Autopsy IV here, bogarting Romeo’s Top 5 gimmick again. I just can’t help it. Last time I hopped on this gravy train I did the top 5 guilty pleasures. In that post I said, “our Guilty Pleasures do as much to define our musical personality as the bands’ t-shirts we proudly display.” That line and a few whiskey drinks one night got me to thinking about my life and music’s role in it. When I really think about it, there are moments that changed my musical trajectory, and in those moments there is a song. A moment, a song and a new path. I am looking for the 5 songs that shifted you musically over your lifetime and made you who you are. Furthermore, I want to know how it changed you.
At the risk of over-romanticizing this topic, these are my who’s and how’s:
Michael Martin Murphey – Wildfire: This is the first song that ever created an emotional reaction in me. I don’t recall how old I was, but it was pretty young yet I remember it clear as day. I had been put to bed by my parents and they were listening to that album. It was the first time I truly recall listening to the lyrics of a song (now, i am totally a lyrics guy), and I cried for that lady and that horse that night.
Ratt – Round and Round: This was the first song that ever gave me a musical identity. I can remember hearing this song for the first time clear as day. I was lying on the floor watching Solid Gold and Ratt performed “Round and Round”. I was 11 years old and I immediately I knew that metal was my calling.
Dead Milkmen – Big Time Operator: This song came to me as I was entering the eighth grade and in the midst of forming both my real identity as well as a musical one. I’d already started listening to the Dead Kennedy’s and a collection of other “skater music” at the time but I still wasn’t sure if I liked the music or if I liked the idea of it. Enter the Dead Milkmen and I was sure. To this day, I don’t think 6 months pass that I do not listen to one of their albums.
The Violent Femmes – Kiss Off: Really, I could have chosen any number of Femmes songs for this post but I think Kiss Off does a really good job of paraphrasing being a teenager and it always (and to tell the truth, still does) resonated with me to the core. I’ve said this before and I’ll reiterate here, if I ever have a child I’ll give them the entire Femmes discography on their 15th birthday. Honestly, from 15 to 23 the music of the Violent Femmes was as good a friend to me as any person.
The Drive-By Truckers – Sinkhole: This song was the one that sent me on my current music trajectory which ultimately gave birth to this web site and everything that I am doing today. So, currently you could say it’s changed my life more than any other on this list.
ROMEOSIDVICIOUS’ TOP 5 and Mix-Tape:
The Cure – All Cats Are Grey: I took some liberty with the “songs that changed you” idea and this song is one that was playing at a time I realized I had changed. Actually the whole of Faith was on repeat for most of the night. The night in question was the night before someone I was madly in love with left for college. I was older by a couple of years, had a job, and all that good stuff. She was destined to do more with her life than me. We were going to keep seeing each other after she left since it was only an hour’s drive but that night, the last night before she left, after I snuck into her room to spend the night, breaking her parent’s rules for the first time ever, I realized it was our last night together. We spent more nights in the same room over the next couple of years but not together like we were before. I remember this song playing as we lie, half awake, in each others arms making promised we knew we would never keep.
Leonard Cohen – Who By Fire: This is one of the songs that helped shaped my musical tastes. I won’t go into all the history but growing up I was allowed a very limited set of genres in the house and upon discovering other kinds of music sort of went crazy. When I first heard Mr. Cohen singing Who By Fire I am pretty sure I was high on substances best left unsaid and damn sure I was coming down. It fit perfectly at the moment and took me out of my comfort zone of hardcore punk and opened my eyes to another world of music.
Social Distortion – Sick Boy: I heard this one in 1990, the year I got my first tattoo, and it led me to the shady back-alleys of punk rock. Much to the dismay of many a friend and most of my family this song was what set me down the path that world wind through punk, industrial, goth and eventually to where you find me today: ashamed of none of the music I listen to and still playing it all way too loud for the neighbors and sometimes too loud for my kids.
Minor Threat – Guilty of Being White: This song didn’t so much change me as it helped me realize that the whole “politically correct” movement was a farce. I was entrenched in punk by the time I came across Ian MacKaye and the joy that was Minor Threat. While I lived, admittedly superficially, to piss off “the man” I was also sucked into not offending anyone if they were different from me. So pissing off
rich white dudes was alright but I wouldn’t offend a black dude or a Mexican and so on. This song finally helped me realize that if I was going to be a misanthrope then that’s what I should be and I should stop worrying about being white because, you see, my desire to not offend didn’t come from caring that people were different but from a deep belief that somehow those with a different skin color were worse off than me. Thanks, in part, to this song I was able to shed my, so-called, reverse racism and just be a misanthrope altogether. Thankfully I have since outgrown misanthropy.
Lucero – Tonight Ain’t Gonna Be Good: Good ol’ Lucero. This was the first song I heard by them and to be honest it’s what led me to where I am today musically. Yes my tastes are eclectic but you won’t find me without some good old alt country nearby. While Uncle Tupelo was busy making a name for themselves and breaking up I was busy listening to GBH, Screeching Weasel, The Hates, Fear, All, TSOL, and so on. I
missed the alt country revolution entirely and it wasn’t until a kid I worked with turned me onto Lucero that I finally caught up.
