The Most Beautiful Songs/Themes In the World - They Make You Shiver Every Time You Hear Them (1 Viewer)

[Dick]

Beauty, as they say, is in the eyes -- and in this case, in the ears -- of the beholder. I am posting this to see what other people think are the most beautiful songs that have been part of their lives. I expect some will also be on my list, and theirs on mine. I tend to consider orchestral and ballads more likely to be "beautiful," but if the melody and performances are just so, rock and roll songs can be gorgeous as well. And, of course, my choices below comprise but a partial list. Screw the alphabetical order!

My Eclectic Choices, Part One:

O Holy Night (Percy Faith orchestration)
Moon River (Henry Mancini & Chorus)
God Only Knows (The Beach Boys)
No. 9 Dream (John Lennon)
Only Living Boy In New York (Simon and Garfunkle)
Don't Worry Baby (The Beach Boys)
Expecting To Fly (Buffalo Springfield)
My Sweet Lord (George Harrison)
Dangling Conversation (Simon and Garfunkle)
I Really Love You (Phil Seymore)
The Church's One Foundation (Hymn)
What Shall We Give To the Babe In the Manger (Mormon Tabernacle Choir)
Be My Baby (The Ronettes)
I Want To Know What Love Is (Foreigner)
Since You Asked (Dan Fogelberg & Tim Weisberg)
Galadriel (Barclay James Harvest)


For Your Love (Barclay James Harvest)
I Love How You Love Me (Claudine Longet)
Watching and Waiting (The Moody Blues)
New Horizons (The Moody Blues)
Snowbound (Genesis)
The Song Of Scheherezade (Renaissance)
Shepherd's Song (Strawbs)


I Don't Understand (Hudson-Ford)
Dawn (Go Away) (The Four Seasons)
Sister Golden Hair (America)
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (The Beatles)
Then You Left Me (The Bee Gees)
The Guitar Man (Bread)
The Good Times Are Comin' (Mama Cass Eliot)
Morning Has Broken (Cat Stevens)
There's A Place In the World For A Gambler (Dan Fogelberg)
High Flying Bird (Elton John)
Rocket Man (Elton John)
Skyline Pigeon (Elton John)
Harmony (Elton John)
Candle In the Wind (Elton John)
Prove Your Love (Fleetwood Mac)
Cotton Candy Sandman (Harper's Bizarre)


Sandy (Hollies)
Don't Let Me Down (Hollies)
Dance (While the Music Still Goes On) (Abba)
Dancing Queen (Abba)
Eyes That See In the Dark (Kenny Rogers)
After the Love Has Gone (Earth, Wind and Fire)
I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love (Rita Coolidge)
Annabella (Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds)
Baby I Need Your Lovin' (The Four Tops)
Because They're Young (Duane Eddy)
Caroline Goodbye (Colin Blunstone)
China Roses (Enya)
The Circle Is Small (Gordon Lightfoot)
Miguel (Gordon Lightfoot)


If I Could Read Your Mind (Gordon Lightfoot)
More and More Amor (Herb Alpert & Tijuana Brass)
Love Is Blue (Paul Mauriat)
End Of All Time (Gordon Lightfoot)
Go All the Way (Raspberries)
Good Timin' (Beach Boys)
Goodbye (Night Ranger)
I Think I'll Go That Way (Albert Hammond)

 

[jcroy]

"Wake Up Dead" by Megadeth

 

[jcroy]

- Diary of a Madman
- Waiting For Darkness
- Revelation Mother Earth

(Ozzy Osbourne)

 

[jcroy]

- Paint It Black
- Sympathy For The Devil

(Rolling Stones)

 

[jcroy]

"Holy Diver" by Ronnie James Dio

 

[jcroy]

"Bad Reputation" by Thin Lizzy

 

[jcroy]

Unplugged live version of "Rockin' In The Free World" by Neil Young

 

[Walter Kittel]

I always like harmonies in music. There are two groups in particular that I think just nailed this aspect of writing / performance...

The Beach Boys
Don't Worry Baby
Feel Flows
God Only Knows
Good Vibrations
Sloop John B

Pretty much their entire catalog, but that'll do.

Alice In Chains
Down In A Hole
Got Me Wrong
Heaven Beside You
No Excuses
Would

Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell had some of the most distinctive harmonies of just about any rock band that comes to mind. Well, for me anyway. Their MTV Unplugged performance is a particular favorite of mine.

- Walter.

