Presenting the Top 500 Songs I Think You Should Know

After reading through the Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs of All-Time, I convinced myself that I too could craft a list of 500 songs, and thus the Top 500 Songs I Think You Should Know was born.  To be considered for the list, I limited myself to only songs released after my date of birth, which was late in August 1978. 

After settling on a start date, the real decision had to be made -- what would my criteria be?  After much deliberation, I decided on a subjectively objective test that takes into account many things such as whether a song charted, how long it charted, its longevity and durability, and of course, pop culture signifcance.  It took me approxiamtely three months to compile my list and the work done generated such intense discussions with my wife, that she joined me in this challenge, albeit her list was capped at 200 songs.

What I learned from this is I do not listen to a lot of country, but I do like and appreciate rap more than I would have throught.  My Top 200 would be competitive with anything Rolling Stone, NME or another music mag put together, and my final 300 gets more subjective than objective, but again, I think I have compelling arguments for everything.

So, enough with the discourse, let the list begin, in reverse order, and ten at a time.  Enjoy!

"Girls whose tensions just kill you"

Thanks to satellite radio I have once again been able to hear more and more new music. One of the bands that I discovered and really enjoy is Asobi Seksu, a Japanese band from New York. Their 2006 album Citrus is a welcome exploration of shoegazer 17 years after the peek of bands like My Bloody Valentine, Ride, and Catherine Wheel. "Strings" is a great track that blends everything I like about the band -- great guitars, blissed out lyrics -- in two languages nonetheless -- and an intoxicating feeling.

Strings - Asobi Seksu

"There's space for us to shake, and hey, I like this tune"

Blissful indie-rock melodies straight out of Norway that makes you want to swing. Kings of Convenience released Riot on an Empty Street in 2004 to critical praise and delivered one of the more memorable indie-pop rock moments of the year with the catchy "I'd Rather Dance with You". The song and accompanying video remain favorites of mine to this day. Be sure to check out more from the Kings, the best thing from the Nordic region since a-Ha.

I'd Rather Dance with You - Kings of Convenience