Geoff Wolinetz’s Top-101 When Elliott Smith die…

When Elliott Smith died in October, 2003, I wrote this on my rarely-updated and now-defunct blog:

I am a music lover but it is a love that I maintain from a distance, because I don’t have the ear, the knowledge or the gift to be able to enjoy it on a level deeper than pure visceral feeling. It’s very difficult for me to describe why I enjoy music the music that I do, other than a) I just do or b) there’s an important or formative memory attached to it.

If you don’t think that these are good reasons for liking a particular song, you can go beat off in a dark room. This is my list and this is why I like these songs. They are not in any order other than the order in which I discovered them while rummaging through my CDs and iPod.

1. “Back on the Chain Gang” by the Pretenders – If the Elias Sports Bureau kept statistics on music, Chrissie Hynde would be the career leader in “Looks/Talent Index.”

2. “Saint Simon” by the Shins – I think I discovered the Shins about 10 months after everyone else did. I could pick any song from “Chutes Too Narrow” and I’d be equally happy. This one is just my favorite today.

3. “Nearly Lost You” by Screaming Trees – I get upset that Mark Lanegan isn’t more well-known, because his music makes me want to remember what it was like when I was a teenager. And I hated being a teenager.

4. “Black” by Pearl Jam – I don’t know what I find more impressive about this song: that it makes me want to open mouth kiss Eddie Vedder or that I would use it as rationale for open mouth kissing Eddie Vedder.

5. “In My Life” by the Beatles – What I love most about the Beatles is that everyone loves them for a different reason and that I want to dance with my mother to this song at my wedding (whenever that takes place).

6. “Fountain and Fairfax” by Afghan Whigs – I don’t know if this is a backhanded compliment or an actual one, but this song has the best non-vocal opening of any song released in 1993 (including “No Rain”).

7. “Ana Ng” by They Might Be Giants – It took me 10 years to realize that this was pronounced, “Anna Eng,” and I’m not at all embarrassed by that. I think.

8. “A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procul Harum – I’m sorry. This song is fucking eerie that it makes my chest hurt.

9. “All Apologies” by Nirvana – The song is a good studio song, but it’s a great song on the Unplugged album.

10. “In Bloom” by Nirvana – Mostly because of the video, but the song is amazing also.

11. “American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – If you had one song to get people tapping, singing or dancing along in under 60 seconds, name one other that you’d rather have than this. Just one.

12. “La Cienaga Just Smiled” by Ryan Adams

14. “Beautiful Girl” by INXS – or “The Stairs” because it’s less traditional Euro (even they’re Aussie, I know) Pop and more something else.

15. “Palomine” by Bettie Serveert – I recently found out that “Bettie Serveert” means “Bettie to serve” in Dutch and they’re named after a Dutch tennis player from the 1970s. I listen to this song when I’m sad.

16. “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass

17. “Breaking the Girl” by Red Hot Chili Peppers – because it’s surrounded on its album by music that’s so much different than it is that it stands out as amazing.

18. “Brimful of Asha” by Cornershop – “Cornershop” is an ethnic slur in England for people of Indian descent. I don’t know why I mentioned that.

19. “Summer Highland Falls” by Billy Joel –I have this theory that every person has one moment in their life when they get it exactly right (a few have more, but most one). It’s too bad for Billy Joel that his came in 1976, and now he looks 30 years older than he actually is.

20. “Rebel Rebel” by David Bowie – I don’t know what it is about Bowie. People love this guy and most of the time, I just don’t. But I like this song.

22. “The Long and Winding Road” by the Beatles – It is, and I suspect will continue to be, my favorite Beatles song. I think it’s mostly because it’s their last big one.

23. “Dear Prudence” by the Beatles – It’s winter, so I like softer, sadder songs now. In the summer, LFO and Katrina and the Waves populate my list.

24. “Don’t Go Away” by Oasis – In case it’s not abundantly clear, I like the theme of relationships and someone begging the other person for either understanding, forgiveness or truth in my songs. I like Oasis in spite of the fact that I think the two main people in it are insufferable pricks.

25. “Why Does it Always Rain on Me?” by Travis – Because God hates you. That’s why.

26. “If You Leave” by Orchestral Maneouvers in the Dark

27. “Find the River” by REM – Michael Stipe is a melancholy man on this album and I love him for it. I love this song, but really, this whole album is like a long, symphonic concert that my ears ask for about three times a week.

