Filler...

So I know this blog is to update people on living in Charleston. Frankly nothing all that interesting has happened here. The ocean is great, people are great, history is amazing (I live in a pirate town!!!!!!!!), but events have been mundane. I promise to share my adventures when I have them.

In the meantime...

I was trying to think of my top 5 (because base 10 rocks!), desert island, favorite songs of all time. This is much harder than it sounds. First you have to consider emotion. If you are depressed when coming up with a list, you will have a tendency to favor darker songs much more than lighthearted ones. Also the time of year will surely influence you, just as it will subtly alter your personality. Knowing all of this I still thought I could narrow down what I considered time and again the best songs I've heard, of any genre, of any time period. Of course I'm limited in that I don't listen to much classical or opera, and the jazz I do listen to I rarely put as my favorite, so really this should be a top 5 pop/modern list. Fuck it though, this is my blog.

In order:

1. Sam Cooke - A Change is Gonna Come.
The first thing strikes me about any song is its musical value. Lyrics come second. A well written set of lyrics can trump poor music, but it's rare (example: Any Tom Waits song). This piece, Cooke's swan song, has some of the most striking orchestration I've ever heard on a pop song. Ray Charles would emulate this style on a lot of his later songs, but to a much more garish extent. The orchestration syncs perfectly with the lyrics and the vocals, none of them outdoing the other. All creating a beautiful tapestry on which all of Cooke's frustrations of the racial problems in America, and eerily foreshadows his own death just slight of a year later. Unfortunately no video has surfaced of Cooke performing this song. He did sing it on live television--3 days before the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan. Any footage of this has disappeared.



2. Billie Holiday - Autumn in New York.
Many people have sang this song; Lady Day did it best. Nick Hornsby, or maybe it was John Cusack, asked "Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was i miserable because I listened to pop?" Does one listen to this song when longing for a nostalgic, perfected, fantasy that probably never was, or does one long because of the song? The intense longing for a simple, low key comfort found in shortening sun, and the last burst of joy before the onset of winter depicted through the lyrics are transformed to a vivid, yet muted painting by the strength of her vocals. Read "In a Station of the Metro" by Ezra Pound if you are having a hard time understanding what I mean.
The best visual I could find on youtube:


3. Delorian - Violence in the Snowy Fields

I can't explain this one. The music, lyrics, and vocals are great, but not the best ever. I just really fucking like it. Always has. I heard this song about the time I found my confidence. It's message synced with my feelings at the time, and I've been hooked ever since. No youtube of it, since they aren't that big. You can find them on Amazon though, with some great reviews.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_dmusic?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-music&field-keywords=Violence+in+the+snowy+fields&x=0&y=0

4. Tony Rice - Prisoner's Waltz.
Most people probably won't like this, since it is traditional, verging on bluegrass. Give it a chance though. I think it lives up to its name. It portrays the tragic in the mundane. Once again no full song, just a preview:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Prisoners-Waltz/dp/B0010W9CQA

5. The Ike Reilly Assassination - When Irish Eyes Are Burning Bright.
SO this song probably wont' stay on this list permanently. In fact it will be awhile until I nail down the final desert-island song. But in the meantime this one will do. At first listen its a standard rock song about drinking and fighting. Ok actually that is what it is on the 20th listen. However for me it does something. I listen to it I want to get drunk, fight, fuck, maybe all at the same time. I want to put my fist through a window, piss off a guy bigger than me, spend more money than my life is worth, and find out the other mistakes I made when I wake up the next morning. Can you name many songs that make you want to do that? No? Well then don't criticize this song.

Oddly enough I couldn't find a video of this song, but I could find a free download of it here.
Right click, and save. You know the drill people.

So...there you go.