In the spirit of Thanksgiving, a favorite holiday of mine, we are going to take a little break from bashing the endlessly entertaining world of celebs and do something different.

My good friend, fellow Blogcritics Network writer, and former podcast mate, Josh Hathaway had a great idea. Josh is a music editor at BC Magazine, as well as, the publisher of “Confessions of A Fanboy,” wherein he boldly pontificates about music, life and the intersection of the two. He’s also a fabulous guy and anyone who appreciates music AND good writing should make him a regular stop.

After months of planning to do some kind of cross-site feature, we finally decided to actually do something. With the timing being right, we decided to write about what we are thankful for. Since that list could be infinitely long, we decided to narrow it down to what MUSIC we are thankful for. These aren’t necessarily our “favorite” songs, but simply a small sample in the cache of nostalgic musical moments that make up who we are.

Here’s Josh’s list, including his thoughts behind his choices:

Josh Hathaway

I had a hell of a time coming up with this list because I’m such a music slut; I’ve loved so many so very much. I tried to find a cohesive theme or concept to do it. In the end, I grabbed 10 pretty random songs and went with them because they qualify, even if they aren’t the best examples.

* Mark Lanegan – “When Your Number Isn’t Up” – I don’t know if there exists a Mark Lanegan song I’m not thankful for. It may seem strange to be thankful for a song this dark, but it speaks to me. Besides… that VOICE! I will forever maintain Cash would have recorded this song if he’d lived long enough.

* Jeff Buckley – “Hallelujah” – Once again… that VOICE! This song is almost too beautiful and perfect to behold. I often feel myself wincing when he sings this because it’s all too much.

* Tom Petty – “Crawling Back to You” – Same thing here as far as being thankful for just about everything Tom Petty’s ever written. The last verse to this song is what really speaks to me.

* Oasis – “Don’t Look Back in Anger” – This is a song that brings us together and unites us. You can’t not sing this song!

* Gillian Welch – “Dear Someone” – Here’s one for the hopeless romantic in us all, or perhaps just the hopeless. I spent a lot of nights feeling like this and could never have brought it to life the way Gillian does.

* Bruce Springsteen – “Across the Border” – Like “Dear Someone,” this song absolutely destroys me. Is it about immigration? Is it about America? Is it about love? Is it about heaven? Yes, yes, yes, and yes, if you ask me.

* U2 – “Stuck In A Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” – God bless U2 for their clumsy song titles. This one has helped lift us out of some dark places.

* Elliott Smith – “Memory Lane” – Talk about dark places… I’m thankful for most of Elliott Smith’s songs. This isn’t even my favorite, but I love the word pictures he paints and the idea of being afraid of our past.

* George Harrison – “Blow Away” – It’s perfect to segue from Elliott to a Beatle.I wrote about this one at length a few months back. It reminds me of happy times in my childhood and connects to my love of The Beatles.

* The Beatles – “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” – My first favorite song? I think so. This may have been the one that planted the seed for all that was to follow.

And now my reactions his list.

I didn’t know all of these songs, so I stumbled on Rhapsody and they had most of them. Youtube was helpful too. My first thought after listening to all his selections was: “Wow, Josh sure is a sentimental fellow.” Gillian Welch’s voice really is amazing. A manufactured twang isn’t easy to perfect, but she does. Then you have the “quiet” Beatle, George Harrison (RIP) doing a long forgotten gem like “Blow Away” and you suddenly become aware of what an amazingly melodic sensibility he possessed. A very underrated songwriter if you ask me. Throw in Jeff Buckley’s amazing cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” and it becomes plain Josh likes pretty music.

But lest we paint Josh as a simple purveyor of sweet melodies, he throws in Mark Lanegan, Tom Petty and Elliott Smith to represent his deep and contemplative side. Mark, formerly of Screaming Trees, has a voice that’s a little like taking a bite of rock candy only to discover it’s gravel. Hard, biting, difficult to swallow but, leaves you feeling full nonetheless. And the bitter-sweetness in Petty’s “Crawling Back To You” is only softened by the painful emptiness you feel after hearing Elliott Smith’s (RIP) “Memory Lane”

I hadn’t heard Bruce’s “Across the Border” before, but if anyone can combine so many diverse themes into one song, it’s the Boss. It must have been hard for Josh to limit himself to one Springsteen song (Josh’s a huge fan), but props to him for digging deep in the collection.

Then there’s the British Invasion from opposite sides of the pop music spectrum. Oasis, though not one of my favorites, does strike a brilliant chord with “Don’t Look Back In Anger,” although their blatant rip off of the Beatles has always rubbed me wrong. As far as U2 goes, they can do no wrong in my eyes and while “Stuck In a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of” is great (said to be written for deceased INXS singer Michael Hutchence) I’d be hard pressed to pick any one song I am more thankful for than another. They are all amazing.

And that brings us back to the Beatles, where we both began. Josh chose “Lucy In The Sky With Diamond’s” from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, which not so strangely, was my second music purchase after Abbey Road. Which considering our truly diverse range of picks, is concrete proof of how influential the Beatles are to ANYONE who appreciates music.

Click here for my list, and Josh’s reaction to those songs. And hey, if you are feeling in the spirit of thankfulness, share YOUR LIST with us. We’d love to see it.