A challenge

Summer made a challenge for all her blog followers to blog about their five all-time favorite songs and why. After reading this, I couldn't turn off my mind to go to sleep because I was thinking about what my five favorite songs are. So, mostly because I spent ten minutes awake when I could have been sleeping, I feel I must blog about this. 

1) (I'm sorry, Summer if you feel like this is copying you, but I swear it would be on here without your prompting) Orange Colored Sky by Natalie Cole: When I was in I think Jr. High, my sister introduced me to this song. I thought it was totally cool to go have sleepovers at her house (and it was) and she played Natalie Cole's album Unforgettable With Love which had this song on it. As soon as I could, I went out and bought this CD and spent literally hours trying to figure out the lyrics so I could sing along properly. Over the next several years, I kept going back to this album when I needed something to listen to. It's just totally classic and I've come to love Natalie Cole's voice and style. I've gradually realized that she is my favorite singer and has a song on some album somewhere that I always want to listen to, no matter what my mood is.

2) Come Away With Me by Norah Jones: I bought this album when Adam and I were engaged and just about to get married. We both have lots of good memories come flooding back whenever this song is on. Plus, it's just a good song.

3) Mahler's Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection": I don't know if this counts, but I don't care. I had the immense privilege of being in the Philharmonic Orchestra during my last year at BYU and we performed this entire symphony with all the parts (it was written for roughly one thousand performers, and we had about one thousand performers at the concert). Aside from it being one of the most incredible works ever written, it has an incredible message. Mahler wrote this symphony based on Christ's life and resurrection, hence the nickname "Resurrection". During rehearsal one day, Kory Katseanes (our conductor and my benefactor for allowing me in the orchestra as the only violinist without "Music" as my pronounced major) read the english translation to the german lyrics that are part of the last two movements. Since this was at BYU, we could discuss what those lyrics meant to us and therefore make it much more special for each of us. We performed this several times, but the final performance was the most incredible. The giant choir behind us was perfect, the ten french horns behind us and in the balconies and the percussionists and trombonists on stage and off were flawless and we strings weren't so bad ourselves. The Spirit was so strong, especially among the performers and as I looked around at my fellow musicians, I saw that most had tears running down their cheeks and flooding their eyes. I just thought to myself that I would never have another opportunity like this ever again in my life. Because I chose Nursing instead of music for my career path, I would not be able to be in any really good orchestras like the Phil again and even if I was, I couldn't have such a strong spiritual experience with roughly one thousand others who believed the same things I did. When I listen to recordings of this now, I mean really listen, I can't stop the tears from flowing. I absolutely love it.

4) Someone Else's Story from Chess: My little sister and I frequently took turns stealing the recording of this little-known broadway musical from my mother and listening to it endlessly when we were young. This was my favorite song and C and I would sing it all the time. Good times.

5) Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler: I. Love. This. Song. End of story.

I, like Summer, want to know everyone else's top five songs and why. Because it's really fun. Go!