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Paul

Aug 31 2009, 11:30 PM

FULL RESULTS:

300. The Stone Roses - I Am The Resurrection
299. Neil Young - Rockin' in the Free World
298. The Beatles - I Saw Her Standing There
297. David Bowie - Suffragette City
296. The Stooges - T.V. Eye
295. The B-52's - Rock Lobster
294. Nick Lowe - Cruel To Be Kind
293. Bob Marley & the Wailers - No Woman, No Cry
292. Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
291. Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box

290. Echo & the Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
289. Beck - Devil's Haircut
288. Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Pump It Up
287. Squeeze - Up the Junction
286. The Beatles - In My Life
285. The Clash - Death or Glory
284. Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun
283. Curtis Mayfield - Superfly
282. Son Volt - Windfall
281. Buffalo Springfield - Expecting to Fly

280. The Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey
279. Pink Floyd - One of These Days
278. Black Sabbath - War Pigs
277. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Who'll Stop the Rain
276. The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows
275. Kanye West - Jesus Walks
274. Paul McCartney - Temporary Secretary
273. Al Green - Love and Happiness
272. The National - Mr. November
271. The Pretenders - Brass in Pocket

270. Ace of Base - The Sign
269. Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone
268. Kermit the Frog - Rainbow Connection
267. Animal Collective - Banshee Beat
266. Arcade Fire - Wake Up
265. Tommy James & the Shondells - Crimson and Clover
264. Pixies - Here Comes Your Man
263. Otis Redding - Try a Little Tenderness
262. Steely Dan - Peg
261. The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead

260. Todd Rundgren - I Saw the Light
259. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Lodi
258. The Beatles - Golden Slumbers
257. Nas - NY State of Mind
256. Sun Kil Moon - Carry Me Ohio
255. Elvis Costello and the Attractions - No Action
254. Wire - Map Ref. 41°N 93°W
253. LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
252. Buddy Holly - Everyday
251. The Stone Roses - She Bangs the Drums

250. R.E.M. - Nightswimming
249. David Bowie - Changes
248. Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
247. Wu-Tang Clan - Protect Ya Neck
246. Portishead - Glory Box
245. Animal Collective - Fireworks
244. Underworld - Born Slippy .NUXX
243. Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Cowgirl in the Sand
242. Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You
241. The Kinks - The Village Green Preservation Society

240. The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon
239. Archers of Loaf - Web in Front
238. The Replacements - Bastards of Young
237. Michael Jackson - Rock With You
236. Wu-Tang Clan - Da Mystery of Chessboxin'
235. Morrissey - Every Day Is Like Sunday
234. Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out
233. The Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want
232. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - American Girl
231. Chuck Berry - Johnny B. Goode

230. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - The Tears of a Clown
229. Bob Dylan - Girl From the North Country
228. Miles Davis - So What?
227. The Go-Betweens - Cattle and Cane
226. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Purple Haze
225. Stevie Wonder - Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing
224. Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine
223. The Beach Boys - Don't Worry Baby
222. Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill
221. Kylie Minogue - Love At First Sight

220. Modest Mouse - Float On
219. Ryan Adams - Come Pick Me Up
218. Blondie - Heart of Glass
217. Arctic Monkeys - A Certain Romance
216. David Bowie - Modern Love
215. The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil
214. The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony
213. Wilco - A Shot in the Arm
212. Bruce Springsteen - Atlantic City
211. Bobby Womack - Across 110th Street

210. Pink Floyd - Money
209. Paul McCartney - Maybe I'm Amazed
208. Oasis - Live Forever
207. Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out
206. Electric Light Orchestra - Mr. Blue Sky
205. Radiohead - Fake Plastic Trees
204. New Order - Regret
203. The Crystals - Then He Kissed Me
202. Del Shannon - Runaway
201. LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends

200. Led Zeppelin - Kashmir
199. Elliott Smith - Angeles
198. Pink Floyd - Echoes
197. New Order - The Perfect Kiss
196. The Pogues - Fairytale of New York
195. The Rolling Stones - Rocks Off
194. The Beta Band - Dry the Rain
193. The Beatles - I Am The Walrus
192. AC/DC - Back in Black
191. XTC - Senses Working Overtime

190. The Only Ones - Another Girl, Another Planet
189. The Replacements - Can't Hardly Wait
188. Radiohead - Karma Police
187. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)
186. Dr. Dre - Nuthin' But A "G" Thang
185. Pulp - Disco 2000
184. The Cars - Just What I Needed
183. Annie - Heartbeat
182. Bob Dylan - It's Alright Ma, I'm Only Bleeding
181. John Lennon - Imagine

180. The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize??
179. The Beatles - Helter Skelter
178. Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak
177. Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Accidents Will Happen
176. Freda Payne - Band of Gold
175. Dexys Midnight Runners - Come On Eileen
174. Led Zeppelin - Over the Hills and Far Away
173. Gram Parsons - Return of the Grievous Angel
172. Disco Inferno - The Last Dance
171. Prince - Purple Rain

