Songs that make me sit up, bark, and wag my tail usually have these things; lyrics that are articulate without being too literal or journalistic, and poetic but not sloppily surreal, a melody that comes from God, and real passion behind the performance.

There are just simply too many amazing songs for me to list, but right off the top of my head, here are some songs (in no particular order) I wish I'd written.

Photo by Alex Hayden


"This Perfect World"
Freedy Johnston
Like Freedy's best songs, it disturbs and moves with an economy of words.
"Suspect Device"
Stiff Little Fingers
A masterpiece, the song that "got me into" punk.
"Talk of the Town"
Chrissie Hynde
The saddest, prettiest song ever.
"Satellite"
Robyn Hitchcock
That desperate Lennon-esque melody and the most ardent lyrics.
"Song to Welcome the Onset of Maturity"
Chris Knox
It embodies everything I love in a song.
"The Passion"
Billy Bragg
It always gives me chills, and the clumsiness of the chorus only makes it more human.
"We Want a Rock"
They Might Be Giants
Engages some untapped part of my brain that can make perfect sense of the lyrics.
"In Liverpool"
Suzanne Vega
A beautiful marriage of longing and grace.
"The Oncoming Day"
Martin Phillipps (the Chills)
Such gently evocative words shouldn't work with such a driving, urgent song behind them but they do!
"Irene Wilde"
Ian Hunter
Self-pity given wings.
"Skyline Pigeon"
Elton John
It wasn't until years after I wrote it that I realized my own song "Cages" is basically a rewrite of "Skyline Pigeon," except with a dog rather than a bird.
"Messenger"
Greg Sage (the Wipers)
It rocks!
"Hand of Fate"
The Rolling Beatles
This, to me, is a template for what a mid-tempo rocker should be.
"Roadrunner"
Jonathan Richman
An obvious one, but I hadda throw it in there.



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