So there you have it. A couple that are not really on topic, a couple that I might have shared too much on, but that’s my list for this week.
What are yours?
37 Responses to “TOP 5: SONGS THAT CHANGED YOU:”
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These Top 5 lists are outstanding. A great feature.
Soulshine – The Allman Brothers
I was at that point in my adolescence where I was struggling to find myself. It didn’t help that I had a twin brother that I was always being compared to. Somehow this song lifted me up when I was knocked down and kept me going through the rough spots. As far as my musical path, this song really defines my musical choice during my adolescence (old bands like the Allmans, Skynyrd, Seger, etc.) Still listen to it regularly.Never Gonna Change – Drive-By Truckers
Very first DBT song I ever heard. I remember reading the Rolling Stone article on the Southern Rock Opera (quite awhile after its original publishing) and then I went looking for the band on Amazon. I downloaded a free sample song, Never Gonna Change, and the rest is history.Duck And Run – 3 Doors Down
Probably the only band that most would consider mainstream that I enjoy, this song was huge to me back when I was a constant bully target (that’s what happens when you are the smallest kid in class). I blame this song for getting me interested in 3 Doors Down in the first place.Blues Traveler – The ENTIRE “Straight On Till Morning” CD
I remember a trip during high school somewhere, for the life of me I can’t remember where we were going, but I was down right miserable because I didn’t want to go. I had a new CD player and this CD and it made the entire trip bearable. I can’t pick just one song on this CD because it was really the entire CD that made that moment in time important in my mind. This is one CD that will always be in my CD collection.Steve’s Hammer – Steve Earle
I’m all about motivational songs. I keep a playlist on my laptop chock full of them. This song is probably the most recent addition to that list. I haven’t been a big fan of Steve Earle’s newer material, but I love this song and play it often as it help clear my head and get happy.
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These Top 5 lists are outstanding.
I agree. They’ve tended to create musical “discussions”. I quite like them.
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Rum In Pensacola by Jerry Diaz & Hanna’s Reef
I had i reached a point in my life where i had accepted being miserable. This song made me realize i didn’t have to live that way. It changed my life to the point that i ended up moving from Arkansas to Texas to work for the band. http://www.jerrydiaz.comLivin’ On A Prayer by Bon Jovi
My favorite song by my favorite band as a teenager. I can’t remember the first time i heard it, but to paraphrase Autopsy IV, Bon Jovi was my best friend from about 16-23.One Step Closer by Wade Bowen
This song was my introduction to Texas/Red Dirt Music, Americana Music, and independent music in general. It’s nowhere near the top on my list of favorite songs, but it started me down a road that definitely changed my life.Wicked Twisted Road by Reckless Kelly
I don’t think any song has ever affected me as much as this one. I’ve heard it hundreds of times, but it still stops me in my tracks and makes me think about every little detail of my life.LA Freeway by Guy Clark
Picking #5 is pretty hard, but I’m going with LA Freeway because its been in my life for a long time. When i was a teenager i knew the Jerry Jeff version. As i grew older i listened to the Roger Creager cover. Now i prefer Guy Clark’s original any other.
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Weezer – Only In Dreams
First time my music tastes shifted from what my parents & sister listened to towards my own tastes. Also the first CD I ever bought. I listened to it so much so loud, that to this day my mom can sing along to any song on this album.John Mayer – Wind Cries Mary (cover)
Many have heard this story before, but I was a big John Mayer fan before anyone outside of GA had heard of him. The show where they filmed of his first video was the 1st time I’d seen more than 20 people at his show. It was sold out. He played Wind Cries Mary and all the girls started screaming because he was “playing a new song”. That was the end of my love for popular/acoustic pop music.Elliott Smith – Rose Parade
My roommate in college turned me on to Elliott, Jeff Buckley, and a whole heap of depressing dead or soon to be dead guys. This is the only style of music I listened to for several years. Who knows how I didn’t slit my wrists.Jason Isbell – Hurricanes & Hand Grenades
When I was diagnosed with a major heart/lung disease, I had to stop going to shows. Actually I’d stopped doing anything social altogether because I was worried about making myself sicker. It’d been about 3 or 4 years when my friend dragged me to see Jason & his guitarist Browan do an acoustic show. I had seen DBT a few times back in Athens but this show (and song) single-handedly got me excited about music again.Lucero – Slow Dance
Picking which Lucero song was a hard one. I think this was the song that my now husband and I had our first kiss during. We met for the first time at the Revival Tour and we were both pretty drunk, so the song and who kissed who is still up for debate. Honorable mention is My Best Girl, the song he proposed during only 6 months later.
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I really could have put a DBT/Scott Biram/Lucero song as an equal tie since I heard them all for the first time within a month of each other and never looked back.
