there are only fifteen perfect songs in the world

frank black- speedy marie & daniel johnston- speeding motercycle for that matter

sonic youth- first track off SYR#1 anagrama

i like ethan's list but think the batman theme song should be there too.

dang, this was hard...but a nice mental exercise.

i tried to talk ethan into "don't you want me?" when we were shortlisting, but he apparently hasnt heard it. ethan, you see, lives on mars.

1. De La Soul - Eye Know
2. Beat Happening - Ponytail
3. Boo Radleys - Lazy Day
4. Aphex Twin - 4
5. Prefuse 73 - Blacklist
6. Trashcan Sinatras - Hayfever
7. Sam Cooke - You Send Me
8. Stereolab - Crest
9. Tricky - Bad Dream
10. Red House Painters - Grace Cathedral Park

And NO Paul Anka-penned song deserves to be on that list. Fucking "My Way" my ass. Limp Bizkit's "version" deserves a spot before that pompous turd.

1) the turtles - 'happy together' Agreed. Taken on its own terms, it's very difficult to find anything less-than-wonderful about this song. 2) kid 606 - 'straight outta compton' Disagreed. I find it hard to think of an endeavour of this nature as "perfect," given that its point is deconstructive. 3) styx - 'sail away' Agreed. No matter how many criticisms one can make about what this song does, there is little doubt that it does it with grace, humility, and perfection. I am infinitely skeptical of anyone who pledges loyalty to "Bohemian Rhapsody" and yet disses this masterpiece. But I am from the Midwest, so... 4) frank sinatra - 'my way' Sorry, no. Too fulsome, an apotheosis of self of staggering and embarrassing magnitude. A song for Napoleon to sing. 5) boards of canada - 'roygbiv' Sure. 6) gravediggaz - 'diary of a madman' I'm not going to be much help with the hip- hop, as I'm sure you've already guessed. 7) simple minds - 'don't you (forget about me)' This track is structurally amazing -- such perfect dynamic and tonal shifts from segment to segment -- and as such I agree. (Although I do think the Human League complaints, above, have some validity: "Fascination!") 8) dr.dre f/ xzibit and eminem - 'what's the difference' See above. 9) the beach boys - 'good vibrations' Yes, sir, although I'd point out that it's lost whatever small emotional tug it may have originally had, and is now amazing on a more sonic level -- time to start haggling over the definition of "perfect." 10) isaac hayes - 'walk on by' Don't know it. 11) the animals - 'house of the risin sun' I have always despised this song, but have never developed a coherent argument to support that position. I think it comes off a bit too strongly; a blues singer would keep a sort of ominous reserve through the early portion, whereas Burdon seems to be trying to prove himself. This is very much like my complaint about Ja Rule. 12) incredible bongo band - 'apache' Dunno. 13) depeche mode - 'enjoy the silence' Agreed to epic proportions, and I think this is backed up by the fact that the single became a hit far beyond its intended audience, based on the sheer perfection of its assembly. It both summarizes and exceeds New Order's entire career in under four minutes. 14) jay-z - 'change the game' Dunno. 15) stevie wonder - 'superstition' I'm inclined to agree, except that I've always valued Wonder more for his soul than his funk, and as such feel like there must be something in his catalog that tops this for me. But we are, after all, talking about individual song perfection, and I must admit that there's very little more you could ask of this track.

I could never agree about Simple Minds. I just think that song is really annoying and whiney. I'm totally with you on My Way, even though I think everything else (most of it) that Sinatra did is complete wank. But I mean is there any song as subtly punk as My Way really? (er.....and I don't mean the punk version)

The Animals is also spot on, admittedly I wasn't alive when it was released but I can't think of many songs from that time that are so completely raw.

I'm not really sure about Good Vibrations, the Beach Boys have only ever appealed to me in a sort of "oh that's nice" throwaway kind of way. I've not listened to them enough to really say any more. I quite like Kid 606 straight out of compton, despite my dislike for glitch in general, I guess the reason I like it is based on my liking for the original, which is kind of silly perhaps.

Walk On By is a fantastic song.

Er I'm probably really annoying everyone by jumping around the list.

Ethan you need to stick that Chems and Beth Orton song from dig your own hole in there aswell. The moment where it kicks in is one of the musical highlights of the 90s.

Styx, hell yeah. I grew up in Michigan in the late 70s, which is about all you need to know about that.

Apache is great but not perfect; needs more drama. Just thinking about this one the other day, because I picked up the LP by Hot Butter (the novelty band that hit with "Popcorn") and they had a Moog cover of "Apache" on it.

Well. First, my earliest musical loves were effete British pop stars of the early 80s, which set a precedent. More important, during that teenage music-as-identity phase, was that I was basically quiet and bookish, a Smiths fan waiting to happen under any circumstances. Add to this that I grew up in a southern Colorado town that was essentially 60% white and 40% Latino, and thus wasn't really exposed to much hip-hop beyond the early radio fluff -- by the time my brother dug deeper into hip-hop, I'd already experienced a Cure / Smiths / etc. conversion and was not to be swayed. In general I found hip-hop offputting in the same way that I found heavy rock offputting -- too postured, too "tough" -- or, in the case of the chart stuff I was mostly hearing, in the same way that I found straight-up pop offputting -- insert here the complaints that a lot of teenage music fans develop about pop at that age. If someone had slipped me a De La Soul cassette before I got Louder than Bombs, things may have worked out a bit differently, but as it was, hip-hop didn't do it for me.

