The song that defines you

[AdamW]

I have been listening through some of my "oldies" tonight... Something I have always found is that these songs always seem to be very stirring to me, possibly because I grew up with my parents playing these records (I was born to Jonie Mitchell's "Miles of Aisles" live LP, dontcha know!)

So I got to thinking, whilst it is easy to say that you like a song, it must be insanely hard to choose just one song.

So I would be interested to hear what song defines you in a way that no other song can. It can be anything, it can be any one song from any one event... perhaps Cat Stevens "Oh very young one" always reminds you of when your son was 4 years old and couldn't believe just how tall you were... It could be Ugly Kid Joe with "Cats in the Cradle", reminding you of when your kid said "when I grow up I want to be just like dad" or it could be Led Zep's "Stairway" that always reminds you that things aren't always what they seem... Perhaps you proposed to your wife when "Going to the chapel" was playing... It could even be something like "Mambo no. 5" reminding you that you have 5 fingers on each hand but I can't be held responsible for the verbal slapping you may receive...

So come on chaps and chapesses, what are your defining songs, and why? Songs that make you fight back tears earn extra points...

 

[ninebob]

"Affirmation" by Savage Garden, because as well as being a fantastic tune I genuinely agree with each and every word of the lyrics.

That's my choice if is has to be just one, others that I find quite emotive are "The River" by Garth Brooks, "The Gambler" by Kenny Rogers, and "The Living Years" by Mike and the Mechanics.

 

[kendor]

Shaddup you face!

 

[pipme]

River of no return .... Slim Whitman !!

Guess it depends upon one's mood ?

P

 

[kendor]

Everybody's got something to hide except for me and my monkey.

 

[ohmygodwhathaveyoudone]

all the early (1971) queen songs.

 

[Studders]

Bob Dylan 'It aint me babe'

 

[securespark]

Streets of London cos my (departed) ex-wife loved it. Sniff.

 

[ninebob]

Anyway Adam, you haven't told us your one defining song...

 

[AdamW]

The chicken song.

With a little bit of this, and a little bit of that... and so forth.


I have been thinking long and hard about this one... it really is a difficult thing, pretty much impossible. But I think it would have to be "Jealous Guy" by John Lennon... Probably because it is one of those songs where you can imagine (no pun intended!) just how he was feeling when he wrote it.

 

[masona]

Written by John Lennon but wasn't it sang by Bryan Ferry ?

 

[AdamW]

Bryan Ferry did cover it, but John Lennon originally sang it. According to some Roxy Music websites, it was covered as a tribute to JL after he was shot.

Wasn't "With a little help from my friends" originally written by the Beatles, then they thought it would be no good so they gave it to that guy who sang the big powerful version (from The Wonderyears). Then they finally got round to it on Sgt Pepper.

 

[securespark]

Not the one by Spitting Image?

Hold a chicken in the air, stick a deck chair up your nose

Buy a Jumbo Jet and then bury all your clothes

Paint your left knee green, then extract your wisdom teeth

Form a string quartet, and pretend your name is Keith.

etc...

 

[AdamW]

Oh, the song about holidays? Me and my bro loved it because it had the word "g*t" in it.

What about the B-side: "I've never met a nice South African"?

 

[securespark]

Or the Phil Collins skit - "Hello you must be going"?

With the memorable lyric, "As she shoved the door key up my nose...."