5 songs worth listening to
Most of us love music, so here are my recommended top five songs with lyrics appealing for psychological maturity.
My guess is that you’ll know two of the five, but not the other three. We’ll go through the songs in reverse order, in countdown tradition, until we get to the number one recommendation.
At No. 5, we’ve got For No One by Barclay James Harvest. It’s a song from 1974 - the first of the ones that you might not know - containing the words of the album title Everyone Is Everybody Else. It’s a heartfelt plea for change. I first heard this song thanks to Radio Caroline - the pirate station based on a ship in international waters during the days of the BBC radio broadcasting monopoly. I then saw BJH perform it live in concert at the Hammersmith Odeon, London. You can listen to For No One here.
At No. 4, it’s one that you’ll very likely know: I Was Here by Beyoncé.
It’s about living life with no regrets, doing your best, giving your all, making sure you leave the world a little better for being here.
Beyoncé is well-known for being one of the hardest workers in the music industry.
You can listen to I Was Here by clicking here.
Some think it’s trendy to be anti-Nickelback, often without much thought. My colleague, Jessica, was one such person, now commenting: “I quit being a music snob and let myself appreciate some great lyrics that have a powerful message.” That said, in the No. 3 position, we’ve got What Are You Waiting For? by Nickelback.
The lyrics are spot on - and anyone still tempted to criticise the band should perhaps instead focus on sorting out their own excuses for not excelling in life.
You can listen to What Are you Waiting For? here.
At No. 2, it’s a song from 1968 when the counter-culture movement was in full swing. Melanie was a big success at the Woodstock festival, called back for two encores, and she performed Close To It All as part of her set.
This song hits the bullseye with these lyrics:
Everyone tear down your own little wall
That keeps you from being a part of it all
'Cause you gotta be one with the one and all
The studio version of Close To It All is here.
And, finally, in top spot at No. 1, is the title track from Renaissance’s 1973 album Ashes Are Burning.
At over 11 minutes in length, this is an epic piece of music with lyrics that you might have to think carefully about before you understand their deep meaning. I saw Renaissance perform this great song several times in the 1970s, as well as twice more recently.
We’re including two versions for you to listen to. This is the original studio album version. And there’s also this live version from the early 1980s that shows Annie Haslam’s incredible voice in a different way. Unfortunately, it’s just the final six and a half minutes of the song - and you have to ignore Annie’s ‘80s dress - but her vocals towards the end are mesmerising. The albums Ashes Are Burning, Turn of the Cards, Scheherazade and Other Stories, Novella, and A Song for All Seasons all have tracks with interesting lyrics that are worth listening to.
Written by Iain Scott, 11th April 2022