i was asked this morning what my top five favorite songs of all time are.

i said what i always say -- "i can't do that, man." i name about seven of them and say there are a million more and why would you want to make me choose anyway? and then i change the subject.

it didn't work this time. "come on," he said. "favorite songs of all time, top five. do it."

i laughed. "i just told you," i said. there was a long silence. "you seriously want to know?"

"i seriously want to know." i told him i'd think about it and post it on my blog today for my whole "twenty minutes" thing. "it has to be in order," he said. i told him to fuck himself because i wasn't doing that.

so danny b, this is for you.

anniemosity's top five most perfect songs ever.
(uploaded in .m4a format)


1. "kid charlemagne" by steely dan.

i get a lot of shit for listening to steely dan, and i honestly can't understand why. i suppose this is beside the point. "kid charlemagne" is my favorite steely dan song ever and it has a golden spot reserved on my top five list. the song is a brilliantly crafted story of the rise and fall of a drug dealer. the phrasing and articulation is genius. the solo, though, is what gets me. it's been on multiple "best guitar solos ever" list and it just doesn't get enough recognition. the slide into the key change is like a knife to my gut every time i hear it, which, my itunes says is 59 times (but i know it's more). this song is absolutely perfect, from the piano chords that change from major to minor and back, to the three-part harmonies in the chorus, to the line "is there gas in the car?/yes there's gas in the car," to the very last solo that fades into oblivion.


2. "if you want me to stay" by sly and the family stone.

part of me wants to believe that i was a backup singer for sly in a previous life. the sheer funk beat that comes from this guy is something that makes my heart stop beating and realign with it. this song is perfect in its basic formula. bass intro. keyboards. vocals. horns. verse. verse two. interlude. repeat verse two. fade out. that's all. the song lasts not even three minutes. sly isn't bullshitting -- this song is what it is. perfect.


3. "easily" by the red hot chili peppers.

this song... i have issues talking about this song because i love it so fucking much. can i help you understand? do you have any of those songs that make your heart physically feel like it's being pulled apart because of the sheer beauty and perfection? that's what this song is for me. i can attempt to explain it, but i don't know how effective it'll be. the changeover from double time to single time between the chorus and the verse gets me. flea's broken chord progression in the chorus gets me. "the story of a woman on the morning of a war/remind me if you will exactly what we're fighting for," gets me. but the thing that puts it over the top for me is john frusciante's multi-layered solos at the end. his soloing is amazing as it is, but one layered on top of another on top of another and another, and they all work together? it absolutely kills me. brilliant. perfect.


4. "40" by u2.

"war" was a brilliant album. no doubt about it. "sunday bloody sunday." "seconds..." "like a song." "new year's day." everything, solid song afer solid song. and then the pinnacle. the closer -- "40." "40" is about two or two and a half minutes long. the song is unbelievably simplistic at the same time that it is undeniably moving. the lack of drama in bono's voice at the beginning connects somehow with the power towards the end. the edge's completely basic signature guitar style intertwines perfectly with the bass and the pulsating drums. and just as you get into it, it starts to fade out and bam! it's over, meriting another listen. and another. and another. and soon this perfectly simple song becomes a chant in your head. "how long.... how long... how long... how long..." over and over and over and the beauty comes to the surface and overflows and you can't stop singing it and you can't stop listening to it.
i get really excited about this song.


5. "mr. brownstone" by guns n' roses.

you'd think that my last song would fit in with my semi-poignant theme going on. well, if you know me well enough, you should have seen this coming. everyone knows "mr. brownstone" is my favorite guns n' roses tune and one of my most-obsessed over songs ever. slash's opening and recurring riff. axl's growly voice -- or lack of the shrieking until the end. the punctuation marks throughout the the interlude by drmmer steven adler. it's a great tune. nobody can deny it.

that rounds out my top five and my twenty minutes of anniemosity that actually turned into an hour and a half.

however, it was a great way to spend an hour an a half, as difficult as it was.

and really, it shouldn't have been that difficult, because i'm sure you saw each and every one of these coming.

now you can leave me comments of your top five. it's only fair.