My 50 Years in Music

By Mark Pukalo

      My mother tells me her first recollection of my interest in music was shortly after I started walking.

      I had what were apparently called my treasured “Yeah, Yeah” records, which can only mean one thing. The first song that must have caught my fancy was the Beatles’ “She Loves You,” …. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” It was near the top of the charts in the United States in the spring of 1964 when I was in my second year and owned my beloved Show & Tell record player.

      Sports have obviously been a big part of my life while great movies and television shows will stay with me forever. But there is nothing like music. It makes you happy, it can calm tensions, move you to tears and it often provides an important message in the lyrics. Lester Bangs said it best in my favorite movie of all time, “Almost Famous.”

      “Music, true music – not just rock’n roll – it chooses you. It lives in your car, or alone listening to your headphones, with the cast scenic bridges and angelic choirs in your brain.”

      The radio was almost always on in my room or at the kitchen table during the night and I kept up with all the charts on the local stations before beginning to follow the Billboard survey with Casey Kasem. I did my own top 30, 40.

      There is no blueprint for the perfect song to me. I love variety. Lyrics are extremely important, whether they are intelligent or catchy -- “Dream of better lives, the kind that never hate. Trapped in a state of imaginary grace,” …. “Roll down the window and let the wind blow back your hair,” …. “War is not the answer, ‘cause only love can conquer hate.” … “All the criminals in their suits and their ties, are free to drink martinis and watch the sun rise…” and on and on. No doubt, great guitar work or a unique sound can also make an ordinary song special.

       I saw Rolling Stone magazine’s top 500 songs of all time and, although it was an interesting read, a few of my favorite artists and many great songs were snubbed. Since last summer, I have been working little by little on a project to compile the best, most memorable, fun and meaningful songs – to me -- in 50 years of enjoying music. Using my Itunes list of about 2,500 songs and other sources I pared it down to 350. It is not perfect. It can never be perfect. I could move songs around for another year and not be satisfied. Plus, I’m sure I missed a few.

       The period of 1975-1995 is my sweet spot, so there was more of an emphasis in that time frame. I could have listed 15-20 songs each from Bruce Springsteen, the Eagles and the Beatles -- among a few others -- but decided to add more variety to the list. Hopefully, I ended up with as close to an awesome mix as possible.

      If my list was a hockey team, it would probably be categorized as soft. There will be no obscure songs from grunge bands that few have heard of or metal tunes where you can’t understand the words. I love rock and roll as much as Joan Jett. But I like good songs much more, tunes that grab you and make you want to sing them over and over in the car on long trips.

      So, I will bare my musical soul with a top 107 periodically on my facebook and twitter pages with videos later this summer. I chose 107 in honor of WAAF 107.3, the great rock station from Boston that I listened to every day after graduating from Pop music.

      

      Hope everyone will enjoy it. If it adds one song to someone’s ipod or brings back a great memory -- that would be fantastic. Mostly, I just hope it won’t annoy anyone. J

     

Top 350 songs of my first 50 years in music (bottom 50)

350. Go All the Way – The Raspberries. … Replaces "She Loves You." Eric Carmen was the lead singer for the Cleveland band. Great harmony in this one and it rocks a bit as well.

349. Ramblin Man – Allman Brothers. … The Hall of Famers put out some great music, led by this song.

348. Jesus Walks – Kanye West. … The guy can be quite annoying at times, but he has produced some standout tunes with this one at the forefront.

347. Hooked on a Feeling – Blue Suede. … Oooga, Chaka, Oooga Chaka. Brought to life big time in the movie "Guardians of the Galaxy.”

346. Against the Wind – Bob Seger. … Easy-listening title track from the 1980 album. Glenn Frey sings a little backup on this one.

345. Rapture – Blondie. … Early “sort of” rap tune from the beautiful and talented Deborah Harry that you've probably heard on a recent car commercial. Remember, “don’t strain your brain.”

