A song you consider perfect.
I could name any number of them (could easily name about 5 by Queens of the Stone Age, alone—and probably won’t be able to resist including them as a footnote*)—but the song I’m stuck on this morning is by a band called Wellwater Conspiracy. It’s called “Right of Left Field” and I’m listening to it on repeat.
If you don’t know who the Wellwater Conspiracy are, there’s some great info about them here. I’m pretty sure on this song it’s Matt Cameron, drummer of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, on vocals. It’s posted to the radio.blog.
What songs do you consider perfect?
* If Only, Mexicola, How to Handle a Rope, The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret, Better Living Through Chemistry, In The Fade.
Posted on September 6, 2007, in Music, Radio.blog. Bookmark the permalink. 104 Comments.
Foo Fighters – Monkey Wrench
O.A.R. – City on Down
“Boy In The Bubble” – Paul Simon
Pretty much anything off OK Computer.
“Since U Been Gone”, performed by Kelly Clarkson, is about the perfect pop song.
“Wouldn’t It Be Nice” – Beach Boys
“Gold Digger” by Kanye West is a perfect modern hip-hop song, while “Don’t Believe The Hype” is THE perfect hip-hop song.
“Cleaning Windows” by Van Morrison
“Southern Girls” by Cheap Trick
Monkey Wrench is a great song but I don’t have it. Or the OAR song. I posted “Southern Girls” by Cheap Trick, though.
Mostly the classics, I think. No surprise, because a lot of the classics are perfectly constructed songs:
Derek and the Dominoes, Layla.
U2, With or without you.
S&G, The sound of silence
OMD, If you leave
Eagles, Tequila Sunrise
Police, Every breath you take
In the possibly-slightly-less-predictable-and-boring category, how about:
Evanescence, Bring me to life
Psychedelic Furs, Heartbreak beat
Mana, En el muelle de San Blas
Eric Johnson, Cliffs of Dover
Evanescence sucks. There, I said it. Of the others you mention, they all strike me as too polished, except Layla, which has some grit to it. There has to be something not-quite-polished in order for a song to really work.
Not necessarily in the same vein, but here are some perfect pop songs (broadly defined):
God Only Knows – The Beach Boys
I’ll Be Your Mirror – The Velvet Underground
All I Really Want To Do – The Byrds
California Love – Tupac Shakur
Levon – Elton John
Nicotine & GravyBeck – Beck
I Saw Red – Long Beach Dub Allstars (Or Barrington Levy)
Fly Away – Lenny Kravitz
Crazy Little Thing Called Love – Dwight Yoakam
She Bangs The Drums – The Stone Roses
There She Goes – The La’s
Waterloo Sunset – The Kinks
Be My Baby – The Ronettes
Leader Of The Pack – The Shangri-Las
The Girl From Ipanema – Astrud Gilberto
Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
Out Of Time – The Rolling Stones
Suspicious Minds – Elvis Presley
(She’s) Sexy and 17 – Stray Cats
Magic Carpet Ride Steppenwolf
My Generation – The Who
GREAT list Dave. At one point I wanted Magic Carpet Ride played at my funeral.
Yay for the Psychedelic Furs! They have any number of songs I’d consider perfect.
Fugees remaked of “Killing my Softly”
Arcade Fire, “Rebelion (Lies)”
John Hyatt, “Seven Little Indians”
Stevie Wonder, “I Believe (When I Fall in Love)”
Tom Waits, “Time” (Or maybe “Anywhere I Lay My Head”)
Daft Punk, “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”
And two alternatives to Supergenius’s hip-hop picks:
Kanye’s “All Falls Down” (Best line evar in hiphop: “She couldn’t afford a car so she named her daughter Alexis”)
Pubic Enemy, “Bring The Noise” (for me beats out “Don’t Believe the Hype” precisely when Chuck D goes into triplets over the Funky Drummer sample in the second verse)
Great list Dave, except for the Lenny Kravits. Music’s great, but the Dr. Seussian rhyme scheme makes me want to throw a brick at someone.
