The lines of the song strive to bring together lovers who are separated by distance, but the metaphorical obstacles here (mountains, valleys and rivers) can be just about anything.Īmerican pop culture in the 1950s was largely swanky, sanitized or often problematic (to put it lightly), but there’s something very pure about Nat King Cole, even if his records were the choice music of square parents. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell essentially achieve everything great about pop music on “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” a soul duet of epic proportions. It’s amazing what a song can do in just two-and-a-half minutes. Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” The British industrial and post-punk group teamed up with Gang of Four’s Andy Gill and Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl for their 2003 self-titled album, and one highlight is “You’ll Never Get to Me.” Jaz Coleman’s vocals are delivered somewhat absurdly, but hearing Coleman growl incredibly earnest lines in the style of a hardcore singer or swamp monster is really something: “Oh, sing a song of joy / Sweet childhood / Never desert me.” This is a dramatic turn from the quiet acoustics of Joan Baez, but Killing Joke harness quite a bit of power as well. If there’s a better song about human struggle, I would love to hear it immediately. She famously sang the song at the March on Washington in 1963, and other early live versions capture that same powerful weight as well. Pretty much any version of this protest anthem will do-Pete Seeger has a goosebump-inducing live version where the crowd joins in, Toots and the Maytals turned the song into reggae gold and Bruce Springsteen recorded a calming studio version-but Joan Baez’s rendition makes me weep the most. “It don’t make sense / Not to keep on pushing,” they sing, and you can’t really argue with them there. ![]() A trio of Curtis Mayfield, Sam Gooden and Fred Cash absolutely mop the floors with their sky-high falsetto, and the lyrics clearly resonated as well-it became a civil rights anthem, and its title was also used as a slogan for a number of progressive political causes. If you need proof of the soul group’s chops, look no further than the title track of their 1964 album Keep on Pushing. Is there anything more new wave than that? “Can’t stop the world / Why let it stop you?” asks lead singer Belinda Carlisle, and in that moment, you have no choice but to nod forcefully in agreement. Take for example its final track “Can’t Stop the World”-a bouncy, driving guitar pop song about a broken heart and car. The Go-Go’s’ 1981 debut album Beauty and the Beat is exceptionally hard to dislike. ![]() Considering he died during a global pandemic and his most famous song is called “Lean on Me,” it’s almost as if the world is nudging us to fall back on Withers’ music. With the recent passing of Bill Withers, his songs certainly resonate even more deeply than normal, and there’s no doubt that they will have a near-infinite life span. It means the works of an artist have outlived their physical consciousness, and that seems like the highest bar someone can reach in the creative fields. Listen to the full playlist on Spotify right here.įinding solace in the music of someone who has passed away is a meaningful experience. Dig into 25 classic songs about the resiliency of the human soul. We’ll allow one exception to this rule, and that’s a Queen song, but it’s only because they recruited David Bowie, and it’s genuinely poignant as opposed to those two previously mentioned tracks. This isn’t a time for the trite theatrics of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” or the overwhelming garishness of Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.” We need the riches of gospel and soul music and heartfelt, melancholy classic rock-music that’s been bruised and lived to tell the tale. If you’re looking for some music with a bit more lived-in wisdom and durability than your average songs of today, look no further than this list. But we’ve been tested before, and previous generations will certainly credit music as a guiding light during their struggles. People are feeling dejected and powerless, and it can be easy to just hang our heads and wallow in sorrow. ![]() This coronavirus pandemic is testing our will power, and we’re not even sure how long we have to endure these circumstances. When we feel at our weakest, sometimes the best pep talk can come from a song.
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