Top 250 Tracks of My 20s
A list of my favorite tracks that more or less represent my 20s. A ranking of all of the music I consumed between 2005 – 2015. I tracked what I listened to through my iTunes history, scrobbling music on Last FM, and my devout appreciation for annual list-making. Such a list requires finding a balance between the emotion and the metaphysical world. Music has the power to represent a time in one’s life, recalling vivid imagery and memory, while it can also call out an emotional reaction in the present. Nostalgia, err, music, is a helluva drug.
Artists with the most songs:
8 songs from Bob Dylan
5 songs from Brian Eno
5 songs from The Velvet Underground
4 songs from The Jesus and Mary Chain
4 songs from Elvis Presley
3 songs from Aphex Twin, Destroyer, Jeff Buckley, Joy Division, The Radio Dept., Radiohead, Ryan Adams, Tchaikovsky, Wilco
Songs by Decade:
3 songs from 1950s
21 songs from 1960s
35 songs from 1970s
36 songs from 1980s
60 songs from 1990s
89 songs from 2000s
28 songs from 2010s
All Songs Are Saved As An Apple Music Playlist At The End
25 SHORTLISTED Tracks:
Debaser – Pixies
Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes
Somebody Told Me – The Killers
Shuggie – Foxygen
Citizen Erased – Muse
Clearing – Grouper
Scar Tissue – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Inspector Norse – Todd Terje
Afternoon Speaker – The Sea and Cake
The Partisan – Leonard Cohen
She Just Wept – Starsailor
A Shot In the Arm – Wilco
Subterranean Homesick Alien – Radiohead
Until the Night is Over – M83
Heartbeats – The Knife
Do You – Spoon
Mother Wale Eyeless – Brian Eno
Damaged Goods – Gang Of Four
Such Great Heights – The Postal Service
Apartment Story – The National
Happy When It Rains – The Jesus and Mary Chain
Can’t Stop Loving You – Phil Collins
Kiss Me On The Bus – The Replacements
Pretty Suzanne – The Monks
Bohemian Like You – The Dandy Warhols
TOP 250 Tracks:
