I have a confession. Come close so I can whisper it into your little ear. Ready?
I can’t write when music is playing.
Laugh all you want, but this is an affliction. Especially when trying to write a heartfelt post about my favorite songs of all time. At this very moment Bruce Springsteen’s "Atlantic City" is playing, and all can think about is doing a job for some mobsters in New Jersey. And who "The Chicken Man" may be.
The inspiration for this post was found on my new webcrush - Retrocrush. Titled “The Fifty Greatest Song Parts,” these cool guys had the gall to list their favorite pieces of songs. Narrowing song parts was hard for me, and finding the songs was a freakin’ exercise in futility. Listening to Tenacious D at the moment. Can’t stop laughing. Must keep looking. “Be ye angels? Nay, we are but men… ROCK!”
So here is my lovingly assembled list, one that could easily be revised in six months. In fact, it will be revised in six months. Click on the titles to hear MP3 audio of the listed songs. Enjoy.
21. Selena - The opening lines of "The Cumbia Medley". Where she slowly sings “Como La Flooooooorrrrrr….” Makes me proud to be from south Texas.
20. Opening trumpets in the theme from Rocky - "Gonna Fly Now". Until the disco backbeat kicks in. This is my cue to put down the jump rope and stop trying to train for my future nonexistent lightweight boxing matches. Who am I kidding? Middleweight.
19. Rufus and Chaka Khan – "Tell Me Something Good". I don’t care what anyone says, a lot of great music came out of the seventies. I’d dirty dance to this song stone cold sober. No lie. Guess my favorite part. Hint: it sounds dirty.
18. Boston - crazy scream from "More Than A Feeling". This guy’s voice makes the angels weep. The best part is when he sings “I closed my eyes and she slipped awaaaaaaaaayyyyyy! She slipped awwwaaaaaayyyyyy!” And then, I swear to Freddie Mercury, his voice blends into a guitar sound and you can’t tell which is which! He’s a miracle. A miracle on earth.
17. Violent Femmes - count off in "Kiss Off". Sing it with me now: one, one, one 'cause you left me, two, two, two for my family…
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Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
this is interesting. i often enjoy tunes in this way, much like how i appreciate poetry: not necessarily as a whole, but for one part of a whole.
Thunder Road: my favorite song. the first bit kills me. "the screen door slams. mary's dress waves..."
i'll have to think of some more.
2 - irv
"And who "The Chicken Man" may be."
3 - Kristi
Thanks for the Chicken Man link...my visions of Colonel Sanders getting blown up were way off base.