Tag Archives: top 100

Kurt Vonnegut said that “a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit.” I think that’s exactly right. And these are the songs that make me appreciate being alive. My existence would … Continue reading →

We’re entering the heights now. These are the songs that blow my world away every time I hear them, songs that make life worth living, songs that are as holy as the work of Michelangelo or Keats or Austen. Spotify playlist with … Continue reading →

We’re getting close to the top of the list now, and it’s really difficult to draw a line between many of these songs. They’re all basically perfect–and the question is really just how many degrees of infinity I can try … Continue reading →

Many of my favorite songs of love and loss here. From the passions of youth to the quiet resignation of age, and everything in between. Spotify playlist with (almost) every song from this project. 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90, … Continue reading →

Today we have a whole bunch of songs from the 90s and early 2000s, along with the only pre-1964 track to make the list. Though as I write that, I realize that I really should have thought more seriously about … Continue reading →

Songs from a fairly narrow time band of the mid 90s to early 2000s, with three very different songs of the late 60s to balance things out. Spotify playlist with (almost) every song from this project. 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, … Continue reading →

Spotify playlist with (almost) every song from this project. 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90, 91-100 70. Like A Prayer – Madonna (1989) A rumination on Catholic guilt, the boundlessness of human sexuality, and the power of pop music to … Continue reading →

With this installment, we’re living almost entirely in the bubble of late 90s/early 2000s white people rock. And the one major exception is a Velvet Underground track that in many ways could count as the first mover of the wave that would … Continue reading →

A bunch of love songs today, which run the gamut from completely specific to wholly transcendent. Spotify playlist with (almost) every song from this project. 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-40, 41-50, 51-60, 61-70, 71-80, 81-90, 91-100 90. Crimson And Clover – Tommy James & … Continue reading →

As a lover of music and as an obsessive maker of lists, it’s kind of surprising I’ve never put in the effort to construct this ultimate list before. But one of my friends recently sent his own list and it got … Continue reading →