Top Five Songs of All Time

Recently, I was asked to contribute to an article about the best songs ever written. Since I was thinking on the subject, I thought I would write a piece on what I believe are the Top 5 songs of all time.

Any list about the best songs ever is subjective. It's an opinion list and, by its very nature, the list is subjective. I invite all of the suggestions and critiques you may have.

Let's begin.

The first song on my list that can always be found on a list of the Top 100 songs of all time is Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. I heard a remake of this after the 9/11 attack and was driven to tears. Wish You Were Here was written by Roger Waters in the wake of the death of a band member. It is such a simple verse but resonates with anybody who has lost someone...which is everybody.

There are many people out there who think Pink Floyd's music is only for certain types of people. If you are one of those people, you need to reconsider. Pink Floyd's music, and especially the song Wish You Were Here, is timeless and will appeal to anybody with a soul.

The second choice in my Top 5 comes from one of the all time greats, Bruce Springsteen, and it is none other than Born To Run. I recently saw Bruce perform his Superbowl act and was amazed that he can still jam so well at his age (there were times when I thought he might not get up from some of those dance moves though).

Born to Run resonates with just about everyone. There are always times when we want to abandon our current situation and hit the road thinking, "baby, I was born to run." Then, we probably turn the car right around thinking I have a mortgage and credit card bills to pay.

Bob Marley's No Woman, No Cry earns my top spot for number 3 on the list. The Bob Marley Legends CD was a mainstay in everyone's dorm during my college days. In fact, I recall having an argument with my girlfriend and I wrote in my journal, "Perhaps I should follow Bob Marley's advice: No Woman, No Cry." My girlfriend later found this entry and it did not lead to a great day.

I was wrong however. The song actually means, "No, woman, don't cry" which is what I ended up saying to my girlfriend after she found my journal.

Number four on my list of all time favorites is Johnny Cash's I Walk the Line. This is perhaps on my mind because I enjoyed the 2005 movie with Joaquin Phoenix and it got me listening to this song, and many others of Johnny Cash, again. This song is quite the opposite of Born to Run as Johnny Cash attempts to straighten out his life for his beloved wife. It is quite life's dilemma, is it not? Stay or Go?

Fortunate Son by Creedence Clearwater Revival earns the fifth spot on my list. It summarizes the experience of a man faced with the prospects of going to the Vietnam war. He is not a "fortunate son" in that he has no means (does not come from a privileged family) to get out of the war. This song truly captures the emotions of the time.

Well, that is my list of the Top Five Songs of All Time. As you can see, it does not include any of today's Top Rap Songs or new hits, just the classics. As I said, it's subjective. What is on your list?