170. The Kingsmen - Louie, Louie
169. The Velvet Underground - Heroin
168. Love - Alone Again Or
167. Prince - I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man
166. The Beatles - Oh! Darling
165. The Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy
164. Talking Heads - Born Under Punches
163. Elvis Costello and the Attractions - (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding
162. The Velvet Underground - Sunday Morning
161. Ben Folds Five - Army

160. Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side
159. Dusty Springfield - Son of a Preacher Man
158. Wilco - I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
157. The Clash - Lost in the Supermarket
156. The Cure - Just Like Heaven
155. The Replacements - Alex Chilton
154. Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks
153. Simon and Garfunkel - The Boxer
152. The Beatles - Dear Prudence
151. The Beach Boys - Don't Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder)

150. Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Down By The River
149. The Specials - Ghost Town
148. R.E.M. - So. Central Rain
147. The Jesus Lizard - Nub
146. The Beatles - She Said, She Said
145. Michael Jackson - Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
144. Stevie Wonder - Superstition
143. DJ Shadow - Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt
142. David Bowie - Rebel Rebel
141. The Velvet Underground - Sister Ray

140. R.E.M. - Fall On Me
139. The Rolling Stones - Wild Horses
138. Bob Dylan - Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again
137. The Replacements - I Will Dare
136. Pavement - Summer Babe (Winter Version)
135. Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels
134. Brian Eno - Needles in the Camel's Eye
133. The Rolling Stones - Moonlight Mile
132. Fugazi - Waiting Room
131. Queen and David Bowie - Under Pressure

130. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
129. The Clash - (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
128. Wu-Tang Clan - Shame on a Nigga
127. Wu-Tang Clan - C.R.E.A.M.
126. Radiohead - Pyramid Song
125. Radiohead - Let Down
124. Jens Lekman - Black Cab
123. The Beach Boys - 'Til I Die
122. The Four Tops - Reach Out (I'll Be There)
121. The Smiths - This Charming Man

120. Funkadelic - Maggot Brain
119. The Modern Lovers - I'm Straight
118. Donna Summer - I Feel Love
117. New Order - Ceremony
116. Wilco - Jesus, Etc.
115. Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman
114. Burial - Archangel
113. The New Pornographers - Letter From An Occupant
112. David Bowie - Sound and Vision
111. Boards of Canada - Roygbiv

110. The La's - There She Goes
109. The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
108. The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner
107. T.I. - What You Know
106. Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Oliver's Army
105. Aretha Franklin - Respect
104. My Bloody Valentine - Soon
103. Iggy & the Stooges - Search and Destroy
102. The Flaming Lips - Race For the Prize
101. Fleetwood Mac - Dreams

100. Pixies - Where Is My Mind?
099. Led Zeppelin - Tangerine
098. Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
097. The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby
096. Pink Floyd - Time
095. Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire
094. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
093. ? and the Mysterians - 96 Tears
092. The Beach Boys - Surf's Up
091. The Velvet Underground - I Heard Her Call My Name

090. Iggy Pop - Lust For Life
089. The Beatles - I'm Only Sleeping
088. Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here
087. Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)
086. The Flying Burrito Brothers - Dark End of the Street
085. Nico - These Days
084. The Zombies - This Will Be Our Year
083. Neil Young - After the Gold Rush
082. Gang of Four - Damaged Goods
081. Smashing Pumpkins - 1979

080. Bjork - Hyper-Ballad
079. Metallica - One
078. Faces - Ooh La La
077. The Kinks - You Really Got Me
076. Wipers - Youth of America
075. My Bloody Valentine - Sometimes
074. Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb
073. Radiohead - Everything In It's Right Place
072. Al Green - Let's Stay Together
071. Pixies - Debaser

070. Big Star - Thirteen
069. The Velvet Underground - I'm Waiting For The Man
068. Prince - Little Red Corvette
067. The Beatles - Happiness is a Warm Gun
066. Prince - Kiss
065. Outkast - Hey Ya
064. The Flamingos - I Only Have Eyes For You
063. The Clash - Train in Vain
062. R.E.M. - Losing My Religion
061. Neil Young - Ambulance Blues

060. Otis Redding - (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
059. Prince - When Doves Cry
058. Foo Fighters - Everlong
057. The Rolling Stones - Tumbling Dice
056. Big Star - September Gurls
055. Bob Dylan - Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
054. Wolf Parade - I'll Believe In Anything
053. David Bowie - Life on Mars?
052. Ramones - Sheena is a Punk Rocker
051. Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up

050. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
049. Hüsker Dü - Celebrated Summer
048. The Beach Boys - Wouldn't It Be Nice?
047. The Clash - London Calling
046. Radiohead - Paranoid Android
045. Creedence Clearwater Revival - Fortunate Son
044. The Velvet Underground - Sweet Jane
043. Prince - When You Were Mine
042. Bob Dylan - Tangled Up In Blue
041. Arthur Russell - A Little Lost

040. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - The Tracks of My Tears
039. The Rolling Stones - Gimme Shelter
038. David Bowie - Station to Station
037. Bob Marley - Redemption Song
036. Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
035. Sam Cooke - Bring It On Home To Me
034. Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
033. The Ronettes - Be My Baby
032. Outkast - B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)
031. Radiohead - Idioteque

030. The Band - The Weight
029. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
028. Wire - Outdoor Miner
027. The Replacements - Unsatisfied
026. Pulp - Common People
025. David Bowie - "Heroes"
024. The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out
023. R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe
022. The Who - Baba O'Riley
021. Brian Eno - St. Elmo's Fire

020. Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot
019. Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime
018. The Kinks - Waterloo Sunset
017. Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Powderfinger
016. Bruce Springsteen - Born To Run
015. Daft Punk - Digital Love
014. Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
013. The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever
012. The Knife - Heartbeats
011. Television - Marquee Moon

010. Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road
009. The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
008. The Jackson 5 - I Want You Back
007. Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come
006. Talking Heads - This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)
005. New Order - Temptation
004. Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone
003. New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
002. The Beatles - A Day in the Life
001. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows

The results are finally in. We're going to count down the SOMB's top 300 Songs of All-Time. You may be asking yourself, "Paul, didn't we vote on 500 songs in the final round?" That is correct, but we're doing the results thread as a top 300 because I think it will add some intrigue to the proceedings, especially as we get towards the top of the list. There will always be at least 200 songs that could come into that next slot. Once the results are done, I will post the entire list as well as the round one data so anyone that wants to can take a look at it.

I think I mentioned this in the voting thread, but the results are going to come up to the best of my ability. I'm aiming for 20 a day during the week and hopefully more on the weekends. The other aspect of this is that I've got a full time job so I can only post these on weekdays at night. So if it ends up just me posting the results because everyone else is only on the board during the day, just use the next day to discuss what has gone up the night before and what might be coming up.

I've got a few more technical things to pull together right now, but tonight's batch of results will start arriving shortly.

ghostfromthepast1

Aug 31 2009, 11:38 PM

Cool.

undo

Aug 31 2009, 11:44 PM

theremin

Aug 31 2009, 11:50 PM

I'm kind of thinking of skipping the first 100. Might make the top 200 even MORE of a mystery.

Except then I won't want to go back and read 30 pages of Pink Floyd youtubes.

surlacarte

Aug 31 2009, 11:54 PM

Still digesting the Pitchfork top 500 of the aughts...won't be reading this for a few weeks...but then again, I didn't participate either...

_______

Sep 1 2009, 12:00 AM

QUOTE (theremin @ Aug 31 2009, 11:50 PM)

Pink Floyd youtubes.

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 12:03 AM

"Your tongue is far too long"

#300.

The Stone Roses - I Am The Resurrection
(822 Points, 6 Votes)

Release Year: 1989

Chart Peak: #33 (UK)

Found On: The Stone Roses

YouTube Comment: "Oh dear, the first time i listened to the band I was like "ok it is only hype" but I didnt listen well enough to that song. Then later i give it a try to the first album and man I was soo wrong.. it blew me away from track 1 to 11, cant even imagine a band doing that kind of sound and daring with those mindblowing lyrics in a debut album. I like lots of legendary bands (beatles, doors, pink floyd, smiths, beach boys), but this is by far the best debut record I've listened in any band, EVER." - ShinMike

Rank in Round One Voting: #302

Ranked Highest By: spiritofeden (#8)

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 12:07 AM

"Never get to fall in love, never get to be cool"

#299.

Neil Young - Rockin' in the Free World
(824 Points, 8 Votes)

Release Year: 1989

Chart Peak: #2 (US Rock)

Found On: Freedom

All Music Review: Opening and closing Neil Young's 1989 masterpiece ( Freedom), "Rockin' in the Free World" is, on the surface, one of the author's greatest "anthems." Indeed it is, however, beyond the unifying chorus, the verses survey America's Reagan/ Bush-led 1980s with a dark portrait of inner-city crime, drug addiction, and pathos. Almost cinematic, Young describes a homeless, drug-addicted mother abandoning her baby to score drugs. The frightening imagery, indeed, coupled with the powerful, churning melody and performance from Young and Crazy Horse (especially in the live Weld version, which is recommended) are unforgettable. Crosby, Still, Nash & Young closed their epic 2000 live shows with a devastating version of this song, to fabulous effect.

Rank in Round One Voting: #427

Ranked Highest By: Saskadelphia (#7)

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 12:12 AM

“You know what I mean”

#298.