344: Get it On - T Rex ... Glam rocker who is somewhat under-rated. Can't not like this catchy tune.

343. So You Want To Be a Rock n Roll Star – The Byrds. … Apparently, it was the super group’s last big hit. “Turn, Turn, Turn” and “Mr. Tambourine Man,” were considered for this spot.

342. My Eyes Adored You – Frankie Valli. … A huge hit in 1974, when I was beginning to notice that girls were more than just annoying classmates. LOL.

341. School’s Out – Alice Cooper. … “No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks.” Cooper is one heck of a golfer, too.

340. Guitar Man – Bread. … David Gates has a memorable voice and this is about as hard as this group rocked after ballads like “If” and “Aubrey.”

339. Happy – Pharrell Williams. … Overplayed or not, I love this song. Watch his performance of this at the 2014 Oscars. It’s outstanding. Amy Adams boogies.

338. Amanda – Boston. … At least one, perhaps two, Amandas I know were named with this song in mind.

337. Not enough love in the world – Don Henley. … Solo effort from one of the greatest voices of all time.

336. Dancing with myself – Billy Idol. … A staple of many semi-formals and mixers in college. It made everyone dance like a zombie.

335. Friends in Low Places – Garth Brooks. … Too bad he had to cancel his Tampa shows. Hopefully this heavyweight country artist will return.

334. Goody Two Shoes – Adam Ant. … He was big in the 80s and this was his most popular effort.

333. Bridge to Nowhere – Sam Roberts. … Under-rated Canadian artist wrote and performed this catchy song about a troubled man.

332. Love Shack – The B-52s. … Bouncy tune brings back memories of the Clam Shack in Wellfleet, Mass. on the Cape. “Tin roof. … Rusted!”

330 (tie). Do They Know it’s Christmas? – Band Aid. … English charity song raised millions for African famine relief in 1984 when it was released.

and

We are the World – USA for Africa. … Counter to Band Aid in 1985. My fraternity brothers and I all dressed up as the stars and did a lip synch of the now 30-year-old song for a Greek “talent show.” I was James Ingram. Don’t laugh. One of my facebook friends was Tina Turner.

329. Soul Man – Blues Brothers. … Penned by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, originally sung by Sam & Dave, but never bigger than when John and Dan performed it on SNL.

328. Like to get to know you well – Howard Jones. … Diane Franklin (Monique) fixes John Cusack’s car while this tune is playing in the comedy classic, “Better Off Dead.” Saw HoJo in the Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun and he was awesome. 

327. I’m a Believer – The Monkees. … Davy Jones and the boys had a great TV show, too. 

326. I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2. … “I have climbed the highest mountains. I have run through the fields. Only to be with you.” Edges "Pride" for this spot.

325. Torn – Natalie Imbruglia. … The gorgeous Aussie recorded this haunting song about being torn over a relationship. Put this in my “guilty pleasures” category.

324. Lithium – Nirvana. … There is something to be said about a band that bursts on the scene and is so different it causes a craze. That’s what Kurt Cobain and the boys did for a short time -- unfortunately -- and this is one of their best efforts, apparently “an ode to finding religion.”

323. Respect – Aretha Franklin. … Important song on so many levels, from the Queen of Soul.

322. Pinball Wizard – The Who. … He’s got such a supple wrist.

321. Ohio – Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. … Two words: Kent State. “Tin soldiers and Nixon coming. We’re finally on our own. This summer I hear the drumming. Four dead in O-hio.”

320. Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard – Paul Simon. … Tremendous artist that never disappoints and this is another iconic, fun number. Edged out “50 ways to leave your lover.”

319. Love will come to you – Indigo Girls. … Saw them at the Tennis Center in New Haven. Great show. Amazing harmony from Amy and Emily. This song is very heartfelt.

318. Get down on it – Kool & the Gang. … Yeah, right, you wouldn’t dance to this if it was playing. Sure. Liked the group. Lots of smooth, cool songs.

