The Kulturblog Kultural Literacy Outreach Project (The KKLOP)
Ok, in honor of B. Russ, and all the other musically illiterate youngsters out there, we are creating a list of songs (and later maybe other stuff) that all persons of majority age must without any doubt whatsoever have experienced in order to call themselves a normal functioning human living in the 21st century. I’m going to start the list off and then you guys need to make your nominations. The final list will be voted on and then enshrined in the Kulturblog Hall of Fame (KHOF).
The list will begin with the song B.Russ had inexplicably never heard before:
The Kinks – Lola
Feel free to add your nominations, and if you have admin priviliges, add the videos thereof. Have fun, and remember, you may be saving the future of our civilization. Thank you for your contribution to the educational well-being of our world.
Posted on November 23, 2010, in Pop Culture. Bookmark the permalink. 37 Comments.
Steve Evans
RJH
Scott B.
John C.
Susan M
Aaron Brown
ninemoons
arandomjohn
kulturblogadmin
Kyle M
Brad
KulturBlogGuest
MCQ
Wm
Rebecca
Ivan
Geoff J
btdgreg
Clark Goble
Aaron R.
Tim J
Ben
Emitt Rhodes – With My Face On the Floor
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4TIK9K06CQ&fs=1&hl=en_US
This is pretty obscure, so it will be new for most of you, but hopefully one listen will confirm that it shouldn’t be. The reasons for its failure are the same old tired show business ugliness, so let’s concentrate on the song’s greatness.
My head nearly exploded when he said he had never heard Lola…
WTF, he never heard Lola?!
I mean, next he’ll say he never heard Rock the Casbah.
I’m not sure you’re getting the point of this project, Brian V, although I do like that song.
I’ll keep the nominations rolling with a few classics:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9IfHDi-2EA&fs=1&hl=en_USIf you don’t know this next one, you won’t get the jokes in Back To The Future:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8JULmUlGDA&fs=1&hl=en_US[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUWMSVDPdGQ&fs=1&hl=en_US[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvL0pXXAO4A&fs=1&hl=en_US[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_47srXWv6zo&fs=1&hl=en_US[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCUeia-nEio&fs=1&hl=en_US[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBP3nq0OtZE&fs=1&hl=en_US[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QCZ_bv9aLc&fs=1&hl=en_US[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2WWw7nMhw4&fs=1&hl=en_USIt seemed pretty clear from your intro that it’s about introducing people to great songs they may not have heard before and, in so doing, attempting to create a sort of subjective musical canon. Did I misunderstand?
No, I think that’s it, but if the songs we nominate for this canon are too obscure, then it doesn’t really serve the purpose of being a kultural touchstone, you dig?
This almost feels insulting, but
Or how about
Herman’s Hermits?
This is my last one, or else I’ll do this all day, but if this pair on any song doesn’t move you, you’ve no soul
Here’s a bunch that came to mind … there are so many.
Bill Haley and the Comets – “Rock Around the Clock”
Jerry Lee Lewis – “Great Balls of Fire”
Buddy Holly and the Crickets – “That’ll Be The Day”
Little Richard – “Tutti Frutti”
Elvis Presley – “Jailhouse Rock”
Ray Charles – “Georgia On My Mind”
James Brown – “I Feel Good”
Sam Cooke – “Wonderful World”
B.B. King – “The Thrill Is Gone”
The Beatles – “Yesterday”
The Who – “My Generation”
Jimi Hendrix – “Purple Haze”
Jackson Five – “ABC”
Pink Floyd – “Another Brick in the Wall, part 2“
Patti Smith’s version of Gloria should be a must-listen for anyone who has only heard Van the Man’s (still excellent) version:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL2I1krvhIE&fs=1&hl=en_US
Alright Alright, thank you all for sufficiently kicking me while I’m down.
For the record: I have heard every song posted (except #1) so far. I’m not a musical illiterate, I was just never into the British Invasion and had avoided the Kinks.
And if you all aren’t put out by me adding some:
Jimi Hendrix – All along the Watchtower (instead of Purple Haze, IMO)
Pink Floyd – Comfortably Numb (Instead of Brick, IMO)
Janis Joplin – Piece of my Heart
Metallica – One
REM – Losing My Religion
Pearl Jam – Jeremy
And of course
Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven
Unless of course a song has to be 50 years old to be part of a classic rock canon . . .
B.Russ, this is not meant to be insulting to you personally. It’s just a shock to think that there are some great classics that people may have reached adulthood without hearing and an attempt to identify what other songs would be on the list of things we would want everyone to know about.
Nah, I’m taking it in good humor in all honesty. Its not a bad list to get together.
Maybe he was just more familiar with the legendary Alfred Matthew Yankovic version?
