Most Beautiful Songs of All Time

Beautiful Songs

I teased at it a couple weeks ago, and have finally decided to make the playlist for this week the twenty most beautiful songs ever written, or at least in our humble opinions. What makes a song beautiful is probably something that could be debated infinitely. Is it complexity, musical composition, the singer’s voice, lyrical content? Should it move you to tears, or make you smile from ear to ear? For the purposes of this we’ll just say it’s a combination of all of those elements.

Chuck

1. Mofro “Brighter Days”: This song opens with a simple and sweet piano piece before singer JJ Grey comes in and starts singing about the glories of youth and the pain of leaving all of that behind whether it’s from moving to another town or just as you grow older. This song rings especially true for me as I have recently moved across the country. And while I still think it was the right decision, sometimes I do long for the both literally and figuratively brighter days back home in sunny Florida.

2. Jon Cleary “Smile in a While”: This song is about one of the many great features that can be found in a beautiful woman, and one that is often over looked, a great smile. This is one of my biggest turn-on’s. A girl’s smile can melt your heart in a second and make you willing putty in her hand if she knows how to use it. In this song Cleary sings with more soul than an old white guy should be able to muster to the sexy pulsing backbeat laid down by his band. Some songs are made for fucking, and some are made for making love, this is one of the latter.

3. Van Morrison “Tupelo Honey”: I think you’ll find that most of the songs on this list are about women. These women have inspired some of the most wonderful and grand gestures by men to create something of as much beauty and grace as said women are born with naturally. Look at great art, great writings, anything. All that aside, this is probably my favorite Van Morrison song, and it breaks my heart every time I hear it.

4. Otis Redding “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)”: Breaking up can be hard to do, and in this song, Otis’ heartfelt plea to stay with him is both heart wrenching and incredibly sweet. Then the song suddenly builds into a climactic finish with Otis screaming in pain for his woman not to leave.

5. Al Green “Let’s Stay Together”: If I were to propose to a woman, I think I would want this song playing in the background no matter how I did it, and it seems like that is pretty much Green’s intention in the song as well. This song just exudes romance.

6. The Beatles “In My Life”: I almost went with “Something,” which is yet another beautiful song about the simple glories of a woman, (and apparently quite an amazing woman at that, because Clapton wrote “Layla” about the same chick.) However, I knew Matt would probably pick it, so I instead went with this one, Lennon’s reminiscent ode to life gone by, places he’s been and people he’s known. There’s something beautiful in the simplicity of this song. Yeah, shit changes, just appreciate it while it’s there.

7. Ben Folds “Don’t Change Your Plans”: The Ben Folds Five’s album Whatever and Ever Amen is generally regarded as their best album, but their follow-up The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner has some incredibly intricate piano pieces that make up some of Folds sweetest and most musically impressive songs.

8. Big Brother and the Holding Company “Take Another Little Piece of My Heart”: Similar to Otis’ “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long,” I find something beautiful in heartbreak and pain. It sounds weird, sure, but I think anyone would be hard pressed to deny the beauty in these songs. Maybe it’s how human the singers come across as in a medium that often raises it’s superstars to godlike status. Perhaps it’s knowing that someone else has gone through the same thing I’m sure everyone reading this has been through. Or maybe it’s just something in their voices that pierces the soul and evokes and empathy and compassion for your fellow man that can be described as nothing else but wonderful.

9. Norah Jones “Don’t Know Why”: This song is on here largely just because it is insanely pretty. Norah’s voice is smooth and soothing and her band plays it cooler than Albany in January.

10. Etta James “At Last”: Just as sorrow and heartbreak can be things of beauty, so can pure, unadulterated and unrepentant joy. In “At Last” James sings of the joy of finally finding someone to love, and it was never said with more passion.

