1. A holiday song - Fairytale of New York - The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl
The perfect Christmas song, in my opinion.
BONUS: How Bizarre - OMC
A song for a road trip.
2. A spring song - Space Tractor - The Leningrad Cowboys
Insane, but it makes me smile every time. It's a hopeful song.
BONUS: Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles
For when it just starts to warm up and you know summer won't be long.
3. A sleeping song - Sleepyhead - Ed Harcourt
It's right there in the title. *grins*
BONUS: Sleep - The Dandy Warhols
Likewise.
4. A sugared song - Wise Up - Aimee Mann
Sugared in the best possible way, without being sickly.
BONUS: Sugar - Tori Amos
Because I'm in an obvious mood.
5. A fierce song - Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
No explanation needed.
BONUS: My Life - Billy Joel
For when you just can't take people telling you what to do anymore.
6. A mysterious song - Stay - Shakespear's Sister
Still makes me shiver every time.
BONUS: The Killing Moon - Echo and the Bunnymen
No idea what it's about, but I love it.
7. A yearning song - American Dream (Girl in Texas) - John Tams
A song about wanting to be where you're not, and maybe never will be, sung by a man born half the world away from anything they showed in the old movies.
BONUS: Lily Dreams On - Cotton Mather
Not yearning for anything you can pin down, except maybe the girl, but oh, his voice.
8. A satisfied song - Satisfied Mind - Jeff Buckley
The obvious choice.
BONUS: Right On Line - John Tams
A song about a former hellraiser who's settling down for love, and happy with it. But not as sappy as that sounds.
9. A mourning song - Harry Stone (Hearts of Coal) - John Tams
Mourning the passing of a way of life, as much as a person. And raging at it.
BONUS - Gresford Disaster - The Albion Band
In memory of a real tragedy.
10. A kind song - Everybody Hurts - REM
As someone else once said, the equivalent of wrapping a big fuzzy blanket around the most depressed of its listeners and telling them it's all going to be okay.
BONUS: Ballad of a Teenage Queen - Johnny Cash
Tells the girl's story with such sympathy.
11. A pure song - Eagle Will Rise Again and Old and Wise - both Alan Parsons Project
These are sung by Colin Blunstone, who has one of the purest voices I've ever heard.
BONUS: Fields of Gold - Gregorian
I have several Gregorian chant covers of rock and pop songs, and they're all beautiful.
12. A bitter song - London Underground - Adam Kay and Suman Biswas
Bitter for reasons anyone who's ever tried to commute in London will be familiar with.
BONUS: El Tango de Roxanne - Ewan McGregor and others
This song is just glorious. And I like it better than the original.
Let me know if you take any!