Everyone needs the Ramones.
I Wanna Be Sedated
Blitzkrieg Bop
Hmm, my embeds didn’t work in the last comment.
Everyone also needs the Clash
Rock the Casbah
London Calling
Peter Gabriel
Sledgehammer, Big Time and In Your Eyes from this album. http://www.amazon.com/So-Peter-Gabriel/dp/B000000OPU
A few months ago, a local radio station played one of those “Top 500 of all time” countdowns. During a slow day at work, I reordered the list according to “essentialness”–basically the concept I think MCQ is trying to capture here. (Did I say something about not identifying myself as a dork on some other thread? Oh, well. And I actually gave up after I got through 123.)
Anyway, Lola only came in 68th. The list of the 67 higher-ranking songs is too long to post here, but I’ll provide the top 10 (without identifying the group, since you undoubtedly know them already.)
1. Stairway to Heaven (agreeing with the radio station)
2. Won’t Get Fooled Again
3. Born to be Wild
4. Imagine
5. Light My Fire
6. Yesterday
7. Layla
8. Satisfaction
9. Nights in White Satin
10. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes
Much to my chagrin (seriously), Emitt Rhodes did not make the list.
Darin H, that’s a good point. Any song that has been parodied by Weird Al must by definition have entered the pop consciousness enough to be included in this list, right?
Here’s a list of songs that have been parodied by Weird Al. (On second thought some of them don’t seem that indispensible):
“Achy Breaky Heart” by Billy Ray Cyrus
“Addicted to Love” by Robert Palmer
“Mony Mony” as performed by Billy Idol, originally by Tommy James & the Shondells
“Gangsta’s Paradise” by Coolio.
“Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen.
“Under the Bridge” and “Give It Away” by Red Hot Chili Peppers;
“Subterranean Homesick Blues” by Bob Dylan
“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen.
“The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats.
“Jack & Diane” by John Mellencamp.
“Buffalo Soldier” by Bob Marley
“Lithium” and “Come as You Are” by Nirvana,
“American Idiot” by Green Day
“Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” by U2,
“Complicated” by Avril Lavigne
“Confessions Part II” by Usher
“Lose Yourself” by Eminem
“Do I Make You Proud” by Taylor Hicks
“Beat It” by Michael Jackson
“I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys
“Bad” by Michael Jackson.
“(Don’t Go Back to) Rockville,” by REM
“Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper
“Zoot Suit Riot” by Cherry Poppin’ Daddies
“Lump” by The Presidents of the United States of America.
“Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm” by Crash Test Dummies.
“U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer
“I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” as performed by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, originally by The Arrows
“I Think We’re Alone Now” as performed by Tiffany, originally by Tommy James & the Shondells
“I Want a New Drug” by Huey Lewis and the News
“Wild Thing” by Tone Loc.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana
“It’s All about the Benjamins” by Puff Daddy
“One Week” by the Barenaked Ladies
“MacArthur Park” as performed by Richard Harris (written by Jimmy Webb).
“King of Pain” by The Police
“La Bamba”, traditional Mexican folk song, as performed by Los Lobos (based on a version of the song recorded by Ritchie Valens).
“I Wanna Be Your Dog” by Iggy Pop/The Stooges.
“Like a Virgin” by Madonna.
“Livin’ on the Edge” by Aerosmith
“Living in America” by James Brown.
“Money for Nothing” by Dire Straits;
“My Sharona” by The Knack
“Piano Man” by Billy Joel.
“God Only Knows” and “Good Vibrations” by the Beach Boys
“Waterfalls” by TLC.
Last Lemming, I would like to see more of that list.
The problem with lists like this is that you have to put the terribly obvious songs on it, and sometimes you are so sick of the terribly obvious songs that you can’t stand them any more and don’t want to include them.
For example, I know intellectually that Stairway to Heaven is a very important and popular song, but I literally cannot stand to listen to it anymore and would be perfectly happy if I never heard it even mentioned again.
LL – the problem I would have with your list, if you present it as anything other than _your_ favorite/best/most essential list, is that all of the songs you listed came out between 1965 and 1971 (at least half being in the year 1971 itself). While I concede that was an amazing time in music, and the rock genre was forever changed due to the songs that came from that era, I cannot possibly believe that in 60 years of history, all ten of the most essential songs would come from a 6 year span.
I think all of your songs are great/vital, but labeling them as _the_ top ten most essential betrays a huge bias.
MCQ – you’re on to something, Weird Al’s list is pretty exhaustive and mostly spot on. (although I think there are some completely dispensible songs on there like Achy Breaky and the Taylor Hicks song . . . )
Well, there are two different biases at work in my list: the radio station’s (nothing before 1965 and only a smattering of stuff from the 80s) and my own (1969, when I started listening to the radio, through 1976, when I left on my mission). So I’m not the final word. But that does not disqualify any song I listed; it only reminds us that it is not exhaustive of the era.
