I wasn't sure what to do my top 10 on this week, I was almost too chilled to think about it - but then I realised `doh`, I should do my top 10 chill out tracks - as that's what I've been listening to this afternoon whilst I cleaned and tidied and chucked out trash. I started out listening to Counting Crows, but headed over to my chill out music shortly after. So grab a chilled glass of something - or a cup of tea - and curl up with this lot!
Top 10 Chill Out Tracks
1) Fast Car - Tracy Chapman This is such a beautiful song and I get such a yearning to listen to it, speshly when the summer nights are warm and long. I like to sit somewhere that I can watch the sunset, with a glass of wine in one hand and put this on. I imagine what I might do if I drove off somewhere and started my life from scratch. When I was a teenager I used to crawl out on to the roof of my house in the summer and listen to this and watch the sky.
2) All Is Full of Love - Bjork I know, I've blogged about this before but Bjork's ethereal voice just has a real pavlovian response in me. I'd never heard this song until about 2003, and I listened to it when I was reading Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. When I hear this song, I remember sitting on my bed, on sunny afternoons, whiling awhile the hours reading and relaxing.
3) Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley I have to confess, until the X-Factor, I'd never ever heard this song before, but once I heard Buckley's version I was completely hooked. I don't really want to say much about this song - the melody and lyrics say it all for me.
4) More Than This - Roxy Music My dad gave me a copy of the best of Roxy Music when I was sitting my GCSEs (for the non UK peeps, that's around age 15-16) and I was really in the middle of a tough time at school. I completely fell under Ferry's spell - and also Brian Eno's incredible talents (interesting that he also worked with U2, one of my favourite bands) More than this just kind of helped me get through stuff, even though I think the essential message of the song is a little depressing!
5) Sweet Child of Mine - Taken By Trees Possibly, the best cover version of any song that I've ever heard. The G'nR version is probably my favourite song, but this one just electrifies every nerve in my body - it's so beautiful and melancholic. I first heard it on a John Lewis ad (big UK dept. store) about 3 months after I got married. My only regret about my wedding is that I didn't hear this song before and get to walk down the aisle to it. So perfect. Hope you love it too!
6) Teardrop - Massive Attack One of the ultimate chill out songs IMO. I've listened to this all over the place - in my flat, in pubs and clubs and restaurants, overlooking hundreds of sunsets - it never fails to raise the hairs on the back of my neck. What I love about it is the contrast between the smooth melody and singing and the crackly popping noises in the back of it (am sure there's a proper techy muso word for that but I don't know what it is!) This song is the equivalent of of wrapping your body in suede. Awesome video too!
7) Where Do I Begin - Chemical Brothers I heard this when I watched Vanilla Sky and hated the movie (too creepy!) but loved this song. It's a sunday morning in bed with the papers and a cup of tea song. It makes me think of being so hungover and staying someplace other than home and that horrid fuzzy feeling of having to deal with public transport and fresh air and sunshine when really you just want to be in your own bed, hiding under the duvet. On another note, this song does also remind me of being very depressed, but its nice to now be able to listen to it and it not upset me as it's a beautiful track!
8) Numb - U2 I think that the U2 Zooropa album is very underrated, mostly known for being the tour where they lost a lot of money. Anyway the songs on this album are really trippy and kinda psychadelicy-ish (I know, that's not a word!). It's got the beautiful Stay (Far Away, So Close) which makes me cry but the rest of the album is nerve-tinglingly different. My favourite is this one, possibly because The Edge sings/mumbles most of the lyrics whilst Bono comes on to wail the chorus. I think The Edge has the sexiest voice and this song just ticks all the right boxes for me. It reminds me of scorching hot summer days, when you can't sleep or breathe or do anything for heat - you've always got sweat trickling down your back and this song is a bit of ice in all that heat.
9) As The Rush Comes (radio edit) - Motorcycle I know, it's dance music. But I used to be a HUGE trance fan. When I was also a goth. Weird that. Anyway.... yes I love trance and this song IMO is very trance-y. It makes me feel like I'm moving when I'm standing still. It's such a `travelling` song and I love listening to this when I'm running. It's great for when you're er, chilling out before you're going out. Hope you love it like I do.
10) Glory Box - Portishead I guess, really i should have had this on my alternative love songs list but to me, it's up there with Teardrop in the chill-out songs rankings. I know it's a bit louder but it makes me feel electric when I hear it. Again the mix of tuneful and crackly really make it for me but then the guitar wails kick in and it's just a perfect song.
So that's it - that's my list - and it was a hard one to do. I had some awesome suggestions but the best one by far was Ghosts by Siobhan Donaghy which was suggested by @LucyVMorgan of the fabulous Literary Friction blog (check it out!) Let me know what you think of the list and suggest some other stuff for me!!
