#Blogtober 2016 – Day 26: Top 10 All-Time Favourite Songs

Top 10 all-time favourite songs is far too hard, there is no way I could narrow my favourite ever songs down to just ten; impossible task! So I decided to attempt my top ten albums of all time instead, which I am still working on so will have to post that separately when it’s finished. But I have made a (much) longer playlist of songs that were favourites at sometime in my life, are somehow significant to me or represent a phase of my life. So I guess it’s sort of my own version of ‘Soundtrack of my Life’ done a little differently.

So here it is, in chronological order, including any stories or explanations to go with each song that I would like to share with you all too! 

1. Love of the Common People – Paul Young: I used to listen to this loads as a young child and I remember my parents singing it. It is the one song that really sticks in my mind from early childhood.

2. When Will I Be Famous- Bros: The first band I was ever really a massive fan of. I loved all of their songs, I had their cassette (I think the first album I personally ever chose to buy myself perhaps?) and their posters were on my wall!

3. Song For Whoever – The Beautiful South: I loved their whole album (it makes my top ten list of all time) but I just picked out one song at random to represent them on my soundtrack. This was also my first concert.

4. Bon Jovi – Livin’ On A Prayer: I wasn’t sure where to put Bon Jovi in terms of chronology of my life as it reminds me of many parts of my life in various ways, spanning over decades. So I have put them at the beginning; when they remind me of my mum. Not on the list but Cliff Richard and Simply Red also remind me of my mum watching their music videos (on VHS!) 

5. Holiday – Madonna: This reminds me of our concert at the end of Primary School, when the year 6 leavers put on a talent show; we choreographed a dance to this song! 

6. Wig Wam Bam – Sweet: This one reminds me of holidays with my dad and cousin as a young teenager. Fond memories.

7. Gangstas Paradise – Coolio: As a teenager of about 15/ 16, a group of us used to go to a local hangout called The Coconut Club. This is one of many songs I could have chosen to represent that era, but this one was a particular favourite. 

8. Killing Me Softly – Fugees: Same era but this one reminds me of hanging out at school revising for GCSE exams with friends. 

9. Oasis, Spice Girls and Alanis Morrisette are all representive of my teenage years; parties, hanging with friends etc… I struggled to pick a particular song for each band, so I went for any song just to symbolise the actual bands. What’s The Story Morning Glory by Oasis and Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morrisette make my top ten albums of all time. Definitely. I loved Blur too though and am now wondering why I haven’t included them in my list .. especially when I totally used to fangirl over Damon Albarn! 

10. Laid – James: American Pie and venture scout parties!!!

11. Build Me Up Buttercup, Love Shack and Copacabana (or anything Barry Manilow!) represents my not-very-secret love of cheesy music. This phase lasted many years from late teens to mid 20’s (ok…and beyond), alongside other styles of music. Other contenders to represent this phase could be I’m A Believer, Tragedy, Barbie Girl, Come on Eileen and many more… Grease songs also need to fit in here even though not included because I LOVED the film and went to see the musical in theatre over half a dozen times with my mum and dad! 

https://youtu.be/NKR2n-G-wdM 
12. I chose Rhythm is a Dancer for the playlist but any 90s dance anthems: reminds me of my first parent- free holidays abroad with friends! Oh and then I moved to Tenerife to PR for a season at 18-19 years old too of course!

13. High – Feeder: My housemates introduced me to this band early in their career while we were house sharing in our late teens and they became a firm favourite. It also reminds me of going to indie gigs. 

14. Angels – Robbie: My mum loved him. This was her funeral song. Moving swiftly on…

15. Remix To Ignition – R Kelly: This and any other noughties R ‘n’ B is for my uni days. I also put I’ll Be There (For You) by Rembrants on to symbolise my massive love of Friends!

16. Left Outside Alone – Anastasia: My first teaching job (a collegue played it everyday!) 

17. McFly, Busted, Blink182, Girls Aloud, Pussy Cat Dolls, Nelly Furtado etc… all remind me of my mid 20’s parties during weekends away. (I listed my top faves in the playlist but loved so many more!) Different era but Squiggle calls Underground the mummy song because I used to sing it loads, so that’s on there for both reasons! 

18. Come As You Are – Nirvana: I love Nirvana and their songs would fit in to any point of my life as significant to that time. But I put them here to symbolise my huge love of Singstar in my mid 20’s lol! I also included It’s Tricky, Somewhere Only We Know by Keane and Light Up by Snow Patrol for the same reasons, but could also be any of the other million fun Singstar karaoke songs! 

19. Foo fighters, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Killers and Kaiser Chiefs all remind me of festivals and gigs. They are all also easily on my top favourite artists and albums lists of all time. Easily. (See what I did? ;)) And I will never forget screaming the lyrics to Best Of You with 100,000s of others! 

Kings of Leon, Razorlight and Snow Patrol are on my list  plus many other songs that I didn’t include, because they are also from this festival and gigs part of my life too.

20. She Moves In Her Own Way – Kooks: This also remind me of Reading festival, this is possibly the only gig I ever watched alone and was totally worth it. Another solid album for my list too. (Squiggle also loves Seaside, not listed). 

21. Poker Face – Lady Gaga: By now I’m a mum and my young toddler loves ‘singing’ to Lady Gaga with me, we love the whole album but especially this one.

22. Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling, and Holiday by Dizzee Rascal remind me of Squiggle as an older toddler dancing around, as do a few others that I didn’t list. 

23. Badman – awesome song, awesome album. Another hit with Squiggle when she was younger too. Another of her big favourites of the time was ‘Forget You’. For me, One Day Like This by Elbow is a stand out feel good song of roughly this time too. 

24. Bills is included to bring us into the present (this is Squiggle’s Haven song!) So here we are back in the now with songs such as Shake It Off, Price Tag, Cheerleader and Happy that are representative of Squiggle and I in recent times (e.g. from our fun dance classes together). Plus for me, not included on the list, but I love dancing around at home to songs like Shut Up and Dance and Cake by The Ocean. I also love the entire Stay Together album by Kaiser Chiefs and have been to their gigs recently, so have included Hole In My Soul to represent this. (And some of the songs chosen for previous parts of my life are also just as relevant in my life now too, as they are often still played currently by cover bands on nights out!)

Phew! As you can see, I have a varied musical taste… And I love music too much to be selective about it!!! I admit 50 songs is a rather mammoth playlist lol!

Full playlist is here: YouTube – Soundtrack Of My Life  

I have just realised it would have been a great idea to do Top Ten Favourite Songs of 80’s, 90’s, 00’s etc… Doh, annoying I only just thought of doing it like that!!! But I will do this sometime anyway, maybe as a series of future blog posts, it will be fun and abit easier than all time faves lol! 

What songs make your list?