{"id":47886,"date":"2020-04-11T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/features\/david-bowlings-101-favorite-songs\/"},"modified":"2026-07-04T11:09:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-04T11:09:26","slug":"david-bowlings-101-favorite-songs","status":"publish","type":"feature","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/features\/david-bowlings-101-favorite-songs\/","title":{"rendered":"David Bowling’s 101 Favorite Songs"},"content":{"rendered":"

I realized several things while contemplating my favorite songs. First, I\u2019m really getting old. Second, I prefer older music. Third, I am somewhat mainstream, but there are exceptions. Fourth, my tastes have changed with the passage of time.<\/p>\n

I have approached this article by years beginning with the first record I purchased with my own money. That means nothing before 1964. So here is my 57-year journey of favorite songs.<\/p>\n

1964<\/b><\/u>
Jan & Dean — \u201cLittle Old Lady From Pasadena\u201d\"jananddean_littleoldlady_150\"<\/b>
The first record I ever bought with my own money, so it has to be on the list.<\/p>\n

Roy Orbison\u00a0 — \u201cOh, Pretty Woman\u201d<\/b>
The first artist I ever collected, so his biggest hit has to be on the list.<\/p>\n

The Temptations — \u201cMy Girl\u201d<\/b>
\u201cSunshine on a cloudy day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Beach Boys — \u201cAll Summer Long\u201d<\/b>
This title song from the Beach Boys is the ultimate ode to the eternal summer.<\/p>\n

The Beatles — \u201cI Feel Fine\u201d<\/b>
This song had me from the guitar feedback.<\/p>\n

1965<\/b><\/u>
Bob Dylan — \u201cLike A Rolling Stone\u201d<\/b>
God bless Bob Dylan and Al Kooper.<\/p>\n

The Byrds — \u201cMr. Tambourine Man\u201d<\/b>
God bless Bob Dylan and Roger McGuinn\u2019s 12-string guitar.<\/p>\n

The Stone Poneys — \u201cDifferent Drum\u201d<\/b>
Perfect pop from Linda Ronstadt\u2019s initial group.<\/p>\n

1966<\/b><\/u>
Phil Ochs — \u201cThe Highwayman\u201d<\/b>
Angry folkie Phil Ochs shows a different side by fusing his music with a poem by Alfred Noyes.<\/p>\n

The Byrds — \u201cEight Miles High\u201d<\/b>
Psychedelic music takes flight.<\/p>\n

Jefferson Airplane — \u201cSomebody To Love\u201d\u00a0 \"jeffersonairplane_pillow_150\"<\/b>
I wish I could say it was only Grace Slick\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

The Spencer Davis Group — \u201cGimme Some Lovin\u2019\u201d<\/b>
First great performance by a young Stevie Winwood.<\/p>\n

The Beach Boys — \u201cGod Only Knows\u201d<\/b>
Sometimes simple is best, even for The Beach Boys.<\/p>\n

1967<\/b><\/u>
The Jimi Hendrix Experience — \u201cThe Wind Cries Mary\u201d<\/b>
I saw Hendrix perform twice. This one still resonates.<\/p>\n

Cream — \u201cTales Of Brave Ulysses\u201d<\/b>
Great early song by Cream.<\/p>\n

Rolling Stones — \u201c2000 Light Years From Home\u201d<\/b>
Rare psychedelic foray by The\u00a0 Stones.<\/p>\n

1968<\/b><\/u>
The Human Beinz — \u201cNobody But Me\u201d<\/b>
This one made me want to dance, almost.<\/p>\n

The Jimi Hendrix Experience — \u201cCrosstown Traffic\u201d<\/b>
Frenetic, even for Hendrix.<\/p>\n

Blood, Sweat & Tears — \u201cYou Made Me So Very Happy\u201d<\/b>
So popular and so underrated. <\/p>\n

The Velvet Underground — \u201cWhite Light\/White Heat\u201d<\/b>
A searing 17 minutes that was in no way connected to the summer of love.<\/p>\n

1969<\/b><\/u>
Led Zeppelin — \u201cWhole Lotta Love\u201d<\/b>
I still anticipate the guitar solos.<\/p>\n

Rolling Stones — \u201cMidnight Rambler\u201d<\/b>
Mellow blues by the world\u2019s greatest rock and roll band.<\/p>\n

Zager & Evans — \u201cIn The Year 2525\u201d<\/b>
The ultimate one hit wonder.<\/p>\n

