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"Music is the literature of the heart; it commences where speech ends."
~ Alphonse de Lamartine |
My grandmother attempted to teach me to play the piano very briefly when I was quite young (7? 8?), but she must have determined me a lost cause because I probably had only a handful of lessons before she called it quits. That was the extent of my musical guidance. 🙄
Fortunately, my daughter grew up wanting to learn "everything," including music. At ten years of age she started playing the clarinet. At eleven years she started piano lessons, and soon after she began teaching herself guitar. In 8th grade she enrolled in choir and began singing in school shows. With the addition of a PlayStation into our home came the rhythm game, RockBand. Then much singing, guitar playing, and learning the drums ensued. The extent of my involvement came with singing two songs: Just Breathe by Pearl Jam and Miss Independent by Kelly Clarkson. I wouldn't inflict that unpleasantness on her very often, let me tell you, but I surely loved watching and listening to my sweet girl perform. 🥰
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My musical daughter (11-14 years) | © All Rights Reserved |
Although I enjoyed each and every concert I was lucky enough to attend, I feel a real concert deficit in my life. At this stage of my life, I think I would be totally up to seeing a much loved musical artist at a small outdoor venue; but I don't see that happening. The concerts I was extremely blessed to attend were:
- Kenny Loggins (1980 in Santa Barbara with my friend, Beth)
- Rod Stewart (1984 in San Diego with my sister, Margaret)
- Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (1985 at the L.A. Coliseum with my friend, John)
- Roy Orbison (late '80s at the S.D. Zoo Safari Park with my sister, Margaret)
- Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show (late '80s at the S.D. Zoo Safari Park with my sister, Margaret)
- Tom Jones (1991 at Humphreys by the Bay with my best friend, Deborah, & my sister, Margaret)
- Bruce Springsteen (1992 in San Diego with my best friend, Deborah)
- Joe Cocker (*see My Favorite Live Album below)
My favorite genres are alternative rock, classic rock, rock, pop rock, and rhythm & blues. I have quite a few motion picture soundtracks, a little country, some easy listening (smooth jazz and piano), and a teeny-tiny number of classical songs.
I have three or more songs by the following artists
I have three or more songs by the following artists
AC/DC, Adele, Aerosmith, Alanis Morissette, Alex Clare, Alexandre Desplat, The All-American Rejects, Amanda Marshall, Ambrosia, Arctic Monkeys, Aretha Franklin, Ashlee Simpson, Asia, Audioslave, Avril Lavigne, AWOLNATION
The B-52's, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Bad Company, Badly Drawn Boy, Band of Skulls, The Beatles, Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Billy Squier, The Black Crowes, The Black Keys, Blondie, Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, Bonnie Raitt, Boston, Boz Scaggs, Broken Bells, Brooks & Dunn, Bruce Hornsby, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Buena Vista Social Club, Bryan Adams
Carly Simon, Carolina Liar, Carrie Underwood, The Cars, Carter Burwell, Celine Dion, Chaka Khan, Cheap Trick, Civil Twilight, The Civil Wars, Colbie Caillat, Cold War Kids, Coldplay, Corey Hart, Corinne Bailey Rae, Counting Crows, Crash Kings, Creed, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cyndi Lauper
Dan Auerbach, Dashboard Confessional, Daughtry, David Bowie, David Cook, The Dead Weather, The Decemberists, Def Leppard, Dolly Parton, Don Henley, Duran Duran
The Eagles, Ed Sheeran, Eddie Money, Electric Light Orchestra, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Eurythmics, Evanescence
Faith Hill, A Fine Frenzy, Five for Fighting, Fleetwood Mac, Florence + The Machine, Foo Fighters, Foreigner, The Fray, Fun.
