I, like the majority of the population, love music. During the week I’m more likely to be seen with my airpods in than without them. My liked songs playlist on Spotify has 500 songs from Zach Bryan and Sabrina Carpenter to Jimi Hendrix and AC/DC. Out of all the songs I’ve listened to in my life there are five that hold a special place in my heart and constitute my top five favorite songs of all time.
5. “Forest Gump” by Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean is undoubtedly a musical legend and genius. I love all of his music, but “Forest Gump” itches a part of my brain in a way that’s indescribable. The chorus runs through my head daily. I don’t recommend smoking cigarettes, but the way Frank Ocean writes about them in this song makes them seem kinda cool. It’s just the perfect song if you’re looking for something short and sweet. The other songs on this list have sentimental meaning to me, but “Forest Gump” is just one of those songs that I heard once and became absolutely obsessed with.
4. “Vienna” by Billy Joel
Whenever I feel overwhelmed by life or panic that I don’t have enough time to accomplish everything I want to, I listen to “Vienna.” The inspiration for “Vienna” was Billy Joel’s dad, who always wanted to live in Vienna after retirement. The whole song is just a reminder that your plans and dreams will always be there, so just take time to enjoy where you are in your life right now. Everything you want to achieve will be waiting for you, but it all comes in time. There’s a specific line that always makes me get emotional no matter how many times I hear it. Joel writes, “Dream on, but don’t imagine that they’ll all come true,” and as someone who craves perfection and sets an impossible standard for myself, a reminder that failure is inevitable and acceptable means everything.
3. “It Ain’t Me Babe” by Bob Dylan
I am obsessed with Bob Dylan. As far as artists go, he’s arguably my favorite. “It Ain’t Me Babe” is his greatest creation. Over summer I had a full argument with my coworker about the meaning and tone of this song. He kept saying it was a depressing breakup song, but it’s not. This song is the epitome of right person, wrong time. Throughout the song, Dylan explains that he can’t be when his significant other needs him to be. They’re in two different stages of life and Dylan isn’t ready for the commitment that’s being asked of him. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel love. He loves his significant other enough to realize they deserve more than he can offer. It’s a beautifully written song about the complexities of love and how its definition is different for everyone.
2. “Wilshire” by Tyler The Creator
It’s hard to write an eight and a half minute long song that’s just straight lyrics, no musical interludes, and have it be great from beginning to end. However, not everyone is Tyler The Creator. “Wilshire” is so unbelievably underrated it’s disrespectful. Maybe I’m just a sucker for songs that depict the difficulties and realities of love, but no love song will ever top this one. The story telling Tyler The Creator establishes throughout this song is what really sets it apart. He didn’t just write a song. He created a whole narrative about love, loss, betrayal, and vulnerability. Again, it takes an immense amount of creativity and intellect to create a song that’s over eight minutes long and still has meaning.
1. “Jake’s Piano/Long Island" by Zach Bryan
When I was ranking my top five list of songs I debated about the order of the last four songs for a while, but I knew that “Jake’s Piano/Long Island” was first. I honestly don’t think this is Zach Bryan’s best song ever, but I feel a special connection to this song which is why it’s first. Some people may argue that it’s a song about the loss of a lover, but I think it’s about grief in general. It’s not limited to the loss of a girlfriend or boyfriend. It’s about missing anyone that you cared for. It’s about the pain of grief and the mark that people leave on you. I love this song so much because of how Bryan writes about grief- It’s exactly how I experience it. I’ve never been able to articulate the feelings that come with grief to people who’ve never really experienced it, but I swear this song takes all those feelings straight out of my head and expresses them in the most heartbreakingly beautiful way. My next tattoo is actually going to be the line, “the best parts of you are here, but you still ain’t.” I can’t fully explain my love for this song because it connects with such a deep part of my soul.
