5 Songs I Love w/ Ziggy D’Amato

Following the release of his latest double-A-sided single, 'Let Her Dance' and 'How to Love', we caught up with Cleveland-based multi-instrumentalist Ziggy D’Amato to find out more about what influences his eclectic sound. If you enjoy Ziggy's picks, be sure to check out 'Let Her Dance' and 'How to Love' at the end of the article.

1. The Beatles - Something

I was a junior in high school when I got into the Beatles. I was (still am) a total nerd who likes to break down and study my favorite songs. The Beatles were groundbreaking for me in terms of teaching me what I believe to be, the foundation of modern day songwriting. All of which is exemplified perfectly in this song. 

The way George Harrison’s chords change slowly to reflect the emotion of the lyrics is so simple but powerful. Each part deliberately different without any waste. Paul McCartney’s bass line completely changed the way I approached bass playing. It melodically ascends against the descending chord progression before meeting back on the root C chord is something I didn’t even know was possible. Pulling off such an intricate idea without interfering with the heart of the song is amazing. 

I won’t go on, it’s a very famous song. I learned a lifetime’s worth of musical lessons from this three minute pop song. 

2. Taylor Swift - Mean

I was nineteen and had just graduated high school. I was high and drunk with my friend Jordan on a couch in Kent, Ohio. Our other friend discovered we had never listened to pop music. So he proceeds to play us Sugarland’s “Stuck Like Glue” (which is also great) and then more importantly, Taylor Swift’s “Mean”.

I remember just laughing at how much we immediately loved it. We had never heard Taylor Swift before. I learned that you could write really catchy shit without sacrificing emotional depth. 

The song seemed to be this triumphant feeling of overcoming what people/critics say about you as well as your own insecurities. I moved around a lot as a kid and was bullied in my early years. I still struggle with my own insecurities and what people say about me. So this song is very near and dear to my heart. Ever since I heard that song on that day, I’ve completely embraced all kinds of pop music into my life. 

3. Sam Cooke - (What a) Wonderful World

Whenever I’m falling in love I describe it as something like ‘When I’m with her there’s Sam Cooke songs playing in my head’. I have very fond memories of playing Sam Cooke in my car with girlfriends before they inevitably say ‘Can we listen to something else? From this century maybe?’ 

I had a hard time choosing just one song of his but landed on this song because I love the simplicity of the self-deprecating ‘I don’t know much’ about nothing but ‘I do know that I love you’. Him singing harmonies with his backup singers on each school subject that he’s clueless about. It’s delightful to me. 

One of my all time favorite singers who unlike a lot of singers of that era wrote a lot of his own songs. I will die in vain trying to sing like him. Every song on ‘The Portrait of a Legend’ greatest hits is fire. 

4. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Charlie

I was gonna start this by kind of shitting on this band but fuck it, not doing it. I’ve always loved them. I was in middle school when ‘Stadium Arcadium’ came out. I was hooked immediately. 

To me ‘Charlie’ perfectly captures the euphoria of being young, sneaking around with your friends and doing shit you’re not supposed to. I love the juxtaposition of the off time funky verse and the straight up chorus with the big falsetto harmonies. John Frusciante and Flea’s chemistry is unbelievable in general and on full display in this song.

I will always associate the Red Hot Chili Peppers with complete musical freedom to incorporate every type of genre into your own songs. They taught me so much about music. I will forever defend that they are in fact, a great band. 

5. Bruce Springsteen - The Rising

Growing up, if there was music playing in our house it was almost always Bruce Springsteen. Often times to my Mom’s chagrin. My earliest memory is my Dad playing a Bruce concert VHS for me and my brother Chris and we just danced around like maniacs. Bruce is ineradicably a part of my DNA as a human. His songs will always remind me of home.

My first experience with loss was losing my Grandma, my Dad’s mom, when I was about ten. In 2002, Bruce’s album ‘The Rising’ was released. Most of the album is a reflection on the 9/11 attacks. It was also his first album in like twenty years with the E Street Band. Needless to say the songs are bleak, but they have a heavy dose of gospel influences that call for us all to come together and heal. This is also reflected in the band reuniting after so much time. 

My Grandma died shortly after this album came out. I remember driving in the car with my family to her funeral, not totally sure what’s going on or how to react. On the car stereo ‘The Rising’ is playing. We get to the funeral and I see my large mostly-functional Italian family gathered to mourn the Matriarch of all these people. I remember seeing the faces of my family, all reacting in their own ways. Just trying to process the loss. Then I remember driving home, ‘The Rising’ playing on the car stereo. Me looking out the window, trying to process loss. 

I’m thirty-two now. I’ve lost many more family members and friends since then. I still turn to this album when I need to be uplifted. As much as I’ve experienced, I still often feel like that ten year old kid looking out the window trying to process loss along with the people I love. Bruce Springsteen in my ears, like some strange New Jerseyan preacher, calling on me to resurrect, to ‘Come on up for the rising’. 

Listen to Ziggy D’Amato 'Let Her Dance' / How to Love