Fantaverse Top 100 Songs of All Time (THREAD #11): The #1s

[undeadmonkey]

W

1. Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues
great song and i totally guessed it as well. I think country can be compared to beer, you have to acquire a taste for it, before you can really appreciate it. Me being one of the only ones that actually liked your country picks, your list was pretty great for me. A few of your classic rock songs didnt really interest me, but then there were a few great ones that i do like as well. glad you participated though, otherwise i would of been the only one posting country.



my absolute favorites of yours


99. Patsy Cline, Crazy
90. Janis Joplin, Me and Bobby McGee
88. The Charlie Daniels Band, The Devil Went Down to Georgia
81. Willie Nelson, Always On My Mind
80. Bob Marley and the Wailers, Three Little Birds
79. Hank Williams Jr., Family Tradition
72. Aerosmith, Dream On
39. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Fishin' in the Dark
28. The Soggy Bottom Boys, Man of Constant Sorrow
19. Johnny Cash, Hurt
7. Chuck Berry, Johnny B. Goode

ps. very interesting taste for a four year old.

[becs]

Yea... Early into Chien joining our little game in an attempt to express himself used "spleen" as a descriptor for melancholy, which apparently in the English language goes back to the days when emotion was though to be tied to bodily functions. For us the term has long since phased out, but apparently it is still present in English language conversion overseas. So, naturally ever since, we have used every opportunity to work in the word in conversation.

[undeadmonkey]

BanksIsDaFuture

#3 - Lauryn Hill – To Zion
pretty good, i liked the vocals. Zionism is actually closer to judaism than scientology.

#2 – Adele – Hometown Glory
didn't much care for this one, but i suppose i can appreciate it. I wouldn't ask to turn it off, if you know what i mean.

#1 - Kanye West – Spaceship
there must be some personal connection for you about this song. as i didn't get anything out of it, and that is from someone who likes kanye's music.

I'm sad that you left us for part of the countdown due to computer problems. As while our tastes are pretty different, i still liked listening to your picks. a lot of them were from genres that i don't necessarily hate, but of those that i don't listen to a lot. so it was interesting getting to know more about the singer/songwriter women type of musicians and the rap that i usually don't listen to.

[undeadmonkey]

becs


1. Queen feat. David Bowie - Under Pressure
to be completely honest, i don't get the appeal of this song now having listened to it a few times. I don't think it's bad or unappealing, i don't know, i guess i just don't see (hear) why it's good either. That being said, it seems like a lot of other people have their number one songs by an artist or band that they are obsessed with(not to give away my number one, but i'm sure a lot of you can guess who my #1 will be by). I'm not saying it's a bad thing, quite the opposite actually, it just goes to show that people are unique and different things, music, etc, just 'speak' to some people and to others they don't.

Your list as a whole i really enjoyed, there were some songs that i didn't like but there were a lot that i did and i also appreciate that you don't just write off any act because they are popular (ie. Pink). It's just, i know some music snobs and their rationalization is that if a band or artist are popular then they can't be good, so they view their work through that film and obviously aren't open-minded. I think as a consensus we, here on the board, are pretty open-minded (well mostly), but ,if i would have to pick, I think you are the most open-minded of all of us.



my absolute favorite of yours

104 No Doubt - Don't Speak
103 Shiny Toy Guns - We are Pilots
102 Smashing Pumpkins - 1979
96 Pink - Family Portrait
88 Heart - Alone
86 Queen - I Want to Break Free
83 Mozart - Lacrimosa
78 Muse - Undisclosed Desires
75 No Doubt - Sunday Morning
60 The Beatles - I Want to Hold Your Hand
29 Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams
27 Johnny Cash - God's Gonna Cut You Down
23 The Beatles - Let it Be
22 Aerosmith - Dream On




on your friend nathan's picks
to be honest a lot of the picks were alien to me, except for those songs that others had posted, but i listened to his top five and they are utterly amazing

5 Johnny Cash "Cocaine Blues": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq344ks1ieg
great song

4 Stevie Ray Vaughn "Texas Flood": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVjdMLAMbM0
enjoyed this one a lot

3 Wilco "Either Way": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otz5V3RnG1Q
this one kind of blew me away, and i went to download the song right away, loved the lyrics and the music and vocals just melded great together.

2 Sigur Rós "Samskeyti": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1cqn3UDmp4
at first i thought i would like the above song the best from the picks i listened to, and then i heard this song, it blew me up up and away. (sorry for the cheesy line:)) but i wanted the whole album after hearing this song, not just the single song, and i will definitely look these guys up

1 Bon Iver "Skinny Love": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrMmr1oMPGA[/quote]
also loved this song, not as much as the two above, but still loved it.