Jeremy, I was thinking Bring the Noise as well, but for some reason it just doesn’t hit as hard for me. That whole album is wonderful, though. Chuck D. is the best.
Good call re: Daft Punk, but if we’re talking electronic, I’d put Chemical Brothers’ “Let Forever Be” at the top.
Oh, and “Teardrop” by Massive Attack.
Evanescence isn’t great, no doubt. But, they have their moments. Their strength is the weird disjunct between Amy Lee’s vocals, and the loud angry nu-metal guitars. The mix doesn’t always work well (see, e.g., Call me when you’re sober). But Bring me to life perfectly highlights their particular strength.
Layla is on the list because of that searing guitar. Damn. There’s a reason why Eric Clapton is considered one of the best guitarists of all time. And add in an allman brother just for fun . . . damn.
As for the relative merits of polish, hmm. Sure, if you don’t like polished, you won’t like a lot of those. On the other hand, I think there’ something to be said for a perfectly placed synth violin bridge, or for the Edge hitting high harmonics for essentially an entire song.
(Oh, and for Muelle, I should have specified, I meant the live version, which rocks.)
Kaimi, if you’re talking about U2, I think there are songs of theirs that are more perfect, precisely because of the grit factor: One, or Stay.
I haven’t heard the new Kanye album yet, but someone told me the first single samples the Daft Punk.
(Incidentally, same guy who introduced me to Daft Punk also introduced me to Let Forever Be almost in the same sentence. Good call.)
All I Really Want To Do – The Byrds
Dave, is that the Bob Dylan song?
Readers interested in this discussion would probably also be interested in this recent NYTMag article on Rick Rubin. Fascinating story.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/magazine/02rubin.t.html
Violet Femmes belong on this list somewhere too, I think.
Sure, Jeremy. Perfect break-up song: Kiss off.
Susan, the Furs pick was just for you.
STAIRWAY!!!
Also,
“Paranoid Android” by Radiohead
“The Last Time I Saw Richard” by Joni Mitchell
“Luz do Sol” by Caetano Veloso
“Wandering Star” by Portishead
“At Least That’s What You Said” by Wilco
“Muzzle of Bees” by Wilco
“No Compassion” by Talking Heads
“Rubies” by Destroyer
Dylan wrote the song, but it was The Byrds’ Mr. Tambourine Man album that gave it to suburbia.
All I Really Want To Do by The Byrds on Rhapsody
This is my Ear Worm play list, songs that get stuck in your head until you use the drill technique at the end of Pi. Rhapsody users can sing along at home:
[Warning, several embarrassing songs to follow]
Rodeo Clowns – G. Love and Special Sauce
Blonde On Blonde – Nada Surf
Son-Of-A Preacher Man – Dusty Springfield
(She’s) Sexy and 17 – Stray Cats
Billie Jean – Michael Jackson
Magic Carpet Ride – Steppenwolf
Annie Waits – Ben Folds
Me And Julio Down By The School Yard – Paul Simon
For Your Love – The Yardbirds
Gimme Some Lovin’ – The Spencer Davis Group
Stacy’s Mom – Fountains of Wayne
Elevate My Mind – Stereo MC’s
Take Your Mama – Scissor Sisters
Thugz Mansion-Nas Acoustic – Tupac Shakur
Toxic – Britney Spears
No Diggity – (featuring Dr. Dre) – Blackstreet
Tennessee – Arrested Development
Boyz-N-The Hood – Dynamite Hack
Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters – Elton John
Hey Ya! – Outkast
I’m chuckling at the wide range of music I listen too.
Some of these, I truly think are perfect, some of them are perfect because I loved them so much when I was younger.