I'll be back on Wednesday with WoTW plus friday's interview and some other bits inbetween so have a good one all.
Thank you and good night,
Stupidgirl has left the building
Top 10 Chill Out Tracks
1) Fast Car - Tracy Chapman This is such a beautiful song and I get such a yearning to listen to it, speshly when the summer nights are warm and long. I like to sit somewhere that I can watch the sunset, with a glass of wine in one hand and put this on. I imagine what I might do if I drove off somewhere and started my life from scratch. When I was a teenager I used to crawl out on to the roof of my house in the summer and listen to this and watch the sky.
2) All Is Full of Love - Bjork I know, I've blogged about this before but Bjork's ethereal voice just has a real pavlovian response in me. I'd never heard this song until about 2003, and I listened to it when I was reading Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones. When I hear this song, I remember sitting on my bed, on sunny afternoons, whiling awhile the hours reading and relaxing.
3) Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley I have to confess, until the X-Factor, I'd never ever heard this song before, but once I heard Buckley's version I was completely hooked. I don't really want to say much about this song - the melody and lyrics say it all for me.
4) More Than This - Roxy Music My dad gave me a copy of the best of Roxy Music when I was sitting my GCSEs (for the non UK peeps, that's around age 15-16) and I was really in the middle of a tough time at school. I completely fell under Ferry's spell - and also Brian Eno's incredible talents (interesting that he also worked with U2, one of my favourite bands) More than this just kind of helped me get through stuff, even though I think the essential message of the song is a little depressing!
5) Sweet Child of Mine - Taken By Trees Possibly, the best cover version of any song that I've ever heard. The G'nR version is probably my favourite song, but this one just electrifies every nerve in my body - it's so beautiful and melancholic. I first heard it on a John Lewis ad (big UK dept. store) about 3 months after I got married. My only regret about my wedding is that I didn't hear this song before and get to walk down the aisle to it. So perfect. Hope you love it too!
6) Teardrop - Massive Attack One of the ultimate chill out songs IMO. I've listened to this all over the place - in my flat, in pubs and clubs and restaurants, overlooking hundreds of sunsets - it never fails to raise the hairs on the back of my neck. What I love about it is the contrast between the smooth melody and singing and the crackly popping noises in the back of it (am sure there's a proper techy muso word for that but I don't know what it is!) This song is the equivalent of of wrapping your body in suede. Awesome video too!
7) Where Do I Begin - Chemical Brothers I heard this when I watched Vanilla Sky and hated the movie (too creepy!) but loved this song. It's a sunday morning in bed with the papers and a cup of tea song. It makes me think of being so hungover and staying someplace other than home and that horrid fuzzy feeling of having to deal with public transport and fresh air and sunshine when really you just want to be in your own bed, hiding under the duvet. On another note, this song does also remind me of being very depressed, but its nice to now be able to listen to it and it not upset me as it's a beautiful track!
8) Numb - U2 I think that the U2 Zooropa album is very underrated, mostly known for being the tour where they lost a lot of money. Anyway the songs on this album are really trippy and kinda psychadelicy-ish (I know, that's not a word!). It's got the beautiful Stay (Far Away, So Close) which makes me cry but the rest of the album is nerve-tinglingly different. My favourite is this one, possibly because The Edge sings/mumbles most of the lyrics whilst Bono comes on to wail the chorus. I think The Edge has the sexiest voice and this song just ticks all the right boxes for me. It reminds me of scorching hot summer days, when you can't sleep or breathe or do anything for heat - you've always got sweat trickling down your back and this song is a bit of ice in all that heat.
9) As The Rush Comes (radio edit) - Motorcycle I know, it's dance music. But I used to be a HUGE trance fan. When I was also a goth. Weird that. Anyway.... yes I love trance and this song IMO is very trance-y. It makes me feel like I'm moving when I'm standing still. It's such a `travelling` song and I love listening to this when I'm running. It's great for when you're er, chilling out before you're going out. Hope you love it like I do.
10) Glory Box - Portishead I guess, really i should have had this on my alternative love songs list but to me, it's up there with Teardrop in the chill-out songs rankings. I know it's a bit louder but it makes me feel electric when I hear it. Again the mix of tuneful and crackly really make it for me but then the guitar wails kick in and it's just a perfect song.
So that's it - that's my list - and it was a hard one to do. I had some awesome suggestions but the best one by far was Ghosts by Siobhan Donaghy which was suggested by @LucyVMorgan of the fabulous Literary Friction blog (check it out!) Let me know what you think of the list and suggest some other stuff for me!!
I'll be back on Wednesday with WoTW plus friday's interview and some other bits inbetween so have a good one all.
Thank you and good night,
Stupidgirl has left the building