[undeadmonkey]

PS, did anybody else have a Sigur Ros song on their list? because i don't remember, anybody know anything about them? as I really want to know where i should start.

[numbersix]

Yeah I had Ny Batteri as my number 46 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNWJ7lbshzQ). My favourite album of theirs is call ( ) How's that for obscure album title? I also think Agaetis Byrjun is an excellent album, and I know Chien will agree. Favourite other songs are Njósnavélin (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWQ1NbLA ... re=related) and Gong (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PivyJUU3k3w).

[Shrykespeare]

becs,

Your list was easily my favorite. Your entire list fell just a few points shy of averaging 7.0, which says a lot.

We had two overlaps. The first was "Monkey Wrench" by Foo Fighters, and the second will have to remain a secret for a few more days. (Wink.)

Other songs of yours that ranked a 10/10 for me:

Elton John, "Someone Saved My Life Tonight"
Men at Work, "Overkill"
Peter Schilling, "Major Tom"

I was also enjoyed various songs by Weezer, John Lennon, Queen, The Cranberries, Live, Garbage, The Ramones and Ace of Base.

Unbelievably, out of 100 songs, there were only FIVE that I ranked at 4/10 or lower, and two of those were by MCR. It seems you are my musical soulmate, although I think I liked your list slightly more than you liked mine.


I can only imaging what Six's #1 is going to be.

[Chienfantome]

UDM, yes, as Six pointed out, I'm a fan of Sigur Ros too, and as a matter of fact, my favourite album of theirs is, like Six, the mysteriously titled ( )
AS for songs, my favourites are "Inní mér syngur vitleysingur", which was in my Top Ten, "Staralfur", and "Vaka".

[Chienfantome]

Donte

I'm glad you like so many of the same songs as I do, and I do know you prefer Iron & Wine's version of "Such Great Heights" (although I still can't figure out why )
As becs pointed out, I am the one responsible for bringing the whole "spleen" gimmick in this thread... In fact I am now trying to rehabilitate the word "spleen" in the english language through all of you guys, my english speaking friends from all around the world ! I mean, rehabilitate it as a synonym for "melancholy", and not the common english sense. I am sure you, Don, the master of the wordyou are, will appreciate the rehabilitation of an old signification. Back me up buddy, and spread the word

[Shrykespeare]

And after "spleen", I want to try to bring back the word "cockamamie".

[becs]

Donte

I'm glad you like so many of the same songs as I do, and I do know you prefer Iron & Wine's version of "Such Great Heights" (although I still can't figure out why )

FYI The Nathan introduced me to both this band and song, love it, so kind of thought it was the original.

[numbersix]

#6'S TOP 105 - 2

105. Songs Ohia, The Body Burns Away
104. The Rolling Stones, Gimmie Shelter
103. Duran Duran, Save a Prayer
102 . Samuel Barber, Adagio for Strings
101 .Blur, The Universal

100. Super Furry Animals, Run Christian Run
99. The Guess Who, Shakin' All Over
98. Leonard Cohen, Chelsea Hotel
97. Liquid Liquid, Cavern
96. Ryan Adams, Come Pick Me Up
95. Phil Lynott, Old Town
94. Sun Kil Moon, Blue Orchids
93. Pixies, Velouria
92. Talking Heads, Road to Nowhere
91. Boards of Canada, Music is Math
90. Nirvana, Dumb
89. Bill Withers, Aint No Sunshine
88. Johnny Cash, Folsom Prison Blues
87. Spiritualized, I Didn't Mean to Hurt You
86. Squarepusher, My Sound
85. Godspeed You Black Emperor, Blaise Bailey Finnegan III
84. Miles Davis, Freddie Freeloader
83. PJ Harvey, Angelene
82. Radiohead, The Tourist
81. !!!, There's No Fucking Rules, Dude

80. Modest Mouse, Dramamine
79. Liars, There's Always Room on the Broom
78. Neil Young, Old Man
77. LCD Soundsystem, All My Friends
76. Low, Little Argument With Myself
75. The Smiths, Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
74. Nick Drake, River Man
73. Bruce Springsteen, Badlands
72. The White Stripes, Fell in Love With a Girl
71. Bjork, Hyperballad
70. Pigbag, Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag
69. Patti Smith, Because the Night
68. The Flamingos, I Only Have Eyes For You
67. Bob Dylan, Shelter From the Storm
66. Tom Waits, Earth Died Screaming
65. Gang of Four, Ether
64. Red House Painters, Drop
63. Leftfield, Dusted
62. Talking Heads, This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)
61. Joy Division, Twenty Four Hours

