Seven Songs that Changed my Life
March 21st, 2006
Throughout my guitar playing years my musical tastes have changed greatly. I started out very closed minded when it came to music and I really think I have grown because guitar has allowed me to appreciate many different kinds of music. The following songs changed my musical path and introduced me to a whole new world of music.
Nirvana - Come as you are
Nirvana’s come as you was monumental because it was the first song I taught myself to play on guitar. It was a really easy song to pick up and really got me hooked on playing.
Led Zeppelin - Immigrant Song
In the early days of MP3’s when they could only be found on rogue websites and personal FTPs (the dialup pre-napster days), the Immigrant Song was a song I downloaded just because I thought I recognized the name Led Zeppelin. Little did I know that this song would lead me onto tunes like Stairway to Heaven and would later prompt me to buy the albums I through III in a single day.
Jimi Hendrix - Little Wing
Little Wing is significant because I think it really embodies the guitar central music that was classic rock. There is no song that flows between rhythm and lead like this song does. Although I never mastered it, it remains one of my all time favorites.
Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven
For the first 4 years I played guitar I only owned an acoustic. For that reason I got into a lot of the acoustic finger picking songs of Eric Clapton and Crosby Stills and Nash. This song was really the first that made me want to learn others of its kind.
Metallica - Orion
For many years I was very critical of Metallica. Since I was mostly playing classic rock acoustic songs I thought their music was much too heavy for me. The problem was I hadn’t really taken the time to listen to them. One of the guys who originally got me into guitar had me download this song one day and I was hooked.
Zakk Wylde - Bullet inside your head
When I started listening to Metallica I eventually looked for other bands that were similar to them. I listened to Pantera, and Ozzy Osbourne. Through Ozzy I was introduced to Zakk Wylde. This song is really important in my musical evolution for a few reasons. First off, Zakk Wylde was one of the first musicians that I listened to that was still making music. Most of my other favorites were either dead, or their music was. Also, this song sparked several years of loyal Black Label Society listening, and I would still consider Zakk Wylde one of my top three favorites.
Himsa - Loveless and Goodbye
Although I did consider the music I was listening to Metal. Himsa was the first band I listened to that was void of singing. Himsa’s lyrics are quite monotone and are all screamed. At first I was repulsed and couldn’t see myself listening to it. However, the song Loveless and Goodbye was just too awesome for me to avoid. I put aside my differences with the lyrics and listened to it for its sheer guitar talent. Soon enough I began to enjoy the screaming. Himsa has opened my eyes to a whole world of music I never would have known. Bands like Dark Tranquillity, Children of Bodom, Darkest Hour, and Norther are regulars in my Playlist.
I’m sure I have missed something somewhere along the line, but these songs are definitely all time favorites of mine and I don’t know what musical path I would have taken without them.
What songs have influenced your musical preference?
tagged guitar, music, songs and Zakk Wylde
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March 21st, 2006 14:36
Me Too! Seven Songs That Changed My Life
Matt over at Guitar Stuff did a great post recently listing the seven songs that changed his life, so for the fun of it I thought I’d take his lead and list my own seven life-changing tunes. Some of these are fairly obscure, but IMHO they are al…
March 21st, 2006 17:40
I think your list is a good one.
I love Little Wing, but I actually think that the Stevie Ray Vaughan instrumental surpasses the original in emotive playing. One of the very few remakes to accomplish this task.
However, as far as changed my life, that’s a difficult question. I would think the album that had the most profound effect on my future music listening and guitar playing was Slayer’s Reign in Blood.
As far as learning to appreciate more stylized stuff, I would probably say Dire Staights’ Sultans of Swing.
March 21st, 2006 18:13
I have to agree, SRV did an awesome cover of little wing.
When I say changed my life, I may have been a little over dramatic. What I really meant was songs that changed the way I looked at the music I was listening to.
All of these songs opened me up to a genre that I previously wouldnt have listened to.