The Beatles - I Saw Her Standing There
(826 Points, 8 Votes)

Release Year: 1963

Chart Peak: #14 (US)

Found On: Please Please Me

All Music Review: A highlight of the Beatles' first album, "I Saw Her Standing There" was the first Lennon- McCartney song to become a rock standard, if a standard is defined as a song familiar to untold millions of people, and frequently covered by several generations of musicians. In some respects this was one of the Beatles' more blatant nods to their formative rock influences. There was a basic, straightforward energy to the verses and vocals that recalled Little Richard and Chuck Berry; Paul McCartney even admitted that the bass line was nicked from Berry's "I'm Talking About You." As was almost always the case with the Beatles, however, Lennon and McCartney (the latter of whom was the song's principal composer) took that template into new territory. There was that remarkable spoken "1-2-3-4!" opening by McCartney, and that deviation from standard rock chord progressions in the chorus, particularly when the group sings "Oh!" together, which in turn provided them with another opportunity (in concert, at any rate) to shake their heads and shriek. McCartney's vocal debts to Little Richard became apparent in the bridge's climax, when he breaks into an almost gospel-ish near-falsetto. What puts the song across more than any compositional device, however, is the absolutely unbridled enthusiasm with which the Beatles attack the song, particularly in the guitar solo, punctuated by McCartney's unpredictable yells of delight. It's rather odd, indeed, that the lyrics, read cold, seem to describe a suitor whose heart is in his mouth from nervousness at asking a teenage girl to dance. From the utter confidence with which they storm through the song, it seems unlikely that there could be any doubt in the performers' minds that they were going to get that dance (and, by implication, a lot more by the night's end). As a guaranteed crowd rabble-rouser, "I Saw Her Standing There," unlike some of the subtler early Lennon- McCartney songs, was instantly adaptable to the live repertoire of uncounted bands from the 1960s onward. Record-wise, the most successful revival of the song, ironically enough, was a live cover duet between Elton John and John Lennon in the mid-'70s -- ironic because, as previously stated, McCartney was the principal composer of the classic.

Rank in Round One Voting: #212

Ranked Highest By: FEDEXXXPOPE (#8)

Freddie Freelance

Sep 1 2009, 12:14 AM

Damn, I haven't done this in so long I can't remember if I should be saying "Should be higher IMO" or "How could think that That's better than what's two places below it?" Maybe I should warm up first?

chocothunder

Sep 1 2009, 12:15 AM

Off to a great start! Absolutely love the first three songs.

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 12:17 AM

“Hey man”

#297.

David Bowie - Suffragette City
(829 Points, 13 Votes)

Release Year: 1972

Chart Peak: n/a

Found On: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars

All Music Review: David Bowie's love for Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground had already been well established by the time the Ziggy Stardust album came out in 1972 -- the previous year, on Hunky Dory, "Queen Bitch" was openly listed as a homage. "Suffragette City" revisited similar inspirational ground, arguably to even finer results. The traded-off "hey man!" backing vocals clearly clone the Velvets' "White Light White Heat," and Bowie himself doesn't bother to hide his own aggressively camp sass, derived in part from Reed's lead on the same track. The chug and crunch of the music almost marks the exact turning point where the open-ended explorations of Reed's bunch turned into the groundwork for glam's own sheer rampage. Mick Ronson's guitar work takes everything to the heights, its snarling, fat explosiveness as much a glam trademark and rock trademark as anything else the era served up, platform boots or not. Keyboards that sound like a distorted horn section add to the thick, meaty blast, while persistent, driving piano increases the nervous energy. Some of the lyrics seem like bad ideas, but Bowie's inspired "Wham, bam, thank you ma'am!" after the fake ending and before the final climax makes up for it all.

Rank in Round One Voting: #461

Ranked Highest By: velocity (#24)

6:00

Sep 1 2009, 12:20 AM

So far these songs could all have just as legit claims to be 100-97 as two hundred spots down. This is going to be an interesting list.

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 12:21 AM

“Looooooooooooooooooooooooooooorrrrrddd”

#296.

The Stooges - T.V. Eye
(831 Points, 10 Votes)

