These Songs Just Want to Be My Everything

There is no excuse for this.

Those who follow me on Twitter or have friended me on Facebook might recall that my brother asked me to put together a list of My Top 40 Favorite Songs of All Time. That he asked me while I was under major deadline pressure to finish the first draft of the sequel to BUMPED should have deterred me from this undertaking..but it did not.

Actually, what really should have deterred me from completing this project is my taste in music. Let's put it this way: With this list, I'm not looking to impress anyone with my coolness. Roughly 25 songs came to me right away. They were locked in. The other 15 spots shifted constantly as I listened to potential selections over and over again and asked myself, "Am I sick of this song yet?" I made a rule that I wouldn't let any artist have more than two songs, otherwise this list would probably be limited to The Beatles, REM, Morrissey and Andy Gibb. (Though if I include his back-up vocals on another track, none other than Phil Collins actually appears on this list three times. PHIL FREAKING COLLINS, people.) After some musical soul searching, I opted to include a Band of Horses cover by Cee-Lo that I only just heard for the first time a few months ago but instantly became the kind of song I could listen to a dozen times on repeat and still want to hear it again. (Though I did not extend the same courtesy to LCD Soundsystem or Girl Talk, both artists I've loved for a few years now but on a whole album kind of level.)

I am under no illusions that these are the 40 best songs of all time. There might be one or two or a dozen songs on this list that some critics might dismiss as heinous affronts to the auditory canal. For whatever reason—be it nostalgia, awesome singalongability or a deep appreciation for falsetto over a disco beat—this is my Top 40. (As arranged alphabetically by iTunes.)

1. What it Takes – Aerosmith

2. I Just Want to Be Your Everything – Andy Gibb

3. I Want it That Way – Backstreet Boys

4. Weekend in New England – Barry Manilow

5. God Only Knows – The Beach Boys

6. Here Comes The Sun – The Beatles

7. And Your Bird Can Sing – The Beatles

8. How Deep is Your Love – The Bee Gees

9. Poison – Bell Biv DeVoe

10. See a Little Light – Bob Mould

11. Love Will Keep Us Together – Captain and Tennille

12. No One's Gonna Love You – Cee Lo Green

13. Train in Vain – The Clash

14. (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding – Elvis Costello

15. It's Only Natural – Crowded House

16. In Between Days – The Cure

17. Enjoy the Silence – Depeche Mode

18. Barely Breathing – Duncan Sheik

19. I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues – Elton John

20. Respect – Erasure

21. That's All – Genesis

22. Freedom 90 – George Michael

23. No One is To Blame – Howard Jones

24. On the Wings of Love – Jeffrey Osborne

25. Stronger – Kanye West

26. Borderline – Madonna

27. Sick of Myself – Matthew Sweet

28. No Myth – Michael Penn

29. Everyday is Like Sunday – Morrissey

30. Suedehead – Morrissey

31. Wonderwall – Oasis

32. Xanadu – Olivia Newton John

33. Elderly Woman Behind The Counter in a Small Town – Pearl Jam

34. Supernova – Liz Phair

35. Easy Lover – Phillip Bailey and Phil Collins

36. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic – The Police

37. So. Central Rain – REM

38. Losing My Religion – REM

39. Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses – U2

40. One – U2