100 - 91 (Top 100 songs of all time)

For the full top 100 click here

100 Romeo - Basement Jaxx - 98 in 2010
There came a point 6 or 7 years ago where I realised that I really like Basement Jaxx. They are a dance act with a difference, musically very interesting and shying away from club cliche. Add to the music some great soul and urban vocals and you have a potent mix. Romeo is my choice but I could quite easily have picked another song such as “Where’s Your Head At”, “Oh My Gosh” or “Bingo Bango”. But for me there is something about Romeo that is uplifting despite the lyrics. The Bollywood video perfectly complements the song. In fact one thing that Basement Jaxx do better than most other acts is videos. Always surprising and innovating their videos are well worth checking out.


99 Epic - Faith No More - new entryRarely has a song been better named. In the late 80s and early 90s I was a heavy metal fan. Faith No More blended rock and rap so intelligently that they grabbed me by the balls and made me fall for them. This song is both very much of its time and resiliently current.


98 People Everyday - Arrested Development - new entry
The lazy chilled out vibe of this song is just so perfect. I know they can’t lay claim to having written the hook in the chorus (Sly & the Family Stone take those laurels) but as a piece of laid back hip hop it can’t be faulted. The song’s lyrics are actually pretty dark and probe fault lines in black society. It’s a song that works on many levels, but is perhaps best heard outdoors on a sunny day with a beer in hand.


97 Superstar - Sonic Youth - new entry
There is an album of Carpenters covers released nearly 20 years ago and this was on it. For me, the mark of a good song is one that stands up to reinterpretation. A song that has layers that are revealed by different performers. This is one such song. Sonic Youth bring out the dark side of this song. The breathy whispered mournful vocals are a million miles away from the sumptuous beauty of Karen Carpenter’s, and yet I think this version reveals the true torment at the heart of the song. The original keeps the pain inherent in the lyrics at arm’s length. In Sonic Youth’s version the pain grabs you by the throat.


96 Walk Away Renee - The Four Tops - 70
Motown at its peak was masterful at producing powerful songs that addressed the darker side of matters of the heart. Both the verse and the chorus of this song have unforgettable melodies. When performed by the Four Tops the song takes flight.


95 Somebody That I Used To Know - Gotye - new entry
The first new entry into the top 100 to have been released since I last compiled my top 100 is an otherworldly indie hit. There is something about the plaintive, almost pleading singing in the chorus that really appeals. Again the lyrics are quite dark. I'm not sure what the prevalence of such songs at the start of my top 100 says about me. In an era of one hit wonders, this might just be one that merits the attention that it received and will stand the test of time.


94 I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You - Black Kids - new entry
This band and this song passed me by until I saw Black Kids supporting Kaiser Chiefs a few years ago. Support acts have a notoriously difficult task, particularly in large arenas. They have poor sound, poor lighting and reduced space. Many wilt, but not this band. This song really stood out, and after the gig it was still in my head, nestling snugly alongside the Kaiser Chiefs' hits. There are no KC songs in my top 100. Funny how things turn out.


93 Forget You - Cee Lo Green - new entry
Owing more than a small debt to the glory days of Motown this song is a modern soul classic. For the sake of propriety I am using the radio friendly version of this song on my list. The other version is not appreciably better, but it did its job in creating word of mouth for the song. Whatever, this is another upbeat song with dark lyrics. Hmm I spot a trend emerging. Bruno Mars co-wrote it. Which begs the question why he releases such rubbish under his own name when he can write songs like this?


92 No Diggity - Blackstreet - new entry
danga danga danga dang. What is it about that simple piano riff that turns this into such a memorable song? Wonderful chorus "I like the way you work it, no diggity", great vocals. Dr Dre on top form. Just a sublime piece of work. "hey yo hey yo hey yo hey yo".


91 The Boxer - Simon and Garfunkel - 71
I bought a cassette of Bridge Over Troubled Water from a jumble sale at around the same time that I was learning to play guitar. Some time around 1987 I suppose. I spent hours in my bedroom learning to play this song, singing along with just myself for an audience, almost certainly not understanding the full implications of the lyrics. The snare crash in the midst of S&G trilling "li la li" felt so dramatic, so at odds with the acoustic nature of the song. Emphasising god knows what, but doing it ever so well.