1. “Rocket Man,” Elton John
This song is wonderful. I’ve listened to it over and over and it still continues to thrill me.2. “High Fidelity,” Jurassic 5
There is this crazy verse at the end. They are all of such good flow in this group. But seriously, listen to this song in particular, and the rhymes in the last verse will blow you away.
3. “Miles From Nowhere,” Cat Stevens
There is this great moment toward the beginning of the song in which Cat Stevens is all throaty goodness. If you’ve heard the song, you know what I mean. It gets me every time.
4. “Me and My Friend the Cat” Loudon Wainwright III
Loudon Wainwright is pretty great. He’s probably been one of my go-to people to listen to for a while. The music is all pretty simple, but he has some witty lines, and he uses simple words to convey his point, and I like that.
5. “My Pen and Pad,” Blackalicious
If after listening to this song you don’t see how sweet it is, then I don’t know what to say.
6. “I’m not,” Panda Bear
I know it’s super cool and hip to listen to Animal Collective, but I think I prefer some good old solo Panda Bear. This song in particular I really like. He uses a lot of echo and effects on his voice, and he also samples some cool old church music in the beginning. I like how he organizes things.
7. “Put Her in the Buck,” 2 Live Crew
“It’s a position in sex that’s done by the masses, it ain’t the 69-er which you learn in classes.”
8. Theme song for the TV show “Good Times”
I never really watched Good Times, but the theme song is so great. The lyrics are really silly, and someone sings a great high note at the end. It’s all really triumphant, really.