The Boxer and Bridge over troubled water reached the 100 best songs of all time
03/12/2009 06:44 ПП | NewsThe Boxer and Bridge over troubled water reached the 100 best songs of all time according to “Telegraph”.
Here is the list.
100 Space Oddity — David Bowie (1969)
I shall start as I intend to finish, with sci-fi strangeness from pop’s resident alien.
99 What a Wonderful World — Bob Theile & George David Weiss (1968) DV Louis Armstrong
Saccharine, improbably sweet view of life on earth, yet with a kind of peaceful aura that makes it a perfect antidote to harsh reality.
98 Everytime We Say Goodbye — Cole Porter (1944) DV Ella Fitzgerald 1956
The backdrop of war lent this farewell song extra weight as Porter maintains the lightest emotional touch.
97 Better Be Home Soon — Neil Finn (1988) DV Crowded House
Yearning melody counterpoints a wise, warning lyric.
96 Come On Eileen — Kevin Rowland/Jim Patterson/Billy Adams (1982) DV Dexys Midnight Runners
Joyous, Celtic paean to desire.
95 I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For — U2 (1987)
Gospel rock hymn of doubt and spiritual quest.
94 Chain Gang — Sam Cooke/Charles Cooke (1960) DV Sam Cooke
Music as an escape from the hardships of life.
93 Sail Away — David Gray (1999)
Regret and hope jostle for prominence in this aptly lilting song.
92 The Drugs Don’t Work — Richard Ashcroft (1997) DV The Verve
If Bittersweet Symphony was Ashcroft’s potent summation of hard lives, here he tenderly contemplates mortality, loss and love.
91 Help! — Lennon & McCartney (1965) DV The Beatles
Lennon’s jaunty pop song is driven by an undeniably raw, emotional plea.
90 I Am. I Said — Neil Diamond (1971)
Epic of existential despair.
89 You’ll Never Walk Alone — Richard Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein II (1945) DV Gerry and the Pacemakers 1963
Forties show tune transformed by the Merseybeat band into a soaring anthem of fraternal belonging.
88 Run — Snow Patrol (2003)
Dark yet uplifting, near apocalyptic verses give way to sweeping chorus with the promise that a departed lover will always be present.
87 All You Need Is Love — Lennon & McCartney (1967) DV The Beatles
Hopelessly optimistic but inspirational singalong peace anthem.
86 Jealous Guy – John Lennon (1971)
A tender, sorrowful ballad that displays the more authentically raw and honest side of a complex songwriter.
85 MacArthur Park — Jimmy Webb (1968) DV Richard Harris
Big, bonkers multi-part song somehow equating lost love with a forgotten cookery recipe.
84 Reason to Believe — Tim Hardin (1965)
Careful, regretful account of a lover’s disillusion.
83 In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning — Bob Hilliard/David Mann (1955) DV Frank Sinatra
Heartbreaking insomniac longing.
82 Light My Fire — The Doors (1966)
Provocative, sensual, slinky song weaving erotic desire.
81 Something — George Harrison (1970) DV The Beatles
Mysterious and
sacred but grounded in Harrison’s plain-speaking manner.
80 Your Song — Elton John/Bernie Taupin (1971) DV Elton John
Playfully self referential, deliberately awkward, mock inarticulate, this is a hugely romantic, everyman love song.
79 My Funny Valentine — Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (1937) DV Chet Baker 1953
Show tune turned jazz standard, it magically transforms a list of faults into a declaration of adoration.
78 I’m a Believer — Neil Diamond (1966) DV The Monkees
A cynic has his head turned by beauty, making one of the most uplifting love songs ever written.
77 I Say a Little Prayer — Burt Bacharach/Hal David (1967) DV Aretha Franklin 1968
An everyday kind of love takes on a cheerfully sacred hue.
76 The First Cut Is the Deepest — Cat Stevens (1967) DV Rod Stewart 1976
Before Cat Stevens found Allah he crafted this rich ballad of wounded love.
75 You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ — Phil Spector/Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil (1964) DV The Righteous Brothers
Forensic dissection of the end of an affair turns into an epic plea for reconciliation in a karaoke classic.
