A Note about My 500 Favorite Songs

Being a lifelong music fan and a musician myself, I decided (out of boredom on a rainy day a few months back) to make a playlist of my favorite songs.  And although the songs are not "ranked" in any particular order, the running order was carefully considered, based on theme, genre, era, key signature, as well as knowledge (or inference) that one track influenced the creation of another.

I'll say upfront that there are number of influential/popular bands and artists that are not featured on this list or are very sparsely represented here.  It doesn't necessarily mean that I dislike their music.  In some cases, it was impossible to extract a favorite track from an album.  (Which is why you won't find any Pink Floyd on the list, for instance.  "The Great Gig in the Sky" always sends chills up my spine.  But it's part of a larger, cohesive structure.  It's like trying to pick your favorite dot of color on a Seurat painting.)

So this is not some comprehensive list, where I pored over the social or cultural significance of a particular song.  It's simply a catalog of my thoughts, feelings, musings, memories, and initial gut reactions to songs that bring me pleasure, and that hopefully mean something to others out there, too.