j74's ALL-TIME TOP 300 (300-181 posted)

[ListenToItTwice]

okay so every year I take about a month listening through my library to create a list of my all-time favorite songs. In 2010 it was a top 100 list, in 2011 it was 200, and this year there are 300.

Here we go:

300. Next to Me: Emeli Sandé



Is she singing about God? A lover? A friend? Either way, she’s the latest and one of the greatest to come out of the BritPop Invasion of 2011-2012.

299. Get Out of this Town: Carrie Underwood



She has one of the most powerful voices in mainstream music, and sometimes she sings as if she actually gives a s**t. And when she does, it’s magical.

298. Underwear: KaraMel



Since this list has already lost all credibility, I might as well include the greatest guilty pleasure of all time. Degrassi’s Cassie Steele and some other Canadian chick chant “1 2 3 4 Get your panties on the floor” in this certified club banger.

297. “What’s Up?”: 4 Non-Blondes



It may have one of the most mocked choruses and vocals of all time, but if you can get past the quasi-yodeling “Hey-ey-ey-ey…,” then there’s plenty of room to appreciate the perfection of Linda Perry.

296. Anything But Ordinary: Avril Lavigne

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/98/Avril_Lavigne_Let_Go_album_cover.jpg/220px-Avril_Lavigne_Let_Go_album_cover.jpg
[/img]

This album is/was/will always be the soundtrack of my adolescence. Dubbed the “anti-Britney” of the time, then-16-year-old Avril Lavigne tried to convince us that she’s unique in this gem. “Somebody rip my heart out, and leave me hear to bleed,” she pleads. Okay, Avril.

295. Skyscraper: Demi Lovato

upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/SkyscraperDemi.jpg/220px-SkyscraperDemi.jpg
[/img]

After being re-written to capitalize on Lovato’s publicity as a hero for young people living with bipolar disorder and bulimia, the ballad was released as Lovato’s comeback single. It had mixed success, but for one beautiful moment in time, we were rising from the ground. Like a skyscraper. Like a skyyyscraperrr. Like a skyscraper.

294. Power of Love: Hollie Cavanagh

Screw Celine Dion. Screw Air Supply. Screw that other woman who actually recorded it first and who isn’t sufficiently culturally relevant for me to remember her name. This is the best version of this pop standard ever recorded, and you will deal.

293. What I Know: Parachute


upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/c0/TheWayItWas-Parachute.jpg/220px-TheWayItWas-Parachute.jpg[/img]

Under-rated song from an under-rated album by an under-rated band. That’s pretty much all I have to say about that.

292. Karma: Alicia Keys



You don’t mess with Alicia Keys. Because if you do, she’ll make vague proclamations about what goes around coming back around, and remind you about that one time you messed with her.

291. Ordinary Day: Vanessa Carlton



It was just an ordinary day, but the piano line was really pretty, so… yeah.

[ListenToItTwice]

290. Optimistic Thought: Blues Traveler



Just some silly, light-hearted feel-goodery from the songwriting genius of John Popper.

289. Where is the Love?: The Black Eyed Peas



It’s kinda like social commentary, but in a world where “bacteria” rhymes with “cinema.” The only thing they’ve ever recorded that doesn’t make me want to have my temporal lobe removed.

288. I Don’t Want to Know: Fleetwood Mac



One of many standouts on one of the most solid albums ever recorded.

287. Stupid Hoe: Nicki Minaj



Flawless single artwork aside, Nicki Minaj delivers the true tea on this ruthless shadefest. Marking her territory in the rap world both literally and euphemistically: “I piss on bitches… I am the female Weezy,” Minaj delivers delightfully absurdist poetry against an electro-hop backing track.

286. Torn: Natalie Imbruglia



The best song about lying naked on the floor ever (narrowly beating Shaggy’s “It Wasn’t Me” in that category). Billboard rules at the time robbed this classic of an excellent Hot 100 run.

285. Howlin’ for You: The Black Keys



This is what cool would sound like if it could be harnessed and turned into a three-minute song.

