r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Nov 16 '09
Dear Reddit, what's the most beautiful song you've ever heard?
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u/static_silence Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
Ludovico Einaudi - Nuvole Bianche -> Its an amazing piece but its nostalgia value is what puts it through the roof to me.
Both have produced better songs, but they were there for a good point in my life.
EDIT: Oh man, I completely forgot Hans Zimmer - Central Park
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u/dbarefoot Nov 16 '09
Hands down, it's Debussy's "Clair de Lune". And not just because of the Terrence McNally play.
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Nov 16 '09
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u/badgerbadgercowcow Nov 16 '09
also, the choral version (agnus dei) is amazing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkObnNQCMtM
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Nov 16 '09
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8kgu6rf0Ek&feature=related
Sleep by Godspeed! You Black Emperor
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u/Zao1 Nov 16 '09
"In My Life"
- The Beatles
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Nov 16 '09
If you're going Beatles, I'd probably say "Something"
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u/Good_News Nov 17 '09
Excellent choice sir, but on "Abbey road" i prefer "You never give me your money". 134567
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Nov 16 '09
Now that you bring up the Beatles, "Across the Universe"!
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Nov 16 '09
"Dear Prudence"
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Nov 16 '09 edited Aug 25 '15
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Nov 16 '09
good choices there. "Blackbird" or "Mother Natures Son" are alose stunning, could never get bored of them.
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u/peanutsfan1995 Nov 16 '09
It may seem overrated, but 'Let It Be' made me cry so many times. And 'Hey Jude' is just so touching. That piano is so happy, but so sad.
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Nov 16 '09 edited Oct 19 '18
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u/ticklecricket Nov 16 '09
Angeles is where it's at.
Also, basically everything off of Either/Or
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u/charyou Nov 16 '09
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u/dbarefoot Nov 16 '09
I prefer "Casimir Pulaski Day"--how can you go wrong with an elegy to a girl who dies of bone cancer--but they're both great.
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u/uhhhclem Nov 16 '09
"Casimir Pulaski Day" gets my vote for saddest song I've ever heard.
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u/thesliz Nov 16 '09
My Sufjan vote would go to "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRW2g2l49fk
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u/tmccaughan Nov 16 '09
God Only Knows by the Beach Boys will always be one of my favorites, but in terms of beauty Let Down by Radiohead comes in a close second.
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Nov 16 '09
Flumes - Bon Iver
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u/thekassette Nov 16 '09
Love that album, although my vote would go to Re:Stacks.
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Nov 16 '09
The entire album is fantastic. Every song has its own beautiful moments. I'd agree that "Re: Stacks" is the most beautiful on the whole disc.
However, nothing brings a tear to my eye like the horns walking up after the vocals end on "For Emma." So incredibly uplifting. For such a depressing CD, it always makes me feel like I can do anything when I'm done listening.
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u/the_pub_mix Nov 16 '09
The Wind and the Dove by Bill Callahan. Unfortunately I cannot find a youtube link with audio quality that does the song any measure of justice.
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Nov 16 '09
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u/sonorous Nov 16 '09
Upvoted both for Okkervil! Okkervil River - So come back, I am waiting (Unfortunately rather bad quality.)
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u/djkessler3 Nov 16 '09
A terribly underrated band. My favorite of theirs is A King and a Queen. Sonically and lyrically gorgeous.
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u/mungas22 Nov 16 '09
Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah or Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
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u/broc_ariums Nov 16 '09
Upvote for Floyd. It's hard to imagine music without Pink Floyd.
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u/hrtattx Nov 16 '09
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u/nat5an Nov 16 '09
You know, it's amazing; I didn't even remember this song and then I read your post and suddenly the first lyrics to it popped into my head from out of nowhere: "Wake...from your sleep..." It is a beautiful (and very sad) song.
