Top Eight Songs of Love and Pride

This list is comprised of songs that make us feel good about what we have done in our lives and inspire us to be better people as we go on. . But the great thing about them isn't that status on the charts. It's the immaculately produced and polished song. It's immortal and will never be removed from our repertoire of music. It goes beyond the artist and yet embodies the artist. The song stands by itself and yet will forever immortalize the artists who wrote and performed the songs. They are apart of our past and future. These are the songs that will continually be remade by lesser artists. They will continually be re-released. They will continually be passed down and passed down. The lyrics and the music will be mimicked and talked about. They will be as apart of our culture as Bee hives hair dos or bellbottoms or Kennedy's assassination. They won't go away, nor will we want them to. They are part of our history.

Besides being part of our history, they are extremely well written, well produced and well performed pieces. The artists transcend music and are the examples of other fantastic artists who grew up on their music and still listen to them today.

And In The End by the Beatles

The ending of an era. The last phrase the Beatles ever uttered in their musical career. The Beatles as a group of course. Their solo albums were just as successful in musical genius after the final song on Abby Road was recorded into history. But this will always be remembered as the Beatles final musical thought to the world. "And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make". As monumental as "I have a dream" or "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"

But also as monumental as Beethoven's fifth or Handel's Messiah, this piece of music also transcends its era and is more than just the Beatles. The musical phrase itself is a mantra to those people who are in love with music and is an idea that will always be talked about when there is talk of peace. It is what life is. It is the answer to how we should treat each other on this earth with the time that we have.

Nightswimming by REM

A beautiful piano piece, this song is about love, loss and the beauty of the night. It makes you feel solemn, you want to listen to it forever. Where other songs have their endings and you are happy when they end, you want the ever flowing melody of this song to go on and on. You want the piano riffs to keep riffing, you want Michael Stipe's voice to keep singing the chorus over and over again. What a great song written by the lovely Mike Mills, lyrics Michael Stipe.
The great thing about this song is that it seems longer than most other most other pop songs of today, ending at 4:16. You get a little extra heaven when listening hoping it doesn't and then it doesn't. It is simply beautiful when heard. The song is about skinny dipping and youth and innocence.

Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen

It is a song that everyone knows, everyone has seen the video. Everyone knows about Wayne's world. But the song itself is written about this poor young boy with no family who wants to kill himself because nothing really matters. It's the ultimate song to rock out to when you're 16 and on drugs. But it's also a song that can make you cry when you're listening to it alone in your car.

Lose Yourself by Eminem

The theme for the movie 8 Mile. What a perfect rap song. It has truth, good lyrics, a hook to die for. And it's real. Eminem raps his life with such passion and the words are written in such a way that you can see everything he's going through. The song is about losing yourself in the dream that you have. No matter what is going on in your outside life, your dream doesn't have to change. You can stick make it and prove yourself to the world whether you get rich or not. It's about pride and love for yourself and what you do.

Rapper's Delight by The Sugarhill gang

It never hit #1 on the US charts but it is still played today, coming out in 1979. But it was the first real rap song and the first one to be a hit at #36 on the charts. And the only rap song that stands the test of time. It is about the artists, the pride of rap and living on the streets, growing up with the people you liked and loved. Making music from your soul and your background. It's not about bling or killing, it's about friendships and love. And you can dance to it. The melody is one of the better known melodies of all rap songs and it is where we first find out what DJ's can really do with records.

At Last by Etta James

What a beauty. This song is everything that a love song should be. It stops time when you listen to it. It is about the waiting that we all endure, waiting for a love that has never come to us before. Finally we are so happy t o have that love in our lives that there is nothing else to do but sing from our hearts about it. It is the love song by which all other love songs are judged. Another haunting melody and performance by. Her voice not only soars in the air but is one of the most unique and perfect ones of the 20th century. If you listen to it by yourself it will more than likely make you cry.
Written by Mack Gordon and Harry warden and sung at first by Glenn Miller, the song was made famous by Etta James in 1942. And hers is the only version to be compared to anything else. The arrangement tears at your heart and James' voice is one for the ages.

My Way Frank Sinatra

Lyrics by Paul Anka and music by Claude Francois, My Way is a song that talks about the end of life and how we see ourselves and what we've done in the end.
This was Sinatra's signature song and the song that talks about the rights of every man and woman to be an individual. It talks about live love and the pursuit of happiness by taking life into your own hands and doing it you way. How beautiful are the arrangements by Sinatra and how each one of us can connect to the pride that the singer feels in that he chose his path and for whatever happened, he is happy that he had his choices to make.

Respect by Aretha Franklin

I am woman. And this song defines it before any other song does. Through the genius lyrics of and the genius talent of Aretha Franklin, this song gives every woman on earth and every person on earth the right to ask for respect. When people don't think before they act on something that might affect you personally, this is the song to sing them. When you work for someone and they don't give you your godgiven respect, don't let them get away with it. You could listen to Aretha all day anyway but coupled with this song, you have a winner.