line in all Tool songs. Stand By Me is one of my all time favorite songs ever. I really like Johnny Cash, but not so much when he is with June Carter. I never knew that the song "Hurt" was originally done by Nine Inch Nails.
My favorite music genre is the fifties, so I had to give a shoutout to the song "Runway", which I orignally had at number one.

liz said...

Some of the best songs should include a catchy beat, a good theme, and something people can relate to.

4. Tears in Heaven-Eric Clapton(inspirational)
3. Dont Stop Believin-Journey
(good theme)
2.Azwethinkweiz-Incubus
(catchy beat)
1.Dreamgirl-Dave Matthews Band
(good theme)(cathcy theme)

Cindy said...

1. My general criteria is rythm, good lyrics that are universal, great vocals, and I have to be able to "feel" the song.

2. My list:

1) A Letter From Janelle (acoustic) - Chiodos

2) Jersey - Mayday Parade

3) Beauty In The Breakdown - The Scene Aesthetic

4) Everlong - Foo Fighters

5) I Didn't Say I Was A Wizard, I Said I Was Powerful (acoustic) - Chiodos

Honorable Mentions:

Believe It Or Not - Nickelback

The Best of You - Foo Fighters


3. I picked each of these songs because they all have themes that most people can relate too in some way. They also provoke emotion. I could listen to all of these songs over and over again not get sick of them.

Steve said...

1.Queen-Bohemian Rhapsody
2.The Beatles-Little Help With my Frinds
3.Ozzy-Crazy Train
4.Village People-YMCA

All these songs should be under the top 4 because they all have the right qualities. Good Vocal, Rhythm, and universal theme in some of them.

Doug said...

(#8 Taxi - Harry Chapin)

Doug said...

(#9 Babylon - David Gray)

ALYSSA said...

ALYSSA'S TOP 5 SONGS!!

General Criteria:
-upbeat rhythm
-evokes happiness :)
-universal lyrics
- listeners are able to discern lyrics


TOP SONGS:
1. Bob Marley- One Love <3
2. The Cure- Just Like Heaven
3. Marvin Gaye- Let's Get it On
4. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones- The Impression That I Get
5. Counting Crows- Mr. Jones
**HONORABLE MENTION:
Lady GaGa- Just Dance
The Goo Goo Dolls- Name
Blink 182- Feeling This

EXPLANATION:
1. Bob Marley's song One Love is a very upbeat song that sends an postiive message to it's listeners. It is a very catchy tune and i have never heard of anyone that does not adore this song.

2. Same goes for The Cure :)

3.Marvin Gaye's song Let's Get It On is a very popular song. This song evokes alot of emotion. Most listeners can relate to this song and alot of people like it.

4.The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are the gods of ska music. The Impression That I Get is a very catchy song and i think it deserves to be recognized.

5. Counting Crows' Mr. Jones is an awesome song. it has great rhythm and a postive mood. i think that mkany people can relate to this song.

Patrick G. said...

=-Peace of Mind - Boston=-
-----Peace of Mind has a mix of acoustic/electric guitar with vocals that harmonize with all the instruments well. The rhythm is catchy and recognizable.

=-Under a Violet Moon - Blackmore's Night=-
----- The famed guitarest of Deep Purple created this band with his girlfriend Candice Night. They use a wide variety of instruments throughout their songs. Under a Violet Moon has a catchy chorus as well as the variety of instruments' sound mixing together well. The vocals backup the harmonization of the instruments.

-=Outta My Way - Damone=-
-----This song opens up with a classic 80's rock riff, influence from Nothin' But a Good Time by Poison. The guitar/vocal are all catchy and bring back reminders of the good old 80's.

-=Country Girl - Tim La Roche=-
-----Country Girl has the overused theme of 'Coming of Age' but with a modern twist. Growing up in the south with farmers and country music, and growing up to whatever she may be. The guitar's rhythm is catchy with muted notes used in replacement of a drum beat, with the sound of the acoustic guitar.

Danielle C. said...

#4! -Under a Violet Moon, by Blackmore's night. This song is great because it evokes the emotion of joy. It has a good rhythm, and an extremely catchy chorus.

#3! -No Second Chance, by Blackmore's Night. The reason this song is on my top 4 is because everyone can relate. The song is about a breakup where she never wants to see his face again. Everyone will go through a hard breakup like this at one point, so ai some point in your life you either have or will relate to this song. There is also a catchy chorus that, by the end, you could be singing along.

#2! -High Enough, by Damn Yankees. This song is easy to relate to because it is about starting anew. The meaning of the song could be interpreted in different ways by different people. The feeling of starting anew can be due to many reasons, but it is all about forgetting the past and moving on with your life.

#1!!! -When the Children Cry, by White Lion. The song this reason is on my list is because everyone can relate to it. It is about how children are the future of the world, but what the world is now, is leaving their future questionable. There is a tune that evokes the emotion of sympathy.