284. Grace Kelly: MIKA



MIKA isn’t going to be told who to be, and he’s going to make sure you know that with fabulous falsetto and a melody lifted from The Barber of Seville.

283. Follow: Brandi Carlile



“Don’t let the world outside there break you,” Carlile warns on the first track of her first studio album. And she’s just gotten better since.

282. Heavy Cross: Gossip



Also known as “that song in that commercial with Charlize Theron.” This is badass dancepop.

281. Ready to Run: Dixie Chicks



“What’s all this talk about love?” Good question, Dixie Chicks. Good question.

[ListenToItTwice]

280. Girl with the Red Balloon: The Civil Wars



Haunting co-ed harmonies tell the fairly personal, emotionally complex tale of the girl at the “pub on the south side of town.”

279. Taller Children: Elizabeth & The Catapult

“In the end, we’re all just taller children.” Perfect. The end.

278. Every Now and Then: Garth Brooks



Poor Garth. Everything reminds him of his ex and that’s rough but also it’s okay because he still loves his wife. So that’s the whole song.

277. Too Much to Ask: Avril Lavigne



Avril’s having a bad day, too. Her boyfriend is smoking pot and he never returns her calls. It’s a hard knock life.

276. Suerte (Whenever, Wherever): Shakira



“Lucky that my breasts are small and humble, so you don’t confuse them with mountains.” Lucky that there’s a Spanish version.

275. Masochist: Ingrid Michaelson



Ingrid’s narrator does some self-examination, and waits to finally feel something.

274. Long Shot: Kelly Clarkson



Umm so Katy Perry wrote this… I don’t even mind.

273. Love, Save the Empty: Erin McCarley

Our greatest Sara Bareilles-wannabe offers a lovely piano ballad lamenting loss of innocence, and beseeching the healing power of love.

272. Boots & Boys: Ke$ha



I don’t even know what’s so sexy about this song. But you haven’t lived until you’ve seen me dance to it, just saying.

271. Crystal: Fleetwood Mac



I have nothing interesting to say about this one. There are exactly 270 songs that I like more than this one.

[Slizzard]

"Karma", "Where Is The Love?", "Torn", "Grace Kelly", "Heavy Cross" (had forgotten all about it!), "Whenever, Wherever" ...

[ListenToItTwice]

Apr 12, 2012 0:33:21 GMT -5 Slizzard said:

"Karma", "Where Is The Love?", "Torn", "Grace Kelly", "Heavy Cross" (had forgotten all about it!), "Whenever, Wherever" ...

And it just gets better from there

I'd like to think my list has a nice balance of Pulse favorites and lesser-known masterpieces.

[ListenToItTwice]

270. The Fear: Lily Allen



UK diva Allen has something to say about our fame-obsessed reality-television: she loves it, and wants every part of it.

269. Send Me on My Way: Rusted Root



A fantastic song, whether or not you take the time to figure out what they’re saying. (I had always just assumed it was something about Matilda).

268. Dance Dance Dance: Lykke Li



Adorable and seductive all at once, Lykke Li’s narrator expresses herself with some interpretive physical movement.

267. One-Way Ticket (Because I Can): LeAnn Rimes



The ultimate “I’m over you and now I can do whatever the f**k I want” song. But not quite in those words. I mean, she was 13.

266. You Don’t Have to Go: Rachel Platten

In a jazzy tribute to a one-night stand, Platten reminds us that men aren’t the only ones with healthy sexual appetites.

265. Everything: Alanis Morissette



Morissette’s penchant for honest lyricism is in full display in this heartfelt thank-you to her fans.

264. Don’t Forget: Demi Lovato



It’s about as minimalist as Disney-girl pop songs can get, and it’s just lovely in every way.

263. Diet Mtn Dew: Lana Del Rey



Baroque pop’s mysterious bad girl Lana Del Rey sings about what could be endless love for the “Coney Island Queen.”

262. Call Them Brothers: Only Son ft. regina spektor

The husband and wife team of Jack Dishel and regina spektor use the Berlin Wall as a metaphor for a friendship hopelessly destroyed.