317. Where Did Our Love Go? – J Geils Band and The Supremes. … Both versions of the song are tremendous in their own way.

316. You see me crying – Aerosmith. … Edges “Sweet Emotion” as the Boston group’s second best tune. From one of the first rock albums I purchased, “Toys in the Attic.”

315. Refugee – Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. … “Baby we ain’t the first. I’m sure a lot of other lovers been burned. Right now it seems real to you, but it’s one of those things you gotta feel to be true.” From the classic vinyl, “Damn the Torpedoes.”

314. Come Sail Away – Styx. … Group produced some tremendous songs. Modern Family’s Phil Dunphy does a great cover of this song. LOL.

313. Ordinary People – John Legend. … The guy has a tremendous voice.

312. Redemption Song – Bob Marley. … I read somewhere that Bob wrote this song as he was dying from cancer. Greatest reggae artist of all time? No doubt.

311. Brass Bonanza – Jack Say. … Greatest fight song of all time. Go Whale! It has to be -- hat trick followed by Kevin Dineen’s number -- right?

310. A Whiter Shade of Pale – Procol Harum. … “We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels cross the floor. I was feeling kinda seasick. But the crowd called out for more.” Have no clue what it means, but pretty nifty lyrics.

309. Baby Boom Baby – James Taylor. … Listened to JT’s “Never Die Young,” over and over and over when it came out and this was the best song from it.

308. Changes – David Bowie. … “Time may change me, but I can’t trace time.”

307. Me Around – Michael Penn. … Sean Penn’s bro did a great take on this song during a concert at Toad’s Place in New Haven when performing on a tour with his wife and one of my favorite artists Aimee Mann.

306. Here and Now – Luther Vandross. … The late Luther had one of my favorite voices of all time, whatever weight he was at.

305. Back to you – Bryan Adams…. The Canadian rocker has a great library of songs and this one surprisingly edges in front of the rest for me.

304. Jojo – Bozz Scaggs. … Bozz was under-rated, especially with this jazzy, soul number.

303. Beth – Kiss. … Perhaps the best ballad by a rocking “hair” band ever. It was either this or much-harder edged “Love Gun,” from this group.

302. Cheeseburger in Paradise – Jimmy Buffet. … What can I say? I love cheeseburgers. I identify with, “Heaven on earth with an onion slice.”

301. Brilliant Disguise – Bruce Springsteen. … A smooth, sad song about the Boss’ divorce. “Is it you, baby, or just a brilliant disguise.”

SPECIAL CATEGORY 

2112 – Rush (Every bit of the 20 minutes, 33 seconds is tremendous)

She Loves You – The Beatles. … First fave has been passed by 350, but is still unforgettable.

HONORABLE MENTION "DEEP TRACKS" (Some other favorites that could have easily been in the top 350 and deserve their own category)

Spaced – Aerosmith. … From their best album, “Get Your Wings.”

Jane – Barenaked Ladies. … Very melodic song from the Canadians.

I’ll Be On My Way – The Beatles. … “As the June light turns to moonlight, I’ll be on my way.” From Live at BBC CD.

Putting out Fire – David Bowie. … Originally from the movie “Cat People,” but never sounded better than when Michelle Laurent was putting on her war paint before killing Nazis in “Inglourious Basterds.”

The Load Out – Jackson Browne. … JB’s ode to the roadies, which plays nicely right into “Stay.”

Moving in Stereo – The Cars. … Unique song that leads into “All Mixed Up,” which ends their brilliant first album. It also makes you think of Phoebe Cates.

I Can’t Take It – Cheap Trick. … Easy-listening tune that is overlooked among the group’s best.

Lonely Stranger – Eric Clapton. .. Under-appreciated piece from his Unplugged album.

Ink – Coldplay. … Nice little tune on their most-recent CD, “Ghost Stories.”

Another Horsedreamer’s Blues – Counting Crows. … Haunting song from “Recovering the Satelites.” … “So she takes her pills, careful and round. One of these days she’s gonna throw the whole bottle down. But she’s trying to be a good girl and give’em what they want.”

