84. Lovely Day by Bill Withers

"Lovely Day" by Bill Withers

Written by Bill Withers and Skip Scarborough
Produced by Bill Withers and Clarence McDonald
Released on Menagerie (December 1977)
Released as single on December 21, 1977
Peaked at #30 on Billboard Hot 100
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I remember when I first heard this song. It is a clear memory for me, but I'm having trouble finding any record of it online. Spike Lee directed a short film for The Concert for New York City. Wikipedia says it was called "Come Rain or Come Shine," and I distinctly remember "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers being the soundtrack. However, I cannot find that video anywhere online, and I cannot find any description of the video (besides the title and length). Now I'm worried that maybe it was some other video made for some other purpose made by some other person that used this song. Because I haven't been able to double check if that short film is the one I'm remembering, I'm starting to doubt my memory of the event. Memory can be a tricky thing, especially in the days we live in, where it seems like you can always just check online somewhere to find the answer.

I love and have always loved learning useless trivia. It's part of who I am. It's one of my few strengths. Every Christmas one of the gifts that I received from my parents was that year's World Almanac. I loved those things. They were full of information that I couldn't easily find anywhere else. I'd get to see which athletes had moved up the career statistical leader boards, which countries and cities were the most populous, and learn some history. It was awesome. The internet then put all of that information at my fingertips. My phone always has one tab dedicated to sports-reference.com. As much as I love having so much readily available to me, now I expect to have access to everything all the time. When the answer can't be found, it stresses me out. Now I don't always trust myself or my memory if I can't double check it online.

As annoying and frustrating as this can be sometimes, here's what I do know: I had never heard this song until I heard it on TV in my early 20's. Whether it was during The Concert for New York City or some other TV special doesn't really matter. Sometimes it bums me out to think about how I spent so long without this song in my life. It demonstrates the fractured nature of music. Had I been listening to 104.9 instead of 94.7 for most of my youth, I'd probably be lamenting how it took me so long to hear "Wish You Were Here" instead.

"Lovely Day" is a joyously brilliant song, and Bill Withers is a brilliant songwriter and performer. Bill Withers is probably most famous for writing "Lean On Me," which is an incredible song in its own right. About 15 years ago, a friend of mine and I were trying to figure out what could be considered the greatest melody of all time. While "Lean On Me" does not contain the greatest melody of all time (that's probably "Vincent" by Don MacLean), it struck me during our conversation how brilliant it is in its simplicity. It's just an ascending and descending scale. Bill Withers took those simple notes, added heartfelt lyrics, and made a timeless song of hope and reassurance.

"Lovely Day," meanwhile, is a song of pure joy and gladness, and that is what makes it my favorite Bill Withers song. While there are sad songs that I love, sometimes I need pure joy shot directly into my veins, and "Lovely Day" can deliver that every time. That is why...

Right now, "Lovely Day" by Bill Withers is (probably) my 84th favorite song of all time.

85. Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd

"Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd

Music by David Gilmour and Roger Waters
Lyrics by Roger Waters
Produced by Pink Floyd
Released on Wish You Were Here (September 12, 1975)
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People love to talk about and write about why Dark Side of the Moon is Pink Floyd's best album. With all the hype and mystique surrounding it, for a while I assumed that Dark Side of the Moon was the greatest rock album of all time. It's not, but when you're 15, it's easy to feel cool making that statement. When you really look at it, Dark Side of the Moon is not even Pink Floyd's best album: Wish You Were Here is. People want to keep telling me that my opinion is wrong on this, but it's not. Listen to the music, and it's clear.

Ultimately, this isn't even worth arguing about. During the 1970's, Pink Floyd produced four of the coolest and most interesting albums ever created. They wrote fantastic music and managed to put that music together on albums in ways that stretched what fans thought albums could be. Arguing over which masterpiece is "best" is not worth our time, so just let me have this.

The song "Wish You Were Here" from the album of the same name, is the first song I learned to play on the guitar. The guitar, like so many things in my life, was something I explored and poked around with, until I decided that it wasn't worth the time or effort to master. I learned a few songs, could play most of the easiest chords, learned a few tricks from friends who actually knew what they were doing, and that was it.

I could probably still pick up a guitar and play this song poorly. Doing much more than that would take a lot of time and effort and patience and love. I love listening to music, but I only like playing music. That might be a lie I tell myself to justify my lack on interest in doing the work. I will always keep two very specific memories of pure musical bliss that came from when I played saxophone in high school and college. There is nothing that I have experience that is quite like the moment when you are improvising and you really lock in with another player. It happened once with a jazz trumpet player who visited our high school and once with a drummer in my college jazz band. It was magical. We just knew we had nailed it. Both times after the performance, I shared a hug with that bandmate. What else could we do?