Enjoy the Silence – Depeche Mode
Zombie – The Cranberries
You’re Never Gonna Get It – En Vogue
Man! I Feel Like A Woman! – Shania Twain
Side with the Seeds – Wilco
When You Say Nothing At All – Alison Krauss
Hey Jude, I Am The Walrus, A Day in the Life – The Beatles
Mysteries, Tom the Model – Beth Gibbons
Piano Man, The Downeaster “Alexa”, The River of Dreams
– Billy Joel
It’s Oh So Quiet – Bjork
Father and Son – Cat Stevens
Gangsta’s Paradise – Coolio
The Way You Look Tonight –
I can see for Miles – The Who
Purple Haze – Jimmy Hendrix
The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts – Sufjan Stevens
Great choices, Summer.
I need to make a perfect song mix cd now. I’m gonna use songs from all of the selections here.
I only know “All I Really Want to Do” from World Party’s cover of it.
Ugh, Evanescence. That “Sober” song is nails on a chalkboard.
I’ve always liked “Bittersweet” by Big Head Todd and the Monsters.
I would say “Bad” is U2′s most perfect song. In concert is one of the best songs ever.
“Lightning Crashes” by Live
Perfect for “everyone” or perfect for me?
Here are my ‘perfect for me’ songs:
Oblivious, Walk out to Winter, We Could Send Letters – Aztec Camera
Old Apartment – Barenaked Ladies
Under You, Porcelain – Better Than Ezra
Home – Depeche Mode
Half of Everything, Unhappy Song – Lloyd Cole
Ain’t No Sunshine – Bill Withers
Love Songs on the Radio – Mojave 3
Under the Milky Way – The Church
Kare Kare, Distant Sun – Crowded House
Sunflower – Paul Weller
King Tide – Neil Finn
Hello Operator – White Stripes
When You Come Back – World Party
Say It, You Don’t Have to Go – Alison Moyet
Shake the Disease – Hooverphonic version
All I Want is You, Bad – U2
Obscurity Knocks – Trash Can Sinatras
Ooooh. I would also second Lightning Crashes. That and Mirror Song, also by Live.
Oooo, Porcelain. Good one.
Say it aint so- Weezer
Killing me softly- The Fugees
Fire- REM
Bobby Magee- Janice Joplin
er.. That’s “Me and Bobby Mcgee”
Tim,
Great version of Porcelain. Thanks for linking it!
Off He Goes, Immortality, Yellow Ledbetter, and Indifference by Pearl Jam. I also thnk Black is perfect when performed live, not so much recorded.
Come Back Down — Toad the Wet Sprocket
I
… lost my comment. (D’oh, used a less-than sign)
Oh well, I *heart* Evanescence, particularly Amy Lee’s vocals (hey, coming to the McKay Center in November!) Best song to me: Good Enough.
I can’t say these are “perfect”, but these songs don’t get old for me, no matter how many times I listen to them:
Four Tops – Reach Out
Dirty on Purpose – All New Friends
Madder Rose – Almost Lost My Mind
Team America OST – America… (Bed Bath and Beyond!)
Basement Jaxx – Where’s Your Head At
Busdriver – Avantcore
Dresden Dolls – Coin Operated Boy
R.E.M. – Endgame; Near Wild Heaven
Prodigy – Firestarter
Grits – Here We Go
Van Halen – Hot For Teacher
Jay-Z – Big Pimpin’ (sorry, it’s infectious)
Macondo – Live Life to the Min
Mika – Grace Kelly
King’s X – Moanjam (best driving song ever!)
Peaches and Herb – Shake Your Groove Thing
Jem – Save Me; They
Duran Duran – Shadows on your Side
Pink Floyd – Shine On You Crazy Diamond (long live version)
Strawberry Switchblade – Since Yesterday
Styx – AD 1928 + Rockin’ the Paradise
The Ventures – Hawaii 5-0 theme
susan, i will definitely second qotsa for “in the fade” and “if only.” both on heavy rotation for me for quite some time.
other songs that i think can’t be at all improved upon (mulling through my itunes library):
“last caress” metallica (misfits cover)
“kundalini express” love and rockets
“3rd planet” modest mouse
“mayonnaise” smashing pumpkins
“dystopian dream girl” built to spill
“such great heights” postal service
“teenage riot” sonic youth
“gigantic” pixies
“aurora borealis” pelican
“crazy train” ozzy
“powderfinger” neil young
“air” sparta
“run to the hills” iron maiden
“crazy” gnarls barkley
“start choppin’” dinosaur jr.