261. Landslide: Dixie Chicks



It may not have the power and sincerity of the original (don’t worry; that one comes later on the list), but nobody does three-part harmony like the Dixie Chicks, and this faithful cover is too beautiful to ignore.

[ListenToItTwice]

260. Raise Your Glass: P!nk



It’s not fancy, it’s just dancey. Her words, not mine. A charming ode to being yourself.

259. Feel the Tide: Mumford & Sons



The chorus is Facebook-status appropriate optimism, but the verses are gloomy subtext-rich storytelling.

258. Heart Skips a Beat: Lenka



There’s a special brand of unbridled happiness that Lenka has a monopoly on in the pop world. This song about “trying hard not to resist the joy” may be her giggly magnum opus.

257. Sunrise: Norah Jones



Norah Jones’ provides a smooth, sultry ode to new beginnings.

256. The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia



Originally offered to Cher, the song was first recorded by Vicki Lawrence, who made it a number-one hit before it became an enduring country hit for Reba McEntire. Synopsis: A man is falsely executed for a murder committed by his sister, the song’s narrator. The south is a mess.

255. Baobabs: regina spektor



Regina gets literary in this lovely lyrical nod to Le Petit Prince.

254. Since U Been Gone: Kelly Clarkson



Kelly Clarkson takes her break-up really, really, well in her 2005 signature hit. It’s belt-y, girl-power-y, and, yes, iconic. -y.

253. Ghost: Ingrid Michaelson



Ingrid’s just a bit more broken up about it. She’s in pieces. Maybe that’s why there’s a cat on her album over.

252. All Alright: fun.



With an anthemic chorus and rollicking verses, Nate Ruess sings about rejection and abandonment.

251. There’s Your Trouble: Dixie Chicks



Maniacal laughing on the single cover aside, this debut single by the greatest country group of all-time is just fantastic. Enough said.

[ListenToItTwice]

250. But You Know That I Love You: Dolly Parton



Ms. Parton sweetly croons about not letting “the dollar signs” keep her and her man apart.

249. Love Story: Taylor Swift



With more-than-questionable accuracy, Taylor Swift retells the tale of Romeo and Juliet.

248. Crazy: Gnarls Barkley



Cee-Lo Green remembers when he lost his mind in this soul and hip-hop influenced new classic.

247. This Is Everything: Tegan and Sara



There’s a desperate, reluctant self-honesty in this one. A highlight of the Canadian sister act’s debut.

246. Love You Like a Love Song: Selena Gomez & The Scene



It’s always been more about Selena Gomez than it has about The Scene, if they even existed. And I keep hitting repeat-peat-peat-peat-peat-peat.

245. Leave the Pieces: The Wreckers



Michelle Branch and Jessica Harp urge a lover to grow a pair and end it, already. Like the Dixie Chicks’ “Let ‘Er Rip” with added emotional vulnerability.

244. Complicated: Avril Lavigne



“Wanna crash the mall?” asks Avril at the start of a music video that has absolutely nothing to do with the song. Timeless.

243. The Crane Wife Pt. 1 and 2: The Decemberists



The greatest storytellers in folk music apply their skills to a classic Japanese folk tale. And part three’s even better.

242. Odi Et Amo: Elizaveta

Elizaveta’s soaring operatic take on love and hate displays the results of her dabbling in Latin. But you could have gotten all that from the title.

241. Gypsy: Fleetwood Mac



There’s a certain nostalgia in Stevie Nicks’ voice, and it shines beautifully in this song about nostalgia.

[Slizzard]

"The Fear", "Raise Your Glass", "Since U Been Gone", "Love Story", "Crazy", "Love You Like A Love Song" ...

[ListenToItTwice]

I told you I'd keep the goodness coming

[Smash]

Lovin' the Dixie Chicks and Kelly Clarkson love on here. Amazing music taste.

[ListenToItTwice]

240. If There Was No You: Brandi Carlile



Brandi Carlile extols the virtues of friendship while showing off the upper levels of her spectacular range.

239. Blinding: Florence + The Machine



Florence Welch delivers a bombastic, explosive tune about coming to life and seeing the world for what it is.

