30 Days of Sharing #1: Favourite Song
Day 01 → Your favourite song
This is a good ‘day’ to open this meme on, because it’s something I’ve been thinking about lately. Although several friends have helped the size of my music library to grow rapidly in the last year, I think it’s nice that a few oldies still remain indisputably in the top 5. I’ve actually narrowed it down to four, and uploaded the individual songs for you to listen to:
Sur le fil: Yann Tiersen
This song is known from the Amelie soundtrack, which is where I first heard it. I found the available Yann Tiersen albums on iTunes and special order through JB HI FI.
Basically, what I love about this song and Yann Tiersen in general is the beauty of the violin. If I could play any musical instrument, it would definitely be what I consider to be prize of the strings department. Sur le fil translates to ‘on the thread’ and seems to me that there’s a lot riding on the shoulders of the person he’s playing to violin to. The progression through the song makes me shiver. There’s a particularly angry segment where I imagine, if the song was a person, they’d be spinning around in a frenzied circle, or speeding down a flight of stairs. Halfway through, they burst out into the sunlight to be met with snow and all the tension, the anguish and the anger vanish at the sight of perfect snow flakes.
Africa: Toto (this cover by Subaudible Hum)
Other than the thrumming beat at the beginning, there’s something about the song, especially this cover. I believe I heard this song when I was a lot younger, and can attribute this to my love for it. Although the song lyrically speaks about having to make choices between things that are supposed to be right, and that we love on different levels, the reason I love this song is that one line, ‘it’s going to take a lot to drag me away from you.’
Both Toto & Subaudible Hum sing this line so well, with Toto’s original version a reflection of the instrumental stylings of the eighties. I love the tropical feeling that has something to do with the panpipes I can hear in a live version, but in Subaudible Hum’s live cover (recorded in the Triple J studio for their Like a Version weekly segment) it’s so much more natural, and to me, more real. Their chorus is imperfect, but just as hyped up as Toto’s, and for that reason I love it. I love the obvious yearning. I love the idea of travelling to Africa, meeting old men, having love. All of it.
Just For Now: Imogen Heap
Imogen Heap is one absolutely brilliant lady. She was in Frou Frou with Guy Sigsworth, and has had more songs featured on soundtracks and on TV than I can mention or source. I think what enamours me about Immie is her range. Her earlier solo album iMegaphone is mostly in her mysterious and Spooky low range, with touches of the soaring falsetto that features in most songs in her second studio album Speak For Yourself. I realise at the moment I’m basically just describing Imogen, but I think it’s important to realise that I love her for her ability to sing and compose as well as orchestrate herself across a variety of instruments and everyday noises.
Just For Now is a Christmas song, and one of her funny ones. It’s my favourite because of how innocent it seems on the surface, until you listen to what she’s saying about how crazy families are, and it reminds me of the constant loving nagging that occurs without fail at every one of my Christmases.
Click to viewThere’s a spectacular live version of her on 103.1FM, an American radio station, which on this occasion was hosted by Zach Braff. Obviously the way she constructs the song by recording and lapping the sounds is amazing and so incredibly creative. It’s really not hard to fall in love with such spectacular music as well as such a fun person that blogs regularly on youtube.
Make This Go On Forever: Snow Patrol
This was a difficult one to choose. I wish Snow Patrol would go on forever. Their earliest studio album as Snow Patrol Songs for Polar Bears makes me laugh, their next album When It’s All Over We Still Have To Clear Up is soothing to listen to, but their popular hit of 2006 Chasing Cars from Eyes Open solidified the Scottish and Irish band as my favourite band. Three years down the track, their music still makes me swoon a little, no joke. The instrumental music on Eyes Open, the album this song belongs to, was beautiful. Soft and nurturing as well as charged with the electricity of love and longing, it was beaten only by the music on their album A Hundred Million Suns, which featured the most breathtaking music I’ve heard, aside from Yann Tiersen. They’re in a different league, however, as so rightfully deserve their individual spots.
After seeing Snow Patrol in 2007 and then again earlier this year on their Hundred Million Suns Australian tour after their appearance at the V festival I was too young to attend, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that although these four songs are fantastic and beautiful and close to my heart, brain and sense of humor, this band and their phenomenal hold over me is the winner. It’s hard to choose which song of theirs I like best, but this is the one that I think is a little less public, a little underappreciated, but utterly beautiful. I wish I could listen to them forever.
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In case you didn’t realise, the song titles are in fact links for you to sample. I didn’t think it was enough to say why I loved them, but to show you. Please enjoy, and comment if you download!