Release Year: 1970

Chart Peak: n/a

Found On: Fun House

All Music Review: With an unrelenting guitar riff and a decidedly non- disco version of the hammering "four on the floor" drumbeat, "T.V. Eye" menacingly bursts off of the Stooges' 1970 classic garage masterpiece LP, Fun House. And, as malevolent as the music can sound, it is pure head-banging fun: all distorted guitars; sleazy, decadent, paranoid, druggy lyrics; pummeling drumbeats; droning bass guitar -- the Stooges almost single-handedly laid out the blueprint for punk rock, post-punk, and particularly the so-called grunge scene based around the Seattle record label Sub Pop in the '80s and '90s. On paper, "T.V. Eye," and indeed most of the Stooges' music, could easily sound like a description of heavy metal; the heavily amplified blues-based guitar riffing and the ofttimes guttural and howling blues vocals all pointed to shared influences and roots with heavy metal. In fact, many hard rock bands that got lumped into the metal genre, like Motorheadand AC/DC, took a great deal of influence from the Stooges. But the Stooges were more like the bastard siblings of art rock and glam acts, thus helping to pave the pathway to punk rock. The differences between the Stooges and, say, Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin tended to come down to musicianship; the Stooges wore their amateurish garage band qualities like a badge of honor while the latter bands -- Zeppelin in particular -- were quite accomplished musicians. The Stooges relied on a charmingly unrefined but primal punch -- the music visceral, urgent, and immediate. The secret weapon of the Stooges, though, was the seemingly insane frontman with the comic book name, Iggy Pop, who took more influences from and shared closer sensibilities with Mick Jagger and Jim Morrison. And his lyrics were often (though, not always) smarter and more humorous than they appeared at first listen, peppered with wry commentary and sometimes poetic images, often disguised as garage band blather. While many hard rock bands were concerning themselves with blues rehashes or dabbling in Satanism, the occult, or the fantastic, Pop was keeping it contemporary, immediate even, and relevant on the street, like a sexier Lou Reed. Take "T.V. Eye": Just what is a T.V. eye? It is almost the only lyric of the song: "See that cat/Down on her back/She's got a T.V. eye on me." What little other words there are just play with post- blues sexual innuendo, but then Pop keeps coming back and hammering on the phrase "T.V. eye" just as the band hammers on the same riff. Its repetitions build a sense of tension that suggests the narrator's paranoia: an eye on him all the time. Plus, it just sounds great, Pop sneering in a false nasally, snotty voice, delivering a unique image with such authority that it sounds like an old catch phrase.

Rank in Round One Voting: #384

Ranked Highest By: TaxiDriver (#6)

undo

Sep 1 2009, 12:37 AM

Hard to argue with any of these hard hitters so far.

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 12:44 AM

“It wasn't a rock”

#295.

The B-52's - Rock Lobster
(834 Points, 7 Votes)

Release Year: 1979

Chart Peak: #56 (US), #37 (UK)

Found On: The B-52's

All Music Review: The B-52's were one of several late-'70s bands for which there was no real category. With their modified surf guitar sound, their thrift-shop fashion sense, and their jokey demeanor, they certainly weren't in the rock & roll mainstream, but they exhibited none of punk's sneering rebelliousness or musical aggression, either -- the only anarchy that seemed to interest the B-52's was of the sartorial variety. "Rock Lobster" was the first B-52's song to catch popular attention, and it's easy to see why. The minimalist guitar lick is like a beach-bum's rendition of the James Bond theme, the one-note organ ostinato complements it perfectly, and Fred Scheider's campy sprechgesang jumps out at you immediately. Yet despite the song's self-consciously weird texture and silly lyrics about earlobes falling off and communal towel coordination, there's a thread of darkness weaving through it. Make no mistake -- this is not a song with hidden meaning lurking below the surface. But its surface is a little more complicated than it seems to be at first. For one thing, it's almost seven minutes long, and it does start to drag toward the end. Right when it does, you notice the mood getting darker -- Schneider delivers lines about "having fun" and "baking in the sun" in a hoarse croak, and the guitar starts sounding repetitive in a slightly creepy way. Suddenly you realize that the whole song has been in a minor key, and as Schneider shouts and the guitar barks out its angular riff over and over, you start to wonder if maybe there's some kind of commentary going on here. But then Kate Pierson's angelic voice comes in with a surprisingly pretty falling harmony part that can only be described as a descant, which repeats several times, gradually paring itself down to a single phrase, and abruptly the song is over. The whole song ends up being a goofy party confection with a slightly crunchy center -- a pretty satisfying overall flavor combination.

Rank in Round One Voting: #398

Ranked Highest By: arkin (#12)

6:00

Sep 1 2009, 12:44 AM

Wonder if these relatively low placings will look like vote-splitting, or if we're just going to have a classic rock-dominated list.

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 12:52 AM

“I pick myself up off the ground to have you knock me back down again and again”

#294.

Nick Lowe - Cruel To Be Kind
(836 Points, 10 Votes)

Release Year: 1979

Chart Peak: #12 (US), #12 (UK)

Found On: Labour of Lust

All Music Review: Nick Lowe's sole American hit single -- it hit number 12 in the summer of 1979 -- "Cruel To Be Kind" is an all-time power-pop classic, one of the finest singles of its era. This is one of those songs where seemingly everything single element of the tune and arrangement is its own hook, from Billy Bremner's galloping acoustic rhythm guitar and the strange extra flutter in every other measure of Terry Williams' backbeat to the Beach Boys-inspired backing vocals on the perfectly modulated bridge into Dave Edmund's slide guitar solo. The song, co-written by former Brinsley Schwartz bandmate Ian Gomm and originally recorded by that star-crossed band, is a masterful blend of clever rhymes ("bona fide" and "coincide" is particularly impressive) and perhaps Lowe's most insistently catchy chorus, but this remake is world's better than the comparatively shambolic original. The song was helped by a goofily endearing early music video that incorporated real home movie footage of Lowe's wedding to country singer Carlene Carter.