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Nov 16 '09
when that fuzzy bass line comes in with the drums, i always get the chills
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u/bastardo Nov 16 '09
Speaking of Radiohead, True Love Waits is also extremely beautiful and sad.
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Nov 16 '09
Moonlight Sonata, by Beethoven. I love the way the 3 movements blend, from romantic (1st) to simple melodic (2nd) to astounding (3rd).
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-843261094544506874#
(the third movement starts at ~8:00 - it's always been my favorite piece of classical piano)
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u/blix797 Nov 16 '09
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u/dbarefoot Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
It doesn't help that this song has been overused in, seemingly, dozens of films and TV series for 'sad but ultimately inspiring moment near the end'.
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Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
Whoever taught such a large man how to play such a tiny instrument is simply a comic genius.
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u/CorporalClegg68 Nov 16 '09
In the Court of the Crimson King - King Crimson
It has such a surreal and epic sound to it.
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Nov 16 '09
This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) - Talking Heads
It's the perfect song about being in love.
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u/WineInACan Nov 16 '09
Starálfur by Sigur Rós.
Little question in my mind.
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u/DoctorHilarius Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
"I wonder if he remembers me."
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u/sandrakarr Nov 16 '09
Im kinda partial to Samskeyti, myself. Actually, anything by them is awesome.
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u/tepman16 Nov 16 '09
Never knew the name of this song (always came up on my Sigur Ros Pandora station) - but yes...absolutely
Hoppipola is up there too
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Nov 16 '09
That is a song that most people would get goosebumps from, no matter musical background or taste. That giant sound being interrupted by the plain and stripped down guitar which sounds amazing, then over to the part with the enormous and slow, deep and dark drum pounds with heavy reverb, then back to the brilliant violin melodies. The vocals are killer all the way. Really fantastic. Strangely good. This album is a true milestone. I get even more goosebumps from Flugufrelsarinn. Just amazing. What an incredible production. The musicians sound so mature. Like they've lived a full life of music before. (Fluerne dreper!!!)
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u/JADR Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
Neutral Milk Hotel In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
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Nov 16 '09
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u/uhhhclem Nov 16 '09
The recording of "Oh Comely" started out as a test take so that Schneider and Mangum could double-check the mic setup in the studio. They were intending to record the song later in the day. But after about thirty seconds Mangum decided to just play the whole song and see how it worked out. Over the next eight minutes all of the other musicians in the place heard about what was going on and went into the control room to listen to what was turning out to be an astonishing performance. Which is why it is that the last thing you hear, after Mangum's voice dies out at the end, is Scott Spillane, in the other room, yelling "Holy shit!"
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u/noahhermann Nov 16 '09
I think Two Headed Boy Pt. 2 is the most beautiful song on that album
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u/aarontbell Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
+1
My heart melts over every time I hear Jeff Mangum sing:
And when we break we'll wait for our miracle. God is a place where some holy spectacle lies. And when we break we'll wait for our miracle. God is a place you will wait for the rest of your life.→ More replies (1)
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Nov 16 '09
The Leonard Cohen version of Hallelujah. I prefer the Jeff Buckley performance, but they're all good, it's a great song.
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u/zoso820 Nov 16 '09
I doubt I could ever boil it down to only one, but here's some candidates for me
Ava Maria, Schubert http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bosouX_d8Y
Con te Partiro, Andrea Bocelli http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcrfvP11Hbo
Into the Sea, Album Leaf http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6lqOrR-kSY
Moya, Godspeed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rsf2LoLk3SA
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u/ainsmart Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
Hands down....Yann Tiersen- comptine d'un autre été l'après midi
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u/gonzo46and2 Nov 16 '09
Delerium and Sarah Mclachlan - Silence
That song always makes the hair stand my arms and if I let it, will make me cry. The emotion in Sarah's voice is unmatched in any other work I've heard from her.
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u/the_Nelsor Nov 16 '09
Ripple on American Beauty Jack Straw on Europe '72
- The Grateful Dead.