But I've left that behind. Those moments were great, but all that work to take that skill to the next level was never appealing enough to me, and that has been true for a lot of things in my life. I like to know about things, and I like to know how to do things. I don't like to know how to master things. Almost everything that I have enjoyed learning about or learning to do, has eventually become work. Once it starts to feel that way, my interest fades. But I can still play a poor version of "Wish You Were Here" on the guitar (except for the guitar solos).

It is a fantastic song. I love the way it was produced, so that it sounds like you found it while searching on the radio dial. The opening guitar sounds muted, like your stereo isn't working quite right, but then the guitar solo comes in at full volume and it's all good. The lyrics are sad and they feel like you almost know what they are about, but not quite. I always liked the live version of this from their Pulse album and hearing the entire crowd sing along.

I also have an odd memory about this song. During a television special in honor of those lost on September 11, Fred Durst sang "Wish You Were Here" except he totally changed the lyrics. He made it super sappy and literal and ruined a perfect song. No one cared. A couple of years later,  Cee Lo Green sang "all religions true" instead of "no religion too" during a live performace off John Lennon's "Imagine," and people lost their minds. Cee Lo didn't ruin anything, he just sang what was in his heart. I guess the lesson is, don't mess with John Lennon, but if you want to rip the soul out of Roger Waters' lyrics, have fun!

Right now "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd is (probably) my 85th favorite song of all time.

86. What is Life by George Harrison

"What is Life" by George Harrison

Written by George Harrison
Produced by George Harrison and Phil Spector
Released on All Things Must Pass (November 27, 1970)
Released as single on February 15, 1971
Peaked at #10 on Billboard Hot 100
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My top 100 contains no Beatles songs, no Paul McCartney songs, and no John Lennon songs, but it does contain this one George Harrison song. I'm sorry if this offends anyone. (The list does include two Lennon/McCartney compositions covered by other artists, if that is any sort of consolation.) There were a couple of Beatles songs and a couple Lennon solo tunes I considered for the list, but ultimately, I ran out of space. It's just 100 songs.

As great as the Beatles were, and as much as I love a lot of their music, there wasn't one song of theirs that stood above the rest and merited inclusion here. That happened with a few other bands that I really love. Radiohead, the Allman Brothers, the Black Crowes, Bon Jovi, TV on the Radio, and the Beatles are great bands, who produced great albums, but ultimately none of them have that one song that I had to have on my list. (There are more bands I could mention here, that are missing from my list, but I can't list everyone.) Sometimes lists like this become less about what made the list and more about what is missing. I certainly feel that way about a number of songs and artists.

I was first introduced to George Harrison in the late 1980's when his cover of "Got My Mind Set on You" hit #1. I really hate that song, but it was everywhere, and the music video was played constantly on MTV. I don't know when I learned that Harrison had been in the Beatles, but it was certainly around this time. Eventually I found tunes of his that I actually liked, including quite a few of his Beatles compositions.

"What is Life" rocks. The opening guitar lick exudes fire and energy. While I'm not always a fan of Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" production, here it brings even more exuberance to a melody that is already pure joy and wants everyone else in the room to shout and sing and feel that joy too. It's impossible to hear this song and not want to get up and do something. I'm pumped right now just thinking about it.

Right now "What is Life" by George Harrison is (probably) my 86th favorite song of all time.

87. Ghostwhirl (feat. MF Doom) (Remix) by Jonathan Toth from Hoth

"Ghostwhirl (Remix)" by Jonathan Toth from Hoth feat. MF Doom

Written by Jonathan Getzchman and MF Doom
Produced by DJ Crucial
Released on Ghostwhirl (single) (2005)
Warning: Explicit Lyrics
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Jonathan Getzchman (aka Jonathan Toth from Hoth or J-Toth) went to my high school. He's older than me, so I didn't know him then, but I got to know him after college when he started rapping. I was introduced to him by two of his collaborators (who I did know in high school): an artist named Peter Seay (aka Calc2) and another rapper named Tucker Booth (aka Tucker Booth). After college, I spent most of the next five years as a camp counselor, working at a few different camps throughout the year in Missouri and Michigan. When I wasn't working, I would try to find time to come to St. Louis to visit friends and family. During many of those trips, I would end up attending one or more local hip hop shows with Calc2, Tucker Booth, and J-Toth. It was a fun time in my life.

