My Top Ten 'To Be...' Songs

Sorry I didn't post a Top Ten last week. I was too busy being a dad, being a teacher, being a constant pain in Louise's neck etc. etc. to be a blogger. Here's ten great songs beginning with the verb 'To be...'



10. B. A. Robertson - To Be Or Not To Be

Any song that begins:

"Now I'm a little shy
I like to stay homeo..."

...well, you just know that ain't gonna end well. Full credit to B.A. though: that sucker actually finds some even worse rhymes as this creaky 70s classic progresses. It's As You Like It, you know.

The Bard would probably prefer To Be Or Not To Be by Richard E. Grant & Orpheus which sticks to his classic text...but sullies it with a shabby, sub-Pet Shop Boys beat. 

9. Villagers - To Be Counted Among Men

A gorgeous acoustic ballad from the hugely talented Conor O'Brien, the closing track from his excellent debut album, Becoming A Jackal.

8. Mr. Big - To Be With You

Top cheesy early 90s tuneage. You think you're too cool for this: you're wrong. 

7. Belle & Sebastian - To Be Myself Completely

...I've just got to let you down.

Yes, you're dumped. But it's not you: it's me!

6. Idlewild - To Be Forgotten

Too Good To Be Forgotten... as Amazulu once had it. Though, shockingly, this one appears to have fallen off the radar completely. Not even on youtube! A crime.

5. Ryan Adams - To Be Young (Is to Be Sad, Is to Be High)

Ryan's debut solo effort begins with an Argument With David Rawlings Concerning Morrissey... which is exactly what it says on the tin. Once that's out of the way, this song starts the album proper... and in many ways, Mr. Adams has yet to better it.

4. The Jam - To Be Someone

One of Weller's finest moments.

And there's no more swimming in a guitar shaped pool
No more reporters at my beck and call
No more cocaine it's only ground chalk
No more taxis now we'll have to walk

3. Billy Idol - To Be A Lover

I make no secret of my profound admiration for Mad Billy McMad. Here he covers (and changes the title) of William Bell's 60s soul classic I Forgot To Be Your Lover to the point that it's unrecognisable,  all the while doing his trademark punk-Elvis impression in a boxing ring with the cast of C.A.T.S. Eyes on backing vocals. He even ropes a human version of Rowlf from the Muppets in to play the piano. They don't make 'em like Billy anymore, and that's a sad loss to the entertainment industry.

2. Nils Lofgren - To Be A Dreamer

Sound advice from the E. Street axeman's pop...

He said: "Son, I brought you here to dream
Life's not what the world would have it seem
The call of the wild makes you a believer
I brought you into this world... to be a dreamer."

Been listening to this a lot lately, and it keeps making me cry. What a sentimental old fool Sam's dad is.

When I got the idea for this Top Ten, I figured Nils would be top dog. But, of course, I'd forgotten this... 
Another one that rarely fails to reduce me to a sobbing wreck on the carpet: particularly as featured in the movie it was written for, Winged Migration. (It's a documentary about birds, but you don't have a heart in your chest if it doesn't ache for what our feathered friends put themselves through every year for a "holiday".)

1. Nick Cave - To Be By Your Side

Another one that rarely fails to reduce me to a sobbing wreck on the carpet: particularly as featured in the movie it was written for, Winged Migration. (It's a documentary about birds, but you don't have a heart in your chest if it doesn't ache for what our feathered friends put themselves through every year for a "holiday".)





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