As a Californian, “I was so close to, personal growth so California here I come” is a fantastic lyric.
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In 3rd place, scoring 13 points, Lawnmower_Man with Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits
Yes, I KNOW. I know this is a super well known, mainstream song to be on the podium. The thing is, even after I applied a penalty for that, it’s still here. Just how the category worked out. In the world of not much new I really love, the classic song is king.
I like this as a category fit, it has the same effect on me. It’s got a quiet, contemplative feel to it that always induces the same mood in me. It stood out in a category where people were generally going for either uplifting or depressing; this is neither.
Both of the final two songs were full-on blasts of happiness.
In 2nd place, scoring 14 points, microbet with Sugar Magnolia by The Grateful Dead
My Grateful Dead knowledge is shallow and I don’t remember hearing this one before; I wasn’t expecting something quite so sunny, this was such a good time. Like the vocal harmonies. Put a smile on my face. Speaking of which…
In first place, scoring 15 points, suzzer99 with O-o-h Child by The Five Stairsteps
I know this should probably eat an obviousness penalty as well, but against that, I warned people against RNB and disco in the signup thread, so even though I’m fine with soul, this should probably have looked like a dangerous submission (and suzzer actually apologized for the genre in his submission). I’ve heard this a couple times before, but couldn’t have told you what it was called. I’m sure there are some ITT who have heard it a million times, but I’m equally sure they’ll agree it’s a stone cold classic. Uplifting and relaxing all at once, it hasn’t failed to put me in a good mood yet. Killer track.
Obviousness is something I’ve struggled with this walrus. It’s a particularly hard criterion to apply to things that are obvious within their genre but don’t get wide mainstream radio airplay or anything, which probably describes the last two winners. It’s probably better to just ditch the pretence at objectivity and accept that what is “obvious” is always going to be largely subjective. Anyway, with most of this category not lighting my world on fire, I’m ok with what is probably a fairly well-known podium.
I never would have guessed that I’d do well on this one.
So, what you’re saying is that R&B is a big blindspot for you? “O-o-h Child” was a top ten hit that made it on Rolling Stone’s list of the top 500 songs.
I always think of this SNL skit when I hear that song.
I included only one track on my submission that made the Billboard Top 40 (“Jessie” by Joshua Kadison, which was already revealed). I was a bit reluctant because it charted, but I included to because it was personally meaningful to me and because I have only met one person who recognized it.
Half me, half the cultural milieu maybe? It’s really hard for me to tell. Like maybe that song is a mainstream radio staple in the US, I have no idea. It definitely isn’t here. “R&B” is not even a term used for that here by the way, that strictly means later urban styles like Destiny’s Child, Usher etc. The representation of black music here has been quite different because we had no local black population. There are a handful of soul songs with mainstream popularity but much of it never really penetrated mainstream consciousness. Likewise, there’s a classic hip hop track submitted for category 8 (hi Johnny!) but it’ll be WesleyC’s first time hearing it, because he doesn’t listen to the genre and you didn’t pick that stuff up by osmosis in the 90’s the way I assume you did in the US.
Part of my struggles with obviousness relate to this cultural gap, this was brought home to me the other day in the Let’s fight about artists with one clear best song thread, when suzzer suggested that the “iconic” Elton John song was Bennie and the Jets. That song never charted in Australia and gets zero radio rotation, I would assume that most people under 40 here don’t even know it, whereas I could rattle off like 10 Elton John songs that everyone would reliably know.
So like with O-o-h Child, I put the song on, am like “oh yeah this sounds familiar, I’ve heard this before I think” then I google and find out it’s some sort of classic. I saw before doing the placings that it was in the top 500, etc. So then I just don’t know if it’s me or the culture, because I don’t know why I don’t know things, if you follow. It’s also hard to even tell if (in the US) it’s something like Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back”, which is still thrashed here on radio and in clubs on a daily basis, or more has the status of a forgotten classic.
In before WesleyC rolls into the thread and is like “you moron, everyone knows that song”.
It’s kind of like I Want You Back in that both are on GotG Awesome Mix Tape Vol. 1.
I had to learn the music of the 60s and 70s through research rather than osmosis. I tend to be shaky on recognizing songs of the classic rock canon that didn’t top the charts.
