Dan Tafelski's Top 25 Songs

1. Once In A Lifetime - Talking Heads
Great song, great band, great performance. I watched a VHS copy of “Stop Making Sense” almost weekly for the first five years of my life and I identify it as the source for my love of music. (Also, this version is pretty great).

2. Birdhouse In Your Soul - They Might Be Giants
I was always disappointed that Tiny Toons didn’t make a cartoon video for this song like they did for “Istanbul” and “ Particle Man”. I don’t know what else to say about this one...how can you not love it?

3. Catamaran - Bear Vs. Shark
I don’t know what the hell “post-hardcore” means, but that’s what BVS has been labeled. All I know is that they were one of the best live acts I’ve ever seen and according to my iTunes, I’ve played this song waaaaay too many times.

4. This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) - Talking Heads
Another great song and performance. Best love song about a building ever written.

5. Gumboots - Paul Simon
I grew up with Paul Simon because my Dad is a huge fan. For a long time, I found Simon to be really boring because of the quality of his vocal delivery. But for some reason, this song has always stuck with me. I really love all of Graceland these days, but if I have to pick one song, it’s this one.

6. Polegnala e Tordora - Bulgarian folk song
Another song I’ve heard most of life and I still think it’s very beautiful. It was used in a car commercial at one point when I was around twelve. I remember being incredibly furious at that.

7. Mother Popcorn - James Brown
Clyde Stubblefield is a drumming god! I was tempted to just put “Funky Drummer” on here, but this song won out because it’s perfect. Who wants to make a pilgrimage to Madison, WI to see Clyde perform with his band? Also, I highly recommend you watch this video till the end so you can see Maceo Parker cut loose.

8. Heartbeats - The Knife
I loved it from the first time I heard it. Accept no imitators.

9. What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love & Understanding - Elvis Costello
It was Elvis Costello that led me to get really into hardcore bands like Minor Threat, Articles of Faith, and Bad Brains. But now that I look back on it, none of them did it as well as him.

10. Higher and Higher - Jackie Wilson
I liked this song before Ghostbusters II but the movie solidyfied my love for it.

11. We Were N’t Put Together - David E. Sugar
Gameboy masterpiece.

12. Storm - Godspeed You, Black Emperor!
You know you really like music when you’re willing to sit quietly in your room with borrowed headphones and listen to a track that’s over twenty minutes long over and over and over again. Unfortunately to some, GSYBE! was the gateway drug for me getting into bands like Earth and Sunn O))). Sorry.

13. Step Into A World - KRS-One
I spent a high school summer with my best friend taking classes at Columbia and listening to “I Got Next.” Good memories with this one.

14. Stand By Me - Ben E. King
The first time I ever really heard and felt a groove. Since I’m assuming everyone knows this song, the link goes to a FANTASTIC rendition. Everyone should watch it. (And once you’re done watching it...can someone tell me who the hell is Clarence Bekker??).

15. Maps - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
As M. Armstrong will attest, this is a good song, plain and simple. But what makes it stand out for me is Brian Chase, YYY’s drummer. I don’t know if other people hear it, but Chase is able to make his drum part feel just as yearnful as the lyrics, an impressive feat for a fundamentally atonal instrument.

16. It’s a Squirrel-D World - George Tafelski
A song written by my Dad for my brother.

17. Ghost - Neutral Milk Hotel
In Aeroplane Over the Sea is one of those incredibly unique albums where almost everyone in my generation feels a proprietary claim to the music, as if we all want to plant our flag on it and declare “This was meant for me.” If I could put the whole album on here I would.

18. My Name is Jonas (but I’ll link you to “Buddy Holly”) - Weezer
When I was first learning to play drums I spent many hours playing along with Weezer’s Blue album. Another case where I’d put the whole album on the list if there was room.

19. Under Pressure - David Bowie and Queen
Not to sound cruel, but if you and your group of friends and acquaintances know somebody who prefers not to listen to this song, they really shouldn't be your friend.

20. St. Rosa And The Swallows - The Thermals
A real good rock song. I dunno...it speaks to me.

21. Dr. Worm - They Might Be Giants
Whenever I hear this song I start air drumming. I can't help it.

22. Psycho Killer - Talking Heads
Say something once, why say it again?

23. Cold Cold Ground - Tom Waits
Sometimes being doomed can still sound good.

24. Missa Luba, an African Mass - Muungano National Choir Kenya
If all church choirs were this pretty I might’ve stayed in church.

25. Welcome 2 Hell - Brendon Small & They Might Be Giants
OK, I really need to explain this one and it may take a bit: I occasionally listen to metal. I won’t apologize for this because metal has always been present in my life in the same way West Coast hip-hop has been, by which I mean it’s always been there on the periphery, the result of where I grew up and who I grew up with. The kids in my neighborhood who weren’t listening to “Keep Their Heads Ringin” were the kids who were (and probably still are) fanatical in their love for bands like Metallica, Megadeth, Terrorizer, Misfits, and Black Flag. That being the case, I know the lyrics to songs like “Hybrid Moments” and “Painkiller” (or “I Ain’t The 1”, for that matter) without them being even remotely close to showing up on this list. But I’ve always enjoyed the ridiculous aspect to metal. People like Glenn Danzig who preach about how freaking evil they are make me happy in the same way a viewing of “Dead Alive” or “Army of Darkness” makes me happy. GWAR, for instance, exemplifies my kind of love for metal. Even though GWAR has technically good musicians in their ranks (and I will argue that point with anyone) they throw on massive suits of foamcore spikes and sing about the state of their slave pits and then feed audience members to the World Maggot. In this sense, metal is just dumb fun and I like it. Brendon Small knows this too and that’s why this song is here. Also, I have fond memories of singing along to this song in the car with my brother. (On reading this over, I think I should send this in to NPR’s “This I Believe”).