What are your favorite Deeply Satisfying songs?
June 6, 2014 9:15 AM   Subscribe

What are your favorite Deeply Satisfying songs?

I'm looking for deeply, deeply satisfying songs that you can really feel. Songs like Purple Rain by Prince, King Hummingbird by JJ Grey, Lochloosa by JJ Grey, Prince of Darkness and the song Kid Fears by the Indigo Girls. Pandora doesn't help because if I plug in Purple Rain, I get a lot of Prince songs (love Prince, but I'm looking for something specific).
posted by gt2 to Media & Arts (41 answers total) 46 users marked this as a favorite
 




Mine is The Beat- I Confess by the English Beat.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 9:36 AM on June 6, 2014 [2 favorites]


A Better Son/Daughter by Rilo Kiley. I encourage you to sit still and listen to this song, from start to finish. I find it immensely satisfying.
posted by gursky at 9:40 AM on June 6, 2014 [7 favorites]


I can't get enough of Kevin Parker/Tame Impala lately. Lot of his/their songs feel that way to me.

Desire Be Desire Go
posted by notyou at 9:46 AM on June 6, 2014 [1 favorite]


The New Pornographers - The Bleeding Heart Show
posted by psoas at 9:58 AM on June 6, 2014 [2 favorites]




I'm also a pretty big fan of The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones-The Impression That I Get

Ska makes the world go 'round.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 10:00 AM on June 6, 2014 [3 favorites]






When I first heard You Make Me Like Charity by the Knife, I listened to it over and over and over and over again. It's so strange and spooky and catchy.

Also, Hounds of Love.
posted by magdalemon at 10:10 AM on June 6, 2014 [2 favorites]


More Rilo Kiley! With Arms Outstretched
P.P. Arnold - The First Cut is the Deepest
Rufus Wainwright - The Art Teacher
The Walkmen - Heaven (this is my favorite version, from their NPR Tiny Desk Concert)
Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You (NO SHAME)
posted by scarykarrey at 10:28 AM on June 6, 2014 [3 favorites]


Oh yeah, and this cover by the Civil Wars of Portishead's "Sour Times".
posted by scarykarrey at 10:34 AM on June 6, 2014 [1 favorite]


Even the crustiest grumps I know get immense satisfaction from belting Torn by Natalie Imbruglia and Africa by Toto during karaoke.
posted by sestaaak at 10:39 AM on June 6, 2014 [10 favorites]


We Belong Together - Rickie Lee Jones
posted by juliplease at 10:52 AM on June 6, 2014 [2 favorites]


Sammy Davis Jr. Who Can I Turn To?
Nina Simone Feeling Good.
Elaine Stritch, The Ladies Who Lunch
Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Let's Hang On.
Petula Clark, Downtown.
posted by brookeb at 10:53 AM on June 6, 2014 [1 favorite]


Farewell Transmission by Songs: Ohia
posted by dearwassily at 11:07 AM on June 6, 2014


Small Faces, Tin Soldier
posted by scody at 11:13 AM on June 6, 2014


oh, and that reminds me of the Faces' version of Maybe I'm Amazed, which I can never listen to just once.
posted by scody at 11:21 AM on June 6, 2014 [1 favorite]


Come Pick Me Up - Ryan Adams
Dream On - Aerosmith
Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler
Hey Jude - The Beatles
If I Could Turn Back Time - Cher
posted by Fairchild at 11:30 AM on June 6, 2014 [2 favorites]




The Decembrists - Sons and Daughters

many of these songs use the Mixolydian modal scale, which is a kind of "super major," feeling even more happy-making than the fifths many of us sing as kids.
posted by Jesse the K at 11:37 AM on June 6, 2014 [2 favorites]


Best answer: I'm not positive quite what you mean by "deeply satisfying", but there's one that always springs to mind as something that gives me The Feels in an ineffably good way that few others do: Bad Religion, Generator. It's in a slightly different vein from most of what's above, but something about the music, the tone of the voice, and the somewhat inscrutable lyrics that somehow still seem to make perfect sense just touch something in me. It's one of those songs that, for me at least, the louder I play it, and the louder I sing along, the more deeply satisfied it makes me feel -- not necessarily happy or sad, just "this is life, that's how things are, the human condition is universally shared, and everything is OK".

It's like that slightly nervous, but exciting and oddly fulfilling "this is what it means to be human and be alive" that you feel when you first start falling in love with someone. Crank it. Really crank it.
posted by jammer at 11:44 AM on June 6, 2014 [2 favorites]


Wake Up Alone--Amy Winehouse
Astronomy Domine--Pink Floyd
What Difference Does It Make (Peel session version)--The Smiths
Primary--The Cure
Beautiful World--Devo
Letter from Home--Pat Metheny
Strange Days--The Doors
Very Ape--Nirvana
Anyway--Shelby Starner
posted by luckynerd at 11:50 AM on June 6, 2014


