The Favorites Series: Top 5 Songs

It’s really difficult to pick just five songs. I do have a favorite, but narrowing it down to only four more felt almost impossible. Honestly, I should’ve done a top ten. But oh well—hindsight’s 20/20, okeerrrrr...

Here we go.

Me, I'm Not by Nine Inch Nails

I’ve always loved Nine Inch Nails, though I discovered them—or rather him—a little late. Closer was completely played out on 91X and I heard The Perfect Drug, from the movie The Lost Highway, often but I wasn't into them back in the 90s. So I missed the entire hoopla around Pretty Hate Machine, The Downward Spiral and The Fragile.

When With Teeth came out in 2005, with the lead single The Hand That Feeds, I was hooked instantly. Trent Reznor and Timbaland are two of the most innovative beat makers of our time. Their use of kicks, snares and percussion almost always gets me bobbing my head, dancing or trying to emulate what I hear.

Me, I'm Not (from the album Year Zero) is special because it’s so stripped down. The beat holds its own while just a few other sounds dance around it. Minimal but impactful. There aren’t many lyrics, which makes it feel cinematic. It pulls you in without trying too hard.

Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls

This song was my favorite song for a long time. I wanted it to be my wedding song but there was something more wedding-like with Svefn-g-englar by Sigur Rós.

Iris was played out like hell but I never got tired of hearing it. It's a rock waltz and the strings elevate the whole arrangement. I always go to a vulnerable place when I sing the chorus.

My favorite line? "You bleed just to know you're alive." So raw. So human. In my late teenage-angst years, I wore my heart on my sleeve. I wrote constantly and felt so much of everything all at once. This song captured that era perfectly.

Corners Of My Mind by Nikka Costa

Every time I hear this song, I am transported to another dimension in my soul. In this masterpiece - the music, melody and words are seamlessly woven together. You want to cry, connect, grieve, smile and reflect on life.

There's soul. Funk. Rock. Gospel. Blues. And while you hear echoes of Sly, Chaka, Stevie, Aretha and Janis, still Nikka Costa's voice is entirely her own. In my humble opinion, she is one of the best singers to come on the U.S. scene in the 2000s.

Performing this song to honor my mom was one of the most profound moments of my life.

Due Tramonti by Ludovico Einaudi

Sometimes I simply can't listen to this song. And when I do, the tears almost always come - either quietly or in full force.

This piece reminds me of my dad. Due tramonti means "two sunsets" and when I first heard this song while grieving, I knew it was a sign. I've always loved sunsets. They remind me to appreciate something greater than myself.

I believe that when I leave this world, I'll become a sunset. My dad - and the other loved ones I've lost - will find me there. We will make music together with the colors of the sky.

The piano and cello are absolutely beautiful. The final repeated phrase of the song always take me over the edge.

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!!

Um...so...like...my favorite song.

Crazy right? My all-time favorite song is...

Seeing Red by Killing Joke

This song used to play on a now-defunct radio station called Indie 103. Every time it ended, I’d wait for the DJ to name the band—and somehow, I always missed it.

One day I finally caught it: Killing Joke.
Never heard of them at the time, but I wrote the name down... and lost the paper (classic).

Then came the iTunes era, and I was able to download everything. I found Seeing Red and played it all day, every day.

I never get tired of those triplets. At first, I thought two different singers were trading off between the verse and chorus. But then I saw a live video and realized it was just Jaz Coleman—shapeshifting his voice from gritty metal growl to silky melody. Like totally rad dude.

I remember watching a Foo Fighters concert where Dave Grohl said he tried so hard to emulate Jaz Coleman especially in All My Life. He said that he had the most beautiful voice he'd ever heard. That little goth girl living inside of me couldn't agree more.

Seeing Red is my dancing-in-the-car, I-don’t-care-about-a-thing, feel-invincible, Hakuna-Matata, bob-my-head anthem.
Every time it plays, I have to move.

And just when I thought the album version couldn't get any better, this live version is da bomb! It's sped up as hell, the drummer is excited as hell and the guitarist is like "sure, let's rock out at this pace". I also love the Death and Resurrection Show. Jaz Coleman is the quintessential frontman. He is every bit a rock legend and more (composer, conductor, film scores). They are on my bucket list for live shows. Side note: Brian and I went down the Killing Joke rabbit hole and their albums are straight fire. He even discovered that Nirvana straight-up copied Come As You Are from them. But I digress...

Honorable mentions! Because I couldn't stop at five:

Uninvited by Alanis Morissette

The production is legendary. Her opening falsetto gives me chills. First heard it in City of Angels. Love my 90s.

Paranoid Android by Radiohead

This song is a journey. A full-on roller coaster with sonic highs and lows. The chord progressions are haunting and I love to harmonize to it.

I love you Anomalies. Thank you for sticking with me.

I simply, love you.

The Anomalist