To this day I refer to them as “the big 3″ on all my internal playlists and organizing.
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Jon, your Jerry Diaz story is awesome.
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Copperhead Road- Steve Earle/ Old Habits- Hank Jr
I know its a 5 list but is impossible to put one without the other since it was a better time, just my father and I. Pretty much my 1st time realizing that songs like these are why I love music.
The Ride- Mr. David Allan Coe
First time I heard it I went right out and bought it.It was the first album I ever purchased with my own money, and still listen to it this day at least weekly.
Dont Close Your Eyes- Keith Whitley
Ahh the first break of a young mans heart.. I was only a teenager but man I thought I could relate back then haha. Little did I know huh?
Zip City- DBT
This was my first exposure to DBT, and man that song/story just picked me up and quickly dusted my ass off to say “Hey man this is what youve been missing” The song that set me on the path to the music I listen to today.. and to the day probably the greatest song Ive heard to this day.
Lucero- The War
If DBT opened the door, I can assure you it was Lucero that kicked the damn thing off the hinges. There is nothing like hearing Ben play this live and in person to get the full effect. Cheers
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5. Freedom by Rage Against the Machine
This was the first song that showed me the power of music and any time spent on seeking it is time well spent
4. Ground on Down by Ben Harper
I haven’t listened to this song in awhile but I still use this line from it in arguments, “There are good deeds and there are good intentions but they are as far apart as Heaven and Hell.”
3. Brass Ring By Two Cow Garage
I’ll show you my tattoo some day- “Hearts and stars like good luck charms all just reminders of the man I want to be.”
2. Idle Idylist by Tim Berry.
Even though Tim just recently coined the phrase “Raisin’ Hell and Livin’ Cheap” this song started me on that path. Tim might say I work to much but you’ll never catch me braggin’ about the size of my television.
1. Nickle and the Spoon by Alejandro Escovedo.
Sobriety sucks but this song and Al’s whole life story helped get me here. “When I turn 21 I’m gonna make a change. Turn my back on what I was and make you proud of what I am not”
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wow — great top 5, and very enlightening…
The Wall – Pink Floyd — I’ll echo AdamF in that i can’t choose a single track… this was the soundtrack to many an introspective (and often hazy) high school night…
Sweet Little Thing – Lucero — I stumbled into a bar in Raleigh NC after hearing good things about this band called Lucero…blown the fuck away, and revitalized on the musical front, and esp w Americana/alt-country/whatever…
Screen Door – Uncle Tupelo — remember those high school nights, well, they were in a redneck town that i was ready to get the hell out of and these fellas seemed to speak my language…
Statue of Jesus – Gear Daddies — remember that redneck town i needed to get out of, well, these guys knew even better than UT what i was thinking- i was working at a local radio station hosting a classic rock show and stumbled over this weird album with a scary pinball playing clown – and nothing has been the same since…
Joy Division – Atmosphere — see above, small redneck town, introspective nights…Joy Division was a bridge between classic rock mainstays (Stones, Who, Beatles, Hendrix, Floyd) and music that went beyond simple entertainment and would become more akin to obsession, or salvation, or something….
Autopsy — I LOVE Wildfire, and it still brings a little tear to my eye…and the Femmes just missed the cut…
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THE DOORS – LA WOMAN
I played that song a million times one summer as a kid. Jim Morrison loses his appeal once you aren’t an impressionable young boy anymore, but The Doors really did open a world for me back then. I didn’t know any better and read all them books that were cited as Jim’s influences and that alone was worth it. Still love their music, even if most of them are wankers.BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – THUNDER ROAD
Got his Greatest Hits when I was 12, I was already a fan of all those 60s bands, but Bruce was the first of those singer-songwriter dudes, Neil and Bob followed very shortly after. Actually, my first Dylan record was his very first self-titled one, which I saved from my uncle’s damp basement. It was enough reason to keep my parent’s old record player in my tiny room, and it’s still a favorite of mine.TOWNES VAN ZANDT – WAITIN’ ‘ROUND TO DIE
Probably the main reason I dug deeper into folk and country music. To this day my favorite songwriter. He made a huge impact on me. TVZ led to Guy Clark (Old No.1 is my #1 favorite album of all time), Steve Earle, Rodney, and with some twists to Waylon, Willie, DAC, etc.GRATEFUL DEAD – UNCLE JOHN’S BAND
I long dismissed The Dead as some random, weird hippie band, without ever listening to their music. Damn, was I an ignorant shithead. I love this band to death and the fascination hasn’t vanished yet.RAMONES – BLITZKRIEG BOP
Due to lucky circumstances I got RAMONESMANIA when I was 10 from my parents (I don’t have hip parents, I asked for it having heard that song on a tape my friend’s older sister made – which also introduced me to Mudhoney, the only ‘grunge’ band I absolutely love). Ramones led to more 60s rock/pop, to other NYC punk, and finally to 60s garage/nuggets stuff.Man, you got me started ramblin…!
