As to be expected, this week’s picks draw heavily from Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, but there’s also a piano piece that defined my Summer, and one of my Top 2 picks for Best Song of 2015.

1. “Dancing Queen” – ABBA
   Everybody knows this song, but I guess I just hadn’t listened to it seriously before this evening. Holy shit what a jam! There are lots of songs that become “classics” that really don’t deserve the moniker, but then there are other tracks that stand the test of time and deserve every year of adulation heaped upon them. This is one that belongs in the latter category.
2. “I Want to Know What Love is” – Foreigner
   When I listened to this song as I was making my way through Rolling Stone’s Top 500 Song List, I was sitting in my Pappy’s office. I liked it immediately, but I really didn’t think it was quite Top 500 Song material. But with every subsequent listen, it continued to grow and manifest itself in my mind and now, I absolutely love it. A great example of perfect Pop Balladry.
3. “Into the Mystic” – Van Morrison
   Like the previous entry, this is a track that initially impressed me, but only became better with repeated listens. Objectively, this track is even stronger, exemplifying that quiet, subtle power that Van Morrison utilizes to grip his listeners by the heartstrings. I don’t know what he’s reminded of when he hears that foghorn blow, but it gets me every time.
4. “Meditation” – Ludmila Slovitch
   Ever since I started playing Fallout 4 almost an entire year ago (time truly flies), I was enamored with this simple piano piece, which plays regularly over the game’s Classical Radio Station. But I was faced with a dilemma; I couldn’t find the version that they used in the game and all of the others rushed through the song’s final climax like a horny teenager finally losing his virginity to the girl next door (a trend that bothers me with many pianists). But after some bigtime excavating, I was able to unearth this, the real, Bethesda-approved version. It was worth it.
5. “Drink Tickets” – Kitty
   My pick for Song of the Year for 2015 (with the possible exception of ADELE’s “Under the Bridge,” depending on the day) was from little-known Rap artist Kitty (formerly Kitty Pryde, which, admittedly, was a much better name). The link in the playlist below probably won’t work for you since the track isn’t actually on Spotify, but look it up on Soundcloud. If your head isn’t bobbing within the first minute, check your pulse.

For more playlists, including my master Burnes’ Turns playlist that contains nearly 2,000 songs, search for Andrew Burnes or Burnes’ Turns on Spotify.