Are you sure Bennie and the Jets never charted in Australia? What reference did you check?
lol
One of the few real pioneers in modern music. I guess I should’ve picked more 4/4 verse chorus middle eight songs to suit the music by numbers crowd.
Category 4: A song with the capability to shift your mood when it comes on.
No one said it had to be an uplifting, sunny song. Oh well.
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I’m British. I remember ages ago I went to an 80s night in a club in the States while visiting some friends. It was strange, it was (to me) about 80% obvious 80s classics but then the rest were songs I’d only vaguely or never heard. I remember thinking it was like some sci fi where you discover your tinkering with time has had some subtle effects after all.
Here. It didn’t get an A-side release. It was released as the B-side to Candle In The Wind (see here), which is a big track here with a bunch of radio airplay. That charted #5. Bennie and the Jets wasn’t and still isn’t a big track outside North America. It charted #37 in the UK, where Rocket Man for example had charted #2 a few years earlier.
Whole EJ argument is moot as Yellow Brick Road, Saturdsy Night and Rocket Man are alli much better songs anyway but yeah different songs were released as singles in different countries all throughout my youth. I mean the first Clash LP even had totally different tracks in the US. I had to get a Zeppelin single by mail order from the US because it wasn’t even released in any format in Britain. No shit.
I’ve just browsed reviews of the first 3 Eno albums and universal acclaim doesn’t go quite far enough. In hindsight maybe I should have picked an Eno song for each category here to bring him to peoples attention.
No Eno, no Berlin Bowie, no Talking Heads.
I ran into the opposite problem last walrus btw where someone submitted Elliott Smith’s “Waltz #2”, which was played ad nauseum on alternative stations here for a while (you could fairly describe him as a one hit wonder for that track), and I was like “lol, obvious much” and then it turned out it hadn’t been a notable track anywhere else.
I did see that, but Skyline Pigeon was a B-side and it seems to be significantly more popular outside the US, where I don’t think it would register as one of Elton John’s top 20 songs and I have never heard it on the radio. Also, Tiny Dancer seems to have been the B-side to Rocket Man in Australia and you cited it as one of his iconic songs. A short search didn’t find me any details on whether those were considered B-sides or double A-sides.
I defer to your actually being in Australia and accept that it doesn’t get radio play there.
Tiny Dancer/Rocket Man was a double-A, I’m pretty sure. Tiny Dancer was definitely an A on it, anyway. The discography article lists Tiny Dancer as the A, and the song Wiki says:
It was also a hit in Australia, peaking at #13. Eventually, the song slowly became one of John’s most popular songs even in the territories that initially failed to embrace it, and the full-length version is now a fixture on North American, UK and Australian adult contemporary and rock radio stations.
Or idk to be honest, maybe it was the B and the wiki is wrong. There are Elton songs that charted and you’ll never hear on the radio (e.g. Philadelphia Freedom) so charts probably not a great guide anyway. As far as I’m aware Bennie has never been a thing here though.
If there was an Australian forum where fans would be discussing his upcoming final tour of Australia, that might be a place to find out. In the age of listicles, maybe some Australian website will come up with their ranking of his top ten songs to celebrate/promote the tour.
Don’t like or don’t know one Elton John song? Simply make another one.
I do feel a bit embarrassed about my song getting 4 when Eno was last, to my ears at least they seem to be doing more-or-less the same thing. Not sure Eno is a one-track-out-of-context kinda guy, but once that one gets going it’s just a gorgeous tune, isn’t it?
Also, on “O-o-h Child”, my Mum is a big fan of late 60s, 70s Soul and R’n’B’ so I heard loads as a kid and thought I knew most of the hits. I’m not certain I’ve heard that before which surprised me, but if a UK charts database I just tried is accurate it never charted in the UK. Not 100% I believe that given the UK was a big fan of that kind of thing at the time, but when I searched for other stuff I knew would be in there it seemed to imply my searches would have found it if it existed. Maybe it was just a big hit in the US?
Sounds right, I think it was an early soul tune? Before it crossed the pond. I’m not anti Eno in general, I know I’ve enjoyed him before, but that song in particular, I don’t get it.
Maybe obvious, but no reveal today, I pretty much haven’t started listening to Cat 5 yet. Maybe not tomorrow either, I’ll see what I can get through. Ideally I’d like more time, but I know from contestant experience that quicker is better.
Is that a typo? I only submitted 7 songs.