250. 5:55 – Charlotte Gainsbourg
249. Space Travel Is Boring – Sun Kil Moon
248. Say That – Toro Y Moi
247. Misread – Kings Of Convenience
246. Arp She Said – Lindstrom
245. The River – Chromatics
244. Atlantic City – Bruce Springsteen
243. Me Plus One – Annie
242. In The Devil’s Territory – Sufjan Stevens
241. Blasphemous Rumors – Depeche Mode
240. Sister Savior – The Rapture
239. Six Underground – Sneaker Pimps
238. (Get A) Grip (On Yourself) – The Stranglers
237. Once In A Lifetime – Talking Heads
236. She’s The One – The Beta Band
235. Oxygen – JJ72
234. The World Is Gray – Bang Gang
233. Strange And Beautiful [I’ll Put A Spell On You] – Aqualung
232. Oblivion – Grimes
231. Here She Comes Now – The Velvet Underground
230. You’re Always On My Mind – Sam Cooke
229. Walking On The Milky Way – Orchestral Manoeurves In The Dark
228. Vapour Trail – Ride
227. Lola – The Kinks
226. Messy Enough – The Radio Dept.
225. Sing it Back – Moloko
224. All Cats Are Grey – The Cure
223. Book Of Love – Fleetwood Mac
222. When The Ship Comes In [Bootleg Series Version] – Bob Dylan
221. Empty Frames – Brian Eno & John Cale
220. Let Me Down Easy – Derrick Harriott & The Crystalites
219. All I Want Is You – Roxy Music
218. End Of The World – Shocking Pinks
217. Clampdown – The Clash
216. Archangel – Burial
215. Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie – Bob Dylan
214. Untitled #3 (Samskeyti) – Sigur Ros
213. Tomorrow Night – Elvis Presley
212. Hy A Scullyas Lyf Adhagrow – Aphex Twin
211. Beautiful Burnout – Underworld
210. Glory Box – Portishead
209. Spellbound (12″ Mix) – Siouxsie And The banshees
208. Mushaboom – Feist
207. Take Me With U – Prince
206. Race For The Prize – The Flaming Lips
205. No Rain – Blind Melon
204. Near You Always – Jewel
203. Here Come The Warm Jets – Brian Eno
202. Dark Entries – Bauhaus
201. Celebrated Summer – Husker Du
200. The Golden Age – Beck
199. You Get What You Give – New Radicals
198. Teen Age Riot – Sonic Youth
197. Tomorrow, Wendy – Concrete Blonde
196. Primary – The Cure
195. I Never Learnt To Share – James Blake
194. Inside Me – The Jesus and Mary Chain
193. Like A Prayer – Madonna
192. No Cease Fires – Destroyer
191. Girls – Death In Vegas
190. Common People – Pulp
189. You Ought To Be With Me – Al Green
188. People Ain’t No Good – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
187. Discreet Music – Brian Eno
186. Pass This On – The Knife
185. Mary, On The Wall – Grouper
184. Halleluhwah – Can
183. I’ll Take Care Of U – Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx
182. Yeah – Crass Version – LCD Soundsystem
181. Someone’s Got A Hold Of My Heart – Bob Dylan
180. Another Day – Paul McCartney
179. Caring Is Creepy – The Shins
178. Barely Breathing – Duncan Sheik
177. Pair Of Wings – Frankie Rose
176. Ageless Beauty – Stars
175. Primitive Painters – Felt
174. Nothing Ever Happened – Deerhunter
173. Freak Out – Liars
172. The Flower Called Nowhere – Stereolab
171. Invisible Touch – Genesis
170. To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High) – Ryan Adams
169. Rutti – Slowdive
168. Dream Gypsy – Bill Evans
167. The Boxer – Simon & Garfunkel
166. Too Young – Phoenix
165. Optimo – Liquid Liquid
164. Tomorrow Never Knows – The Beatles
163. Crazy Rhythms – The Feelies
162. God Only Knows – The Beach Boys
161. Obstacle 1 – Interpol
160. In The Fog I – Tim Hecker
159. God Moving Over The Face Of The Water – Moby
158. Lowdown – My Morning Jacket
157. Just Like a Woman – Live – Jeff Buckley
156. Venus – Television
155. You’re In Love – The Sonics
154. A Praise Chorus – Jimmy Eat World
153. Sparks – Coldplay
152. Smalltown – Lou Reed & John Cale
151. Can’t Stand Losing You – The Police
150. Purple Rain – Prince
149. Specialist – Interpol
148. At First Touch – The Sight Below
147. Diamonds, Fur Coat, Champagne – Suicide
146. Medley: Summer Love/Set the Mood – Justin Timberlake
145. By This River – Brian Eno
144. The Great Salt Lake – Band of Horses
143. Veridis Quo – Daft Punk
142. Senses Working Overtime – XTC
141. There Goes The Fear – Doves
140. Say it Right – Nelly Furtado
139. Memories – Public Image Ltd.
138. Theme – Jon Brion
137. Tiny Cities Made of Ashes – Sun Kil Moon
136. All That Jazz – Echo And The Bunnymen
135. Because The Night – Patti Smith
134. Beat On The Brat – Ramones
133. The Stars of Track and Field – Belle & Sebastian
132. If I Ever Feel Better – Phoenix
131. Jump Into The Fire – Harry Nilsson
130. Since I left You – The Avalanches
129. Waitin’ for a Superman – The Flaming Lips
128. The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) – Tom Waits
127. Across The Sea – Weezer
126. Girl/Boy – Aphex Twin
125. Holland, 1945 – Neutral Milk Hotel
124. Go West Young Man – Michael W. Smith
123. Say Yes – Elliott Smith
122. You Make It Easy – Air
121. Ouroboros – Oneohtrix Point Never
120. Katy Song – Red House Painters
