Name The Perfect Song

A few years ago, I created a playlist for my son for Christmas.  My goal was to create a sample of “great songs” throughout the years.  How do I define a great song?  Good question.  I don’t know.  I’ll tell you when I hear one.  I guess everyone has their own criteria but it probably always comes back to that – you know it when you hear it.  Whether it’s the first time you listen to it or the 50^th time, it always hits you when it comes on the radio that THIS is a great song.

Since then, I’ve made a new playlist each year.  Here are some samples of what’s been on one of the previous playlists:

A Day In The Life – Beatles

Movin’ Out – Billy Joel

Like A Rolling Stone – Bob Dylan

Born To Run – Bruce Springsteen

Turn! Turn! Turn! – The Byrds

Johnny B. Goode –Chuck Berry

Under The Boardwalk – The Drifters

Urgent – Foreigner

In The Air Tonight – Phil Collins

Holiday – Green Day

I Love Rock ‘N Roll – Joan Jett

Life’s Been Good – Joe Walsh

Watching The Wheels – John Lennon

Separate Ways – Journey

Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin

House of the Rising Sun – The Animals

Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd

Nights In White Satin – Moody Blues

Another Brick In The Wall – Pink Floyd

Roxanne – The Police

Another One Bites The Dust – Queen

Smooth – Santana

Too Much Time On My Hands – Styx

Pinball Wizard – The Who

Dust In The Wind – Kansas

Rocket Man – Elton John

This list probably leans more heavily toward classic rock of the 70s and 80s.  What can I say -- those were my formative years.  I’ve included artists from the 90s and 2000s as well (e.g., Black Eyed Peas, Train).  I have tried not to use more than 2 songs from a given artist – maybe three if they were chock full of hits.  In any case, I’m working on this year’s list and am always open to suggestions.

What would you consider to be essential additions to an 18 year old’s music playlist?