20 - 11 (my top tunes)

20 Flight Of The Wild Geese -  Joan Armatrading 20
Another song on the list with a movie connection. The fact that it also has an African connection also works in its favour. This song drips with pathos, and there is a piano run just after the line "There were promise made" that for some reason I adore. The song really has very little to do with the film and would be better suited to a more political movie than an action one. It doesn't matter to me though. I love the film and I love the song. It's not as good as Love and Affection but it means more to me and for that reason it is high on this list.


19 God Only Knows - Beach Boys 19
Having previously said that it is really hard to write a song about being in love that is as good as unrequited love, this song is the exception, and it is exceptional. Its ruminations on what life would be like without his love is surely something everyone in love can identify with. It is beautifully understated, and a genuine classic.

18 Me And The Farmer - The Housemartins 18
Hull's finest may have had bigger hits, but I will fight to the death (metaphorically) to defend my view that this is their best song. The video has a wonderful home-made zero budget feel to it, and when you look at Norman Cook you do have to wonder whether he has a painting stashed in his attic.

17 Marlene On The Wall - Suzanne Vega 17
As I write this list it is becoming increasingly apparent to me how influential my brothers have been on my musical taste. My eldest brother gave me his vinyl copy of Vega's debut album. I played that album to death, it being my first real experience of a female singer songwriter. Above all, I loved this song and played it over and over. It still sounds fresh to me all these years later.

16 What's Going On - Marvin Gaye 16
I'm a big fan of Marvin Gaye, and I could have happily picked a half dozen of his songs for this top 100 list. I feel bad not including a duet with Tammi Terrell, but you can't include everything. This  plea on behalf of the planet is a wonderful moment in time. It stays on the right side of cheesy. A classic song from a classic album.

15 This Is How It Feels -  Inspiral Carpets 25
The second appearance of the Inspirals on my list and it sees this song rise 10 places from 2010's list. Harking back to my time at the Warehouse in Preston, it is amazing that a song about despair can actually be so uplifting when sung by a couple of hundred sweaty clubbers.

14 Last Of The Famous International Playboys - Morrissey 14
I find this to be a grand and swaggering exhibition of mock hubris from a killer. I like it a lot.

13 Absolutely Everybody - Vanessa Amorosi - new
We all know that until July/August last year the 2000 Sydney Olympics were the best Olympics ever. Such a wonderful celebration of sport organised with the light and enthusiastic softness of touch that we were later to also see in London 2012. I would stay up late into the night and wake early in the morning to catch the latest action. It was the first Olympics I really bought into beyond the high profile events. As I watched the closing ceremony I was a little bereft. Then a girl came leaping onto the stage to sing this positive bouncy life affirming anthem. The music, the athletes smiling, dancing and gurning for the cameras.... even 13 years on I can't hear this song without smiling and remembering what a fabulous job Sydney did of hosting the Olympics. The second best ever in fact :p


12 Whatever - Oasis 12
There was a time when Oasis were writing so many good songs that the b-sides of their singles were littered with would-be classics. Whatever was a stand alone single, never appearing on an album until their 2009 greatest hits album. How can you have such a good song and not include it on an album? Though admittedly What's The Story Morning Glory didn't exactly suffer from its exclusion. Later in their career they would go OTT with orchestration and overly long songs, but here they got it just right. Simple yet strong lyrics, pleasing melodies and an orchestra that accompanied without overpowering or being overpowered.

11 For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield 11
Uneasy and sinister, but rippling with defiance. This is more than a protest song, it is a social commentary and a snapshot of a time when the young were making their voice heard politically. The slow rhythm, the pinging guitar,  the lyrics and the overall vibe combine to create a 60s masterpiece.

90 - 81 (my top 100 songs of all time)

90 White Room - Cream 89
One of the earliest albums I got was The Cream Of Eric Clapton. I played that album over and over. Many of those songs remain firm favourites but (and this is a hideous pun) the cream rises to the top. From the portentious intro to the staccato disconnected lyrics and Clapton's effects laden guitar there is so much to like about this song. Over a quarter of a century since I first heard it this song has consolidated its preeminence in my mind over other classics such as Layla, Cocaine and Sunshine Of Your Love.

89 Rolling In The Deep - Adele new
I missed the first wave of Adele mania, coming to her rather late. I wasn't as impressed with Someone Like You as the rest of the world seemed to be. But this song showcases her voice to the max,  with a driving rhythm and a killer chorus that grabs you by the balls.

88 Don't Leave - Faithless new
I was resistant to dance music for a long time. It wasn't until I saw Faithless on Later With Jools Holland that my eyes and ears were opened. It wasn't their barnstorming club hit Insomnia that did it. It was this beautiful and rather sad song. They were a real band, and not just a couple of guys with a synth. Their performance of this song blew me away.

87 Somewhere In My Heart - Aztec Camera 96
I'm a sucker for blaring horns. This gem of 80s power pop starts with horns and never lets up. It is another song that I used to play on my guitar in my bedroom. "The closest thing to heaven is to rock and roll". That was certainly true for me back then. Roddy Frame's finest 3.5 minutes.

86 Up The Junction - Squeeze 84
You don't get many songs that lack a chorus. The lyrics take centre stage in this tale. Quintessentially British and naive they may be ("we stayed in by the telly although the room was smelly"), but you have to love a song that kicks off with "I never thought it would happen with me and the girl from Clapham."

85 Saturn 5 - Inspiral Carpets 83
Whenever I hear this song I am immediately transported back to 1996 and my greatest ever nightclub experience.  The Warehouse in Preston was a three level club playing the best indie and britpop music. At that time it felt like 'my' music ruled the world. That particular night in The Warehouse is fresh in my memory as the epitomy of those days. The opening organ riff brought a huge cheer, and by the time the chorus erupted the entire dancefloor was singing, arms in the air or around the shoulders of strangers. We were united in a truly sublime musical experience.

84 Never Forget You - Noisettes 82
Back in 2009 I caught an acoustic performance of this song on the BBC's coverage of Glastonbury. I was captivated by the beauty of the voice I was hearing as well as enjoying a cracking song. This stripped down version (guitar, bass and packing crate) reminded me a touch of Amy Winehouse, but without the extraneous angsty bollocks that went with Winehouse's performances. Then I checked out the original version of the song and loved it. I still love it. The song has a retro feel to it and real kick to the chorus. I love it.

83 This Is Not A Love Song - Public Image Limited 85
I must qualify this by saying that I love the album version but really don't like the single version which I find inferior in every way. The album version is full of attitude, horns and a great hook. The pounding base and the riff that accompanies the chorus are tremendous, while Lydon's vocals are just about perfection. The less said about the single version, which I refuse to provide a link to, the better.


82 Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers 80
For me, the album Blood Sugar Sex Magick is the high water mark of the RHCP's career. They had greater success with later albums, but creatively they have never matched BSSM. I could have picked three or four songs from this album alone. But the reason that I picked Give It Away rather than Under the Bridge is that I think the band is summed up in this one song. It is funky and it rocks. I also came close to including Higher Ground and Knock Me Down, both off the Mother's Milk album and both truly great songs.

81 Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House 78
The first version of this song that I heard was Paul Young's and I really liked it. But there is something more heartfelt and something sweeter in Neil Finn's vocals. I can listen to this time and time again. It never gets tired.