The Songs That Saved Your Life
Music has been ever present in my life for a lost as I can remember. From the car radio to school discos. Sitting in front of the television watching Queen Live at Wembley with my Dad to him taking me to my first gig. Indie discos, festivals, sticky night club dance floors. Early morning work commutes late night spotify binges and early afternoon vinyl listening. It's always there.
In times good and bad. I've found myself falling back on music, in my 24 years on this planet.
Heres 24 songs that have been there for me, and have a pivotal and profound impact on my life.
Stereophonics- Have a Nice Day
This pick was an easy one. A song that was released a year or so after I was born, a song that has been a mainstay in my musical habits from a very very young age.
Hearing this song with my dad is my very first memory of music, I must have been 4 or 5 and I can still remember it now. The exact moment, the exact spot.
This song reminds me of being a child, and although as I've gotten older I can understand the song's ironic nature. Hearing those lyrics sung with the catchy backing vocals transports me back to a time where I couldn't even say ironic let alone know what it meant.
Stereophonics were the first band I saw live, and hearing this song in that setting. Cemented a love for live music forever.
The Smiths- How Soon is Now
This song still makes the hairs stand on end. It's one of the most beautiful and brilliantly crafted pieces of indie pop ever. A song that has become a call to arms for the introverts, sung by a man who means everything work. Backed up by the greatest guitarist of his generation, doing things that he didn't even think were possible.
It's a song that defys explanation. Not even The Smiths are sure how they did it. Just as ‘Have a Nice Day’ started a love for music in general. ‘How Soon is Now’ acted as a catalyst. One that would make me fall in love with The Smiths, and everything they were, and some of them still are about.
It's a song that is made to make people stand up and take notice. For a song that's 40 years old. It sounds like it could have been recorded tomorrow. A truly special piece of music.
The Stone Roses- Waterfall
That Stone Roses album has changed lives, you can speak to countless people that will describe what that album has done for them. Whether it's ‘I Am The Resurrection’ cocky assured war cry or ‘She Bangs the Drums’ two fingered approach to the past.
For me it was the album's third track ‘Waterfall’ a psychedelic nod to the 60s sung by a band who for a brief moment were going to be bigger and better than The Beatles. It's an extraordinary piece of music. Written by four geniuses, a song that for those at the time soundtracked a time of change. The Second Summer of Love. Peace in Europe, the fall of the Iron Curtain. 25 years later the song opened a curtain for me.
It opened the door to a whole host of new music, some of which will make this list. This song changed my life. It started me on a journey, that in many ways has led me to where I am right now writing this post.
The Stone Roses are a pivotal moment in youth culture in Britain even today.
Oasis- Live Forever
The Stone Roses opened the door not just for me, but for a whole host of British bands. None more so than Oasis.
In Britain anyway, Oasis and there songs have become part of the furniture. You'll hear Wonderwall, at house parties, weddings, funerals, school discos, indie nights, sung by buskers and it will be the first song many learn on the guitar. Don't Look Back in Anger in recent years has become an anthem of defiance. Especially after the attack at the Manchester Arena in 2017.
However the first time I really stood up and took notice of the brothers Gallagher. Was hearing Live Forever for the first time.
It's one of the best songs ever written. A beautifully crafted piece of music, about working class life, with an overriding sense of optimism.
Written and recorded in the aftermath following Kurt Cobains death and being the complete opposite of grunge.
Live Forever was the start of Oasis becoming the band that they would become. It was the first special song Noel Gallagher had ever written. It turned Oasis from an indie band inti global super stars…
A truly special piece of music.
Blossoms- Charlemagne
After delving into the world of indie, and alternative music. I began to find new bands from the past, and build up my collection of brilliant music. Around the age of 16 I found bands like Catfish and the Bottlemen, who I began to listen and relate to.
However the first band that I felt like was mine. Were Blossoms. After hearing ‘Charlemagne’ on the radio for the first time I was hooked.
A brilliant piece of indie pop, with a huge chorus and a catchy hook. Blossoms are a huge part in my record collection and at the time of writing this post, the band I have seen the most live. This was the song that started it all. Hearing it on the radio all those years ago.
Wolf Alice- Delicious Things
Picking a Wolf Alice song for this list was a hard choice. They’re were a few I could have chosen. ‘Smile’ the snarling punk attack, ‘Silk’ the atmospheric melancholic masterpiece, ‘Bros’ a beautiful tale of friendship. ‘Don’t Delete the Kisses’ the best indie love song.
Instead, I've chosen ‘Delicious Things’ the second track from the band's third album. A beautiful tale of just how the band have gotten to this point. It's one of the best songs from the band's best album.
