Simply Beautiful Songs

Beauty is, of course, in the ear of the beholder. For me, a beautiful song is one that makes me feel, anything -- pain, anger, joy. Some examples:

"Is Heaven Good Enough For You?" by Allison Moorer. Particularly gut-wrenching when you know the story of how her parents died (her father killed her mother, then himself, when Moorer was 15.)

"Go Rest High on that Mountain," by Vince Gill. Two voices that were meant to be together: Vince Gill and Patty Loveless.

"She Talks to Angels," by The Black Crowes. If you've ever suffered with somebody close to you fighting addiction, you know what I mean.

"Oh My Brother," by Eddie from Ohio, a great alt-folk band from Virginia; a song about how sometimes, giving your best isn't enough.

"The Pilgrim: Chapter 33," by Kris Kristofferson. If you want to hear it in its purest, most beautiful form, listen to Emmylou Harris's rendition.

"Silent Legacy," by Melissa Etheridge. A tremendous rendition of the pain and redemption that can be found in self-discovery.

"Riviera Paradise," the closing song on Stevie Ray Vaughan's In Step album, note for note the best piece of guitar playing I've ever heard.

 

Speaking of SRV, I love this song and, to me, it certainly applies to this thread.

Life By The Drop:

 

A Joe Ely song that came over the iPod today: "She Never Spoke Spanish To Me".

 

Not sure if it's been mentioned but Peter Gabriel's Here Come the Flood is on my list

 

The Springsteen song that always gets me is Backstreets

 

just a small sample; some great songs on this thread.

When I Fall -- Barenaked Ladies
Guess I'm Doing Fine -- Beck
Walk Away -- Ben Harper
Love Like Laughter and Feel To Believe -- Beth Orton
Last Night of the World -- Bruce Cockburn
Trouble -- Cat Stevens
Call It Something Else -- The Crooked Jades
#41 -- Dave Matthews
My Sweet Annettee -- Drive-By Truckers
Indian Sunset -- Elton John
Revelator -- Gillian Welch
So Many Roads -- Grateful Dead
The Magician -- Jason Isbell
Lee and Paige -- King Wilkie
Whip-poor-will -- Magnolia Electric Co.
Helpless -- Neil Young
The Ghost in You -- Pyschedelic Furs
How to Disappear Completely -- Radiohead
Beeswing -- Richard Thompson
When the Stars Go Blue -- Ryan Adams
Wait a Minute -- Seldom Scene
There Is A Light That Never Goes Out -- The Smiths
You're Not The Only One I Know -- The Sundays
Restless Spirit Wandering -- Tim O'Brien
All That You Have Is Your Soul -- Tracy Chapman

 

Simply beautiful and long....
Springsteen's "Drive All Night"

(link also has lyrics)

 

Half the World Away by Oasis (sung here solo by Noel Gallagher)

 

Listening to Jeff Buckley's "Corpus Christi Carol" right now. Hauntingly lovely.

The album "Grace" as a whole qualifies for this thread for me. "Hallelujah" and all, as strangely over-exposed as that song seems to have become, it's still a gorgeous cover (though I can never decide if I prefer Buckley's version or Rufus Wainwright's).

 

And the sequel/coda, "Wreck On The Highway."

 

"Woman in Chains" ~ Tears for Fears