20 Songs That I Wish I Wrote

Throughout my life, I’ve come across a great number of songs that I’ve identified as being exceptional and have often wished that I wrote those particular songs myself. After a long night of books and a few MGDs I have decided to narrow this list down to a lean 20 and share them with you, along with the reasons why I picked them.

These are not necessarily my 20 favorite songs of all time, but are the type I strive for as a songwriter. There are several tunes that I could’ve put here, but I’ll never be even close to writing, so they’re nowhere near the list. In the meantime, such a list would likely contain a good portion of these songs.

This is a surprisingly well-distributed group of songs with at least one tune from every year from 1993-2007 with the exception of 1999 (likely because I was in an awful KoRn/Limp Bizkit phase…*shudder*). The way it turned out, most bands only have one song on the list, with the exception of 3 of my all-time favorite bands, which contributed 3 each.

If there are any of these songs that you haven’t heard, I highly recommend you give ‘em a download and try them on for size. They are presented in a rough chronological order from release date. Now, without further Apu…

1. Smashing Pumpkins - “Cherub Rock”

I first heard this song at a volleyball tournament in juniour high. That was my first exposure to the band that would eventually become my favourite of all time and I remember it very vividly. I went on to pick up guitar mostly because of this song and can still play it note for note to this day. Despite the fact that I haven’t worked on my lead skills in years, the solo to this tune is still embedded in my fingers. The crunch of the distortion is perfect, the drums are killer, and this is easily some of Billy’s best vocal work ever. The opening buildup is so amazing.

2. Weezer - “Say It Ain’t So”

Every guitar note in this song is perfect. The riff is iconic, the little clean fills are really cool, the solo is super melodic, and the bends in the chorus are genius. The main vocal line in the chorus is known by 99% of the people I’ve ever met and rightfully so. It’s one of the greatest hooks of the 90’s. I remember a friend bringing this CD into music class in juniour high and I went out and bought it the very next day. Still one of the top 10 CDs in my collection.

3. Smashing Pumpkins - “Thru the Eyes of Ruby”

Although “Cherub Rock” got me into the Pumpkins, this song has kept me with them all these years. In my eyes, all 7 minutes and 38 seconds are damn near perfect. The piano intro, the opening and middle builds, the crushing riffs, the quiet verses, the departure from the verse-chorus-verse structure, the hints of progressive rock, and the acoustic closing reprise make up one of the most epic tunes in my catalog. The line “youth is wasted on the young” will someday make it into a tattoo on my body.

4. Spacehog - “In the Meantime”

Funny enough, this is the only song I’ve ever really liked by Spacehog, but boy did they nail it. You’d have a hard time finding a groovier bass riff than this one. The chorus is super catchy and everything about this song grabs my attention. This song likely led to the lead singer meeting and eventually marrying Liv Tyler. Yet another reason why I need to write a song like this one.

5. Smashing Pumpkins - “Marquis in Spades”

This song has so many wicked riffs jammed into 3:13 that it blows my mind. The main reason I wish I wrote this song is that Billy straight-up wasted it. This was actually a Mellon Collie reject, if you can believe it. Luckily it resurfaced on their B-Sides collection Judas O in 2000.

6. Foo Fighters - “Everlong”

The Colour and the Shape was easily one of the most influential records of my childhood and continues to be one of my favourites to this day. Just about every song on it could be on this list, but I narrowed it down to this one. There isn’t another song that comes to mind that sounds at all like “Everlong”. It’s a gloomy song that still manages to pack an amazing punch. Just further proof that Dave Grohl is the man. I still wish I knew what’s being whispered in that breakdown.

7. Our Lady Peace - “Car Crash”

This song gives me chills and I’ve always wanted to capture how it manages to do that. Clumsy is another one of my favourite albums of all time and this song has always stood out to me. I’m a sucker for that bass line and Raine’s falsetto work is insane. The overall sound of this album has been one of the biggest influences on my songwriting.

8. Pearl Jam - “Brain of J.”

There are so many good Pearl Jam songs, but for some reason this short, punchy opener to Yield has always been my favourite. Something about the way Eddie Vedder sings the chorus with that little slip up into falsetto slays me. It’s short, to the point, and it’s awesome.