Don’t Stop Now – Crowded House. … From the group’s return album, “Time on Earth.” It just pulls you into a journey.

Twisting by the Pool – Dire Straits. … Different kind of song from this group, with a great video.

Open Your Eyes – Doobie Brothers. … Michael McDonald’s voice soars in this little-known tune from “Minute By Minute.”

Wasted Time – The Eagles. … “You can get on with your search baby, and I can get on with mine, and maybe someday we will find, that it wasn’t really wasted time.” A classic from “Hotel California.”
Pretty Maids -- The Eagles. ... Written as a melancholy look at life so far and Joe Walsh's voice works perfectly with the song that graces "Hotel California." Walsh sings, "Heroes they come and they go."
Honey Hi – Fleetwood Mac. … Nifty little piece of music from an inventive album, “Tusk.”
All I want to be is by your side – Peter Frampton. … A simple tune that graces probably the greatest live album of all time – “Frampton Comes Alive.”

Look Sharp – Joe Jackson. … Kickass title track from a kickass album.

Rosalinda’s Eyes – Billy Joel. … Wonderful latin-flavored song from “52^nd Street.”

Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters – Elton John. … From the master work, “Honky Chateau.”

Your number or your name – The Knack. … Another great tune from “Get the Knack.”

4^th of July – Aimee Mann. … From her amazing first solo effort, “Whatever.”

Daughters – John Mayer. … Moving song with the acoustic guitar -- for the ladies.

Crawling Back to You – Tom Petty. … From the under-rated solo album named “Wildflowers,” which also had the catchy “It’s Good to be King.”

Got my own thing – Liz Phair. … From a wonderful CD called “Somebody’s Miracle.” “I know you’re not like other guys. I don’t expect you to normalize. I won’t get into what you do, because I’m bettin’, bettin’, bettin’ all my money on you.”

Little Darlin – Poco. .. From a dynamite album named “Legend.” “You’re the sun, the moon, the stars shining. You’re the one, there’s no denying.”
When will I see you? -- The Pretenders. ... "Demand the impossible. Everyone will be free." From an under-rated album, "Packed!."

Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen. .. Sounded best on “Live Killers.”

Subterranean Homesick Alien – Radiohead. … Unique band, unique song from “OK Computer,” – which was loved by the critics.

Electrolite – REM. … Just a smooth, under-rated classic from “New Adventures in Hi-Fi.”

How it Is – Rush. … From perhaps their best under-the-radar album, “Vapor Trails.”

Winding Road – Bonnie Somerville. … Heard this song on the “Garden State” soundtrack and it blew me away how good it was. Bonnie is an actress who has been on several TV shows.

Out in the Street – Bruce Springsteen. … Follows “Hungry Heart” on Bruce’s classic double album “The River.”

Janey don’t you lose heart – Bruce Springsteen. … Never was a single. You can catch it on the “The Essential Bruce Springsteen” CD. Just love the smoothness of this song.

Black Cow – Steely Dan. … “Aja” was such a great album and this might be the best on that one along with “Deacon Blues.”

White Horse – Taylor Swift. … Secretly, it’s my favorite from her. Oh wait.

Shed a Little Light – James Taylor. .. Hopeful song, seemingly about world peace.

The Other End of the Telescope – Til Tuesday. … Aimee Mann performed this song at a concert in a Providence club I attended and stopped after a few lines to start over. “There’s too many damn words in this song,” she joked, shaking her head. “I didn’t write it.” Elvis Costello did.

Wild Honey – U2. … Bono and the boys had fun with the different-style tune from “All That You Can’t Leave Behind.”

Hard Sun – Eddie Vedder. .. From his brilliant work on the soundtrack of “Into the Wild.”

Sunshine – World Party. … Maybe they are all deep tracks from this under-appreciated pop-rock band. They sound a little like the Stones in this one.