Board 8 > CasanovaZelos's Top 250 Songs Project

(+) Yeah! (+)

45. Foals Spanish Sahara (2010)
from the album Total Life Forever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYoINidnLRQ

Key lyrics:
Forget the horror here
Leave it all down here
Its future rust, its future dust

Spanish Sahara is the slowest of slow builds, a creeping work of existential dread that builds from a quiet post-rock ambience to a furious, arena-sized rocker. Though I immediately find myself drawing comparisons to Led Zeppelins Stairway to Heaven, there is as much of Jefferson Airplanes White Rabbit few other songs feel like a singular, gigantic crescendo. Spanish Sahara starts so low as to force you to bump the volume up, with a change so gradual youre likely to have it blasting from your speakers without noticing. What better way to represent the act of trying and failing to get a horrific image out of your head?

Yannis Philippakis plays his part well, a wispy voice in the distance. Even as the instrumentation grows around him, he captures an air of fragility. The synthesizers build like rolling waves behind him, pushing him higher while simultaneously threatening to drown him out. By the end, he changes his position from the horrified to the horror itself, finally matching the volume of the instrumentation right as it reaches its peak. As the lyrics fall into a loop, they suggest a numbing cycle, a horror passed down from one man to another.

Spanish Sahara is a seven-minute musical odyssey, one that grows on me with every listen. Plenty of artists have attempted a colossal slow build, but few manage such thorough success from the sparse, glacial opening to the dense crescendo back down to the muted outro, this feels as singular as it does expansive. By treating its big finale as a dreadful culmination instead of a cathartic release, Spanish Sahara leaves a devastating impact.

---

44. A Tribe Called Quest Check the Rhime (1991)
from the album The Low End Theory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QWEPdgS3As

Key lyrics:
So play the resurrector and give the dead some life

A Tribe Called Quest played to their own rhythm. On Check the Rhime, the group is so chilled out that their delivery comes off as conversational. This laid back attitude grants a unique appeal the rhyming is on point, and the easy pace puts the wordplay at the center. To add to the positive vibes, this is a group more concerned with building themselves up than tearing others down; the second verse kicks off with Phife Dawg bragging about how nice he is, while he and Q-Tip spend much of the track checking in with each other. Yet they do not approach this track without a purpose. Their defense extends to the hip hop scene at large, biting back against commodification from record companies and MC Hammers pop take.

The backing samples are key in generating an energy the two rappers sidestep. Most essential is a horn-heavy instrumental section that kicks off the song and eventually backs the chorus, a short burst that doubles up on itself by adding bass halfway through. There is a fine line to balance between easygoing and lazy, and the funky rhythms push Check the Rhime to the right side. Q-Tip and Phife Dawg simply sound assured of themselves.

Check the Rhime is an effective counterpoint to a lot of mainstream ideas about hip hop. The Tribe avoids foul language on this track, but their rejection of pop appeal shows this choice is not for radio play. Their topics of celebration are markedly humble, yet they are still celebrating. This is a song that demands respect for the scene, to keep hip hop a place of expression for the otherwise disenfranchised.

---

43. Radiohead Let Down (1997)
from the album OK Computer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVgHPSyEIqk

Key lyrics:
One day I am gonna grow wings

Though overshadowed by the singles, Let Down is the true heart of Radioheads OK Computer. This lacks the bombast and hooks, but Radiohead instead achieve a state of tranquility few rock bands ever aim toward. Much of OK Computer is a journey of conflicting emotional states, and Let Down appears the most straightforward in that regard. Thom Yorke remarks upon feelings of being crushed, subverting every positive thought the moment it crosses his lips. One day I am gonna grow wings, he sings, only to morph this angelic image into a science experiment gone wrong. Even when the backdrop is as simple as a busy city, Radiohead captures a sense of hopelessness.

Let Down could have been an ordinary Radiohead song, dark lyrics juxtaposed against a magnificent soundscape. But then it pushes further, the instrumentation growing subtly more intense. Though Yorke keeps cutting himself down, a point is made through his repetition no matter how many times he tells himself it wont happen, something inside him is keeping his attention on growing those wings. The song never reaches his escape, but more than any other Radiohead song, Let Down suggests there is reason to hope.

The finale is a genuine moment of beauty. Yorke duets with himself, sustaining angelic notes with one breath as the other fights through his inner turmoil. Instead of ironic grace, the music is allowed to play out not with the sentimentality Yorke rejected earlier but legitimate sincerity. No other song can make me feel so simultaneously hopeful and crushed by the weight of the world.

---

42. LCD Soundsystem Dance Yrself Clean (2010)
from the album This Is Happening

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoA0cTC228M

Key lyrics:
And if we wait until the weekend
We can miss the best things to do

Dance Yrself Clean will always hold a special place to me. In the middle of high school, after getting really into the Rock Band series, I was looking up a song and stumbled across a website called Acclaimed Music, which is dedicated to compiling various critic lists into one master list. Recognizing and liking a few of the higher songs convinced me to go through the top several hundred songs. Despite having a song in Grand Theft Auto IV, LCD Soundsystem were pretty much unknown to me. Nevertheless, the tracks I heard from them really clicked.

This Is Happening became the first album I truly anticipated, and anyone who has listened knows the power Dance Yrself Clean holds as an opening track. It starts at a practical whisper as James Murphy weaves through the worst kind of party. Friendship has been a key topic for LCD Soundsystem, and Dance Yrself Clean takes the longing from All My Friends and replaces it with people who really do not care. This disillusionment seems to be an odd place to kick off; so many albums want to immediately grab your attention, but Murphy appears happy to meander. The percussion is strong and a gentle synth ambles through, but the building tension is only hinted at through growing nonverbal ahhs.

Suddenly, right around the three minute mark, traditional rock drums barge in, paired with a pounding synth-line. Dance Yrself Clean immediately transforms into a full-bodied dance track without missing a beat, Murphys resigned attitude exploding into a righteous anger. This is the quiet-loud-quiet formula extended to epic length. By design, this is meant to be an album opener, but it struck such a powerful chord that it now stands among their defining tracks. LCD Soundsystem know how to harness dance music as an emotive force.

---

41. Dirty Projectors Stillness is the Move (2009)
from the album Bitte Orca

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHz8sUpGets

Key lyrics:
After all that weve been through
I know that I will always love you

Dirty Projectors could easily pass as the most hipster of hipster bands, but there is something about Stillness is the Move in particular that resonates on a more accessible level. It is still undeniably odd; the rhythm here is something that expects the listener to adjust to its unusual angles. But so much of the final project feels like a celebration of the female voice. Though typically led by David Longstreth, he takes a backseat to Amber Coffman, who shows a range on level with the best pop vocalists.

Stillness is the Move is a love song by way of existentialism, taking most of its lyrics from German film masterpiece Wings of Desire. But like the source material, it takes existentialism as a call to action, a reason to find our own meaning. It suggests a world full of possibility and takes on love as a backbone. The avant-garde elements reinforce this idea, showing the most unfamiliar tones can suggest beauty if given the necessary space to grow. Dirty Projectors refuse to meet halfway, but the reward for getting on their level is unlike anything else.

Though a thing of beauty, Stillness is the Move also has a cool edge. The instrumentation frequently pauses as though stumbling over itself, a remarkable groove that fashions a unique concept for dancing. Every element chases the same auditory high as Coffmans voice, achieving a rare serenity. This is pop music as an endpoint, the result of a musical madman reflecting on the past several decades of music and shooting for an inimitable but engaging sound. Stillness is the Move is a shimmering monolith.

---

Aaaaand I finally caught up!

66. Mitski Nobody (2018)
from the album Be the Cowboy

Enjoyed this song. Also the video was amusing too.