“didn’t i (blow your mind this time)” the delfonics
“mother” danzig
“ziggy stardust” bauhaus
“victory strikes again/long live the party” andrew w.k.
“back in black” ac/dc
“talking shit about a pretty sunset” modest mouse
Probably any song on Pet Sounds. Sloop John B, etc.
Yellow Brick Road and/or Rocket Man – Elton John
Any song on Love Songs for Distingue Lovers by Billie Holliday: especially Stars Fell Over Alabama
Hero- foo fighters
Roots, seed 2.0
pharcyde: Passing Me By
Love Will Tear Us Apart, Joy Division.
Just Like Heaven, The Cure.
Drifting, Falling, The Ocean Blue.
Veloria, The Pixies.
Tempted, Squeeze.
And because I was a Mormon living in the California suburbs in the late ’80s:
Forever Young, Alphaville.
Oh, and either Lorelei or The Spangle Maker by The Cocteau Twins.
“Just the Way You Are” – Billy Joel
“And because I was a Mormon living in the California suburbs in the late ’80s:
Forever Young, Alphaville”
Man that cracked me up. And brought back way too many memories of dances.
I saw the Ocean Blue live in college. Love them, loved the show.
If we’re going to invoke the Femmes, I’d have a hard time not nominating “Blister in the Sun.”
For some reason, this topic is really hard for me. I guess I have too high of standards for “perfect” or I don’t know what makes a “perfect” song. Maybe I’m just being hypercritical.
Here are a couple that are near perfect:
“Airscape” – Robyn Hitchcock
“South Central Rain” – R.E.M.
I’ll probably think of some more.
P.S. Evanescence is just Linkin Park with a female vocalist. That’s all.
Oh and “New Slang” by The Shins. (For the record, I knew this long before Natalie Portman said so.)
Maybe “Debaser” by The Pixies. And “Here, There, and Everywhere” and “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away” by the Beatles
A couple more:
Hendrix – All Along the Watchtower
Dire Straits – Sultans of Swing
Who’ll Stop the Rain – CCR
Summertime Blues – Eddie Cochran
Song of a Baker – Small Faces
Surrender – Cheap Trick (though I’m OK with “Southern Girls” as well)
Dark End of the Street – James Carr
Suspicious Minds – Elvis Presley
Needles in the Camel’s Eye – Eno
All Along the Watchtower – JHE
Duel – Swervedriver
S.O.S. – ABBA
“Heroes” – David Bowie
Space Truckin’ – Deep Purple
Crazy – Gnarls Barkley
Tractor Rape Chain – Guided by Voices
Sara Smile – Hall & Oates
Steppin’ Out – Joe Jackson
Across 110th Street – Bobby Womack
Fire of Love – Jody Reynolds
I Feel Alright – Steve Earle
Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door – Bob Dylan
Wichita Lineman – Glen Campbell
God Only Knows – Beach Boys
I could go on and on (and on), but I’ll stop there.
William: My favorite Cocteau Twins songs are “Donimo” and “The Thinner the Air.”
I think Evanescence just wants to be The Gathering. And Anneke van Giersbergen has it all over Amy Lee.
I was waiting for you to chime in Brian. Is that a mix you’ve already put together?
I agree with Supergenius on “Wouldn’t It Be Nice†(Beach Boys) and with Brian V. on “Sara Smile” (Hall & Oates).
