100 Favorite Songs: 6-10

Numbers 6 through 10 of my unintentionally randomized list of favorite songs.

1. "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 (1969)

As much as listening to prepubescent voices sing love songs is weird, lil' Michael Jackson did it well. This is one of my favorite vocal performances ever, and set to classically catchy Motown music to boot. Here's a fantastic performance:


Too bad it's way too high to sing along to.


2. "Karma Police" by Radiohead (1997)

Haunting, lovely, bizarre, transcend at "For a minute there..." Love love.


Even live it captures the same ethereal feeling.

3. "Sax and Violins" by Talking Heads (1991)

Talking Heads' songs are usually pretty hit-or-miss for me, but I love "Sax and Violins." The chorus absolutely soars (I may or may not bust out in tribal dance every time I hear this song), and the lyrics are playful with intraline rhyming. And it somehow manages to sound timeless and early 90s at the same time.


Toucan?


4. "What If" by Coldplay (2005)

I have this uncontrollable desire to hate Coldplay, but I just can't when Coldplay comes out with songs like "What If." Not one of their released singles, it's part of their extremely listenable album X&Y. It combines a gorgeous verse melody with powerful chorus. I don't even hate the falsetto in this song, and that's saying a lot.


The voice of my old piano teacher Judy is telling me that Chris Martin is sitting too high up and that his forearms should be parallel to the stage.

5. "Once" by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglová (2007)

As underwhelmed as I am with most of the movie Once, I'm entrance by the title track from it. A lot of that has to do with the fact that Glen Hansard's yell-singing makes sense in this context (I love it, but for every song?), but also because I can't resist good brush drumming in conjunction with well sung harmonies.

Better audio here:

The Audacity of Rock: Part 17

Do not put that in a more comfortable key.

I'm not sure what the appeal of listening to people strain to hit notes is, but it apparently never gets old for some people. And I'm not talking about gritty straining, but barely and weakly hitting high notes. I can usually handle it for a while, but I love good vocals, and listening singing too high is just annoying after a while.

"Life During Wartime" by Talking Heads (1979/1983)

Oh, David Byrne. I want to love you, but I have to be in the mood to handle your vocals. Seriously. Here's "Life During Wartime" from Stop Making Sense live in all its out of range glory. Also, dancing.




"Sleepyhead" by Passion Pit (2008)

This is one of the more extreme examples I could think of, but I could have easily used Arcade Fire or some other recent indie band I haven't heard of because I probably wouldn't listen to more than two of their songs because their vocals grate on my nerves. However, the saving grace of "Sleepyhead" is the beat and harmonies. You can almost ignore the ridiculous wailing.

Passion Pit |MTV Music

Questions to ponder:
1. Why don't they just buy a capo?

The Audacity of Rock: Part 5

Spazzy dancing lead singers.

A lead singer has the responsibility to be the face of the band, whether that's mysterious, angsty, hardcore, or just plain weird. It's amazing how crazy some lead singers get to keep their persona and the band's energy up. Sometimes it's hard to interpret what exactly a lead singer is trying to do with their movement, but it's usually pretty entertaining.

"Once in a Lifetime" by Talking Heads

David Byrne's spazzy dancing is forgivable because it seems intentional. The band's music is usually outright bizarre. Occasionally a catchy hook and the bizarre lyrics merge to become great. David Byrne then flails to the music and we end up with a beautiful piece of rock performance.

Talking Heads |MTV Music

"Viva La Vida" by Coldplay

I usually enjoy Coldplay's music, but I cannot watch it be performed. Chris Martin is just too enthusiastic and ADHD for my taste. Even in this video, Chris Martin is almost too spazzy to handle. Mostly I loathe how hilariously demonstrative he is with his gestures to match the lyrics.

Coldplay |MTV Music

Questions to Ponder:
1. Assuming it's a conscious decision, how does one decide that they want to move like David Byrne or Chris Martin?
2. Can I please take dance classes from either one of these guys?


Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of The Audacity of Rock.