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1. Tangerine, Led Zeppelin
I threw my Foreigner 4 and Journey Escape albums away shortly after hearing this song.
2. You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’, Judas Priest
Wandered down the metal trail til girls started complaining…which leads me to…
3. Just Like Heaven, The Cure
College Alt Rock consumed me for over a decade after hearing this song.
4. Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana
Cliche, of course…but damn did it sound good back then!
5. Windfall, Son Volt
My first alt country introduction and one of the greatest country songs ever written. Everything after that has been chasing that feeling I got the first time I heard it. I consumed the entire Uncle Tupelo family tree and it’s offshoots. On to Slobberbone, Lucero, DBT, etc…I aint never gonna change!
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Jim Morrison loses his appeal once you aren’t an impressionable young boy anymore
ain’t that the truth.
great way to put it.
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1. Willie Nelson – “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys”
My dad is a cowboy, so my grade school days were full of country music. This song stood out because it somehow justified my dad’s (and all his friends’) lifestyle. A divorce and variety of other circumstances set me on a path other than cowboy, but I think I still somehow ended up living like one.
2. Guns N Roses – “My Michelle” (could’ve picked any song off Appetite, but this remains my favorite)
The inside cover of Appetite was a woman who looked like she’d been raped by a monster. It scared the shit out me. My best friend when I was little didn’t like country. He liked Megadeth, Metallica, Guns N Roses, and Vanilla Ice. I couldn’t get into any of it – except Guns N Roses. In hindsight, I think it’s because their songs standout melodically moreso than the other heavy rock at the time. It was exciting. I mean, Ray Stevens was cool and all, but his daddy probably never worked in porno when mommy wasn’t around.
3. Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Whereas Guns N Roses looked like rock stars, Nirvana rocked just as hard and looked like bums. That was inspiring, since I knew I’d look like an asshole in leather pants.
4. The Violent Femmes – “American Music”
I had a brief run-in with punk rock my freshman year of high school, during which I decided I was into it for the songs, whereas a lot of kids were into it for the look/attitude. I fell on the “pop/punk” side of the punk rock spectrum: Ramones, Descendents, ALL, Screeching Weasel, Rancid, etc. Their lyrics appealed to me as much as their energy. Then this girl who gave me a ride home after school one day played “American Music” about as loud as her stereo would allow and I was absolutely blown the fuck away. Here was something that sounded kind of punk, kind of country, kind of pop. Better still, lyrically it was a teenage anthem. I immediately borrowed and then bought every Femmes album and continued to follow them until their recent demise.
5. Lucero – “Drink Till We’re Gone”
An ex-girlfriend suggested years ago that I’d like Whiskeytown. She described them as alt/country, so I was bias in my listen. “How can something be alt/country? It’s either country or it’s not.” Purist. So I dismissed Whiskeytown and completely missed Uncle Tupelo and all the rest until I heard “Drink Till We’re Gone” on the jukebox at Will’s Pub. I was half-drunk and shooting pool with my buddy. I found out later it was being tagged “alt/country,” but at the time it just sounded like a ragged country song. So at 24 yrs old, I started discovering bands who combined all my favorite aspects of country music with distortion pedals and big drums and it was like peanut butter and chocolate.
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Avail – Connection
The influence was actually the album release show but the song is close enough. I was a high school freshman at a catholic school with average music tastes when a friend handed me a flyer for an Avail show. Curious I went and within the first 30 seconds I was hooked. I spent the rest of high school going to at least one and usually more shows every week. Louisville had a great local scene at the time and my life was shaped around the culture and people. Those friends were the ones that eventually introduced me to my wife and the hobby that would become my career. While the music has shifted gears a month rarely goes by that I don’t make it to at least one show. I’ll be 70 and looking back on my life this would be the turn that sticks out.Lucero – It Gets the Worst at Night
The ST record was given to me by a friend and I instantly loved the whole record but this was the song that stuck with me. Musically i’d abandoned anything but classic country years before and this was the point where I discovered there were great bands i’d been missing. People wise it put me back in touch with a similar community that i’d moved and somewhat aged out of recently. I’ve met and continue to meet great people at Lucero shows.Gang of Four – Anthrax
This one is actually the whole album and oddly enough not directly related to the music. I was living in KY and working at my first real tech job for a retail company. I ran a decent sized MP3 server using a p2p software called Hotline that allowed you to chat as well as transfer files. Eventually a user on there got me an interview that lead to a new job which moved me to VA.Robert Johnson – Crossroads
This was the song that introduced me to blues while I was still an angry punk kid. This was around the same time there was a big Bluegrass trend locally and those two styles heavily influenced what I look for in music. Punk gave me the forceful emotion and lyrical message while blues provided the softer, playful side and demonstrated how personal and introspective lyrics could be. Some of this came from classic country as well but I can’t tie that to specific point or song.John Frusciante – My Smile is a Rifle
My wife and I were both punk kids so we listened to a lot of the same music. Frusciante was outside of that realm and we both loved it. Her shock that I knew and liked this record is a strong memory of our early dating.There’s so many more but they’re general times and experiences around music not specific songs.