Rank in Round One Voting: #229

Ranked Highest By: 6:00 (#14)

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 12:57 AM

“Don't shed no tears”

#293.

Bob Marley & the Wailers - No Woman, No Cry
(838 Points, 9 Votes)

Release Year: 1974

Chart Peak: #22 (UK)

Found On: Natty Dread

All Music Review: "No Woman, No Cry" is Bob Marley's touching reminiscence of growing up in the middle of deep poverty in the Kingston ghetto known as Trenchtown. Though he wrote it himself, Marley credited the song to V. Ford (aka Tartar), a man who operated a kitchen that kept numerous children (including Marley himself) from starving to death. In the song, Marley sits with his friends, observing the hypocrisy of the rich amidst the generosity of the poor. He ends the song attempting to cheer up his friends with the words, "Ev'rything's gonna be alright." Released on 1974's Natty Dread, "No Woman, No Cry" became Marley & the Wailers' first British hit and introduced thousands of listeners to reggae's crown prince.

Rank in Round One Voting: #215

Ranked Highest By: 6:00 (#20)

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 01:01 AM

“Oh 'cause honey believe me”

#292.

Matthew Sweet - Girlfriend
(839 Points, 8 Votes)

Release Year: 1991

Chart Peak: #4 (US Modern Rock)

Found On: Girlfriend

All Music Review: In a classic story from the "hooray for life's little ironies" department, Matthew Sweet recorded his third album, Girlfriend, for A&M Records -- who opted to drop Sweet from his contract rather than release it. Zoo Entertainment eventually put it out in 1991, and it quickly became Sweet's critical and commercial breakthrough. The title tune, "Girlfriend," is as good an example as any of what made the album so memorable -- and why A&M was wary of its commercial prospects. On the surface, "Girlfriend" is a model up-tempo pop tune, with delicious multi-tracked harmonies on the chorus that beg the listener to sing along and a propulsive energy that would make any pop aficionado get up and dance. But laid over the top is a wildly fragmented guitar lead from Robert Quine, whose bitterness is a bracing counterpoint to the sweetness (no pun intended) of Sweet's vocals, while drummer Fred Maher is bound and determined to make this song rock, and his manic energy drives this performance the way Keith Moon would send the Who's early singles into overdrive. "Girlfriend" has a pure pop heart and a noise rock soul, and it's hard to imagine a time when the mass audience would have embraced it as eagerly as in late 1991 and early 1992, when the sudden and explosive success of Nirvana and the alternative rock revolution briefly changed the rules on what constituted a radio-ready pop tune.

Rank in Round One Voting: #140

Ranked Highest By: Tracy Jacks (#10)

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 01:04 AM

“I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black”

#291.

Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box
(842 Points, 10 Votes)

Release Year: 1993

Chart Peak: #1 (US Modern Rock), #5 (UK)

Found On: In Utero

All Music Review: According to Michael Azerrad's book Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana, shortly after Courtney Love first met Kurt Cobain, she made him a gift of a heart-shaped box, filled with tiny toys, seashells, and pine cones. While no one can say for sure if the song "Heart Shaped Box," from Nirvana's album In Utero, was intended to offer a glimpse inside Cobain and Love's sometimes stormy relationship (in the same book, Cobain told Azerrad his initial inspiration for the tune was a report about children with cancer), it certainly seems to be about two dysfunctional people torn between emotional need and deep-seated hatred. A woman is preying on a man's weakness as he's drawn into her "magnet tar pit trap," but he can't hide his own unwholesome attraction to her, declaring "I wish I could eat your cancer when you turn black" and begging to climb up her "umbilical noose." The song makes clear the man is as much to blame as the woman for this state of affairs, and the chorus even parodies his weakness, declaring, "Hey/Wait/I've got a new complaint." The song married its often morbid images with a slow, deliberate melody that made inspired use of the then-standard Nirvana formula of quiet verse/loud chorus, and while Kurt Cobain's voice and guitar were the song's obvious focus, the intelligent support of bassist Krist Novoselic and percussionist Dave Grohl was especially evident in this performance, made all the more intense by Steve Albini's stark production.

Rank in Round One Voting: #487

Ranked Highest By: velocity (#14)

spiritofeden

Sep 1 2009, 01:05 AM

QUOTE (Paul @ Sep 1 2009, 01:03 AM)

"Your tongue is far too long"

#300.

The Stone Roses - I Am The Resurrection
(822 Points, 6 Votes)

Release Year: 1989

Chart Peak: #33 (UK)

Found On: The Stone Roses

way too low.

6:00

Sep 1 2009, 01:07 AM

Good to see Nick Lowe scrape in there.

spiritofeden

Sep 1 2009, 01:31 AM

nice one on the links to the songs

*props*

Ned Nederlander

Sep 1 2009, 01:35 AM

Holy shit this is happening. Songs so far hurt by the greatness. Angry that Alright by Supergrass ain't gonna happen. Angry. But fuck... And I saw her standing there was that low. Dang.