62. Chris Isaak Wicked Game (1989)
from the album Heart Shaped World

I was listening to this and thinking man, this sounds JUST like Roy Orbison, which was an easy comparison to make seeing how Id just heard Crying all of 10 minutes ago. Then I read your write up and was glad that was what I was supposed to think.

58. Pixies Hey (1989)
from the album Doolittle

Im not a Pixies fan (at least from the one album we Ranked) but I was irrationally excited when I recognized this during the new Suicide Squad.

57. Daft Punk Da Funk (1995)
from the album Homework

Not my favorite track off Homework but Ill never understand how this doesnt get more love than Around the World. Around the World is a 5+ minute track you get the gist of in 2 minutes. Da Funk is 5 minutes of awesome.

56. The Notorious B.I.G. Juicy (1994)
from the album Ready to Die

Enjoyed this one. Didnt realize this was the genesis of an all time great phrase "if you don't know, now you know".

55. Sharon Van Etten Seventeen (2019)
from the album Remind Me Tomorrow

This song hit me for whatever reason. That idyllic sense of nostalgia.hmm...no maybe thats not right. Maybe its nostalgia for the sense of the idyllic?

53. Fela Kuti Zombie (1976)
from the album Zombie

Such an interesting story behind the singer/band. Youd have no idea just listening to this song, though its still good in its own right.

51. King Crimson 21st Century Schizoid Man (1969)
from the album In the Court of the Crimson King

No one man should have all that paaaaaaahhwaaaaaa

50. LCD Soundsystem Someone Great (2007)
from the album Sound of Silver

This is a great song that I dont think I really gave enough respect to when we Ranked Sound of Silver.

46. Talking Heads Once in a Lifetime (1980)
from the album Remain in Light

And you may find yourself asking, well, how did I get here - A little introspection and self actualization never hurt anyone.

ZaziGuado posted...
I'm weird in that sometimes I just like to know one song by one artist and have my joy isolated in it.

I dont think its weird at all. I think it stems from not wanting to be disappointed when thats the only thing you like from that artist. Even though it shouldnt, it diminishes that love/joy in some way. At least thats happened a few times for me going through this list. Ill get all excited thinking Ive found something new and awesome, only to find out, actually no, it was just that one thing.

---

40. Pulp Common People (1995)
from the album Different Class

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkpLbEM06qE

Key lyrics:
You will never understand
How it feels to live your life
With no meaning or control
And with nowhere left to go

Great art can transport us to very specific moments, and Common People is a crowning achievement. Jarvis Cocker spends these six minutes tearing into a rich young woman who has decided to slum it up for a bit, ruminating on all the issues she will never comprehend due to her easy escape. Ive certainly never met someone like that, but Cocker manages to get my blood boiling anyway. In many ways, this song is a rejection of my initial statement how much can we really understand an experience through the eyes of outsiders? But the subject of Cockers ire goes a step beyond, imposing herself on a world where everyone else is just trying to live their lives.

Outside of its subject matter, Common People buzzes with all the best elements of Britpop. A bubbly synthesizer sets the scene, the opening segment gentle. Each further section adds another little detail, a growing wall of sound that maintains its simple appeal. The easygoing sound effortlessly picks up energy during the first bridge and only lets up during a brief moment of restraint in a later verse. Pulp subtly up the tension throughout the entire song, never falling into an easy groove as the lyrics constantly evolve.

Jarvis Cocker gives a distinct performance, his growing exasperation fully selling his ire. In a scene which seemed defined by a certain level of smugness, Cocker tears that attitude down as much as he plays it up. He treats the girl with as much condescension, but his self-awareness makes him the hero of this particular piece. Few artistic movements have had such an obviously emblematic piece like Britpop had Common People.

---

Killer headache tonight so I may not be able to get any more in today...

---

39. The Smiths How Soon is Now? (1984)
from the album Hatful of Hollow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OztC_7nkAd8

Key lyrics:
I am human and I need to be loved
Just like everybody else does

How Soon is Now? is far from a typical Smiths track. Even brooding, the band tended toward a jangle pop aesthetic, but this track finds them embracing a post-punk feel. Morrissey takes on a more muted presence, choosing to strike with a few key phrases than dominate the entire song. With the relatively small number of lyrics, Morrissey pulls off some of his most relatable pained lines. A breakdown in the middle sends shockwaves. Morrissey seemingly encourages his listener to try and find love at a club, only to immediately remark upon the inevitable failure. How Soon is Now? is a club hit self-aware of the overwhelming feeling of trying to go out and meet people.

Johnny Marr and his reverberating guitar stand at the forefront of How Soon is Now? If Morrisseys words paint a doomed picture, Marrs echoing guitar suggests a full-on apocalypse. The cataclysmic tone plays on two distinct levels, an emotive cry and a sparkling rhythm. The guitar as an instrument rarely touches upon such a striking combination, bridging together pure atmosphere and dance music. A slide note serves the ultimate strike, a shivering dose of dread preying upon the songs vulnerability.

Despite his unbearable demeanor, Morrissey can tap into human emotions better than most lyricists. Pairing that with a guitar part which would sound more at home in a subtle noise rock track grants an unforgettable power. How Soon is Now? is inimitable, a fusion of so many aesthetics that plays to the best elements of them all. With this track, The Smiths briefly shed their twee proclivities to play the coolest band on earth.

---

38. Bikini Kill Rebel Girl (1993)
from the album Pussy Whipped

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0oeqAQ1qE8

Key lyrics:
In her kiss, I taste the revolution

Bikini Kill is about as punk as punk gets. When so many punk acts vaguely raged against authority while speaking largely in universally relatable terms, Kathleen Hanna and company simply did not care if their works connected with people at large. Fully embracing the riot grrrl movement, they made songs for a very specific community and did it well. Rebel Girl is designed to be grating to outsiders, a politically-minded lesbian anthem that finds Hanna literally shrieking to get her point across. This is an effective repellant against ninety percent of straight men.

The enduring success comes down to that sense of specificity. Rebel Girl captures a very unique type of young woman who rarely gets an anthem of her own. Hanna weaves an interesting narrative, not just focusing on the titular rebel girl but having her narrator fall madly in love. This creates a stellar sense of time and place, calling back to an era when queer young women were finally allowed to develop their own communities. Whether or not Hanna herself is queer, Rebel Girl signaled the riot grrrl movement as having open arms.

Purely as a sonic piece, Rebel Girl has a distinct flavor. Opening with a marching rhythm, Bikini Kill suggest a revolutionary takeover. Hannas abrasive delivery lends her a bratty self-assuredness, and several moments find her seemingly trailing off while hypnotized by the subject of her affection. The guitars are insistent in their repetitive tone, centering Hannas vocals while adding a forceful edge. By design, Rebel Girl is not to everyones taste, but it is a prime example of the punk movement as a voice for marginalized communities.

---

37. Underworld Rez (1993)
non-album single

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6Y7lcvubhU

Before Underworld captured the seediest dance club on earth with Born Slippy, they crafted one of the most uplifting pieces of electronic music ever recorded. Though Rez lacks lyrics, it kicks off with a bubbly synth line and only moves skyward. This is progressive trance, jumping from one familiar tone to the next, ever building upon its foundation while leaving the listener hypnotized throughout. A prime example of the human side of electronic music, Rez taps into a sense of elation I struggle to describe. How can I put into words the way these tones affect me? All I know is that I can turn this ten minute track on and immediately be drawn into a better state of mind.

The constant sense of motion is part of the appeal. For whatever reason, Rez leaves me feeling like Im sitting in a subway car, bright red tunnel lights flashing by with every beat. As a song, it asks nothing of me, instead moving me of its own accord. In fact, the idea of dancing along seems impossible. The sense of motion it generates is an internal rhythm, one that cannot be replicated in the physical realm.

Describing a song in these terms makes me feel like a madman, but Rez has earned my vulnerability. Some art denies an easy explanation. Rez is something primal, an electronic piece from the 90s that sounds inherently and eternally futuristic. In it, I hear wonder at the cosmos and an ever-evolving sense of what it means to be alive.