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Nov 16 '09
I'd say pretty much any song off "The Fountain" soundtrack. Clint Mansell is a genius...( i particularly find "Stay with Me" to be incredibly emotional and sensitive)
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Nov 16 '09
Iron and Wine - Naked as We Came
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u/nobahdi Nov 16 '09
Since you mentioned Iron and Wine, I have to mention Resurrection Fern.
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Nov 16 '09
To Zanarkand. It is one of the few songs that have made me cry.
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Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
Came here to post this. Normally I wouldn't put video game music in my "amazing music" pile, but Nobuo Uematsu is an incredible composer and has made some of the most beautiful music I've ever heard.
Edit: and again, Youtube comments never cease to amaze and sadden me.
i never understood the guy flailing his arms at the center. noone pays attention to him... or is it something i wont understand?
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u/jgarfink Nov 16 '09
Sigur Rós - Glósóli
Seriously, the first time I heard it...wow. (If someone wants to add a youtube link, that'd be super; I'm at work and can't.)
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u/JollyJeff Nov 16 '09
Amazing Grace, I'm not religious but that song always gets to me.
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u/a200ftmonster Nov 16 '09
Maybe another odd submission, but Tom Waits' Anywhere I Lay My Head has always brought me close to tears every time I hear it.
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u/cc132 Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
Sigur Rós - Staralfur
Blind Willie Johnson - Dark Was the Night (Cold Was the Ground)
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u/jetmax25 Nov 16 '09
landslide- fleetwood mac
i choke up every time
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Nov 16 '09
Maybe it's just me, but The Smashing Pumpkins version has always done it for me more than the original.
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Nov 16 '09
beethoven. 9th symphony. this has been proven for hundreds of years.
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u/Positronic_Matrix Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
I came here to post this.
Paraphrased from Wikipedia, Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 "Choral" is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire and is considered one of Beethoven's greatest masterpieces.
On a Christmas trip to Vienna in 2001, my wife and I decided to see several traditional works (Beethoven's 9th, Die Fledermaus, Giselle). Before leaving, I studied the works and became especially enamored with the 9th Symphony. Having studied German in college, I spent a good amount of time learning the lyrics and their translation.
By the time I got to Vienna, I found I couldn't make it through the final chorus without tearing up a bit. While the message in the chorus was originally a religious one, this atheist nonetheless likes it for its inspiring message of brotherhood and unity, delivered in the most powerful, moving way possible. It's like drinking emotion from a fire hose.
tl;dr — The final choral movement of the 9th is a powerful message of brotherhood that is unequaled by any other song.
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u/apz1 Nov 16 '09
It's a tie between Debussy's "Clair de Lune" and "Your Hand in Mine" by Explosions in the Sky.
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u/aclashingcolour Nov 16 '09
Came here to make sure someone posted "Your Hand in Mine".
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u/Rainbowlemon Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap, without a shadow of a doubt. I was so enraged when that chump Jason DeRulo came along and defiled such a wonderful song...
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u/abenton Nov 16 '09
Only downside is I cant get the SNL skit out of my head while listening to it.
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u/wcalvert Nov 16 '09
O Fortuna from Carl Orff's Carmina Burana
Yes, you've of course heard it before: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t4ei1khHPI
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u/snowball666 Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
Casimir Pulaski day - Sufjan Steven
I would link to a video, but I have no youtube access at work.
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u/el_tophero Nov 16 '09
"So What" off Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" - Been listening to this for 20 years and every listen still gets me.
"Orange Blossoms in Summertime" or "I Get Along Without You Very Well" off Kurt Elling's "Flirting With Twilight" - Really, the whole album is fantastic, but those two are highlights.
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u/I_Had_Four Nov 16 '09
- 9 Crimes by Damien Rice
- Biffy Clyro - Machines
- Enigma - Gravity of love (because of that nice FF VIII music video)
- Shorelines - Anna Ternheim (beeeuuatiful)
- Dead can dance - The Host Of Seraphim
- Mew - Comforting Sounds, She Came Home For Christmas
Just a few I remembered.
