Five-Star Songs...

One of my readers told me they enjoy my posts where I do lists. I've been trying to think of another list to do, and I finally have one.

In my iTunes library I have 3,293 songs. According to iTunes, it would take me 8 days, 13 hours, 5 minutes and 47 seconds to listen to each song once through, all in a row.

That's a lot of music. I try to use the rating system faithfully. I won't often change a rating once I've assigned it to a song, but it does happen.

Out of those 3,293 songs, there are only 39 that I felt deserved a five-star rating. Some of my criteria for giving a five-star rating are: I have to have an emotional connection to the song; it's a song that I rarely, if ever, skip when it pops up on a random playlist of the entire library; it's a song that I generally will play several times in a row, that I just can't get enough of. There are other criteria, but those are the ones that are easily describeable.

I won't make comments about each song, as this will be a huge post anyway. Also, the songs aren't in any order of preference. They are all five-star songs.

1. Answer by Sarah McLachlan
2. Again Today by Brandi Carlile
3. Arms of Love by Amy Grant
4. Maria by Blondie
5. Hold On by the University of Illinois Rip Chords: Originally by Wilson Phillips, this is an a cappella version. And this song has become one of my life anthems.
6. I Wish the Best For You by Emerson Hart
7. Feels Like Tonight by Daughtry: this song recently moved from four-star to five.
8. Nella Fantasia by Amici Forever
9. So Far Away by Amici Forever
10. Land and Freedom by Amici Forever
11. Smooth Criminal by David Garrett: a Michael Jackson song, performed on the violin.
12. He's a Pirate by David Garrett: the theme song from Pirates of the Carribean, on the violin.
13. Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel
14. High Enough by Damn Yankees
15. Walkin' in Memphis by the U of Wisconsin MadHatters: an a cappella version of the Marc Cohn song.
16. Already Home by Ha-Ash and Brandi Carlile
17. Highwayman by the Highwaymen: This group includes Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash, and it's just a frickin' cool song.
18. Between the Lines by Sarah Bareilles
19. City by Sarah Bareilles
20. Gravity by Sarah Bareilles
21. (You Want To) Make a Memory by Bon Jovi
22. Any Other Day by Bon Jovi
23. If You're Gone by Matchbox Twenty
24. Come What May by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman
25. Nearer My God to Thee by BYU Vocal Point: Amazing version with latin being chanted/sung behind the words to the hymn.
26. Dechire from Notre Dame de Paris
27. Tu Vas Me Detruire from Notre Dame de Paris
28. Lune from Notre Dame de Paris: I particularly love the line(Translated): "see how a man can suffer from love."
29. A Change in Me from Disney's On the Record: originally from the Broadway Beauty and the Beast. I experienced deep, wrenching, cleansing sobs when I listened to this song the first time and it came to the line: "For now I realize that good can come from bad. That may not make me wise, but, oh, it makes me glad."
30. I'm Movin' On by Rascal Flatts: "I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons. Finally content with a past I regret."
31. Creep (The acoustic version) by Radiohead
32. Lie to Me by Bon Jovi
33. Something to Believe In by Bon Jovi
34. Fools Like Me by Lisa Loeb: "Love was surely meant for fools like me."
35. Gives You Hell by the All-American Rejects: I can NOT stop smiling when I listen to this song.
36. I'm Not That Girl from Wicked: I've often felt that I'm not that boy that girls would want to fall in love with.
    
37. Defying Gravity from Wicked
38. As Long As You're Mine from Wicked
39. Over the Rainbow by Judy Garland from The Wizard of Oz: Whenever I watch this movie, I always cry when she sings this song. Always.

There you go. What do you think?