Name three songs you never get sick of.
Three Days by Jane’s Addiction
This song gives me goosebumps every time I hear it… still… to this day. It is by far the best song Jane’s Addiction ever did. In fact, it is solely responsible for me not liking anything they’ve done since, solo or together. When you can write a song like that, you should songs like that all the time, forever. And when you don’t, well, it makes me think it was just a fluke.
It’s rough business picking just one classical piece. Not only that, it’s sort of cheating since The Planets isn’t just one “song” – it’s a whole piece. Honestly, picking Holst over Beethoven, Mozart or Tchaikovsky is painful, but The Planets has one thing over all of them: space. The Planets gives you a sense of the overwhelming size and diversity of our tiny little corner of the universe. It makes you feel as small as you actually are. I’ve already described my love of feeling small and insignificant in the post Seeing Stars. Put it on, dim the lights, lie back with your eyes closed and let Holst be your guide. All your problems will melt away as Holst takes you on a tour of the galaxy. You won’t be disappointed.
Moya by Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Everything this band does is super-neato-keen, but this song in particular is just divine. Every time it comes up randomly on my shuffle, I have to listen to it at least twice. It was used in a documentary on horror films and I found myself not paying attention to what the people were saying because I was listening to the song. The strings, the way it builds, the ineffable, tangible sadness of it… everything about this song is just perfect.
I knew as soon as I picked three, a hundred more would pop up, but I ain’t editing my answer. Honorable mentions go to:
Funkadelic – Maggot Brain
Mussorgsky – Pictures at an Exhibition – arrangement by Ravel
Boris – Farewell
Pelican – March Into The Sea
Pink Floyd – Wish you were here (actually, the whole album)
Tom Waits – Take It With Me (and about a hundred others)
Johnny Cash – One (better than the original in my opinion)
Jimi Hendrix – Red House
Nina Simone – Four Women
Edith Piaf – La Vie En Rose
Aretha Franklin – Ain’t No Way
Mono – Yearning
And about a thousand more.
Fish Of Gold 