Radio LBB: Words Are Never Enough For Jon Darren

I’m very deliberate when it comes to music. I listen to songs to be in the moment. To amplify a feeling. Or to rekindle a memory from my youth. 

I’m currently in a music renaissance, going to live gigs for bands and artists I saw when I was younger, or that I missed out on the first time round.

It’s telling that with all the music that you could possibly ever want at our fingertips, we find ourselves drawn to the songs that truly mean something. Yes, music discovery is a necessary thing to develop and fine tune our tastes, but the songs that stick with us are connected to core memories that you can never let go of.

You could say, re-listening to the songs from your past is the discovery.

Here’s my selection, driven by a moment or a feeling that will never fade. To borrow from one of the greatest composers, Hans Zimmer:

“Words are never enough. And I think that’s why I do music. Because sometimes I can say things with music that I just can’t say in words.”

From the final scene of ‘Heat’, which is one of my top five movies. The composition of this peace results in such peace after  three hours of cinematic tension. 

This collaboration with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden is a tribute to Andy Wood - lead vocalist of Mother Love Bone. I remember watching the music video for this song on MTV in the US and being awestruck. 

Absolute perfection of a song, from the deepest opening bass line to the haunting strings and vocals. The music video had me transfixed with the single tracking shot that you have to watch over and over to see every detail.

I was introduced to this track while visiting friends in America. We drove around every day with this song on repeat until I learned every word by heart. I still know it to this day.

This song grabs you from the opening bar with the horns and doesn’t let go. I especially love its use in the Channel 4 Paralympics commercial - 'Meet The Superhumans'. The power of the track with the gripping visuals is a masterpiece of advertising. 

This album dropped while I was at university and became a staple in my music rotation. This track cuts through as it balances the wonder of Mike Patton’s incredible vocals with a more lounge act approach in the song.

I remember being nervous to play the second RATM album. How could they better their first? Well, all nerves fell away as soon as I hit play on this opening track. Wow. It still hits today.

Getting albums for Christmas was a cherished moment. There’s nothing better than the feeling of retreating to your room to play the new CD over and over. This track really stood out as it felt like a classic, even though it was new.

You can drop this song at any time, any place, and people will dance and sing. That’s the sign of a brilliant piece of music. It deserves its place on this list for that reason only.

This was a hype song for Summer. It speaks to the moment I looked forward to grabbing my skateboard and cruising around all weekend without a care in the world. Smooth hip hop vocals layered with such a funky groove.

When I moved to London and discovered the club scene, my music tastes expanded wildly. From Turnmills to The End, there’s nothing like losing yourself dancing on the dance floor to club classics like this. Funky House was the way forward.

I couldn’t choose a favourite between this track and ‘Love Story’ so I included both. Just an incredibly uplifting house track.

Music paints such an incredible picture in film. When Tarantino chose this song for the opening credits of ‘Jackie Brown’, he created one of the most memorable and stylish moments in film history. The alignment of the main character’s age and life, with the era of this song and its lyrics sets up the audience for one hell of a ride.

It’s 1992 and I've played the Peal Jam ‘Ten’ album almost all the way through. It’s taken me on an incredible journey of raw rock and emotional waves. And then this song hits me. The final track that makes the album complete. Perfection. I’m then happily surprised to hear it again in 2013 as the opening credits for the film ‘Out Of The Furnace’ and I'm taken back to ‘92 all over again.

Probably the most haunting song of Trent Reznor’s career. The fact that this was from the first NIN album in 1989 is mindblowing. It’s an emotionally driven song and you can feel every ounce of his pain as he sings. It also appears in the film 'Natural Born Killers' as the characters begin to wrestle their own demons which aligns too well. 

'The Breakfast Club' was a formative part of my childhood. I must have watched that film over 100 times and it still moves me. This song was actually written for the film and creates the perfect tone from the opening score to the end credits. Lasting memories.

And finally, one of the most beautifully composed pieces of music that scores the film ‘Inception’. What a way to close out a movie. The strings and brass ensemble makes the hairs on your next stand up as you’re suspended in the moment. Every time I play this song it’s like I've just been on a three hour journey with the film. And I'll do it again and again.