Black (Pearl Jam)
Needs no explanation, introduction, or excuse. If this one doesn't touch you, you have no soul.
Last Kiss (Pearl Jam)
Ditto. Although I have to admit the "aaaaa ooooo" bit in the end sort of makes me snicker sometimes.
I Know (Dubious Mike)
I first heard this song when I was going through pretty much exactly what the song describes. So I listened to it a lot. Which probably, in retrospect, didn't help me get over it any faster.
Boulevard of Broken Dreams (Green Day)
God of Wine (Third Eye Blind)
Grace is Gone (Dave Matthews Band)
Love Song (The Cure)
I liked this song even before I learned what they were saying (this happens all the time). Just the energy and artistry of the music itself captured my attention. Then I saw the official music video. With hair like that, I'm not sure I can quite respect Robert Smith anymore. I know, it was the 80s and Aquanet stocks soared. Doesn't matter.
Fallin' (Alicia Keys)
Love her voice. Love her face. Love the piano. Her apparent bad-boy fetish, as depicted in the video for this song: Not so much.
Come Away With Me (Nora Jones)
They played this one at a funeral for a good friend of mine. He was younger than me and just stroked out one day (by which I mean he had a fatal stroke). I'd had people die on me before but this was probably the most jarring, for a lot of reasons. Since then, I've never liked listening to this song. Which is kind of a shame, because Jones is fairly bangable. What does that have to do with it, you ask? Well, if you have to, you'll never know. Which is good, really.
Creep (Radiohead)
Creep (Stone Temple Pilots)
Listen To Your Heart (Roxette)
I get goosebumps when they do that thing with the... whatever it is. Is it an xylophone? I don't even know. Maybe it's just a piano. Yeah, it's probably a piano. I like that bit. Which reminds me of...
I Will Be Right Here Waiting For You (Bryan Adams)
Good piano here, too. I'm a total sucker for piano, have I mentioned that yet? Side note: Was watching How I Met Your Mother tonight. Robin, bless her heart: "I love Springsteen! He's like the American Bryan Adams!" So true. So very true.
Sometime Around Midnight (Airborne Toxic Event)
I kinda have a thing for the violinist. She's adorable. But seriously, one thing I love about this song is it entirely disposes of the verse chorus verse formula that 99% of songs have these days. And the fact they even have a violinist is kinda unique; I'm a big fan of unique. Even when it's only kinda.
Loser (Beck)
Hurt (Johnny Cash)
It took a while to grow on me, but now I like the Man in Black's version better than Reznor's. Cash brought gravitas and depth to a song that, in its original incarnation, now seems petulant and shrill. Also his chord changes still give me chills. I listen closely to such things. Sometimes it's all I can hear, after all.
Outside (Staind)
Where'd You Go (Fort Minor)
I've always been kind of fond of fusion songs (and covers), but this one took the cake for me. Simply put, combining pianos and drums -- that's like auditory peanut butter and chocolate to me, for reasons I know I'll never be able to explain. It's just how it is -- if done well.
Something I Can Never Have (Nine Inch Nails)
I'm a little ashamed to admit it now, but there was a time this song was pretty much my anthem. Which was stupid in many ways, but hey -- when you're 16, being angsty is "romantic". Or something. Yeah, I was an idiot when I was 16.
...and of course pretty much anything by Evanescence, ha ha! But actually, Bring Me Back to Life was another example of arresting fusion; and I don't care what anyone else says, it made that scene in Daredevil damned cool. Yes, I did like Daredevil. I will buy it, if I see it on sale. But it never is on sale, is it, hmm? What's THAT tell you? People buy it, and hide it, perhaps under their beds. For some reason, liking Daredevil is a guilty pleasure. I can understand feeling that way about the spinoff (Elektra), but I thought they did a good job on Daredevil!
Okay, I digress. That's a subject I should revisit, though.
As a final note, reading back on this I realize I must sound a bit like a horny teenager with all the liking shit because the artist involved is attractive. That's not really it, seriously. It just doesn't hurt. Remember, my first introduction to these is always the voice and more importantly, the music and harmonies. This is even true with Phantom of the Opera, which is a movie; Emmy Rossum won me over not with her looks (ravishing though she is) but her rendition of the Phantom of the Opera song.
It does seem weird, even to me, that a voice should create such an effect on a deaf guy, but there it is. Maybe it's just that any beauty or artistry that can fully reach me, has to be pretty powerful to do it.
Nevertheless, I truly am a sucker for a pretty face. So when that's involved too, I'm pretty much done for.
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