by Demola Rewaju

Lighthouse Family – Ocean Drive: I loved the song. Then they used it for a cigarette advert and caught me.

1. Everly Brothers – Take a Message to Mary: How can a sad love song sound so melodious?

2. Billy Joel – The River Of Dreams: A song about looking for something but you don’t really know what – I love it!

3. Righteous Brothers – Unchained Melody: Many versions but theirs is the most popular. My favourite line “Lonely rivers flow to the sea”.

4. Age beeka – Trusting In My Destiny: Encapsulate my life philosophy in one line – “Trusting in the destiny/ (But) Doing the things that I need to do”

5. Beautiful Nubia – All It Takes: First heard it on LTV 8 in the late 90s before Nubia was well known. It is inspirational.

6. Michael Jackson – Human Nature: John Mayer performed it at MJ’s tribute concert and I loved it since then.

7. Madonna – Take A Bow: Lovely video, sexy but manly. I like the line “Do you mean what you say, when there’s no one around?”

8. Elton John – Candle In The Wind: Loved this song since he performed it for Princess Diana.

9. K1 de Ultimate – Oluaye in Berlin: Among other K1 songs I love.

10. Onyeka Onwenu – Iyogogo: NTA 2 forced this on me but I love it till today especially the part where the bass voices go “Onye nula, onye mmadu kerere” or so.

11. Cardinal Rex Lawson – So Ala Temem: A song about how the rich would die as well as the poor.

12. Victor Uwaifo – Joromi: The guitar play on this track is awesome!

13. Tunji Oyelana – Molosoko: A deep meditation song for me.

14. Joshua Radin & Schuyler Fisk – Paperweight: Check out the lyrics of this great song here. Fave line: “Please leave your taste on my tongue”…how lovestruck can you be???

15. Colbie Caillat & Jason Mraz – Lucky – A female friend made me like this song about how friends become lovers. Ironically, we broke up eventually.

16. Michael Buble & Nelly Furtado – Quando, Quando, Quando: Buble is good. Buble and Furtado are better.

17. Jason Mraz – I’m Yours: A fuddy-duddy love song, I love it.

18. Kenny Kore – Blind Guitarman’s Song: A spiritual song about a blind guitarman trusting in God to regain his eyesight but vowing to forever serve Him even if the eyes are never restored. It’s like David’s Psalms that start with a lament but always end with praise and a vow.

19. Azzezat – Hold On: In my teenage room we had a radio. I was sleeping when NEPA restored power, the fan blew on me and the radio came alive with this song on Raypower. I was in this cool state when the song entered my spirit and stayed there till today.

20. Whitney Houston – Shoop Shoop (Waiting To Exhale Soundtrack)

21. Brandy – Piano Man: A sort of remake of the song by Billy Joel of the same title. It’s about a piano man who plays songs that connect with everyone around him.

22. Phil Collins – Find A Way To My Heart: I also like most of his other tracks.

23. Elton John – Can You Feel The Love Tonight?: Soundtrack of The Lion King sang in that part where Simba and Nala fell in love – classic.

24. Billy Ocean – There’ll Be Sad Songs

25. Youssou N’dour & Nene Cherry – 7 Seconds: MTV made me like the video back in the day.

26. Angelique Kidjo – Afirika: You’ve never lived until Kidjo’s passion pours into your soul. This song is a classic (even though I really don’t understand most of what she said). Listen out for the hi-hat sounds in the chorus.

27. 2face Idibia – Forgive and Forget: His best song (My opinion).

28. Kelly Rowland – Stole: Song about young people whose dreams were cut off.

29. Nas – One Mic: At the height of his beef with Jigga, SOURCE magazine gave him five mics – the highest recognition of rap genius. Nas released this track saying he needed only one mic to speak for the downtrodden. #Classic.

30. DMX – Ready To Meet Him: This was the song that made me stop fearing DMX. “At least he believes in God” – I said to myself.

31. John Legend – All Of Me: Haven’t you heard it? So, how can you not like it?

32. Usher – Separated: I had a girlfriend who loved this song so I also did. We separated eventually.

33. R.Kelly – Heaven I Need A Hug: This is the realest song Kells ever did. I have goosebumps everytime I listen to it. He took everybody to the cleaners in this one: family, friends, fans, media – everyone; and he did it with so much style and rhyme. No wonder we forgave his paedophilic deeds.

34. Natalie Imbruglia – Torn: The video got me first – such a deep portrayal of the lyrics like a person whose life is actually falling apart.

35. Craig David – Once In My Lifetime

36. Lighthouse Family – Ocean Drive: I loved the song. Then they used it for a cigarette advert and caught me.

37. Seal – A Change Is Gonna Come: Originally written by Sam Cooke but here’s the story: Bob Dylan (white American) wrote Blowing In The Wind as an anti-racism song and it evoked much passion. Cooke (Black American) wrote it because he felt a black could do better but he died and the song was only released after his death during the height of the civil rights movement in America. Other blacks sang it afterwards but in 2008 when Obama became president, Seal did his own version: it was as if that change had finally come.

38. Beautiful Nubia – The Happiness River: If you’ve ever been to Beautiful Nubia’s shows and heard one voice screaming ‘The Happiness River’ – it’s me; and Egbon always indulges by singing it.