60. Nina Simone, Please Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
59. Devo, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction
58. DJ Shadow, High Noon
57. The Velvet Underground, Sweet Jane
56. Kate Bush, Running Up That Hill
55. The Fall, Totally Wired
54. Interpol, Hands Away
53. The Rapture, House of Jealous Lovers
52. Pulp, This is Hardcore
51. Rolling Stones, Wild Horses
50. Link Wray, Rumble
49. James Brown, The Payback
48. David Bowie, Ashes to Ashes
47. Animal Collective, My Girls
46. Sigur Ros, Ny Batteri
45. Captain Beefheart, Ice Cream For Crow
44. Grandmaster Flash & Furious Five, The Message
43. Johnny Cash, Hurt
42. Mission of Burma, Trem 2
41. The Smiths, I Know It's Over

40. Explosions in the Sky, The Moon is Down
39. Nina Simone, Wild is the Wind
38. Marvin Gaye, I Heard It Through the Grapevine
37. The Pop Group, We Are All Prostitutes
36. Bruce Springsteen, I'm On Fire
35. Radiohead, Pyramid Song
34. Black Sabbath, Paranoid
33. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Maps
32. Television, Marquee Moon
31. Elliott Smith, Needle in the Hay
30. The Rapture, Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks
29. Sun Kil Moon, Duk Koo Kim
28. Mogwai, Christmas Steps
27. The Rolling Stones, Paint It Black
26. The Stooges, 1970
25. Jeff Buckley, Hallelujah
24. New Order, Blue Monday
23. The Ramones, Blitzkrieg Bop
22. Bonnie Prince Billy, I See a Darkness
21. Nick Cave, Are You the One I've Been Waiting For?

20. The Beach Boys, God Only Knows
19. Radiohead, Idioteque
18. Battles , Atlas
17. Sufjan Stevens, Casimir Pulaski Day
16. Henryk Gorecki, Olden Style Piece #3
15. The Velvet Underground, Venus in Furs
14. Bob Dylan, Ballad of a Thin Man
13. Sonic Youth, Cross the Breeze
12. Joy Division, Love Will Tear Us Apart
11. Stiff Little Fingers, Suspect Device
10. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, The Mercy Seat
9. A Silver Mount Zion, 13 Angels Standing Guard 'round the Side of Your Bed
8. Aphex Twin, Windowlicker
7. Sam Cooke, A Change is Gonna Come
6. Talking Heads, Once in a Lifetime
5. Tom Waits, Blue Valentines
4. Leonard Cohen, Famous Blue Raincoat
3. The Clash, London Calling
2. Joy Division, Transmission

[numbersix]

Number One, by Number Six



Firstly, I want to thank Shryke once again for this idea. Rarely has something kept me so obsessively hooked for over three months of my life! When you proposed this, I was initially wary but that over-developed listing part of my brain went into overdrive and before I knew it I had about 150 songs to pare down. Some would easily make my Top 105; others depended on my mood of the day. But it was something I had to do. And it was great to see how my choices intersected and diverged with others, not to mention having the opportunity to find new music, and dedicate time to music I either dismissed or just needed the right prod to really get into. Plus, I spent a lot of time thinking about music, as opposed to just listening to it. Hell, I’ve clocked up over 10,000 words on my write-ups on each song and god knows how many more on responses. That’s a minor thesis in music! Anyway, Shryke, I tip my hat and raise my proverbial pint to you for making this one of the best online experiences of my life. Cheers.

Before I explain a musical choice that may baffle, upset and (hopefully) delight some of you, firstly I need to acknowledge those that didn’t make it. Not because they’re not good enough, but because I made my list on the wrong day, or the songs were a tad too recent to be 100% sure, or for other factors completely. So, some acts I didn’t post but deserve mentioning are:

Smokey Robinson, The Smashing Pumpkins, The National, Bloc Party, The Beatles, Can, Massive Attack, Tricky, Cat Power, The Cure, dEUS, Van Morrison, Dirty Three, Fugazi, Galaxie 500, Grizzly Bear, Manic Street Preachers, Michael Nyman, Pere Ubu, Primal Scream, PIL, Sleater Kinney, The Strokes, Tim Buckley, Wilco, Joanna Newsom.