I particularly love the line in “Sara Smile” where Daryl Hall sings “if you feel like leavin’/you know you can go/but why don’t you stay until tomorrow.” The whole song is great. Daryl Hall actually wrote that song for a girlfriend he was living with at the time. I remember reading some of her thoughts on the subject – after they had separated. I think she said she’d still sometimes hear the song in a store and have to leave because it was such an emotional thing.
I’d love to be able to write a song like that. I feel the same way about Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are.” What a great and perfect way to express yourself to someone you care about.
Susan:
Nope, not a mix. Just naming songs off the top of my head.
While folks are chiming in with artists they hate from other peoples’ lists, I’ll add Billy Joel to mine. I can’t think of a single tolerable song by him.
Only the Good Die Young
“You didn’t count on me
When you were counting on your rosary”
Only You – Yaz
Groove is in the Heart – Deee-lite
Sabotage – Beastie Boys
Institutionalized – Suicidial Tendencies
Summer Highland Falls – Billy Joel
Good Souls – Starsailor
Nightswimming – r.e.m.
We’re Going to be Friends – The White Stripes
Debaser – Pixies
You Can’t Always Get What You Want – Rolling Stones
Ain’t There Anyone Here for Love – from Gentlemen Prefere Blondes
ok, that’s weird.
I had Only the Good Die Young there until I remembered SHF.
“I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints”
Brian, if you’re going to list an Abba song among your favorites, then it’s going to be hard to argue that you’re too cool for Billy Joel.
I won’t deny that there are a lot of Billy Joel songs that have been overplayed to death – but I’ll stick by him for many of the others.
Idaho- Josh Ritter
Hallelujah- Jeff Buckley
Spoonful- Howlin’ Wolf
Southern Cross- Crosby, Stills & Nash
Here are a few:
Recovering the Satellites – Counting Crows
Need you tonight – INXS (the new INXS is YUCK)
32 Flavors – Ani DiFranco
Midnight train to Georgia – Gladys Knight and the Pips
Paper Thin Walls – Modest Mouse
I’m Waking up to Us – Belle and Sebastian
You Were Right – Built to Spill
I wanna be sedated – Ramones
The New Year – Death Cab for Cutie
My sister and spin the bottle – Juliana Hatfield
The Glow – The Microphones
Imagine – John Lennon
Intervention – Arcade Fire
Pour some sugar on me – Def Leppard (well – at least in the 6th grade it was perfect!)
I’m such a sap–’Time in a Bottle’ by Jim Croce FTW!
Tenderness-General Public
Mirror in the Bathroom–English Beat
Drive–The Cars
Fortress Around Your Heart–Sting
Forbidden Fruit–Blow Monkeys
I also think Rasputina’s cover of Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ is pretty near perfection.
Also, “Ceremony” by New Order/Joy Division
In no particular order:
In the Midnight Hour – Wilson Pickett
House of the Rising Sun – the Animals
Rock Lobster – the B-52s
Dear God – XTC
While My Guitar Gently Weeps – the Beatles
La Grange – ZZ Top
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap – AC/DC
My Generation, Baba O’Riley, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Behind Blue Eyes, I Can See for Miles, Can’t Explain, and Love Reign O’er Me – the Who
Gloria and Brown-Eyed Girl – Van Morrison
Red, Red Wine – UB40
Institutionalized – Suicidal Tendencies
The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys – Traffic
Creep – Radiohead
I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone and Call the Doctor – Sleater-Kinney
I could probably list a hundred or two more, but I guess that’s plenty.
Brian, if you’re going to list an Abba song among your favorites, then it’s going to be hard to argue that you’re too cool for Billy Joel.
Well, I didn’t say I was too cool for Billy Joel, I said I think his music is awful. A small distinction, maybe, but one worth making. My own coolness isn’t really a factor, though I suppose my taste could be called into question (I did include a Joe Jackson song, after all). I think Abba write well-crafted, well-produced pop songs and Billy Joel crams every hackneyed cliche (both lyrical and musical) he can bring to mind into his songs. One’s a master craftsman and one’s a hack (IMO, of course).
