30. All These Things That I’ve Done – The Killers. … Lead singer
Brandon Flowers wrote this moving song apparently when he was a bellman at a
Casino in Las Vegas. Can’t find a definite explanation of the lyrics from
Flowers, but reportedly it is basically about trying to make yourself a better
person. “I got soul, but I’m not a soldier” has become a sing-along line and
their performance of the tune at Live 8 was epic.
29. In Your Eyes – Peter Gabriel. … The Englishman wrote this memorable
love song and performs it with Youssou N’Dour. It was at its peak of popularity
when Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) hoisted a boom box above his head to play it
for Diane Court (Ione Skye) in the movie “Say Anything.” “Love I get so lost,
sometimes. Days pass and this emptiness fills my heart. When I want to run
away, I drive off in my car. But whichever way I go, I come back to the place
you are.”
28. Working Man – Rush. … The song received major play on a Cleveland
radio station and became popular in 1974, which introduced the Canadian group
to America. The trio - including Geddy Lee, the master Neil Peart and Alex
Lifeson - built a Hall of Fame career from there and this is their most iconic
tune. “They call me the working man. I guess that’s what I am.”
27. Scenes from an Italian Restaurant – Billy Joel. … The song was
never released as a single, but remains one of the New Yorker’s most popular
efforts with its mix of jazz, rock and pop. It runs 7:37 on the late 70s
masterpiece, “The Stranger.” “A bottle of red, a bottle of white, whatever kind
of mood you’re in tonight. I’ll meet you anytime you want – in our Italian
restaurant.”
26. Sultans of Swing – Dire Straits. … Mark Knopfler reportedly wrote
the song about a jazz band performing in a small pub in South London and
proclaiming itself the Sultans of Swing. It reached the top 10 in both England
and the U.S. in the late 1970s from the group’s debut album. “You check out
Guitar George. He knows all the chords.”
25. The Story in Your Eyes – The Moody Blues. … I first heard this song
on our old 8-track player, which was later stolen when our house was robbed.
The under-rated English band took the smooth song with nifty lyrics to No. 23
in the early 70s. “Listen to the tide slowly turning. Wash all our heartaches
away. We’re part of the fire that is burning. And from the ashes we can build
another day.”
24. Bad – U2. … Bono wrote this song about heroin addiction for the
album “The Unforgettable Fire,” and it is at its best when played live. The
most memorable performance came at Live Aid when the Irishman
jumped from the stage and took women out of the crowd to dance with. “This
desperation, dislocation, separation, condemnation, revelation in temptation,
isolation, desolation. Let it go, and so fade away.”
23. Band on the run – Paul McCartney & Wings. … Paul wrote the song
basically about freedom and escape, saying that we were all prisoners in different ways.
It was the title track from Paul’s fifth solo album after leaving the Beatles
and it reached No. 1 in the U.S. “Thought of giving it all away. To a
registered charity. All I need is a pint a day.”
22. Round Here – Counting Crows. … Look up how lead singer Adam Duritz
describes the complicated, unique, brilliant song he wrote. It is basically
about making decisions on what your life is going to be without the lessons you
learned as a kid. “Maria came from Nashville with a suitcase in her hand, she
said she’d like to meet a boy who looked like Elvis. And she walks along the
edge of where the ocean meets the land, just like she’s walking on a wire in
the circus.”
21. Layla – Derrick & the Dominos. … Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon
wrote this love song for the short-lived group, inspired by a poem from a
Persian poet about a man who went crazy when he could not marry a woman, well,
who was out of his league. It lasts more than seven minutes and Clapton won a
Grammy for the acoustic version in 1993.
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