Songs For Your Ipod: The List

51. Kill the Poor - Dead Kennedys Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables (1980) - 3:07

One of the Kennedys greatest songs, "Kill the Poor" describes an ominous and believable reason for the invention and use of the neutron bomb. Biafra states unequivocally that the bomb would be a great way to eliminate slums, the unemployed, and welfare recipients leaving a better world for Jane Fonda and her ilk to drink champagne and celebrate a crime free world. The song was one of many that established political hardcore punk that influenced countless bands afterward.

52. Stigmata - Ministry Land of Rape and Honey (1988) - 5:45

There are only a handful of bands that can mix heavy metal guitars, industrial noise, and synthesized beats into a palatable and aggressive onslaught of sound both popular in the more hardcore of scenes and the more mainstream. Before Nine Inch Nails popularized industrial elements in popular music (listen to the album Pretty Hate Machine) there was Ministry putting out songs like "Stigmata," a fast and aggressive tirade led by powerful guitar riffs and pounding electronics. If you can sit still to this song you need to reduce your dose of Quaaludes.

53. Out of Control - The Chemical Brothers Surrender (1999) - 7:19

One of the best purveyors of electronic dance music (called "big beat"), The Chemical Brothers are a rare breed of musicians/DJs who don't fall into the category of has-beens once their first single falls off the charts. Their music is highly listenable even after numerous repeats. "Out of Control" can be described as the perfect dance floor anthem.

54. Cheese Cake - Dexter Gordon Go! (1962) - 6:34

From the opening fifteen seconds of Go you know you are in for a treat. The Gordon original "Cheese Cake" is upbeat and lively and if you are a fan of the saxophone (he plays a tenor) you will be pleasantly swept away to a place only great Jazz can take you.

55. Take It Off - The Donnas Spend the Night (2002) - 2:40

Who cares if the Donnas aren't original in their music (copying from bands like the Ramones and Motley Crue), they use it as a catalyst for their angst-ridden, sexually provocative, and no holds barred lyrical blast that hasn't been done as well since Joan Jett's "I Love Rock N Roll" days back in the 80s. "Take It Off" is a perfect example of this as it reverses the usual sexual roles putting vocalist Brett Anderson (Donna A) in the dominant position demanding sexual gratification from an attractive male.

56. Man Smart, Woman Smarter - Harry Belafonte Calypso (1956) - 3:31

One of Belafonte's wittiest songs, it convinces its audience that women have it all over men in all aspects of life. Belafonte made Calypso music popular and this song was a small part of the reason why. Many consider it the first feminist folk song.

57. No Woman No Cry - Bob Marley & the Wailers Natty Dread (1974) - 4:06

Marley's reminiscences of his days as a poor youth is one of the greatest singles of both his career and world music in general, "No Woman, No Cry" was a chief reason for Natty Dread's consideration as the best album of his career. There are so many songs you could choose by Marley for inclusion to this list but it would be hard to choose a better song to bring forth feelings of both comfort and despair.

58. Crocodile Rock - Elton John Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player (1972) - 3:58

You can't get much better than this song from Elton John when perusing his catalogue. It is both upbeat and sad and it hints of nostalgia temper its more joyous sounds. It hails back to 50s when rock was in its infancy but doesn't pass the line into parody. John is one of the world's greatest pop legends and "Crocodile Rock" is one reason for this accolade.

59. Lola - The Kinks Lola Versus Powerman & The Money-Go-Round, Part One (1970) - 4:05

You might wonder, if you are a fan of Neil Jordan's film work, whether he listened to "Lola" when he was a young man and used it as an inspiration for his groundbreaking 90s film The Crying Game. A song about a young man falling for a transvestite, "Lola" was as controversial and popular as Lou Reed's sex-capade of a song two years later ("Walk on the Wildside").

60. Canon - The White Stripes The White Stripes (1999) - 2:33

A short simple song that gives you both the essence of the White Stripes' sound and a tribute to an old Son House delta blues song called "John the Revelator." It's stripped down basic blues influence electric guitar of the first order and although there are many other songs that Jack White and his sister produced that could easily replace this one, "Cannon" has just the right mix of originality and homage to where the Stripes got their inspiration.

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