Blue Weekend, made a lot of people stand up and take notice of Wolf Alice, it reinforced them as one of the best and most important bands in Britain today. A magical enthralling song, that gets better with every listen. The sound of a band operating at their very best.
Blur- The Narcissist
One of the newest songs on this list, being just over a year old. I was always going to include a Blur song in this collection of songs, it was just a matter of choosing which one.
I chose ‘The Narcissist’ because upon hearing for the first time last year, I was hooked. It has got all of the classic elements of a Blur song. Melchanonic, meaningful, masterful. All four members play there part. Damon’s lyrics are heartfelt, and a beautiful tribute to those lost along the way. Grahams intricate and understated guitar work, and haunting backing vocals. Alex plays a simple bass line that keeps it all together. Dave’s drumming grows the song into its anthemic chorus.
A snapshot of where the band are today, the song that was the first we would hear off ‘The Ballad of Darren’ and the song that led Blur to announce a series of tour dates. Which allowed me to see a band that I never thought I’d get to see.
‘The Narcissist’ is in the canon of the great Blur songs, sitting alongside ‘Coffee & TV’ and ‘Tender’ on merit. It’s almost as if they’d never been away.
Fleetwood Mac- The Chain
‘The Chain’ is quite a unique song in Fleetwood Mac’s’ discography as each member has got a songwriting credit on the songs. They all came together to write it. Taking elements from other songs to create it.
Giving us not only one of the best songs on ‘Rumours’ which is a difficult fete in itself, but one of the very best songs of the decade. ‘The Chain’ is a masterpiece. On an album littered with brilliant songs.
A song created initially from rejected bits of other compositions including solo work from Nicks, Buckingham and Christine McVie.
It has gone to become much more than a rehash of some rejected demos though. The song has become a Fleetwood Mac fan favourite and since the release of the song in 1977 has become a mainstay in Fleetwood Mac live shows
This is a song that I associate with a particular period of time in my life, and too a particular set of people who were present for that time period. Every time I hear it, it reminds me of that time but also reminds me just how powerful music is and can be.
All of the memories, and things that can be associated with a song and subsequently a band. Fleetwood Mac alongside 'The Chain' soundtrack that time and all of the memories that I have around that period of my life.
David Bowie- Fashion
This song was another hard choice. David Bowie has so many songs that are important to me. The beautiful tale of love in times of adversity 'Heroes' his 80's pop bangers 'Let's Dance' and 'Modern Love' and his other worldy tales of space 'Starman' and 'Ziggy Stardust'
However I picked 'Fashion' the last song on Side One of 'Scary Monsters and Super Creeps' a song that mixes post punk, dance and funk. To create something that only David Bowie could have come up with. It is an attack on the fashion industry and the New Romantics of the time. A more scathing view on the industry, than what has been done previously.
He likened the concept of fashion to fascism, stating, "We are the goon squad and we’re coming to town." This allusion to the enforcers of fascist regimes was apparently intended to parallel the New Romantics, who were prominent in the club scenes of London and New York. Bowie further solidified his perspective by singing, "Turn to the left, turn to the right," drawing comparisons between fashion models and military recruits undergoing training.
A real gem in a brilliant discography that all of these years later still sounds fresh and modern. Bowie was always going to make this list, and 'Fashion' happened to make the cut.
The Beatles- Nowhere Man
It's obvious that The Beatles would also be here, they are still ingrained in the musical fabric today. In Britain especially, you are born knowing the lyrics to Beatles songs. Again there were countless songs I could have picked.
However this one wasn't too much of a struggle. 'Nowhere Man' is a song that I have loved for a really long time. A song written by Lennon & McCartney and released on their 1965 album 'Rubber Soul'. It describes a man with no direction in his life and with no genuine worldview. It is one of the first Beatles songs to be entirely unrelated to romance or love, and marks a notable example of Lennon's philosophically oriented songwriting. Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison sing the song in three-part harmony. The lead guitar solo was performed in unison by Harrison and Lennon.
It's a classic Beatles song that contains all of them at their very best. All of them take their time to shine, moving away from the traditional love songs. 'Nowhere Man' along with 'Rubber Soul' saw the band make a huge leap, which would be the catalyst for the more experimental work that would come to follow, in the form of 'Revolver' and 'Sgt Pepper's'.
Although looking to the future, it didn't see the band neglect there past. It still sounds like the early Beatles songs in particular with there harmonies. It's a stereotypical Beatles song, and yet it is also one of the most unique in there catalogue.
60s pop perfection.