 

[moviebuff75]

Midnight Blue (Melissa Manchester)
We're All Alone (Rita Coolidge)
Right Time of the Night (Jennifer Warnes)
Slow Dancin' Swayin' To The Music (Johnny Rivers)
Poor Side of Town (Johnny Rivers)
Flashdance (Irene Cara)
I Love a Rainy Night (Eddie Rabbit)
Drivin' My Life Away (Eddie Rabbit)
Emotion (Samantha Sang)
How Deep Is Your Love? (The Bee-Gees)
Too Much Heaven (The Bee-Gees)
If I Can't Have You (Yvonne Elliman)
The Gambler (Kenny Rogers)
Queen of Hearts (Juice Newton)
The Sweetest Thing (Juice Newton)
If You Could Read My Mind (Gordon Lightfoot)
Time In A Bottle (Jim Croce)
You're Only Lonely (JD Souther)
Just When I Needed You Most (Randy Vanwarmer)

 

[jcroy]

"Stop Draggin My Heart Around" by Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks

 

[jcroy]

"What's Love Got To Do With It" = Tina Turner

 

[jcroy]

"Una Noche Mas" by Jennifer Lopez

 

[JohnMor]

Concierto de Aranuez: Adagio by Joaquín Rodrigo

 

[jcroy]

"Nur Geträumt" by Nena

 

[jcroy]

"The Exorcist" played on a church's pipe organ

 

[jcroy]

For Your Eyes Only - Sheena Easton

 

[Dick]

Midnight Blue (Melissa Manchester)
We're All Alone (Rita Coolidge)
Right Time of the Night (Jennifer Warnes)
Slow Dancin' Swayin' To The Music (Johnny Rivers)
Poor Side of Town (Johnny Rivers)
Flashdance (Irene Cara)
I Love a Rainy Night (Eddie Rabbit)
Drivin' My Life Away (Eddie Rabbit)
Emotion (Samantha Sang)
How Deep Is Your Love? (The Bee-Gees)
Too Much Heaven (The Bee-Gees)
If I Can't Have You (Yvonne Elliman)
The Gambler (Kenny Rogers)
Queen of Hearts (Juice Newton)
The Sweetest Thing (Juice Newton)
If You Could Read My Mind (Gordon Lightfoot)
Time In A Bottle (Jim Croce)
You're Only Lonely (JD Souther)
Just When I Needed You Most (Randy Vanwarmer)

Randy Vanwarmer is nearly forgotten these days. He had one big hit:) - and a minor one, "Suzi Found A Weapon") and had four or five albums. It was his debut album, featuring "Just When I Needed You Most," that grabbed me back in 1979. I'd not heard of him, and bought the album blind (as I did many albums back when I was making decent money, such as Billy Joel's Piano Man and Clifford T. Ward's Home Thoughts). Almost every song on that album could be listed in this thread, but I would highlight at least one more track from it called, "Your Light," which I am linking to here: . Very sadly, Vanwarmer died young from Leukemia.

You and I have very similar tastes in music, Eric. I also profoundly love "Time In A Bottle" and "Poor Side Of Town." My next entry will be a continuation of my first list, which was growing too long for a single post.

 

[jcroy]

Paganini - Caprice #5

(played on a violin or guitar)

 

[Dick]

PART TWO: Continuing my choices for the most beautiful songs ever recorded, this time mostly 1950's & 60's, with some instrumentals. I will link to a few of them. Most can be found on YouTube for free, or iTunes for a buck or more each.


Ebben? Ne andrò lontana (Aria from La Wally) featured in the movie DIVA:


Witchita Lineman (Glen Campbell)
You Only Live Twice (Nancy Sinatra)
Candle On the Water (Helen Reddy)
Tammy (Debbie Reynolds)
Twelfth Of Never (Johnny Mathis)
Donna (Richie Valens)
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes (The Platters)
It Was I (Skip and Flip)
Hushaby (The Mystics)
Bobbie (Duane Eddy)


I Will Follow Him (Little Peggy March)
Rhythm Of the Rain (The Cascades)
Answer Me My Love (Nat "King" Cole)
I Have Dreamed (Frank Sinatra)
Ebb Tide (Frank Chacksfield)


Go Away Little Girl (Steve Lawrence)
With These Hands (Tom Jones)
Hats Off To Larry (Del Shannon)
Theme From A Summer Place (Percy Faith)
True Love Ways (Buddy Holly)
Woman (Peter and Gordon)
End of the World (Skeeter Davis)
Willow Weep For Me (Chad and Jeremy)
Last Date (Floyd Cramer)
Love and Fury (The Tornados -- yes, the band that gave us "Telstar")


The Lion Sleeps Tonight (The Tokens)
I've Told Every Little Star (Linda Scott)
Young World (Ricky Nelson)

More to come.

 

[Walter Kittel]

Since Dick brought up the '50s and instrumentals, that reminds me of this iconic song...



- Walter.