9. Harvey Danger - “Why I’m Lonely”

Very few people know who Harvey Danger are, unless you count that one semi-hit they managed off the American Pie soundtrack. Thankfully, they kept chugging away once the spotlight died down and managed to produce even better stuff. This song has such a cool groove and I’ve always loved the way this band uses the bass more as a lead instrument than the guitar or keyboard. The lyrics in this song are so intelligent and way over my head, but I love them. Such a smart band and so painfully underrated. Listen to them. Now.

10. Queens of the Stone Age - “In The Fade”

I love so many Queens of the Stone Age songs, but this one has always been tops for me. The bass riff just takes you for a ride and every riff, word, and decoration are exactly where they should be. Live ’til you die. Words to live by.

11. Jimmy Eat World - “Get It Faster”

This song packs such a punch. The quiet, palm-muted verses are such a great set up for when the chorus comes in to kick your ass. The bridge riff makes such smart use of stereo panning and gives so much depth to such a cool riff. The line “I’m finding out that cheating gets it faster” is brilliant.

12. Matthew Good Band - “Truffle Pigs”

Matthew Good is one of the only songwriters I know who can lace his songs with profanity without it ever coming off as anything other than tasteful. This song is full of curse words, but you never feel like they shouldn’t be there. The main riff is so bouncy, but still manages to capture the deep overall tone of the song. His transition from falsetto to a regular singing voice in the chorus is so hard to do, yet handled with such ease. Should’ve been a single, hands down.

13. Foo Fighters - “Come Back”

When a band writes a song over 7 minutes, there is no in between. Either it’s one of their best songs ever or it should’ve been cut down considerably. In this case, it’s most definitely the former. The way this song dies away and builds back up piece by piece is one of my favourite moments in any song, ever. I tried to do the same type of thing when I wrote “Not Alone”, but I could never do it this well. I can listen to this tune on infinite repeat and never get bored of it. I hear something new that I love every single time.

14. Silverchair - “Greatest View”

The main riff in this song is a great example of the type of riffs I like. Small interval movements, extended resolution, and hard hitting. The orchestral colouring is a great example of what makes the later Silverchair stuff so incredible. Daniel John’s voice is friggin’ unreal.

15. Finger Eleven - “Thousand Mile Wish”

I’m surprised that Finger Eleven made it onto this list, but I can’t deny how much I love the atmosphere of this song. The fretless bass is amazing and the overall mood is something I’ve definitely tried to emulate more than once. My song “Pedestal” is admittedly a ripoff of this song.

16. Matthew Good - “Lullaby for the New World Order”

The strings in this song are so good. I love Good’s orchestration on this album and particularly on this song. The lyrics and the way he sings them are better than words can describe. This is definitely what I’d like my music to sound like, if I could ever sing a tenth as good as he does.

17. Matthew Good - “House of Smoke and Mirrors”

I love my rock and roll, but when a soft song pulls my heart just right, it does so with a vengeance. Beautiful isn’t even a good enough word to describe this song. This is Good’s voice at its absolute best. It gives me shivers in my spine in such a good way.

18. Incubus - “Sick Sad Little World”

This is another one of those long songs that does everything right. The opening/chorus riff is yet another example of the way I like to write my riffs. Long and bouncy. The tremolo picking part in the verse is so cool and I really adore the way the chorus drops off from the busyness of the rest of the song. Makes the rest of it seem even more frantic. The extended solo is Mike Einziger’s finest moment caught on tape.

19. City & Colour - “Confessions”

Dallas Green is one of my best discoveries of the past few years. I’m amazed at how well his voice can fit something as thrashing as Alexisonfire but then still work perfectly with his own brooding acoustic music as well. I’m a big fan of theme-based songs when they’re done right, and the whole court/justice/law metaphor in this song is done really well. He says everything he should’ve said and threw in such a great little chorus melody for good measure. Love it.

20. Foo Fighters - “Stranger Things Have Happened”

I love the stripped down approach to this song. Two guitars and the softer side of Dave’s voice are a deadly combination. I was originally against the metronome in the background, but now I realize that it really adds to the intimate feeling of the recording. I really wish I could come up with something like that bluesy opening riff. It sets the perfect tone for the rest of the song, which boasts a great anthemic chorus and a very soulful acoustic solo. Love it.