28. “So. Central Rain” by REM – Again, any song from Reckoning. Same deal.

29. “Sweet Baby James” by James Taylor – James Taylor gets that pussy rep a lot, and it might be a little deserved, but he did as much heroin as Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley. He just still alive.

30. “Regulate” by Warren G (feat. Nate Dogg) – I really liked this song, unti I really listened to it and realized that it’s a story about Nate Dogg rescuing Warren G from getting killed by a gang on the streets of Long Beach. Now, I love it.

31. “Misunderstanding” by Genesis – Fuck you. I like this song.

32. “Fall on Me” by REM – I’ve seen REM play live twice, and both times they didn’t play this song. Both times, I cried myself to sleep in my girlfriend’s arms. Different girlfriends. Same result.

33. “Spin the Bottle” by the Juliana Hatfield Three – This one because from late 1993 to early 1994, I went to sleep every night to the voices in my head singing, “Spin it ‘round again. Spin it ‘round again. Spin it ‘round again. Spin it ‘round again. Spin it ‘round again. Spin it ‘round again,” in unison.

34. “Hey Jealousy” by Gin Blossoms

35. “Prince of Darkness” by Indigo Girls – No, I’m not a lesbian. Yes, I like the Indigo Girls. And it’s gotten me laid more than you’ve ever been laid at all, junior.

36. “Santa Monica” by Everclear – I used to listen to it when I was living in LA and stuck in traffic. It allowed me to briefly not hate myself for making the decision to move out there.

37. “Only in Dreams” by Weezer

38. “Long Way Around” by Eagle-Eye Cherry (feat. Neneh Cherry) – Eagle-Eye Cherry is underrated. Not vastly, but enough that people should pick up his album and give it another whirl.

39. “Get it Together” by Beastie Boys – or more accurately, the first 8 tracks of this album. It might be the best album to come out of 1994.

40. “Breathe and Stop” by Q-Tip – Awful, awful, horrible solo effort from Q-Tip called “Amplified.” This song rocks.

41. “In the Ghetto” by Elvis Presley – Social commentary from the King. I kept the secret that I love Elvis from my live-in girlfriend for a year and a half. Now, we’re going to name our dog “Elvis,” and I’ve gotten a loose commitment from my parents to change our family name to Presley.

42. “D’yer Maker” by Led Zeppelin – They probably have ten better songs than this. I just love the oh’s.

43. “Precious Things” by Tori Amos – I saw her in concert once. I thought she was going to strip naked and make love to her piano. And I don’t mean that in a Ron Jeremy kind of way. It’s probably the highest compliment that I could give her. This song is so passionate, I’ve seen someone cry while listening to it.

44. “When Doves Cry” by Prince – Rememeber, the 80s? Of course. We all do now thanks to VH1. But do you really remember the 80s? Do you remember talking about who was better: Prince or Michael Jackson? Think about having that argument today. Is there a less culturally relevant discussion you could have?

45. “Throwing It All Away” by Genesis – Two Genesis songs? I fucking hate Phil Collins. He ruined funk with his stupid “Easy Lover” song with Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind and Fire

46. “Hey Joe” by Jimi Hendrix – I don’t know how to express how much I love Hendrix except that his music inspires me to have flashbacks to acid trips I’ve never had (as opposed to “Pink Floyd,” which flashes me back to those I’ve had).

47. “Stagger Lee” by Lloyd Price – It’s amazing to think it now, but this song was controversial when it came out because Stagger Lee shoots Billy over a game of dice.

48. “Mr. Tambourine Man” by the Byrds – It’s a Dylan song, but I think the Byrds do it better.

49. “Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin – See “Don’t Go Away” by Oasis re: “songs about relationships.” Also, I think given the right proposition, I’d trade all of my tomorrows for one single yesterday.

50. “America” by Simon & Garfunkel – This song inspires a feeling of longing in me, and I’m never quite sure for what, but it always makes me want to get on a Greyhound bus and just go across the country.

51. “Suite (Judy Blue Eyes)” by Crosby, Stills and Nash

52. “Anyone for Tennis?” by Cream – I’m not even sure how many other people alive today have even heard this song, much less know what it’s called. Jack Bruce plays the flute on it. What’s up with that?