Courteeeners- Not Nineteen Forever
Not Nineteen Forever The song of my teenage years and so much moreIn 2008 Courteeners released ‘Not Nineteen Forever’ then it was just another single from their debut album ‘St Jude’. However since then the song has become a fan favourite and a firm staple in the bands live set.
But it’s so much more than that.
This song seems to be one of the universal tracks at least in my life. It always seems to get a room going. Whether that be at a house party, before a gig, during a Courteeners gig, at an Indie Disco. It’s a good listen on your own too, although the chorus is a big anthemic singalong. The verses are relatable tales of being young and drunk. I for one can definitely relate to those.
Many of my memories, involve music in some capacity. I love going to gigs and I’ve seen Courteeners 6 times. Four in Manchester, once in Liverpool and finally once at a festival. This song sends shivers down my spine hearing it live. Blossoms play this before they walk on stage and get a whole room bouncing to a song playing through the speakers. I’ve had the best nights at uni dancing to this, from my uni halls kitchen, to Shit Indie Disco, to Heebie Jeebies.
This song makes me happy and the memories I have with it I’ll treasure forever. It reminds me of certain individuals, who I have shared these memories with, music has that power to transport us back to those places. To those times, with those people
Peter Gabriel- Red Rain
Peter Gabriel is a massive part of my record collection. After first being introduced to him as a teenager. I've always been interested and intrigued by him as a musician and a human being. Delving into his discography you see that he made some of the most interesting music of the 70s and 80s.
The song I have chosen, is the opening track to his most well known album 'So.' In my opinion one of the best opening songs to an album ever.
The song is a combination of several inspirations. The lyrics directly reference a recurring dream Gabriel was having where he swam in his backyard pool drinking cold red wine. Another version of the dream had bottles in the shape of people falling from a cliff. In it, a stream of red liquid would seep out of the people-shaped bottles as they smashed with impact onto the ground, and was usually followed by a torrential downpour of the same red liquid.
It is such a powerful song, which is very heavy in terms of percussion, Stewart Copeland, (The Police) plays the hi-hat alongside a Chris Hughes programmed drum machine. The song builds and build around this percussion and allows Gabriel to take centre stage with one of his best vocal performances.
I had heard Gabriel's name mentioned before. However this was the song that made stand up and take notice. The mad thing is, that this song the albums opener. On an album that has 'Sledgehammer' 'In Your Eyes' 'Don't Give Up' and 'Big Time' on.
Give it a listen you won't be disappointed.
Catfish & the Bottlemen- 7
I mentioned Catfish & the Bottlemen when referring to another song earlier in this post. They were one of the first bands, I felt a genuine connection with.
Their debut album came out when I was 14, and the follow up when I was 16. It felt that those songs, were for me and my generation.
‘7’ is the first song on that follow up album, and musically it picked up where ‘The Balcony’ the bands debut had left off.
A relatively traditional indie love song, and yet similarity to ‘The Chain’ I associate this song with a particular period of time in my life, and the people that were there for me in that time.
Unlike Fleetwood Mac however I've seen Catfish live a few times, and getting to belt out this song with thousands of others. Proves the power of music. Catfish are a special band live, and this song is their crowing jewel.
Arctic Monkeys- Cornerstone
This song was one of the easiest picks on the list. I could have gone with a few other Arctic Monkeys songs from ‘A Certain Romance’ to ‘Body Paint’ however ‘Cornerstone’ was always going to the chosen one.
I have loved the Arctic Monkeys for a very long time, and was lucky enough to see them live in 2023. They're a band that gripped my generation with their 2013 album ‘AM’ and then took us on a journey to the moon and back again.
‘Cornerstone’ is from the bands, third album ‘Humbug’ and saw the band embrace a new direction. A much more mellow affair that allowed Alex Turner to tell a story.
I still to this day think that ‘Cornerstone’ is the best song the have written. A beautiful story of love and lust, written as a journey that takes the listener with the protagonist.
Arctic Monkeys play a huge part in my musical life, and this song is the one that I'll always go back to.
Queen- Love of My Life (Wembley 1986)
Right at the start of this post I mentioned, sitting down with my dad and watching Queen Live at Wembley. I can't have been very old, but I always remember sitting and watching it, Freddies's yellow jacket, and his Adidas trainers. Brian May with his iconic guitar. The crowd. Just how many iconic songs there is.
The album is not one I listen to regularly. However, I sometimes put it on and I am transported back to that time. ‘Love of My Life’ is the song that I have picked. Due to the simplistic yet beautiful nature of it.
