A few weeks ago, a conversation came up about our favorite bands. As usual, I didn’t have a list of favorite musicians floating within easy grasp. I like lots of music. In fact, I’m not sure there is a kind of music I dislike.

So, my obsessiveness kicked in and I decided to figure out who my favorite bands and singers were by sifting through my music collection and counting up the number of songs I really enjoyed by each artist. I briefly considered working out some kind of signal to noise ratio, taking into consideration the volume of work, but that sounded too complicated. So I went for the sheer number of awesome songs.

Here’s what I came up with:

1. U2
2. Weird Al Yankovic
3. Steve Taylor
4. Toad the Wet Sprocket
5. Pink Floyd
6. INXS
7. They Might Be Giants
8. The Beatles
9. The Police
10. Indigo Girls
11. Billy Joel
12. R.E.M.
13. Sting
14. Nine Inch Nails
15. Moxy Fruvous
16. Syd’s Misconception
17. Pearl Jam
18. Soul Coughing
19. Bon Jovi
20. Jars of Clay

So there it is. I think this list comprises types of music that resonate with every aspect of my personality. I see passion, social change, sarcasm, unconventional spirituality, introspection, melancholy, regret, vast inner landscapes, fun, sex, nostalgia, innocence, poetry, feminine energy, anger, depression, friendship, longing, eclecticism, attitude, and humility.