74 Cold, Cold Heart — Hank Williams (1951) DV Norah Jones 2002
Unreciprocated love gets a wry, understated treatment from a true songwriting genius.
73 Watching the Detectives — Elvis Costello (1977)
Creepily paranoid, twisting metaphor for emotional, psychological and romantic disintegration.
72 Anarchy in the UK — The Sex Pistols (1976)
Perhaps not everyone’s idea of a singalong but the wit and anger make it the great political protest song of our times.
71 A New England — Billy Bragg (1983) DV Kirsty MacColl (1984)
Acutely observed, parochially English state of the nation romance.
70 American Pie — Don McLean (1971)
Asked what the song means, McLean said: “It means I never have to work again.” Despite doubts about its poetic consistency, it is a fascinating, uplifting singalong of the mysteries of music and love.
69 Desperado — Glenn Frey/Don Henley (1973) DV The Eagles
Gentle, philosophical outlaw ballad, where freedom becomes a kind of prison.
68 Crazy — Willie Nelson (1961) DV Patsy Cline
Whimsical, touching song of self-reproach amid the madness of love.
67 Jolene — Dolly Parton (1974)
Compelling country narrative of jealousy and despair underpinned by steely courage as a housewife fights a seductress for her husband.
66 Wichita Lineman — Jimmy Webb (1968) DV Glen Campbell
Lonely desire distilled in the image of a telephone engineer on an empty highway listening in to his lover’s voice.
65 All These Things I’ve Done — Brandon Flowers (2005) DV The Killers
Anthemic plea for succour from one of the shining songwriting talents of today. He’s got soul but he’s not a soldier.
64 The Scientist — Coldplay (2002)
Stately, vulnerable piano ballad of a lover’s apologetic desire to turn back the clock, with a lovely keening coda.
63 Blowin’ in the Wind — Bob Dylan (1963)
Dylan’s poetic distillation of the mysteries of humanity’s inhumanity.
62 Why — Annie Lennox/Peter John Vettese (1992) DV Annie Lennox
The personal becomes universal in this soulful, apologetic anthem about cruelty and injustice.
61 Rehab — Amy Winehouse (2006)
Well, we all know where this ended up, but that doesn’t make Amy’s wicked, soulful defiance any less inspiring.
60 The Mercy Seat — Nick Cave/Mick Harvey (1988) DV Johnny Cash (2000)
Cave’s incredible, vivid lyric puts you in the electric chair with a man facing the end, in defiance and fear. But it took an interpreter of Cash’s humanity to draw out the song’s heart.
59 You Can’t Always Get What You Want — Jagger & Richards (1969) DV The Rolling Stones
Burned out, world weary, cynical but ultimately uplifting song of daily survival.
58 The Tears of a Clown — Stevie Wonder, Hank Cosby, Smokey Robinson (1967) DV Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
Love as a masquerade, hurt wrapped up in melodic delight.
57 Feel — Robbie Williams/Guy Chambers (2002) DV Robbie Williams
Most Williams fans would probably opt for the slightly cheesy singalong charms of Angel but this is a more subtle yet evocative, perfectly weighted and extremely touching song of emotional constriction.
56 In My Life — Lennon & McCartney (1965) DV The Beatles
McCartney’s melodicism seems to have played a strong part in shaping Lennon’s elegant comparison of past and present loves.
55 Bridge Over Troubled Water — Paul Simon (1970) DV Simon and Garfunkel
Epic, ethereal, always touching and ultimately stirring ballad of loyalty and sacrifice.
54 Let’s Face the Music and Dance — Irving Berlin (1936) DV Fred Astaire
Swooning, swaying melody and mischievously defiant lyric sets the immediacy of musical escapism against ominous forces of reality, making it a perfect song for a troubled world.
53 Moondance — Van Morrison (1970)
Morrison’s muse has carried him on wild astral journeys but the simple, jazzy Moondance distils the essence of love and dancing.
52 I Will Survive — Freddie Perren/Dino Fekaris (1978) DV Gloria Gaynor
Ultimate anthem of the down-trodden woman at the disco.
