5) Johnny Cash – Hurt
4) Beck – Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometimes
3) Pearl Jam – Wishlist
2) Five For Fighting – 100 Years
1) Jimmy Eat World – Lucky Denver Mint

Wow, that only took a week of trying to find the right balance of just about everything. The songs aren’t in any particular order, but they do from ‘Cry Your Eyes Out’ to ‘Hopeful’. And of course, it seems to all come together by pure chance…

Re: each band
5) I was never a big Cash fan. I knew who he was, listened to his songs and thought he was pretty cool, but I really never paid much attention to him. When he died, I was surprised by how personally I took it. Coincidentally, it was also around the time I began listening to American: III and it’s nice batch of what I call ‘incredible awesomeness’. Especially his rendition of U2’s ‘One’.
Just when I thought that nothing could beat that song, I listened to American: IV and it just floored me. Nine Inch Nails’ ‘Hurt’ has been a favorite of mine for a while, but Cash was simply able to make it timeless for me. Hands down one of my favorite songs of all time.

4) Yes, Yes, The Korgis’ came up with the original and yes, it is damn good. However, I can’t hear Beck’s cover of this song without thinking of ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’. The scenes were just so well done in terms of cinematography, general direction and acting as well. Go watch it!

3) Where to even begin with Pearl Jam? I’ve wanted to be Eddie Vedder ever since hearing ‘Black’ for the first time in 6th grade. Wishlist is…hopeful. And I’ll admit, this band is on this list purely for sentimental reasons. But it brings me up and reminds me of home.
bq. I wish I was the pedal brake that you depended on
bq. I wish I was the verb ‘to trust’ and never let you down”

2) Eh, reminds me of teenage summers.

1) Say what you will about Emo, say what you will about Jimmy Eat World, but at the end of the day, a song isn’t just about complex melodies (or lack thereof) or pushing the line of our socially accepted norms and values. It’s about enjoyment and appreciation. If you can’t relate to a song, then what does it matter how challenging and unique it is?
Jimmy Eat World doesn’t push any social boundaries, in fact, it revels in simplicity of beats and lyrics, but this is a catchy song and it’s well structured. I’m assuming that the band writes it’s own lyrics and music, and if so, then lots of props to them in general for doing such a good job at being able to tap into general emotions regarding relationships and change.