53. “She Talks to Angels” by the Black Crowes – If Chris Robinson wasn’t at least partly responsible for “She Talks To Angels,” I’d be considerably more angry at the fact that he gets to fuck Kate Hudson every night.

54. “Fish On (The Fisherman’s Chronicles, Part II)” by Primus – The only relevant piece of information about this song is that it actually won the balloting for Prom Song at my high school, but was removed because high school principals eat shit.

55. “Tonight, Tonight” by Smashing Pumpkins

56. “Into Your Arms” by The Lemonheads – I think that this is the right place to apologize for liking a lot of music that you’ve heard of, as opposed to what these list are usually like, which is ten “oh yeahs” and ninety “huhs?”

57. “Goin’ Home” by Dinosaur, Jr. – As long as we’re on the subject, I would put J. Mascis down as one of the men I’d make love to if held at gunpoint, and that’s a pretty exclusive list.

58. “Two Step” by Dave Matthews Band – Dave Matthews is another guy that gets a bad rep because he’s the object of affection for legions of teenage girls. Everyone take a deep breath and remember that before people knew who he was, his down-home sensibilities and jam-band concert style was enough for everyone.

59. “Lightning Crashes” by Live – I think I might like “All Over You” a little more than this song, but I think this one really does it for me, too. The problem is that it saturated the airwaves and now everyone hates it.

60. “MLK” by U2

61. “Great Escape” by Guster – Guster captured my attention from early 1996 through the summer of that year. Then I put the album aside. When I moved a few months ago, I found the album and started playing it again. I remembered why I enjoyed them in the first place: Because their music is low-key and easy. And I’m OK with that.

62. “House of the Rising Sun” by Eric Burdon and the Animals – I call this “Mod” music in my head. I don’t know if that’s a real term of not, but it helps me classify it as “something my father would have listened to before he became a banker.”

63. “Hunger Strike” by Temple of the Dog – Usually supergroups like this blow (see: Queens of the Stone Age) but this was recorded before Pearl Jam and Soundgarden could have been considered supergroups. Which is probably why it doesn’t suck.

64. “Time of the Season” by the Zombies – More of the “Mod” music.

65. “Let’s Stay Together” by Rev. Al Green –I wish I was black sometimes, so I could “get’ soul music a little better. If that sounds horribly racist, I can’t stress enough how much of a compliment it is and how jealous I am.

66. “Crazy Love” by Van Morrison – Van Morrison has been so good for so long, that we tend to overlook him when discuss the best music of all time. I think that’s a big mistake, because he’s put out some of the most beautiful songs of the last 35 years.

67. “Have a Little Faith in Me” by John Hiatt – I don’t own a single one of his albums. This song was passed on to me by a friend who swore up and down that if I didn’t like it, he’d by me a keg. I loved it, but I told him I didn’t for the free beer. I wonder if he ever figured that out.

68. “Georgia on my Mind” by Ray Charles – I actually felt like I’d lost a relative when Ray Charles passed away. I saw him perform live at West Point about 3 years ago and he was so full of life and energy. He finished his set and they came to guide him off and he was about two steps from off-stage when he broke free of the man who was leading him and ran a few steps back in the direction of the audience. He stood there clapping along with us for a few minutes, until it was time for him to go. I’m sad that it was time for him to go.

69. “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight and the Pips – I don’t know Gladys, but I’ll listen to this song any time that you want to play it for me. Deal?

70. “Come on Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners – My stupid friend Karen calls this “flannel rock’ because they play it in pubs and frat parties a lot when people are drunk. OK, maybe the song is over played. But she actually thinks that people dancing and having a good time makes the music suck. Have I mentioned that I think she’s stupid?

71. “The Tracks of My Tears” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles – I love Smokey Robinson. I’m just not sure why he grew dredlocks.

72. “I Was Made To Love Her” by Stevie Wonder – “Songs in the Key of Life” is one of those albums that sounds as though it were infused with the breath of angels.

73. “One Sweet World” by Dave Matthews Band – I love the man. I won’t make any apologies for that. I’d have more songs by him on here, but I’m afraid the list isn’t long enough and we need to get some other people in here. This song does, however, have some of the finest string-to-string (as opposed to chord) guitar work I’ve ever heard.

