Getcha passports ready - the middle-aged dummies are going to the British Isles! Top 31 song countdown. (11 Viewers)

[titusbramble]

Not sure if this is a good or interesting metric but I’m curious which artists had the highest points per song average and points per selection average.

A quick glance maybe The Cranberries for the former with 170 points but only 3 songs. No clue on the other - maybe The Smiths?

I can't remember if I put my Cranberries track in the last five out or in my longer playlist, but if we extended the lists I would have harmed their ranking

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Mrs. Eephus:

Love Like Blood - Killing Joke
(new artist)

Great song.

 

[KarmaPolice]

I didn’t have Radiohead on my list because they weren’t top of mind. And they haven’t been for a while. In Rainbows and its successors don’t interest me as much as their earlier stuff.

But I did put Knives Out in my last 5 out. I took it in the Desert Island Draft I did on another board a while ago.

Interesting. One thing that I noted when attempting my 36/31 was how much I found I like that era. On any given day In Rainbows could be my favorite of their albums if you asked me.

 

[titusbramble]

I didn’t have Radiohead on my list because they weren’t top of mind. And they haven’t been for a while. In Rainbows and its successors don’t interest me as much as their earlier stuff.

But I did put Knives Out in my last 5 out. I took it in the Desert Island Draft I did on another board a while ago.

Interesting. One thing that I noted when attempting my 36/31 was how much I found I like that era. On any given day In Rainbows could be my favorite of their albums if you asked me.

To be honest with a lot of how media has changed, I've not listened to "albums" full stop in ages. I did purchase In Rainbows, but can't immediately recall anything off it despite Radiohead being my favourite band, while at the same time I took a bus into town to buy Kid A on the day of release so I do have a copy with the secret booklet included underneath the CD tray

 

[titusbramble]

Yep, just checking, the last album I bought that wasn't anything that was by an incredibly local artist that I'm supporting out of general principle was Event 2 by Deltron 3030, which will be ten years old later this year and was bought more or less on release

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Mrs. Eephus:

Love Like Blood - Killing Joke
(new artist)

Great song.

BTW, watch for Charlie Watts at the ten second mark.

Killing Joke - Love Like Blood (Official Video)

Official video of Killing Joke performing Love Like Blood from the album No Way Out But Forward Go. Buy It Here: http://smarturl.it/cgqcjm Like Killing Joke...

m.youtube.com

 

[titusbramble]

Mrs. Eephus:

Love Like Blood - Killing Joke
(new artist)

Great song.

Killing Joke's the favourite band of one of the regulars in our weekly poker game, but I've not really listened to much of theirs despite it being in the range of what I should like. Will have a listen soon

 

[simey]

I like everything in round #2. My favorite new song (as in not a repeat) in this round is Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You.

My favorite new to me song is Love Like Blood.

 

[Hov34]

I didn’t have Radiohead on my list because they weren’t top of mind. And they haven’t been for a while. In Rainbows and its successors don’t interest me as much as their earlier stuff.

But I did put Knives Out in my last 5 out. I took it in the Desert Island Draft I did on another board a while ago.

Interesting. One thing that I noted when attempting my 36/31 was how much I found I like that era. On any given day In Rainbows could be my favorite of their albums if you asked me.

I could have easily taken 3 songs from In Rainbows, but I was in an Optimistic mood.

 

[AAABatteries]

AAABatteries:

Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Led Zeppelin

This is a shout-out to Anarchy’s thread - I stated a few times in there that I screwed up and ranked BIGLY way too low, so I kind of want to rectify that here. I’ve listened to this song more than any LZ song or really any song in total since that thread. So much so that my wife still occasionally asks me if if I’m trying to tell her something

I may need to be magnanimous here and let MAC own this as I imagine he ranked it higher than the #16 I did in the LZ thread

 

[Andy Dufresne]

My favorite Killing Joke song (The Death and Resurrection Show) is ineligible because Dave Grohl awesomely plays drums on it.

 

[KarmaPolice]

The odd thing is 2 of my favorite songs of Radiohead are off 2 of my least favorite albums of theirs.

 

[Ilov80s]

I am actually not very familiar with Radiohead after Kid A. Not sure why exactly they just fell off my new music radar around that time and I’ve never gone back to anything but their first 4 albums. I need to pick back up where I left off. The countdown might be a nice starting point.