Hearing just Freddie and the guitar, and then hearing all of those people singing it back to him. It's quite the juxtaposition.
Knowing what we know now, and that the Wembley shows were some of the last the band would ever play, with the original line up. Adds a more haunting feel to the song.
It felt right for it to make the list.
Sam Fender- Seventeen Going Under
I described this song in another blog post, as the best song of the last 10 years. A statement I very much still agree with. The song did something that in recent times has been difficult for guitar based music to do.
It charted well, but also provided a social observation of what’s going on in Britain today. Sam described the song as an autobiographical look at his late teens. However it’s more than that. Within its lyrics are snapshots to the reality faced by millions in the UK today.
A rallying call by one of Britains best songwriters, to those both in power and those struggling. He’s been there, and he understands the severity of what’s going on. In working class communities up and down the country.
In my lifetime, and for my generation I can name two pivotal moments in guitar music. The first is the Arctic Monkeys releasing ‘AM’ when we were teenagers, and giving us an album that we could believe in. The second was Sam releasing this song. It highlighted that in a climate of songwriting armies, American Hip-Hop and generic meaningless pop. That a songwriter with a guitar and something to say. Could still make a profound impact. Sam’s tales of growing up in Shields have resonated with millions of people including myself.
This song is one of the most important on the list. It turned Sam Fender into a voice of his generation.
The 1975- Give Yourself a Try
Some of the songs on this list started something for me, some remind me of places, others of people. Some started something for the artist or band. Some changed the landscape of a generation, others plotted the course of a band.
This song is did none of those things. However it is a very good song. The 1975 are a band that many people love to hate, perceived as a band for teenage girls. Who don’t have anything to say with there music. Just through their rather controversial front man.
How wrong those people are. I was torn between a couple of songs for this spot. I chose ‘Give Yourself a Try’ due to its unrelenting nature. That riff that’s so indebted to Joy Division. It’s quick witted and clever lyrics, that are instantly relatable.
It’s the sound of a band, with a lot to say. A band who’ve accepted what and who they are but also looking to what they can possibly become.
In the The 1975’s discography it’s one of the songs I find myself going back to. When I saw them live it’s the song that I was most blown away with in the set. A visceral and powerful moment in the set, that for those few minutes sees the band verge on the edge of being out of control and yet still commanding a whole room.
One of the bands very best musical efforts.
New Order- Age of Consent
Manchester, has more rockstars per capita than other city in the world. From Joy Division, to The Smiths, Happy Mondays to Oasis, 808 State, A Guy Called Gerald. The Hacienda, The Boardwalk,it's a city rich in musical heritage.
New Order, are a band that sum up Manchester, the beauty, the brutality, the wit, the resilience.
‘Age of Consent’ is a song that for me anyway is synonymous with the City. It sounds like Manchester.
5 minutes and 14 seconds of beautiful, melancholic guitar pop. New Order rose from the ashes of Joy Division following the death of Ian Curtis, and this song is a fitting tribute to the former band. As well as look to the future.
From Peter Hooks instantly recognisable bass line, into the intricate guitar work of Bernard Sumner, the re used Stephen Morris drum beat of ‘Love Will Tear us Apart’ and the brilliant string synths played by Gillian Gilbert.
It’s got a warmth that Joy Division were aiming for but never quite got to. Manchester has produced a lot of great songs, this one is up there with the very best, the sound of Age of Consent is ingrained in the fabric of the city.
Kate Bush- Cloudbusting
This song is an anomaly in this list, most of the other songs have an associated meaning to me, or I have enjoyed live in some capacity. This song is neither. I simply really like it.
It was released 14 years before I was born, and is from an album that gave us ‘Hounds of Love’ and ‘Running Up that Hill (A Deal With God)’ but it was this song that gripped me.
I love the way it sounds, with pulsating drums and beautiful strings. The two juxtapose each other so much and yet that’s what makes it work. Bush’s vocal is spectacular as well. She is one of the most unique voices in music, on this track you hear it to full effect. Dipping from the highs to the lows effortlessly.
One of the hidden gems of the 1980s. A real banger.
Gerry Cinnamon- Fortune Favours the Bold
Gerry Cinnamon, this man makes the list for one reason. His gigs. I was a fan of his after watching the 2018 TRNSMT set like countless others. Watching the relatively unknown artist play in front of 40,000 plus in his hometown and absolutely smash it.
We would see him later that year, and then again in Spring 2019. In Birmingham, and it was one of the maddest gigs I’ve ever been to.
I’ve put a video in so you can see what it was like. ‘Fortune Favours the Bold’ was a standout point of that set, and I feel like it’s a metaphor for the man’s career. He persevered and now look at him.