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in chronological order
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – REASON TO BELIEVE
i remember very clearly being four years old, in the car with my father, driving across eastern washington when he put in a cassette he had just picked up: nebraska. we listened to that tape – just the two of us – over and over again for nearly six hours (i think?) in the car that day. it was the first time i can recall having a real, emotional reaction to music. it frightened me, it soothed me, and seeing the way it made my father react confused and intrigued me.BOB DYLAN – TANGLED UP IN BLUE
found blood on the tracks while rifling through my parents records one day. i had heard dylan, prine, earle, etc. around the house since i was a toddler but blood on the tracks was the first record that really opened me up to what he was capable of as a writer. even at 11, 12 years old i knew he was plugged in to something that the rest of us would never have access to.PUBLIC ENEMY – REBEL WITHOUT A PAUSE
it takes a nation… was the first CD i ever bought with my own money. how’s that for street cred, chumps?!PEARL JAM – BLACK
i loved nirvana, mudhoney, soundgarden, tad and all those other bands, but pearl jam really struck a chord with me. black was the first song i ever really used as a “breakup” soundtrack, as horribly cliched as that may be. say what you will about pearl jam cribbing from 70′s rock, other great late 80′s/early 90′s bands, etc., but they were, and still are a very good, and relevant band.STEVE EARLE – TRANSCENDENTAL BLUES
maybe the best song of the last ten years. when he’s at the top of his game, there is not a better living songwriter in the world. period.
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Neil Young – “Comes a Time” – First heard this when I was about 16. The whole album, and Neil Young in general, pretty much completely influenced my guitar playing, and songwriting.
Uncle Tupelo – “Slate” – I first heard Anodyne when I was 19 years old. Totally changed my life. I understood what Farrar and Tweedy were doing. It made perfect sense to me.
Son Volt – “Windfall” – Pretty much the perfect song. I listened to Trace constantly on a road trip from Alaska to the desert, and back again. This song is a great example of a song that takes you back to a certain time and place.
Tim Easton – “Carry Me” – I heard Easton perform this song live on World Cafe in 2001. I was chopping wood at my cabin when it came on. Pretty much stopped me in my tracks. I was an instant fan. Easton was doing what I had been aspiring to do, but couldn’t fathom until I heard it. The next year, Tim came to Alaska and blew my mind. 7 years later, I wound up in a band with him after we recorded an album in Alaska with Canadian songwriter, Leeroy Stagger. I will always be a fan of Tim Easton. A very important American songwriter of our generation.
Drive by Truckers – “Heathens” – When I first heard Decoration Day I was changed again. Incredible band.
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Iron Maiden – “Run to the Hills” – I was already a rocker kid. KISS was my favorite. But when I heard this song, saw the video, and bought “Number of the Beast” I was introduced to real Heavy Metal. The voice, the musicianship, the melody, the RAWK! The only heavy metal band that I will gladly play on my iPod anywhere, any time, to this day. Maiden has aged more gracefully than all other metal bands, probably because they were writing about Satan and War instead of “Girls, Girls, Girls”.
The Cult – “Rain” – I had a girlfriend during my metal years. She told me she dug me but me parting my hair down the middle was a deal breaker. She was into “X” and “The Smiths”. Two bands that I adore now but didn’t then. We agreed on “The Cult”. She had sex with me. I quit parting my hair down the middle.
Outkast – “So Fresh, So Clean” – Outkast “Stankonia” album remains one of the greatest albums of all time. Rap had always been the equivalent of Andy Warhol paintings, was it art? Sure. Taking existing works and creating something new can be artful in and of itself. But is Warhol a Picasso? No. But Outkast…they elevated Hip Hop and Rap to an art form. They didn’t use existing blueprints, they created the funkiest, stankiest, most amazingly original music this side of Sly and the Family Stone.
Drive-By Truckers – When the Bullet Hits the Shell – DBT was my introduction to Alt-Country. Living in Dallas at the time (Dallas sucks by the way) and had heard the buzz on DBT. Bought “The Dirty South” and my eyes were opened. Bought their entire catalog and perhaps more than any other DBT song, “When the Bullet Hits the Shell” best summarized why I love this band and Alt-Country.
The Hold Steady – Stevie Nix – My favorite band. Husker Du and Bruce Springsteen had a baby and it was named “The Hold Steady”. “Lord…to be 33 forever…” Exactly. Craig Finn is the greatest lyricist in rock and roll today. I can’t quite put into words what this band has done for me. But when I first heard them on “Boys and Girls in America” I knew that were one of my favorite band and bought their back catalog. When I heard “Stay Positive” they solidified their place as my favorite, all time band and if I had one mission in life beyond my family, it would be to spread the gospel of “The Hold Steady” and to help create a “Unified Scene” (Hold Steady reference…).
