I asked the Blue Banner editors to tell me their five favorite songs, and why those songs were so important to them and then curated a playlist of all of them. Here’s what the editors had to say:
- Smile Like You Man It – The Killers
“The Killers was the first band I really liked and it was the band that led to my interest in music and playing the bass. The song itself is about growing up in a way and the song means something new every year.”
- Mayonnaise – The Smashing Pumpkins
- Superman’s Dead – Our Lady peace
(In reference to 2 & 3) “My dad lost his job a few years ago and he and I went to Georgia for a week to do contracting work and those two songs were kind of like the theme for the trip. It was a miserable trip and the work sucked, but it was one of the best times I’ve had with my dad.”
- Losing My Religion – R.E.M.
- Shooting Stars – Bag Raiders
(In reference to 4 & 5) “My mother would play these two songs a lot. We don’t see each other very often and are not as close any more, but they remind me of better times.”
- This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) – Talking Heads
“A love song written only using unconventional metaphors. Lyrically gorgeous, and backed by a comforting, nostalgic melody. Simply wonderful.”
- The Creator Has a Master Plan – Pharoah Sanders
“Over 30 minutes of intense spiritual jazz. It’s my opinion that this song (and the album it comes from) features the best saxophone playing of all time.”
- Shangri-La – Electric Light Orchestra
“My favorite song of all time. A perfect encapsulation of what ELO does so well: a masterfully produced, endlessly catchy classic rock piece backed by beautiful strings.”
- Long Season (Live at Asakasa Blitz) – Fishmans
“The swan song of perhaps the best Japanese artist from the ’90s, this rendition of “Long Season” lasts over 40 minutes and is a deep dive into a swirling world of psychedelia. The song, broken into 5 movements, slowly swells before it beautifully climaxes.”
- Memory Lane (Sittin’ in da Park) – Nas
“A competitor for the best hip hop song of all time, it encapsulates everything Nas does well. A collection of perfectly utilized samples, all chopped up become one beat under his vocal leadership, and while the track is instrumentally heaven, Nas’ dense, rapid flows and genius lyricism are what make the track what it is.”
- September by Dogpark
“After hearing this song live shortly after it came out, I fell in love with this song.”
- Glory Box by Portishead
“It’s just so beautiful, it was a risky song at the time of its release but Beth Gibbons soft and unique vocals make this song almost hypnotizing to me.”
- Tokyo Drifting (With Denzel Curry) by Glass Animals
“I’m a huge fan of when there is an unexpected rap feature on a song and Denzel Curry always kills it on features. my sister introduced me to this song years ago and it’s been one of my favorites ever since.”
- Rotten and Paralyzed in a Tropical Paradise by $uicideboy$
“My list wouldn’t be complete without a $B song and this one? I love when Ruby goes off in his verses and this is one of his best.”
- The Mighty Fall by Fall Out Boy and Big Sean
“Forever and always will be a Fall Out Boy fan and again I love a rap feature.”
- At The Beach, In Every Life – Gigi Perez
“This song is so beautiful not just because Gigi Perez has a magical voice, but because of the content of the lyrics. She tells such a relevant story of dealing with grief, sexuality and religious trauma. Honestly, the whole album is a 10/10 in my books.”
- Lover, You Should’ve Come Over – Jeff Buckley
“Men just don’t yearn like this anymore. “All my blood just for the sweetness of her laughter”? Bring that back.”
- Porch Light – Noah Kahan
“Noah Kahan has been one of my top artists since 2022 and I’m so ready for The Great Divide. Both the singles from the upcoming album have made me feel so many emotions.”
- The Hand – Annabelle Dinda
“This song is so encompassing of the female experience. Dinda does a lovely job of showcasing different expectations between men and women and how they’re supposed to celebrate their accomplishments and their life. “Every time I open my mouth, I think ‘wow, what a loud noise’,” had me in tears the first time I heard it.”
- With Heaven on Top – Zach Bryan
“Zach Bryan’s new album has a lot of great songs like “Bad News” and “Rivers and Creeks”, but “With Heaven on Top” is my favorite. The album is about him finding his place in a world filled with violence, grappling with the military world he was raised in that trained him to believe he was defending the country when he served in the navy only to come home and realize he lost and killed for oil. He’s dealing with his personal struggles and reminding himself there’s still plenty more to look forward to and he still has a lot to do.”
- Top of the World – The Carpenters
“This song lifts me up and almost serves as an affirmation. It puts me in the best mood, and also reminds me of my best friends at home. Overall, this song just fills me with positive energy to make it through the week.”
- Jazz is for ordinary people – Berlioz
“This is the perfect song to listen to when you want to get shit done. The song is so catchy, I always just move to the beats.”
- Second Nature – Clairo
“Clairo is my absolute favorite artist. This has been my song recently, her whole Charm album is amazing, just this song has been on repeat this week.”
- Woo – Erykah Badu
“My go-to car song. Riding around downtown Asheville, windows down while blasting this great song, is so nice. Once again, it’s so catchy and ultimately just puts me in a great mood.”
- Should I Stay or Should I Go – The Clash
“This song reminds me of Stranger Things every time I play it, and it brings so much nostalgia. Though it is also relatable in my opinion, exactly the title, should I stay or should I go? Once I listen to it, it is in my head all day.”
Here is the link to the playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/10kJodutzEbV9th0hjFEwl?si=InscGO5dQUmZBSYVTCm8bw&pi=7vNKeh7tR62gd