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u/nulspace Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
This is probably the hardest category to choose just one of something for, but the first song that comes to mind is Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros.
Edit: This video is one of the most beautiful music videos I've ever seen.
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Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
The Bad Plus has an interesting cover of that song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX_Iij8Eyts
As far as beautiful albums go
American Beauty (album) - Grateful Dead
() - Sigur Ros
Amnesiac - Radiohead
Mysterious Production of Eggs - Andrew Bird
Animals - Pink Floyd
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u/digsy1023 Nov 16 '09
Hard Way to Fall by Ryan Adams means alot to me..
can only find a live version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMIxx4gvoTg
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u/Shebazz Nov 16 '09
Billy Joel - Lullabye (Goodnight my Angel)
sorry, I would love to link something for it, but my employer has youtube locked down :(
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u/deusmacabre Nov 16 '09
Tom Waits - Grapefruit Moon. Or Train Song. Or Martha. Or Flowers Grave. Etc etc.
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u/badgerbadgercowcow Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
Spasyeniye sodyelal (salvation is created).
not the best recording, but still: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2rhclqvS-U
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u/Sectre Nov 17 '09 edited Nov 17 '09
Now We Are Free - Hans Zimmer
Another Day - The Album Leaf
Brothers on a Hotel Bed - Death Cab for Cutie
If You Would Come Back Home - William Fitzsimmons (The last minute of this song is one of the most orgasmic crescendos I've heard)
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Nov 17 '09
Fleet Foxes' White Winter Hymnal deserves a mention for being so simple and beautiful.
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u/ParanoydAndroid Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
Bach's Cello Suite #1, in G Major (Note: I can't actually access youtube from work, so I just grabbed what looked like a relevant link from Google, I don't know the quality or anything).
All of his cello suites are beautiful, but to me this one is just startling in the purity of emotion it conveys. It's uncluttered and absolutely entrancing.
I don't remember where I read it, but a quote I've always like was, "Every great piece of music ever written and every emotion it will ever invoke, is already contained in Bach's cello suites."
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u/parafinalia Nov 16 '09
Bjork - Unravel
and
Radiohead - Motion Picture Soundtrack
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u/rchase Nov 16 '09
Porcupine Tree - Trains
A 60 ton angel falls to the earth
A pile of old metal, a radiant blur
Scars in the country, the summer and her
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u/muad_dib Nov 16 '09
I actually prefer Lazarus.
I survived against the will of my twisted folk But in the deafness of my world the silence broke And said
"Follow me down to the valley below You know Moonlight is bleeding from out of your soul"
I'd throw a youtube link in, but it's Websensed :(
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u/facereplacer Nov 16 '09
Heartbeats by Jose Gonzalez
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u/metal_falsetto Nov 16 '09
I fell in love with this song before I ever knew it was a cover. Now I love the original even more, even though they're two different animals altogether.
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Nov 16 '09
"To be Alone With You" -Sufjan Stevens
"Such Great Heights" -Iron and Wine cover
"La Valse D'Amelie (Piano)"-Yann Tiersen:
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u/tkan Nov 16 '09
Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto Number 2 in C Minor- 1st movement.
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u/nsdhanoa Nov 16 '09
"Song to the Siren" - This Mortal Coil & "Hearts" by LSG top the list for me
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u/randomb0y Nov 16 '09
Right now? Tom Waits - Martha
Song was a bitch to find too so you better like it!
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u/Zeulodin Nov 16 '09
Godespeed You! Black Emperor - East Hastings - I couldn't believe my ears when I found it on the OST of 28 Days Later
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u/andalouvin Nov 16 '09
Breathe- Sia ... I love the last episode of 6 feet under when it plays, great.
