10 songs that have made a huge impact on your songwriting

[mojobone]

Actually it's Roy and Dale Rodgers' Happy Trails that was the genesis for California Girls; the bum-ba deeda line the Sons Of The Pioneers sang was re-worked into the Hammond B3 line in Brian Wilson's opus, and was hilariously lampooned/saluted in the outro of my homeboy David Lee Roth's version of California Girls video, IIRC. Van Halen used to occasionally close their show with an a capella version of Happy Trails, which completes the circle-more like a figure-eight, or a mobius, really....but I digress.

[Ajetpackoperation]

Paolo Conte - "Sparring Partner"

Castlevania IV - "Bloody Tears"

Fat Jon - "In Position"

King Crimson - "Starless"

Andrew Hill - "Dedication"

David Sylvian - "Orpheus"

Charles Ives - Symphony No. 4

Rimi Natsukawa/Misako Kaja - "Warabi Gami"'

Kayo Dot - "The Manifold Curiosity"

William Basinsky - The Disintegration Loops II

There's tons others, but this is off the top of my head.

[dtrain1234]

There are so many songs that have spoken to me lyrically and musically, here are my top 10 in no particular order . . .

1. "Yesterday" - The Beatles
2. "Every Breath You Take" - The Police
3. "I'll Never Find Another You" - The Seekers
4. "You Raise Me Up" - Josh Groban
5. "Angel" - Sarah McLachlan
6. "Viva La Vida" - Coldplay
7. "Open Arms" - Journey
8. "Jesus, Take The Wheel - Carrie Underwood
9. "God Bless The Broken Road" - Rascal Flatts
10. "You'll Be In My Heart" - Celtic Woman

[bagnall]

These are in no specific order. although it really made me think of what actully had / has an impact compared to *songs that I just like listen too*


The Outlaws - Ghost Riders in the Sky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFjqlx8e ... re=related

Manowar - Courage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89YYlz_q1xQ

Kenny Loggins - Footloose
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdSWXRZu ... re=related

The Sisters of Mercy - Temple of Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROnXv7Z7v28


Thy Veils - Aramà
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxElrZmEBXM

Richard Marx - Right Here Waiting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i4fK4Fc7Ms


Rainbow - Long Live Rock n Roll
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev7qn3f3i_c

Limahl - Neverending Story
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWMSF60v ... re=related

Roger Miller - Whistle Stop
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_q ... ntana&aq=0

Summoning - Land of the Dead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lDcp_vD6HI

[Casey H]

Wow, this is tough since there are so many... I'll start with a few and come back...

Just Like A Woman - Bob Dylan

Conversation - Joni Mitchell
http://s0.ilike.com/play#Joni+Mitchell: ... e74569164b

Too many Beatles songs to mention

Almost Blue - Elvis Costello
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zju3lT02PiE

Who'll Stop The Rain - Creedence

Ol' 55 - Eagles/Tom Waits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXgkL6uk ... re=related (tribute band)

Jersey Girl - Tom Waits (more so than Bruce's version)
http://s0.ilike.com/play#Tom+Waits:Jers ... 40982aa61f

Some Say I Got Devil - Melanie
http://vodpod.com/watch/3330634-melanie ... =vernoi812

Across The Sea - Weezer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mxEoA3G9Wg


Casey

[glender]

Hmm...OK you talked me into it

Southern Cross - C.S.N.Y.

Tangled Up In Blue - Bob Dylan

Fountain of Sorrow - Jackson Browne

Fire & Rain - James Taylor

After The Gold Rush - Neil Young

Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell

Your Song - Elton John

Hey Jude - Beatles

Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen

Roxanne - Police

[Fullertime]

Songs that heavily inspire me!

How Deep Is Your Love-Bee Gees
Thank You-A. Morissette
Your Body Is A Wonderland- Mayer
Jesses Girl-Rick Springfield
When I'm 64-Beatles
Place In This World-M W Smith
Hit Me Baby One More Time-Spears
Good Stuff-K. Chesney
Sweet Child O' Mine-G&R
You Shook Me all Night Long-AC/DC
Rondo Alla Turka-Mozart

[chrisaleshire]

Hard to list an individual song when the artists in my list had multiple tunes that inspired me. I already failed on this thread! =p

1. Nobuo Uematsu - Terra's Theme, though there are a few more in the Final Fantasy lines that drove me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTikC-o30ME (not the original but still good this is the original http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7RPY-oi ... re=related) and Opera Theme in FFVI (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXEv5lKx ... re=related) this is part two, the first one is good but not as good as the climax. IMO, He's the TOP Video Game Composer of all time.

Aerith's Theme http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UODCxAtyDo
Medley of the First Final Fantasy Games (the best intro imo ever is FF I) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7486oDsg04
Advent Children http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlGLGv3f ... re=related

2. David Bowie - The Man Who Sold The World, Changes

3. Sick of It All - Us Vs Them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyUGm6yqKNs

4. Merauder - Master Killer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES9IzkdNTo0

5. Queen - Who wants to live forever, BR, Under Pressure w/Bowie.

6. Stevie Wonder - I just called to say I love you

7. Alice In Chains - Sea of Sorrow though there are a ton more that I liked from Cantrell.

8. Dream Theater - Erotomania http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4WEAHRLorM though again a bunch of other's I liked!

9. Iron Maiden - Fear of the Dark/Number of the Beast

10. Hans Zimmer & Lize Gerrard - Gladiator Theme.

11. won't count since it's not his but Pavarotti singing "Ave Maria" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPvAQxZs ... re=related

12. Depeche Mode -
Enjoy the Silence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diT3FvDHMyo&feature=fvst, Personal Jesus, Strangelove

My influences span movies and video games since I was 5(30 right now), cross-genres(R&B, Old School Rap, Rock, Heavy Metal, Hardcore/Punk, and Orchestral. Setting the mood and holding it.

[Penz2nz]

Mindsong,

This is a fascinating thread. I had never really given much thought as to what (10) songs have had the biggest impact on me as a writer.

I can tell you that the watershed musical moment came for me in the summer of 1959 after seeing the movie "Thunder Road" staring Robert Mitchum and hearing him sing the theme song which that 12 year old version of me absolutely loved. I wrote my first song right after seeing that flick and never looked back.

Other than that I find it difficult to pick an arbitrary 9 more, but:

Tom T Hall, Old Dogs & Children, for the great story,
and Balled of Forty Dollars for rule breaking.
Derek and the Dominos, Layla
and The Who, Won't Get Fooled Again are two of the best Rock songs of all time.
Dan Fogelberg's Same Old Lang Syne for his inspired use of music from Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture.
Roberta Flack's rendering of Killing Me Softly which is reportedly a reference to Don McLean's skills as a writer
Which brings me to American Pie
Hank Williams, I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, for pure, crafted simplicity.
And then, of course, there's Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini, which should prove to all of us that we can write.