I want to be Bobby’s girl, I want to be Bobby’s girl, that’s the most important thing to me, and if I was Bobby’s girl, if I was Bobby’s girl, what a faithful thankful girl I’d be”

That, of course, is the refrain from Bobby’s Girl, one of the greatest songs ever. It came out when I was a senior in high school and I expected that at least a few of my female classmates would sing it to me. That didn’t happen and unfortunately it never made the hit parade with the general public, but it remains special to me.

When considering what I should select as my favorite songs I had my mind travel back to the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s, for those were the only decades in my life when I paid any attention to what songs were playing on the radio, on records, albums, and cassettes, and on American Bandstand. With the exception of songs composed by OhThatPatrick I have not listen to a new song in about 40 years. So my music horizon is severely limited. Nonetheless, there were a lot of songs I did enjoy back in the day, and it has been challenging to pick those I favor the most. Only after several sleepless nights and hours of listening to them again on Spotify have I been able to identify and list my all-time favorite songs. I decided to present a top 20, but I was confronted with an 11 way tie for number 20, so I am awarding Tyrrell Grammys for the following 30 songs:

The Impossible Dream – Recorded by many artists, but my favorite rendition was by Frank Sinatra.

Unforgettable – As sung by the great Nat King Cole.

Danny Boy – Never better sung than by The Irish Tenors.

Let It Be – In a very close contest this is my favorite Beatle song.

Close To You – Again in a close contest this is my favorite Carpenters’ song.

Chances Are – Johnny Mathis’ greatest hit.

Day Is Done – By Peter, Paul & Mary, my favorite folk group.

Strangers In The Night – I always think of how Claudia and I met when I hear this Sinatra song.

Hey Jude – A Beatle song that belongs in everybody’s top 10.

You’ve Got A Friend – I loved listening to the music of Sweet Baby James Taylor.

Bridge Over Troubled Waters – This edged out Mrs. Robinson for the best Simon & Garfunkel song.

Where Have All The Flowers Gone – Peter, Paul & Mary’s depressing song.

Blowing In The Wind – Peter, Paul & Mary’s thought-provoking song.

Age Of Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In – The 5th Dimension’s uplifting song.

Yesterday – Another Beatle entry that made the cut.

With A Little Help From My Friends – Beatles again.

Joy To The World – Song performed by Three Dog Night for the bride and groom dance at my wedding.

Moon River – Andy Williams’ tune that we, the Class of 1962, used for our Class Song.

New York, New York – An Ol’ Blue Eyes classic.

I Heard It Through The Grapevine – As performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival, a Claudia favorite.

Fire and Rain – Another James Taylor hit.

Lean On Me – Bill Withers’ song of support.

We’ve Only Just Begun – Claudia and I felt this Carpenters’ song was meant for us.

Sweet Caroline – Neil Diamond’s best.

Abraham, Martin and John – A truly moving song, but does anybody here know who the artist was?

Greenfields – A heartache song sung by the Brothers Four.

I Left My Heart In San Francisco – By who else but Tony Bennett.

Tom Dooley – The song that put The Kingston Trio on the map.

In A Gadda Da Vida – This Iron Butterfly claim to fame has got to be the longest single recording ever.

Puff The Magic Dragon – Made this list because I wanted Peter, Paul & Mary to have as many entries as the Beatles.

As should be apparent this compilation primarily highlights folk and pop music and ballads. I did not list classical music like my favorite Beethoven and Mozart symphonies because I doubt my readership has the sophistication to appreciate them. I stayed away from religious hymns because I wanted to keep the listing secular, although anyone who knows me would expect Amazing Grace to be at or near the top of my favorite songs. I didn’t list any Christmas songs such as the reverent Silent Night or the much-loved Silver Bells because they are seasonal songs. With the notable exception of Danny Boy, I didn’t include wonderful Irish songs such as Galway Bay, The Rose of Tralee, and Molly Malone because I know not everyone is lucky enough to be Irish. I like listening to the sound of jazz which I think is more instrumental than other music genres, but I am not familiar enough with the lyrics of jazz tunes to put them on a list of favorite songs. As for hard rock those songs are not included because I hate hard rock music. With respect to 21st century songs, as indicated at the beginning of this chapter I am only aware of music written and sung by my son Patrick and I did not include any of his offerings on the list because I thought it best to steer clear of any accusation of prejudice. I would encourage folks, however, to listen to his creative songs, such as Next Train Outta Town, For Her, Melancholy Song, and Stubborn Irish Soul. Maybe they’ll make your unbiased list of favorite songs!