51 Mr Bojangles — Jerry Jegg Walker (1968) DV Nina Simone (1971)
Lovely, sad character study of a tap-dancing hobo and his dog, underpinned by issues of race and poverty on American streets.
50 Wish You Were Here — David Gilmour/Roger Waters (1975) DV Pink Floyd
Unusually for Floyd, this is a simple acoustic folk-blues drone, with a powerful, ironic lyric about life as a war zone.
49 Bird on the Wire — Leonard Cohen (1969)
Lonely, sorrowful yet defiant distillation of the human condition.
48 1000 Dollar Wedding — Gram Parsons (1973)
Perhaps the most heartbreaking country lament ever, a wearily detailed observation of a groom’s desertion at the altar.
47 Cry Me a River — Arthur Hamilton (1953) DV Julie London
The sensual melody sweetens the bitter pill of a lover’s cold-hearted revenge.
46 When Doves Cry — Prince (1984)
Compelling, icy cry from the heart with keening melody and one of the strangest choruses in pop.
45 Waterloo Sunset — Ray Davies (1967) DV The Kinks
A lonely man finds solace in the city: uplifting hymn to London.
44 Protection — Massive Attack with Tracy Thorn (1995)
Fragility and strength combine in a perfect trip-hop evocation of love’s shelter.
43 The Needle and the Damage Done — Neil Young (1972)
The beautiful melody and intimate poetic lyric soften the blows in Young’s tragic lament for band members lost to heroin.
42 Losing My Religion — REM (1991)
Strange song of obsession and unrequited love, the compelling melody shot through with oblique phrases.
41 Hey Jude — Lennon & McCartney (1968) DV The Beatles
Perhaps McCartney’s greatest singalong, a rolling melody, empathetic lyric and lots of nah-nah-nahs.
40 One For My Baby (and One More for the Road) — Harold Arlen & Johnny Mercer (1943) DV Frank Sinatra (1958)
The ultimate saloon song, a lonely drinker’s lament.
39 Tom Traubert’s Blues — Tom Waits (1976)
An artfully conjured hobo poetically reminisces how a woman laid him low.
38 One Day I’ll Fly Away — Joe Sample/Will Jennings (1980) DV Randy Crawford
Tender, fateful foretelling of the end of a relationship.
37 The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face — Ewan Macoll (1957) DV Roberta Flack (1969)
Almost holy song of sensual worship, improbably composed by sweater-clad, strait-laced Scots folkie.
36 Alison - Elvis Costello (1977)
Love song dripping poison.
35 Visions of Johanna — Bob Dylan (1966)
Desire adrift in a surreal night time world.
34 River Deep, Mountain High — Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich (1966) DV Ike and Tina Turner
Gloriously over-the-top metaphor for lung-busting, unrestrained love.
33 I Just Don’t Know What to Do With Myself — Burt Bacharach & Hal David (1962) DV Dusty Springfield 1964
Heartbreak, bafflement and a rich, emotional melody.
32 Imagine — John Lennon (1971)
Absurdly (some would say hypocritically) idealistic, Imagine still perfectly evokes a kind of utopia.
31 Working Class Hero — John Lennon (1970)
The other side of Lennon’s idealism: a bitter dissection of class, where anger counterpoints a lovely melody.
30 Stand By Me — Ben E King, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller (1961) DV Ben E King
Simple chord progression and heartfelt plea combine for an inspiring anthem of solidarity.
29 For the Roses — Joni Mitchell (1972)
Complex, vibrant suicide note to the music business.
28 Common People — Pulp (1995)
Comical class anthem where the ironic wit barely dampens the underlying anger.
27 Creep — Thom Yorke (1992) DV Radiohead
The song Yorke loves least is a potent outsider anthem.
26 Wonderwall — Noel Gallagher (1995) DV Ryan Adams (2004)
Vulnerability trembles through the defiance of Gallagher’s direct love song
25 Love Will Tear Us Apart — Joy Division (1980)
Romantic fear and self-loathing wrapped up in a post-punk torch song.
24 God Only Knows — Brian Wilson & Tony Asher (1966) DV The Beach Boys
Gorgeous devotional love song with baroque melody.
