Rant #1,790: The Top of My World

When your personal world is in turmoil, as mine is right now with my job and place of business both teetering on the edge of oblivion, or when you simply need some comfort, one thing that you can always go back to are the songs of your life, the music that really moved you when it was new and still does something to you years after it were originally released.

My main focus is on music of the 1960s, but I have enjoyed music of all eras, whether it be the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and even the 1980s. My new music interest waned in the 1990s, and it was during this period that I really went back to my roots, and re-investigated the music of my youth, something which I do to this day.

I really don't like the current music, with a few exceptions, and let's be honest about it, you cannot go wrong with music from the eras I mentioned.

During those years--in particular, the 1960s and early 1970s--the music was more than just a tune in your head, it meant much more, often signifying a lifestyle, a message, or a statement.

So, it got me to thinking, as we enter the last potion of calendar year 2016--when all the lists come out of best ofs in music for the year--what are my absolute favorite tunes of my life, the Top 10 songs that I can hear anytime and that calm me, soothe me, and bring me back to another time?

Let me tell you, it was not easy to come up with such a list. During the eras I mentioned, there was a real cornucopia of excellent music being produced, songs that were fun and often had a message, even a subtle one, beyond what was on the surface.

And others were simply pure fluff.

So, as we near the last month of 2016, here are my top five of my top 10 favorite tunes, in order. I don't know how much you also like these songs, but to me, each and every one of them has meaning, and each and every one of them, when I hear them, makes me happy.

1) Beatles - A Hard Day's Night: I think that this tune really epitomizes what I mentioned earlier about songs that put me in a good mood, songs that are fun, and songs that have a meaning beneath the surface. Let's be honest about it: the Beatles were it, are it, and will continue to be it for generations to come. There was no act like them, and although they had a multitude of hits, to me, this one is special. I was young when it came out--seven years old--and hearing this really made me take notice of the music around me. I liked just about everything they put out at the time, but to me, as a rock and roll song, this one, like the Fab Four, is it.

2) Monkees - Daydream Believer: I have always loved the Monkees, and I remember that when this record came out, my sister and I played it over and over and over and over. There was just something so interesting, and so different, about this song. I still can't put it into words. The Monkees Machine took this John Stewart song, changed some of the lyrics, and made it into their own. No, it is not the Monkees' best song--more about that later--but it is my favorite song of theirs. Again, it epitomized the time and the place that I was in, and maybe the time and the place that I am still in.

3) Dave Clark Five - Any Way You Want It: To me, the raw power of rock and roll is displayed in this song perhaps better than any other song I have ever heard. Everything in the song just works, making a true wall of sound that simply cannot be forgotten. The DC5 were a true singles band, although I liked their LPs too, but to me, this was their finest creation, putting into two minutes more might than can be found in many songs twice the length.

4) Paul Revere and the Raiders - Kicks: My first daily introduction to rock and roll was not "The Monkees" TV series; it was "Where the Action Is," the daily show produced by Dick Clark which ended up having Paul Revere and the Raiders as the centerpiece of the program. They were wild, they were funny, they wore funny outfits, and they were talented, and this tune really put all those eggs in one basket. Hailed--or derided by some--as the first rock and roll anti-drug song, it has hooks the size of the Grand Canyon, and even if the message goes over your head, the greatness of the tune won't.

5) Strawberry Alarm Clock: Incense and Peppermints: Well, if there was ever a song that epitomized a certain time and place, this tune is it! It is so hard to pin this song down, even after nearly 50 years since its release. Is it corporate psychedelia, pure bubblegum, or what? To me, it is simply a great song, one that soothes me every time I hear it. Although their fame wasn't very long lasting, and although they were not a one-hot wonder per se, I think most people of my generation would agree that this was one of the great songs of the 1960s, whether you rank it as part of a Top 10 like I did or simply just love to hear it.

I will give you songs six to 10 later this week. In the meantime, if you haven't heard these songs in a while, get those records off the shelf and play them.

Yes, decades later, they still sound so good, they still hold up to a certain extent, and heck, they really were pieces of work in the positive sense.

Enjoy!