---

36. Sufjan Stevens Chicago (2005)
from the album Illinois

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_-cUdmdWgU

Key lyrics:
I made a lot of mistakes

On Illinois, Sufjan Stevens fuses a religious journey with stark portraits of my home state. On the central track titled after the biggest city, he makes the striking decision to cut back from solid descriptions and instead take on a metaphysical state. After all, what can be said about such an enormous place in one song? Sufjan has to play on a higher level to capture the spirit of the city.

In the religious context of the album, Chicago acts as the pilgrimage song of course Chicago would be the metaphorical Mecca of Illinois. The track begins with chimes like an elevator one can imagine stepping out on the top floor of the former and forever Sears Tower and standing in awe of the sprawl below as the other instruments lift off. Sufjan Stevens is a maximalist, and his wall of sound is out in full force over this track. The horns, the strings, the backing vocals; if Sufjan was trying to capture a personal confrontation with God, he very well achieved it with this arrangement.

At the same time, a contradictory sense of motion pervades this track. Sufjan appears restless, repeating I made a lot of mistakes over and over even as the choir reassures him. These moments of doubt are what make Sufjan such an effective Christian in the popular sphere. He explores the rough side of faith, and even his moments of self-discovery are tinted with regret. Yet he chooses to let us get lost in the epic grandeur, his voice fading into the background of the final chorus before an extended outro. Even as he questions himself, Sufjan wants us to feel a sense of wonder.

---

CasanovaZelos posted...

40. Pulp Common People (1995)
from the album Different Class

This is a cool song. Haven't heard it in a while, aside from maybe the beginning bit.

CasanovaZelos posted...

39. The Smiths How Soon is Now? (1984)
from the album Hatful of Hollow

Loved the, I guess it's a slide note?

CasanovaZelos posted...

37. Underworld Rez (1993)
non-album single

Not to any surprise, I very much liked this track. Ten minutes of interesting beats and no vocals, yes please! It reminds me of Deadmau5 but without the drops.


---

35. The Smiths There is a Light That Never Goes Out (1986)
from the album The Queen is Dead

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siO6dkqidc4

Key lyrics:
And in the darkened underpass
I thought, Oh God, my chance has come at last
But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldnt ask

I have remarked numerous times upon love songs reading more sincerely to me from unusual sources. I trust goth rock artists who are stepping outside their comfort zone more than I do pop singers who have made their career out of loving declarations. But even acts like The Cure and Nick Cave tend to hold back on their morbid impulses when writing from the heart. With There is a Light That Never Goes Out, The Smiths manage an improbable balancing act between grotesque imagery and utmost sincerity. Though Morrissey is known for an acerbic tongue, this song works all the better with straightforward language.

Though Morrissey holds back on his witticisms, he makes up for it with the extremity of his meaning. So many love songs rely on exaggeration, and this song takes a violent route by calling upon car accidents. Whether its by a double-decker bus or a ten-ton truck, Morrissey would be happy to die with his lover. This chorus sounds like the declaration of a crazy person, but it also speaks to a certain truth when you really love someone, sometimes those morbid thoughts spill out.

The backing music is a complex arrangement, with synthesized strings swelling behind Morrissey. The whole piece is dense, a flurry as mixed as Morrisseys emotions. Though ostensibly a love song, it plays from the angle of someone uncertain about so many things. The song closes with Morrissey repeating the title nearly a dozen times, and its never quite clear how we should take it. There is a Light That Never Goes Out succeeds by so perfectly capturing a youthful mix of angst and passion.

---

34. OutKast Hey Ya (2003)
from the album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ReEgXh-wURs

Key lyrics:
Yall dont wanna hear me, you just wanna dance

On The Love Below, Andre 3000 stepped outside of hip hop to explore a myriad of other genres. Hey Ya is his take on pop, and it might just be the greatest mainstream pop song ever recorded. The rhythm is immensely danceable, the lyrics as memetic as they are surprisingly introspective. Andre 3000 sings with such range, and his ironic delivery grants a greater sense of depth than most pop hits. This is a rare song that came along and seemingly spoke to every major circle.

As someone born in 1992, no single release has felt bigger than Hey Ya perhaps Billie Eilishs Bad Guy is the only competitor in the 21st century. As I noted while writing about Smells Like Teen Spirit, some songs feel so essential to my development as a listener that I struggle to think of them in objective terms. Hey Ya was among the first songs to truly speak to me Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was the first album I ever bought. But where I struggle to appreciate the familiarity of Smells Like Teen Spirit, Hey Ya has the opposite problem how can I comprehend anyone viewing it as less than stellar? The brilliance feels intrinsic to me for me to put another song on the same level as Hey Ya is the greatest praise I can give.

The success is simple. Hey Ya takes a little bit from every popular genre and refines it into a singular form. The extended bridge is an absolute cultural monolith whats cooler than being cool, the alright breakdown, shake it like a Polaroid picture. Most songs are lucky to get a single line in the zeitgeist, but Hey Ya seemingly imprinted its entire form on the popular consciousness. Yet Andre 3000 commands our attention, emphasizing these catchy phrases while letting the darker lines remain understated just how many people have sung along to what makes, what makes without quite parsing what makes love the exception as the endpoint? Andre 3000 predicted our simple takeaway, making Hey Ya as much a scathing criticism of pop music as one of its finest examples.

---

33. The Rapture House of Jealous Lovers (2002)
from the album Echoes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HP04nfUi4g

Key lyrics:
Shakedoooooooooooooooown

Though better known as the front man of LCD Soundsystem, James Murphy started as a DJ and record producer. House of Jealous Lovers was the first release from his company, a dance-punk track with more explosive energy than anything Murphy would make once his own band took off. Lead singer Luke Jenner gives one of the most absurd performances in rock history without any hint of shame. His harsh vocals are at first grating, but they also speak to a compellingly raw element in punk. The lyrics are as repetitive and simple as they come, existing more for Jenners violent shout than to convey meaning.

Once you get past the vocals (if you can), House of Jealous Lovers hits with unbelievable energy. This is a track that makes perfect use of every single instrument. The song kicks off with a killer bassline and then adds a bit of cowbell the track grooves out to this simple arrangement for forty-five seconds only for the bass to drop out and leave the percussion on its own. Then the guitar comes in. Though dance-punk might typically be defined more by grooves than a riff, this is the glorious exception. That guitar is the stuff of legends, an all-timer if it ever captures a wider audience.

Once dance-punk became defined as an intentional genre, it disappeared almost as quickly. Even if LCD Soundsystem grew to be the bigger name, House of Jealous Lovers feels like the real beating heart of the movement. This is a peak of both rock and dance that conforms to the expectations of neither. Its lightning in a bottle, a song that so perfectly defined the aspirations of its subgenre that few others have been able to expand upon its promise.

---

32. Beck Loser (1993)
from the album Mellow Gold

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgSPaXgAdzE

Key lyrics:
Soy un perdedor
Im a loser, baby
So why dont you kill me?

It takes a certain skill to speak nonsense with absolute conviction. On his breakthrough, Beck certainly seems to be saying something, so convincing in his performance that one might blithely accept there must be some deeper meaning. The truth is that each line features such a strong cadence that we trick ourselves into thinking there must be a stronger connective tissue. Beck speaks in riddles, and each line could very well lead into the next the trick is that each line acts like a word association game. There may be a semblance of an idea between each line, but it rarely stretches beyond that pair.

What is clear is that the chorus struck a perfect note for the alternative rock movement. What better defines Generation X than that nonchalant, defeatist slogan? Though it is clearly an endpoint for his nonsense flow, it is a testament to how evocative Becks delivery can be. Despite having no idea what the verses mean, theyre so catchy I can largely recite them from memory. Who needs meaning when a phrase sounds cool?

