Okay, a simple "name your twenty or so favorite songs" should be easier to deal with then my previous existential attempt. So, create a CD with your 20 favorite songs
My top 20 (it stays essentially the same as 20 songs representative of humanity).
1. Louie Armstrong - Wonderful World
2. Symphony No. 9 (Ode to Joy) - Beethoven
3. Back to Good - Matchbox 20
4. Alien - Bush
5. Canon in D Major - Pachebel (sp?)
6. Imagine - John Lennon
7. Shadowlands - Bruce Hornsby
8. Night Swimming - REM
9. The Hurricane - Bob Dylan
10. Say it Ain't So - Weezer
11. Plush - Stone Temple Pilots
12. Yellow Ledbetter - Pearl Jam
13. Walk on the Ocean - Toad the Wet Sprocket
14. Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
15. Blowin' in the Wind - Joan Baez
16. Jack and Diane - John Cougar Mellencamp
17. The Gambler - Kenny Rogers
18. Juicy - Notorious BIG
19. Changes - Tupac
20. Reflections - The Supremes
Wow, that was damn tough. There were a lot of AMAZING songs I had to leave off. Additionally, I'm somewhat surprised to find what a male dominated list I ended up with. While partially (and perhaps majorly) a function of the fact that they were largely excluded from the musical realm until the 50's, i'm still a bit surprised to see it come out that way.