I really enjoyed being around a ton of cool, talented, driven people trying to make a go of it as musicians and artists, and J-Toth was squarely in the middle of it all. He had his own home recording studio and record label called the Frozen Food Section. Quite a few artists used his studio and label to record and produce their records. It was all sweat, spit, and Pro-Tools.

Something that really set J-Toth apart was that he had real goals. He actually had a big poster made listing his goals like tracks on a CD. It sat right in the middle of his apartment/recording studio. One of those goals was to collaborate with quite possibly the biggest name in underground hip hop, MF Doom.

Looking back, it's hard to believe that J-Toth actually made it happen. This was a big deal, and not only did he make it happen, but he managed to produce a pretty darn good track out of it. It's a great song, and I feel strongly that I would feel that way even if I didn't know J-Toth. The original version of the song is on his Lovecycle album, which is a concept album about John's love life. While the album version is excellent, it's almost impossible to not enjoy DJ Crucial's remix more. (Using one of the most iconic guitar intros of all time as a sample is kind of unfair.) Jonathan Getzchman had a dream, made it a goal, put in the work, and made that dream a reality.

Right now "Ghostwhirl (Remix)" by Jonathan Toth from Hoth feat. MF Doom is (probably) my 87th favorite song of all time.

88. I Wonder by Chris Isaak

"I Wonder" by Chris Isaak

Written by Chris Issak
Produced by Erik Jacobsen
Released on Baja Sessions (October 8, 1996)
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I heard this song for the first time while watching the movie Tin Cup. Up until that point the only Chris Isaak song I knew was "Wicked Game" because of its somewhat scandalous music video that had enjoyed heavy rotation on MTV in the early 1990's. I loved "I Wonder" from the moment I heard it, and as a result, I will always associate it, for better or worse, with Tin Cup.

I really enjoyed Tin Cup the first few times I saw it. It features peak Kevin Costner and some noteworthy supporting players. Kevin Costner's character, Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy, is a near perfect film character: He's easy to love and just as easy to hate. He is the noble loser, who has grown comfortable with the fact that the world doesn't really need him anymore. We are given the illusion that maybe he could have been and maybe still can breakthrough and find greatness, but just when it looks like he actually managed to change and find salvation, we are given one of the most devastatingly satisfying losses in sports movie history. McAvoy's near capture of the US Open is magical. Many moments like that are directed and portrayed in a way that force me to want to look away. Not here. Here I cannot help but watch McAvoy's unraveling. 

Tin Cup has a problem though. As great as Costner's McAvoy is, the female lead, Dr. Molly Griswold, played by Rene Russo, is the absolute worst type of female character. The sad thing is, I wasn't able to figure this out on my own. A friend who was watching the movie with me had to wake me up to it. Tin Cup is a movie was made by men, about men, and for men. Dr. Molly Griswold is the biggest wet-blanket love interest ever written. We are given the briefest moment of hope when her character is first introduced, that she will be the strong woman that McAvoy needs to turn his life around and finally realize the potential that is locked up inside of himself. After that first brief interaction, however, it is just as quickly revealed that she is the most helpless and love-lost woman of them all. Of course she is in love with a jerk but can't see it. Of course she lets herself get talked into an ethically compromising "professional" relationship with another man. Of course she needs a man to help her find meaningful success both personally and professionally. It's shameful.

Everything is centered around Roy. He never has to change. The final sequence fits right in with who he is and will always be. He cannot literally or figuratively lay up, even when it is clearly the best path to victory. We, as viewers, get to bask in his inability to change and his need to prove himself as he stoically throws away personal glory. Molly just gets to be the weak woman who finally finds empowerment through her man.

Tin Cup is not a unique movie. There are probably thousands of female characters in all types of media who fit this mold. Dr. Molly Griswold is just another woman who can't see that her significant other is a jerk, when it is obvious to everyone else. She's just another woman who finally lets go of her inhibitions because she finds the right man. She's just another woman trying to help others put their lives in order, when she's the one whose life is a mess.

If you think I might be off base in my critique of Tin Cup (I'm not), give it a watch (or a re-watch) and let me know what you find out.

Of course, the only reason I care so much about this movie is because of the song. "I Wonder" is fantastic, in the movie and anywhere else it chooses to be heard. Chris Isaak wrote a perfect song. It manages to be both sad and hopeful. Isaak's lyrics and melody paint a picture of pain and regret. Will things ever be the same? Will they ever be as good as they once were? Sometimes we can only wonder and hope and pray. I'm not sure how he found that perfect lyrical balance, but he did. Then he wrapped those lyrics in a melody that is just as hopeful and just as sad.