Quick edit here: who digs on this horribly wrong opinion of mine? Song for My Sugar Spun Sister trumps I Am The Resurrection due to lack of long long long outro and possibly even better peak? Am I the only asshole?

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 01:41 AM

This is the last batch of five for tonight.

“Unwillingly mine”

#290

Echo & the Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
(842 Points, 9 Votes)

Release Year: 1984

Chart Peak: #9 (UK)

Found On: Ocean Rain

All Music Review: The centerpiece track of 1984's Ocean Rain, the epic "The Killing Moon" is the point at which Echo & the Bunnymen turned from second-string post-punkers into members of the pantheon of heroes to the mildly alienated suburban teens of the mid-'80s, up there with Depeche Mode and the Cure. (This is as opposed to those who preferred the starker despair of Joy Division or Nick Cave, whose music was considerably darker and not nearly so pleasantly melodic.) The song opens abruptly, with a Spanish-style guitar intro from Will Sergeant over a doomy, bass-heavy setting, fading into Ian McCulloch's portentous intoning of the first verse. Crucially, the band made an atypical move in the arrangement of this song by modulating upward for the chorus; historically, the upward modulation is used to signify happiness or the release of tension, and its use in the midst of the minor-key melancholy of the verse melody makes a huge dynamic shift in the song. The smart use of strings -- one of the key factors that makes Ocean Rain Echo & the Bunnymen's most satisfying album -- amplifies the elegance of the tune, bringing both a musical richness and a sense of quiet dignity to the tune. "The Killing Moon" may not be their "best" song, but it's certainly Echo & the Bunnymen's biggest.

Rank in Round One Voting: #411

Ranked Highest By: Chronodiggity (#10)

Ned Nederlander

Sep 1 2009, 01:45 AM

Jesus... what a fucking song. I hope I voted for this.

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 01:46 AM

“Discount orgies on the dropout buses”

#289.

Beck - Devil's Haircut
(844 Points, 7 Votes)

Release Year: 1996

Chart Peak: #94 (US), #22 (UK)

Found On: Odelay

YouTube Comment: "the beat on this song is sick..I wish more poeple know about beck and his sick ass sound" - fawks311

Rank in Round One Voting: #243

Ranked Highest By: Agrimorfee (#3)

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 01:50 AM

“List'ning to the Muzak”

#288.

Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Pump It Up
(849 Points, 11 Votes)

Release Year: 1978

Chart Peak: #24 (UK)

Found On: This Year's Model

SongMeanings.net Comment: "I think that "Pump it up" is a reference to erection OK but don't think it's about jerking off! There are so many references to a woman in the song, that to me, it's a reference to "pumping it up" to have sex with her when he "don't really need it", because she is such a difficult person (there's nothing underhand she wouldn't understand). However, his physical and psychological dependence on her is very intense, despite the dangers in the relationship, so he pretty much has to keep on having sex with her - which is what I take from the reference to her being "like a narcotic"." - finnegan63

Rank in Round One Voting: #220

Ranked Highest By: arkin (#10)

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 01:54 AM

“'Perhaps' she said 'I may be'”

#287.

Squeeze - Up The Junction
(851 Points, 7 Votes)

Release Year: 1979

Chart Peak: #2 (UK)

Found On: Cool For Cats

SongMeanings.net Comment: "Great song. It starts off so romantic and beautiful, with a happy tune, and then all of a sudden there's a dramatic switch, and the poor bugger's life is shattered." - KellyW

Rank in Round One Voting: #173

Ranked Highest By: Badger (#6)

Hans Christian Anderson

Sep 1 2009, 01:57 AM

every song on this poll so far is certifiably great. what an interesting read this will be.

Paul

Sep 1 2009, 01:57 AM

“Some forever, not for better”

#286.

The Beatles - In My Life
(852 Points, 9 Votes)

Release Year: 1965

Chart Peak: n/a

Found On: Rubber Soul

All Music Review: “In My Life” is perhaps the finest song on Rubber Soul, and one of The Beatles’ greatest compositions. Usually assumed to have been written in the most part by John Lennon (although McCartney has disputed this), “In My Life” is an ode to childhood, and the band’s native Liverpool. The lyrics are heartbreaking – “There are places I remember, all my life though some have changed/Some forever not for better, some have gone and some remain” are just the opening lines, and the song progresses through a series of lovely images, before it turns into a love song by it’s conclusion. The chord progression is unorthodox yet utterly transcendent, and the organ break, played by George Martin is quite audacious. “In My Life” is simply one of the best songs The Beatles ever wrote.

Rank in Round One Voting: #213

Ranked Highest By: arkin (#17)

Ned Nederlander

Sep 1 2009, 02:01 AM

QUOTE (Hans Christian Anderson @ Aug 31 2009, 11:57 PM)

every song on this poll so far is certifiably great. what an interesting read this will be.