Oh, and what’s with two folks including “Institutionalized”? Kinda funny.
#36:
+1
I forgot one earlier
Silent Lucidity, Queensryche
Brian,
I included “Institutionalized” because I lived it. My mom would never bring me a Pepsi either.
My Generation, Baba O’Riley, Won’t Get Fooled Again, Behind Blue Eyes, I Can See for Miles, Can’t Explain, and Love Reign O’er Me – the Who
Good Ones. The last is my favorite.
So I have to ask. What makes all these songs perfect?
If you have to ask, you’ll never understand.
Ha!
Lists are the last refuge of those who lack the critical skillz to defend their aesthetic.
William, you trash-talker. It’s more like this: people who rely on critical skillz rarely are able to simply appreciate that which is aesthetically pleasing.
Nonsense. You’re talking about critical hacks — those who see all aesthetic products through one narrow lens.
The true critic is open to multitudes of experiences and then seeks ways to articulate them.
As for your use of the word “simple.” No aesthetic experience is simple. The experience can be simplistic or rich or genuine or mediated or whatever.
Of course, I’m much more of a list maker myself.
;-P
LOL
It’s not funny. It’s a crucial point. Jeez. Haven’t you been reading The Believer?
(should probably mention that I have never read an issue of The Believer, but that’s what I do — soak up and repurpose cultural references that I have no ownership of): http://www.believermag.com/
William, I’ve been meaning to, but it didn’t get ranked very highly on critics’ lists.
Ah, so you poo-poo the critical experience, but still want to derive benefit from it. I suppose you also only buy albums that rate a 9.0 or higher on Pitchfork or only add 4.5+ star films to your Netflix queue.
A man after my own black, superficial, faux-snob heart.
I wanna play too!
San Andreas Fault- Natalie Merchant
Whiter Shade of Pale- Procol Harum
Master of Puppets- Metalica
Box of Rain- The Grateful Dead
Summertime- Janice Joplin
All Along the Watchtower- Jimi Hendrix
Come as You Are- Nirvana
Bull God- Kidd Rock
Paradise City- Guns N Roses
Heart of Gold- Neil Young
Black Magic Woman- Santana
Sweet Baby James- James Taylor
Son of a Preacher Man- Dusty Springfield
She Talks to Angels- The Black Crowes
too much good music!!!
The Israelites- desmond dekker
together – al green
just nusrat fateh ali(late)
no match
Only Living Boy in New York – Simon and Garfunkle
Heartbreak Beat – Psychedelic Furs
In Your Eyes – Peter Gabriel
Blitzkreig Bop – Ramones
Back in Black – AC/DC
Say it ain’t so – Weezer
Buddy Holly – Weezer
kuri: you had me spot-on right up to UB40 (ugh!)
Hey, where are the fun Rolling Stones 500 lists?
John Scherer,
What is “Fire- REM”?
The most perfect rock song ever recorded is “One” by U2. Really. It’s a documented fact.
Brian, I’ve mulled over what you said about Billy Joel vs. Abba. Maybe I deserved your response because part of the reason I put him up was I thought I would draw some sneers from the crowd that regularly reads here … but I also wanted to put forward my strong feelings that Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are” deserves recognition as a perfectly crafted song. I really do think it’s a perfect song.
Having said that, I was pretty surprised with some of your criticisms of Joel. Without sarcasm, I’m not sure whether his being a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame actually matters or not (rewards might be given out for ridiculous reasons) – but I have thought that Joel put quite a bit more work and thought into his music and lyrics than most artists we see in popular music. I feel his earlier material was better than his later albums. Still, he seems to know who his influences are and is true to them while also showing an ability to branch out and try a wide variety of styles and influences.
I think your scorn for Billy Joel shows that you haven’t really studied who he is or what he has written. He’s a very interesting personality with a very impressive body of work.