This all works because Beck is such a master experimenter. The dominating slide guitar offers an unusual hook, and the verses feature a trippy sitar element. The bridge makes use of back-masking. The overall sound draws upon the folk-rap that Bob Dylan suggested possible with Subterranean Homesick Blues. We lump it into the alternative rock movement more by association than by sound Beck has always been playing his own game. Loser set the scene for a beautifully odd career.

---

31. Love Alone Again Or (1967)
from the album Forever Changes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPbNpIG8x_s

Key lyrics:
You know that I could be in love with almost everyone
I think that people are the greatest fun
And I will be alone again tonight my dear

Alone Again Or denies easy classification, psychedelic folk rock playing with a Spanish guitar sound before going full Mariachi with strings and horns. Each verse is punctuated by an extended acoustic solo. This is a constantly shifting soundscape, but whether it is at its sparsest or most elaborate sequence, it is connected by anxious paranoia. The chorus is a mocking take on the free love movement, an aching cry of loneliness from someone wanting commitment. Love drenched this song in emotional vulnerability.

What makes this so compelling is its central cycle. The three verses are short, closing out with the same line each time. Though the second verse ends in a quiet guitar solo like the first, it expands into a horn-led instrumental break. Additionally, the quiet guitar solo acts as a reset after the first two verses, a way of quieting things down to slowly build back up to the peak of that defining line. The way it trails off at the end instead suggests defeat. Though Alone Again Or essentially consists of three slight variations, it journeys through disappointment, passion, and despair.

Alone Again Or achieves a timeless element through its mixture of familiar yet disparate sounds. The Spanish influence shines through, setting a specific scene even as the lyrics keep it vague. Though the horn arrangement draws distinctly from Mariachi music, they play it with tension rarely captured in the popular sphere. Love might not be anywhere near the biggest acts of their own era, but Alone Again Or perfectly captures the spirit of innovation that dominated the late-60s.

---

I did a user nominated song ranking over ten years back and house of jealous lovers was nominated. I think it finished in the 30s? I'm not entirely sure and I think think the list is lost to time. Either way, I think I remember it steadily moving up the list as I continued to listen to it which speaks to the growth potential. The shrilling "HOUSE OF! JEALOUS LOVERS!" part is the only thing I can remember at this point.

I didn't know James Murphy was involved with the creation of the song, though. That's interesting especially given how All My Friends topped that list.

---

I wonder if I was the one to nominate those two tracks, since I was definitely really into them a decade back.

---

I don't remember TOO much about who nominated what, but I do remember it was RustyMrMokka to nominate that song. His five nominations (or was it 4?) I think all might've made Top 20. But there were a lot of gems in that list that influenced a lot of my tastes today, LCD Soundsystem definitely being the biggest influence.

---

CasanovaZelos posted...

34. OutKast Hey Ya (2003)
from the album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

This song was an instant classic and nearly 20 years hasn't dimmed its star.

CasanovaZelos posted...

33. The Rapture House of Jealous Lovers (2002)
from the album Echoes

Ooooh, I like this! The vocals may be raw but they definitely add rather than subtract.

CasanovaZelos posted...

32. Beck Loser (1993)
from the album Mellow Gold

The slide guitar here is iconic and that chorus is unforgettable but I've never really taken to this song.

CasanovaZelos posted...

31. Love Alone Again Or (1967)
from the album Forever Changes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cPbNpIG8x_s

The horns really make the song.

---

CasanovaZelos posted...

As someone born in 1992, no single release has felt bigger than Hey Ya perhaps Billie Eilishs Bad Guy is the only competitor in the 21st century.

I tried to think of something else but couldn't find a legitimate answer. Hey Ya is the biggest and most consequential song since Smells Like Teen Spirit. #2 would be... Lose Yourself? I dunno.

30. Nina Simone Sinnerman (1965)
from the album Pastel Blues

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QH3Fx41Jpl4

Key lyrics:
Lord, Lord, hear me praying

Sinnerman is spiritual jazz by way of Revelations. Nina Simone plays the most haunted woman in music, running all over the place in hope of salvation after a life of sin. The desperation in her voice is matched by the frantic backing band even as the song stretches over ten minutes, it never loses the sense that all of time is running out. The piano and cymbal patter alone make this a convincing panic attack, but then Simone brings in a backing choir to echo her words in a visceral cry.

After an instrumental break, the instruments subtly fade out until nothing but clapping remains. This interlude helps reset the tone making an extended track truly work is a difficult task, but Simone and her band expertly establish Sinnerman as having distinct movements, even as the back half returns to a familiar sound. But even as she retreads that ground, the repeating shouts of power come off more celebratory than desperate.

And, boy, does Nina Simone know how to end a song. With nearly two minutes to go, the instruments stumble to a sudden stop as Simone begins scatting. As her wordless cries take shape into pleas for Gods forgiveness, only her frantic piano dares to assist. Nina Simone is a true vocal powerhouse, and her voice alone is enough to match the orchestrated tension that built up over the last eight minutes. This is a musical breakdown of enormous magnitude, one that demands an extended journey to justify the mood. Vocal jazz is not typically associated with expansive epics or urgency, but Sinnerman proves the infinite possibilities of music in expert hands.

---

29. The Jam Going Underground (1980)
non-album single

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE1ct5yEuVY

Key lyrics:
And the public gets what the public wants
But I want nothing this societys got

New Wave evolved out of the punk movement, but few New Wave hits captured the political unease that drove much of the British punk scene. Going Underground is a prime exception, a song written with surprising articulation about the contemporary social climate. Instead of continuing the anger of that earlier movement, The Jam largely choose to celebrate those who stand against the mainstream. Despite topping the charts in its homeland, Going Underground is among the finest homages to the indie scene while still getting in some excellent jabs at British society.

The Jam play this song with exceptional force. Yet unlike the frenetic energy of a Ramones song, they somehow manage to come off as relaxed. Going Underground is a particularly hard song to classify, very much a rock song but calling upon some very specific movements while similarly subverting the major expectations. This is punk at ease, New Wave without experimentation, mod with emphasis on groove as much as the melody. The result is a track with mass appeal that sheds generic descriptors, as traditionally rock as it is a singular creation.

At this heightened pace, Paul Weller barrels through his lyrics, but he sings with enough clarity that every line is crisply delivered. He emphasizes the simple life while lamenting British warmongering. A key line change really says it all the public gets what the public wants transforms into the public wants what the public gets. Why aim for mass appeal when the mass media has its own agenda? The fact this hit number one in Britain does not defeat its message The Jam were speaking a truth that resonated in a style anyone could enjoy.

---

Going through this project is a fun reminder of how inexplicably British-oriented my music taste is, especially toward the major artists that never made it quite as big here in America.

---

28. Primal Scream Loaded (1990)
from the album Screamadelica

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wf73xqZvk6k

Primal Scream made dance music like no others. While not as outright trippy as Higher Than the Sun, Loaded might be the more pointedly risky. This is a seven minute epic that simply grooves out for its duration, a song that asks its listeners to chill and take it easy. Though there are vocal samples, its all just a blur of music. Screamadelica is one of the most explicit odes to drugs and alcohol ever recorded. Where Higher Than the Sun finds Bobby Gillespie expressing a sense of higher thought through lyrics, Loaded makes its purpose known purely through an opening sample and its own groove. This is a track designed for the height of a drunken stupor, a victorious fanfare for those too loaded to think.

What makes Loaded so interesting is how unique it sounds while being so obviously constructed from familiar parts. On their rock-oriented tracks, Primal Scream do their best Rolling Stones impression, and the central groove on Loaded may as well be a tripped out take on Sympathy for the Devil. The R&B vocal sample clearly exists to evoke a gospel edge, matching the pseudo-religious quality of the rest of the album. While the inspirations are easy to name, Loaded exists in its own sphere.