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to help create a “Unified Scene”
while not a Hold Steady ref here….it is part of the mission statement.
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Bad Religion – Generator, the song and the entire album. This was the summer I went to my first Punk Rock show, met my first scumbag Punk boyfriend and chopped all my blonde hair off, dyed it black and traded in my cheerleading uniform for 18 holes.
Jeff Buckley – She is Free – A friend gave me a book to read in rehab and he wrote this verse in the back. I never saw him again, but I never let go of what he was trying to tell me.
” She is free.
Shadow crossing the sky.
Free from hope and this misery.
So beautiful away from me.
She is free”The Grateful Dead – Ripple.
Although I like the Janes Addiction version better, the first time I heard this song live, I got chills. I was surrounded by thousands of people, friends for a day, or just a night and I realized I was totally alone.Social Distortion – Through These Eyes.
A staple for me for many years. Had the pleasure of having Dinner with Mike Ness and telling him how I felt about this song, how I personally related to it. It was truly an experience I will never forget. And he played it for me, without making a big deal… just for his new friend.. a song we hardly ever play.And of Course…. Lucero – Sixteen.
Funny how I swore the first time I really listened to this song I swore Ben had somehow gotten into my head and wrote it about me. I WAS 16 when I fell in love, unfortunately it wasnt enough, although that man I fell in love with when I was 16,and now Im 32 I will be married to come this October. When I was 22 I did beat those Odds, I was fresh out of rehab, returning to the place and the people that I used with since I was 17. Im alive half of them are not.
I was at a show in Nashville, a few weeks before I turned 30, and I was standing on the opposite side of the stage as I always have… different perspective, more room, I don’t know why, I just switched that night. So he plays the song, and all of a sudden I realize I am not satisfied, Im in a loveless relationship, Im only happy when Im out at a show drinking and being social, and my only true release from life, and reality is those few hours every few weeks that I get to go see a band. Then it’s over and I DO wish they would play all night. I ended that relationship because of that realization that night. And I’m happy I did, I never wanted to cause anyone pain, and in the end, that decision made him and someone else I adore very happy. So yes… as silly as it may sound, One Lucero song changed the lives of five ( because with my fiance I also got a 12 year old step son) people that night. Had I not made the last minute decision to drive to Nashville, heard that song the way I did, stand on the other side of the stage… Things might not be the way they are now, and now I am satisfied.
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More or less chronological.
1. “Within Your Reach” – Replacements
This is the first Replacements song that I ever heard. Made a huge impression on my 13 year old brain. “I never seen no mountain. Never swam no sea. City got me drownin’. I guess it’s up to me.” The lyrics resonate with spending your entire life in an isolated midwest town, and feeling the need to strike out on your own and get out.2. “Like a Rolling Stone” – Bob Dylan
It was just after I got my driver’s license and I was driving to a mall in the city north of my hometown, listening to the classic rock radio station. I’m am sure that I had heard Dylan before then, but I had never listened. I’m a huge Dylan geek to this day.3. “Just Like Heaven” – The Cure
I know its overplayed on alternative radio, but the fact that a song by a British alternative band could find its way to small Wisconsin town in 1988 without the internet, much less touch the soul of an insecure teenage girl, is pretty amazing. I used to write out the lyrics on my folders.4. “Jackson” – Lucinda Williams
My first real exposure to alt country was Lucinda. I had my heart broken just before Car Wheels on a Gravel Road came out, and this song helped me heal. Also saw her live that year (1998), and pushed my way to the front row and saw that it was OK for women to be bad-ass rockers.5. “Stevie Nix” – The Hold Steady
What Scott Fuchs above said. I first heard this on a KEXP podcast, when I was 33 years old. I was walking down the street, listening on my MP3 player, and literally stopped in my tracks when I heard it. Holy Shit!
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1. Shake ‘Em On Down-North Mississippi Allstars(stfu Brian)
I remember calling in to the first incarnation of the PIG(awesome pirate station) and requesting “Cherry Red” cause I couldn’t remember the name of the song cause I’d just seen the Allstars for the first time at the tender age of 12. I remember being so excited to hear the song. That song taught me how to feel music and dance to music. It helped put me on the road to learning how to listen to music.2. Surfer Girl-the Beach Boys
When my niece and (oldest)nephew were just babies, I’d lay them on a blanket and play this song softly for them. I’d sing it to them and it was just the 3 of us enjoying a really beautiful song.3. Jet Airliner(I hope this is the name)-Steve Miller Band
As a much younger kid, I’d ride with my mom to her boss’s office and this song would play every single time. Until maybe the age of 13 I could’ve sworn he was singing, “Big ole jet air rhino, don’t carry me too far away.” Yeah, I still substitute it when I’m in the car. Too funny.4. The Weight-The Band
Watching the Last Waltz for the 1st time will always stick with me. This song quickly became one of my all time favorite songs because I loved the lyrics, the music, the vocals. Everything about this song is great. If I’m ever asked what my favorite tune is, I usually answer this.5. Love Me Tender-Elvis Presley
This song has always struck a chord with me, I’ve always been an Elvis fan and I always will be. I don’t give a fuck how he died or lived, I only care that he made the songs I was raised to. ‘Love Me Tender’ stops me in my tracks, makes me listen, fills my heart with love, and makes me love the King even more.So, yeah, these aren’t my very favorite songs, but they’re up there. I thought I wouldn’t be able to do this, but I did. I have no idea what my selection says about me.
