Flavorwire

As you probably know by now, the end is near. In fact, it’s tomorrow — at least, according to these unquestionably sane and reasonable folks. So, while crafting a top-notch tinfoil hat or slapping together a stairway to heaven would also be perfectly defensible ways to prepare for the apocalypse, here at Flavorpill we’re celebrating by asking our contributors and some of our favorite music critics which song they’d most like to hear before they die. (No, nobody picked anything as obvious as “It’s the End of the World as We Know It.”) Read about and listen to their diverse, surprising, and fascinating picks after the jump.

The Five Stairsteps — “Ooh Child”

I know what song I want played at my funeral: “Days” by the Kinks. It just sums up everything so neatly. But the first song that came into my head as the last one to hear before I pass is the same song that always seems to enter my head first: “Ooh Child” by the Five Stairsteps. Because it’s the song that makes me feel happiest, every time I hear it. And why not go to the next bardo with a smile on my face?

– Ann Powers