Having said that – I went and read a bit on Abba and saw that they’ve also sold hundreds of millions of records. So maybe I need to tone it down a bit as well. Do I like their music? Honestly no. So maybe this whole argument just shows how seriously and personally take criticisms of their faves – and also just how subjective music tastes really are.
You all are insane. It’s clearly “Creeping Death” by Metallica.
I think your scorn for Billy Joel shows that you haven’t really studied who he is or what he has written. He’s a very interesting personality with a very impressive body of work.
I dunno, man. I grew up on Billy Joel. My mom used to play his stuff all the time in the car. She had this greatest hits comp that, along with Phil Collins’s No Jacket Required, scarred my pre-teen musical self in big, bad ways. Dunno if having had to endure “Piano Man” (a song I truly detest) 300+ times counts as having studied his work, but believe me when I say I’ve been exposed to it.
I’m sure it’s just a matter of personal taste, because if I were to compile a list of what I consider the worst songs of all time, there would be a disproportionate number of Joel songs (including “Just the Way You Are,” the song from his catalog that I dislike most of all, which probably explains my overreaction to your initial post). And there’s a special place in hell reserved for him just for that video where he dressed up like a hobo to talk someone out of jumping off a bridge.
Seriously, though, comparing Billy Joel and Abba side-by-side is not really fair since, to my mind, they’re not even operating in the same arena. It’s like comparing Bryan Adams to Carole King or something.
Again, this is all just my opinion. I hope none of this upsets you because I don’t mean it to. Like you say, the reasons we like and dislike things are pretty personal and not always governed by rationality.
I went and read a bit on Abba and saw that they’ve also sold hundreds of millions of records.
Yes, they’re ridiculously popular. In 2000, they were offered $1,000,000,000 (that’s one billion dollars, folks) to do a reunion tour and they turned it down because they didn’t want to let their fans down, so I’m guessing they’re pretty financially set.
BTW, have you actually heard SOS? It’s worth a listen, even if you don’t like their bigger hits.
The most perfect song by the Furs is not “Heartbreak Beat” it’s “The Ghost In You”
The most perfect song by Peter Gabriel is not “In Your Eyes” it’s “Solsbury Hill”
Some serious perfection by Third Eye Blind:
Slow Motion
The Background
My Hit and Run
Crystal Baller
Palm Reader
Brian – a billion dollars?! Wow, hadn’t heard that one. And yes, they must be set if they could turn that down.
Eric,
My bad, actually.
I meant “The one I love”, which I tend to mistakenly refer to as Fire.
MCQ: Good call on “The Ghost on You.”
I’d be inclined to agree with you on “Solsbury Hill” — but again. Mormon. Teenager. California suburbs. Read too many F. Scott Fitzgerald short stories. Hung out with the post-punk crowd. etc.
William: “Babylon Revisited” is my favorite.
Sticking with the Pearl Jam theme (Wellwater Conspiracy):
Brad, Drop It Down.
I’ll add one more (I think slowly)
Ode to my family- The Cranberries
How We Get By – Spoon
Institutionalized is a perfect expression of overwrought angst. With a sense of humor about it.
I like Billy Joel but “Just the Way You Are”? Pass the no-doze, I can’t keep my eyes open.
I had no problem with “One” until Mary J Blidge’s lil’ rabid posse o’ drama fans tried to say it was her song! It’s tainted now.
Tainted Love !!! – Soft Cell.
Dear God – xtc is a great song, but I think Season’s Cycle is perfect.