1970<\/b><\/u>
Ten Years After — \u201cSugar The Road\u201d<\/b>
Obscure track from a somewhat obscure album.<\/p>\n

Led Zeppelin — \u201cImmigrant Song\u201d<\/b>
I was the only person in my college dorm who liked Led Zeppelin\u2019s third album better than the first two.<\/p>\n

Derek And The Dominos — \u201cLayla\u201d<\/b>
Duane Allman and Eric Clapton.<\/p>\n

Rolling Stones — \u201cLove In Vain\u201d<\/b>
Mick Taylor pushes the Stones to one of the great blues performances of their career.<\/p>\n

Joni Mitchell — \u201cThe Circle Game\u201d<\/b>
Simple and profound folk music by Joni Mitchell.<\/p>\n

Brook Benton — \u201cRainy Night In Georgia\u201d<\/b>
Beautiful ballad in the midst of a changing musical landscape.<\/p>\n

Simon & Garfunkel — \u201cBridge Over Troubled Water\u201d\"simongarfunkel_bridge\"<\/b>
And the voices soar.<\/p>\n

1971 <\/b><\/u>
Rolling Stones — \u201cBrown Sugar\u201d<\/b>
The Rolling Stones in rock \u2018n\u2019 roll mode.<\/p>\n

The Doors — \u201cRiders On The Storm\u201d<\/b>
Jim Morrison at his ominous best.<\/p>\n

1972<\/b><\/u>
Eagles — \u201cTake It Easy\u201d<\/b>
\u201cA girl in a flat-bed ford slowing down to take a look at me.\u201d Well, not me but I could dream.<\/p>\n

Yes — \u201cRoundabout\u201d<\/b>
The editor of The Daily Vault worships Yes, so I must include at least one of their songs. This is also a great one.<\/p>\n

Bob Seger — \u201cTurn The Page\u201d<\/b>
A weary rock classic.<\/p>\n

1973<\/b><\/u>
The Allman Brothers — \u201cRamblin\u2019 Man\u201d<\/b>
Dickie Betts\u2019 guitar solo makes you ache.<\/p>\n

Eagles — \u201cAlready Gone\u201d<\/b>
The Eagles has perfect harmonies. These are better.<\/p>\n

Deep Purple — \u201cRat Bat Blue\u201d<\/b>
Another obscure track that not many people, besides me, remember.<\/p>\n

Judy Collins — \u201cSecret Gardens\u201d<\/b>
I always wish Judy Collins had written more songs. The older I get, the more this song speaks to me.<\/p>\n

Elton John — \u201cCrocodile Rock\u201d<\/b>
Just a simple and enjoyable pop rocker.<\/p>\n

1974<\/b><\/u>
Bob Dylan — \u201cForever Young\u201d<\/b>
Dylan at his simple best.<\/p>\n

Linda Ronstadt — \u201cWhen Will I Be Loved\u201d<\/b>
Great cover of an Everly Brothers song.<\/p>\n

Elton John — \u201cThe Bitch Is Back\u201d<\/b>
Tough and up-tempo.<\/p>\n

1975<\/b><\/u>
Bob Seger — \u201cKatmandu\u201d<\/b>
Early rocker from Seger.<\/p>\n

The Doobie Brothers — \u201cTake Me In Your Arms\u201d<\/b>
The Doobies as they should always be.<\/p>\n

Joan Baez — \u201cDiamonds & Rust\u201d
<\/b>It\u2019s all about the imagery.<\/p>\n

1976<\/b><\/u>
Gordon Lightfoot — \u201cSummertime Dream\u201d<\/b>
Title song from my favorite Gordon Lightfoot album.<\/p>\n

Boston — \u201cMore Than A Feeling\u201d\"boston_s-t\"<\/b>
Still can\u2019t get enough of this song.<\/p>\n

Thin Lizzy — \u201cThe Boys Are Back In Town\u201d<\/b>
Guys I would like to hang out with.<\/p>\n

Rod Stewart — \u201cTonight\u2019s The Night\u201d<\/b>
Great ballad; oh yeah!<\/p>\n

1977<\/b><\/u>
Dave Edmunds — \u201cI Knew The Bride\u201d<\/b>
Could have been autobiographical.<\/p>\n

Billy Joel — \u201cOnly The Good Die Young\u201d<\/b>
Great rocker, plus Catholic girls.<\/p>\n

Meat Loaf — \u201cBat Out Of Hell\u201d<\/b>
Meat Loaf at his bombastic best, and don\u2019t forget Todd Rundgren\u2019s guitar work.<\/p>\n

