It has been four months since I posted the list of my top 8 Psychedelic Furs albums and today I am back with another ranking, with this one being songs this time. Back in 2018 I did a top 10 songs list and it used to be on this blog, but I had deleted it because it was old and my opinions had changed over the years. On this post it's exactly the same as the previous one, although a few changes were made. I had been looking forward to doing this, because since Made Of Rain has been out for a while now I wondered if any of its songs would appear on my ranking.
So let's get started, here are my top 10 favorite songs by The Psychedelic Furs!
10. You'll Be Mine [from Made Of Rain (2020)]
I'll never forget the first time I heard "You'll Be Mine", because it came out when the whole world changed and I felt worried about what would happen with the tour that The Psychedelic Furs were supposed to do last year. But after listening to the song many times, I felt like it was giving me hope in some way. The music on "You'll Be Mine" is just breathtakingly beautiful, and vocalist Richard Butler's voice is so crystal clear and powerful. The Furs are going to tour in the UK this September and October, and I hope with all my heart it will really happen. I want this for the band so much because they really deserve it after all the waiting they had to endure...
9. Dumb Waiters [from Talk Talk Talk (1981)]
The first track (or fourth for the USA version) on The Psychedelic Furs' second album is such a great opener, and the music is so energetic, catchy, and fun, I love it. It's always been one of my favorites for years. The saxophone is one of the best parts on "Dumb Waiters" and the guitar solo at the end was former guitarist John Ashton's favorite solo, according to his profile from the tour programme for Midnight To Midnight.
When Richard Butler was interviewed by Melody Maker in 1988, he said that back when "Dumb Waiters" came out people thought it was corny and a reviewer for some music magazine said that it was one of the worst songs ever. How?? Why?? I don't know what those people were thinking, because "Dumb Waiters" is truly a fantastic song.
8. Shock [from Midnight To Midnight (1987)]
Every time this song comes on I always turn the volume up, and it's one of those songs where they instantly put you in a good mood. The music pumps you up and makes you want to dance like crazy. "Shock" is absolutely awesome and it's now my favorite song on Midnight To Midnight (it used to be the title track). Saxophonist Mars Williams is one of the highlights on "Shock" and he creates this magical sound. I can imagine silver sparkles or glittering rainbows coming out of the saxophone.
7. Love My Way [from Forever Now (1982)]
A true PFurs classic. 14 years ago I remember listening to "Love My Way" for the first time and the song got me immediately hooked, especially with the music. It's interesting to think that back then I never knew I would eventually become a fan seven years later, would see The Furs live four times, would meet guitarist Rich Good twice, and would give them my letter. The Psychedelic Furs had changed my life and out of all the bands I like, The Furs are the only band that helped me in so many ways.
"Love My Way" is a gorgeous pop song and there's a lot of memorable moments on it. It's a shame that it only peaked in the top 50 in Britain. I don't understand why it didn't become a huge hit over there.
6. There's A World [from World Outside (1991)]
I remember putting "There's A World" in 10th place on my old list but the song kept climbing higher and made it to number 6. It's one of the most beautiful songs ever, and the music on the choruses has an atmospheric feel to it. It sounds like you're up in space and you're looking down on Earth, questioning everything about yourself and the whole world, while trying to find the answers. When I first saw The Psychedelic Furs in 2015 they played "There's A World" and I remember getting kind of emotional.
5. Highwire Days [from Mirror Moves (1984)]
"Highwire Days" is one of The Psychedelic Furs' songs that are huge fan favorites and if you listen to it, you can hear why it's so beloved. "Highwire Days" is one of Richard Butler's favorite songs to perform live and is one of John Ashton's finest achievements (he wrote the music for the song, with lyrics by Richard). The song is a work of art with the keyboards swirling around and Richard Butler's vocals are magnificent. One of The Psychedelic Furs' masterpieces. The web address for my blog is called "On Tomorrow's Pages" and it's a line borrowed from "Highwire Days".
4. I Don't Want To Be Your Shadow [B-side, 1982]
"I Don't Want To Be Your Shadow" was a b-side on the UK single of "Danger" and in 1994 was included on the PFurs b-side/remix compilation album B-sides And Lost Grooves. In 2002 it appeared again as a bonus track on the Forever Now remaster, and after listening to the song on my copy, it made me wish it was an official track on Forever Now. The ending to "I Don't Want To Be Your Shadow" is my favorite part of the whole song and the music's just brilliant.
3. Shine [from Book Of Days (1989)]
"Shine" actually used to be my second favorite Psychedelic Furs song and even though it went down to the third spot, I still love it a lot. The song is so beautiful and the lyrics are one of Richard Butler's finest. I love the sound of Tim Butler's bass guitar, and the music makes me think of the sunlight coming through the golden leaves of the autumn trees.
2. Run And Run [from Forever Now (1982)]
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| Via Discogs. |
For six years "Run And Run" was my number one favorite Psychedelic Furs song and putting it at number two is a huge surprise to me; and kind of sad in a way, like saying goodbye to an old friend. I never thought that day would come, but nowadays there's one song that's settling comfortably in first place and we will get to that in a minute.
About "Run And Run", the choruses are so amazing (especially the backing vocals by Flo and Eddie) and the fun, epic music is what makes the song great. During the years when "Run And Run" used to be my favorite song I wanted to hear it live, and in October 2014 The Psychedelic Furs performed that song when they were in Portland, Oregon at the Aladdin Theater. But... that was a month before I started to get into The Furs and I wished I became a fan much earlier so that I could hear "Run And Run".
Finally here we are at number one and so far what do you all think which song is my favorite now? I'm proud to present, my number one favorite Psychedelic Furs song of all time! And I'm warning you that I'm going to go in fangirl mode while talking about the song. Well, here it is........
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| Photo: Matthew Reeves |
1. No-One [from Made Of Rain (2020)]
Okay, I don't know if I'm right or wrong on this but... could this be the most perfect song The Psychedelic Furs ever made? Everything about "No-One" is perfection. I'm still in awe about how awesome this song is and I'm actually filled with emotion thinking about it while typing this out. What I love about "No-One" is it has a Book Of Days vibe to it, and "No-One" sounds like it could be a song from that album. Richard Butler's singing is absolutely fantastic on this and I can't believe how good he sounds. The music is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard, and it makes me tear up sometimes because it's so powerful. Rich Good wrote the music for "No-One" and I wonder how he came up with writing it and what the inspiration was behind the music. His guitar playing is top notch and has this pure, crystalline sound. Rich deserves all the praise for writing the music in "No-One" and, if you are reading this Rich, I just want to say you did an amazing job with the music and by listening I can tell it has a lot of heart and soul put into it. Thank you. <3
I had a lot of fun doing this one and I would love to know what your favorite Psychedelic Furs songs are. It's great to hear about peoples different opinions other than mine. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed it!
