130. Guided by Voices — “Glad Girls” — It seems like Robert Pollard wrote this song in about 15 seconds, but it’s still awesome. 129. Bruce Springsteen — “Youngstown” — This song (made more powerful when he plays it with the band) manages to be anti-industrial but pro-industrial-worker at the same time. 128. She & Him — “Thieves” — It sounds […]
140. Bob Dylan — “Hurricane” — A good song by a good man doing his part to help out another good man. Songs like this just don’t come along too often. 139. Suzy Bogguss — cover of Tom Russell and Nanci Griffith’s “Outbound Plane” — A little extra production isn’t always a bad thing. Here, it helps a strong […]
150. Ben Folds — “Still Fighting It” — Only Ben Folds could make “The roast beef combo’s only $9.95” sound so poignant. But that’s just the beginning, as the song turns into an ageless epic about how it sucks to grow up. 149. The Darkness — “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” — For one hair-metal-on-steroids throwback song, […]
160. Avril Lavigne — “Anything But Ordinary” — A rare pop song that — rather than reflecting on drama — asks for more drama: “Somebody rip my heart out/ And leave me here to bleed … I’d rather be anything but ordinary please.” 159. The Old 97s — “Question” — I can’t guarantee that playing this song will get […]
170. Soul Asylum — “Oxygen” — Only the die-hards noticed, but Soul Asylum actually put out one of its best songs just a few years ago. 169. Kelly Clarkson — “Since U Been Gone” — Clarkson and this song are Exhibit A for why “American Idol” can’t be dismissed out of hand as a talent source. 168. 3 Doors […]
180. The Beatles — “Here Comes the Sun” — This right here is the reason George is my favorite Beatle. 179. Beyonce featuring Jay-Z — “Crazy in Love” — Normally I’m not a fan of sampling. The exception is when you take an old riff and put it to better use, like with Beyonce’s catchiest song. 178. Better Than […]
190. The Jayhawks — “Angelyne” — Has self-pity ever before sounded so gorgeous? I think not. 189. Brenda Weiler — “California” — My favorite song from the most talented musician from my graduating class (Fargo South High School, 1996). 188. Live — “Run to the Water” — This powerful epic proves that it’s possible to build up to a big finale […]
200. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers — “Walls” — Whether played in the “happy” or “sad” tempo, this is a great Petty tune. 199. Epic Hero — “One Fine Day” — The best track by the best band to come out of the Twin Cities that no one has heard of. (They’re also really nice guys who deserve tons […]
210. Foo Fighters — “Long Road to Ruin” — The Foo Fighters have a knack for writing songs that you feel should’ve been written already. It’s like they fill in the obvious gaps of rock history. 209. Michael Jackson — “Stranger in Moscow” — It takes a while to get going, but it’s worth the wait. In the subgenre […]
220. Jewel — “Intuition” — I admit it; I think this song is catchy. I also like how Jewel was doing a parody of sell-outs and got wrongly criticized by people who didn’t understand that it was a parody, but then later sold out by selling this song to a ladies’ razor commercial. 219. Michelle Branch — “Sweet […]