 

[AAABatteries]

Two of the big surprises for me are "Solsbury Hill" doing this well and "Imagine" doing this poorly. Not basing that on quality of the songs - I like "Solsbury Hill" a lot, and "Imagine" is barely hanging in my top 10 post-Beatles John songs - but I thought the latter was beloved, while I never hear people talk about the former. Apparently I just haven't been listening.

Imagine is one of those songs that I rarely comment on because I don’t want to crap on a legend or on peoples taste but it’s an auto skip for me every time it comes on nowadays.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Imagine is one of those songs that I rarely comment on because I don’t want to crap on a legend or on peoples taste but it’s an auto skip for me every time it comes on nowadays.

The best thing I can say about it is that it's insipid.

 

[Hov34]

Thirty-Point Selections:


titusbramble:

There Goes The Fear - Doves
(duplicate – second vote)

When I did my "dive" into the Doves earlier, this was my favorite of the songs I explored (basically the top played on Spotify). Glad it is getting higher love. (even though Krista owns it, I think)

(Also really liked "Catch the Sun" too)

 

[krista4]

Imagine is one of those songs that I rarely comment on because I don’t want to crap on a legend or on peoples taste but it’s an auto skip for me every time it comes on nowadays.

The best thing I can say about it is that it's insipid.

Examples of what's gone wrong in this thread.

 

[krista4]

Thirty-Point Selections:


titusbramble:

There Goes The Fear - Doves
(duplicate – second vote)

When I did my "dive" into the Doves earlier, this was my favorite of the songs I explored (basically the top played on Spotify). Glad it is getting higher love. (even though Krista owns it, I think)

(Also really liked "Catch the Sun" too)

I do! Suck it, titusbramble!

 

[krista4]

Some stats for tomorrow. You can see that there is still significant movement possible within both the artist and song rankings, though generally moreso in the songs since it takes fewer points to leap over another song.

We will have:
One artist with seven selections
One artist with five selections
Two artists with four selections
Two artists with three selections
Two artists with two selections
One artist is new, which I've mentioned earlier in the thread when I said one person had a #1 by an artist not chosen by anyone else. 12 posters will get to own their #1 songs.

There is one Menage FaLaLa Trois, and there are three Deja Votes. That means that there are eight songs (yes, including "Zombie") that could get at least a share of the Favorite Song honors if they have the Menage and "Gimme Shelter" receives no more votes. And it also means that there are 13 songs that could leap over "Baba O'Riley" as the Favorite Non-Big 3 Song if they get the Menage and Baba doesn't receive more votes.

 

[AAABatteries]

Imagine is one of those songs that I rarely comment on because I don’t want to crap on a legend or on peoples taste but it’s an auto skip for me every time it comes on nowadays.

The best thing I can say about it is that it's insipid.

Two excellent examples of what's gone wrong in this thread.

My bad - no offense intended to anybody who selected it or likes it. Hell, I picked a Mary Poppins song - I obviously don’t know what I’m talking about.

 

[krista4]

Imagine is one of those songs that I rarely comment on because I don’t want to crap on a legend or on peoples taste but it’s an auto skip for me every time it comes on nowadays.

The best thing I can say about it is that it's insipid.

Two excellent examples of what's gone wrong in this thread.

My bad - no offense intended to anybody who selected it or likes it. Hell, I picked a Mary Poppins song - I obviously don’t know what I’m talking about.

Ah sorry, I don't know that I should have lumped your post in with the other. It's a grey area between saying "not my cup of tea" and directly insulting, and I admit it's hard to say where that line is. I just know that early in this countdown we saw some of this, and a few of us commented about this thread being more negative than the US one, but the "feel" of it has continued that way for me. The US one employed the Thumper Rule much better. Anyway, we're almost done here, so I don't want to bring anyone down (again). Sorry!

 

[Mister CIA]

AAABatteries:

Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Led Zeppelin

This is a shout-out to Anarchy’s thread - I stated a few times in there that I screwed up and ranked BIGLY way too low, so I kind of want to rectify that here. I’ve listened to this song more than any LZ song or really any song in total since that thread. So much so that my wife still occasionally asks me if if I’m trying to tell her something

I may need to be magnanimous here and let MAC own this as I imagine he ranked it higher than the #16 I did in the LZ thread

Try playing some Wheeler Walker Jr instead.