Totally. Jesus.

velocity

Sep 1 2009, 02:12 AM

Hahaha, every song too low so far.

Thanks Paul!

monotony

Sep 1 2009, 03:02 AM

QUOTE (velocity @ Sep 1 2009, 05:12 PM)

Hahaha, every song too low so far.

Thanks Paul!

Yep, that's pretty much it. In My Life isn't one of my favourite Beatles songs, but it's usually championed on these kinds of lists, and to see it down this far is pretty odd. Ditto with pretty much everything else that's been already.

Bruegs

Sep 1 2009, 06:40 AM

I'm going to buy a dog and a laser pointer.

Duff.

Sep 1 2009, 07:12 AM

Man, fuck Rock Lobster.

Rob Gordon

Sep 1 2009, 07:53 AM

As has been said, quite the list thus far.

Freddie Freelance

Sep 1 2009, 07:56 AM

QUOTE (Paul @ Aug 31 2009, 11:41 PM)

Echo & the Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
(842 Points, 9 Votes)
... "The Killing Moon" may not be their "best" song, but it's certainly Echo & the Bunnymen's biggest.

No, "Killing Moon" may very well be Ian & the Bunyyboys best. What's better? "The Cutter," "Dancing Horses," "Lips Like Sugar"? I dunno if any of them top "Killing Moon" for lyrics, use of dynamics or sheer depressed Poppiness.

Rob Gordon

Sep 1 2009, 08:01 AM

QUOTE (Freddie Freelance @ Sep 1 2009, 08:56 AM)

QUOTE (Paul @ Aug 31 2009, 11:41 PM)

Echo & the Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
(842 Points, 9 Votes)
... "The Killing Moon" may not be their "best" song, but it's certainly Echo & the Bunnymen's biggest.

I played this song as a first dance for a friend of mine's wedding reception about 15 years ago. A few years into the marriage his wife developed breast cancer and passed away.

I made a mix tape for him and included that song.

LipMyReeds

Sep 1 2009, 08:06 AM

QUOTE (Rob Gordon @ Sep 1 2009, 09:01 AM)

Damn.

Mitchell

Sep 1 2009, 08:46 AM

Good songs.

elc

Sep 1 2009, 09:17 AM

QUOTE (velocity @ Sep 1 2009, 02:12 AM)

Hahaha, every song too low so far.

Thanks Paul!

exactly, except:

QUOTE (Duff. @ Sep 1 2009, 07:12 AM)

Man, fuck Rock Lobster.

MattyPickles

Sep 1 2009, 09:59 AM

QUOTE (elcorazon @ Sep 1 2009, 09:17 AM)

QUOTE (velocity @ Sep 1 2009, 02:12 AM)

Hahaha, every song too low so far.

Thanks Paul!

exactly, except:

QUOTE (Duff. @ Sep 1 2009, 07:12 AM)

Man, fuck Rock Lobster.

Seriously, that song is the worst.

Mad Clown

Sep 1 2009, 10:09 AM

Very nice, I'm looking forward to these results. Good list so far for sure.

Paul, I'm sure this is a ridiculous request and a lot of extra labor, but any chance you could also list the placements of these songs on any/all previous SOMB decade and all time lists? I think it would be a cool comparison point to see how the SOMB has evolved over the years, and it would also be interesting to see which songs weren't previously eligible due to single status and how they stack up against our canon.

I was tempted to do something like this myself if you didn't have time, but the site I would have used to refer to this data (http://www.palewire.com/somb...is this your site?) appears to have gone to the great 404 in the sky.

Edited to add fuck Rock Lobster.

surlacarte

Sep 1 2009, 10:27 AM

QUOTE (Freddie Freelance @ Sep 1 2009, 07:56 AM)

QUOTE (Paul @ Aug 31 2009, 11:41 PM)

Echo & the Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
(842 Points, 9 Votes)
... "The Killing Moon" may not be their "best" song, but it's certainly Echo & the Bunnymen's biggest.

"Thorn of Crowns"

arkin

Sep 1 2009, 11:25 AM

QUOTE (MattyPickles @ Sep 1 2009, 10:59 AM)

QUOTE (elcorazon @ Sep 1 2009, 09:17 AM)

QUOTE (velocity @ Sep 1 2009, 02:12 AM)

Hahaha, every song too low so far.

Thanks Paul!

exactly, except:

QUOTE (Duff. @ Sep 1 2009, 07:12 AM)

Man, fuck Rock Lobster.

Seriously, that song is the worst.

Assholes, all of you.

velocity

Sep 1 2009, 12:00 PM

I've only heard "Rock Lobster" once or twice. It's cute.

arkin

Sep 1 2009, 12:05 PM

It's a fun song, I don't understand the hate.

I've put up with enough Lady Gaga wank to be able to defend a goofy favorite of my own.

spiritofeden

Sep 1 2009, 12:11 PM

guys, Rock Lobster is a classic.

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