Life Without Toast - Sibling Rivalry

Pick eight significant songs to take to your desert island, but you only have two days to come up with them, said Gordon. He didn't tag me, he didn't tag anybody, because he 'can't be arsed'.

Right (deep breath...), here we go:

1. I Am The Resurrection by The Stone Roses
We might as well start at number one, in order of amazingness. Let me put it this way, the super-brilliant twangly guitar bit near the end is my ringtone. I put it on every time there's a party, and I want people to start shouting and flailing immediately. It's #1.

2. Tomorrow Never Knows by The Beatles
Absolutely one of my favourite songs ever. I originally heard it at a Beatles tribute show, before I was actually into the Beatles, and it was so far ahead of it's time, I was sure it wasn't the Beatles. I thought it some modern remix of a song I'd never heard, but no, it was recorded by the Fab Four in nineteen frickin' sixty-six!

3. Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana
Seriously, how can this not be on everyone's list? Embarrased as I am to admitting having ever watched 'The Word' in the 90's, but it was on that (absolutely terrible) show that I first saw Nirvana. They played 'Smella Like Teen Spirit', and needless to say, it was the talk of the schoolyard on Monday. Bacause I was like fourteen or something.

4. Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2
On the Under a Blood Red Sky album, Bono says 'this is not a rebel song', but I think at it's heart it really is. It's a song about a terrible thing that happened and the feelings of helplessness felt by a nation, and the feeling of betrayal and (unfounded) hatred against an army in a place they probably should not have been. It makes me feel very Irish when I hear it, and not necessarily in a political or patriotic way.

5. Don't Stop Me Now by Queen
"I'm a rocket ship on my way to Mars, On a collision course, I am a satellite, I'm out of control, I'm a sex machine, ready to reload, Like an atom bomb about to oh oh oh oh oh explode...!" Not to be morbid and/or inviting disaster, but I want this playing at my funeral. Say no more.

6. I Want You (She's So Heavy) by The Beatles
I really love the guitar in this, it's so... heavy. The lyrics don't really add up to much ("I want you, I want you so bad it's driving me mad"/"she's so heavy" is basically it), but the heavy crunchy guitars and the sparse lyrical variety add up to a very complete whole. Really something you only start to appreciate after the 20th listen or so.

7. Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers
To anyone else who likes/loves this song, I don't really need to explain why this is one of 'The 8'. To everyone else: Have you ever been in love? Ever missed the object of your affections? This is what it's all about (well, it could mean something else entirely, but that's what it means to me).

8. Move On Up by Curtis Mayfield
I'll just quote from the last verse:
" Just move on up, and keep on wishing, Remember your dreams are your only schemes, So keep on pushing. Take nothing less,-not even second best, And do not obey -you must have your say, You can past the test...

Move on up!"

And that's my 8. I'm not tagging anybody either. Except maybe Dan.