 

[krista4]

Paul McCartney texted me a Happy Valentine's Day, and OH dropped off tacos about an hour ago. Feeling loved!

 

[AAABatteries]

AAABatteries:

Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Led Zeppelin

This is a shout-out to Anarchy’s thread - I stated a few times in there that I screwed up and ranked BIGLY way too low, so I kind of want to rectify that here. I’ve listened to this song more than any LZ song or really any song in total since that thread. So much so that my wife still occasionally asks me if if I’m trying to tell her something

I may need to be magnanimous here and let MAC own this as I imagine he ranked it higher than the #16 I did in the LZ thread

Try playing some Wheeler Walker Jr instead.

A quick Googling shows he’s a true romantic - good pull on Valentines.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Sorry if I crossed a hypothetical line.

I think there's an obvious difference between giving a straight up opinion of a particular song and intimating that someone is somehow "wrong" for liking a song. If it came across as such, I never intended the latter.

 

[Manster]

I guess I won't bother with my Radiohead top 31 countdown.

Or that means it’s very much needed

I guess I am curious why people left them off. If it's musicial style, then maybe a countdown or mix of their songs might get people interested. If it's because they hate Thom's voice, well then my songs will matter not.

Yea I thought Radiohead would have a lot bigger showing. Another band I'm really surprised didn't get more love is Portishead.

 

[shuke]

Favorite new appearances:
Pip’s Invitation: Achilles Last Stand - Led Zeppelin
MAC_32/AAABatteries: Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Led Zeppelin
zamboni: No Quarter - Led Zeppelin
Oliver Humanzee: Calvary Cross - Richard and Linda Thompson

 

[Eephus]

Mrs. Eephus: Love Like Blood - Killing Joke
This is a song I wish I would have picked. I'm glad she did to break up the classic rock behemoths that dominate today's playlist. It's another 80s dance number but delivered with power and menace by Killing Joke.

They're one of the coolest bands around who've always been too weird or too industrial for mass appeal. Frontman Jaz Coleman moonlights as a classical composer who's written three symphonies and recorded albums of his symphonic arrangements of songs by Led Zeppelin and The Doors. He and I share a birth week Bassist Youth produced "Bitter Sweet Symphony" and teamed up with Paul McCartney for The Fireman albums. "Love Like Blood" comes from their 1985 album Night Time which is one of their more accessible records.


@ditkaburgers: System Addict - Five Star
Five Star was a popular 80s Pop group who were like a UK version of the Jacksons. They were five siblings from East London managed by their dad. They had a long string of UK hits and a few that charted on the US R&B charts. "System Addict" was their first UK top ten hit.

This is another song ditkaburgers picked up from her mom. Mrs. Eephus used to listen to them in their 80s and 90s heyday. ditkaburgers doesn't remember where she heard "System Addict" first but she has distict memories of listening to it instead of studying while in high school.


Eephus: Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
Probably like a lot of you, I struggled to choose a Kinks song. I finally went with the chalk to boost their score and because it's one of the most beautiful depictions of city life. It's another song that can be happy or sad depending on the listener's mood.

There's a Waterloo Station story in our family annals. We visited London in 2002 when the kids were 10 and 6. We'd planned for a week in London before traveling to Paris. In those days, Waterloo Station was the UK terminus for the Eurostar. When we arrived to catch our train we learned that all channel passenger service was shutdown because of storm damage. It was definitely not paradise being stranded with thousands of other passengers. Fortunately the company I worked for had an office in London. We caught a cab there and I was able to talk my way in and get on a computer. We ended up spending the night in a dingy Belgravia hotel room located under a pub and took a ten hour bus trip to Paris the following day. The kids were troopers through it all and the tunnel was open by the time we had to return to London.

 

[Mister CIA]

Eephus: Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks
Probably like a lot of you, I struggled to choose a Kinks song. I finally went with the chalk to boost their score and because it's one of the most beautiful depictions of city life. It's another song that can be happy or sad depending on the listener's mood.

There's a Waterloo Station story in our family annals. We visited London in 2002 when the kids were 10 and 6. We'd planned for a week in London before traveling to Paris. In those days, Waterloo Station was the UK terminus for the Eurostar. When we arrived to catch our train we learned that all channel passenger service was shutdown because of storm damage. It was definitely not paradise being stranded with thousands of other passengers. Fortunately the company I worked for had an office in London. We caught a cab there and I was able to talk my way in and get on a computer. We ended up spending the night in a dingy Belgravia hotel room located under a pub and took a ten hour bus trip to Paris the following day. The kids were troopers through it all and the tunnel was open by the time we had to return to London.