1978<\/b><\/u>
Dire Straits — \u201cSultans Of Swing\u201d<\/b>
Mark Knopfler was one of very few guitarists who could create a Clapton sound.<\/p>\n

1979<\/b><\/u>
Eagles — \u201cHeartache Tonight\u201d<\/b>
Memorable beginning and perfect harmonies.<\/p>\n

The Pretenders — \u201cBrass In Pocket\u201d<\/b>
It was all about Chrissie Hyde\u2019s imagination.<\/p>\n

1980<\/b><\/u>
Bob Seger — \u201cBetty Lou\u2019s Getting Out Tonight\u201d<\/b>
One of Seger\u2019s best rockers.<\/p>\n

Bob Seger — \u201cAgainst The Wind\u201d<\/b>
Seger trying so hard.<\/p>\n

Journey — \u201cAnyway You Want It\u201d<\/b>
Catchy power pop.<\/p>\n

1981<\/b><\/u>
The Stray Cats — \u201cRock This Town\u201d<\/b>
Rockabilly for the modern age.<\/p>\n

J. Geils Band — \u201cFreeze Frame\u201d<\/b>
Just a catchy rocker, which in this case is enough.<\/p>\n

1982<\/b><\/u>
John Mellencamp \u2013 \u201cJack And Diane\u201d<\/b>
Any song that has \u201csucking on a chili dog\u201d in the lyrics has got to make the list.<\/p>\n

Men At Work — \u201cDown Under\u201d<\/b>
Quirky beat that stays with you.<\/p>\n

1983<\/b><\/u>
John Mellencamp — \u201cPink Houses\u201d<\/b>
Some of the best rock this side of Bruce Springsteen.<\/p>\n

The Pretenders — \u201c2000 Miles\u201d\"pretenders_learning\"<\/b>
Chrissie Hyde at her best.<\/p>\n

1984<\/b><\/u>
Bruce Springsteen — \u201cBorn In The USA\u201d<\/b>
Ringing anthem by The Boss.<\/p>\n

Bruce Springsteen — \u201cGlory Days\u201d<\/b>
A song for anyone at least 10 years out of high school.<\/p>\n

1985<\/b><\/u>
John Mellencamp — \u201cSmall Town\u201d<\/b>
Gritty rock for the common man or woman.<\/p>\n

Dire Straits — \u201cWalk Of Life\u201d<\/b>
This one just percolates along.<\/p>\n

1986<\/b><\/u>
Bob Seger — \u201cAmerican Storm\u201d<\/b>
Seger saves a blah music year.<\/p>\n

1987<\/b><\/u>
Mark Knopfler — \u201cOnce Upon A Time \u2013 Storybook Love\u201d<\/b>
From the Princess Bride. I watched the movie so many times with my daughters that the songs stayed with me.<\/p>\n

1988<\/b><\/u>
The Style Council — \u201cThe Garden Of Eden\u201d<\/b>
My musical tastes take an odd turn.<\/p>\n

Steve Earle — \u201cCopperhead Road\u201d<\/b>
Country music takes an odd turn.<\/p>\n

1989<\/b><\/u>
Carole King — \u201cCity Streets\u201d<\/b>
The video works better. Eric Clapton provides the lead guitar and produces one of the purest sounds of his career.<\/p>\n

Pat Benatar — \u201cSuffer The Little Children\/Hell Is For Children\u201d<\/b>
This is the live version and a career defining performance.<\/p>\n

1990<\/b><\/u>
Lou Reed and John Cale — \u201cA Dream\u201d<\/b>
Former Velvet Underground bandmates are mellowing a bit.<\/p>\n

1991<\/b><\/u>
Mary Chapin Carpenter — \u201cDown At The Twist And Shout\u201d<\/b>
Just a joyful dance tune.<\/p>\n

Bob Dylan — \u201cBlind Willie McTell\u201d<\/b>
How many great songs has Bob Dylan produced?<\/p>\n

1992<\/b><\/u>
Mary Chapin Carpenter — \u201cPassionate Kisses\u201d\"marychapincarpenter_comeon_150\"<\/b>
This one (written by the great Lucinda Williams) would make my top 10 list.<\/p>\n

1993<\/b><\/u>
Meat Loaf — \u201cWasted Youth\u201d<\/b>
Still bombastic after all these years.<\/p>\n

Sting — \u201cFields Of Gold\u201d<\/b>
Pastoral song of beauty.<\/p>\n

1994<\/b><\/u>
Martina McBride \u2013 \u201cIndependence Day\u201d<\/b>
McBride\u2019s voice just soars.<\/p>\n

