My Top 15 Favorite Songs

 Going up to someone and asking them for their top 15 favorite songs is like asking a beetle what he thinks of The Beatles - you probably won't get a clear answer. Like most people, my favorite songs often change with time and life, but I will say this - I love many songs. Some songs have more of an impact on me than others, so I will give you my list, but be weary, this is highly opinionated and can possibly start wars. Just kidding. Maybe I'm not. Let's do this.

15.

I See You - YES (1969)

Believe it or not, it's the second song on YES' debut album and is overall one of my favorites. My list would not be complete without this psychedelic song. The gentle strumming on guitar played by Steve Howe is very peaceful and magestic. Overall a magical song with genius lyricism.

14.

Woodstock - Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young (1970)

Woodstock tells a story. A story of the most legendary live concert of all time. This song is a piece of history considering Crosby, Stills, and Nash played their first gig together at Woodstock, and they did it while tripping on acid hard. If that doesn't define Rock and Roll, I don't know what does. This ballad shows how lifestyle and the overall outlook of life was changing in the late 60s and early 70s. Though the song is a cover, it (and the entire Deja Vu album) is a legendary cornerstone of rock,

13.

Catch The Rainbow - Rainbow (1975)

One of the biggest reasons I love this song so much is that almost no one knows it. It's a very passionate love song with psychedelic undertones and incredible vocals by Ronnie James Dio. Gosh, I just can't stop with the debut albums. Anyway, I'm in love with every part of this slow bittersweet love song, and it just overall reminds me of the smell of the grass and river in the early morning. I'm not a big fan of slow songs, but when it comes to them, this is my favorite.

12. 

No One to Depend On - Santana (1971)

This song is precisely why I love Santana. The punk-esk vocals are perfectly on point with the Spanish drumming (COWBELL!) and Carlos Santana's fast strumming. This song is so perfect. Gosh, I love it. At the 3-minute mark, Carlos just starts going OFF! He makes sounds with his guitar that are extremely hard to describe and overall just awesome. I love this song, and I especially love how underplayed it is.

11.

Little Guitars (Part I & II) - Van Halen (1982)

I'm going to be honest, Diver Down is my favorite Van Halen album and I believe little guitars makes it so. The amazing acoustic guitar introduction and fun electronic guitar sound effects are absolutely legendary and couldn't be played by anyone but Eddie Van Halen. I am confident in saying that this song makes my list.

10.

Working Man - RUSH (1974)

If you haven't taken the hint yet, I love debut album hits. Working Man is a perfect concluding song on a perfect debut album. Let's get to the juicy part - the guitar solo. It starts around 2:10 and continues until 4:35 without losing his tempo once. Alex Lifeson is one of my favorite guitarists for many good reasons, but his tempo and overall vibe are the main ones. I love the crazy busy parts of the song, but I also love the more silent basslines which build anticipation. Overall an epic song.

9.

Breathe (In the Air) - Pink Floyd (1973) 

The Dark Side of the Moon is the pinnacle of 70s studio rock and the defining statement of Pink Floyd's career. It defines psychedelic rock and overall is a flawless song about the beginnings of life and how it carries on. Everyone knows the album, and everyone understands why it changed rock forever. Whether you love it or hate it, you have to be willing to accept that it is one of the greatest.

8.

Strutter - KISS (1974)

Strutter! A legendary hard rock song that opens KISS' career off right. The road will be rocky and difficult, but it sure will be rockin'! This song is simply just catchy. The chorus is memorable and the 2 short guitar solos by Paul Stanley are a perfect peek into the jams Kiss will be dropping later in their careers. I just love this song because of how iconic it is. I couldn't keep this song off my list in any universe, it's a necessity. 

7. 

Achilles Last Stand - Led Zeppelin (1976)

I'm sure many would consider it an odd choice when it comes to Led Zeppelin, but I truly believe it is their greatest work. I love the guitar buildup/bridge and the repetitive violent guitar thrashing. I believe that Led Zepplin's final talent peak was their album Presence, which is why this song makes my list. Overall, the song perfectly exemplifies the mood of the album - battle. It is a song where the instruments battle each other throughout the time it is played, and don't get me started on Jimmy Page's guitar solo. 

6. 

Little Wing - Jimi Hendrix (1975)

Poetry. Let's be honest, love songs make the best songs overall. Jimi Hendrix is the most legendary guitarist of all time, and arguably the most legednary artist overall. Little Wing is a short and sweet hopeful jam full of immaculate flow. I mean, only one of the most legendary musicians of all time can take a glockenspiel and make it rock. He did it, with the passionate flare of his guitar and his wavy vocals.

5. 

Foreplay / Long Time – Boston (1976)

The introduction... the sounds, the organ, everything about it sends shivers down my spine. This song is one of the most perfect songs of all time. The harmonic vocals with the combination of acoustic and guitar are perfect. The guitar solo by Tom Scholz has its very own unique tone. The song overall has the vibe that it can get a crowd on its feet. It's almost like an anthem for Rock itself.

4.

Can't Believe It's True - Rory Gallagher (1971)

A magnificent ballad about pondering the concept of love and losing hope in love altogether. The song is very catchy and the riffs are even more so. The vintage tempo and guitar give the song a very unique mood and overall define the reason Rory Gallagher is one of my favorite artists. I believe not only is this song catchy, but it's also musically genius. This song is my opinion the perfect example of why Jimi Hendrix looked up to Gallagher so strongly.

3. 

Riders on the Storm - The Doors (1971)

We all have different takes on The Doors, and choosing a song to make a list was like having your parents hanging off the edge of a cliff and you can only save one. When it comes to Jim Morrison, every song he sings is a piece of art - however, when it comes to Riders on the Storm, there is good reason in choosing. The ambiance of rain with heavy use of the organ and overall nostalgic sounds simply throws me back to being in the back of my dad's old stained car. This song is simply painfully iconic and recognizable - however, it was a close competitor with other Doors songs.

2.

Carry That Weight / The End - The Beatles (1969)

A very odd choice, right? Well here's why. Carry That Weight is an incredibly concluding song of the Abbey Road album, adding many parts of many of the album's songs into it, and The End is an unforgettable conclusion to The Beatles' studio career. George Harrison's legendary final solo is a well renound culmination of the Beatles' overall talent, and the final lyrics are a perfect message to spread to the world at the end of their musical harmony - "And in the end, The love you take, Is equal to the love you make.".

1.

Echoes - Pink Floyd (1971)

In my opinion, Echoes is the greatest piece of musical genius of all time. It is a song of metaphorical resonance, a deep meaning, a deeper message, and experimental beauty, and yes, it's almost 24 minutes long. Echoes is the concluding song on Pink Floyd's legendary 6th studio album (and pre-cursor to Obscured by Clouds[pre-cursor to Dark Side of the Moon]) Meddle. Echoes is a song with meaning, mostly surrounding the concept of human society and communication. It heavily focuses on the concept of connection between beings and the concept that there is a reason humans came to be. The song's flow, mood, vibe, tempo (and everything else) change just about three million times throughout the course of the track. At one point in the song, there is a 4-minute section of just weird sound effects, but during it, you have to keep in mind that it's Pink Floyd. Everything has meaning. That's why I love this song so much.