The personal question I must ask is why this drug-fueled celebration resonates with my rather straight edge personality. The power in psychedelic music is not necessarily how much it truly pairs with drugs, but how much it evokes that atmosphere. Loaded paints a vibrant image of a party even as I sit alone listening on an otherwise quiet Saturday morning.

---

Have you seen The World's End? I don't love the movie, but the opening sequence makes the best use of "Loaded" I could possibly imagine.

ChainLTTP posted...

Have you seen The World's End? I don't love the movie, but the opening sequence makes the best use of "Loaded" I could possibly imagine.

Yep; Edgar Wright has excellent taste in music and knows how to use it well (see "Bellbottoms" earlier)

---

27. The Stone Roses Fools Gold (1989)
non-album single, featured on certain printings of The Stone Roses

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBsazIACpYM

Key lyrics:
These boots were made for walking
The Marquis de Sade dont wear no boots like these

Rock and roll has rarely been as dance-oriented as The Stone Roses on Fools Gold. This is a ten minute groove piece, a song inviting you to get lost in its hypnotic rhythm. The instrumentation is surprisingly understated, the bass and drums placed firmly in the foreground. To keep attention focused squarely on the dance elements, Ian Brown gives a strikingly lethargic performance. His laidback attitude lends an easy feel to a song that otherwise carries surprising force yet his words also strike tension.

The bass is pure funk excellence, something that would stand on its own but perfectly ties together the chaotic soundscape that Fools Gold grows into. The song could have easily ended after Brown delivers his last line, but continuing with another five minute instrumental section really drives it home. During this section, a heavily distorted guitar occasionally rockets forward, adding new life to the now-familiar rhythm. Even after finding their groove, The Stone Roses keep bursting forward with more energy. Bass and drums can rarely sustain a song alone, but Fools Gold expertly reinvents the other elements.

This is a song I can simply get lost in, commanding a sonic space beyond its dance-rock leaning. There is a sense of ambience as it occasionally settles into its groove, only to repeatedly deny that easy listening. It demands attention while never being too aggressive. Fools Gold is such an obvious inspiration for British music in the decade that followed, yet its extended take puts it in another category entirely.

---

26. Sam Cooke A Change Is Gonna Come (1964)
from the album Aint That Good News

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEBlaMOmKV4

Key lyrics:
Its been too hard livin
But Im afraid to die
Cause I dont know whats up there
Beyond the sky

A Change Is Gonna Come is an eternal classic of the Civil Rights Movement, a song as devastating as it is inspirational. Even as Sam Cooke details his experiences with racism, he insists that change is possible. Instead of matching pop sensibilities of the time like most of Cookes other hits, the song was produced with a symphonic quality. Built more as a mission statement, its enduring success proves the intelligence of that choice this is a work of sweeping beauty that captures the spirit of America in its time. Though Cooke was writing from an African American perspective, his chorus works as a universal battle cry for the disenfranchised of all varieties. Nearly sixty years on, its message hits just as hard.

Playing against strings and horns as the leading instruments can be a challenge, but there is such depth and warmth in Cookes voice that he earns the heightened presentation. This is a sound one typically associates with extravagant show-stopping numbers, but Cooke keeps everything grounded through his stark lyricism. The strings swell behind him as he reaches the apex of the later verses, emphasizing his powerful delivery. This is peak soul singing, spiritual power with the instrumentation to match.

A Change is Gonna Come hit a lot of perfect notes to land among the quintessential Civil Rights songs, but most important is its realistic approach. The mixing of strife and hope is key; strife without hope is devastating, while hope without strife is a bit too optimistic. A Change is Gonna Come strikes a perfect balance while featuring such grand sonic power as to immediately capture attention.

---

The list so far:
250. The The - This is the Day
249. Goldfrapp - Lovely Head
248. Simon and Garfunkel - Bridge Over Troubled Water
247. Cerrone - Supernature
246. Jessie Ware - Spotlight
245. SOPHIE - Bipp
244. Gil Scott-Heron - The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
243. The Beatles - Yesterday
242. The Walkmen - The Rat
241. Hank Williams - I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
240. Wu-Tang Clan - Protect Ya Neck
239. Sigur Ros - Svefn-g-englar
238. The Clash - London Calling
237. Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth
236. Fever Ray - If I Had a Heart
235. Bjork - Joga
234. Fleetwood Mac - The Chain
233. Stereolab - Cybele's Reverie
232. The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio
231. Prince - When Doves Cry
230. New Order - True Faith
229. The Cure - Just Like Heaven
228. Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke
227. Vashti Bunyan - Diamond Day
226. The Beatles - Eleanor Rigby
225. Elliott Smith - Waltz #2
224. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Mustt Mustt
223. Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
222. Amy Winehouse - Rehab
221. Charles Mingus - Track C - Group Dancers
220. Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name
219. Janelle Monae - Tightrope
218. M.I.A. - Paper Planes
217. Soft Cell - Tainted Love
216. Elliott Smith - Between the Bars
215. Tim Buckley - Song to the Siren
214. The Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows
213. M83 - Midnight City
212. Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies)
211. Arcade Fire - Wake Up
210. Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line
209. Art Ensemble of Chicago - Theme de Yoyo
208. Missy Elliott - Work It
207. Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop
206. Violent Femmes - Blister in the Sun
205. 808 State - Pacific State
204. LCD Soundsystem - How Do You Sleep?
203. Bruce Springsteen - The River
202. Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
201. Courtney Barnett - Avant Gardener
200. Kendrick Lamar - i
199. Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road
198. Nick Drake - River Man
197. Lucy Dacus - Night Shift
196. The Band - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
195. Buddy Holly & The Crickets - Peggy Sue
194. Bob Dylan - Hurricane
193. Lou Reed - Perfect Day
192. The National - Fake Empire
191. Nina Simone - Feeling Good
190. Roy Orbison - In Dreams
189. Sufjan Stevens - Should Have Known Better
188. Caribou - Can't Do Without You
187. The xx - Crystalised
186. Beck - Where It's At
185. Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence
184. Pixies - Debaser
183. Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight
182. Solange - Cranes in the Sky
181. The Specials - Ghost Town
180. Todd Terje - Inspector Norse
179. Nick Cave - Into My Arms
178. Neil Young - Heart of Gold
177. Vampire Weekend - Hannah Hunt
176. Lorde - Royals
175. The Knife - Silent Shout
174. Hot Chip - Over and Over
173. Depeche Mode - Never Let Me Down Again
172. Slint - Good Morning Captain
171. The Velvet Underground - Venus in Furs
170. Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues
169. Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
168. Nirvana - Lithium
167. Aldous Harding - The Barrel
166. David Bowie - Young Americans
165. Lou Reed - Walk on the Wild Side
164. Big Thief - Shark Smile
163. Burial - Archangel
162. Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
161. Townes Van Zandt - Pancho and Lefty
160. Chico Buarque - Construcao
159. The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
158. Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot
157. David Bowie - Lazarus
156. The Knife - Full of Fire
155. Dave Brubeck - Take Five
154. The Cure - Close to Me
153. James Brown - Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine
152. Funkadelic/Parliament - One Nation Under a Groove
151. !!! - Me and Giuliani Down by the Schoolyard
150. Lana Del Rey - Video Games
149. Nico - These Days
148. Justice - D.A.N.C.E.
147. Daft Punk - One More Time
146. Underworld - Born Slippy
145. Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You
144. The Orb - Little Fluffy Clouds
143. Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit
142. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
141. Elbow - One Day Like This
140. James Blake - The Wilhelm Scream
139. ANOHNI - Drone Bomb Me
138. Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
137. Bjork - Bachelorette
136. Los Fabulosos Cadillacs - Matador
135. Bob Dylan - Like a Rolling Stone
134. Billie Holiday - Strange Fruit
133. Robyn - Dancing On My Own
132. Bright Eyes - First Day of My Life
131. Bob Dylan - Tangled Up in Blue
130. Miles Davis - So What
129. Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Dogg - Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang
128. Joni Mitchell - A Case of You
127. The Supremes - Where Did Our Love Go
126. Big Thief - Not
125. Dead Kennedys - Holiday in Cambodia
124. Julee Cruise and Angelo Badalamenti - Falling
123. A Tribe Called Quest - Scenario
122. Kraftwerk - Trans-Europe Express
121. Jay-Z - 99 Problems
120. SOPHIE - Immaterial
119. The Beatles - A Day in the Life
118. Nat King Cole - Nature Boy
117. R.E.M. - Losing My Religion
116. OutKast - B.O.B.
115. New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
114. The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army
113. Prince - Kiss
112. The Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil
111. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps
110. Yazoo - Situation
109. Caribou - Odessa
108. Aphex Twin - Windowlicker
107. The Beach Boys - God Only Knows
106. Johnny Cash - Hurt
105. R.E.M. - Nightswimming
104. The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
103. Sharon van Etten - Your Love is Killing Me
102. FKA twigs - Cellophane
101. Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up
100. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Bellbottoms
99. Pigbag - Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag
98. Orange Juice - Rip It Up
97. Big Star - Thirteen
96. Nick Drake - Pink Moon
95. Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space
94. The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize??
93. Four Tops - Reach Out I'll Be There
92. Kraftwerk - The Model
91. Stevie Wonder - Living for the City
90. TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me
89. Paul Simon - Graceland
88. Brian Eno - Needles in the Camel's Eye
87. Mitski - Your Best American Girl
86. Kendrick Lamar - King Kunta
85. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
84. Daft Punk - Around the World
83. Le Tigre - Deceptacon
82. Future Islands - Seasons (Waiting on You)
81. Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
80. Bruce Springsteen - Atlantic City
79. A Tribe Called Quest - Can I Kick It?
78. Joy Division - Atmosphere
77. Bjork - Hyper-Ballad
76. Wilco - Jesus, Etc.
75. The Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey
74. David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto - Forbidden Colours
73. Fleetwood Mac - Go Your Own Way
72. Elton John - Your Song
71. John Cale - Paris 1919
70. Phoebe Bridgers - Kyoto
69. Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
68. Primal Scream - Higher Than the Sun
67. The War on Drugs - Red Eyes
66. Mitski - Nobody
65. New Order - Temptation
64. Roy Orbison - Crying
63. Public Enemy - Fight the Power
62. Chris Isaak - Wicked Game
61. FKA twigs - Two Weeks
60. Joy Division - Transmission
59. Radiohead - Paranoid Android
58. Pixies - Hey
57. Daft Punk - Da Funk
56. The Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy
55. Sharon Van Etten - Seventeen
54. Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues
53. Fela Kuti - Zombie
52. The Velvet Underground - Sweet Jane
51. King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man
50. LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great
49. The Beach Boys - Surf's Up
48. Hercules and Love Affair - Blind
47. James Blake - Retrograde
46. Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime
45. Foals - Spanish Sahara
44. A Tribe Called Quest - Check the Rhime
43. Radiohead - Let Down
42. LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean
41. Dirty Projectors - Stillness is the Move
40. Pulp - Common People
39. The Smiths - How Soon is Now?
38. Bikini Kill - Rebel Girl
37. Underworld - Rez
36. Sufjan Stevens - Chicago
35. The Smiths - There is a Light That Never Goes Out
34. OutKast - Hey Ya
33. The Rapture - House of Jealous Lovers
32. Beck - Loser
31. Love - Alone Again Or
30. Nina Simone - Sinnerman
29. The Jam - Going Underground
28. Primal Scream - Loaded
27. The Stone Roses - Fools Gold
26. Sam Cooke - A Change Is Gonna Come

