Man this month has been killer.  New job, new city, moving, new apartment, being without my stuff for a month, and an hour plus commute (soon to end) each way.  But I was ruminating on my favorite songs.  I am sure there are some I am forgetting, but here are my favorites off the top of my head.

1. You Are My Sunshine -as best performed by Gordon Gano, once in Columbia, MO, live, but generally any way live. Recorded, my favorite version so far would probably be Willie Nelson’s  I’d pay good money for a Tom Waits/John Cale/Stephin Merritt/Leonard Cohen/Rufus Wainwright version.
2. Hallelujah - Tie: John Cale/Leonard Cohen/Rufus Wainwright see a theme here?  Honestly best song ever.
3. Venus in Furs - Velvet Underground If we want to get technical, I prefer the John Cale demo version that is 20 mins long on Suck It & See.  Seriously even I didn’t realize I was so into John Cale till I made this list.  My next 10 favorite songs are probably VU songs.
4. Perfect Day - Lou Reed Lest you think I hate Lou Reed, rest assured I do not.  In fact his version of All Tomorrow’s Parties is my preferred version.  I also truly love Nico’s singing though.  Because I am weird.
5. Papa Was a Rodeo - Magnetic Fields Truly my next 20 favorite songs are Stephin Merritt songs.  I probably equally love “100,000 Fireflies,” “Book of Love,” “Nothing Matters When We’re Dancing,” and “Reno Dakota.”  Papa Was a Rodeo is probably the most touching one personally though.  So it leads the pack.  I enjoy other versions of it too.
6. The Luckiest - Ben Folds This is an odd choice.  I like Ben Folds a lot, but I think I am a far more casual Ben Folds listener than any of these other bands.  But The Luckiest makes me cry.  It’s one of the most beautiful songs ever written in my opinion.
7. Forever in My Life - Prince JFK Jr used it as his wedding song.  A lot of Prince fans hate it because of the tacky instrumentation, which I agree knocks it down.  By someone else it would be amazing.   I want a version of this by Jared Friedman because, if I didn’t know him personally, his version of The Glamorous Life would make this list.

What are yours?  What am I missing?

***Edited to Add 7.

On the way to work I pass by a synagogue.  Next to the synagogue is a Wendy’s.

I know very little about food service, but you have to think that they make the batches of bacon at Wendy’s for the bacon cheeseburgers all in one fell swoop.  So at one point in the day the synagogue must reek of bacon.  i would find it very hard to believe I was chosen if God kept pointing out so clearly how tasty bacon was, and how I could not have it.