Right now "I Wonder" by Chris Isaak is (probably) my 88th favorite song of all time.

89. Sweet Thing by Van Morrison

"Sweet Thing" by Van Morrison

Written by Van Morrison
Produced by Lewis Merenstein
Released on Astral Weeks (November 29, 1968)
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Today I'm going to share some gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I am grateful for my family. My family is spread out across the country, but they have always opened their doors and arms to me. I love my family.

I am grateful for my friends. I don't always do the best job keeping in touch with all of my friends, but I am eternally grateful to the people who have welcomed me into their lives throughout the years. I cherish the time I have been able to spend with each of you, and I am already looking forward to next time, whenever that might be.

I am grateful for my students, both present and past. I have learned so much from you. Hopefully you have learned something too.

I am especially grateful for the international students I have had over the years. You have helped me to gain a greater awareness to the wide world around me. I have appreciated the chance to see how our differences make us stronger, and that we are all truly one great human family.

I am grateful for the opportunity to work with so many fantastic people. It is hard for me to imagine a better group of colleagues than those who work with me now. Thank you for putting up with me and for helping me when I need it. It is humbling to be surrounded by so many brilliant educators.

I am grateful for basketball and the opportunity to coach. I am nearing a decade of coaching, which is hard to believe. Seeing my students grow and overcome adversity on the court is a true privilege.

I am grateful for music and all the beauty that people have shared with the world through their music. Any music that has helped someone experience something sublime is special, regardless of whether I enjoy it or not.

And finally, I am grateful for my pillow: can't get a good night's sleep without it.

I am also grateful for Van Morrison, for writing and recording "Sweet Thing." I don't have much to say about it besides that it is wonderful. It is certainly my favorite Van Morrison song. Critics and popular radio stations might choose other songs of his first, but for me this is his finest work.

"Sweet Thing" by Van Morrison is (probably) my 89th favorite song of all time.

90. Changes by Black Sabbath

"Changes" by Black Sabbath

Music by Black Sabbath (Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Bill Ward)
Lyrics by Geezer Butler
Produced by Black Sabbath and Patrick Meehan
Released on Vol. 4 (September 25, 1972)
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I first got turned onto "Changes" through this YouTube video of Charles Bradley covering it live in studio. It's a cool video of a soul singer doing a song by a prototypically metal band. While Black Sabbath are the Godfathers of Heavy Metal, "Changes" is not heavy metal. As a ballad, it's actually closer to soul. The first time I listened to Black Sabbath's version, I'm not sure I knew what to think. Why did the band who invented heavy metal, put down their guitars and produce a piano ballad?

Before I go any further into why this song is on my top 100 list, I feel the need to say something. I don't like Ozzy Osbourne. His solo work is terrible (with the exception of "Crazy Train"). I can't listen to his voice for too long before it starts to grate on me, but he is a founding member of one of the greatest bands of all time. I don't know much about how he contributed to their songwriting process (their bassist Geezer Butler wrote almost all their lyrics), but Black Sabbath wrote and recorded some amazing, timeless music. The power of the music they produced is so massive and compelling, that I ended up with two of their songs my top 100, despite what I just said about Ozzy. (The other song of theirs on my list is much more emblematic of their general oeuvre.)

As important as Black Sabbath is as a band in the greater history of rock music, and as much as Ozzy Osbourne annoys me, I'm not sure that either of those things has much to do with why this song is currently one of the 100 favorite songs.  "Changes" just speaks to me. It is a break up song. It's lyrics are simple, sad, and true. Sometimes simple, sad, and true is all a song or poem needs.

I also think that "Changes" is a great example of a fantastic song that was made into an imperfect record. While the song is fantastic (as Charles Bradley displayed), Black Sabbath's record is flawed. The piano part could swing just a bit more. The strings might be a little over the top. Someone other than Ozzy could be singing. Even with all of those apparent flaws, when this song comes on my playlist, I still find myself happy to listen. The song itself is good enough, that it can overcome a lack of vision and execution in the recording studio.

I love this song. I may not love if forever, but right now I do. If I remade this list tomorrow, I'm not sure that this song would still be on it. Right now, though, when I listen to it, it still feels great. I still love it.

Right now "Changes" by Black Sabbbath is (probably) my 90th favorite song of all time.