11. Jeff Buckley “Hallelujah”: Originally by Leonard Cohen, this song has been covered dozens of times to varying degrees of success. My favorite has always been the version by Buckley, partially because of the raw purity of his voice, but also because of the little things. In the very beginning of the song Buckley lets out an exasperated sigh which fits amazingly well, because this is a song about weakness, about giving up and it’s a song I can see someone singing exhausted and alone looking for Grace.

12. Ray Charles “You Don’t Know Me”: Admittedly, I’ve been here, and I think a lot of guys have. This is a song about love for a friend who has absolutely no idea how you feel and Charles delivers it with such passion and soul that you know he has been there too. There is something both horrible and wonderful in friendships that blossom into romance. I think part of it is that you already have something in common and an enjoyment of each other, but there is also the danger of it all failing catastrophically and ruining everything, and I think this all adds up in Charles’ heartfelt cries on the song.

13. Paul McCartney “Maybe I’m Amazed”: There is something that is just slick about this song, a casual indifference and ambivalence in the lyrics where I can see it being delivered by someone like Bruce Willis and sounding equal parts romantic and badass, “Maybe I’m amazed by the way you love me all the time.” For some reason it reminds me of the part in As Good As it Gets where Jack Nicholson tells Helen Hunt she makes him want to be a better man.

14. Willie Nelson “You Are Always On My Mind”: There is an episode of Monk where Willie and Adrian sing this song at the grave of Monk’s dead wife, and it brought tears to my eyes, I admit it. Whether Willie is singing here about someone who has passed away or a love gone wrong, I can confidently say I think this is the most beautiful country song ever written.

15. Nizlopi “JCB”: Deviating for a bit from songs about women, this is a song about a very British dyslexic kid and his dad on heavy machinery. Beautiful, no? Sorry, let me explain. The lead singer of Nizlopi was dyslexic in grade school and used to have a hard time adjusting to the work and would get picked on all the time. After school he would go and hang out with his dad who was a construction worker, and he would look forward to it all day because it was a way to get away from how bad his day was. That’s what this song is about, getting away from the horrors of life and spending time with someone you love.

16. Todd Snider “Just Like Old Times”: One thing I love about country and folk songs that most rock songs don’t have, is that they tell a story. This is a story about a pool hustler who runs into an old friend from high school, who is apparently now a prostitute. So they go to a seedy motel and sit around talking and doing cocaine. Not beautiful? Well wait for it… Suddenly there is a knock on the door and it’s a cop. The cop tells the man that his friend is a prostitute and he saw him pick her up. The man tells the cop that they are old friends, and they are just sitting around talking. Then he pulls out his wallet and produces a picture of the girl that he has carried around since high school to prove it. The cop leaves and the girl is incredibly moved that this guy has kept a picture of her for all these years. Tell me that isn’t sweet, I dare you.

17. The Kooks “She Moves in Her Own Way”: Alright, back to the traditional songs about women. I’ve mentioned this song on here before, simply put it’s about the small things that amaze the singer about his girl. Mainly that she comes to his show just to hear about his day. I just think that the small stuff is underrated most of the time, and it’s nice to hear it appreciated in song.

18. Paolo Nutini “Last Request”: This is one of my favorite kinds of songs, because it sounds very sweet and beautiful, but if you really pay attention to the lyrics it’s not as sweet as you think. Simply put, in the song Paolo is basically telling the girl that their relationship isn’t really going anywhere, so let’s have one last fuck. Of course it’s put much more delicately than that, but that’s the essence of it. Still a pretty song though.

19. Sonny Landreth “Louisiana 1927”: This song was originally by Randy Newman, but I chose this version because Landreth’s voice is just so crisp and clean. I had to include this song on the list because it’s about one of my favorite places in the world, Louisiana. It tells the story of a great flood in Louisiana in 1927 and how it seemed like they were just trying to wash the poor Cajun and Creole men of Louisiana away. Not only does it ring especially true today after Hurricane Katrina, but it is also just a moving song about the plight of people who often have it a lot harder than we do.