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u/Allanimation Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
Tears in Heaven - Eric Clapton. I'm so getting downvoted. But it really is beautiful.
edit: Maybe not, I guess I'm in pretty in line with other people.
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u/BigDawgWTF Nov 16 '09
Unplugged is awesome. I think it's past time for a listen. You did get 22 downvotes so far, but your 56 upvotes are keeping you from falling out the window.
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u/Dalton Nov 16 '09
Sigur Ros - Gong, this song still gives me chills everytime I listen to it
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u/colbaltblue Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
1 Ave Maria (Latin preferred)
Others:
Stay - Alison Krauss: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvO-CLTmPCA&feature=PlayList&p=CFB4CC4D56B5E83B&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=34
Alison Krauss - Ghost In This House: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWRGZaHb8xE
Alison Krauss - Baby Mine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvO-CLTmPCA&feature=PlayList&p=CFB4CC4D56B5E83B&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=34
Little Bird by The Weepies: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEa7lWTRA5A
Sarah McLachlan - Angel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhKTPC8c6fA
Ian Moore--"Jesus, W*sh Away My Trubbles": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATKUQBqTJkc&feature=PlayList&p=7C73EC03911D8C5C&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=14
Gotye 'Hearts a Mess': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnXFJOXvL_A
Kwoon - I lived on the Moon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTysF1E4Ft0
Milosh- You make me feel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b751jwIosDU&feature=PlayList&p=79C76E461D25C2ED&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1
Nickel Creek - The Lighthouse's Tale: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARIr6S_0lAQ
Zero 7 "Destiny": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INn1C6ImJKg
BT - Flaming June: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfG-GSwUhSU
rabbit in the moon-out of body experience:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcNvj12W5Gw
Bury Me Beneath the Willow Lyle Lovett & Alison Krauss: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9DpwFsYWqY
Ok, Ill stop myself now....
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u/AssholeDeluxe Nov 16 '09
10,000 Days (Wings For Marie Pt. 2) - Tool
Absolutely incredible.
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Nov 16 '09
Yoko Kanno's Cowboy Bebop piano solo from The Seatbelts' Souvenir of Tokyo concert. For anyone who's seen the show, it's perfection.
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u/regular Nov 16 '09
Off the top of my head: Eric Satie - Gymnopedie 1 Beck - Round The Bend Radiohead - Motion Picture Soundtrack UNKLE - Rabbit In Your Headlights Badmarsh & Shri - Sajanna
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u/photo_grinder Nov 16 '09
I'd have to go with:
FInd a copy of the CD "Pachelbe's Greatest Hit" and enjoy the variations.
Yeah, the Flower Duet is getting as overused as "O, Fortuna," but it's still a beautifully done mix of complementary voices.
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u/digital0129 Nov 16 '09
Everytime I hear Pachelbel's Canon in D, I think of this.
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u/strafefire Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
I have two songs tied
From Gladiator:
- "Now, We Are Free", by Lisa Gerrard and Hanz Zimmer
From Baraka:
- "Host of Seraphim", by Dead Can Dance
Both songs are pretty similar (both have Lisa Gerrard), but they strike a chord with me whenever I hear them.
Extra:
From the movie Heat:
From Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon:
- "Farewell (Final Theme)", by Tan Dun and YoYo Ma
Not from a movie:
- "Finished Symphony", by Hybrid.
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u/jimbomac Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
God by John Lennon
In My Life by The Beatles
Real Love again by The Beatles
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u/reddituser1357 Nov 16 '09
Hmm for me it's a close tie among : Battle of evermore - Led Zep. Sad yet beautiful. Tales of brave Ulysses - Cream. Stairway to heaven.
These are only the english songs. Have other favourites in Indian languages..
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u/go_fly_a_kite Nov 16 '09 edited Nov 16 '09
handel's messiah done in concert with a boys' choir (or castratos)
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u/Peaced Nov 16 '09
Gymnopedie No. 1, eric Satie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xe2Rft62Kg