If you follow Joe Posnaski on either Twitter or his personal blog, you no doubt saw his recent piece that was based on Xavier basketball coach Chris Mack\u2019s list of favorite Bruce Springsteen songs.<\/p>\n
A Bruce Top Five<\/a><\/p>\n There is so much for me to love here. A) It\u2019s Poz, so it\u2019s almost automatically great. B) It\u2019s about music lists, something I\u2019m also a little obsessive about. C) I enjoy the thought process Poz went through from first being floored by Mack\u2019s list, to coming to an understanding of how we all come to different conclusions about music, to the natural end: sharing his own list of favorite Springsteen songs.<\/p>\n Well, I loved it so much that it sent me down a predictable path. So here are some top five lists of my own.<\/p>\n First, my five favorite songs by my current favorite band, Frightened Rabbit. This list is probably the hardest for me because FR is still putting out new, great music. And I\u2019ve been deep, deep into their catalog over the past couple months. Now, my favorite band of my generation, Pearl Jam. They still put out the occasional album, and sometimes there is a good song or two on them. But, as much as I love them, the old songs will never be matched. Finally, my favorite band of all time, The Clash. I have a different relationship with the Clash than I do with Pearl Jam or Frightened Rabbit. Their final studio album, Combat Rock<\/em>, was the only one that I heard in its time. Most of the rest of my experience with their music came much later. So my memories and feelings about their songs are almost always separated from the era in which they were released. Oh, what the hell. Since this all started with Springsteen, I should probably share my favorite songs by the Boss. I have a rather spotty grasp of his music. I\u2019ve probably only listened, in full, to five of his albums. I know the other big songs from the early part of his career. But the rest is a mystery. That said, hopefully this list wouldn\u2019t annoy Posnanski. If you follow Joe Posnaski on either Twitter or his personal blog, you no doubt saw his recent piece that was based on Xavier basketball coach Chris Mack\u2019s list of favorite Bruce Springsteen songs. A Bruce Top Five There is so much for me to love here. A) It\u2019s Poz, so it\u2019s almost automatically great. B) It\u2019s about music lists, something I\u2019m also a little obsessive about. C) I enjoy the thought process Poz went through from first being floored by Mack\u2019s list, to coming to an understanding of how we all come to different conclusions about music, to the natural end: sharing his own list of favorite Springsteen songs. Well, I loved it so much that it sent me down a predictable path. So here are some top five lists of my own. First, my five favorite songs by my current favorite band, Frightened Rabbit. This list is probably the hardest for me because FR is still putting out new, great music. And I\u2019ve been deep, deep into their catalog over the past couple months. 1) \u201cThe Modern Leper\u201d I first heard this song the morning of June 20, 2008. It kind of changed my life. It\u2019s probably their most popular song, and with good reason. It sums up pretty much everything the band is about. And this was track one on their first proper album. Talk about setting the bar high! 2) \u201cFootShooter\u201d I do struggle with whether this song is better than \u201cLeper,\u201d though. It\u2019s not as bombastic or cathartic as many of their songs. But it\u2019s pretty close to perfect. And, as I\u2019ve always thought, it\u2019s where Coldplay could have taken their music if they hadn\u2019t decided to become the next U2.[1] 3) \u201cHead Rolls Off\u201d I was listening to this a lot in the weeks before L was born. The line about making \u201ctiny changes to earth\u201d resonated with me a lot then. 4) \u201cHoly\u201d The holy\/holes angle has been explored many times in pop music. FR does it wonderfully here. 5) \u201cKeep Yourself Warm\u201d Many of FR\u2019s songs border on the obscene and crass. But Scott Hutchison is so good at writing deeply personal lyrics and then delivering them in a manner that keeps them honest rather than cheesy. This song, about the perils of hoping a one-night-stand will erase your romantic woes, is a perfect example. The closing, instrumental segment, which sounds like the realization that all his problems are still there the morning after, is just brilliant. Now, my favorite band of my generation, Pearl Jam. They still put out the occasional album, and sometimes there is a good song or two on them. But, as much as I love them, the old songs will never be matched. 1) \u201cCorduroy\u201d PJ almost always had lofty goals behind their music. The songs don\u2019t always measure up to those ideals. Here, though, is everything great about the band. 2) \u201cRelease\u201d I think even people that don\u2019t like PJ like this song. 3) \u201cElderly Woman Behind the Counter In A Small Town\u201d And this one, too. 4) \u201cLeash\u201d The best song where PJ brought together their hard, classic rock roots and their punk scene championing of \u201cthe youth.\u201d 5) \u201cHail, Hail\u201d They\u2019ve done some pretty good songs in the second half of their career, but this might be the last truly great song they ever did. Finally, my favorite band of all time, The Clash. I have a different relationship with the Clash than I do with Pearl Jam or Frightened Rabbit. Their final studio album, Combat Rock, was the only one that I heard in its time. Most of the rest of my experience with their music came much later. So my memories and feelings about their songs are almost always separated from the era in which they were released. 1) \u201cClampdown\u201d Everything the Clash stood for perfectly distilled into one song.[2] 2) \u201cLondon Calling\u201d The Clash really have three songs that I think everyone knows, whether they like the band or not. This is the best of that group. 