Your avatar passes judgment in your general direction.

 

[krista4]

but she has distict memories of listening to it instead of studying while in high school.

Love the Waterloo Station story.

Regarding Killing Joke, I need to listen to more because I liked today's song and I love a lot of the work Youth did with The Fireman. I have to admit I've always written off the band because its name is just so silly to me, which is itself a silly reason to write off a band. Is there a story behind it that might make me like it more?

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I thought I was goofing around. It has been brought to my attention that it didn't come across that way.

I'm sorry for any hurt feelings. It wasn't my intention.

 

[Mister CIA]

I thought I was goofing around. It has been brought to my attention that it didn't come across that way.

I'm sorry for any hurt feelings. It wasn't my intention.

Now apologize to my ear drums.

Also goofing around.

 

[Mt. Man]

Okay then. Today I did list all the songs that I didn’t know. Or at least, didn’t quite strike a chord strongly enough. It helped that I enjoyed them all, too! The favorites list is similarly a bit different, with a song from each of the other two of the Big 3.

#2s
Recognized by title alone: 31
Knew from this countdown: 4
Didn't know: 4

Selected Favorites:
Moonage Daydream (Binky)
Dear Mr. Fantasy (Dr. Octopus)
Over the Hills and Far Away (higgins) - A number of LZ songs vied for my selection, but in my heart this was my second choice.
Dead Flowers (Westerburg)
Wild Thing (cosjobs)

Some songs I didn't know that I ended up liking:
22 Acacia Avenue (Hawks64)
The Calvary Cross (Oliver Humanzee)
Love Like Blood (Mrs. Eephus)
System Addict (ditkaburgers)

 

[MAC_32]

AAABatteries:

Babe I'm Gonna Leave You - Led Zeppelin

This is a shout-out to Anarchy’s thread - I stated a few times in there that I screwed up and ranked BIGLY way too low, so I kind of want to rectify that here. I’ve listened to this song more than any LZ song or really any song in total since that thread. So much so that my wife still occasionally asks me if if I’m trying to tell her something

I may need to be magnanimous here and let MAC own this as I imagine he ranked it higher than the #16 I did in the LZ thread

I ranked it #2 then, but only because I read it as a best list. Favorite? This may be my favorite track made of all time. In fact, it may be 10 pm on the best coast on valentine's day and I'm a bottle and a half deep, but this track...it's the greatest 6 minutes of music of all time **hammer that riff, Jimmy!!!**

 

[zamboni]

I thought I was goofing around. It has been brought to my attention that it didn't come across that way.

I'm sorry for any hurt feelings. It wasn't my intention.

How can you be so obtuse?

 

[Pip's Invitation]

So there were only five songs from #5 that I didn't know by title, and it turns out I have heard N.I.B. before -- I have listened to the first Black Sabbath album in its entirety once or twice. But it was almost-new, and the riffage is almost as good as Supernaut's.

So here are the rest:

Cavalry Cross -- Richard and Linda Thompson (OH). I see what OH says about the Cortezziness of it. It's not as "impressive" of an achievement as that, but it definitely makes the listener take notice.
Love Like Blood -- Killing Joke (Mrs. Eephus). There's some punkiness and some danceability. Maybe this is what the Clash would have sounded like in 1985 if they were still making good records.
22 Acacia Avenue (live) -- Iron Maiden (Hawks64). @KarmaPolice I didn't know this one either. But I love the yearning in the music and appreciate the difficult message of the lyrics.
System Addict -- Five Star (Ditkaburgers). I'm not the target audience for this, but it's fun for what it is.

 

[Eephus]

Regarding Killing Joke, I need to listen to more because I liked today's song and I love a lot of the work Youth did with The Fireman. I have to admit I've always written off the band because its name is just so silly to me, which is itself a silly reason to write off a band. Is there a story behind it that might make me like it more?

I was going to say the name was inspired by the Monty Python sketch about the funniest joke in the world

Monty Python – The Funniest Joke In the World

During the waning years of WWII, Britain stumbles upon the funniest joke in the world. The British and their allies were able to weaponize this joke, thus h...

www.youtube.com

But then I looked it up and Jaz Coleman's explanation actually mentioned the Pythons.