23 I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free — Billy Taylor (1954) DV Nina Simone (1967)
Inspirational civil rights anthem that never forgoes melody for message.
22 I Heard It Through the Grapevine — Norman Whitfield & Barrett Strong (1966) DV Marvin Gaye (1968)
Rumour, gossip, jealousy transformed into slinky soul.
21 Satellite of Love — Lou Reed (1973)
Reed’s take on jealousy is comically lateral, emotionally fragile yet perversely jolly.
20 We’ll Meet Again — Ross Parker & Hughie Charles (1939) DV Vera Lynn
Optimism and stoicism made this singalong the people’s song of the Second World War.
19 Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want — Morrissey & Marr (1984) DV The Smiths
Morrissey has rarely been as artless, his direct plea set to a beautiful Johnny Marr melody. Key Lyric: “Haven’t had a dream in a long time.”
18 Daddy’s Gone — James Allan (2007) DV Glasvegas
Epic, emotional, boldly prosaic rock and roll ballad of paternal abandonment.
17 One — U2 (1992)
Bitter divorce song that turns into an anthem of mutual dependence.
16 Strange Fruit — Abel Meeropol (1936) DV Billie Holiday (1939)
Sinister poetic account of racist lynchings. Holiday is said to have broken down every time she performed it.
15 The Boxer — Paul Simon (1969)
DV Simon and Garfunkel
A song of survival, with the weary narrator drawing inspiration from a scarred fighter’s refusal to surrender.
14 The River — Bruce Springsteen (1981)
Haunting narrative ballad of how economic hardship can destroy a relationship, with the dried river as a symbol of elusive hopes and dreams.
13 Hallelujah — Leonard Cohen (1984) DV Jeff Buckley (1994)
The song that has everything: desire and rejection, love and sex, God and man, failure and transcendence.
12 Sympathy for the Devil — Jagger & Richards (1968) DV The Rolling Stones
Jagger outrageously puts himself in the cloven hooves of Satan in a wild, evocative roll call of human outrages.
11 God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind) — Randy Newman (1972)
Equally outrageously, Newman casts himself as God contemplating his pitiful creation.
10 Everybody Hurts — Stipe, Berry, Buck & Mills (1993) DV REM
A secular hymn of compassion constructed around a simple picked rock and roll guitar motif.
9 I’ve Got You Under My Skin — Cole Porter (1956) DV Frank Sinatra
Understated, gently loping evocation of addictive desire.
8 Somewhere Over the Rainbow — Harold Arlen & E Y Yarburg (1939) DV Judy Garland
The rising melody and wistful lyric perfectly encapsulate a sense of yearning for a different life.
7 Saint James Infirmary — Traditional blues DV: Louis Armstrong 1928
Sad yet defiant contemplation of mortality, recorded by artists as diverse as Billie Holiday and the White Stripes.
6 Redemption Song — Bob Marley (1979)
Beautifully simple, stirring yet wistful anthem of freedom, personal and political.
5 Lola — Ray Davies (1970) DV The Kinks
Witty, compassionate, inspirational song of confused, transgender love.
4 Unchained Melody — Alex North & Hy Zaret (1955) DV The Righteous Brothers (1965)
A thousand karaoke versions cannot destroy this epic, vocally demanding ballad.
3 Tangled Up in Blue — Bob Dylan (1975)
Influenced by abstract art, and going through a divorce, Dylan created heartbreaking narrative of star-crossed love.
2 Let It Be — Lennon & McCartney (1970) DV The Beatles (1970)
An anthem of consolation, inspired by Paul McCartney’s dream of a visit from his own mother, Mary.
1. Life On Mars? - David Bowie (1971)
A quite gloriously strange anthem, where the combination of stirring, yearning melody and vivid, poetic imagery manage a trick very particular to the art of the song: to be at once completely impenetrable and yet resonant with personal meaning. You want to raise your voice and sing along, yet Bowie’s abstract cut-up lyrics force you to invest the song with something of yourself just to make sense of the experience. And, like all great songs, its got a lovely tune.