Also, it might not be surprising that most of the songs here are from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Ghost this time around.

I’m typically more relaxed in my writing when it comes to “for fun” articles like this, so do bear with me as I let myself go and nerd out. Here are the songs that I couldn’t live without in the past year.

It has been such a great time for me as a huge Chili Peppers fan. There was John’s return in late 2019, the release of two double albums last year, and also, I was fortunate to see them live for the first time a few months ago. Like all these instances, the release of their single Black Summer in April last year was one of the happiest moments of my life. It was their first piece of music with John in 16 years, and it became an instant favorite for me. I remember listening to it on repeat all day during release day, smiling to myself as if I was living a dream.

Over a year has passed since the song’s release, and my love for it hasn’t changed one bit. I probably listen to it at least a few times every day, not necessarily to make me feel better or pump myself up, but really because it’s such a good song in itself. Everything about it — from John’s signature guitar work, to Flea’s groovy bass lines, Chad’s powerful drumming, and Anthony’s emotional and vigorous vocals — just demands another listen, and another. This is easily one of their finest songs ever.

“Mary on a Cross” by Ghost

“This is a song that my Papa used to sing,” as Tobias, in the character of Papa Emeritus IV, would say before every performance of Mary on a Cross. If you’re unfamiliar with Ghost, you should probably know about their lore (you can even watch their hilarious lore series, or Chapters, on their YouTube channel). As the story goes, they are a Satanic clergy that’s out to rule the world, and their PR work is their music. Canonically they’ve been around since the 60s, and their 2019 single Seven Inches of Satanic Panic, which Mary on a Cross is from, was a 50^th anniversary reissue. And the singer on that single is none other than Papa Emeritus IV’s dad, Papa Nihil.

Ghost gets a lot of shit for their music not being as heavy as their fake-Satanic imagery would otherwise suggest. They get taunted for sounding more like ABBA than anything else, but Tobias being a huge ABBA fan himself, he actually sees this as a compliment. Because that is the point. And for me, Mary on a Cross is a hallmark example of that. This song shows you how brilliant Tobias is as a songwriter — he knows how to write catchy grooves, beats and hooks that absolutely catch you in a trance, and he knows how to ensnare weighty themes in deceptively simple or tongue-in-cheek lyrics — in this case, Mary on a Cross is really about the loss of friendship.

This is a beautiful song, and I can’t say it enough. Not only have I loved it, but everyone I shared the song with absolutely loved it too — some of them being K-pop fanatics and rap-heads. They just couldn’t stop playing it on repeat.

“Blood Sugar Sex Magik” by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Okay, this isn’t a song, but an album. I guess it sort of counts, as I often listen to the album in one sitting. Anyway, the more time flies, the more my appreciation for the entire Blood Sugar Sex Magik album grows. Deservedly so, it was the album that put the band on the map as the pioneers of funk rock. 

As with most of the Chili Peppers’ music, the album impacts me deeply on a visceral level. Every time I listen, I can’t help but feel as though I’m personally connected to the group — it’s like I’m in the same room as them, and they are confiding their innermost feelings to me. Especially with this album, I can sort of have a feel for how creatively inspired they were at the point of writing and recording. And this is what makes the listening experience so uplifting. Inspiration is infectious. 

It’s not just the songs that are so good, but also the mixing. The lack of long rests between the songs were actually due to the band trying to fit in as many of their best songs as they can. But it actually worked really well in their favor. It makes the album fun and engaging to listen to in one sitting, like it’s all a one long jam.

I could go on and on in trying to articulate what makes the album as good as it is, but it really doesn’t come close to doing the album any justice. From the punchiness of funk tracks like Power of Equality and Sir Psycho Sexy to the darkness of their slow ballads Under the Bridge and I Could Have Lied, this album is full of life. It’s still my favorite Chili Peppers album to this day.

“Jesus He Knows Me” by Ghost

I love how Ghost would release an EP of cover songs every now and then, as a sort of reset button after exhausting themselves on an album. This way, they get to be playful again and experiment with new directions for their next album. And let me tell you, I’m just a sucker for their cover songs. In the past, Ghost’s takes on tracks like Missionary Man by the Eurythmics, If You Have Ghosts by Roky Erickson, and I Believe by Simian Mobile Disco were some of the most “original” covers I’ve ever heard. Tobias has a knack for making other artists’ songs his own, by modernizing them and infusing them with the Ghost flair.

Recently, Ghost released a new EP called Phantomime. And one of its standout tracks is Jesus He Knows Me, originally by Phil Collins’s band Genesis. I think Collins’s subject matter in the song is pretty timeless, as it criticizes hypocritical religious celebrities for merely selling religion for their own profit, and not practicing what they preach.

But musically, the original song is dated — you can easily notice that it sounds very late 80s / early 90s. And that’s where Ghost comes in and turns it into a modern rock powerhouse. I also loved Ghost’s marketing side of it — for months they teased the message “Jesus is Coming” in ads and in their lore videos. They even introduced a new character in their lore, a religious celebrity named Father Defroque, with his own podcast episode uploaded on the band’s YouTube channel.

But as a whole, Phantomime is brilliant too. Their innovative covers of songs like See No Evil by Television, Hanging Around by The Stranglers, and We Don’t Need Another Hero by Tina Turner are a head-bobbing experience that you would not want to miss out on.

“Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys

In the past year I’ve found myself travelling deeper into a Beach Boys rabbit-hole. I’ve particularly admired Brian Wilson for not only his songwriting prowess (he could probably make music out of anything) and also his awesome falsetto back in the day, but really, his boundless and profound love for music, and his courage as an artist in exploring new soundscapes and technologies in his music. 

Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys could have stayed as a surf-rock band forever, and they probably would have still made a lot of money. But they chose to evolve, and they transitioned into a more progressive approach, starting with their album Pet Sounds, and also their succeeding single Good Vibrations. 

I feel the same way about plenty of Beach Boys songs, but especially with Good Vibrations, I love how all the layers sort of rub against each other in my ears — you have Carl Wilson’s buttery-smooth leads in the verses, and in the choruses you have Mike Love’s baritone followed by the funky “bop-bop” harmonies and of course, the somewhat eerie ringing of the electro-theremin — and not to mention the unconventional instruments in the background including the cello and the jaw harp. 

It’s kind of like how it was when I was a kid, as I discovered how magnetic fields worked. There was something magical about seeing two pieces of magnets being attracted to one another. It got me excited about the limitless possibilities in the world, because I realized that there is an entire realm that is invisible to us, but is co-existing with us nevertheless. Good Vibrations (as with good music in general) gets me excited me about life in that same childlike way. Music itself is another invisible realm that I can always explore and wander in. And it always feels magical, and it always feels surreal. And it’s a whole lot of fun.