---
<cite>Seanchan posted [p:957304342] in CasanovaZe... [t:79452388]...</cite> <quote>Lot of long songs in the last batch but they all work, each in their own different way. </quote>

... Copied to Clipboard!

10 more artists fall; 17 artists in my top 100 have a song in my top 25 with two artists still having two, meaning six artists have a song in my top 25 without being among my 100 favorite artists (though 3 of them are recent and right on the edge, so they will probably make it with another good release)

Top 100 artists (with no remaining songs; artists from the most recent batch bolded):
1. Bob Dylan: "Tangled Up in Blue (#131)
3. Nick Cave: "Into My Arms" (#179)
5. Radiohead: "Let Down" (#43)
6. The Beatles: "A Day in the Life" (#119)
8. Sufjan Stevens: "Chicago" (#36)
9. R.E.M.: "Nightswimming" (#105)
10. Kraftwerk: "The Model" (#92)
11. The Rolling Stones: "Sympathy for the Devil" (#112)
13. Bjork: "Hyperballad" (#77)
14. Neil Young: "Heart of Gold" (#178)
15. Kendrick Lamar: "King Kunta" (#86)
16. Kanye West: "Monster" (#309)
17. Prince: "Kiss" (#113)
18. Tom Waits: "Time" (#790)
19. Talking Heads: "Once in a Lifetime" (#46)
20. Brian Eno: "Needles in the Camel's Eye" (#88)
21. The Cure: "Close to Me" (#154)
24. Miles Davis: "So What" (#130)
25. Charles Mingus: "Track C - Group Dancer" (#221)
26. Leonard Cohen: "Suzanne" (#588)
28. Nirvana: "Lithium" (#168)
30. Beck: "Loser" (#32)
31. Pixies: "Hey" (#58)
34. Arcade Fire: "Wake Up" (#211)
35. Stevie Wonder: "Living for the City" (#91)
36. Fiona Apple: "Heavy Balloon" (#275)
37. A Tribe Called Quest: "Check the Rhime" (#44)
38. Metallica: "Master of Puppets" (#348)
39. PJ Harvey: "Rid of Me" (#472)
40. Led Zeppelin: "Kashmir" (#619)
41. Daft Punk: "Da Funk" (#57)
43. Animal Collective: "My Girls" (#307)
44. Nina Simone: "Sinnerman" (#30)
45. The National: "Fake Empire" (#192)
46. Joni Mitchell: "A Case of You" (#128)
47. St. Vincent: "Digital Witness" (#334)
48. James Blake: "Retrograde" (#47)
49. U2: "One" (#434)
50. Pink Floyd: "Wish You Were Here" (#514)
51. Vampire Weekend: "Hannah Hunt" (#177)
53. The Police: "Roxanne" (#285)
54. Beastie Boys: "Sabotage" (#261)
55. Portishead: "Sour Times" (#254)
56. The xx: "Crystalised" (#187)
57. Wilco: "Jesus, Etc." (#76)
58. The Chemical Brothers: "Hey Boy Hey Girl" (#271)
59. The Beach Boys: "Surf's Up" (#49)
60. The Kinks: "Waterloo Sunset" (#355)
61. Johnny Cash: "Hurt" (#106)
62. Creedence Clearwater Revival: "Fortunate Son" (#333)
63. Lou Reed: "Walk on the Wild Side" (#165)
64. Can: "Mother Sky" (#398)
65. Mogwai: "2 Rights Make 1 Wrong" (#399)
66. Nick Drake: "Pink Moon" (#96)
67. John Coltrane: "A Love Supreme, Part 1: Acknowledgement" (#661)
68. Aphex Twin: "Windowlicker" (#108)
69. Bob Marley: "Redemption Song" (#506)
70. Public Enemy: "Fight the Power" (#63)
71. Elton John: "Your Song" (#72)
72. Jay-Z: "99 Problems" (#121)
73. Depeche Mode: "Never Let Me Down Again" (#173)
74. OutKast: "Hey Ya" (#34)
75. Madonna: "Like a Prayer" (#336)
76. Simon and Garfunkel: "Bridge Over Troubled Water" (#248)
77. The Clash: "London Calling" (#238)
80. Sigur Ros: "Svefn-g-englar" (#239)
81. M.I.A.: "Paper Planes" (#218)
82. Bon Iver: "Skinny Love" (#262)
83. Fela Kuti: "Zombie" (#53)
84. Caribou: "Odessa" (#109)
85. Green Day: "Basket Case" (#371)
86. Foals: "Spanish Sahara" (#45)
87. FKA twigs: "Two Weeks" (#61)
88. Fleetwood Mac: "Go Your Own Way" (#73)
89. SOPHIE: "Immaterial" (#120)
90. ANOHNI: "Drone Bomb Me" (#139)
91. Elvis Presley: "Suspicious Minds" (#387)
92. Fever Ray: "If I Had a Heart" (#236)
93. Beyonce: "Countdown" (#615)
94. Funkadelic/Parliament: "One Nation Under a Groove" (#152)
95. Paul Simon: "Graceland" (#89)
97. John Cale: "Paris 1919" (#71)
100. Robyn: "Dancing On My Own" (#133)

---

CasanovaZelos posted...