Garth Brooks, Gary Clark Jr., Gary Wright, Gavin DeGraw, Gavin Rossdale, George Benson, George Harrison, George Michael, Golden Earring, The Goo Goo Dolls, Gordon Lightfoot, Gotye, Grand Funk Railroad, Green Day, Griffin Peterson
Hall & Oates, Harry Styles, Heart, The Heavy, Howard Shore, Howie Day, Hozier
Imagine Dragons, INXS
J. Geils Band, Jack White, Jackson Browne, James Blunt, Jane's Addiction, Jason Walker, Jeff Buckley, The Jeff Healey Band, Jefferson Airplane/Starship, Jewel, Jim Brickman, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Joe Cocker, John Berry, John Denver, John Fogerty, John Mayer, John Mellencamp, John Waite, Journey
KALEO, Kansas, Katy Perry, Keane, Keaton Simons, Kelly Clarkson, Kenny G, Kenny Loggins, The Killers, Kings of Leon, KT Tunstall
Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, Layup, Lewis Capaldi, Lifehouse, Linkin Park, Little River Band, Loggins & Messina, Lorde, Loverboy, The Lumineers
Macy Gray, Maroon 5, Marvin Gaye, Melissa Etheridge, Mumford & Sons, Muse
Neon Trees, NO, Norah Jones, Nothing But Thieves
OneRepublic
P!nk, Paper Tongues, Pat Benatar, Pat Monahan, Patti Scialfa, Pearl Jam, Peter Frampton, The Police, Prince & the Revolution
Queen
R.E.M., The Raconteurs, Radiohead, Rag 'n' Bone Man, Rascal Flatts, Ray LaMontagne, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ringo Starr, Rob Thomas, Robbie Williams, Robert Plant, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison
Sam Smith, Santana, Sara Bareilles, Sarah McLachlan, The Script, Seal, Shania Twain, Sheryl Crow, Shinedown, Sly & the Family Stone, Smash Mouth, Snow Patrol, Soundgarden, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Supertramp, Switchfoot
Taylor Swift, Temple of the Dog, Third Eye Blind, Three Dog Night, Thriving Ivory, Tina Turner, Tom Jones, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Tracy Chapman, Train, The Traveling Wilburys
U2
Van Morrison
X Ambassadors
You+Me, Younger Brother
ZZ Top
30 Seconds to Mars, .38 Special
The B-52's, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Bad Company, Badly Drawn Boy, Band of Skulls, The Beatles, Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Billy Squier, The Black Crowes, The Black Keys, Blondie, Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, Bonnie Raitt, Boston, Boz Scaggs, Broken Bells, Brooks & Dunn, Bruce Hornsby, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Buena Vista Social Club, Bryan Adams
Carly Simon, Carolina Liar, Carrie Underwood, The Cars, Carter Burwell, Celine Dion, Chaka Khan, Cheap Trick, Civil Twilight, The Civil Wars, Colbie Caillat, Cold War Kids, Coldplay, Corey Hart, Corinne Bailey Rae, Counting Crows, Crash Kings, Creed, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cyndi Lauper
Dan Auerbach, Dashboard Confessional, Daughtry, David Bowie, David Cook, The Dead Weather, The Decemberists, Def Leppard, Dolly Parton, Don Henley, Duran Duran
The Eagles, Ed Sheeran, Eddie Money, Electric Light Orchestra, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Eric Clapton, Eurythmics, Evanescence
Faith Hill, A Fine Frenzy, Five for Fighting, Fleetwood Mac, Florence + The Machine, Foo Fighters, Foreigner, The Fray, Fun.
Garth Brooks, Gary Clark Jr., Gary Wright, Gavin DeGraw, Gavin Rossdale, George Benson, George Harrison, George Michael, Golden Earring, The Goo Goo Dolls, Gordon Lightfoot, Gotye, Grand Funk Railroad, Green Day, Griffin Peterson
Hall & Oates, Harry Styles, Heart, The Heavy, Howard Shore, Howie Day, Hozier
Imagine Dragons, INXS
J. Geils Band, Jack White, Jackson Browne, James Blunt, Jane's Addiction, Jason Walker, Jeff Buckley, The Jeff Healey Band, Jefferson Airplane/Starship, Jewel, Jim Brickman, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, Joe Cocker, John Berry, John Denver, John Fogerty, John Mayer, John Mellencamp, John Waite, Journey
KALEO, Kansas, Katy Perry, Keane, Keaton Simons, Kelly Clarkson, Kenny G, Kenny Loggins, The Killers, Kings of Leon, KT Tunstall
Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, Layup, Lewis Capaldi, Lifehouse, Linkin Park, Little River Band, Loggins & Messina, Lorde, Loverboy, The Lumineers
Macy Gray, Maroon 5, Marvin Gaye, Melissa Etheridge, Mumford & Sons, Muse
Neon Trees, NO, Norah Jones, Nothing But Thieves
OneRepublic
P!nk, Paper Tongues, Pat Benatar, Pat Monahan, Patti Scialfa, Pearl Jam, Peter Frampton, The Police, Prince & the Revolution
Queen
R.E.M., The Raconteurs, Radiohead, Rag 'n' Bone Man, Rascal Flatts, Ray LaMontagne, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ringo Starr, Rob Thomas, Robbie Williams, Robert Plant, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison
Sam Smith, Santana, Sara Bareilles, Sarah McLachlan, The Script, Seal, Shania Twain, Sheryl Crow, Shinedown, Sly & the Family Stone, Smash Mouth, Snow Patrol, Soundgarden, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Supertramp, Switchfoot
Taylor Swift, Temple of the Dog, Third Eye Blind, Three Dog Night, Thriving Ivory, Tina Turner, Tom Jones, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Tracy Chapman, Train, The Traveling Wilburys
U2
Van Morrison
X Ambassadors
You+Me, Younger Brother
ZZ Top
30 Seconds to Mars, .38 Special
How do you enjoy your music? Radio? Videos (YouTube)? Satellite stations? Streaming? Your own physical (vinyl, CDs) or digital music library? I went from being a child of radio with 8-track tapes to a teenager of radio with vinyl to an adult with cassettes followed by CDs and occasional concerts to a mature listener with solely a digital library. When I had a vehicle music was always playing. When I'm alone I listen via the speakers in my iPhone or laptop. If I'm with others I'll use my EarPods. I pretty much find out about "new" music from movies, shows, and books. I'm truly curious about how you find, organize, and enjoy your music.
In the Spotlight
The music in my library that I feel the most uplifted by
Favorite Studio Albums (links open in their Wikipedia pages)
- Brothers (Genre: Rock) - The Black Keys
- Chariot (Genre: Pop Rock) - Gavin DeGraw
- Dreaming Out Loud (Deluxe) (Genre: Pop Rock) - OneRepublic
- The End of the Innocence (Genre: Rock) - Don Henley
- Faces (Genre: Country) - John Berry (A recommendation from my dear friend, Roberta 💔)
- Hozier (Genre: Alternative) - Hozier
- Human Touch (Genre: Rock) - Bruce Springsteen
- Lucky Town (Genre: Rock) - Bruce Springsteen
- 4 (Genre: Rock) - Foreigner (I always skipped the song, Luanne, on the cassette and the CD!)
- 21 (Genre: Pop) - Adele
The criteria for this list is based wholly on my enjoying all of the songs on the album. I made an exception for Foreigner's 4 album because I freaking LOVE nine of the ten songs too much to leave it out!
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My Favorite Studio Albums |
Favorite Compilation Albums (links open in their Wikipedia or All Music pages)
- Rocket Man: The Definitive Hits (Genre: Pop Rock) - Elton John (my favorite artist in high school)
- Time Pieces: The Best of Eric Clapton (Genre: Rock) - Eric Clapton
- Greatest Hits (Genre: Rock) - Fleetwood Mac (I love my mood while listening to Fleetwood Mac)
- Greatest Hits (Genre: Rock) - Little River Band (ahh, LRB always has me happily "reminiscing")
- All Fired Up: The Very Best of Pat Benatar (Genre: Rock) - Pat Benatar (she literally rocks my world)
- Greatest Hits (Genre: Rock) - Queen (Love 'em all but my favorite introduced me to Queen)
- Timespace: The Best of Stevie Nicks (Genre: Rock) - Stevie Nicks
- Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection (Genre: R&B) - Stevie Wonder (A Wonderful collection!)
- All the Best: The Hits (Genres: R&B/Pop Rock) - Tina Turner (Tina will always be the most dynamic performer to me)
- Greatest Hits (Genre: Rock) - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
The criteria for my choosing these compilation (greatest hits) albums as my favorites is that I kept every single song from each album in my iTunes Library. That means I liked them all enough to listen to them over and over for many years.
