Over the weekend of the countdown, presenters remarked on the feeling of community and togetherness felt as we debated, denounced and delighted at the slow reveal of tracks until the ultimate Nirvana anthem.
It seems that we all feel affinity with music as it provides the soundtrack of our lives. I cannot remember for the life of me where I saw this, but I read an interview recently with a fairly well-known Australian musician who stated he realised music was his chosen path after a few too many occasions of choosing a song, blasting it and imagining he was the star of his own movie, with soundtrack carefully selected.
Not content to exist in his own personal Garden State, he realised that he could instead create the soundtrack to his life, and in doing so live a life worthy of a feature film.
The notion of a soundtrack to your life really struck a chord with me (ha, awesomely bad music pun). As I listened to Richard Kingsmill reveal the top 5 tracks, I realised they were included for incredibly specific reasons- namely the extent to which they resonate with individuals own narratives.
Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name has become immortalised in Big Day Out history, seeming that standing with thousands of other drunken sweaty youths shouting “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me” is indeed a rite of passage.
Similarly, Cohen’s Hallelujah is continually misinterpreted by all those thinking it a Buckley original, despite the subversions in intent and meaning. Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit remains the anthemic tribute to youth and all that goes with it. We continue to identify with the almost possessed drones despite the fact so many of us were barely in Junior School at the time of its release.
For me, my Top 5 memory relates to Joy Division’s Love Will Tear Us Apart. In the early hours of the morning some months ago, a group of substance addled individuals congregated in an Oxford St bar to partake in after-show festivities following a gig in Paddington.
Joy Division was played, and in our state we decided to follow the instructions of The Wombats and indeed dance to celebrate the irony. We all laughed at this musical travesty. All except the singer of one of the bands that had performed earlier, who questioned what the song was, and why everyone loved it so.
I backed away slowly, mortified that someone who derived their income from music could be so woefully ignorant of that beyond his own creation.
Anyway, enough band slagging. In the spirit of musical lists, I wanted to post my Top 5 songs which have influenced me over my life. I do hope you will forgive the self-indulgence. I promise they are awesome.
The Beatles- Yesterday
Possibly the first pop song I ever heard. Apparently as a baby I would only sleep in classical music was playing, however from age 2 my Father would sing this to me as I fell asleep. Despite being separated by oceans, whenever I hear this I feel like he is in the room with me.
2. Jefferson Airplane- White Rabbit
Also introduced to me by my Father as an 8 year old in London. I remember seeing photos of my Dad as a hippy with flowing blonde hair, bell bottom jeans and joint in hand outside Royal Albert Hall waiting for a Hendrix Concert.
Years later my friends and I stayed with him at his farm in rural New Zealand. Lying in a paddock beneath the perfectly clear night sky, surrounded by nothing else but empty wine bottles, we shouted “Remember what the door mouse said, keep your head, KEEP YOUR HEAD” into the stratosphere.
3. NSYNC feat Nelly- Girlfriend (Remix)
So it is here where I lose any semblance of musical credibility. This is pure twee pop in its worst form, complete with early noughties ‘rapping’. However let me explain. At age fourteen after spending a month in Zimbabwe for a family funeral, I was met at Sydney airport by my best friend- the first person my age I had spoken to for four weeks. I felt instantly at peace. It started three months of perfect summer weather, and the best summer of my life. For better or worse, this song remains the soundtrack to some of my best memories and even know when it occasionally plays through Itunes, I smile and know that everything is ok.
Apparently Justin Timberlake has disabled embedding on his youtube clips. Well Justin, I VERY MUCH DOUBT anyone actually wanted to listen to it anyway.
4. Kings of Leon- Milk
The most recent inclusion on my little list, this song represents everything I love about songwriting. The shifts, the simplistic chord structures, the heartbreak audible in Caleb Folowill’s voice- all of this made me fall in love. The line “called and I called but I can’t get through. Said he’s on his own, but his own is you” kills me. Such a tragic turn of phrase- expressing so much with so few words. After hearing this song I realised I wanted to be able to make music.
5. Leonard Cohen- Bird on A Wire
By far my favourite Cohen track. The opening lines:
Like a bird on a wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free…
I get chills from this moment on. The lyrics are beautifully ambiguous, heart-wrenchingly earnest and rich with simplistic imagery. I’m also a sucker for self-referential songs, so these lines win me over hook, line and sinker:
But I swear by this song
And by all that I have done wrong
I will make it all up to thee
A positively beautiful song, more favourably re-imagined by others than Hallelujah which is so frequently done a disservice in its repetition.
6. Radiohead- Creep: Being allowed to use the f-word when singing was a great novelty to me as a child. This song is still a regular favourite for drunken group karaoke.
7. Bob Dylan- Like a Woman: Rumoured to be written aout Edie Sedgwick. Pure songwriting genius. No explanation needed.
8. Ian Carey Project: Get Shaky. This rivals NSYNC on pure humiliation. However, it is contextually essential to this blog. Let me tell you a tale….
We set the scene… the backseat of a car, 3.30am. College St Sydney driving home from a very naughty night in Kings Cross.
This song is playing, and four inebriated girls sing loudly. Miss L remarks that this is the Myspace song of a boy currently stalking her, and ponders if it was a message that he wanted to ‘get shaky’ with her.
I immediately reply: “Oh L, he couldn’t shake you if he tried”.
Henceforth this song became ingrained in Summer 2008/2009 folklore and became the catch-phrase of our friendship circle for many months to come.
(back to the list)
9. Jack Ladder- Two Clocks. What’s a list without some Jack? One of the few songs from his first album to survive to the current set-list, this song is, in simplest terms, a mind-fuck. The seemingly sweet lyrics set against a simple melody and the classic inter-play of male-female vocal dynamic disguise a warning against the dangers of loving too much. The clever composition is unnerving in that it never allows the listener to truly understand Rogers’ intentions. There is a reason this has been played over 150 times on my Itunes.
10. Cream- White Room. Quite simply, a bloody fantastic track. Features Cream’s signature transcendental militaristic juxtaposition of psychedelic shoe-gaze with striking lyrics and strong beats. This is the song I would want as the soundtrack to my life in my own imaginary feature film.
Meanwhile, this live video is amazing. Bands these days just can't play live like this anymore. Also... isn't the drum pattern remarkably similar to Tame Impala's Half Full Glass of Wine?
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