Can I still recognize a beautiful melody…

Title from Sonata Arctica’s Gravenimage.

Again a site-inspired post, although I’ve been thinking about writing this down for a while. Well, here is my top 27 (in no particular order, the numbers are just for fun) – cause who the hell cares about top tens these days?! Just a note: these are not the best songs in the world, and also not the ones you absolutely need to hear before you die. These are the songs I enjoy listening to the most at the moment. Also, I don’t expect you to like, or even listen to these tracks. I would appreciate it though, if you chose just one song to see what it’s like. No biggie, right? Of course, I can’t make you…

Oh, and one song per performer. That’s a rule. I’m not breaking it.

1, Sonata Arctica – Shamandalie “Nothing is quite as cruel as a child”

Not as hardcore as some of their songs, but definitely the prettiest (in my opinion). I sure took my time realizing just what the title means… Then again, I’m not quite as good at English as I’d like to be. ^^

2, The 69 Eyes – Brandon Lee “What would there be, as the river of sadness turns into sea?”

Chosen for this very line. Oh, yea, and the next one: “Could there be another thousand stories like you and me?” I never cease to be amazed how Jyrki can have such a deep voice. I mean, look at him!

3, U2 – Beautiful Day “It’s a beautiful day, don’t let it get away”

Beautiful song. Enough said. Can cheer me up when I’m feeling miserable for whatever reason.

4, Marylin Manson – Lamb of God “Nothing’s gonna change the world…”

Such a bitter one, and yet, in a way, it makes me happy. In a very twisted way, and I don’t even know why. Great for when you’ve had enough of all the Christians trying to save your immortal soul from eternal damnation. (just a note: I have nothing against Christianity, but when I die, no part of me will be, like, flying around or bathing in fire. Sorry about that.)

5, KoRn – No one’s there “Where are you, my soul is bleeding”

Very strong lyrics, and although I’m generally not too fond of Jonathan Davis’ singing, it’s quite tolerable. Just kidding, he’s great… I guess.

6, D’espairs Ray – Gothic “Struggled to get free from the chains…”

This one might look strange at first, especially after my rant on Clever Sleazoid the other day, since this is another English song by a Japanese band. Still, though the words sang are still unintelligible to me, both the singing and the music create an atmosphere that is much more enjoyable.

7, Depeche Mode – Precious “Things get damaged, things get broken”

Umm, not their best song. Still, this is the one I think about (after Enjoy the Silence, which is somewhat overrated, but good nonetheless) if anyone mentions DM. The huge fish in the video helps too. Not that I like fish, just saying.

8, Good Charlotte – Time after time “Caught up in circles, confusion is nothing new”

While I’m not very fond of their new album, I do like their older stuff. This song particularly captured my attention, although I’m not sure why. I don’t really listen to it anymore, but I still felt the need to mention it.

(It’s getting hard to choose – too many great songs, too little time until I fall asleep in my chair ^^)

9, Dir en Grey – Cage “Kowashita boku wa sado?”

Not my favorite from them (that would be [Kr] Cube), nor the one I’ve listened to the most recently (Raison d’etre). This was one of the songs that got me into Diru – and I’ve been obsessed ever since. From different translations I now understand most of the lyrics, and they’re rather thoughtful. And the video is both pretty and a little sick – makes for a perfect song.

10, Eminem – Mockingbird ” I can see you’re sad, even when you smile, even when you laugh”

Now, I don’t really listen to any form of rap, but this song means more to me than most of the others. It doesn’t describe a hypothetical (is that a word?) situation, but a very real one. I really hate the ending though.

11, Iron Maiden – Journeyman “We have cheated death and he has cheated us”

I’m sure most people know this one, so I won’t say a lot about it. Beautiful track.

12, AFI – The Interview “I breathe in, and sink into the water underground, and I’ll grow pale, without you…”

The more tired I am, the stronger the urge gets to just write down whatever I think about – that usually isn’t a good idea, but hey, let’s give it a try… Heeere it goes. “oh God, I love Davey. He has such a pretty voice… and he’s pretty… well, most of the time. And Jade’s cute, too. lalalala. This song is, like, the greatest ever. Well, not, but it could be. And it totally should. Cause his voice is pretty” (Sorry, I neeeded that. hope it still gave you a general idea of the track )

13, System of a Down – Chop Suey “I cry when angels deserve to die”

I’m pretty sure those lyrics just explained my choice. Also, I love the reference to Christ, the “why have you forsaken me” part, especially because it reminds me of Jesus Christ Superstar, which is my favorite musical.

14, Linkin Park – P5hng Me A*wy “Reverse psychology is failing miserably, it’s so hard to be left all alone”

This one has 3 versions: the original, Pushing Me Away, the Reanimation version, and the Live in Texas. My favorite is the third, because it’s way more powerful than the first, and sounds more… alive than the second. I can’t really explain it, that’s just the impression I got.