26. Sam Cooke A Change Is Gonna Come (1964)
from the album Aint That Good News

Snuck this one in on me while I was catching up!

Anyway this is still a beautiful song. Not even the seemingly endless karaoke renditions on various music shows can ruin this one.


---

Here is a final round of hints before we enter the final section of the list

Decade breakdown:
1950s: 1
1960s: 2
1970s: 5
1980s: 4
1990s: 3
2000s: 5
2010s: 4
2020s: 1

Genres:
Rock: 15
(Art) Pop: 4
Electronic and Synth-pop: 4
Hip Hop: 1
R&B: 1

From previous hints, you should know one of these is by The Smiths and can probably deduce LCD Soundsystem have two remaining - I expect the other artist with two songs to be harder to guess

Any songs you expect to be in the remaining batch? I want to see how predictable I am at this point

---

I'm the wrong person to take any guesses...though the 2 bands you mentioned in the spoiler are who I would have guessed.

I have to wonder if a-ha's Take on Me makes the list.

---

#1 Rebecca Black - Friday

---

CasanovaZelos posted...

Any songs you expect to be in the remaining batch? I want to see how predictable I am at this point

All My Friends is probably in the top 5

Thinking Round and Round by Ariel Pink and a Grimes song make an appearance. Dark horse: Come on Eileen.

25. David Bowie Life on Mars? (1971)
from the album Hunky Dory

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZKcl4-tcuo

Key lyrics:
But the film is a saddening bore
Because I wrote it ten times or more

David Bowie was an alien among men. At least, thats what he wanted us to believe, and works like Life on Mars? did a convincing job. Lyrically, this is an evisceration of popular culture, where cartoon idols are propped up and all art is a rehash. The title is a surrealist expression of a simple longing to go to some distant place where everything is new and unexpected. But as his words hit hard, he also presents himself as if at a distance. His thoughts are filtered through a girl with mousy hair, and he uses her point of view to position himself as an objective observer. Yet nothing he speaks is in easy terms, his phrasing forcing us to contemplate his meaning.

His instrumentation plays out in a similar fashion, at once familiar yet twisting in unexpected ways. After kicking off like a piano ballad, Life on Mars? shoots into space during its chorus with the assistance of a string arrangement. The effect is heightened by Bowies deliberate timing. The verses feature a beat between every line, but the chorus begins to pair certain lines together without a break. By giving each line room to breathe until the chorus, a subtle sense of urgency takes over. This transforms his drawn-out delivery of the title line into a cathartic release.

David Bowie is a genre chameleon, and the fun of Life on Mars? is how much he positions himself like a traditional pop singer on a big stage while speaking an unfamiliar tongue before shooting skyward. The showmanship is the height of glam rocks aspirations, while the arrangement is one of many pieces that solidified his status as the king of art rock. Life on Mars? sounds simple, but Bowie worked his magic to make every second burst with life.

---

24. Perfume Genius Queen (2014)
from the album Too Bright

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7OSSUwPVM4

Key lyrics:
No family is safe when I sashay

To exist as a queer person is a political act. This should not be so, but the same is true of every minority population. The big difference is that queerness has no intrinsic surface indicators but, bigots being bigots, there are certainly ideas. Perfume Genius harnesses these images on Queen, bringing to life an impossible amalgamation of contradictory stereotypes. At once, he is both a diseased fop writhing on the floor and an all-powerful indoctrinator roaming the streets to convert defenseless straight men. The chorus really says it all. No family is safe when I sashay, or any other act coded as queer. Because, at the heart of this, it is not our actions but our mere existence that threatens these people. This is about as angry as protest music gets, and Mike Hadreas is the perfect figure for the message, a slender man no reasonable person would find genuinely threatening and yet

The verses are guided by a harsh rock arrangement, a grungy guitar serving more ambience than riffs. This is all build-up to that central line, which is punctuated by a piercing, whirring synthesizer. Adrian Utley of Portishead supplies this element, and this harsh transition is the stuff of art pop legend. David Bowie played an androgynous alien while subtly dodging firm statements on his sexuality on Queen, Hadreas plays the Bowie so many young queer people wished him to be. Yet he never retreads, instead updating Art Pop sensibilities for the modern era, morphing grunge, glam, and electronic into his own singular form. This is all in service of giving a voice to the most vulnerable among us, the queer people who cannot mask their identity, so often thrown under the bus by those trying not to appear too gay. Perfume Genius is a walking reminder of their power, and Queen is his finest anthem.

---

23. Smashing Pumpkins 1979 (1995)
from the album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aeETEoNfOg

Key lyrics:
On a live wire right up off the street
You and I should meet

It really all begins with this song. A faint memory before I really formed memories, shot back into my mind by its appearance on the soundtrack to a video game that otherwise left little impact on me. The fact this so effectively triggered my nostalgia while itself being about nostalgia is only a coincidence. In my earliest days of truly exploring popular music, Smashing Pumpkins were the band to beat, with their alternative sound working more as an endpoint. Alternative rock was an umbrella term bridging a ton of disparate styles, and Smashing Pumpkins were the great explorers of the era. Yet where most of their songs come off as a reflection of an earlier time, 1979 stands strong as Corgans vision of the future.

1979 has an ethereal energy, one that makes its popular success surprising. There is a sense of endless looping between the rolling drums and the repeated sample of Corgans ghostly vocals. 1979 simply glides throughout its length, hitting upon a higher energy during its chorus but even then remaining at its steady pace. Against all odds, the cycling energy sustains itself. 1979 is alternative rock as a mood piece.

In the shadows of the grunge movement, 1979 also served a much-needed slice of hope. Billy Corgan tended to brood, yet even he managed to offer a burst of positivity here. Mainstream rock had rarely sounded this summery since the 60s. Yet, despite its popular success, I cannot think of a single other song that has captured a similar feel. Corgan went all out while putting together Mellon Collie, and though the album has a few misses, 1979 is a perfect testament for the need to keep exploring.

---

22. Franz Ferdinand Take Me Out (2004)
from the album Franz Ferdinand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijk4j-r7qPA

Key lyrics:
I know I wont be leaving here with you

Outside of a few stray artists like The Black Keys, rock and roll saw its last big hurrah as a mainstream entity with the garage rock revival movement of the early 2000s. Franz Ferdinand snuck onto the scene with their own twisted take on post-punk, and Take Me Out became the unlikeliest of mega hits. This is a song drawing from a genre that never made it big in America that hit the Billboard Top 100 only to endure as an all-time classic. And its not like they succumbed to pop leanings even seventeen years on, this resonates as a particularly odd piece, but an oddness that somehow added to its accessibility. The fact it is simultaneously about the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and a relationship gone south is only the surface strangeness.