238. Hope in the Air: Laura Marling



With backing vocals from fellow British folk sensation Marcus Mumford, Marling gently, yet bitterly, coos about the hope she is denied.

237. Don’t Dream it’s Over: Sixpence None the Richer



It’s a cover of the Crowded House smash, but my partiality toward 90s ladies causes me to favor this version.

236. Whip It: Nicki Minaj



In this no-holds-barred dance song about inviting a stranger into one’s vagina (“it’s real nice and slippery inside”), Minaj declares that her “SAT scores was high, too.” It doesn’t get better than this.

235. Love, You’re a Whore: regina spektor

Love may be all you need, but it’s also a dirty prostitute and should be ashamed of itself. Regina’s gonna tell you why.

234. She’s Every Woman: Garth Brooks



Garth’s special lady is a delightful bundle of contradiction in this heartfelt ballad.

233. Rabiosa: Shakira ft. El Cata



Shakira’s at her sexiest in this one, in which she has some fairly specific instructions about what the listener is to do with her. Ignore the English version.

232. Die Alone: Ingrid Michaelson



Things suddenly feel different for Ingrid’s narrator, who combines the singer-songwriter’s sweetness with her introspective honesty for an album highlight that’s tastier than her “whole-grain bread.”

231. Breakaway: Kelly Clarkson



Kelly’s performance in this song is youth personified. “Make a wish, take a chance, make a change, and breakaway.” Go for it, Kelly. I’m rooting for you.

[ListenToItTwice]

230. A Broken Wing: Martina McBride



One of Martina’s most memorable “girl power” hits, this number-one hit tells the tale of a woman who escapes an abusive husband.

229. The Long Way Around: Dixie Chicks



Following one of the most famed controversies and falls-from-grace in country music history, the Dixie Chicks staged an emotional comeback that culminated with their very last official single, a highly autobiographical and unapologetic anthem about refusing to “kiss all the asses.”

228. 3 AM: Matchbox Twenty



Arguably the most-memorable hit of the post-grunge movement in the late 90s, “3 am” is Rob Thomas’ four-minute memoir of his mother’s experience with cancer.

227. All We Are: Matt Nathanson



The absolute definition of a bittersweet ballad. “Every day’s the start of something beautiful.”

226. Warm Whispers: Missy Higgins



Sweet and seductive. The way she sings the words “warm honey and milk” is so smooth, it’s practically onomatopoeia.

225. Honestly: Kelly Clarkson



Kelly Clarkson wants the truth. She can handle it.

224. Is There Life Out There: Reba McEntire



Reba gets a tad political in this moving mid-tempo about a woman seeking to improve her life. The music video, which for some reason stars Huey Lewis as McEntire’s husband, is worth checking out. The CBS tv movie of the same, however, is not.

223. Superstar: Tegan and Sara



Don’t tell anyone, but I’m pretty sure that Tegan is my favorite songwriter out of the two.

222. Callin’ Baton Rouge: Garth Brooks



Garth spends all his spare change calling his Louisiana gal in this cover of New Grass Revival’s surprisingly progressive trucker song.

221. Jesus, Take the Wheel: Carrie Underwood



Carrie Underwood started her post-Idol career with a Country/Adult Contemporary/Christian crossover success and double-Grammy winner. Not bad.

[ListenToItTwice]

220. Better - regina spektor



Regina questions the true value of friendly comfort.

219. Head Over Feet - Alanis Morissette



Can we just talk about how well this album still stands up? Despite changing time signatures about as many times as you can in a three-minute song, this is the sweetest track on Morisette’s multi-multi-multi-platinum US debut.

218. All Love - Ingrid Michaelson

This self-deprecating examination of a woman’s willingness to love stands out in Michaelson’s discography for all the right reasons.

217. Hot N Cold - Katy Perry



Remember when Katy Perry was obsessed with fruit imagery? I have no explanation.

216. She’s in Love with the Boy - Trisha Yearwood



Oh the nostalgia. Yearwood’s ode to young love on the farm embodies everything that was good about country music in the 90s: charming storytelling, timeless sentiment, and universal appeal.