20. Darrell Scott and Tim O’Brien “House of Gold”: Off of O’Brien and Scott’s excellent album Real Time, “House of Gold” which was originally a Hank Williams song about serving god and giving priority to him above things like riches and a “house of gold.” O’Brien and Scott give it an a cappella treatment and meld their harmonies together beautifully.


Matt

1.The Load Out/Stay - Jackson Browne
This track isn't one that many would describe as beautiful, just a description of the end of a concert. But the writing is superb and the tone is excellent. Browne describes the load out for a show and mixes it perfectly with the classic "Stay" with original vocalist. A gorgeous composition.

2.Sweet Thing - Scott H Biram
A pretty little ditty written by the craziest one man band on earth, this song leaves out the usual death and murder mantra and is a serenade of love. You can sing-along with this track while burying your loved ones now-ex lover and it's still full of saccharine.

3.Beatles - Something
This is a classically beautiful track, with slow guitar lines and soft vocals. Poetic lyrics are a bonus in this Harrison-penned masterpiece.

4.Little Willies - Love Me
Norah Jones sings for the Lil Willies on this Elvis cover, and her gentle voice rolls along this even tempo record. Nice piano lines and a great melody line as well.

5.Ray Charles - You Don’t Know Me
A heart wrenching song from the point of view of a man who has a woman but was never given the chance to love her. You can hear the strain and sadness in the live version of this track particularly well, without the 60's group backing vocals.

6.Temptations (Jamerson Only) - You're My Everything
This version of the song is off the "Standing In The Shadows of Motown" Soundtrack. It's elegance is apparent from the first bass notes. Like the rest of the "beautiful" songs on this list, it's a mix of a great moving instrument part and a beautiful melody line.

7.Willie Nelson (Patsy Cline) - Crazy
Another "classic" track, best known with Patsy Cline on vocals. I chose the version by the original writer to show both how wonderfully simple the track is in it's original form and how much Cline added to the track. One common theme with the beautiful tracks is their ease and simplicity, and this may be the epitome of simple.

8.Dave Matthews Band - Crush
An ode to love and lust, this track starts off strong with some upright bass and a quick sax solo. The groove continues throughout the song, the music rising and falling with Dave's voice. Subtle strings help enhance the song, as do the guitar fills.

9.Colin Hay - Waiting For My Real Life to Begin
This song is a whopper of a heart tugger. Made for all those who feel like they’re spending their days just drifting along and not doing what they’re supposed to in life. This is the ultimate "something good around the corner" track. And it's both energizing because the corner is right ahead of you...or soul-crushing because you're just not there yet.

10.Jamie Cullum - High and Dry
A sweet piano-based ballad, this cover of the hit Radiohead track was also a hit for Cullum. His mischievous attitude is put on hold for this recording, and the sincerity shines through.

11.Wham - Careless Whisper
Classic 80's schlock meets excellent Sax lines. George Michael’s aching vocals compliment the sax explosions perfectly.

12.INXS - Never Tear Us Apart
Another 80's track, but this one is more bombastic in nature. The percussive beats that lead into the vocal cut a nice hook, and like many other great tracks, the sax is a prominent piece.

13.Jason Mraz - You and I Both
A new-ish track from an excellent songwriter. The low verses offset the soaring chorus nicely and it's lyrics are phenomenal. The giddiness of the video is a nice plus.

14.Marshall Tucker Band - Can’t You See A Southern rock classic, and one of the few that features a flute intro. A heartbroken man's lament over what his gal did to him, this track is lyrically close to an old blues track. It just took some country boys to update it with a new sheen of heartache.

15.Al Green - Love and Happiness
One of the smoothest songs in Pop history, Al Green lets the love flow from every note he lays down. This track crackles and pops along with as Green's voice which provides the sweet covering on top.

16.Mofro - A Woman
More Sax, good God I love me some Sax. The lyrics are about dedication to a woman and treating her right, what’s more beautiful than that folks?

