Emma's favourite songs, 2026.

Hi readers! I know, it’s been an embarrassingly long time since I last blogged. I was hoping that I’d have more time to spare, following qualification, to work on my blog. But in reality, being a qualified actuary just meant an increase in responsibility at work, so the time that I'd previously spent studying for FIA exams, was instead swallowed up with longer working hours, meaning that my poor blog got neglected.

I'm currently on maternity leave, and for the first time in forever, I've found a tiny sliver of time to myself. In between feeding and changing my newborn bubba (who is all kinds of adorable!), I now have a bit of spare time to turn back to my favourite creative outlet: writing.

To kick off my foray back into blogging, I bring you, my 100 favourite songs list! Whether it contains some genius wordplay or sensational vocal performance, was employed to iconic effect in a film or TV scene, it being one that I love singing at karaoke, or it hitting some emotional beats that really speak to me, each of these songs carries a special place in my heart.

Emma's favourite songs, 2020

1. Homecoming (Kanye West ft. Chris Martin)
2. Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield)
3. Alison (Elvis Costello)
4. Truth Hurts (Lizzo)
5. Off to the Races (Lana del Rey)
6. That’s Life (Frank Sinatra)
7. Sinnerman (Nina Simone)
8. Rocky Raccoon (The Beatles)
9. Hallelujah (Rufus Wainwright)
10. Sexy! No No No… (Girls Aloud)
11. Talk Show Host (Radiohead)
12. Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie (Joanna Newsom)
13. What Makes You Beautiful (One Direction)
14. Fancy (Iggy Azalea ft. Charli XCX)
15. November Has Come (Gorillaz)
16. Samson (Regina Spektor)
17. Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits)
18. Stuck in the Middle with You (Stealers Wheel)
19. Run this Town (Rihanna, Jay-Z and Kanye West)
20. Power (Kanye West)
21. Untouchable (Girls Aloud)
22. Paper Planes (M.I.A.)
23. Make Me Feel (Janelle Monáe)
24. All These Things that I've Done (The Killers)
25. Control (Janet Jackson)

26. Wild Boys (Duran Duran)
27. Love the Way You Lie Part II (Rihanna ft. Eminem)
28. I Knew You Were Trouble (Taylor Swift)
29. Head over Heels (Tears for Fears)
30. Boys Don't Cry (The Cure)
31. Na Na Na Na Hey Hey Goodbye (Steam)
32. Problem (Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea)
33. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy (Queen)
34. New Rules (Dua Lipa)
35. Million Dollar Man (Lana del Rey)
36. We Are Never Getting Back Together (Taylor Swift)
37. Glory Box (Portishead)
38. Empire State of Mind: Broken Down (Alicia Keys)
39. How Do You Like Me Now? (The Heavy)
40. Tiny Dancer (Elton John)
41. Baba O'Riley (The Who)
42. The Loving Kind (Girls Aloud)
43. Thank U, Next (Ariana Grande)
44. California Dreamin' (The Mamas and the Papas)
45. Cat People (Putting Out Fire) (David Bowie)
46. Chelsea Dagger (The Fratellis)
47. My Father's Gun (Elton John)
48. You’re Such A (Hailee Steinfeld)
49. Magnets (Disclosure ft Lorde)
50. What I Go to School for (Busted)

51. Bang Bang (Jessie J ft. Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj)
52. When She Loved Me (Sarah McLachlan)
53. Royals (Lorde)
54. Cell Block Tango (Chicago OST)
55. 2am (The Saturdays)
56. Rewrite the Stars (The Greatest Showman OST)
57. Hey Jude (The Beatles)
58. Can’t Hold Us Down (Christina Aguilera ft Lil’ Kim)
59. Brandy Alexander (Feist)
60. Let it Go (Idina Menzel)
61. Girls Like You (Maroon 5 ft. Cardi B)
62. Defying Gravity (Idina Menzel)
63. Sueños (Diego Torres)
64. Love Affair (Regina Spektor)
65. Video Games (Lana del Rey)
66. I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea (Elvis Costello)
67. Juice (Lizzo)
68. Under Pressure (Queen ft. David Bowie)
69. Adia (Sarah McLachlan)
70. Brown Eyes (Lady Gaga)
71. See You Again (Wiz Khalifa ft. Charlie Puth)
72. It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference (Todd Rundgren)
73. Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
74. Good As Hell (Lizzo)
75. Underneath Your Clothes (Shakira)