John Mellencamp — \u201cWild Night\u201d<\/b>
Mellencamp pulls off a great cover of a Van Morrison song.<\/p>\n

1995<\/b><\/u>
Martina McBride — \u201cWild Angels\u201d<\/b>
McBride\u2019s voice continues to soar.<\/p>\n

1996<\/b><\/u>
Lou Reed \u2013 \u201cSet The Twilight Reeling\u201d<\/b>
I miss Lou Reed.<\/p>\n

1997<\/b><\/u>
Sarah Brightman — \u201cAlleluia\u201d<\/b>
Mozart and Brightman\u2019s voice: who could ask for anything more.<\/p>\n

1998<\/b><\/u>
Faith Hill — \u201cThis Kiss\u201d<\/b>
Perfect fusion of pop and country.<\/p>\n

Aretha Franklin — \u201cA Rose Is Still A Rose\u201d<\/b>
One of dozens of great songs by the Queen Of Soul.<\/p>\n

1999<\/b><\/u>
Mary Chapin Carpenter — \u201cThe Shirt\u201d<\/b>
Great, if somewhat unknown, story song.<\/p>\n

Richard Thompson — \u201cCocks Ferry Queen\u201d<\/b>
Best work outside of Fairport Convention.<\/p>\n

2000<\/b><\/u>
Joni Mitchell — \u201cBoth Sides Now\u201d<\/b>
Reimagining her classic folk song with a light jazz touch.<\/p>\n

2001<\/b><\/u>
The Velvet Underground — \u201cHeroin\u201d<\/b>
A live version of what rock is all about surfaces.<\/p>\n

2002<\/b><\/u>
Bruce Springsteen — \u201cThe Rising\u201d<\/b>
He just keep producing great song after great song.<\/p>\n

2003<\/b><\/u>
Procol Harum — \u201cThe Question\u201d<\/b>
An underappreciated band creates a perfect rock song.<\/p>\n

2004<\/b><\/u>
Kelly Clarkson — \u201cBreakaway\u201d\"kellyclarkson_breakaway_150\"<\/b>
Pop perfection.<\/p>\n

2005<\/b><\/u>
Rolling Stones — \u201cThis Place Is Empty\u201d<\/b>
The ultimate Keith Richards vocal.<\/p>\n

2006<\/b><\/u>
Eric Burdon — \u201cSoul Of A Man\u201d<\/b>
Song epitomizes a half-century of his music.<\/p>\n

Bruce Springsteen — \u201cO Mary Don\u2019t You Weep\u201d<\/b>
Some songs are just waiting to be covered.<\/p>\n

2007<\/b><\/u>
Gary Moore — \u201cEyesight To The Blind\u201d<\/b>
Modern electric bluesman channeling Sonny Boy Williamson.<\/p>\n

2008<\/b><\/u>
Kid Rock — \u201cAll Summer Long<\/b>
Great party song.<\/p>\n

2009<\/b><\/u>
Ana Popovic — \u201cBlues For M\u201d<\/b>
The woman can play and sing the blues!<\/p>\n

2011<\/b><\/u>
Lady Gaga — \u201cBorn This Way\u201d<\/b>
What can I say, even I like this song.<\/p>\n

2012<\/b><\/u>
Mumford & Sons — \u201cI Will Wait\u201d<\/b>
It\u2019s all about the pause in the middle.<\/p>\n

Fun. — \u201cSome Nights\u201d<\/b>
Another perfect pop tune.<\/p>\n

2014<\/b><\/u>
Meghan Trainor — \u201cAll About That Bass\u201d<\/b>
I enjoy the cleverness of it all.<\/p>\n

2015<\/b><\/u>
Lindsay Sterling — \u201cHallelujah\u201d<\/b>
The official video works best.\"pentatonix_xmas_150\"<\/b><\/p>\n

2016<\/b><\/u>
Pentatonix \u2013 \u201cHallelujah\u201d<\/b>
Listening to a lot of Pentatonix lately.<\/p>\n

2019<\/b><\/u>
Pentatonix — \u201cThe Sound Of Silence\u201d<\/b>
Perfect harmonies. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(More Or Less)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":48765,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"tags":[],"feature_type":[32],"class_list":["post-47886","feature","type-feature","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","feature_type-feature"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature\/47886","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/feature"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature\/47886\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47886"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47886"},{"taxonomy":"feature_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature_type?post=47886"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}