What is Music Worth to You?

So I'm sitting here with Ulysses and Nikki watching the G3 Live in Denver DVD and thinking to myself how I've always thought that music is worth more than gold. (Yes even in a weak economy ;-)

Some people look at a collection of CD's and see a waste of money but really... what other art form can stimulate such an intense range of emotions as that of a good song?

With that in mind, I got to thinking about some of my favourite songs. I haven't added much to the BLOG lately so here's a list of my top 20 - some are true classics, others guilty pleasures.

1. I hope That I don't Fall In Love With You - Tom Waits
2. All Along the Watchtower - Hendrix version
3. The Black Parade - My Chemical Romance
4. Pride and Joy -Stevie Ray Vaughan
5. 32 Flavors - Ani DiFranco
6. What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
7. Who Wants to Live Forever - Queen
8. 525,600 Minutes - The Cast of Rent, with Stevie Wonder
9. There She Goes - by the La's; although the Sixpence version is good too
10. The Wind - Cat Stevens
11. Where is the Love - Black Eyed Peas
12. Don't Stop Believing - Journey
13. Stranger Than Fiction - Joe Jackson
14. Rockin' in the Free World - Neil Young
15. Poor Johnny - Robert Cray
16. Love Me - Colin Raye
17. Shadows of the Night - Pat Benatar
18. Spoon - Dave Mathews Band
19. Bannana Pancakes - Jack Johnson
20. The River - Bruce Springsteen
21. Puff the Magic Dragon - Harry Belafonte's version
22. Redemption Song - Bob Marley

I know... I know... Apparently I can't count very well or I just like too many songs because that's 22 (not 20) right there and I didn't even include Bob Dylan, the Beatles, B.B. King, Paul Simon, Eric Clapton, Zepplin, Rush, or Elvis!

Plus there are songs from movie or tv soundtracks which, when you think of a song combined with pictures, is probably the ultimate way to tell a story. (Okay I did include one song from a Broadway play and one that was central to an 80's movie above but still...)

Think of all the great songs used to emphasize the mood at the end of each episode of shows like Grey's Anatomy such as The Fray's "How to Save a Life". How about Mikd Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" - more popularly known as the theme to the Exorcist? Or even Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" in Spike Lee's movie "Do the Right Thing".

Whether it's on the radio, in a movie, being played live, or in your head, opening yourself to music in any form is like food for the human spirit. Isn't that worth more than some shiny metal?