215. I Will Remember You - Sara McLachlan



“Don’t let your life pass you by; weep not for the memories.” Stunning.

214. Reflection - Christina Aguilera



I know I’m in the minority here, but this is my favorite Disney song ever. I mean, come on: “Why is my reflection someone I don’t know?” Who can’t relate to that? WHO.

213. 1988 - Lauren O’Connell

A soft folksy ballad about the innocence we lose simply by being born. Flawless.

212. Quelqu’un M’a Dit - Carla Bruni



Umm she’s hot and she sings in French hotly. That’s all.

211. Back to December - Taylor Swift



Taylor’s first and, to date, only “apology song.” It’s really quite lovely.

[ListenToItTwice]

210. Winter Song: Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson



Dream-team collaboration, and lovely year-round.

209. Crazy Beautiful Life: Ke$ha



Ke$ha counts her blessings.

208. American Secrets: Parachute



A six-minute opus about forgiveness, love, understanding, and about everything else.

207. All the Rowboats: regina spektor



regina sings, chants, and wails, and mouth-drums about the captive nature of museum art.

206. Get Good: Vanessa Carlton



On a stand-out track from the best album of her career, Vanessa Carlton shows just how much Stevie Nicks has influenced her.

205. Spark: Tori Amos



One of Amos’ most personal songs, and possibly her most fascinating. A heart-wrenching reflection on her miscarriage.

204. Top of the World: Patty Griffin



That’s Griffin’s parents singing “The Impossible Dream” at the end of this track. Famously covered by the Dixie Chicks.

203. So Hard: Dixie Chicks



omigod this song. omigod this album. the end.

202. In My Life: The Beatles



Iconic.

201. Stole My Heart: One Direction



Can you tell I’m getting bored with writing these captions? Anyway, this is a JAM. Seriously. They’d better release it as a single. ilovetheseboyssomuch.

[ListenToItTwice]

200. Hands: Jewel



199. Red: Sara Bareilles



Every so often Sara Bareilles will write a song that’s actually about my life. Here’s one of the better ones.

198. Teeth: Lady GaGa



I didn’t know Lady GaGa was capable of being sexy, but she really pulls it off here. It almost makes me want to “take of bite of [her] bad girl meat.” But I’ll hold back.

197. Glitter in the Air: P!nk



196. Iris: The Goo Goo Dolls



I don’t even care that it’s cheesy; it’s a classic.

195. Aprés Moi: Regina Spektor



This song gave me nightmares the first several dozen times I heard it. Damn, regina.

194. End of Time: Beyoncé



Not releasing this as the first or second single from 4 ruined what could have been one hell of an era. The production on this is phenomenal. Repeat-button-worthy.

193. Eye of the Needle: Brandi Carlile



This woman gets me.

192. The Chain: Fleetwood Mac



191. I Forgive You: Kelly Clarkson

[Slizzard]

"Breakaway", "Head Over Feet", "Hot N Cold", "I Will Remember You", "Back To December", "Stole My Heart", "Iris" ...

AND "HANDS".

[ListenToItTwice]

190. First Love: Adele



This might be the last song ever on a multi-platinum album to feature a glockenspiel solo. That’s truly the end of an era.

189. After the Bombs: The Decemberists



One of the most beautiful and simple tracks in The Decemberists’ vast and glorious discography.

188. We Found Love: Rihanna ft. Calvin Harris



Modern pop masterpiece. Yellow diamonds in the light.

187. Fifteen: Taylor Swift



A cautionary tale from a wise-beyond-her-years superstar.

186. I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me): Whitney Houston



Don’t we all, Whitney? Don’t we all?

185. Dreamcatcher: Elizabeth & The Catapult

184. I Don’t Believe You: P!nk



183. For Good: Wicked cast (Idina Menzel, Kristin Chenoweth)



There’s a reason this gets performed at every single high school graduation around the country: it’s just that good, and that universal.

182. Pirate Bones: Natasha Bedingfield



181. Gray or Blue: Jaymay