Top Five Songs I Wish I Had Written

Into The Mystic - Van Morrison

An amazing tune both lyrically and musically, I love the escalating tempo and varied vocal delivery from Van. The link to the video is a version from The Allman Brothers Band but their version does a great job of capturing the feeling of the original - Warren handles the vocals perfectly. Quite possibly the greatest song ever written.

Isolation - John Lennon

One of my favorite Lennon tunes from the brilliant Plastic Ono Band record. It's raw but also stunningly beautiful, and like the whole album is just oozing in brutal honest feeling.

These Days - Jackson Browne

I've given Jackson Browne the full BYOBO treatment in the past so it's no surprise that I consider him one of the finest songwriters around. This particular track has always just hit the right note for me. The original was sparse but his solo acoustic treatments are really the perfect vehicle for this tune. It's such a personal statement

Red Eyed & Blue - Jeff Tweedy (as performed by Wilco)

Wilco has also received a BYOBO of their own and this song was among my chosen selections. Being There is probably my favorite album of theirs as a collected work and this track is a big reason for that. A stripped down arrangement and some cool whistling make this a winner. Really though it's the vocal delivery that makes me a fan of this - Tweedy has his heart on his sleeve here.

When The Tigers Broke Free - Roger Waters (as performed by Pink Floyd)

This song appeared in the film version of The Wall but was not on the album release. The Wall is largely autobiographical and this particular track is reportedly inspired by the death of his own father. Again, brutally honest lyrics and amazing vocal delivery made this an obvious choice. The quick cut at the end gives me chills.

You may see a theme here with the songs above. Honesty, truth, feeling, passion. I think music is at its best when it is real and honest and these songs are among the best at presenting this. I really admire artists with the courage to create and share so completely, I guess that is why these particular songs click with me so well.

That's my list - what would be on yours?