Deeper than that, I think, lies a racial component. I grew up black, but in a white neighborhood in a very non-black town -- and a kid of immigrants, meaning African-American culture wasn't coming to me through family, either. And yet I was continually expected to conform to African-American stereotypes -- I think I mentioned once on ILE that after winning a sixth grade spelling bee, the principal tried to give me some weird flippy jive-turkey handshake, which is symbolic of a lot of my experiences back then. I resented that, as I genuinely had very little experience with or attraction to "black culture," particularly in the more demeaning senses that others expected it of me. Many of the other black kids in the schools I went to -- there were maybe 6 or 7, tops -- went out of their way to embrace black culture; I think my brother, to a certain extent, grew annoyed with a lot of the white suburban kids surrounding us and felt more empathy with the hip-hop-friendly gangsta-leaning Latinos. (He also wound up at Harvard Law, which makes me wonder what, if anything, he'll think of How High.) I imagine I, on the other hand, was finding some rebellious thrill in wearing a Morrissey t-shirt and sort of ignoring hip-hop, almost as a way of confounding expectations.

I dunno ... at the core, music in one's early teens really does serve as an identity-marker of sorts (everything does, at that point), and hip-hop offered an identity I didn't empathise with and was already sick of being tagged with based on race. Plus my first musical loves, at maybe age 5 or 6, were A Flock of Seagulls, the Go- Gos, the Human League, the Beach Boys ... I was pretty well indoctrinated into a different musical lineage.

I'd add, Ethan, that I've never really gotten into any music that's very physical or very vigorously performative, both qualities that hip-hop and hair metal, during my youth, had in spades. I found them both sort of overbearing in that sense. I was a wee indie saddo.

Ethan! I never said "Can I Get A..." was perfect, though someone certainly did - it is very good though. Your list is pleasing.

Ethan, I only know ten of those songs, but I'd say out of all of these, "Enjoy the Silence" is to me the strongest. Although I'd probably pick "Policy of Truth." That's another interesting thing-- there are songs by all of these artists that I like better than the ones you listed. BOC: "Hi Scores", Stevie Wonder: "Higher Ground", Beach Boys: "God Only Knows," Styx: "Mr. Roboto" (just kidding)... But I guess I can't change the list, now can I? ;-)

01 Sally Timms -Barbados I don't know this particular song, but I'm surprised to find Sally at #1 -- most of the solo stuff I've heard from here has seemed more like repertory, interpretive stuff, offhand-ish side-project takes on things. (I quite like it all, it's just that none of it's ever struck me as hugely significant.) I suppose I'll have to track this one down. 02 Pulp-common People Agreed. I was actually not huge on Pulp when this was released, but as time has gone by I've realized how utterly and completely on this single is -- it's definitely one of those "perfect," self-contained, back-to-front ideal pop creations. 04 Marianne Faithfull - Broken English I know the song, but probably haven't heard it enough times to have a very critical opinion. My gut reaction is perhaps that despite sonic dissimilarities, Nico might fill this role for me better. But I'm very ill-suited to be making that distinction. 06 Sex Pistols- Bodies I think this is an interesting and provocative pick. It definitely stands out from the rest of the record as the Pistols in their most vigorous mode -- the point at which the snot and sarcasm get wiped away and it sounds like they really Mean It -- and as such I think it's a lot more vital and timeless than the stuff surrounding it. 08 Ben Folds -Brick This is another good interesting pick, because it really is a superbly crafted song, and the fact that it could prove itself as such in a radio environment that might have been inclined to dismiss it as unfashionable pap says something, I think, about that quality coming through. "Perfect" in that "perfect for what it's doing" sense -- very few improvements could be made to what it is. 10 Serge Gainsbourg- Couler de Cafe I know I know this one, but can't remember which it is by title. 12 Rolling Stones You Cant Always Get What You Want An excellent pick, I suspect, because while I've always had a sort of irrational hatred for the Stones, this song really does it for me. The sound of it is stellar, the way the expected meat is withdrawn and you're left with this airy, rollicking, joyous mix. It's the only Stones song I've ever liked, really, with the possible exception of "Wild Horses." 14 Stephen Merritt- Papa was a Rodeo Spot- on, and I didn't even realize this until I'd heard it covered by someone else and then played live with a different arrangement. The composition itself stands up; it's remarkably supple; it's the sort of thing that could, in the past, have become the anthem of a southern state. The baldness of the metaphor is in itself amazing -- "Papa was a Rodeo" is vivid, intuitively understandable, everything a good metaphor should be, and without unnecessary adornment.

Now let the mockery begin: I don't even know the Bowie or the VU. I've told you guys my history is really spotty.

For the love of Pete, would someone get this boy the S/T album STAT? That way, you'll know of "Candy Says" (and while I'm not sure about my feelings on Doug Yule's vocals, Lou Reed sighing in the background sounds sublime).