Expanding things to the pre-65 and post-71 eras, I would suggest the following (many already mentioned):
Johnny B. Goode
Don’t Be Cruel
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
The Twist
Under the Boardwalk
Surfin’ USA
Aqualung
Sultans of Swing
Pride (In the Name of Love)
Every Breath You Take
Another Brick in the Wall
Rhiannon (holds nose)
MCQ–
How much more of the list do you want to see? I can give you all 123 songs I’ve ranked (or all 500 that the radio station ranked), but it will have to wait until Monday.
All 123. Screw the rest of the 500. I want to see what you ranked as “essential.” Cuz that’s what this thread is all about.
I love you for trying to reorder the list, LL.
I had lunch with Supergenius today and he said, “Can you believe that guy had never heard Lola?”
I said, “Well, he’s young. You’d be amazed at the stuff my kids don’t know.”
I meant, since you know, they’re my kids. You’d think they’d know everything under the sun. My oldest asked me about a year ago for a list of classic bands he should be familiar with, but I don’t know if he ever raided my hard drive to check them out.
Does ‘essentialness’ here mean necessary to a complete understanding of the rest of our culture? Like intertextuality? If so, let me add a few from a genre barely mentioned so far.
George Jones, He Stopped Loving Her Today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYQViYm92hg
The Carpenters – Rainy Days and Mondays. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPmbT5XC-q0&feature=fvsr
Glen Campbell – Wichita Lineman / Galveston
I think if Dwight Yoakam covered a song, it’s a good one, but my favorite of his is Guitars and Cadillacs – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4foq4HcQdpg
Skynyrd – Gimme Three Steps – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep7dp1HgZnw
Johnny Cash – A Boy Named Sue (can’t find the version I like best) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIMgEEASoWQ
You have to actually play it for them, Susan. My kids listen to old music because every once in a while I tie them to a chair and force them to listen to it. They usually end up hearing something they like. My 14 yr old daughter just discovered she likes Boston.
I don’t know about all time important songs, but the two songs I never want to hear played in a goth / industrial club again are
2. I Am Woman – Helen Reddy and
1. Aye Calypso – John Denver
on the subject at hand …
1. Walking on the Moon – the Police
2. Into the Mystic – Van Morrison
3. Suzanne – Leonard Cohen
4. Love, Reign O’er Me – Who, the (Quadrophenia, the movie, is also essential watching)
5. White Light / White Heat – Velvet Underground
“the two songs I never want to hear played in a goth / industrial club again are”
Again?
I suppose not.
For those who are still interested, here are the remaining songs that I ranked ahead of Lola. Keep in mind that if the radio station didn’t rank it in their top 500, I ignored it (hence, no Nirvana). Also, this bears little resemblance to a list of my favorite songs, although I undoubtedly let my biases show, as has already been pointed out.
11 Somebody To Love
12 Born To Run
13 China Grove
14 25 or 6 to 4
15 Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen
16 Let It Be
17 Every Breath You Take
18 Bohemian Rhapsody
19 Baba O’ Riley
20 Hey Jude
21 House of the Rising Sun
22 White Rabbit
23 Gimme Shelter
24 Magic Carpet Ride
25 Get Together
26 Sultans Of Swing
27 Born in the USA
28 Hotel California
29 We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions
30 Free Bird
31 You Really Got Me
32 Pride (In The Name of Love)
33 Purple Haze
34 Don’t Stop Believing
35 (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
36 American Woman
37 Maggie May
38 Rhiannon
39 Sunshine Of Your Love
40 Like A Rolling Stone
41 Reeling In The Years
42 American Pie
43 Brass In Pocket
44 Smoke On The Water
45 Radar Love
46 All Right Now
47 Rock On
48 Something
49 Edge Of Seventeen
50 Dream On
51 Sweet Home Alabama
52 Comfortably Numb
53 A Whiter Shade of Pale
54 Sympathy for the Devil
55 Sgt. Pepper’s/A Day in the Life
56 White Room
57 Spirit in the Sky
58 With Or Without You
59 You’ve Got A Friend
60 Stuck In The Middle With You
61 Who Are You
62 Happiest Days…/Another Brick in the Wall II
63 For What It’s Worth
64 More Than A Feeling
65 Proud Mary
66 Moondance
67 Don’t Stop Believing
Whoops. 67 should be Don’t Stop Thinkin’ About Tomorrow.
I’ve submitted #s 69-123 twice, but they are apparently getting caught in the spam filter (I wonder why). Only release the first one, please.