Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
I can't have a favorite songs list without this song. This is my all time favorite song. I still remember when I had gotten my Mariah Carey cd and she had redone 'Open Arms', I loved it. My dad heard the remake and pulled out his Journey cd making me listen to it instead. It took some time for me to truly appreciate how great Journey was; there wasn't a single moment that it clicked I just appreciated their music. It feels like it's just been a part of me for so long and when it got popular again like everyone else was let in on the secret of how awesome they truly are.
Ben E. King - Stand By Me
This song was originally written by King for someone else and when they didn't record it that could have been the end of this great song. This song has been redone by so many people, yet there's no one who does it quite like King. Short, sweet, no synthesizers, just music. The way it should be made. I can't imagine going the rest of my life without being able to listen to this song.
The Righteous Brothers - Unchained Melody
I remember learning this song on the piano - I loved playing it because it was so soothing and beautiful. I loved the instrumental long before I loved the words. When I finally heard the recorded version I remember thinking how moving the words were and how beautiful and sad it was at the same time. I can close my eyes, listen to this song on repeat and feel completely relaxed and at ease.
Justin Timberlake and Charlie Sexton - Hallelujah
I know that Justin didn't write this song nor was he the first to perform it. I've loved this song since I heard it by Rufus Wainwright. I've listened to Jeff Buckley and Leonard Cohen's versions but I always preferred Rufus, that was until the 'Hope of Haiti' concert when Timberlake and Sexton gave this raw, emotional and all together moving rendition. The music isn't as forceful and there just seems to be so much more feeling in the song.
Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl
There isn't a song I remember more than this one. Ever since I could remember I always loved this song, an anthem for the girls with brown eyes. You never hear someone say 'You have such beautiful brown eyes' and I was often jealous of my green eyed and blue eyed friends. I don't think there has been a wedding where I haven't danced to this song with my father. This song reminds me of love, weddings and my Dad.
The Beatles - Yesterday
My Dad loves The Beatles, I mean LOVES The Beatles. Growing up he had their albums on vinyl and slowly added the cds when they came out as well. People often marvel at how this song is so short, yet so perfect. Whenever this song comes on the radio or my playlist I always stop and just listen. It takes me back to a place I've never been before, where music is art and lyrics mean something. I love listening to this song, I just don't necessarily like people trying to cover it, it was perfect as is - no need to cover it.
John Lennon - Imagine
Imagine is one of those songs that just grabs hold of you. I wasn't alive when Lennon was, and until I was older I didn't know he had been murdered. I think a moment that changed the way I listened to this song forever was September 11th. Listening to the lyrics preach of tolerance, love, freedom and peace which at the time felt so far away. I cried to most of the songs they used for 9/11, but this one was somehow optimistic. I remember watching Glee last year and the episode 'Hairography' came on. When the show choir for the deaf school started signing 'Imagine' and the cast joined in singing and signing with them I started crying. This song for me just strikes something deep within me, it's why it connects to generations who weren't alive when Lennon passed away yet alone played.
Natasha Bedingfield - Unwritten
This song takes me back to Hawai'i every single time I hear it. That's more than enough reason to put it on this list as Hawai'i was the best month of my life, ever. The song's lyrics talk about no one else can feel anything for you, that you have to go out there and live your life. I did a lot of living in Hawai'i and I don't regret a second of it. Whether it was swimming in the ocean off Waikiki at night, swimming with dolphins on my off weekend, dancing with my friends till the wee hours, eating new foods or surfing it was all worth it. The part about 'feel the rain on your skin' makes me laugh; when we were in Hawai'i we'd often avoid the beach because where we were was raining. On the last day of our time there they told us the valley where we were had 86" of rain per year and the beaches got about 0.5" of rain a year. Often it wasn't raining on the beach and we had missed some opportunities to lay out because of the crazy island climate.
Glee - I Feel Pretty / Unpretty
What girl hasn't felt like she was the most beautiful girl in the world? And on the flipside, what girl hasn't felt so low that she wanted to change everything about herself? There are people who can influence how we actually feel about ourselves and this song just spoke to me and most of the women I know. There are days I wake up feeling absolutely disgusting and there are days when I have a one of those 'on top of the world, feel like a princess' moment. This mash up is done perfectly and when it first came out I listened to it on replay for two days straight.
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