My Top 20 Songs

20. The Beatles. (1970). “Let It Be.” Let It Be. This song is not only known by pretty much everyone, but it is very uplifting. Everyone has troubling times that are hard to get through and this song teaches you that things like that will happen and you just need to “let it be.” If you do that, then you can get through your problems. Many people can relate to this song in terms of their lives and I think “Let It Be” can touch many people emotionally/mentally. I am not a big Beatles fan, but I like this song.

19. Oasis. (1996). “Champagne Supernova.” (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? The way this song sounds just fascinates me. The way the words are spoken and the instrumentals are sort of calming to me in a way. I just like this song and enjoy listening to it, even though I absolutely hate the sound of the ocean in the beginning. That part irritates me and I really do not know why.

18. Rascal Flatts. (2007). “Take Me There.” Still Feels Good. I have no particular reason for choosing this song except for the fact that it reminds me of when I was younger. I was 11 years old when this song was released and I just fell in love with it. Now, whenever I hear it I think of my “younger” days.

17. Hinder. (2007). “Better Than Me.” Extreme Behavior. First of all, I am a big fan of Hinder. In my opinion, this is one of their best songs (which is why it’s on this list). I love the way that Austin Winkler, the lead singer, sings this song and I can just play it over and over again all day long.

16. Red Hot Chili Peppers. (1992). “Under the Bridge.” Blood Sugar Sex Magik. I like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and was debating between putting “Under the Bridge” and “Dani California” here. Either one would have worked because I really like Anthony Kiedis’ voice. Really any RHCP song would have worked here.

15. The Script. (2008). “Breakeven (Falling to Pieces).” The Script. This song is just a happy sounding song. The lead singer of The Script has a voice that I like very much just like the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. His voice alone is the only reason that The Script has a spot on this list.

14. Theory of a Deadman. (2008). “Not Meant to Be.” Scars & Souvenirs. I love Theory of a Deadman. I tend to like a lot of bands that society looks down upon (Theory of a Deadman, Nickelback, Creed, Hinder…). I think this song is a beautiful song overall. The words are great and I like the musical elements of the song. Once again, I am also a fan of Tyler Connolly’s voice.

13. Train. (2001). “Drops of Jupiter.” Drops of Jupiter. I think this is a beautiful song that a ton of people love. It is a song that can be listened to and enjoyed no matter what mood you are in. “Drops of Jupiter” just makes me feel happier when I listen to it.

12. 3 Doors Down. (2001). “Be Like That.” The Better Life. This has been one of my favorite songs ever since the first time I heard it. It sends a good message and tells a wonderful story to the listener. Listening to it makes you think about how good you have it and how grateful you should be for everything you have.

11. Oasis. (1995). “Wonderwall.” (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? This song is, in my opinion, the best song from Oasis. This is because the way it sounds. I don’t know exactly why, but I think the way the instruments and the vocals come together makes an amazing sounding song. The rhythm is very catchy and I will find that it gets stuck in my head for a very long time whenever I listen to it. There is no other real reason for this being here.

10. Journey. (1983). “Faithfully.” Frontiers. This is a beautiful song. It is just another one of Journey’s power ballads. The way Steve Perry sang the song is amazing to me. You can tell he is passionate about the words he is speaking. Being on the road in a rock band is something that many people dream of and Journey’s “Faithfully” tells exactly what life on the road is like in a powerful, touching way.

9. Lennon, John. (1971). “Imagine.” Imagine. This song is a very popular, powerful song. The lyrics just make you think about pretty much everything. Now, I am not a huge fan of John Lennon, his voice, or the way that he sang his songs. He actually kind of irritates me. But this song is worth being at number nine on my list.

8. Lifehouse. (2005). “You and Me.” Lifehouse. I am a fan of Lifehouse and this is my favorite song by them. It is a simple, slow song that I enjoy very much. I think the lead singer’s voice is beautiful for singing and the lyrics are great in this song. Lifehouse deserves a spot on my top 20 list and I just thing number eight is an appropriate spot for them.

