Top 20 Favorite Common Songs

(Yay! Pictures that I actually own!)

From the March 9th concert in Providence, RI - Best birthday present ever.

I think it's entirely TOO HARD for me to pick my favorite song by Common Sense aka Lonnie Lynn Jr aka Common. I've been trying for a while. I've said Forever Begins was, for a while at least, just because I can listen to it at any time & keep it on repeat. I swear, I played it so much I nearly killed it when I first got Finding Forever.

So here I am at nearly 3am contemplating this & trying to figure out what the greatest Common song is and I can't really do it. I'm stuck with a 3-way tie for first... But here is a TENTATIVE list of my top 20 favorite ones. And this is just off the top of my head so I'm probably missing some good ones.

(Once again, let me just say that this is MY top 20 list... and of course, there will be differences in opinion).

1. Forever Begins

Sampled "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon <- great song

1. Faithful - with John Legend & Bilal.

This is good for playing when you just wanna hear some nice music, but it's also good for when you're actually listening to lyrics/focusing. This. is. IT...

"I was rolling around, in my mind it occured: What if God was a her? Would I treat her the same? Would I still be running game on her? In what type of ways would I want her? Would I want her for her mind or her heavenly body? Couldn't be out gettin bogus with someone so godly. If I was with her, would I still be wanting my ex? The lies, the greed, the weed, the sex?"

1. They Say - Common + Kanye + John Legend = perfect for me...

"They say life is a game so I play hard, writing for my life cuz I'm scared of a day job..." I'm mad they have this video labeled as KANYE WEST though. Hm..

4. So Far to Go - with D'Angelo

Sampled "Don't Say Goodnight," one of my favorite Isley Brother's songs :)

5. Break My Heart

(this is where the numbering/order gets a little fuzzy... I'm not really sure about it!)

6. The People - with Dwele

4th one on the list so far from Finding Forever? Okaaaaay, get em..

7. Be

Short & sweet.. "... never looking back or too far in front of me, the present is a gift & it just wanna BE"

8. Come Close - with Mary J. Blige

Such a cute video, definitely on my list of favorites. I think people sleep on this song. I could be wrong, but from what I see/hear, they do. This is a really good one.

9. The Light

Samples "Open Your Eyes" by Bobby Caldwell... LOVE THAT SONG! And of course, this is probably one of Common's biggest songs (?) Yay. Love it.

10. Punch Drunk Love - with Kanye West & Pharrell

"Hey baby? Am I crazy? Or was you giving me the eye? ... You say maybe? Well you crazy. Because I know I'm too fly..."

This cd (Universal Mind Control) wasn't necessarily all that, but this is my song. Was my ringtone over winter break and after Rock the Bells I was compelled to do it again.

11. I Used to Love H.E.R.

YESSSSSS. I honestly don't even have anything else to say about it!

12. I Want You - with will.i.am.

Another Finding Forever song :) Cool video too.

13. Testify

Yup yup. Another good video (or 9 minute short film, haha).

14. Go - with Kanye West & John Mayer

3 of my favorite people together. This was probably my favorite Common song back when it first came out.

15. The Food - with Kanye West

Live version > studio version I believe.

16. The 6th Sense

Love this cd, Like Water For Chocolate. Great.

17. I Am Music - with Jill Scott

Okay, everyone HATES on Electric Circus... but Come Close & this song are so good that I don't even really mind.

18. Funky For You - with Bilal & Jill Scott

"...long as it's funkaaay..."

19. G.O.D. (Gaining One's Definition) - with Cee-Lo

20. Announcement - with Pharrell

From Resurrection: 1

From One Day It'll All Make Sense: 1

From Like Water For Chocolate: 3

From Be: 7

From Electric Circus: 2

From Finding Forever: 4

From Universal Mind Control: 2