17.Elvis Costello - Alison
Costello crafts a beautiful song with more moving guitar lines and aching vocals. Seems the be a theme here? Yeah, because some of the best songs are about loving a woman.

18.Hall & Oates - Sara Smile
Another song dedicated to a gal. With good bass, and "white boy soul" vocals. I'd call this a rut if the songs weren't so well-crafted.

19.John Mayer - Gravity
This is a great modern blues slow burner, so good that Mayer included it on his JM3 album and the 2006 masterpiece "Continuum". Over the years, Mayer has given in to his guitar-master dreams and the world is better for it.

20.Jimi Hendrix - Castles Made of Sand
With guitar lines that's inspired many, including Frusciante from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hendrix puts together a very sad and gorgeous story that is wrapped in his masterful guitar work. Where do you think John Mayer got his phrasing from?

Aaron
Here are my top twenty most beautiful songs. I know this sounds like a sappy list to create. But I have to say to all those critics out there,”Who are you fooling?”. Everyone has a song that makes them daydream or brings a astonishing year to their eye. Even the metal heads have their rock ballads. And Just because we are calling this list the Top Ten Beautiful songs list doesn't mean they all have to be Kenny G and Michael Bolton songs. So, without further adieu I bring you my list (free of any songs with the lyrics, “how am I supposed to live without you?”)

1. Billy Joel – The River Of Dreams – I am listing this song at number one partly because it has been drifting through my head all day. I can't listen to this song without pondering my true purpose . Leave it to Billy Joel to make me question my existence. Joel is known for beautiful melodies and creative lyrics, but this song is tops. It is a song about a man trying to find his true purpose and he believes the truth lies in his dreams. Filled with fear and doubt he keeps waiting for that purpose to emerge. If you don't think that is a beautiful subject for a song, just stop reading this list. Because I think I may have blown my load on the first song.

2. Little River Band -Lady – I have always liked the way this song started out, just simple guitar and piano parts with a slow soft intro from the lead singer. I imagine that this song is playing in the head of a lonesome man in a large gathering of people. As he is remembering lost loves and feeling sorry for himself, wondering if he will ever love again, he spots a woman from across the room and all hope is returned.

3. Paul Simon – Something So Right – What's great about this song is that Simon says what we wish we could all say to our lovers but aren't clever enough. You can feel his emotion for this woman in his voice. Discarding all his pride he explains his insecurities and how his love protects him from them. Essentially, love conquers all, in wonderful Paul Simon poetry.

4. The Beatles – Let It Be – I believe that most of us are familiar with the theme of this song, ( que sera sera, for example.) This song is about leaving your problems behind and getting on with your life. With all the wisdom of Paul's mother how could you go wrong? The song is an inspiring ballad that always makes me ponder on the faults of my past, forget them and move on.

5. Sam Cooke – I'll Come Running Back to You – No list about beautiful songs would be complete without Sam Cooke. If I leave out the fact that Sam Cooke's voice is amazing and all of his songs pull at our heart strings, we are left with a song about redemption. And I think all men can relate to that feeling that we fucked up and all we can do is grovel on our knees and hope women forgive us. Ahh love, what a filthy bitch you are.

6. The Beach Boys – God Only Knows – Even though it is a Beach Boy’s song that doesn't involve beaches, cars or “being true to your school”, I think we all know this song. I think it has been in ever major chick flick that has ever existed, yet with good cause. The beginning of the song sounds like a damn wedding reception for God's sake. But it is still a charming song that will forever plague the silver screen.

7. Ben Folds Five – Brick – I'm simply going on the song's piano melody on this one. What a beautiful song this would be if it wasn't for the whole abortion thing. I'm sorry, I have a give Folds some props for making such a controversial and heart breaking experience into what seems like such a wonderful song.

