The editors and music critics of Port Folio Weekly were asked to choose the 25 greatest songs (or pieces of music) of all time. Here's what I selected:
1. “Moondance,” Van Morrison – A rock classic and jazz standard rolled into one.
2. “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road),” Frank Sinatra – The ultimate late-night saloon song.
3. “A Day in the Life,” The Beatles – The Fab Four’s masterpiece.
4. “Rodeo,” Aaron Copland – 4-part suite that captures the wide open splendor of the American west.
5. “Rhapsody in Blue,” George Gershwin – Classical music enters the jazz age.
6. “Night and Day,” Frank Sinatra – Romantic love summarized in swing.
7. “Route 66,” Nat King Cole - The epitome of cool.
8. “Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity,” Gustav Holst – The infinite wonder of outer space expressed in memorable melodic themes.
9. “Get Together,” The Youngbloods – The peace-love-flowers spirit of the late ‘60s.
10. “Take the A Train,” Duke Ellington - A swingin’ subway ride with the best of the big bands.
11. “Fire and Rain,” James Taylor – The beauty of simplicity.
12. “Stone Flower,” Antonio Carlos Jobim – Smooth sophistication and stunning musicality from the Brazilian master.
13. “This Land is Your Land,” Woody Guthrie – Lest we forget that “we are the people.”
14. “All You Need is Love,” The Beatles – What else is there?
15. “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” Crosby, Stills & Nash – Woodstock summer in sweet harmony.
16. “The Sound of Silence,” Simon & Garfunkel – Pure poetry set to song.
17. “Cat’s in the Cradle,” Harry Chapin – The story of life in four short verses.
18. “Tangled Up in Blue,” Bob Dylan – A tangled tale from a tattered marriage by the bard of the baby boom generation.
19. “Li’l Darlin,” Count Basie – Big band gets mellow.
20. “Lush Life,” Johnny Hartman & John Coltrane – Billy Strayhorn’s greatest ballad in its finest interpretation.
21. “My Girl,” The Temptations – A slow dance drenched in soul.
22. “Grazing in the Grass,” Friends of Distinction – Silly fun from an optimistic time.
23. “Disappearing,” The Sinceros – Early ‘80s new wave power pop as good as it got.
24. “Something Cool,” June Christie – The female equivalent of “One for My Baby.”
25. “The Roving Kind,” Guy Mitchell – Goofy pop music from the pre-rock ‘50s.
copyright © 2007 Jim Newsom. All Rights Reserved.
