Here it is, the top 10.
10: "Johnny Quest (Thinks We're Sellouts)" by Less Than Jake
"Or is it that you think ska just sucks? Johnny Quest, he thinks we're what?!". For a band that I used to not hesitate to list as "my favorite band", it's interesting to see over time how they've faded on me. Don't get me wrong, I still LOVE Less Than Jake. But when this is the lone song on this list it says something. This song was a former #1 back in the first days of this list, and I never lost sight of why I love this song so much. Great, fast song, powerful horns, nice "fuck you" style lyrics. This song may move up and down the list, but will always be pretty high and I'll never forget why it used to be #1.
9: "The Big Sleep" by Streetlight Manifesto
"The last two soldiers on the battle field, survivors of the war. They aim at one another while their mothers beg the lord, 'if you're listening, I'm missing him, so somehow bring him home. How did it come to this?'". This song will always be compared to "A Better Place, A Better Time" by me. They're the two longer songs on the album, and I used to not like them too much. They're also the two highest from that album on this list, so my have they've grown. While it is about death, it comes off as a hopeful song and a very sweet one as well. I've said enough about the music played by Streetlight already that there is no need to go into more here, it once again carries over into this song.
8: "Hey Ska!" by The Suicide Machines
"Well I listen to your fucking shit, I can't make any sense of it". TSM hardly ever used horns in their songs, but boy do they use them right in this one. This is one of the best ska-punk songs ever in my mind, fast, hard, great beats, and a catchy horn section. While the back of the album says it is called "Hey", the album notes say "Hey Ska", and Google/YouTube searches for "Hey Suicide Machines" and "Hey Ska Suicide Machines" produce the same results. Plus, you know a song is amazing when Streetlight would cover it live.
7: "The Impression That I Get" by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones
"Have you ever had to jump so high you need the strength that none posses? Or has it ever come down to do or die, you've got to rise above the rest?" Oh cliche-core! I don't care, there is a reason why this was the Bosstones most popular song. Another song that everyone, even those who "hate ska", loves. Why? Well for a third wave ska song, it is very good. Catchy, simple, good beat. Granted it's far from your staple "Bosstones" song, but without it they wouldn't still be touring to this day.
6: "Beer" by Reel Big Fish
"And she said, 'well it's ok boy cause you know we'll be good friends' and I said, 'I think I'll have myself a beer'". More cliche! Ahhh! Once again, there is a reason why this is Reel Big Fish's most popular song. Another song that everyone knows and loves, it too is the reason Reel Big Fish is still making music to this day. While it wasn't a single, it is their biggest song, a pretty rare occurrence. Musically, I love the beat, that subtle use of horns, and of course the sad, depressed lyrics. And who doesn't love a great drinking song about beer?
5: "Seed" by Sublime
"I knew we could make it, but I only knew that the bitch would break it. I hope her parents love her so". A song about sex, "Seed" incorporates what I love most about Sublime's music. Sublime was so good because of their ability to play punk, reggae, and ska. This song has all 3 throughout, switching genres at different parts of the song. I don't think this song was ever #1, but it was the first Sublime song I really listened to and it is the reason I love them today. I first heard it in "Tony Hawk's Underground", and it has stuck with me ever since.
4: "Dear Sergio" by Streetlight Manifesto
"So wake up, wake up, wake up. Don't cry cause you'll fuck up your makeup. And if you do, you wont get laid. You won't make money and you won't get paid". The 12th and final appearance by Streetlight is a song that was officially recorded twice before this version ever surfaced. Originally by Catch 22 on their "Keasbey Nights", it was re-done by Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution with the third verse put in. Later, Tomas and Streetlight would perfect it to what it is now, an amazing song. Hard punk and ska. Hard horns that all have their own individual parts that stand out. Meaningful lyrics, and an amazing third verse that didn't exist with Catch 22. Seeing Streetlight play this live was a big highlight for me, and I'd love that to happen again sometime soon.
3: "Have the Time" by The Slackers
"There's never enough time to do what you must". Maybe I love this song so much because it was the first I heard by The Slackers. Maybe because it was their biggest hit, and had a music video. Maybe because it is arguably their best song, and never fails to make me happy when I hear it. Such a good island sound to it, helped by the video, puts in the mood for summer every time I hear it.
2: "And the Battle Begun" by the Rx Bandits
"One kiss for all the world, a taste for all that's precious". Over and over on this, I've said how much I love the Rx Bandits, especially the album "And the Battle Begins...". The lone "single" (well, it had a video) off the album, this song starts quiet and slow and progressively builds up as it goes on. Little use of horns, but it is the prefect amount for this song. A hint of their ska roots, and the right amount of hard punk of their later sound. Just under five minutes, this track is essentially all that is great about Rx. Only a band with this much talent can make a song this good, and it is even better live. They throw in a couple minutes of percussion jamming in the middle, drawing the song out even more and allowing the crowd to enjoy it for even more time. This song is so good, I moved it from 3 to 2 on the list as I wrote this, as I realized it I just love it that much.
1: "If We Want To" by Big D & the Kids Table
"So why not? Cause we can stay if we want to". I'll be honest, this is FAR from the best song on this list. I mean, I couldn't even pick a stand out lyric to quote up there. Dave's voice, which isn't amazing to begin with, doesn't exactly shine on this one. While this may not be the best song of all time, it is my favorite song of all time. And has been for probably 5 years now. "How It Goes" has been my favorite album since I got it for Christmas 04, but this song took a little while for me to warm up to. I remember exactly where I was when I first fell in love with it. April 05: Baltimore, Maryland. We were visiting my sister at school, I think we had Yankee-Orioles tickets so we were staying in the Inner Harbor. With time to kill during the day, I was walking around the harbor with my iPod. This song came on. It was a nice sunny day, and the music of this song just took over me. The horns on this song were (and still are) like nothing I had ever heard before. Each verse they increase in length and intensity. By time it's the climax of the song, the horns are just so powerful that I still get caught up in them every time. Listening to those horns, on that bright spring morning in Baltimore at age 16, I was hooked. I know that the other 9 songs in this entry alone are probably better, but the way this song hit me will always have such a special place to me that I'm pretty sure, after nearly 5 years, this song will forever be number one.
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