“the killing joke is like when people watch something like Monty Python on the television and laugh, when really they’re laughing at themselves. It’s like a soldier in the first world war. He’s in the trench, he knows his life is gone and that within the next ten minutes he’s gonna be dead … and then suddenly he realises that some c*nt back in Westminster’s got him sussed - ‘What am I doing this for? I don’t want to kill anyone, I’m just being controlled’. (Laugh At Your Peril With Killing Joke. Allied Propaganda. May 1979.)

 

[Andy Dufresne]

I thought I was goofing around. It has been brought to my attention that it didn't come across that way.

I'm sorry for any hurt feelings. It wasn't my intention.

How can you be so obtuse?

I'm unsure what you mean.

 

[higgins]

Over the Hills and Far Away (higgins) - A number of LZ songs vied for my selection, but in my heart this was my second choice.

That was the case for me with many artists -- wanna know how I broke multi-ties of an artist?

Over The Hills.... could convey a sense of an old manor on a rolling UK countryside

My 3rd place song?

Pink Floyd's Sheep

I could go on....

 

[krista4]

Last year, wikkidDale sent me a note to wish me a happy Valentine's Day, which was so seemingly out of character that it warmed my heart immensely. Missing him a lot the past few days, I think due to wondering what he would think of and contribute to the countdown.

This was his first post (also copied below) when I ranked "Imagine" lower than he would have liked in my post-Beatles Beatles countdown (#44 overall IIRC), but it's worth reading a couple of pages of back-and-forth between us to get his full thoughts on it. As always, he was smarter and more attuned to the world than I was.

context wins this fight. reallyreallyreeeeally hadda be said when it was said. the counterculture wasn't about the war or Nixon or even race. it was about the rules. yeah, breaking THEIR rules was fun because there were so many and the peeps got so wound up about infactions. but what the rush of freedom and equality and hallucinogens was saying to us was, "what about NO rules?! can we get to a place where we don't need em at all?! arent rules more about the people who make them and what does that say about them? what does it say about us?"

well, that was just plain sedition then. we woulda been shut down if the peeps with the money & soldiers even dreamed that was where we were headed. somebody had to say it in a way that wasn't a spoiled brat's shout. somebody had to say it in a way that arguably made sense. and, as i've been on about in virtually every FFA music thread i've participated in, there is no better way to make a point than in song. and no one with more generational cred to do so than John Lennon.

so, i gotta pull rank. it's not for you, now. or you. or you. or you. it was for us then and i cherish it as the Declaration of an entirely different and ultimate kind of Independence. it is a Document, beyond loving.

 

[krista4]

@DrIanMalcolm , wish you'd been around for wikkid. I think you would have loved reading him.

 

[Mister CIA]

Jeb
Another Nail In My Heart - Squeeze

Liked.

 

[MAC_32]

Last year, wikkidDale sent me a note to wish me a happy Valentine's Day, which was so seemingly out of character that it warmed my heart immensely. Missing him a lot the past few days, I think due to wondering what he would think of and contribute to the countdown.

This was his first post (also copied below) when I ranked "Imagine" lower than he would have liked in my post-Beatles Beatles countdown (#44 overall IIRC), but it's worth reading a couple of pages of back-and-forth between us to get his full thoughts on it. As always, he was smarter and more attuned to the world than I was.

context wins this fight. reallyreallyreeeeally hadda be said when it was said. the counterculture wasn't about the war or Nixon or even race. it was about the rules. yeah, breaking THEIR rules was fun because there were so many and the peeps got so wound up about infactions. but what the rush of freedom and equality and hallucinogens was saying to us was, "what about NO rules?! can we get to a place where we don't need em at all?! arent rules more about the people who make them and what does that say about them? what does it say about us?"

well, that was just plain sedition then. we woulda been shut down if the peeps with the money & soldiers even dreamed that was where we were headed. somebody had to say it in a way that wasn't a spoiled brat's shout. somebody had to say it in a way that arguably made sense. and, as i've been on about in virtually every FFA music thread i've participated in, there is no better way to make a point than in song. and no one with more generational cred to do so than John Lennon.

so, i gotta pull rank. it's not for you, now. or you. or you. or you. it was for us then and i cherish it as the Declaration of an entirely different and ultimate kind of Independence. it is a Document, beyond loving.