76. Blank Space (Taylor Swift)
77. Lovely Head (Goldfrapp)
78. Bad Girls (M.I.A.)
79. Shape of You (Ed Sheeran)
80. I Wish I Knew How it Feels to Be Free (Nina Simone)
81. Shout (Tears for Fears)
82. Gaston (Beauty and the Beast OST)
83. She (Elvis Costello)
84. Fighter (Christina Aguilera)
85. Vincent (Don McLean)
86. Lullaby (The Cure)
87. Born to Die (Lana del Rey)
88. The Other Side (The Greatest Showman OST)
89. Ay Vamos (J. Balvin)
90. Kill 'em with Kindness (Selena Gomez)
91. Pennies in my Pocket (Emilio Estefan)
92. Airplanes part 2 (B.o.B, Hayley Williams & Eminem)
93. All That Jazz (Chicago OST)
94. Skyfall (Adele)
95. Hey Mama (Kanye West)
96. O Saya (A.R. Rahman ft. M.I.A)
97. Work (Kelly Rowland)
98. Notorious (Duran Duran)
99. This is What Makes Us Girls (Lana del Rey)
100. We Are the Champions (Queen)

Emma's favourite song list, 2011.

It’s a yearly thing that I do – list my top 100 songs, and then see how much the list has changed. So, here we go for the 2011 edition!

(side note – unlike my taste in films and rather more like my taste in footballers, my taste in music is atrocious. R&B and girlband choons lamenting love are pretty much my life’s calling. But I like what I like, and I ain’t gonna front about it! So learn to deal.jpg :p)

01. Homecoming (Kanye West ft. Chris Martin)
02. Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield)
03. Angie Baby (Helen Reddy)
04. Rocky Raccoon (The Beatles)
05. Hallelujah (Rufus Wainwright)
06. Alison (Elvis Costello)
07. Sinnerman (Nina Simone)
08. Sexy! No No No… (Girls Aloud)
09. Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie (Joanna Newsom)
10. Paper Planes (M.I.A.)
11. November Has Come (Gorillaz)
12. Samson (Regina Spektor)
13. Adia (Sarah McLachlan)
14. Run this Town (Rihanna, Jay-Z and Kanye West)
15. Power (Kanye West)
16. Untouchable (Girls Aloud)
17. Talk Show Host (Radiohead)
18. Lullaby (Dixie Chicks)
19. All These Things that I've Done (The Killers)
20. Love the Way You Lie Part II (Rihanna ft. Eminem)
21. Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits)
22. Head over Heels (Tears for Fears)
23. Boys Don't Cry (The Cure)
24. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy (Queen)
25. Defying Gravity (Idina Menzel)

26. Glory Box (Portishead)
27. Hey Stephen (Taylor Swift)
28. Empire State of Mind: Broken Down (Alicia Keys)
29. 2am (The Saturdays)
30. Fix Up Look Sharp (Dizzee Rascal)
31. Tiny Dancer (Elton John)
32. Baba O'Riley (The Who)
33. Wildwood Flower (June Carter Cash)
34. My Love (Sia)
35. The Loving Kind (Girls Aloud)
36. California Dreamin' (The Mamas and the Papas)
37. Chelsea Dagger (The Fratellis)
38. My Father's Gun (Elton John)
39. Seasons of Love (Idina Menzel)
40. What’s My Name? (Rihanna)
41. Hey Jude (The Beatles)
42. Brandy Alexander (Feist)
43. Don't Stop Believin' (Journey)
44. Love Affair (Regina Spektor)
45. I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea (Elvis Costello)
46. Dragon Queen (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
47. Under Pressure (Queen ft David Bowie)
48. Brown Eyes (Lady Gaga)
49. It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference (Todd Rundgren)
50. Clothes Off! (Gym Class Heroes)

51. Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
52. Underneath Your Clothes (Shakira)
53. Breathe (Taylor Swift)
54. Travelin' Soldier (Dixie Chicks)
55. Jesus Walks (Kanye West)
56. Numb Encore (Jay Z ft. Linkin Park)
57. Lovely Head (Goldfrapp)
58. I Wish I Knew How it Feels to Be Free (Nina Simone)
59. Shout (Tears for Fears)
60. She (Elvis Costello)
61. Clint Eastwood (Gorillaz)
62. Vincent (Don McLean)
63. Love will Tear us Apart (Joy Division)
64. Lullaby (The Cure)
65. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles)
66. Sunshowers (M.I.A.)
67. Pennies in my Pocket (Emilio Estefan)
68. Jackson (Johnny and June Carter Cash)
69. Dream on (Aerosmith)
70. Wonderwall (Oasis)
71. Make You Feel My Love (Adele)
72. Airplanes part 2 (B.o.B, Hayley Williams & Eminem)
73. The Killing Moon (Echo and the Bunnymen)
74. Teenage Dream (Katy Perry)
75. Momentum (Aimee Mann)

76. The River (Joni Mitchell)
77. Golden Slumbers (K.D. Lang)
78. Hey Mama (Kanye West)
79. Braille (Regina Spektor)
80. Back to Black (Amy Winehouse)
81. O Saya (A.R. Rahman ft. M.I.A)
82. Bossy (Kelis)

83. Chillin' (WALE ft Lady Gaga)
84. Take a Bow (Rihanna)
85. Lean on Me (Bill Withers)
86. Ignition (Remix) (R. Kelly)
87. The Call (Regina Spektor)
88. Machine Gun (Portishead)
89. Twentyfourseven (Artful Dodger)
90. Strict Machine (Goldfrapp)
91. Motivation (Kelly Rowland ft. Lil’ Wayne)
92. Too Young (Phoenix)
93. The Next Messiah (Jenny Lewis)
94. You've got the Dirtee Love (Florence and the Machine ft Dizzee Rascal)
95. No More (3LW)
96. Feel Good inc (Gorillaz)
97. We Will Rock You (Queen)
98. Like I Love You (Justin Timberlake)
99. Call the Shots (Girls Aloud)
100. Forget You (Cee Lo Green)

By artist:
Kanye: 6
Girls Aloud: 4
Rihanna: 4
The Beatles: 3
Queen: 3
Gorillaz: 3
Elvis Costello: 3

Every year, the list must be done.

2009's and 2008's, if you're interested. A bit of a bizarre list, I'm afraid, an ecclectic mix of modern RnB/hip-hop and old-school choons. Anything that tickles my fancy, really, and a lot of things tickle my fancy, so.

1. Angie Baby (Helen Reddy)
2. Homecoming (Kanye West ft. Chris Martin)
3. Son of a Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield)
4. Rocky Raccoon (The Beatles)
5. Hallelujah (Rufus Wainwright)
6. Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie (Joanna Newsom)
7. Alison (Elvis Costello)
8. Paper Planes (M.I.A.)
9. November Has Come (Gorillaz)
10. Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy (Queen)
11. Sinnerman (Nina Simone)
12. Run this Town (Rihanna, Jay-Z and Kanye West)
13. Romeo and Juliet (Dire Straits)
14. Happy Hour (Cheryl Cole)