8. Buddy Holly – True Loves Ways – The original slow dance song. I can’t think of a better song that I would rather slow dance to. This song will melt any partner in your arms. If you want that first kiss get her to dance with you during this song. Just look her in the eyes and sing her a few lyrics. Especially when Holly says, “just you and I...” It works every time. Try it after bringing a date home with you. If it fails, direct all your hate mail to Chuck, he handles all my death threats.

9. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – Can't Take My Eyes Off You – A real tear jerker for those of the female persuasion. Don't you wish you could hook up with Frankie and have him serenade you with this delightful number? Well he doesn't love you so cut it out. You’re stuck with pigs like the rest of us normal men. I do enjoy how proud Valli sounds about the feeling he has for this woman. It's moving in a very unrealistic way.

10. Tom Waits – San Diego Serenade - Waits has the great ability to make a raspy voice sound romantic. This slow mellow love song portrays a man realizing that he had done too little to late and taken love for granted. I really enjoy Waits sentimental lyrics on his first couple albums. Then he went insane and locked himself in a mental institution and was forced to write songs with subliminal messages in them for the planet Argon. Tom Waits secretly hates redheads.

11. Queen – Somebody to Love – Queen's harmonies make it so that I could probably fill this list with nothing but Queen songs. But what would be the fun in that? Nah fuck it. The rest of the songs are going to be Queen songs. Freddie Mercury and Queen should go and travel from church to church and put all the choirs to shame. I think I'm going to get a huge boom box and travel to a random church and when the choir gets up to do their holy thing I will abruptly shout out with a blasphemous bellow, “hang on ladies, Freddie challenges you to a duel of biblical proportions!” I'm not sure where I was going with that.

12. George Harrison – My Sweet Lord – Beauty comes in many forms. And Harrison 's passion for his maker is definitely one of those forms. This song encroaches on being a veggie tales lullaby, but since its George Harrison, we can forgive that. And who better to forgive him but his sweet Lord.

13. Ray Charles – You Don't Know Me - I don't think anyone can sing a song as sad as Ray Charles can. But there is a light of hope in his voice no matter how sad he may seem. And that is why this song is on my list. Probably one of the most interesting, troubled and heart broken artist of all time, Ray Charles knows how to make a song as beautiful as it is heavyhearted.

14. Regina Spektor - Fidelity – One of my favorite songs from this awesome Russian songbird, Fidelity is beautifully chirped with a woeful inflection. Jaded and taken aback from love’s bitter grip, she looks on from a distance and lets music take her away from it. I can understand that frame of mind.

15. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Death of a Martian – Tragedy can produce beauty. This song was written about Flea's dog that had died during the recording of Stadium Arcadium. So you know that the lyrics are honest and heart felt. And like most of the Pepper's songs, it is based on real life tragedies.

16. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole – Over the Rainbow – There are two things I would like to add before I go any further into this paragraph. One, this really should be further up on this list, but I just now thought of it, so forgive me. Two, I realize that he didn't write this song nor was he the first or the last to cover it. But if I had to pick the singer who brought the true meaning and essence of this song to life, it would have to be Israel .

17. Amos Lee – Sweet Pea – Some of the most beautiful songs are the most simple. There is not much to say about this song. It's not complex or deep. It's just a nice and bright pop song. And that is where the beauty lies, in its simplicity.

18. Stevie Wonder – For Once in My Life – I like this song because there is so much sincerity in Stevie's voice. It really sounds like he went to the top of the highest mountain and just shouted this song at the top of his lungs.

19. Dave Matthews Band – Crash into Me – This song is another great example of a song that sounds so wonderful at first and turns out to be not what you expected. How can a song about a peeping tom be so poetic?

20. Bill Withers – Lean on Me & Just The Two of Us – It was just too hard to pick the better of the two, so, I am listing both. Lean on Me is just a terrific uplifting song about the true meaning of friendship. And how could I leave out the classic “Just the Two of Us”? This song is probably one of the smoothest songs that have ever been written. I can't even begin to think of all the babies that were conceived during the ambiance of this song.