Aztec Camera – Love
The Beloved – Sweet Harmony
Billy Bragg – Waiting for the Great Leap Forward
Bright Eyes – First Day of My Life
Crowded House – And She Goes On
The Damned – Alone Again Or
Nick Drake – River Man
The Lilac Time – Darkness of Your Eyes
Eels – Things the Grandchildren Should Know
Flogging Molly – If I Ever Leave This World Alive
Freur – Doot Doot
Jerry Harrison – Man With a Gun
Heaven 17 – Let Me Go
James – Sit Down
Jellyfish – Baby’s Coming Back
Jesus & Mary Chain – April Skies
Elton John – Mona Lisa and Mad Hatters
Cyndi Lauper – Time After Time
The Smiths – How Soon is Now? or That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore or Unloveable
Peter Murphy – A Strange Kind of Love
Nada Surf – Blonde on Blonde
New Order – Ceremony
Pet Shop Boys – Rent
Scissor Sisters – Take Your Mama
Sonic Youth – Theresa’s Sound World
Talk Talk – It’s My Life
Talking Heads – This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
The The – Jealous of Youth or Out of the Blue (Into the Fire)
X – Los Angeles
Iron & Wine – Carousel
Jennifer: I agree on the Joel song. There are much better ones, mostly on his old “Toys in the Attic” album
“One” can never be tainted. “A thing of beauty is a joy forever; its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness†–John Keats
So screw Mary J. Blige.
Matt: That is quite a list. Thank you for including Nada Surf, I love them. That Freuer song is awesome, but I think it’s just called “Doot.” I also love Talk Talk, but my favorite song is “Life’s What You Make It”
Crowded House: what about “Better Be Home Soon”?
My vote for Talking Heads song goes to “Life During Wartime.”
No one has mentioned Dave Matthews Band, so out of many possibilities, I’ll nominate “Satelite”
Crowded House has very, very few missteps and the whole darn collection could be argued as most perfect…
I want She Goes On played at my funeral. Although, Better Be Home soon would be nice as well!
For DMB, I’d have to say #41, but the live version.
Talk Talk are soooo good.
Cyndi Lauper – Time After Time is an interesting choice, because that songs has been covered so much, and it always holds up so well. That’s a sign of a well-crafted song.
“That Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore” is my favorite Smiths song.
Yeah, I could have included multiple Talk Talk and Crowded House songs. Both band’s entire discographies are worth owning. I would also include the following two Finn-ish gems:
Finn Brothers – Only Talking Sense
Split Enz – Message to My Girl
Agree about the cover versions of Lauper’s Time After Time. Love EBTG’s version of it, and almost everything by EBTG. Tough to pick out the “perfect” EBTG song, because they are all so perfect. I also perfer their version of “The Only Living Boy in New York” to the S&G version.
Smiths: “Girlfriend in a Coma”
EBTG: The whole album “Worldwide” and “The Road” from “Language of Life” Always reminds me of Seattle.
I have to also give a shout out to Toad the Wet Sprocket: “Windmills”
Counting Crows should also have a spot. How about “A Murder of One”?
If I was going to pick an REM song it would be “Fall On Me” “I Believe” or “Get Up” or maybe “You Are The Everything” or “Half a World Away”
“Yeah, I could have included multiple Talk Talk and Crowded House songs. Both band’s entire discographies are worth owning. I would also include the following two Finn-ish gems:
Finn Brothers – Only Talking Sense
Split Enz – Message to My Girl”
I don’t have enough comment space to list all things Finn that are perfect, but I would agree with the two you mentioned here. As for Neil Finn solo: King Tide or Wherever You Are
I’m a Toad fan as well. “Windmills” is definitely one of their best.
And “Fall on Me” is my favorite REM song, though “Find the River” from Automatic for the People and “A Perfect Circle” from Murmur come close. So does “So Central Rain (I’m Sorry).”
you people are nuts.
Nightswimming is the perfect r.e.m. song.
McQ – It’s Songs in the Attic, though – Toys in the Attic is an Aerosmith album.
Smiths – I started something I couldn’t finish
(typical me, typical me) or Asleep.
“A song you consider perfect. Kulturblog” was
indeed a remarkable article and therefore I really ended up being quite glad
to locate the blog post. Many thanks,Kari