Amy said...

1. The Wind - Cat Stevens
2. America - Simon and Garfunkel
3. Ocean Breathes Salty - Modest Mouse
4. Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire

Amy said...

1. The Wind- Cat Stevens
2. America- Simon and Garfunkel
3. Ocean Breathes Salty- Modest Mouse
4. Rebellion (Lies)- Arcade Fire

I chose "The Wind" because it is simply one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard. It has a calming, peaceful effect on me. The lyrics convey a sense of acceptance, and the song as a whole really moves me.

"America" is another gorgeous song, with lyrics that mix sadness, humor, and hope and tell a story. Paul Simon is a song-writing genius, and this is one great example.

I chose "Ocean Breathes Salty" because its sound and lyrics have always had a chilling effect on me. The song is existential and deals with death, which is definitely a universal theme.

Finally, I chose "Rebellion" because, not only is it catchy, but the meaning of the song goes far beyond its seemingly simple lyrics. Arcade Fire is an undoubtedly talented group, and their lyrics as well as their instrumentation most always impresses me.

marier said...

1. At Last by Etta James (Everybody can relate to finding love, and Etta James evokes emotion with the way she sings the lyrics of her song.)
2. Three Cheers For Five Years by Mayday Parade -- acoustic version (This song is powerful and full of emotion, with a theme that is universal and deals with love and relationships. The lyrics are not about the good aspects of relationships, but one of the bad aspects and not getting back together with that person.)
3. Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson (This song is also powerful and speaks to any girl who has been in a not-so-good relationship. It talks about moving on after a breakup, and getting over the person they were once with.)
4. For What's Worth by Buffalo Springfield (This song tells the listener to look around at what is happening, war, and tries to explain to them that they should try to change what is happening. The lyrics, as well as the instruments of the song, help this song be as catchy as it is but remains an exemplary representation of songs against war.)

Kayla said...

1. Don't Be Shy by Cat Stevens
2. Have I Told You Lately That I
Love You? by Rod Stewart
3. Stayin' Alive by 'the' BeeGee's
4. Better Together by Jack Johnson
5. Satellite by Dave Matthews Band

Criteria:
-universal theme

-lyrics that evoke emotion

-catchy rhythm

-good chorus


Every one of these 4 songs, all express a sense of happiness. And although I like all of them very much, not just because of their fantastic diction in their lyrics, but in a way everyone can connect to the theme that each song presents. Whether its happiness, as shown in "Stayin' Alive", by the BeeGee's; or 'Better Together' by Jack Johnson. Or perhaps inspirational songs, such as in 'Satellite' by Dave Matthews Band, "Don't Be Shy" by Cat Stevens, and "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" by Rod Stewart. To go along with the emotion gained, the universal theme, and the good diction in the lyrics, each and every song I chose has a very catchy rhythm that gives you that sense of happiness when the music crawls into your ear and snuggles inside like the lyrics are finding their way in to hug your insides. All-in-all these songs rock. :)

Runner Ups-

Stand by Rascal Flatts

Banana Pancakes & Upside down by Jack Johnson

Sway by Michael Buble

Live Like You Were Dyin' by Tim McGraw

Wanted Nothin' More by Kenny Chesney.

Anonymous said...

hey K-Mac this is my top 4 songs.
1.Kid N'Play; Kid vs. Play( The battle)
2. Evanescence: my last breath.
3.Evanescence: my Immortal
4.WWE: Man with a plan.

Kayla T. said...

My playlist didn't work on here so, I'll list the songs and you can listen to them on my blog if you'd like.

1. Sunshine by Jonathan Edwards
2. Samson by Regina Spektor
3. The Con by Tegan and Sara
4. You and I both by Jason Mraz
________________________________

5. Home by Michael Buble
6. Soil, Soil by Tegan and Sara
7. Wasting Time by Jack Johnson
8. I'm yours by Jason Mraz
9. Times like these by Jack Johnson
10. With my own two hands by Ben Harper


I couldn't pick only four songs. But, the first for songs are my top four at the moment. All of these songs are very meaningful to me. Although "Home" by Michael Buble isn't in my top four, it probably is the most meaningful song to me. It in a song between me, Nikki, and our friend who passed away.

In case you haven't noticed, I like mellow music. I also love Regina Spektor because of her amazing range.

I have my reasons for my top songs.

Anonymous said...

Scar Tissue/Road Trippin -- RHCP Little Bitty -- Alan Jackson
Like a Stone -- Audioslave
Love Cats -- The Cure

Anonymous said...

Criteria:The song has to have good meaningful lyrics.It has to have a good beat/rythem to listen to.And has to be able to relate to it in some way.
1.Eminem-the way i am
2.Pitbull-Anthem
3.Tupac-Keep ya head up
4.Eminem-lose yourself