top ten songs of all time

well, in the spirit of the grammy's (one word: pink! was she amazing {and amazingly scantily clad?}) and the golden spirit critics acadamy guild awards or whatever they're all called, i think it's time i shed some light on good music. about a year ago, i came up with a playlist of the TOP TEN SONGS OF ALL TIME. it was not easy. there are so many good songs out there...how do you narrow it down to ten? it seriously took me a couple months to complete. however, don't be too impressed. i'm nothing close to a music nut and my knowledge probably doesn't even scratch the surface when it comes to "good music." i only have one criteria for songs on my top ten list. i have not, do not, and will not ever get sick of them! these are songs that i have listened to for years and still absolutely LOVE. a lot of these songs have memories attached to them. this list is timeless because these are my all-time favorites, and a lot of thought and consideration has gone into picking which ones make the cut! (im still in the process of coming up with my top ten movies....another blog post for another day.)

sure, i'm into lady gaga's "bad romance" (kind of a guilty pleasure) and a year ago, i couldn't stop listening to "you belong with me" by taylor swift, but those songs go in and out like *that*. i sometimes find myself wondering if i was having a cerebral hemorrhage when i spent a dollar on some up-and-coming sixteen year old's hit single that will probably be featured on the next "this is what i call music! volume 27".

so....here goes. if i were stuck on an island with a .0001 gigabyte ipod (heaven forbid) that could only hold ten songs, these are the songs that i would listen to for the rest of my life.

"only the good die young" by billy joel- this list is in no particular order....except this song. this may be a bold statement, but this is the single best song on the face of the planet. i can't specifically relate to billy on this subject (take a gander at the lyrics), but i may or may not listen to it multiple times on a daily basis. it's on my workout playlist, my skiing playlist...i'm thinking of making sleepytime and breakup playlists just so i can put this song on. that's how good it is. it's catchy, it's upbeat, and it's one of those songs that you blast in your car and think you look soooo cool. "i'd rather laugh with the sinners and cry with the saints, the sinners are much more fun."

oh, billy.

"the general" by dispatch- this song reminds me of my neighbor/one my best friends. i heard it from her older brother and it will forever go hand in hand with the memory of summer nights playing baseball in the street and capture the flag with neighbors till it was time to come inside and get ready for bed. ben and i would harmonize to this song over and over again until he got it just right. it's mellow and upbeat, too. i always walk away from this song with an easygoing "life is good" attitude.

"dancing in the moonlight" toploader version- who does not love this song?? i love this song so much, i had my friend burn me a CD with every single version on it. my favorite is the toploader version though. i'd heard it before, but one time when i was probably 12, my friend and i started singing it while jumping on the tramp under a full moon and that's when i fell in love! it makes me, well, wanna dance! it's such a happy song.

"somewhere only we know" by keane- i've really never heard another song by keane, but this one captivated me the first time i heard it. it starts out really soft, but has an awesome climatic swell near the end that always gives me goosebumps. the beat is good and the lyrics are even better. two thumbs up from me!

"tiny dancer" by elton john- words cannot describe how much i love this song. i gained an affinity for it in eighth grade, when i got my first ipod and in haste to have any music on it, "madman across the water" was the first album i downloaded although i'd hardly heard an elton john song in my life. it was about the same time that i had a big dance recital and i remember sitting in the dressing room with my ipod, doing math homework, and listening to "tiny dancer" on repeat. elton john's lyricist (bernie taupin) wrote it for his wife, and i love the lyrics. it's seriously a classic song!

"follow me" by uncle kracker- LOVE this song. i listened to it for like, a week straight when i was in mexico with some friends. so besides the fact that it's a great song in the first place, it reminds me of painting houses, soaking up rays on the beach, and hanging out with my favorite people!

"i will follow you into the dark" by death cab for cutie- first heard this at the beginning of my sophomore year of high school. it was a rainy fall and i would go pick up ben at football practice every day and listen to this song while i waited in the parking lot. it's my sophomore song! when i hear this, i think about asking and answering to my first dances, driving my first car (a little white junker that i love), and cheering in the rain. it's such a good one!

"american pie" by don mclean- nothing to say here.

"vienna" by billy joel- i know i already have one billy joel song on this list, but this guy really is a legend! this song is about the easygoing lifestyle in vienna (where joel's dad ran off when he was a small boy) and how all ages are celebrated there. i love the piano, i love the lyrics, i love everything about it!

"the lighthouse's tale" by nickel creek- it's in the perspective of a lighthouse and tells about it's (his?) relationship with the owner who "with me watched the sun set into nights." it's a pretty tragic story if you listen to the lyrics! ben put it in a slideshow for his eagle scout ceremony, so it reminds me of him! what a great song.

so there you have it. the ten songs that i will always love! enjoy!