The Beach Boys, "Good Vibrations"
"When I look in her eyes/she goes with me to a blossom world"
A perfect example of the simultaneously dreamy, sugar-coated, but somehow slightly melancholy quality that makes The Beach Boys one of the best bands in ever.
Beyoncé, "Partition"
"I sneezed on the beat and the beat got sicka"
If you're more a fan of the videos, you know this as "Yoncé," though it's techinically on the same track as "Partition." Like Sasha Fierce in her day, this line not only makes you want to strut around with your head held high, it also states this Bey alter-ego's purpose as a total scene-stealer.
Notorios B.I.G., "Juicy"
"Hunnies play me close like butter play toast"
Amazing tale of upward mobility aside, that is a pretty great food analogy.
Bjork, "Army of Me"
"If you complain once more/You'll meet an army of me"
Let Bjork do the work for you! Simply copy and paste this statement into a GChat with any of your particularly whiny friends.
Bob Dylan, "Fourth Time Around"
"And when I was through/I filled up my shoe/And brought it to you/And you, you took me in/You loved me then/You never wasted time."
Folksy rhymes with a modern, introspective tone. Just what Dylan does best.
"Took the 'G' out your waffle/all you got left is your ego"
Please refer back to the page about "Juicy." We will clearly go nuts for any lyrics mentioning breakfast foods.
Dionne Warwick, "Anyone Who Had A Heart"
"Anyone who ever loved/Could look at me/And know that I love you/Anyone who ever dreamed/Could look at me/And know I dream of you"
This could've gone in a very sappy direction, but with Dionne, it's the right kind of lovey-dovey.
The Divinyls, "I Touch Myself"
"I love myself/I want you to love me"
Everything that is wonderful about sex positivity, summed up in one line! It's amazing!
Guided By Voices, "A Good Flying Bird"
"We were not so fond of reason/Everyone could tell/Even times we'd start to stumble/But never ever fell"
We've all been in relationships that looked crazy from the outside, but felt so right for everyone involved. Guided By Voices is here to guide you through that, with voices.
Justin Timberlake, "Pusher Love Girl"
"There's a million names for your kind of chronic/That's pusher love, that's what I call it"
Though "bye, bye, bye" is certainly a classic lyrical styling of Timberlake's past, we have to say this one comes out on top.
Kanye West, "I Am A God"
"In a French-ass restaurant/Hurry up with my damn croissants"
There are few phrases more refined than "French-ass restaurant." What we love about this lyric is that it is purely ridiculous and crazy in the way that only Yeezus can be — and we revel in that.
LCD Soundsystem, "Someone Great"
"And it keeps coming 'til the day it stops"
You'd think that such a simple lyric, repeated a hundred times, would get boring. But, it doesn't. The gravity of such a basic concept gets drilled into your head until you maybe start to comprehend it, and then just when you do, the song ends — and you have to listen again.
Neutral Milk Hotel, "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea"
"How strange it is to be anything at all"
It's likely to elicit an eyeroll in many circles nowadays, but you gotta remember how life-changing this album was for pretty much everyone when it came out. Speaking of lyrics so simple you can barely comprehend them, this is the very definition of wide-eyed, maybe-a-little-bit-stoned-but-still-legit wonder.
Le Tigre, "Mediocrity Rules"
"Cuz I already knew/that when I'm with you/mediocrity rules, man."
Okay, not the most uplifting of things. And, yet, glorious in the most mediocre of ways.
Missy Elliott, "Gossip Folk"
"I don't brag, I mostly boast"
One of the best songs from the one and only Miss Demeanor. This is some serious bumper sticker material.
Modest Mouse, "Third Planet"
"The universe is shaped exactly like the earth/If you go straight for long enough you'll end up where you were"
Modest Mouse can be alternately angry, tender, offensive, empathetic, heartfelt, and cold. But, more than anything, lyrics such as these have felt prescient and omnipresent for all of us at various, angsty times in life.
Nirvana, "Breed"
"We could plant a house, we could build a tree"
The miracle of new life has rarely been described in such a unique way.
Pat Benatar, "Love Is A Battlefield"
"Love is a battlefield"
Good song, amazingly '80s video, and several of the most widely recognized lines in history.
Paul Simon, "Graceland"
"There is a girl in New York City/Who calls herself the human trampoline/And sometimes when I'm falling, flying/Or tumbling in turmoil I say/Oh, so this is what she means"
Not that "you can call me Al" wasn't a great lyric, but this is one of our favorite moments on the lovely, lovely album that is Graceland. Paul Simon, with or without Garfunkel, always holds a special place in our hearts.
Salt-N-Pepa, "Shoop"
"Can I get some fries with that shake shake booty/If looks could kill you would be an uzi"
Just listen to how many gems there are in this song! Hard to pick a favorite, almost impossible, but we had to make a call somehow.