10 Songs to Listen 10 Times in a Row

Back in Black — AC~DC

AC/DC was one of the first heavy rock bands I embraced in my tween years. I have owned the Back in Black album on vinyl, cd and cassette. The title track is the first song on side two. Every so often I hear the question, “what song would be your theme song?” My immediate response: Back in Black. A natural song to play repeatedly on a personal level. My sir name is part of the song title, easy choice. It is a great bluesy, rock n roll jam, it is also a great song to crank up on the stereo, streaming service, phone, or whatever device you have, turn it up!

California Suite — Beach Boys

This song suite is an homage to the beauty and grandeur of California’s abundant wilderness. The band composed this suite years after their popular hitmaking years of the mid to late ’60s. It is a personal favorite for two reasons: it is a beautifully written composition and two: California natives and longtime residents know first-hand how poetically the Beach Boys describe their home, the Golden State.

No More Rain in This Cloud — Angie Stone

Every music fan lives beyond the favored genre. Growing up in a home playing (at the time) contemporary rock music (now, classic rock) and Motown, I was fortunate to learn at an early age, music is a broad ranging palate. As I explored the music landscape as a teen and young adult, my musical preference was fast paced and aggressive. As time rolled on, I reflected upon my youth and thought to expand my aural horizons again. Re-discovering R&B I encountered an emerging artist, Ms. Angie Stone. Her vocals and delivery, resonates with my soul. In particular, the lyrical message makes this song a personal favorite. For those experiencing tough times or just a not so pleasant day, play this song, close your eyes, relax and tune in to the lyrics.

The Wizard — Black Sabbath

A rare song. To this day, twenty plus years on I can tell anyone where I was the first time I heard “the Wizard”. Although I was familiar with several of the legendary songs by Black Sabbath, this song was new to me. I recall asking who the band was before the end of the first minute. I was changed that day. Sabbath went from being a cool band I liked to a personal favorite. The song is sonically different from most of their catalog. A band with the capacity to pen a song so different from their signature sound, and delivery with impact is an instant classic.

Champagne Supernova — Oasis

Late to the Brit Pop invasion party, I eventually took a chance on listening to Oasis. After a few listens some of their songs were good enough to play the entire album. At this point in their history, the band released three studio albums. The interlude leading into the wave crashing intro caught my ear the first listen. The song title was intriguing too. A fan of science fiction and a self-professed champagne snob, increased the interest level. After a first listen to the album, I played Champagne Supernova again. A lengthy track, it is rarely heard on radio yet the occasion it does, it gets cranked up and my warbly, out of tune singer comes out.

Boom Boom — John Lee Hooker + The Animals

The only song on this list with two performers, the original: John Lee Hooker, quite possibly the legitimate “hardest working man in show business”, with over fifty studio records to his credit. And the only song on this list performed as a cover. I heard the original first while high school. I went through a phase exploring blues music (thanks to Jimi Hendrix). John Lee also opened a blues club in his adopted home, San Francisco called, the Boom Boom Room. Another connection to the song. The Animals version is a classic rock n roll adaptation to a blues record. For anyone interested in expanding their musical horizon, give a listen to both versions. If I had to make a choice which version I prefer, it would be the Animals version. There is something intangible that makes it a “must have” track.

Eminus Sleepus — Green Day

During the early ’90s a local band started making waves. Their genre bending, international break out album, Dookie was a good record in my mind. A track buried deep on the album, turns out to be a song I will listen to over and over. A song by a band from a neighboring town, wrote about places and nuances very familiar and personal to me. Lyrically the song hits home. It is continually a reminder, home is where the heart is. I moved away years ago however; this song will always bring me back to that happy, familiar time in life.

Lovefool — Cardigans

A song about a time and place in my life is an easy selection to this elite list of songs. I can share a story about it being “our song” during a brief relationship. Interestingly, the relationship crashed and burned, yet the band still resonated with me. Their dreamy, coquettish version of two Black Sabbath songs won me over. The song to this day is a positive reminder of a short and sweet time in my early 20s. Years later, an encounter with the singer and my then girlfriend on a rainy night in San Francisco outside their concert cemented my appreciation for the band.

Stormy Weather (instrumental version) — Dizzy Gillespie

Ideally (in my mind) we all have a song or two in our pantheon of favorite songs that is a completely different era and genre than what we usually listen to. At a young age, I found an appreciation for jazz music. At the time several of the titans of the genre were passing away, most in their 60s and 70s. It felt like a music history lesson to see them perform live. Although I didn’t have the good fortune to see and hear Dizzy, his music resonated with me. Thinking contextually about his era, most popular music was subdued, orchestral arrangements. His sound was a sharp contrast, technically expert level musicianship was required to play his songs and the complexity of sound emanating from three to five players was astounding. It is a perfect song on a dreary day, meant to capture the mood. There are many versions of the song, most include a vocalist, my favored version is an instrumental played live in Paris in the 1940s.

Waiting Room — Fugazi

Forget caffeine, uppers or any synthetic substance designed to jolt the system to an energetic state. Drop the needle on this track, instant inspiration. It is an intro for anyone who isn’t familiar with punk rock or fast tempo music. The lyrics are poignant to those feeling life isn’t going the right direction. It is a beacon enlightening one to keep on, no matter the circumstances. A side note, the ethos of the band is hands down the most inspiring. The world of popular music is rife with artists and the supporting music industry as a whole putting an unnecessary price tag on their performances, merchandise and various sideline products. Fugazi is a rare bird. Their belief system mandates all of the performances, album and merch sales is affordable for the masses. During their most active years (early ’90s — mid 2000s) their shows and albums were $10 to $5. As a music fan it is an inspiring message. Their actions speak louder than their lyrics.