15. Samson (Regina Spektor)
16. Adia (Sarah McLachlan)
17. Empire State of Mind: Broken Down (Alicia Keys)
18. Boys Don't Cry (The Cure)
19. Talk Show Host (Radiohead)
20. Defying Gravity (Idina Menzel)
21. Glory Box (Portishead)
22. Head over Heels (Tears for Fears)
23. Hey Stephen (Taylor Swift)
24. Fix Up Look Sharp (Dizzee Rascal)
25. Lullaby (Dixie Chicks)
26. Tiny Dancer (Elton John)
27. Baba O'Riley (The Who)
28. Wildwood Flower (June Carter Cash)
29. My Love (Sia)
30. California Dreamin' (The Mamas and the Papas)
31. Chelsea Dagger (The Fratellis)
32. My Father's Gun (Elton John)
33. Seasons of Love (Idina Menzel)
34. Hey Jude (The Beatles)
35. All These Things that I've Done (The Killers)
36. Brandy Alexander (Feist)
37. Don't Stop Believin' (Journey)
38. Love Affair (Regina Spektor)
39. I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea (Elvis Costello)
40. Dragon Queen (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)
41. Under Pressure (Queen ft David Bowie)
42. Brown Eyes (Lady Gaga)
43. It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference (Todd Rundgren)
44. Clothes Off! (Gym Class Heroes)
45. Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Tears for Fears)
46. Underneath Your Clothes (Shakira)
47. Big Yellow Taxi (Joni Mitchell)
48. Breathe (Taylor Swift)
49. Travelin' Soldier (Dixie Chicks)
50. Jesus Walks (Kanye West)
51. Numb Encore (Jay Z ft. Linkin Park)
52. Lovely Head (Goldfrapp)
53. I Wish I Knew How it Feels to Be Free (Nina Simone)
54. Shout (Tears for Fears)
55. She (Elvis Costello)
56. Clint Eastwood (Gorillaz)
57. Vincent (Don McLean)
58. Love will Tear us Apart (Joy Division)
59. Lullaby (The Cure)
60. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles)
61. Redemption Song (Bob Marley)
62. Sunshowers (M.I.A.)
63. Pennies in my Pocket (Emilio Estefan)
64. Jackson (Johnny and June Carter Cash)
65. Dream on (Aerosmith)
66. Wonderwall (Oasis)
67. Sexy! No No No... (Girls Aloud)
68. Don't Stop Me Now (Queen)
69. Friday I'm in Love (The Cure)
70. Make You Feel My Love (Adele)
71. Airplanes part 2 (B.o.B, Hayley Williams & Eminem)
72. The Killing Moon (Echo and the Bunnymen)
73. Can't Speak French (Girls Aloud)
74. Momentum (Aimee Mann)
75. The River (Joni Mitchell)
76. Golden Slumbers (K.D. Lang)
77. Hey Mama (Kanye West)
78. Braille (Regina Spektor)
79. Back to Black (Amy Winehouse)
80. Dance wiv Me (Dizzee Rascal ft Calvin Harris)
81. On to the Next One (Jay-Z)
82. O Saya (A.R. Rahman ft. M.I.A)
83. Fix Me Up (Girls Aloud)
84. Bossy (Kelis)
85. Chillin' (WALE ft Lady Gaga)
86. Remedy (Little Boots)
87. Lean on Me (Bill Withers)
88. Ignition (Remix) (R. Kelly)
89. The Call (Regina Spektor)
90. Machine Gun (Portishead)
91. Twentyfourseven (Artful Dodger)
92. The Way I Are (Timbaland)
93. Strict Machine (Goldfrapp)
94. Too Young (Phoenix)
95. The Next Messiah (Jenny Lewis)
96. Heartbreaker (Will.i.am ft Cheryl Cole)
97. You've got the Dirtee Love (Florence and the Machine ft Dizzee Rascal)
98. Born Free (M.I.A.)
99. No More (3LW)
100. Feel Goold inc (Gorillaz)