15, Savage Garden – Truly, Madly, Deeply “I’m counting on a new beginning, a reason for living, a deeper meaning…”

This one I’m kinda ashamed of. *scratches head* I know, the lyrics don’t always make sense, and it’s just another sloppy lovesong, but come on, everyone has weak moments, and I seem to have a lot more than “everyone”.

16, Indochine & Brian Molko – Pink Water 3 “Si demain tu ne me rejoins pas, alors continue sans moi”

Although I love Brian’s vocals in this, that’s not the (only) reason I like it. I got to know this band through a kinda-friend of mine, and hearing this song reminds me of her. It’s still a great song if you’ve never heard of them though.

17, Cradle of Filth – A Gothic Romance (Red Roses for the Devil’s Whore) “Nocturnal pulse… My veins spill forth their waters, rent by lips I cherish most!”

Seriously, can anyone who likes English at least a little not squeal in joy at the sight of those lyrics? I mean, while most of their songs are somewhat sick, I still find them beautiful in a way that I can’t explain. Most people don’t like them, and I, too was at first taken aback by all the screaming, but once I was used to it, listening to CoF was truly an experience.

18, HIM – Resurrection “You kissed my lips with those once cold fingertips”

I was hard-pressed to choose Rip Out the Wings of a Butterfly, but this one is less known and in a way even better than that. Nothing to say here, go listen to it, or don’t. You’ll either like it or not, it doesn’t depend on me, does it.

19, Evanescence – Where Will You Go? “I can hear you when you whisper, but you can’t even hear me screaming”

I don’t like Evanescence’ new album, but I found the previous one amazing. As for this specific song: not my favorite from the album, but still good, and the lyrics are true on so many levels it’s not even funny.

20, My Chemical Romance – The Ghost of you “For all the ghosts that are never gonna catch me… If I fall.”

Another popular band, another catchy song. I hate the video, I’m not all that fond of the lyrics, and while the music I like, I’m not sure what makes this one so interesting. Yet it is, at least to me, so it’s worth a listen or two.

21, Nightwish – The Poet and the Pendulum “Try to save them all, bleed no more.”

The best song since Tarja left the band. No, I mean it – the best. It’s rather long, separated into 5 (?) parts, all of which are different from the previous ones, and yet when you listen to it, you hear no “switch” where one ends and another begins. Plus, it sounds awesome live. ^^

22, Tarja Turunen – Boy and the Ghost “Wake up, wake up, there’s an angel in the snow!”

And now the ex-singer. I really preferred them together, as in, the band with Tarja, but that train is gone. (Am I making up idioms? well, it’s kinda nearing 2 AM, so don’t be surprised) Anyway, another sad song, my favorite of her album. It’s another one of those stories you – well, I – can relate to. It’s not that I’ve been abused (or dead, duh), obviously, but I can feel the pain of an unloved child. Then again, I might just be too emotional.

23, Negative – The Moment of Our Love ” Just let me love you, and I’ll learn to love you right”

Yay for another Finnish band. The singer, Jonne looks a little too girlish sometimes, even for me, but who cares, really. Pretty much the “just a lovesong” category, but his voice makes listening worth it. For me, that is, I don’t know about you.

(Now, a hard one… Can I choose two? Pretty please? Meh, never mind…)

24, Placebo – My Sweet Prince “Never thought all this could backfire…”

I’ve seen a live version of this song where Brian looks like he’s high… He’s prolly just screwing around though. Like, not literally… Whatever. One of the most emotionally powerful songs I’ve ever heard. It’s mostly the grammatical expressions (“Never thought”) that make this interesting, and the story behind it, which I’m too lazy to tell you about, but I might just add later.

25, Within Temptation – Frozen “All colours seem to fade away, I can’t reach my soul…”

I’ve seen them live as well, although they didn’t play this one, no idea why. The same’s true for this as for all the Within Temptation songs: Astonishing vocals supported by great music. ’nuff said.

26, Placebo – Without You I’m Nothing “You grow me like an evergreen, you’ve never seen a lonely me at all.”

Yea, I’m breaking my own rule. Sorry about that. Buut… this could count as a Bowie song, as they performed it together. It’s actually pretty good, although I still prefer the album version. This, too, is almost overflowing with emotion, but – although I admit I’m biased – it doesn’t hurt my ears the way a BSB song does.

27, Muse – Starlight “I will be chasing a starlight until the end of my life, I don’t know if it’s worth it anymore”

Matt Bellamy’s voice gets a little too high for my liking from time to time, but both the lyrics and the music of this one captured my heart, and haven’t let go ever since. (Shit, I’m getting poetic. The end must be near.)

Anyway, I’ve written way too much for today, and tomorrow, and for god knows how long. Please note that I don’t own the songs, the lyrics or the singers (^^), I’m not making any money from this, and stuff, so… that was the disclaimer. Kinda. Well, at least I tried.

Oh, and by the way, I didn’t actually have the patience to google the lyrics, so I just wrote them as I remembered them, I hope I didn’t make too many mistakes.

If you have a song you think would fit in the list, please, do tell me, and I’ll see if I like it. ^^

Dalymar

~ by dalymar on June 18, 2008.