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Guys, Teen Spirit? Really? That’d be like me putting Baby One More time on the list. Ugh.
(Oh, man, I can feel the flames right now. Felt ‘em as I thought it up. Hahahahahahahahaha.)
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Natalie,
Not really.
You’re probably too young to remember but really…Nirvana killed the HAir Metal era with Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Like. Point blank range.
That song broke on the radio and the shifted focus overnight. It was amazing.
I’m not even a fan of the band and their influence is undeniable.
In 20 years “Baby One More time” won’t even be available via whatever the popular pirating method is and people will be buying Nevermind and Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Like the band or not, and I don’t, they forged a movement.
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I think I should indirectly add Lisa’s Sixteen to my list as well because without her Sixteen, I never would’ve had my Slow Dance. Love ya girl!
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damn. I had to go listen to Sixteen after reading that.
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Y’all blow me away. The last few weeks, with the Top 5, and all have been amazing! I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who read this site and actually comment. It’s humbling to realize that your words actually inspire people to comment and may actually turn someone on to new tunes. AIV joked about the 9b cult on twitter yesterday and I realized that what someone said recently is very true so I’ll share it here, buried in the comments on this Top 5.
When I was talking to Tim Barry Sunday night before the show he was telling everyone that came up about 9b (yes I was a bit embarrassed) but what he was telling them was not that are music prophets or that we write bad ass reviews. What he said was “You gotta check their shit out. It’s a real fucking community. No-one is hanging around talking shit and hiding behind the internet. They have fucking conversations in the comments and some smart motherfuckers hang out there.” He wasn’t talking about Kasey, AIV, or me. He was talking all of you fuckers who are gracious enough to spend your time here and comment on what we spew out, or share your very real lives in posts like this. When I saw the number of comments on this, and the last couple top 5s, I was blown away.
So from the bottom of my heart: Thank you! Each and every one of you. I owe all of you fuckers a round at some point!
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“She had sex with me. I quit parting my hair down the middle.”
Awesome.
I love reading these stories. It’s crazy how much you can learn about a virtual stranger in 5 songs.
Lisa, your “Sixteen” story was incredible.
Natalie, I’d like to echo everything Bryan said about Nirvana and emphasize that their appeal wasn’t so much that song (although it was completely different than anything on the radio at the time), it was more about the attitude.
Prior to Nirvana, rock radio was overrun with self-absorbed rocker dudes singing about cocaine, girls, and fast cars. Essentially, rocker dudes singing about how totally awesome it was to be rocker dudes. Then Nirvana comes along – the antithesis of all things “rocker dude” – playing heavy shit but singing “a mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido.” That they even got on the radio in the first place is still pretty mind-boggling.
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Thanks Guys. Though they dont play it often, it’s always special to me when they do… and yes Brit, without my Sixteen you may not have your slow dance.
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I love stirring up trouble.
I’ve had the Nirvana debate so many times it’s not even funny.
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Bob Dylan “Tangled Up In Blue”
There was a period in high school where anything that wasn’t recorded by Bob Dylan wasn’t worth listening to.
Bruce Springsteen “Atlantic City”
Same as the Dylan thing, only it was just with Nebraska. 10 songs on repeat, 24 hours a day.
Wilco “Ashes of American Flags”
Ironically, it was YHF that turned me on to alt. country music (and modern music in general). Still one of my favorite records. Before Wilco, it was strictly Dylan, Young, the Stones, and the Band for me.
American Gun “Little Sister”
This is the band that turned me on to local music in general. I thought local bands in Columbia, SC couldn’t possibly be making good music. American Gun kicked my ass on that one.
Lucero “Nights Like These”
Anyone that’s ever been there can understand this song. I was at that point when I first heard this song. Favorite band. Ever.
