1. "Say It To Me Now", Glen Hansard -- This is from the soundtrack of Once. If you have not seen this movie, I suggest you do that pronto. The movie is amazing in itself, but the music is undoubtedly what makes the film. Especially this song. You can really hear his inner anger and frustration come across, and not in a whiny way. It's straight from the heart.
2. "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", Judy Garland -- Yes, this is on the list. Though cheesy and usually irrelevant [unless it is of course Christmas time], it is one of the most touching songs you will ever hear if you really listen. The power behind Judy's voice is incomparable, and yet there is this sentimentality. It is especially beautiful within context of the movie it originated from, Meet Me In St. Louis. A cheesy MGM musical, of course, but that part in the movie will get you no matter what.
3. "Hallelujah", Rufus Wainwright -- Written by the legendary Leonard Cohen, the lyrics are enough to make you change your entire way of thinking. But those lyrics matched with Rufus' amazing voice is unbelievable. This is a song you SHOULD be afraid of letting yourself getting involved with, because once you do, it will most likely make you cry each time you listen to it. But only because of its beauty and honesty.
4. "Hey Jude", The Beatles -- It's an overplayed classic. Everyone and anyone can chime in at some point; whether it's in the first verse, the chorus, or the infamous "Na-na-na's". It goes for almost 7 minutes, half of those 7 minutes being the ending "Na-na-na's". BUT it is still a song about hope. It's a song about optimism and acceptance. "Take a sad song and make it better", "Don't carry the world on your shoulders", the whole song is made up of bits of advice. Strip this song of all its exploitation and get down to its roots. You'll be surprised.
5. "Romeo & Juliet", The Killers -- An amazing Mark Knopfler/Dire Straits masterpiece, but The Killers make it memorable. The dreamy and precise electric guitar they use in the intro is enough to send goosebumps down your back. The Killers cleaned this song up and added in some fitting ornamentals, which helps it fully live up to its genius. I did not realize how well-crafted this song was until the other day when I was dosing off with my music on, and this song started playing. My eyes were closed, my mind almost asleep, and all I could hear were Brian Flowers' pleas; his voice telling this beautiful story inspired by the Shakespearean play. "When are you gonna realize, it was just that the time was wrong"--the beauty of that line is expressed in its sheer irony. The story of Romeo & Juliet has always been described as a tragedy, but here is Mark Knopfler giving a sense of hope to this seemingly sad tale. It wasn't a tragedy. The time was just wrong.
6. "Simple Twist Of Fate", Bob Dylan [OR The Format] -- This could very well be the most well-written song of all time. Bob Dylan tells an entire story of a relationship within a mere 4 minutes, but in the most poetic way possible and the most poignant. You are actually able to get to know the characters and what they went through, even in such a short amount of time. Anyone can relate to this song, anyone. Whether you are the one who was left, or the one who left, you can see both sides, and feel both sides. [Note: The Format also does an amazing cover of this song. I usually do not approve of bands doing covers of Bob Dylan songs, but it is actually quite beautiful, true to form, and does not ruin the honesty of the song.]
7. "Grey Or Blue", Jaymay -- Catchy, precise, modern, and well-written. There aren't many mind-blowing notes or guitar solos or harmonies; it's basically just a poem set to music. It catches you from the first two lines: "I feel so helpless now, my guitar is not around/And I'm struggling with the xylophone to make these feelings sound." It's beautifully written. Making feelings sound through a xylophone? How can that even be done? AND to top it off, at that point you can hear a few notes on the xylophone being played, but only during that line. Simple additions like that are what the song. That it is so intricately put together, and has so much care.
8. "New Romantic", Laura Marling -- This song has no structure. None. The chorus repeats twice, but not even with the same word, or even the same tempo. It sounds more like her just rambling about her life in a sing-song kind of way. It does rhyme, but in a way that isn't very noticeable unless written out. It tells a familiar story of heartbreak and struggle, but in a very unique and different way, something that is hard to accomplish because everything now seems so overdone. But she does it well. This song never gets old.
9. "Sea Of Love", Cat Power -- It's a plea. The whole song is maybe made up of about 15-20 words, but they are such delicate phrases and accompanied so well with the chime-like music, that you immediately fall in love with it. It's entirely made up of requests, but very gentle requests, no demands. True beauty in its simplest form.
10. "Isolation", John Lennon -- Short, but indeed very sweet, this song has a very loose structure with a simple and airy feel that suddenly turns very harsh and interrogative [but still simple] about 4/5 the way through, and then returns to its simple, airy feel for the last fifth. For such a short and simple song, it holds a lot of depth, especially during the harsh breakdown: "I don't expect you to understand/After you've caused so much pain/But then again, you're not to blame/You're just a human, a victim of the insane." He addresses his companion AND the human race at the same time, all within four simple lines.
So go! Listen! Open your ears to these beautiful tales! Remember simplicity, honor simplicity! You will not be the same person.
Other songs worth checking out:
"Yesterday", The Beatles
"Jersey Girl", Bruce Springsteen
"Apple Blossom", The White Stripes
[I'm sure there'll be more to come.]
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