The big moment is obvious. At the 54-second mark, Take Me Out transitions into an entirely different song. After an intro that suggests a track only beginning to take off like all its forceful contemporaries, Franz Ferdinand do the opposite. This is dance-rock at a glacial pace, a song that wants you to feel every note. The low tempo makes a stomper, a jerky start-stop rhythm that is nonetheless danceable. This is all supported by a killer riff. The slow yet aggressive delivery made Franz Ferdinand out to be the most self-assured rock band in ages. The legend, of course, would fade so many rock acts of the era would collapse under the expectations set by their debut. But the hype behind Take Me Out was never an overstatement rock had rarely felt this fresh several decades after it began.

---

ChainLTTP posted...

All My Friends is probably in the top 5

Thinking Round and Round by Ariel Pink and a Grimes song make an appearance. Dark horse: Come on Eileen.

Oh and duh Someone Great

ChainLTTP posted...

Oh and duh Someone Great

Already appeared at #50

---

21. Missy Elliott Get Ur Freak On (2001)
from the album Miss E So Addictive

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNGQiCDKxVM

Key lyrics:
Quiet! Hush your mouth
Silence when I spit it out
Hah-choo! In your face
Open your mouth, give you a taste

Missy Elliotts signature surrealism reached its zenith with Get Ur Freak On. The production here is out of this world even 20 years on, it shows no sign of age. Timbaland picked up the beat while travelling through India, using a tumbi and tabla to help create a sound rarely seen in mainstream popular music. Stretching beyond bhangra, an ominous synthesizer rises during the chorus. Mix in Missys rapping skills, and you get something as totally unique as it is immediately effective.

Missy Elliott knew exactly what Timbaland had captured the lyrics essentially find her bragging about the imminent success she has on her hands. Not to be outdone by the music, her own delivery blows it away. This is a song loaded with sudden stops. Missy absolutely commands the scene, interrupting the groove but never losing the rhythm. Few songs have used silence so effectively Missy Elliott makes dance music as much as she makes hip hop, but she demands spectacle. To actually meaningfully make something out of the energy Get Ur Freak On presents requires true inspiration on the dancefloor.

Hidden beneath all this energy is an understated tension. The synthesizer never quite steals the scene, but its creeping presence makes itself felt. Meanwhile, during the third verse, the lead instrument slowly but surely transforms into something I can only compare to the horror strings of a Carpenter film. In an unusual twist for hip hop, Get Ur Freak On has an extended instrumental outro that just lets tension build. Missy Elliott typically leans toward the more playful side of hip hop, and while Get Ur Freak On was constructed in a similar vein, the final result is so extreme that little else compares.

---

CasanovaZelos posted...

23. Smashing Pumpkins 1979 (1995)
from the album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Not a Smashing Pumpkins guy but there's something about this song. Can't understand the lyrics but that nostalgic vibe is undeniable.

CasanovaZelos posted...

22. Franz Ferdinand Take Me Out (2004)
from the album Franz Ferdinand

YES! This is a great song. Not sure I've ever heard anything else by them but this one is a classic of that era.

CasanovaZelos posted...

21. Missy Elliott Get Ur Freak On (2001)
from the album Miss E So Addictive

So you've got Work It and Get Ur Freak On on your list. Does Gossip Folks also make it?

---

20. Joy Division Love Will Tear Us Apart (1980)
non-album single

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuuObGsB0No

Key lyrics:
Just that something so good just cant function no more

Love Will Tear Us Apart is almost impossible to separate from the events surrounding its creation and release. Ian Curtis had committed suicide a month before this single dropped, and the title resonated enough that his wife added it to his gravestone. If Atmosphere played at a higher level, Love Will Tear Us Apart finds Curtis stewing over his personal mistakes. This is a raw portrait of two lovers clinging onto hopelessness, a song shrouded in overwhelming despair.

But actually listening to the song, there seems to be something else at play. New Order did not come out of nowhere; Joy Division were already toying with synthesizers, and the glossy production here so perfectly captures a band in transition. In a way, it is tonally jarring Ian Curtiss deep voice does not pair well with this soft sound. But this dissonance is key to the enduring success. There is no sense of irony as would be found in plenty of synth-pop songs. Instead, the synthesizer on Love Will Tear Us Apart suggests a man trying to keep his head above water. Though we know Ian Curtis failed in this regard, it does a disservice to his art to paint it with a lens of inevitability.

When we fixate on the tragedy, we miss why so many people care in the first place not many people got into Joy Division simply because they heard the lead singer killed himself. Songs like Love Will Tear Us Apart are a perfect showcase for music as a form of limitless self-expression. A man can write about his failing marriage and form it into a cold dance track pushing the boundaries of genre expectations. A lot of us have experienced heartbreak, and though few of us take such an extreme path, Love Will Tear Us Apart still embodies a universal sense of slowly crumbling relationships.

---

19. Buddy Holly & The Crickets Thatll Be the Day (1957)
from the album The Chirping Crickets

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq9FCBatl3A

Key lyrics:
You say youre going to leave, you know its a lie
Because thatll be the day when I die

Where Elvis Presley helped bring rock and roll to the masses, Buddy Hollys short career did just as much to push the genre in a new direction. It is not surprising to learn that the first song The Beatles recorded, back when they were The Quarrymen, was a cover of Thatll Be the Day. Hollys guitar jangled, a sound that would define so much of popular rock from the 60s onward.

Buddy Holly played with a lighter edge than many of his contemporaries. After the electric opening, the guitar disappears through much of Thatll Be the Day. The actual sound that defines much of this track consists of harmonizing, a simple bass strum, and some soft percussion. The vocal portions may as well be a pop song. But Holly wields the guitar with precision, and its sudden reappearance during a short instrumental break halfway through is mesmerizing. Buddy Holly played up stark contrasts his work was a direct reference point on Pixies Doolittle, and you can find a taste of their signature quiet-loud dynamic so many decades earlier here.

The arrangement on most early rock tracks are simple, but songs like Thatll Be the Day are proof that simple sometimes means better. The vocal sections effortlessly roll along, and the electrifying break is as effective today the little punches from the drum near the end are the perfect icing. Dozens of major artists cite Holly as a direct influence, and it is easy to understand why. His little songs cut straight to the point many artists could learn from his pointed brevity.

---

18. Phoebe Bridgers I Know the End (2020)
from the album Punisher

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ9-xN6dCW4

Key lyrics:
Im always pushing you away from me
But you come back with gravity

Led Zeppelins Stairway to Heaven is a song I always wished I could love as much as I respect. The idea of this drawn out, quiet epic exploding into a moment of cathartic release is a killer idea, but it does not stick the landing for me. The payoff weighs heavier than the slow build. Led Zeppelin excelled at hard rock, but something about the middle section collapses under the weight for me. Someone out there had to be able to do better.

While listening through Phoebe Bridgers Punisher album for the first time last year, I Know the End erupted as an unexpected but immediate answer. Where Led Zeppelin were hard rockers momentarily restraining themselves, Phoebe Bridgers is a quiet folk artist pushed to a boiling point. When I Know the End begins, there is no inherent anticipation for more Bridgers could coast off that initial energy to an equally quiet endpoint. But then we reach the second section and the pace picks up while strings join the previously sparse arrangement. Soon, Sufjan Stevens-style horns set us on a point of no return. Where I find the middle sequence of Stairway to Heaven to be a chore, the middle here is perfection. And, against all odds, this seemingly meek folk singer closes out with an adrenaline-fueled crescendo of absolute terror.

Despite being recorded earlier, I Know the End serves as a perfect encapsulation of the nightmare that was 2020. After a personal introduction, stark descriptions of the American South set up an apocalyptic tone she remarks upon a billboard reading The End is Near before stating it has already arrived. In the year of COVID-19, this was a wounding blow, and that cathartic scream which closes the song out is a feeling everyone could understand.

---