Arcade Fire- Rebellion (Lies), Reflektor, Here Comes the Night Time and Sprawl II- Mountains beyond Mountains
Martha Wainwright- My Heart was made for Bleeding all over You
Rufus Wainwright- Go or Go Ahead, Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk, The Art Teacher
Nine Simone- Ain't Got No (I got Life)
The Beatles- Across the Universe, Let it Be, Happiness is a Warm Gun, A Day in the Life
David Bowie: Starman, Soul Love, Five Years (basically whole Ziggy Stardust album)
I could go on. ..
posted by winterportage at 11:59 AM on June 6, 2014


And, come to think of it, if Generator does it for you, the whole album of the same name might be worth a listen. There's a lot of the same feel to it, especially the "longing lyrics with upbeat music". In particular, I'd sample Too Much to Ask ("a refreshing plunge, a drink of palatable water, a deep inspiration on a warm summer's day, a safe stroll in a middle-of-the-road community, a neighbour who in times of need will not turn away"), Two Babies in the Dark ("two babies in the dark like diamonds in the sand while papa's far away making up children's stories, the little one's inside, afraid to be alone, she's trying to be brave until the daddy comes home"), Heaven is Falling ("God, I want to be a man, but I don't want to die with a rifle in my hand, and as the planes blacken the sky it feels like heaven is falling"), and Chimaera ("you created an unsocial monster and you're searched for all over the globe, and most believe that things would sure be better if you'd come down here and tell us what you know").

Or maybe it's just me.
posted by jammer at 12:06 PM on June 6, 2014


I'll limit myself to one and say Downtown Train by Tom Waits, who wrote it. I like that it's urgent but it also has a beginning, middle, and end so I hope it meets the 'satisfying' criteria.
posted by ftm at 1:47 PM on June 6, 2014


Not a song but definitely the greatest piece of music ever written in the entire history of Western European music,* the "Chaconne" by Bach. And for the awesome fun of it instead of linking to a violinist playing it, as Bach intended, here is the great English classical guitarist John Williams.

* Not including the 20th century and according to me. I have criteria. I will not share those with you.
posted by bfootdav at 2:32 PM on June 6, 2014


Two songs make me exhale deeply the moment they begin: Van Morrison Sweet Thing, and Josh Ritter Thin Blue Flame.
posted by ezust at 3:09 PM on June 6, 2014 [4 favorites]


Barrington Levy's Vice Versa Love is a song that meets all my essentials as a life anthem.
"the only ammunition we need is love for everyone"
posted by a humble nudibranch at 3:39 PM on June 6, 2014


All the OP's examples are very slow and overtly emotional, so I'm guessing something like Nirvana's "Very Ape" isn't exactly what s/he's looking for. (I love that song, but...)

Pearl Jam — Black

Radiohead — Fake Plastic Trees

Smashing Pumpkins — Beautiful

Rilo Kiley — I Never

Stevie Wonder — You and I

Tori Amos — Winter

Jimi Hendrix — Angel

Aerosmith — Amazing

Queen — Friends Will Be Friends

John Mayer — Come Back to Bed
posted by John Cohen at 4:57 PM on June 6, 2014


For me, some of the most satisfying songs are ones that struggle with inescapable mortality and find moments of release and joy in peering over the line.

Townes Van Zandt To Live Is To Fly
Joanna Newsom Sawdust and Diamonds
Bruce Springsteen Reason to Believe
Van Morrison Slim Slow Slider
Gillian Welch Time (The Revelator)
Mark Lanegan Shooting Gallery
Otis Redding That's How Strong My Love Is
Tom Waits Long Way Home
The Velvet Underground Sweet Jane
posted by otolith at 6:23 PM on June 6, 2014 [2 favorites]


Response by poster: Thanks everyone, this is awesome. I'm going to try them all.
posted by gt2 at 7:24 PM on June 6, 2014


The Weakerthans - Diagnosis or Watermark.
posted by bibliogrrl at 7:45 PM on June 6, 2014


Of Course - Jane's Addiction
posted by any major dude at 9:03 PM on June 6, 2014


Does soundtrack music count? I probably shouldn't admit this in public, but every since my girls made me watch Frozen with them, Idina Menzel's Let It Go song has been playing in my head and is my car sing along song of choice. It's an all purpose flipping-off-the-world freedom anthem.
posted by fingersandtoes at 9:09 PM on June 6, 2014


Mannequin by Wire
Late night, maudlin street by Morrissey
Tonight in Bilbao by Sun Kil Moon
Decades by Joy Division
So Real by Jeff Buckley
posted by oceanview at 9:44 PM on June 6, 2014


Lots of Peter Gabriel is this way for me. Check out So or Us.

Early Bob Dylan--Freewheeling or Times They Are a Changing.

Leonard Cohen--most of his stuff.

Neil Young.

Television: Marquee Moon.

REM Murmur and Reckoning.
posted by persona au gratin at 1:08 AM on June 7, 2014


The Head and the Heart - "Rivers and Roads"
Also, check out the soundtrack to the movie "Once."
posted by trillian at 11:02 AM on June 7, 2014




Oh, also: You Better You Bet - The Who. Nostalgic, self-loathing, transcendent, funny and self-referencing. Also life-affirming.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 5:40 PM on June 7, 2014


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