119. Life Is Long – Brian Eno & David Byrne
118. Metal Heart – Cat Power
117. Ne Me Quitte Pas – Nina Simone
116. Suspicious Minds – Elvis Presley
115. Oh! Sweet Nothing – The Velvet Underground
114. Sometimes Always – The Jesus and Mary Chain
113. I Don’t Like It Like This – The Radio Dept.
112. Ice Age – Joy Division
111. Misunderstood – Wilco
110. Hotel Chelsea Nights – Ryan Adams
109. So Real – Jeff Buckley
108. Your Blood – Destroyer
107. Down In The Tube Station At Midnight – The Jam
106. Don’t You Evah – Spoon
105. Cherry Chapstick – Yo La Tengo
104. I Don’t Want Love – The Antlers
103. Waltz, Op. 39: No. 15, in A-Flat – Johannes Brahms
102. Everytime – Britney Spears
101. Avril 14th – Aphex Twin
Tracks 100 – 51
100. I Lost You – The Walkmen
99. My Iron Lung – Radiohead
98. Here We Are In The Years – Neil Young
97. Lord Can You Hear Me? – Spacemen 3
96. I’ll Try Anything Once – Live – Julian Casablancas
95. (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay – Otis Redding
94. I Think It’s Going To Rain Today – Randy Newman
93. Lost Message – Air
92. Dead Souls – Joy Division
91. Fright Night (Nevermore) – Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
90. Here Comes the Phantom – The Clientele
89. Range Life – Pavement
88. Coloring the Void – M83
87. Together Again – Janet Jackson
86. Motorcycle Drive By – Third Eye Blind
85. I Think Ur A Contra – Vampire Weekend
84. Radiation Ruling The Nation (Protection) – Massive Attack Vs. Mad Professor
83. Save Your Day – Jose Gonzalez
82. She Bangs the Drums – The Stone Roses
81. Pilots – Goldfrapp
80. Frou-frou Foxes In Midsummer Fires – Cocteau Twins
79. The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest – Bob Dylan
78. The World’s Strongest Man – Scott Walker
77. Piano Concerto No. 2 In C Minor, Op. 18: Adagio sostenuto – Rachmaninoff
76. Taste The Floor – The Jesus and Mary Chain
75. Like A Hurricane – Neil Young
74. Straight to Hell – The Clash
73. Armellodie – Gonzales
72. Ocean – The Velvet Underground
71. Idiot Wind – Bob Dylan
70. A Case Of You – Joni Mitchell
69. Vacances & Le mepris – Georges Delerue
68. Lover, You Should’ve Come Over – Jeff Buckley
67. Strawberry Wine – Ryan Adams
66. Children’s Games – Antonio Carlos Jobim
65. Santa-Fe – Bob Dylan (The Bootleg Series, Vols 1-3)
64. The Glory – Kanye West
63. Sister Ray – The Velvet Underground
62. La Dolce Vita Nella Villa di Fregene – Nino Rota
61. Pretty Pursuasion – R.E.M
60. Miss You (12″ Version) – The Rolling Stones
59. You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling – Elvis Presley
58. Concierto de Aranjuez – Miles Davis
57. Sand In My Joints – Wire
56. Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night – John Cale
55. Procession – New Order
54. Weightless – Brian Eno
53. Strange – Galaxie 500
52. Rock ‘N’ Roll Singer – Mark Kozelek
51. The River – PJ Harvey
Tracks 50 – 1
50. Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses – U2
49. The Nutcracker, Andante – In the Christmas Tree – Tchaikovsky
48. Hope I Don’t Fall in Love With You – Tom Waits
47. Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You) – UGK feat. Outkast
46. Out of Time – Blur
45. When You Sleep – My Bloody Valentine
44. Pet Grief – The Radio Dept.
43. These Blues – Spacemen 3
42. Suicide Demo for Kara Walker – Destroyer
41. Impromptu No. 3 in G-Flat Major – Franz Schubert
40. My Sweet Lord – George Harrison
39. Kindred – Burial
38. Loaded – Primal Scream
37. Tommib Help Buss – Squarepusher
36. Search and Destroy – Iggy Pop
35. Roadrunner – The Modern Lovers
34. Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye – Leonard Cohen
33. The Engagement – Alexandre Desplat
32. Je Changerais D’ Avis – Francoise Hardy
31. Under My Thumb – The Rolling Stones
30. The Hours – Beach House
29. Live With Me – Massive Attack
28. Sitting – Cat Stevens
27. You Won’t Need Me Where I’m Goin’ – How To Dress Well
26. Long Promised Road – The Beach Boys
25. A Means To An End – Joy Division
24. Requiem: III Sanctus – Gabriel Faure
23. Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey – Paul McCartney
22. Ashes of American Flag – Wilco
21. Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23 – Tchaikovsky (Van Cliburn)
20. Like A Friend – Pulp
19. The Long and Winding Road – The Beatles
18. Time It’s Time – Talk Talk
17. Boots of Spanish Leather – Bob Dylan
16. Temptation [7″ Version] – New Order
15. Harbor Light – Elvis Presley
14. Word on a Wing – David Bowie
13. From The Morning – Nick Drake
12. Sebastian – Adrian Johnston – Terry Davies (Brideshead Revisited)
11. When The Levee Breaks – Led Zeppelin
10. Lucky – Radiohead
9. Heaven Or Las Vegas – Cocteau Twins
8. New Age – The Velvet Underground
7. It Never Entered My Mind (Higher & Higher) – Miles Davis
6. I Found A Reason – Cat Power
5. Fantino – Sebastien Tellier
4. Copenhagen – Scott Walker
3. Sleeping In – The Radio Dept.