Favorite Live Album (links open in their Wikipedia pages)
Apparently I'm not a fan of LIVE recordings because I only have five entire albums (although the four others are multi-album/disc sets). They are:
- Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band Live/1975-1985
- Eagles Live
- Frampton Comes Alive
- Joe Cocker Live
- Journey Time³ (a mix of studio and live music)
Of the artists above I was extremely fortunate to see two live in concert. Joe Cocker being the last. It was 19 Feb 1995 at Symphony Hall in San Diego, which was an extremely elegant venue. I planned the entire evening as a celebration for an anniversary, but because my partner considered this weeknight concert to be on a "school night" (work night, in actuality) they complained a great deal. I must have been insistent because I did not go alone. (I totally would have though because...JOE COCKER at SYMPHONY HALL! 😱) I was blown away by the entire presentation. There were cocktails and mingling in the lobby prior and super plush seating in the absolutely stunning hall. What I mostly remember about that night was how marvelous I felt. I was dressed to the nines and so happy to be there (my partner less so, even though they too loved Joe's music). I was (and still am) in awe of Joe Cocker's sound. Much of the crowd was made up of gentlemen much older than me. In fact, if memory serves, I was one of the few "youngsters" in attendance. 😊 The music and vital performance pushed me beyond my usual self-consciousness and I found myself standing, singing aloud, and even dancing in the aisle! I still can't believe I did that all these years later. I certainly hadn't danced at any of the other concerts I attended! This album has always inspired me to dance about though (which sure made my beloved doggies happy). After all of this, how could it not be my favorite live album by far? I just LOVE it so much! 🥰
Favorite Songs by Genre
I'm somewhat skeptical about the accuracy of the following singles. I mean, my starter list had many more artists and songs in the first four genres, but to be reasonable I had to be ruthless. To get the lists down to the top ten artists in each genre I had to rely mostly on extremely personal and sentimental factors. That didn't leave room for a lot songs that have given me great joy over the years.
Ugh, this genre thing is really absurd! Some artists/albums/songs are classified in like 3, 4, or 5 different genres! 🙄 I try to keep the number of distinct genres under control in my library. When I purchase new music with super specialized genres I'll end up deciding which of my standard genres they best fit into.
Also, my favorite songs are often (usually?) not the artist's more well known or popular songs. How to explain why my favorites songs are not the expected ones? I think ultimately the songs below just really set off a positive flood of feel-good emotions when I hear them. Most of them are immediately familiar when they pop up in my huge playlists. I smile instantly, start moving, and attempt to sing along. (As I've gotten older my mind just cannot remember most lyrics, but with these old friends...some of the lyrics have stayed with me.)
I have absolutely no technical knowledge of music. I just know what I like. And since I don't know the intricacies of music, I am extremely curious why these particular songs grab and hold my attention and regard. What musical commonality do they all share? Or is my devotion really just based on unidentified personal and sentimental reasons?
All of the song links below open videos in the official YouTube channels of the artists or record companies. (That way they'll be the best quality and always remain available. 😊) Now that I've done the difficult part by choosing the songs...I made myself a playlist in my iTunes library, but I also made a public YouTube playlist. If you're interested, you may find it here: My Favorite Songs Playlist.
CLASSIC ROCK
Related Items
- Billy Squier - The Stroke
- Eagles - Dirty Laundry
- Foreigner - I Want to Know What Love Is
- Joe Cocker - You Can Leave Your Hat On
- Journey - Faithfully
- Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot
- The Pretenders - Brass in Pocket
- Queen - Another One Bites the Dust
- Red Rider - Lunatic Fringe
- Roy Orbison - Oh, Pretty Woman
ROCK
- AC/DC - Big Balls
- The Black Crowes - Hard to Handle
- The Black Keys - Strange Times
- Bruce Springsteen - Souls of the Departed
- Bryan Adams - (I Wanna Be) Your Underwear
- Elvis Costello - Complicated Shadows
- The Heavy - What Makes a Good Man
- The Jeff Healey Band - (3-way tie) Cruel Little Number; Confidence Man; Someday, Someway
- The Proclaimers - I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)
- Santana - Winning
ALTERNATIVE
- Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know?
