We saw a revival of Guys and Dolls last week in New York. While we heard “If I were a bell.” I whispered to my daughter that “This is one of my ten favorite songs.”
I immediately knew that was a rash statement. My daughter being my daughter, she of course, asked what the other nine were.
So in moments snatched here or there over the last few months, when I was too exhausted to do anything productive, I’ve made a list. There was no way to get the list down to ten. So I settled for twenty five. And even then, I have a waiting list of another twenty.
I’m sure the list would change if I were to think about it for another few months. But all such amusements must come to an end, so for her and you, here it is.
How many Philadelphians do you think there are among the songwriters?
Note: I mean songs, not music. The list of my 25 favorites pieces of music would be totally different and would be a list of performances—of some of these songs and a great deal of other music. A great songs, for me, must be capable of standing apart from a particular and serving as the framework for a number of different interpretations. So, there is nothing composed by my favorite musician, Miles Davis, or one of my favorite bands, Talking Heads here. And if we were taking about music, there would be a lot more by Duke, Sonny Rollins, Bird, and David Murray. There are only a few songs on this list that have never been “covered” by a number of performers and those exceptions could and should be corrected.
1. Theme for an imaginary western–Jack Bruce / Pete Brown
2. Do Nothing til you hear from me–Duke Ellington /Bob Russell
3. They Can’t Take That Away From Me–George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
4. Our Love Is Here To Stay–George Gershwin / Ira Gershwin
5. Take Me To The River–Al Green, Mahon Hodges
6. Bye Bye Blackbird–Ray Henderson / Mort Dixon
7. (Your love is like a) Heat Wave–Edward Holland, Jr. / Lamont Dozier / Brian Holland
8. Box of Rain–Phil Lesh / Robert Hunter
9. Sugar Magnolia–Bob Weir / Robert Hunter
10. Time after Time–Cindy Lauper / Rob Hyman
11. Strawberry Fields Forever–John Lennon
12. If I were a bell–Frank Loesser
13. Domino–Van Morrison
14. Brown eyed girl–Van Morrison
15. Cypress Avenue–Van Morrison
16. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye-Cole Porter
17. At Long Last Love–Cole Porter
18. Gimme Shelter–Keith Richards / Mick Jagger
19. The Weight–Robbie Robertson
20. It’s got to be love–Richard Rogers / Lorenz Hart
21. You Musn’t kick it around–Richard Rogers / Lorenz Hart
22. Dancing in the Streets–William Stevenson and Marvin Gaye
23. Together til the end of time–Frank Wilson
24. Can’t Find My Way Home–Steve Winwood
25. When I Fall In Love–Victor Young / Edward Heyman
Postscript 2014: How did leave out I See Your Face Before Me by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz?
My Opening Farewell–Jackson Browne belongs in the top 25. We’ll see what goes 😉
20 More songs, not necessarily about buildings and food.
How Deep Is The Ocean–Irving Berlin
Burning down the house–David Byrne
Why does love got to be so sad?–Eric Clapton, Bobby Whitlock
Wooden Ships–David Crosby, Stephen Stills, Paul Kantner
Why does love got to be so sad?–Eric Clapton, Bobby Whitlock
Misty–Erroll Garner, Johnny Burke
Man in the Mirror—Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard.
Love is here to stay–George Gershwin, Ira Gerswin
What is this thing called love?–George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
Body and Soul—Johnny Green, Edwardy Heyman, Robert Sour and Frank Eyton
My Old Flame–Arthur Johnston, Sam Koslow
The Way You Look Tonight—Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields
A Fine Romance—Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields
All the Things You Are—Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II
How High The Moon—Morgan Lewis and Nancy Hamilton
Human Nature—Steve Porcaro and John Bettis
What is this thing called love?–Cole Porter
I could write a book—Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart
My Funny Valentine—Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart
Somebody to love–Grace Slick