111. Touch - Daft Punk featuring Paul Williams (2013)

 

 

Hold on

If love is the answer you hold

 

Daft Punk are a bit unlucky to only have one song on my chart. 'Da Funk','One More Time' and 'Digital Love' are all great songs but this is the only one that I have chosen and it's the masterpiece from their number 1 album 'Random Access Memories'. It's a complex piece of music which is apparently made up of over 250 elements. The section from 5.50 to 7.40 is sublime and one of the best 110 seconds of music you are ever likely to hear.

 

On A Day Like Today, very nice choice of final Keane song!

On A Day Like Today, very nice choice of final Keane song!

Oh good,when I told you there was one Keane song left,I was hoping it was one of the ones you liked best.

 

Oh good,when I told you there was one Keane song left,I was hoping it was one of the ones you liked best.

That and Bedshaped from earlier in the countdown are really good songs! I'm also a fan of Crystal Ball, Bend & Break, Can't Stop Now, Untitled 1, Day Will Come and Perfect Symmetry! Hope you like most of those.

That and Bedshaped from earlier in the countdown are really good songs! I'm also a fan of Crystal Ball, Bend & Break, Can't Stop Now, Untitled 1, Day Will Come and Perfect Symmetry! Hope you like most of those.

Yes,they are all decent songs.

110. One Summer Dream - Electric Light Orchestra (1975)

 

 

Deep waters flow out to the sea

They never needed you or me

 

I like the youtube comment on this song by someone who was playing it when a pizza delivery person knocked on his door. On hearing it,the young man described it as the most beautiful song he had ever heard so he was invited in to listen to the rest of it. He had never heard of ELO but by the time he delivered his next pizza to the same house,he had listened to and enjoyed lots of ELO songs. It is indeed beautiful with the strings,choir,Bev Bevan's drum sound and Jeff Lynne's great lead vocal. There's also a female singer contributing,Ellie Greenwich. She co-wrote several well known 60s songs,like 'Be My Baby','Leader Of The Pack' and 'Da Doo Ron Ron'.

 

109. Guilt - Nero (2011)

 

 

You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all

 

'Guilt' was a top ten single for Nero but this is the longer album version from 'Welcome Reality'. There's a huge wall of different electronic sounds weaved around Alana's vocals and her voice becomes part of the machine when her words "sense at all" get repeated over and over again.

 

108. The Leavers - Marillion (2016)

 

 

All the misunderstandings,defensive attacks

The walls we don't dare relax

And the hurt in your eyes,I know you know that I pray

For the phone call that takes me away

 

Before the last Marillion album was released,the group put out a track listing for it. 'The Leavers' is divided into five parts and Part II is called 'The Remainers' which led some Marillion fans to think that this song might have something to do with Brexit. However,it was written well before Brexit had even been proposed. The leavers are actually Marillion themselves while the remainers are their families who are left behind when they embark on long world tours. The lyrics to this song give a great insight into what it's like being in a long running rock group. The remainers are also Marillion fans and Part V of the song 'One Tonight' describes what happens when the leavers and the remainers come together for a concert. The full nineteen minute song is not on youtube. It's on Spotify if anyone is curious enough to listen to it.

Edited October 18, 20186 yr by KingOfRolloween

107. Waiting For The Night - Depeche Mode (1990)

 

 

And here in the still

All that you feel is tranquility

 

From the 'Violator' album,this has an calming,ambient sound to it and doesn't really sound like any other song that Depeche Mode have recorded. It was supposed to be called Waiting For The Night To Fall but a printing error led to a shorter title.

 

 

 

 

 

106. Versailles - White Soxx (1981)

 

 

Here is the story that I heard some years ago

Two ladies needed holidays

 

White Soxx were French duo Fabrice Cuitad and Frederic Mercier. The name of the latter led to a rumour at the time that this was Freddie Mercury working under a pseudonym. This is one of the most obscure songs on my chart. I became aware of it in 1983 when Peter Powell played it on his Radio 1 show a few times. It's a ghost story about two English women visiting France and has become a bit of a cult classic.

 

105. Sometimes I Remember Wrong - Guillemots (2011)

 

 

So if it's just the way it is

If everything ends up like this

Let everybody go abroad

 

From Guillemots' third album 'Walk The River',this nine minute track has a lush,cinematic sound to it. It wouldn't be out of place on their first album.

 

104. Run - Air (2004)

 

 

Stay in bed

I feel sad

When you run

 

The highlight of Air's third album 'Talkie Walkie'. I love the production and the layered backing vocals are similar to 10cc's 'I'm Not In Love'. I think 'Run' might be the most common song title in my countdown with songs by New Order and Snow Patrol called 'Run' also chosen.

 

103. That,That Is - Yes (1996)

 

 

Cars screaming round the corner,drugged to heaven

Guns are loaded,locked in vengeance

 

Another track from the 'Keys To Ascension' album with the 'classic' Yes line-up back together. The song opens with Steve Howe's stunning three minute acoustic guitar solo,then after the drums come in,Jon Anderson starts his tale of Julie and Shirley,two drug addicted young women. It's another Yes epic,lasting nineteen minutes in total.

 

102. Liar - Queen (1973)

 

 

Sire,I have stolen,stolen many times

Raised my voice in anger

When I know I never should

 

From Queen's debut album,this track was written by Freddie Mercury as early as 1970. It's a heavy rock song with Brian May's electric guitar prominent throughout. If you only know Queen's singles from the 70s,it's certainly worth listening to this one.

 

179. Enjoy The Silence - Depeche Mode (1990)

All I ever wanted,all I ever needed

Is here in my arms

Words are very unnecessary

They can only do harm

 

This is probably Depeche Mode's most well known song. It won the best single award at the 1991 Brits. Sometimes something as basic as the right three notes put together are enough to turn a song into a classic.

 

 

I think it's almost impossible to choose a favourite ever song... but if I were to try then this would definitely be in consideration, it's simply wonderful. :wub:

Lots of great songs here in the last few weeks. The Raven Who Refused to Sing was the song that introduced me to Steven Wilson I found trawling reddit late at night and I still love it, the video and themes in the lyrics are heartbreaking but stunningly portrayed, same with Drive by him.

 

The Living Years is a really nice, rousing song too with similarly heartbreaking lyrics. One Day Like This is definitely an all time favourite too, was crazy how that constantly hung around in the 30s for years until the Olympics finally got it the top 5 position it deserved!

Guilt is brilliant, that first Nero album was really good!

Thanks for the comments. :)

101. Signal To Noise - Peter Gabriel (2002)

 

 

The more that it's surrounding us

The more that it destroys

Turn up the signal

Wipe out the noise

 

Another song from the 'Up' album,this was performed live at the VH1 Witness show six years previously. As the featured Pakistani vocalist,Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan,died in 1997,his vocal from that concert was used on this recording. The music is mainly drums and an orchestra and builds up steadily towards a powerful conclusion.

 

Edited October 21, 20186 yr by KingOfRolloween

100. One For The Vine - Genesis (1976)

 

 

They leave me no choice

I must lead them to glory

Or most likely to death

 

From the 'Wind And Wuthering' album,this was written by Tony Banks over the course of a year until he was happy with it. It features several tempo changes and the instrumental break from 4.40 to 6.20 stands out.