74. “Big Empty” by Stone Temple Pilots

75. “Diggin’ On You” by TLC – Does anyone else wish that ‘Left Eye’ hadn’t died? I mean at least for the fact that you never knew what she was going to do next when she was alive.

76. “Laid” by James

77. “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead” by XTC – Peter Pumpkinhead is about Kennedy’s assassination. Does anyone else love to look up what songs are about?

78. “Althea” by The Grateful Dead – Missed opportunity of my life #4,359: Not seeing the Grateful Dead in concert while Jerry Garcia was alive.

79. “Grey Cell Green” by Ned’s Atomic Dustbin

80. “U-Mass” by the Pixies – Except from a speech I’m giving to the National Board of College Presidents: “Our advanced education system is falling apart. The young people of this country need a more affordable system. In the words of Frank Black of the Pixies in his biting piece ‘U-Mass,’ ‘Oh kiss me cunt. Oh kiss me cock.’ Thank you and good night.”

81. “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley and the Wailers – I don’t know, man. I hear Marley, I want to get stoned. I can’t help that. He was so much more than black lights and lava lamps in my college dorm room. He spoke truth, man. Are you going to finish that doughnut?

82. “There’s a Moon Out Tonight” by The Capris – This is here to represent Doo-Wop, because Doo-Wop is a genre that is totally overlooked these days. There is nothing but harmony here. Just sweet voices in tune with each other pumping out pretty music. What the heel is wrong with that?

83. “Sunday Morning” by the Velvet Underground

84. “Such Great Heights” by the Postal Service – I’ve put it on the list but the Postal Service is already beginning to annoy the shit out of me. So this may not even be here in a month.

85. “Love and Death” by the Stills – The Still provided an answer to the long standing question that I’ve had: “What are two things that will totally and completely destroy your life?”

86. “Call and Answer” by Barenaked Ladies – I was at a Barenaked Ladies concert once and they stopped in the middle of the show and explained that they have a lot of fans that go from show to show and that they recognize a lot of people in the audience. Then, Ed (the one with the peach fuzz on his chin) points to someone in the audience and says, “Where’s the guy you’re usually with? Is everything OK? You didn’t break up did you?” I just find that awfully cool. End schmaltzy story about band loyalty.

87. “Tom Sawyer” by Rush

88. “What You Do to Me” by Teenage Fanclub – I think the night that I saw them on Saturday Night Live was the night that my faith in Lorne Michaels as a man in TV that I could trust was cemented. As an aside, the night that Ashlee Shitson was on Saturday Night Live was the night the last remaining piece of my idealism was stolen from me.

89. “Time of No Reply” by Nick Drake – With tunes like this, it’s shocking that he killed himself.

90. “You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice” by The Lovin’ Spoonful – This song makes me so happy that there are mornings where it’ll allow me to not take my medication for an extra two minutes and twenty-nine seconds.

91. “Virtual Insanity” by Jamiroquai – I have a buddy who love Jamiroquai and I’m not sure why, because they kind of suck. But I do like this song.

92. “Somebody Told Me” by the Killers - I was very happy to listen to this album for the first time, because it meant that I would have at least one album in 2004 that I was going to bronze and hang on my wall.

93. “Shining Star” by Earth, Wind and Fire – Man, I miss good funk, and nobody did it better than these guys.

94. “More Than a Woman” by The Tavares – You know what? You people would probably like disco also, if you took a minute to realize that’s not all “YMCA” and “Stayin’ Alive.”

95. “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran

96. “Far Behind” by Candlebox – They opened for Rush in 1994. They really stink. Except for this. Which really rocks.

97. “Black Dog” by Led Zeppelin

98. “Would?” by Alice and Chains – This is a band that had its talent marred by Layne Staley’s heroin habit and it’s a damn shame because Dirt is one of the few albums that I can listen to beginning to end.

99. “96 Tears” by Question Mark and the Mysterians – This is a song sung by a man who actually legally changed his name to “?” He’s not like that pussy Prince, who only changed his performing name to that messed up symbol. This man changed his given name to “?” Top that.

100. “And So It Goes” by Billy Joel

101. “I Ain’t Marchin’ Anymore” by Phil Ochs – Phil means, “I’m not going to war for crusty old white men anymore” and what rings more true than that these days?

Geoff Wolinetz co-edits Yankee Pot Roast. In his spare time, he listens to music, though not very good music as you may be able to tell.

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