**and we're breaking all of the rules**

 

[Mister CIA]

The Rolling Stones Sway might be my favorite takeaway from this thread.

This was my selection today and the song I was talking about that in hindsight should have been my #1. I've fallen so hard for it in the last few years.

It should have been a sign that I didn't even hesitate when I wrote that down for my Stones pick, but other bands I had to listen more to narrow down. I think my Stones and U2 picks (which I believe you and I also took the same one?) were the two of the big artists for me that I didn't have to think about or research farther.

You're moving way up in my rankings.

 

[Chaos34]

Since it's surprisingly Killing Joke day, I'm gonna spotlight. I'm sure it's safe. These are a good peek at the band. I liked Pip hearing their Clashiness. So in addition to Mrs Eeph's choice:

The song that launches my beloved 80s playlist is likely their most recognizable:

Eighties

Two more on the playlist to complete this shallow dive and hopefully take you new to them deeper:

America

Sanity

 

[Mister CIA]

####! Just got five-minutes deep into Steely Dan. Stupid algorithm.

Gonna go rub some dirt on it.

 

[Pip's Invitation]

Since it's surprisingly Killing Joke day, I'm gonna spotlight. I'm sure it's safe. These are a good peek at the band. I liked Pip hearing their Clashiness. So in addition to Mrs Eeph's choice:

The song that launches my beloved 80s playlist is likely their most recognizable:

Eighties

This song's video got some play on MTV in the early 80s. Until today it was the only Killing Joke song I knew.

 

[Oliver Humanzee]

I guess I am curious why people left them off

Because the majority of the participants in this survey were in their prime music listening years either in the '70s, '80s, or early '90s. That would seem to be the major reason.

Very fair point. I do forget I am on the younger end of the spectrum 'round these parts.

You're older than OH. But he hates Radiohead.

As for me, they weren't on my list because I had 31 other songs I liked better than any one of theirs? I do think they're a great band, and I enjoy them a lot. They were more like Led Zeppelin for me - I love many Zeppelin songs but there's not one that stands out for me enough to make my list.

ETA: I'd love a countdown.

Hate doesn’t describe my feelings about Radiohead. It’s self-conscious avante-lite with many cool parts that doesn’t quite add up to a whole band for me. I like The Bends a lot and have liked everything I’ve heard from The Smile. Johnny Greenwood is obviously a wizard but a lot of this stuff feels so academic and worked-over I just tune out.

I prefer the arch art- lunacy of Black Midi, who are probably 25 years younger than Radiohead and mining similar territory but are never unfunny or boring.

 

[KarmaPolice]

The Rolling Stones Sway might be my favorite takeaway from this thread.

This was my selection today and the song I was talking about that in hindsight should have been my #1. I've fallen so hard for it in the last few years.

It should have been a sign that I didn't even hesitate when I wrote that down for my Stones pick, but other bands I had to listen more to narrow down. I think my Stones and U2 picks (which I believe you and I also took the same one?) were the two of the big artists for me that I didn't have to think about or research farther.

You're moving way up in my rankings.

Oooooh, what's this now??

 

[krista4]

Well, OH stole my Richard Thompson thunder. I had intended my post about "Time Has Told Me" to cover the contribution of Richard Thompson to this song. My favorite part about Ringo's drumming is that he is always in support of the song. He adds to it in often subtle ways rather than going on extended solos or the like. "In My Life" and "A Day in the Life" are perfect examples of his loving approach to the songs. I feel the same way about Richard Thompson's electric guitar part in "Time Has Told Me." There's nothing flashy, but it is perfection in terms of accentuating the lyrics and the acoustic guitar part. Imagine dropping Eric Clapton in to do something like that (hint: he couldn't). Thompson doesn't have to make himself front and center; instead together he and Nick Drake crafted the perfect song.

I just re-listened to my selection and am convinced, as I also was with my #3 song, that this should have been #1. I probably note phrasing more than most people do, but I just can't get over Drake's phrasing on this song. There are a squillion times when he has taken a different path than I expected - hanging on that note for more or less time to the point of discomfort - and then each time it resolves in a way that I'm reminded that he was absolutely right and I'm a (middle-aged) dummy. Everything about this song is sublime.