EXCLUSIVE: Gavin DeGraw Reflects on His Top 20 Favorite Songs
The platinum selling rock artist, famous for his breakout single "I Don't Wanna Be", recently broke down his 20 favorite songs of all time in this exclusive list.
Gavin DeGraw is currently on tour in support of his latest album 'Sweeter' but took the time to pick his favorite 20 tracks and talk about what they each mean to him as both a fan and songwriter. For more news and updates check out DeGraw's official website HERE.
The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers
"They changed music forever."
Elton John - Harmony
"Listen to how the chorus lifts everything around you."
Sam Cooke - Change is Gonna Come
"It’s a Song of Hope and social prayer."
Bob Dylan - Boots of Spanish Leather
"I love his cynical sense of humor."
Billy Joel - Laura
"Responsibility can be a real drag."
Roger Miller - King of The Road
"The drifter in each of us can be romanticized."
Marty Robbins - El Paso
"My Papa Russell’s favorite song. He told me his whole life they were going to play it at his funeral and sure enough, that’s exactly what happened at his request.
Neil Diamond - Coming to America
"Reminds me of third grade after school hours, spent at my aunt and uncles apartment. I must have sung along to that song thousands of times. Bart and Joanne loved that album. Miss you Uncle Bart!"
Hank Williams - Hey Good Lookin'
"I’m thinking Kindergarten and First Grade afternoons spent at Papa Russell’s and Grandma Mary’s house. That Hank Williams album was a staple there."
Chris Whitley - Indian Summer
"My brother introduced me to this guys music 10 years ago. It took a second to get used to, then I was hooked. This guys music makes me feel like I’m out in the desert or on the plains. Makes me feel like I’m tapping in to the earthier parts of my manhood. Poetry and masculinity collide."
Joey DeGraw - Tragedy
"I consider my brother to be a true songwriter. This one is only one of many songs of social consciousness that he’s experimented with."
Peter Gabriel - The River
"Musically this song feels like a mesh of moments of Celtic melody and American gospel reference. Gabriel has pursued his own search artistically. There is a lot to be admired here."
Randy Newman - Drop The Big One
"Newman shares some of the same elements of cynicism as Dylan sometimes. A sense of humor and a dash of harsh reality in the conflicting world of ideologies."
George Jones - These Days I Barely Get By
"The singer in me is green with envy of George Jones. The working man in me really understands this song. What a clear window into the harsh realities of real life for so many."
Freddie King - Please Send Someone to Love
"A bluesy troubadours musical prayer for someone to love."
Martin Sexton - I Can't Stop Thinking About You
"One of the greatest vocal performances I’ve ever heard. There is a moment in here where your knees might even buckle if you are listening to it standing up."
Old Dogs - Old Dogs
"This collection of seasoned veterans of the touring world of music provide you with more than a couple of laughs when they let you know that old dogs might not perform as good as they used to, they might not even be as excitable as they once were, but these dogs can still bury the bone. Hahaha!"
Jackson Browne - The Load Out
"What touring musician can’t identify with this one?! JB lets you in on an angle of this lifestyle like nobody else does and it really feels like the truth."
Van Morrison - Sweet Thing
"This performance feels so free. I guess it kind of feels like you are right there with these guys playing this music off the cuff and Van’s unpredictable phrasing has too much character to fake."
Bob Seger - Night Moves
"This guy is the working man's musician and every line feels as honest as the dirt we walk on. My favorite phrase here is, 'Working on the night moves, when you just don’t seem to have as much to lose'. What could be more true than that? Level headed thinking takes a backseat to lack of care and fulfillment of immediate desire."