It’s one of his very best songs, with some heartfelt and hard hitting lyrics. Gerry may not be the most glamorous names. However it would be hard for me to sit here and deny that he’s not made an impact on my life.
Tame Impala- The Less I Know the Better
March 29th 2017. I had just finished watching Blossoms for the first time, at Birmingham’s O2 Academy. As we walked out of what had been an amazing gig. This song played over the speakers.
A perfectly crafted psychedelic pop song. That sounded like 1966 era Beatles, the Bee Gees, Prince, Pink Floyd, Daft Punk.
It’s a mix of genres, sounds and eras. That created something truly unique.
All perfectly formulated into a 4 and a half minute modern pop song. By an Australian fella called Kevin Parker.
This song started a love for Tame Impala that has continued. He has made some of the very best music of the last decade. From ‘Let it Happen’ to ‘Elephant’. ‘Lost in Yesterday’ to ‘Alter Ego.’
He’s an extremely talented musician, who has a knack for creating bangers.
The Jam- Strange Town
The Jam are a band that I fell in love with as a consequence of my other listening habits. Sixth Form was when I really got into them, due to a mate, his dad and our shared love for Oasis, Ocean Colour Scene and The Stone Roses.
I could have picked countless songs. From the heavy hitters like ‘A Town Called Malice’ or ‘Going Underground’ to the more subdued ‘That’s Entertainment’ or the fan favourite ‘Down in the Tube Station at Midnight’ which we listened to on repeat in our sixth form study room.
However I chose ‘Strange Town’ a song that was not written about class struggles, or right wing attacks, or even the innocence of youth.
Instead being written about the alienation we face when moving to a new place. Weller compares this feeling to feeling like an alien, a UFO.
Not knowing what to do, or how to fit in with these new people and new ideas. It’s everything that makes The Jam great. Tight instrumentation, clever lyrics, a brilliant vocal.
An overlooked classic.
Pulp- Common People
I have talked about this song before. This song summed up the class system in Britain. A traditional love song, in which the protagonist meets a girl.
However the girl is interested in living like the ‘Common People’ even though she is anything but one of the ‘Common People.’ Fetishising the idea of being working class, when this was the nature of millions of people. Who don’t get a choice.
No matter how hard they try, they’ll never be like the ‘Common People’. The song was Pulp’s biggest hit and still sounds fresh all these years on.
In my opinion it is the definitive Britpop song. The crowning jewel in the movement. As well being one of the most important British songs ever. Pulp summed up the class system in a 5 and a half minute pop song.
It’s one of the very best songs to ever be written by a British band.
The Rest…
I wanted to do a song for every year of my life and being 24 years old, this list has 24 songs. Some were easy choices, others proved to be more difficult. Of course there’s stuff I’ve missed. Before I reveal the last song. I feel like it’s important to give those a mention.
From Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds, ‘AKA What A Life’ being an ever present tune since I first found Oasis. To INXS, ‘New Sensation’ being played by my Dad. Hearing Coldplays ‘Fix You’ in the car as a young child. The Killers, ‘Read My Mind’ being the lynchpin of my teenage listening, and starting my love for the boys from Vegas.
The Sherlocks and my first ever standing gig being soundtracked by ‘Was it Really Worth It.’ Florence being the ‘Queen of Peace.’ Tears for Fears and there anti-war banger ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’. There’s countless more I could have talked about. All of which have had a profound impact on me in some way. I’d be writing for weeks if I was talking about them all.
My playlist at the moment has 3472 songs on it. Narrowing it down to 24 was difficult. If i was to finish this list next week, I guarantee that it would be different. Roll on next year when I can add another one haha.
Pink Floyd- Wish You Were Here
I’ve spoken about a lot of different people on this list. One I’ve not spoken about yet. Is my friend Archie, who I met at uni and who also happens to be a massive Pink Floyd fan. We met due to the fact he lived on the same corridor as me but we bonded over a shared love of music.
Pink Floyd were a band I had heard of, and who I had listened to fleetingly. After the initial discussions about Oasis, Joy Division, New Order, Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand. Archie urged me to listen to Pink Floyd again. I did. Fuelled by lager, and with some cheap earphones.
‘Wish You Were Here’ was the song that stuck out. An acoustic tale about the loss of someone dear and the power of friendship. A rare collaboration between Waters and Gilmour. To create one of the most human sounding and beautiful Pink Floyd songs.
So that brings this list to an end. The 24 songs, that made me smile, that made me cry, the songs that saved my life.
Thank you for reading x