And now, my Number 1…

Arvo Part
“Fratres” (1977)

I’m sure many of you will go “whaaaaa? Who is this guy”? I discovered Arvo Part in college, when a late-night radio DJ played the tender Spiegel im Spiegel. I decided to explore classical music a bit, and for the most part I found it extravagant and very, very difficult to find an emotional connection. However, Part was an exception. His music is minimal, allowing for space so that we can grasp the music, and moves in the most beautiful ways.

His music has appeared in movies, but not much. The most notable examples are Fahrenheit 9/11 (when it shows the planes hitting the twin towers), Winter Sleepers, Dead Man’s Shoes (the reveal scene), The Insider, and of course the sequence where the boy is caught up in the explosion in There Will Be Blood. The latter example contains Fratres, but I think it uses the full orchestra version, where I much prefer this version, using only violin and piano.

Whenever I’m in the mood for music but not a specific act, often I’ll find myself being attached to a particular instrument. Sometimes I want to listen to songs with particularly good drumming, sometimes I want to listen to songs with outstanding vocals, etc. I’m sure if I went through my Top 100 a lot of them would fit into that particular listening habit. And this song, well it’s pretty obvious that it makes me want to know how to play a violin (the piano basically provides the rhythm). It’s so distinct, so nuanced, it’s the pinnacle of violin-playing as far as I’m concerned.

Even though I try, it’s hard for me to pin down exactly why I love this song so much. It works on several levels for me. At times it can be relaxing, at other times it can be intense. At times profound and complex, at others simple. For me music is the most direct expression of feelings and moods, and the versatility of this song makes it so accessible to me across so many moods, even though it’s from a genre of music I normally am immune to. It sends me into strange, inspiring dream-worlds, and does so on every occasion without fail; the key quality of a great song. But most importantly, I can’t explain why I love it so much. Everything I say here is after the fact. And that’s what makes it so great. I can analyse film and prose all day long, as it has a structure that’s easy to read and pull apart. But with music, I don’t have those skills. I don’t want them. I want it to be pure, unconscious, a gut feeling. And so I present to you…





Thanks y’all for participating. It’s been an addictive 100+ days (so much so that I ended up rising almost an hour earlier each morning to allow time to listen to every song), and it made me know you that little bit better. Let’s keep the music coming from now on. I’d like to start a thread for found sounds and a thread for new music, so we can keep sharing and moaning about each other’s tastes!

One last addition is my partner, Joana’s, favourite song. It’s actually very appropriate as for a while we did the whole long distance thing, and besides chatting on dodgy internet connections and regular emails and text, one of the ways we communicated was through mix tapes. This song featured on her first tape to me, so I treasure it dearly, especially since I grew to love the band.

Low, “Secret Name” (1999)

[Shrykespeare]

My dear Eoin,

You are quite welcome, of course. I was a little dubious whether I would like your list at all when you started off with Super Furry Animals, The Guess Who and Leonard Cohen's "Chelsea Hotel", none of which I liked. But things eventually picked up, and your list eventually ended up averaging a 5.86, which isn't too too bad.

There was very little that I LOVED on your list, but there was a lot that I liked. My favorites were:

New Order, "Blue Monday" (of course)
The Ramones, "Blitzkrieg Bop"
Marvin Gaye, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
Talking Heads, "Naive Melody (This Must Be the Place)" - I've listened to this song about 100 times since it appeared for the first time
Talking Heads, "Road to Nowhere"
Kate Bush, "Running Up That Hill"

And my favorite "new to me" stuff:

Boards of Canada, "Music is Math"
Leftfield, "Dusted"
Spiritualized, "I Didn't Mean to Hurt You"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Maps"
Squarepusher, "My Sound"
Interpol, "Hands Away"
Animal Collective, "My Girls"
Sun Kil Moon, "Blue Orchids"

I also very much liked your #1 song. Very pleasant. Excellent choice.


UDM is next.

[becs]

Well first off, Happy Birthday man!

Secondly, this is definitely the biggest surprise for a #1 so far. Extremely unexpected. As with most of your other songs, i really enjoyed it, though I never would have put 2 & 2 together to link it to those movies, though I did love the TWBB scene you are talking about and even remember loving the music. I'm not sure I can really narrow down the ones I liked as there were so many, but the two that really stood out for me on your list that I can think of right now are:
101. Blur, The Universal
85. Godspeed You Black Emperor, Blaise Bailey Finnegan III