Alright, so I thought about this for a while. Mainly, because these lists always are so trite and cliche. But, I decided that I'd do one and if it doesn't come off too lame, maybe I'd do more. But, one ain't so bad, right?
I recently pre-ordered the new Two Cow Garage record, "Sweet Saint Me," and have been pretty much listening non-stop to it. Now, as with most records you pick up, I have a few songs that I like immediately more than others. That doesn't mean the others are sub-par, trust me they are not. Just means that a few jump out immediately. One of the songs on the album really got me thinking about songs I wish my nephew could listen to everyday, or at least have a list of these songs and maybe one day decide to check em out on his own. So, I thought for a few days about what songs I would want him to hear. However, these aren't necessarily my top 10 songs ever. These are just songs that every little boy and/or girl should listen to and maybe take a few pointers from them. So, without further ado, here are the songs I hope he listens to and loves while he grows up (let's not get too sentimental here).
The "Listen to these Songs, Nephew" List
1. "Jackson, Don't You Worry" by Two Cow Garage- "There's gonna come a time when your little world's coming apart, Cause this whole world is just dying to break your heart." This song is what made me start thinking about this list. When I heard that line, I immediately had the thought that "ya know it's true, there are a ton of things that will happen in his life, but it all turns out alright in the end." When your young those hard times really seem worse than they really are. So, I hope that the song and the line becomes a sort of comforting blanket for him.
2. "Mom" by Lucero- "The road might take it's own course, but at it's end, Mama we're still your boys." I guess this one is self-explanatory. But, just in case, remember that she's always your Mama, and she's done a lot for you. No matter what you've done, and what you've totally messed up, she is always going to love you in the way only a Mom can. Only Lucero could make a song so badass about Moms. I bet Ben Nichols has a "Mom" tattoo.
3. "Forever Young" by Bob Dylan- "May you always do for other, and let others do for you." This one is especially poignant and meaningful for me. For his first gift from me, I gave him the illustrated book of this song. So, I will simply let the song speak for itself since I'm sure everyone is very familiar with it. And not that stupid remake that happened around the Super Bowl with Will.I.Am, ugh.
4. "Reach for the Sky" by Social Distortion- "Reach for the sky cause tomorrow may never come." I would be remiss if I didn't put a song about just sometimes not thinking about the future and just going for it on the list. And, for that song, only Social Distortion could make it not be wayyyy to sentimental. This song opened up their comeback album in 2004 and really set the whole mood of the album which came out after a band member had died. So, yeah.
5. "Lawyers, Guns, and Money" by Warren Zevon- "Send lawyers, guns, and money Dad, get me outta this." Well, we all get one, right? Hopefully he'll never need the 2nd one, but the other two he will have one free pass from me.
6. "Bastards of Young" by The Replacements- "The ones who love us least are the ones we'll die to please." There are probably better Replacements songs to have him listen to, but this one is definitely a great place to start. And it's quite honestly one of my favorite Replacements songs, so hopefully it'll be a good starting point for him to take up a great band. Also, everyone needs an angst ridden song every now and then.
7. "Hey Hey, My My" by Neil Young- "Hey hey, my my, rock and roll will never die." This one is kind of a twofer. Neil Young being one of my favorite artists of all time, and rock and roll being the basis for my love of music. Also, I think I heard that Kurt Cobain was quite fond of the line, "It's better to burn out, than to fade away." So, it gets even more cool points. I hope he likes rock and roll and Neil Young as much as I do. Fingers crossed.
8. "A World of Hurt" by Drive-By Truckers- "It ain't too late to take a deep breath and throw yourself into it with everything you got. It's great to be alive." Another one of those songs that really goes deep into the realm of "things get messed up but they always get better." This song probably does the best at making me feel better about everything, no matter how crazy things get. And to see it done live was one of the best experiences of my life. Not to mention, this is my favorite band.
9. "Atlantic City" by Bruce Springsteen- "Down here it's just winners and losers, and don't get caught on the wrong side of that line." This song kinda takes on a different point of view of that messed up message. I mean, all of Bruce's songs are about messed up situations and people, but this one really stands out for me. The guy in the song is resilient, although you're left wondering what favors he might be doing for whatever questionable guy he met. It was a close call between this and "Born to Run."
10. "Outfit" by Drive-By Truckers- "Don't act like your family's a joke." What can I say about this song that they don't say so perfectly in the song. But, if I could sum up everything I would want him to know/do, then man, it would have to be this song. Just listen. And then listen again.
Honorable Mention
* "Stay Positive" by The Hold Steady!- "We gotta stay positive."
* "Hard Times" by Ryan Bingham- "There's nothin' wrong with your last name, so don't be lookin' for people to blame."
No comments:
Post a Comment