- Band of Skulls - Light of the Morning
- Florence + The Machine - (2-way tie) Dog Days are Over, Heavy in Your Arms
- Goo Goo Dolls - Iris
- Hozier - Take Me to Church
- Ima Robot - Greenback Boogie
- Imagine Dragons - Radioactive
- KALEO - Way Down We Go
- Muse - Supermassive Black Hole
- Pearl Jam - Just Breathe
POP/POP ROCK
- Adele - (2-way tie) Rolling in the Deep, Rumour Has It
- Fine Young Cannibals - She Drives Me Crazy
- Gavin DeGraw - Sweeter
- James Bay - Us
- Kelly Clarkson - Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)
- KT Tunstall - Suddenly I See
- Looking Glass - Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)
- Matthew West - Family Tree
- OneRepublic - Everybody Loves Me
- Orleans - Still the One
R&B/SOUL
- Aretha Franklin - (2-way tie) Respect, Chain of Fools
- Beyoncé - Crazy in Love
- Chaka Khan - Tell Me Something Good
- Dobie Gray - Drift Away
- George Benson - Give Me the Night
- Macy Grey - I Try
- Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through the Grapevine
- Prince - When Doves Cry
- Stevie Wonder - Superstition
- Tina Turner (2-way tie) What's Love Got to Do With It, Better Be Good to Me
FAVORITE VOICES (links open in their Wikipedia pages)
What does music mean to you? How do your favorites compare to mine? Is your music collection physical or digital? How and when do you listen to your music? I'm open to discussion and recommendations. Thank you!
Related Items
- Last.fm Profile (my listening history and stats)
- All of My Music Entries (new music and meme posts)
Music Resources
(rev. 07/22/2023)
Comments
But V, I need titles! So many of these artists have catalogs that are enormous. Help?
Love Cyn
Thanks love.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Be-0Vy6-FENLzRkhOQGMUHXvWL-N64xg1aAwT1U49Yg/edit?usp=sharing
I don't understand (or simply cannot believe) that you haven't heard of ANY of the remaining artists on the page though!
I've had the music you requested a list of for many years and have not kept up with any of their music that may have been released since. I was unable to purchase music for MANY years, as you know, and got drastically behind the times.
Is this getting to be too much trouble? Please tell me if so, I don't want you to go to a big hassle!
Much love...
Alexandre Desplat is a composer of movie scores (https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006035/).
The All-American Rejects had a couple of songs that I heard somewhere on their Move Along album: Dirty Little Secret and the title song. I can't recall where I heard them but I thought they were catchy. I bought their album When the World Comes Down after hearing Gives You Hell, which I heard from several sources. Here is their YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@allamericanrejects1
Amanda Marshall is a Canadian artist. I *think* I heard about her from an interview with the Canadian rocker, Jeff Healey, MANY years ago. Her debut self-titled album has several songs that I like a lot. I did a music meme back in 2011 and one of Amanda's songs fit the topic for one day. https://www.valeehill.net/2011/01/music-meme-day-6-song-that-reminds-me.html
Here is Amanda Marshall's VEVO channel on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theamandamarshall
And of course, Foo Fighters!
I was never really allowed to buy a lot of music. I did do the Columbia House thing once and got a lot os 89s alternative stuff. I think I still owe them some money…
Did you ever watch the television series, Eli Stone (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892535/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk)? George Michael made appearances throughout the show's seasons.
I shall make it a point to go listen to more Anna Nalick.
Thank you for your comments. I REALLY appreciate them!
I really love Anna Nalick, in fact Breathe is one of those perfect albums for me, where I love all the songs! Othersfor me are: Counting Crows, August and Everything After; George Michael, Faith; and any Chris Isaak CD. Love him!
I loved Eli Stone!!! I was so sad when it ended!
Went to a lot of concerts, Van Halen, Beatles, Steppenwolf, CCR, KISS, Beach Boys, Cheap Trick, Metallica, Black Sabbath, Oz Fest,
Hey, MJ! Thanks for jumping in, I really appreciate it! I bet you were a VERY enthusiastic concert attendee! Hey, I forgot to add the HOW, WHERE, and WHEN discussion. (I have since remedied that and added it to the page directly under the alphabetical artist list.) So, how, when, and where do you listen to your music? I would really like to try to picture you rockin' out to your tunes! Thanks again for sharing. You are a true rock and roll aficionado!
I have a really old iPod loaded with all the songs that I had bought, but none of the ones I had on CD, so I loaded that on to my phone. Now both of our cars have bluetooth, so there's that. But we normally listen to podcasts when we're driving together.
I asked for and got a little CD player for Christmas, so now I have a way to play my CDs. So I listen while I'm cleaning and hanging out. But normally when Jeff is home, we watch TV. LOL so bad.
You have a CD player. Good for you! Whenever you WANT to and CAN listen to what makes you happy is a great thing!
Enjoy and thanks so much for sharing!