3) \u201cComplete Control\u201d When the record company pisses you off and gives you a chance to complain about \u201cartistic freedom,\u201d take that chance and run with it. 4) \u201cSafe European Home\u201d The Clash was obsessed with Jamaica and the West Indian music scene. They were in for a rather rude awakening when they first visited the island. The Only Band That Matters wasn\u2019t afraid to make fun of themselves and their naivety. 5) \u201cCapital Radio One\u201d A song that is more and more relevant as terrestrial radio is increasingly run by a few companies that have homogenized playlists across the country. Oh, what the hell. Since this all started with Springsteen, I should probably share my favorite songs by the Boss. I have a rather spotty grasp of his music. I\u2019ve probably only listened, in full, to five of his albums. I know the other big songs from the early part of his career. But the rest is a mystery. That said, hopefully this list wouldn\u2019t annoy Posnanski. 1) \u201cBorn To Run\u201d This song is everything that Springsteen\u2026 Sorry. Greatest American rock song ever? 2) \u201cBrilliant Disguise\u201d Man, do I love Tunnel of Love. You can draw a straight line from this ultra-confessional song to Frightened Rabbit. 3) \u201cThunder Road\u201d This HAS to be on any list of greatest side one, track ones ever. 4)\u201dMy City of Ruins\u201d Written about a decaying hometown, it took on new meaning when released a year after 9\/11. On an album full of powerful songs about that day and its aftermath, this song, and it\u2019s \u201cCome on, rise up!\u201d coda was the perfect final track. 5) \u201cGirls In Their Summer Clothes\u201d I\u2019m 45 now, and I feel everything about me changing. This is the perfect song for the middle-aged man. And suck. ↩ Hmm, I sense a theme. ↩<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[19,81,9],"class_list":["post-6090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-links","tag-lists","tag-music"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6090"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13741,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6090\/revisions\/13741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n1) \u201cThe Modern Leper\u201d I first heard this song the morning of June 20, 2008. It kind of changed my life. It\u2019s probably their most popular song, and with good reason. It sums up pretty much everything the band is about. And this was track one on their first proper album. Talk about setting the bar high!
\n2) \u201cFootShooter\u201d I do struggle with whether this song is better than \u201cLeper,\u201d though. It\u2019s not as bombastic or cathartic as many of their songs. But it\u2019s pretty close to perfect. And, as I\u2019ve always thought, it\u2019s where Coldplay could have taken their music if they hadn\u2019t decided to become the next U2.[1]<\/a>
\n3) \u201cHead Rolls Off\u201d I was listening to this a lot in the weeks before L was born. The line about making \u201ctiny changes to earth\u201d resonated with me a lot then.
\n4) \u201cHoly\u201d The holy\/holes angle has been explored many times in pop music. FR does it wonderfully here.
\n5) \u201cKeep Yourself Warm\u201d Many of FR\u2019s songs border on the obscene and crass. But Scott Hutchison is so good at writing deeply personal lyrics and then delivering them in a manner that keeps them honest rather than cheesy. This song, about the perils of hoping a one-night-stand will erase your romantic woes, is a perfect example. The closing, instrumental segment, which sounds like the realization that all his problems are still there the morning after, is just brilliant.<\/p>\n
\n1) \u201cCorduroy\u201d PJ almost always had lofty goals behind their music. The songs don\u2019t always measure up to those ideals. Here, though, is everything great about the band.
\n2) \u201cRelease\u201d I think even people that don\u2019t like PJ like this song.
\n3) \u201cElderly Woman Behind the Counter In A Small Town\u201d And this one, too.
\n4) \u201cLeash\u201d The best song where PJ brought together their hard, classic rock roots and their punk scene championing of \u201cthe youth.\u201d
\n5) \u201cHail, Hail\u201d They\u2019ve done some pretty good songs in the second half of their career, but this might be the last truly great song they ever did.<\/p>\n
\n1) \u201cClampdown\u201d Everything the Clash stood for perfectly distilled into one song.[2]<\/a>
\n2) \u201cLondon Calling\u201d The Clash really have three songs that I think everyone knows, whether they like the band or not. This is the best of that group.
\n3) \u201cComplete Control\u201d When the record company pisses you off and gives you a chance to complain about \u201cartistic freedom,\u201d take that chance and run with it.
\n4) \u201cSafe European Home\u201d The Clash was obsessed with Jamaica and the West Indian music scene. They were in for a rather rude awakening when they first visited the island. The Only Band That Matters wasn\u2019t afraid to make fun of themselves and their naivety.
\n5) \u201cCapital Radio One\u201d A song that is more and more relevant as terrestrial radio is increasingly run by a few companies that have homogenized playlists across the country.<\/p>\n
\n1) \u201cBorn To Run\u201d This song is everything that Springsteen\u2026 Sorry. Greatest American rock song ever?
\n2) \u201cBrilliant Disguise\u201d Man, do I love Tunnel of Love.<\/em> You can draw a straight line from this ultra-confessional song to Frightened Rabbit.
\n3) \u201cThunder Road\u201d This HAS<\/em> to be on any list of greatest side one, track ones ever.
\n4)\u201dMy City of Ruins\u201d Written about a decaying hometown, it took on new meaning when released a year after 9\/11. On an album full of powerful songs about that day and its aftermath, this song, and it\u2019s \u201cCome on, rise up!\u201d coda was the perfect final track.
\n5) \u201cGirls In Their Summer Clothes\u201d I\u2019m 45 now, and I feel everything about me changing. This is the perfect song for the middle-aged man.<\/p>\n
\n\n