THOUGHTS & MUSINGS

My 35 Song Choices for 2021

My list for the 2021 edition of the Dutch Radio 2 Top 2000

I am a Grinch when it comes to Christmas, and I never can wait for it to be the first working week of January so we can just all get back to normal again. It hasn’t always been like this, but over the years, because of circumstances, this feeling has grown. Maybe one day it will change, and I will enjoy Christmas again.

Something I do enjoy in the last week of every year is listening to the Top 2000 on the Dutch Radio 2. It starts at 8am on Christmas Day, and runs until midnight on New Year’s Eve. Where we can’t listen constantly, we listen every moment we can. Then, from somewhere in the afternoon on New Year’s Eve, we listen until that very last number, enjoying every song we hear.

In the first couple of days of December, we can vote for 35 numbers we want to hear in the Top 2000. In 2019, I totally forgot to vote, and in 2020, I wanted to do it on the weekend, only to discover the voting had closed on the Friday evening.

This year, with a few hours to spare, I voted for the following songs:

Eagle by ABBA — Ever since my teenage years, I have loved ABBA’s music, and I still do. This song is one of my favorites, as it always touches my heart, especially the chorus. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDI7x1nwTUw
Just a notion by ABBA — This is a song from ABBA’s new album, Voyage, and the moment I heard it, I felt like a teen again! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy4bLOYDmsQ
Thunderstruck by AC/DC — I’m a rock chick at heart, and whenever this song plays on the radio, the volume goes up! Fun fact: If it wasn’t for my admiration for one of my older cousin’s, I might never have listened to AC/DC! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2AC41dglnM
Easy on me by Adele — When this song came out, it immediately nestled itself in my heart. So beautiful. What a talented singer! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3ASj1L6_sY
Forever Young by Alphaville — Back in first two years after my daughter was born, and before I met my first husband, I fell asleep listening to three songs. This was one of those three, and it still has a special place in my heart, and brings back memories of then, a time when I doubted myself, and whether I was ever really loved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1TcDHrkQYg
Nobody’s Wife by Anouk — I love the power in this song, as I do with many other songs of Anouk (Dutch singer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RaHTDNude4
Top of the World by Carpenters — I love to sing along and twice in my life had also sung in choirs. This song by the Carpenters is one of those where, as a teen and young adult, I used to sing along at the top of my voice. I should do that again. Singing is good for the soul! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUMAmI5YcBQ
Fields of Gold by Eva Cassidy — I knew this song by Sting, but never heard the Eva Cassidy version until that first year we listened to the Top 2000. It gave me goosebumps and became my favorite version of this song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UVjjcOUJLE
Where the Wild Roses Grow by Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue — Have you ever heard of Nick Cave’s murder ballads? I only learned about it after this song became one of my favorites. I love the song, but the video that goes with it gives it so much more depth. Watch it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDpnjE1LUvE
Fix You by Coldplay — This song is one of those that tug at the strings of my heart, especially the lyrics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4V3Mo61fJM
Zombie by Cranberries — Another song I find powerful… the music, the words and also the official video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejga4kJUts
I’d Really Love to See You Tonight by England Dan & John Ford Coley — If it wasn’t for my husband, this song would never have featured on my list. This is a song he played for me over the phone, when we still had a long distance relationship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8RShs00yR0
Perhaps Love by John Denver & Placido Domingo — I love this song! My husband and I frequently have ‘music nights’ where he searches for songs on his phone, and then cast them on the television. Perhaps Love is always part of that collection. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toYfeN0ACDw
I Am… I Said by Neil Diamond — There are so many songs by Neil Diamond I could’ve chosen. I could probably have filled this list with only songs of him. This year I voted for this specific one, which mostly reflects my mood at the moment of voting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhEaHcQgyLs
Soldier On by Di-rect — I heard this song for the first time in the 2020 version of the Top 2000, as it ended quite high (number 12). I had to listen to it several times, and the more I did, the more it grew on me, because of the message in the song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEDs6CaYEuw
I Want to Know What Love Is by Foreigner — This is another song I listened to in those first two years after my daughter’s birth, and it frequently made me cry. I doubted love, and wanted so much to know what it really was (with recent happenings in my life, it’s now easier to wrap my head around the feelings back then). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3Pr1_v7hsw
Some Kind of Wonderful by Grand Funk Railroad — Our music nights started early in our relationship, and one evening listening to music, my husband played this song (new to me). He didn’t only played it, but sang along, and watched me from beginning to end. I still tell people he sang this for me, and he still denies it! But seriously, he did! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7B5jXYRy3Q
Avond by Boudewijn de Groot — This is a Dutch song, and the first time I heard it was in 2005 when it made the number 1 spot. Ever since it has been one of my favorites. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWlsA6K5Q-w
Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston — I have written about this song before. I have a list of songs by Whitney Houston I love, but this will always be my favorite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYzlVDlE72w
Thunder by Imagine Dragons — I have no special reasons for loving this song. I just do! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKopy74weus
Wicked World by Laura Jansen — This is another Dutch artist, and this song always makes me think of fairytales. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3vybPClCCk
Don’t Stop Believin’ by Journey — Ever since we watched Glee, this song is one of my absolute favorites. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k8craCGpgs
Empire State of Mind by Alicia Keys — Both my husband and I love this song, and call it ‘our song’, ever since we stayed overnight in a hotel for the first time in 2012. The hotel? Hotel New York in Rotterdam. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ac7h25OBP6U
Imagine by John Lennon — What can I say about this song? It’s just beautiful and strong! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkgkThdzX-8
Hallelujah by Lisa Lois — There are many versions of the song Hallelujah, but this one by Dutch singer Lisa Lois always gives me goosebumps. Her voice is brilliant, and she won the 2009 Dutch X-factor with it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P50G0os6Ig8
Paradise by Dashboard Light by Meat Loaf — I can listen to Meat Loaf for hours. In fact, I have a DVD of a live concert of him in Australia, but the best act is always Paradise by Dashboard Light, and I had the privilege to see it live in Rotterdam, at the Night of the Proms in the late 90's. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C11MzbEcHlw
The Rose by Bette Midler — The story in this song is one of the most beautiful there is! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXXqDWsCzuk
I’m Yours by Jason Mraz — Back when this song came out, it was a tip on a radio station I listened to when driving to work, and it’s still one of my favorites. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkHTsc9PU2A
Maid of Orleans by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark — This is another song where the music just floods my heart with love. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmwMhjbThKg
Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen — When I hear this song, only one person comes to mind: a dear friend who died of AIDS. I am currently sharing his story; please read along. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jtpf8N5IDE
Joyride by Roxette — Back in South Africa, on those long trips from Cape Town to Bloemfontein, Roxette was what we listened too, and up to today this is a favorite of mine and my daughter’s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCorJG9mubk
Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol — This song makes me cry every time I hear it, and this is the reason why. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GemKqzILV4w
Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Band — A lovely upbeat, old song, which just makes for easy listening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu1UXCdyNo0
Roller Coaster by Danny Vera — This song was the number 1 for 2020, and it took me some moments to wrap my head around this being a Dutch artist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-hrL06V994
501 am (The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking) by Roger Waters — My first husband introduced me to this album by Roger Waters, and up to today it is a favorite, and I’m sure it always will be! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90dnbzFGOSM

I hope you enjoy all these songs as much as I know I will when listening to them during this year’s Top 2000!

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