1. “November Rain” 

The longest track On Guns and Roses “Use Your Illusion” with a length of almost 9 minutes, “November Rain” has become an icon not just for the band but for the whole Era 

Orchestral arrangement in the back round, Multiple guitar solos and a build up to a finale that make the song worth the long listen. Its iconic music video originally appearing on Mtv, has gained over 2 Billion views on youtube becoming the most viewed music from before 2000 on the platform.

2. “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” 

  A folk rock ballad by Gordon Lightfoot that follows the tragic sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on November 5th 1975. The Freighter sank in Lake Michigan during a brutal storm taking the lives of all 29 crew on board. The song itself is told as a poetic story with an acoustic and steel guitar carrying the melody. My highlight of the song is its reverb that echoes at the end of every line, this adds so much isolation to the track practically putting the listener on the ship itself.  

3. “Fortunate Son” 

Veterans Day takes place in November and I think the Creedence Clearwater Revivals iconic track represents the troops who sacrificed their lives for our nation. On the surface the song sounds like a patriotic anthem appearing in various war movies but once you look at the lyrics it turns from a patriotic anthem to a protest song about the vietnam war and the Military  Draft . With lyrics highlighting  wealth inequality. And the rich dodging the draft with no punishment. Fortunate Son is a veteran’s anthem, not an American anthem. The song is the voice for the young adults sent to a foreign nation to fight and die for a war they had no say in. 

4. “Wish You Were Here” 

Though the Pink Floyd song has no direct link with November, I think the sound alone sums up the feeling of the month. November seems like a transition month from the two biggest holidays of the year. “WIsh You Were Here” seemed  to fit that feeling, the slow simple song was conceived in honor of former band member Syd Barrett who left the band in 1968 due to severe mental illness and erratic behavior. His replacement was the legendary David Gilmour. 

5. “Dear Prudence” 

In 1968 the Beatles released their self-titled album “The Beatles,” but most fans refer to it as the “White Album.” Since the album was released in November it seems right to put my favourite track on the album, “Dear Prudence,” on the November playlist. This track is the second song on the album and it is genuinely one of the most beautiful pieces of music I have ever heard. The song is not as well known compared to the other Beatles hits. It’s one of the many hidden gems in the Beatles catalog.