7. Linkin Park. (2001). “In the End.” Hybrid Theory. “In the End” might be Linkin Park’s best song. I love the way that they blend rock and rap in their songs, even though I am not much of a rap fan. Also, I think the piano that is in the background, usually during the rap part of the song, is an interesting addition to a hard rock/rap song. I can play this song over and over again and never get tired of it. This is, has always been, and probably will always be one of my favorite songs ever.

6. Theory of a Deadman. (2010). “All or Nothing.” Scars & Souvenirs. Again, I love Theory of a Deadman. This song has also been one of my favorite songs ever since it was released. I just think this is a great song and it definitely deserves a spot at number six.

5. Green Day. (2005). “Wake Me Up When September Ends.” American Idiot. This is definitely Green Day’s most beautiful song. I love the way the lead singer’s voice sounds in this song since he usually sings faster, very different songs. Also, September has been a good month for me in and it reminds of some of the best times that I have ever had in my life. Not only does it have a great meaning for me, but I simply love Green Day.

4. Guns N’ Roses. (1987). “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” Appetite for Destruction. Everything about this song is awesome. Axl Rose definitely has a very unique voice which adds to the uniqueness of this song. Slash’s guitar skills make this song different from every other rock song as well. Everything about the song shows the virtuosity of the musicians in the band. Even though the guitar solo in this song may not show the best that Slash can do, it is still better than almost all guitarists could even dream of doing. This song is definitely one of the greatest of all time.

3. Nickelback. (2008). “Gotta Be Somebody.” Dark Horse. I absolutely love Nickelback and this is my all-time favorite song by them. The lyrics are so true and I think everyone can relate to it. Nickelback will forever hold a spot in my heart and at number three on my list of top 20 songs.

2. Cook, David. (2008). “Light On.” David Cook. In my opinion, David Cook has an amazing voice that I absolutely love. I love when artists get really into their songs and you can tell that they feel passionate about the lyrics that they are singing. That is what I get from “Light On.” David Cook gives the song everything he has and it makes the song, in my opinion, amazing.

1. Hinder. (2006). “Lips of an Angel.” Extreme Behavior. The number one song was extremely hard to choose. The top three songs on this list, in fact, could all be number one. Hinder just might be my favorite band and, if I had to choose one of their songs, it would be “Lips of an Angel.” Absolutely everything about this song is amazing to me. Again, I think that Austin Winkler’s voice is perfect. He also gets very passionate and into his songs when he sings them, making them that much better. If I had to choose one song to listen to over and over again for the rest of my life, this would be it. I never ever get tired of hearing this song and probably (hopefully) never will. I love this song even if I can, in no way, relate to it. The music is neither over nor under played, making it perfect. Hinder, Winkler’s voice, and “Lips of an Angel” are perfect.

Don't Stop Believing (Fiction)

            It’s dark and cloudy. The rain is hammering against the windows and you can practically see your breath. Today’s weather reflects exactly how you feel. It’s a miserable, depressing day. Your life has been cluttered with problems and your pessimistic thoughts have been weighing you down for the past few years. The only difference between you and the weather is that the weather changes and yet your feelings stay the same. You can see the blue sky off in the distance physically, but not emotionally. You just don’t see your weather clearing up any time soon.

            This afternoon you are to get on a flight to Nebraska for a business trip. You feel even more depressed as you pack your bags for what is, in your opinion, a waste of time. All you can think of is everything that you could be getting accomplished in the next week if you were home, not in the middle of nowhere. You figure, though, that you can survive the next seven days but can only hope to stay sane while doing so.