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Some of these are albums because that is how I listen to music. I like how the story comes together through the sum of its parts…
Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska (album)
I used to make fun of my ex-husband for being a Bruce Springsteen fan. I guess I just remembered the cheesy stuff that come out on the radio. I inherited that album along with many others when my mother passed away. The first time I listened to it I was blown away. I guess I owe my ex an apology (but he owes me a few so were even).Centro-matic – Take a rake
While I was in graduate school getting my master’s degree in mathematics, we would have the incredibly stressful exams that would require hours and hours of memorizing long crazy proofs, definitions, etc. Before every exam I would listen to this song, even if I had to sneak out of class and sit in the bathroom. Something about the build up at the end would put me in the right mindset for doing math. I graduated with 3.9 and aced every test I took after listening to it. I think I owe Will Johnson an honorary math degree.Widespread Panic – C. Brown
I grew to become the person I am through 3 years of following this band. They made me reaize how much I love music and that I will do pretty much anything for a live show. This was the first song that really got me. And it’s pretty sweet that at the end of the song Charlie pulls out a gun and shoots Lucy. I mean she was the first true “bitch” that I encountered as a child. She deserved it.Frank Turner – Love Ire & Song
If any song would make you change the way you look at life, this would be it. It makes you want to get up off your ass and fight for what you believe in.Drive-by Truckers – One of these days
This was the band that made me transition from Jam music to whatever it is you would call the music I listen to now. It was a breath of fresh air after seeing the same band over and over again. It was also one of the reasons that my boyfriend and I got together. When we realized we were both trucker’s fans, it pretty much cemented the deal.I have to add an honorable mention.
Micah Schnabel – When the stage lights go dim (album)
His songwriting still amazes me every time I hear that album and I swear I’ve listened to it a hundred times. One of these days I’m going to convince him of how good he really is. He is one of the most humble musicians I have ever met.
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“It makes you want to get up off your ass and fight for what you believe in.”
FRANK TURNER! great to see him mentioned. now, I only recently listened to that album (unfortunately about a couple of weeks AFTER he played my town), but I was blown away!
(and I love Micah’s album. yet another one I have to thank 9B for!)
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I wish that more American’s loved Frank Turner the way I do. I think our country would be a much better place…
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I had to go listen to Sixteen after that as well.
I saw Frank Turner on the Revival Tour and was blow away so I made sure to see him the next time round. It was an off night on his tour opening for The Offspring and there was maybe 50 people with 3 opening bands. Frank was last and the three openers were not good but everyone stayed around. The set was solo and towards the end he played Photosynthesis. I think the all 50 people knew the words to that one and he stopped in the middle to address the crowd. I wish I could quote it but the in general he was just thankful and amazed that even though he was from England and had never played Baltimore that song had made it to us.
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Never posted on here and hardly ever even read these comments but just happened to be reading this and have to agree with tim barry! These top 5 lists are awesome, seems like I took a pretty similar musical journey to most others on here. Punk rock gives you a good kick in the ass and gets you going to shows and getting involved but I guess we can’t listen to it forever and its easy to get pretty jaded with it and the bullshit scene stuff that goes along with it.
This alt country stuff is like punk without most of the bullshit, can’t wait to see Tim Barry when the revival tour heads to Australia!
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Welcome to the mix Lloyd. Hope to see you comment a little more.
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In High Fidelity (I still prefer the book even though I think Cusack is awesome) there is a running bit about how he always re-arranges his massive record collection in different ways to clear his head. The best one comes after the big break up with his current girlfriend. After years of chronological, alphabetical, and all sorts of other ways, this was my favorite – “Autobiographical.” This top 5 lets us do just that – dig into our autobiographical roots and clear the cobwebs.
Lay Your Hands On Me – Bon Jovi
I agree with all of the talk about Jon being our best buddy back in the day. I remember my mom dropping off me and my little brother at this show at Hirsch Coliseum in Shreveport, LA (we were 14 and 12). The drums seemed to pound on and on forever and then this big organ sound of keyboards hailed a massive fireworks-filled rock entrance. I was converted right there – my religion was music. It could save me, it can save anybody. I knew I would never be the same after that show and that was the first cassette tape that I played until it broke.Pearl Jam – Even Flow
As a counterpoint to Nirvana, or maybe the other side of the coin, Pearl Jam made this amazing layered CD that you could just play over and over. I remember that intro with the note sliding and maybe it subconsciously pulled on my steel guitar roots. This was high school for me – cruising a small town and cranking music till you couldn’t hear yourself think.Public Enemy – Fight the Power
One of the earlier commenters said that it was amazing that music like this could reach them before the internet. I felt that way about rap music in my small East Texas town. I remember watching Do the Right Thing and listening to Public Enemy – I had never heard anybody that talked like Chuck D. I found so much great music through this and now I agree with the earlier comments about Outkast – that is now one of my daughter’s favorite CD’s.Avett Brothers – Do You Love Him
I had this CD given to me by a friend and I was working in the workshop with it on for months. It hit me so raw and amazing. I fell in love with the screaming and dissonance and just couldn’t get enough. I later told my friend how much I appreciated it and he confessed that he couldn’t stand it – he gave it to me cause he knew I would like it.James Brown – Try Me
I got a greatest hits cd of James Brown and it must have stayed in my cd player for a month. I was obsessed. This guy just had such an amazing energy. It was burned into my college years brain with Jimi and the Doors and Stevie Ray. I found these guys and couldn’t get enough of them. I know that all of us have those rock school moments when we find somebody and just have to know everything about them.
That’s when they become part of our “autobiographical” collection and we are forever changed.