39. Demarco – I Love My Life: My ginger song everytime I reject a piece of advice from busybodies.

40. Cranberries – Zombie: Protest song. MTV made me love it.

41. Duncan Mighty – Port Harcourt First Son: I always dance to this song anywhere I hear it. Always. Anywhere.

42. Eminem – Lose Yourself: It’s a song that talks about finding your inner genius by losing yourself in the moment.

43. Bez – Zuciya Daya – Just download and listen, please.

44. Enya – Only Time: Soundtrack from Sweet November. My uncle from France gave my father some CDs in the early 2000s. I took a random listen, discovered this song and fell in love with Enya.

45. Psquare – Say Your Love: Forget their lyrical shallowness – this song is a classic.

46. Jay-Z & Linkin Park – Numb/ Encore: Favourite line: “Who you know fresher than HOV?/Riddle me that!”

47. Jay-Z – Victory: Motivational song, one of my best.

48. Talib Kweli ft Mary J. Blige – I Try: he’s one of the best conscious rappers. This song from his album Beautiful Struggle is my favourite. On one track he said: “If lyrics sold then truth be told/I’d probably be just as rich and famous as Jay Z.”

49. Lucky Dube – Remember Me: I like how he turn everything into a lament with that his voice.

50. Bob Marley – Redemption Song: Favourite line – “But my arm was made strong/ by the hands of the Almighty” paraphrasing Genesis 49:24.

…AND THIRTY MORE.

51. Majek Fashek – Someday, One Day: Classic.

52. OGD Allstars – Afefelaye

53. Joe – No One Else Comes Close

54. Tope Alabi – Mo Duro Le Krist’Apata: There’s this thing about her voice…kinda whiny.

55. Maxwell – A Woman’s Work: Deepest song by any man celebrating womanhood. Deepest.

56. Alicia Keys – Sleeping With A Broken Heart: Have you ever tried before? You’ll feel this song.

57. African China – Crisis: This was the song Dayo Fadugba aka Ola Rotimi played in his room when myself and another comrade from UNAD visited him in Ife and got baptised with the fire of activism (figuratively).

58. Tracy Chapman – Baby Can I Hold You Tonight?: I first heard this song in the 90s by Edmund Spice – a Nigerian artiste that claimed he had never heard Chapman’s version before. Years later, I heard her version and I still love it till date.

59. Clench – Mase Binu Simi: I just love this guy’s raw talent.

60. Mark Schultz – He’s My Son: I never knew it was a man singing…until I knew.

61. Naeto C ft Asa – Share My Blessing: In a perfect world, this would have won a dozen awards.

62. Aaron Neville ft Kenny G – Even If My Heart Would Break: The way Neville’s voice whines as if his heart was truly breaking and Kenny’s sax weaves in and out as if mourning with him is just a music delight.

63. Baba Ara – Bi A Ba Njoyin: A neighbour in Ado-Ekiti played this song ad nauseam on those red rechargeable radio types back in the day and it entered my spirit.

64. Black Men United – You Will Know: Perfect manhood song. Fave line: “To go from boys to men/ You gotta act like a man”.

65. Bongos Ikue – Cockcrow At Dawn: Deep song. Inspirational.

66. D’banj – Loke: His best track ever – Wande Coal’s best adlib ever.

67. Timaya – Cutlass: Perfect song for the bad-belle people dem.

68. Klever Jay ft Danny Young – Koni Koni Love: This song as one kinda feel good flavour about it especially when Danny comes in singing ‘A-lighta, a-lighta’

69. Wyclef Jean ft. Eve – Your Love (L.O.V.E. Reggae Mix): Had a girlfriend (how many have I even had sef?). This song was her ringtone in 2005. One midnight, her phone rang and she picked before Wyclef sang “a thousand chocolates and a dozen roses” in the opening part. She ended the call with ‘I Love You’ and my heart broke but I still like the song though: Wyclef knows how to make any song come alive with those chants.

70. Wyclef Jean – MVP: I always dance to this song and force myself to sing along.

71. Nosa – I Go Stay: Great song. Motivational.

72. Omawumi ft. Flavour – Bottom Belle

73. Flavour – Shake: That video is the definition of raunchy. (For those of us that like plus-size sisters.)

74. Kenny Rogers – Coward Of The County: Great song storytelling by a country master.

75. KCi & Jojo – It’s Real: That adlib at the end is a killer.

76. Joshua Radin – No Envy, No Fear: A deep song that calls to the deep parts of anyone’s humanity.

77. James Ingram/ Quincy Jones – Just Once: First heard in the movie Last American Virgin and it’s one of those sad love songs that always come to mind anytime your heart gets broken.

78. Kenny Rogers – She Believes In Me: Anytime I heard it before I got married, I wondered if I could ever find such a woman. Chubby Cheeks is the proof that I did.

79. Oriri – Sisi Eko: Does anyone know this song or remember it? That guy was/is hugely talented.

80. Chris Martins – Paper Loving: One girl broke up with me cos I was broke so I was brokenhearted until a friend gave me this song. The chorus goes: “If you can’t love me now/Don’t love me later/When my later is much greater/It only proves that you love di paper”.

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Demola Rewaju blogs from www.demolarewajudaily.com

 

Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija.