What are the best 2,020 songs ever written ?

[mussels]

The listeners of WXPN have voted (people were asked to submit a list of up to 10 songs for consideration). The station has been doing a countdown for the last several days and have published a searchable data base. As of this post they have gotten down to the final 100 (now at #71 American Pie by Don McLean),

Consistent with the Beatles love on the boneyard, they have the most songs of any group (58 with probably more to come). Of additional possible interest to yarders, the Grateful Dead has 23 so far (Warf Rat came in at 882). Also Peace Frog made the list at number 979.

Was happy to see only a single Madonna song, (Like a Prayer at 776) while Lucinda Williams has 9. David Bowie apparently loved Philly (he recorded 2 albums there) and Philly loves him back (25 songs so far)

A times article pretty much perfectly captured the absurd quirky nature of this.

 

[BParkDog]

I'll try to anticipate some posts:

1. ____________ didn't make the list? Can't take it seriously.
2. _____________ isn't in the top 100? Ridiculous.
3. _____________ is in the top 100? Ridiculous.
4. Stairway to Heaven has got to be #1.
5. Only one song by ___________? Ridiculous.
6. 12 songs by _______________? Ridiculous.
And so on.

 

[mussels]

I'll try to anticipate some posts:

1. ____________ didn't make the list? Can't take it seriously.
2. _____________ isn't in the top 100? Ridiculous.
3. _____________ is in the top 100? Ridiculous.
4. Stairway to Heaven has got to be #1.
5. Only one song by ___________? Ridiculous.
6. 12 songs by _______________? Ridiculous.
And so on.

Pretty much why it's a fun concept. Thought for sure Hotel California had to be a top five, and was surprised to see it already on the list at 77, seven spots behind James Brown's "Get Up, I feel like being a sex machine. Also you never know what's coming next. Yesterday we went from Lou Reed's Intro Sweet Jane at 209 to Judy Garland's Somewhere Over the Rainbow at 208

 

[Deuce]

Terrapin Station

 

[storrsroars]

Interesting list. Lots of songs I'd all but forgot about. Some astute deep dives, not too much crap and a lot of classics being upstaged. If they actually play that kind of freeform radio regularly, I'd be a regular listener.

 

[Ewekon]

Interesting list. Lots of songs I'd all but forgot about. Some astute deep dives, not too much crap and a lot of classics being upstaged. If they actually play that kind of freeform radio regularly, I'd be a regular listener.

Try WXRT in Chicago. On radio.com. As close to free form as commercial radio gets. Been listening for years. Yes kids, once upon a time you actually had to be in a city to hear its radio station. Lots of Chicago travel and when I went to L.A. it was KROQ. Yes kids, once upon a time there was WLIR from Long Island, to which I listened in Westport, and KROQ as the only 2 "modern rock" stations in the country.

FWIW, you can youtube a pretty cool documentary on the history of the WLIR. Worth it to children of the 80s.

 

[cullaville]

I'll try to anticipate some posts:

1. ____________ didn't make the list? Can't take it seriously.
2. _____________ isn't in the top 100? Ridiculous.
3. _____________ is in the top 100? Ridiculous.
4. Stairway to Heaven has got to be #1.
5. Only one song by ___________? Ridiculous.
6. 12 songs by _______________? Ridiculous.
And so on.

In Memory of Elizabeth Reed is not in the top 100???????????????????????

 

[cullaville]

Try WXRT in Chicago. On radio.com. As close to free form as commercial radio gets. Been listening for years. Yes kids, once upon a time you actually had to be in a city to hear its radio station. Lots of Chicago travel and when I went to L.A. it was KROQ. Yes kids, once upon a time there was WLIR from Long Island, to which I listened in Westport, and KROQ as the only 2 "modern rock" stations in the country.

FWIW, you can youtube a pretty cool documentary on the history of the WLIR. Worth it to children of the 80s.

WLIR was a great station - introduced a lot of bands to listeners. The documentary is excellent.

 

[Drame]

Terrapin Station

What is that song about?

 

[mussels]

What is that song about?

Reddit has an interesting take. Song came in at #246

 

[Deuce]

What is that song about?

Legend has it Jerry Garcia wrote the music and Robert Hunter wrote the lyrics simultaneously but separately in single sittings during an intense lightening storm in San Fran (and both while on LSD). Hunter was so excited he ran to the studio to record the lyrics only to be joined by JG who was coming in to do the same with the music to which they matched up perfectly.

No idea how much of that is actually true but I do know they only played the song live in it’s entirety one time. I also have heard it’s one of the most difficult songs to play. It’s long like 15 mins but if you do give it a listen make sure to let it play all the way thru cause it takes some wild turns.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

This is Definitely #1 on my list and in my heart.

 

[WeAreUCONN]

On a serious note. Cool change should be top 50 or higher.

 

[Irishfan]

House of the rising sun by the Animals at 364?

 

[gtcam]

if it's a Philly thing
1. Burning down the House
2. Your Cheat'n Heart
3, I predict a Riot - Kaiser Chiefs

 

[storrsroars]

Try WXRT in Chicago. On radio.com. As close to free form as commercial radio gets. Been listening for years. Yes kids, once upon a time you actually had to be in a city to hear its radio station. Lots of Chicago travel and when I went to L.A. it was KROQ. Yes kids, once upon a time there was WLIR from Long Island, to which I listened in Westport, and KROQ as the only 2 "modern rock" stations in the country.

FWIW, you can youtube a pretty cool documentary on the history of the WLIR. Worth it to children of the 80s.

I was a regular WLIR listener. At some point they too limited their playlists, or at least some hosts did, so gems like "I'm Afraid of the Russians" disappeared. Then it seemed Howard Jones and Pet Shop Boys were on every hour. But I enjoyed most of it. They had the temerity to play Bow Wow Wow's "Sexy Eiffel Towers", which was definitely R rated. I even enjoyed the goofy stuff like Toto Coelo.

As far as Radio.com goes, I actually have a car that doesn't have an aux jack (for some reason Hyundai did a deal with XM Radio and didn't install aux jacks on 2007-08 Santa Fes). I'm not in the car that much and refuse to pay for satellite.

I'll look for the LIR doc though.

 

[UCSouth]

Has Happy Birthday made the list?

 

[SubbaBub]

As good a list as any. Looking at it, it appears to favor people putting one artist's entire catalog as there submission. I see a lot of an artist's songs clustered in the same general part of the list. Also, a whole of B-sides from the more popular artists and a lot of would be hipsters going rather deep with their cuts.

Leads to some interesting anomalies: Hallelujah, listed 4 times by different artists. 18 entries from Van Morrison. I mean he was good but, really? Also favored pre-80's rock, which would be fine if this were 1990 in stead of 2020. I'm also not sure who was representing the Alternative Rock era, but they picked a lot of weird singles from the artists mentioned. I'm not sure Love Cats is in the Cure's top 10 let alone one of their best. The REM and Smiths list was also off, IMO

 

[huskiesNhoos]

My personal top 3 has remain unchanged for years
1 jessica - allman bros (yes my favorite is an instrumental)
2 fat bottomed girls - queen
3 juke box hero - foreigner

 

[Chin Diesel]

House of the rising sun by the Animals at 364?

Too high or too low?

 

[Chin Diesel]

Dire Straits
Telegraph Road in the 900 range.
Romeo and Juliet in top 70.

I would put Telegraph Road straight up against Romeo and Juliet.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Leave it to the Bruce fans to foul the list.

Sorry,not sorry, but he doesn't have 4 of the 21 best songs in rock history.

Take out any 3 of the Bruce songs and put his top song between 5-10 and I'll go with that and the rest of the top 20.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Screendoor slams
Mary’s dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch
As the radio plays


bruuuuuuuuuce

 

[mussels]

Screendoor slams
Mary’s dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch
As the radio plays


bruuuuuuuuuce

Figured that had to be top five. Ever hear the version with Bruce and Melissa Etheridge ?

 

[mussels]

Leave it to the Bruce fans to foul the list.

Sorry,not sorry, but he doesn't have 4 of the 21 best songs in rock history.

Take out any 3 of the Bruce songs and put his top song between 5-10 and I'll go with that and the rest of the top 20.

Yeah, its a list from a tiny sample which is sort of the charm of it. There were only 2400 entries with up to 10 songs from Philadelphia area radio listeners that tune into a small, if much beloved station.

That's how you get things like "Angel from Montgomery" weighing in at 15. It's a perfectly good song, and I happened to have a Bonnie Raitt album with that song when I was at UConn more than 40 years ago, but number 15 all time ?

Also how you get things like It ain't no use by New Orleans funk band The Meters. Back in the day it was played at that WXPN and enough people remember it to put it solidly in the middle of the pack at 1063. Don't think it would happen with a bigger sample.

Edit: Somehow I had forgotten that John Prine passed away this year, so the high ranking of Angel from Montgomery was a result of individual fans wanting to make sure he made the list. Apparently enough of them did to boost him all the way to 15. Another example of something that can happen with a small targeted sample that wouldn't happen if you took a survey of a couple of million.