            Hours later after monotonously waiting in the never-ending lines in the airport, you are sitting in the uncomfortable seat that’s on the verge of breaking behind the guy who has already reclined his as far as it will go. You have never been in a tin can so small and it brings you to contemplate the wonderful possibility of it falling out of the air. You have pretty much no personal space and are extremely uncomfortable in the middle seat of your row between two men who can barely fit into their own seats and are starting to take up yours. You now think of how tedious the flight will be until your train of thought shifts back to the problems you have been having in your life in general. All of the bills you have stacking up and the little money you have to pay them. Your car that needs more maintenance than there are mechanics to fix its problems. The fact that you just can’t keep up with life and all that it presents you with.

            You finally land and, after sitting in the plane for hours on end, you make it into the airport.  Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse it does. On top of all the problems that you already have, you encounter just one more bump in the road. You discover that your luggage didn’t make it on the same flight as you, so you are now stuck in the middle of nowhere with barely any possessions. The people in the airport tell you that they are trying their best to locate your things, but in your mind, it’s another lost cause. You can just ask yourself if it can get any worse.

            Seven days of monotonous work pass by. You still have no luggage and there isn’t a single person who works for the airline that knows where it is. By now, you forget about that hurdle and move on to the next one that gets in your way. You pack up the new clothes that you bought into the new luggage that you also purchased as a result of your missing belongings. Your credit card happened to be in your luggage that is now gone, so you must pay for everything with the cash you brought. Because of this, you don’t have enough money to buy your plane ticket to get back home. You arrange for a cab to bring you to the nearest bus station. The ride there is far shorter than you expected. This makes you happier momentarily. That is until you figure out that that could only mean the bus ride will be even longer than you initially intended and hoped for. You arrive at the bus station with just enough time to buy a ticket and find your seat.

            As you climb the stairs on the packed bus you have a frown on your face. You you’re your feet as you walk down the aisle of a bus numbered 24 to the only empty seat, towards the back. You sit down and as you stare out the foggy window in anticipation of the uncomfortable ride ahead, a slightly older lady makes her way towards you and takes the unoccupied seat directly next to you. You are not in the mood for any human contact or conversation whatsoever, so you continue to blankly stare out of the icy window. The woman tries to strike up a conversation with you by asking why you look so upset. She decides to try and make you feel better. You sigh and slowly turn towards her, humoring her. She tells you of a time in her life when she was in a similar situation as you. She was once depressed because of hard times. This catches your attention and you decide that you might actually benefit from listening her. You learn that she was poor, she lived in her car for a short time, she could never land a job, and there was no one at all in her life to help her. After quite some time of being exposed to the hardships that the lady has faced, she gives you some valuable advice. Look at the positives in everything.

. . . . . . . .

            It’s been a year since you were sitting on that bus talking to that complete stranger when you learned that very important lesson. You never did catch her name and you regret it every day. You just wish that you could thank her for making your life so much better.

            You open your eyes after a good night’s sleep, sit up, and think. You think about your life. You think about all the problems you’ve ever had. You think about your past. Your experiences. Your troubles. Your hardships. You just think. You ask yourself. Why? If you asked yourself this question any time in the past, you would feel sorry for yourself. You would have created more problems for yourself and you would have made everything in your life seem even worse. Now, everything’s changed. You look out the window and see the beautiful sky as you hear the chirping of the birds that woke you up just outside your window. Why? Why did you drag yourself down all the time? Your entire life up until now made no sense to you. But the past is the past and you can’t weigh yourself down thinking about it.

            Within the past year, starting from the second you took a step off of bus number 24, you turned your life around. The luggage that never made it with you on your flight was behind you, the car that needed fixing was in the past, and the pessimistic thoughts that ran through your head were no longer there. There are always bills on the table and the problems keep coming, but you don’t see them as problems. Every time you were ever optimistic about any situation, you knew you could get through it. All because of that one time, that one conversation, that one bus ride, that one lady, that one sentence she told you. Her exact words on that dismal day still stay with you, still mean something to you. Even on days when the sun is out and there are no clouds in sight. That one little sentence she gave to you right before you stepped off the bus, never to see her again. Your life will always be great as long as you remember those three little words. Don’t stop believing.