Bowie, I wish I could help you with, but after hearing Tom's evisceration of his Dukeness, I have to say that my interest in finding out about this cat hit an all-time low.

Beyond that, rankings to me are pointless. They are too changeable. The only reason my best-of-nineties list vaguely worked for me was the decade-limitation, and even then the list would probably be rather different now.

also, arguably the defining synthesis of skewed pop and teutonic electro is tubeway army's 'are friends electric'. no matter how many times it is sampled or covered the original remains transcendent. it far outweighs that bag of shit 'cars' which im afraid i find near unlistenable...

i would agree that suede have also had alarming moments when they've hit the nail deftly on the head and produced staggering works of pretentious, affectatious and, goddamit, ROMANTIC pop music. 'stay together', 'the living dead' (although i always had problems with the ultra-camp, almost self-parodic 'if i were the wife of an acrobat..' bit) and 'my dark star' all thrown away on one single without appearing on an album and later dismissed by their own author as a 'mistake' compose just one example of a 'perfect' suede release.

also, an odd choice perhaps for a forum like this, but i'd like to draw attention to kenickie. millionaire sweeper, i would fix you (the album version, not the single edit) and, of course, come out 2nite. that song was my teenage kicks and it destroys me that to this day people still write them off as a sort of sub-bis who's only contribution to the world was a dire novelty single ('punka' - a fairly awful song in my opinion and the only real example i can think of where they put a foot wrong).

hip hop: jurassic 5 - concrete schoolyard, dead prez - hip hop, de la soul - the magic number, run dmc - it's tricky, sugarhill gang - rapper's delight. all fairly textbook choices, but fucking great singles.

i usually find the most perfect songs come out of complete ephemera. one-off-the-wrist pop singles ejaculated into existence by the most unlikely sources of genius. there are some fantastic pop moments that just surface amidst the usual whole flotilla of crap.

recent examples may include bootylicious and romeo.

I'll agree on a larger level -- it explains why Pet Shop Boys B-sides are so damn good, for instance. And "Wishing" is pretty great, but how come nobody ever remembers "Telecommunication"?

I want to say I find that too gimmicky, but this is AFOS we're talking aboot, and it wouldn't even scratch the surface of gimmick-y for them. I much prefer "I Ran", "Space Age Love Song" or "Modern Love is Automatic" (oh, baby, that's a good one) from that album.

i dont know where these place on the alltime perfect songlist (which is obviously a matter of personal taste), just wanted to put it out there:)

Daft Punk: Digital Love (Though I'm tempted to replace it for "Harder Better Faster Stronger" cos the first time I heard that I went ballistic)

Boo Radleys: Lazarus (Everything about this song is ace)

Beach Boys: Good Vibrations (Cliched but one listen reminds you why it's so good)

Boards of Canada: ROYGBIV (A very special track for me. The way it sits at the centre of the album disguised as a filler - 2:30mins of sonic perfection and you never tire of it)

Depeche Mode: Enjoy the Silence Awesome in it's emotion and I doubt anyone else could do such an excellent production job).

Some more suggestions:
Roots Manuva: Witness
Captain Beefheart: Wildlife
The Notwist: Pilot
Polyphonic Spree: Soldier Girl
Frank Zappa: Peaches En Regalia
Squarepusher: Cooper's World

'Good Year for the Roses'

Blue Man Group - "Rods and Cones," "PVC IV," "Drumbone"
Smashing Pumpkins - "Soma," "Geek U.S.A.," "Mayonaise," "Rocket," "Appels + Oranjes"
Daft Punk - "Around the World"
Aphex Twin - "Come to Daddy," remix of Hot Butter's "Popcorn"
Alice in Chains - "Would?"
Moby - "Find My Baby," "Porcelain," "Sunday" (from Play: The B Sides--NOT from 18), "Everloving," "Mobility," "Natural Blues," "Move (You Make Me Feel So Good)," "Yeah"
Peter, Paul, and Mary - "Puff the Magic Dragon"
KLF - "Last Train to Transcentral"
Kyoji - "Vision"
Dream Theater - "Overture 1928"
Jimi Hendrix - "Hey Joe"
Metallica - "One"

It's amazing how much I have to think just to retread stuff I've already said over and over.

And it's amazing how many songs I actually like, when I only listen to about 20 CD's. Thank God for Kazaa!

a whole bunch of kinks songs are hands-down perfect or verging on.

agalloch -- "limbs"
aphex twin -- "4"
atcq -- "scenario"
bruce springsteen -- "aint got you"
can -- "future days"
charlie mingus -- "better git it in your soul"
common sense -- "watermelon"
dinosaur jr. -- "in a jar"
frank sinatra -- "goodbye"
horace andy -- "money money"
kyuss -- "gardenia"
lucero -- "tears don't matter much"
matthew sweet -- "divine intervention"
mbv -- "to here knows when"
pavement -- "gold soundz"
pig destroyer "thought crime spree"
the slits -- "instant hit"
x -- "the once over twice"

hm cut instant hit and thought crime spree i guess

interesting X choice. i might give the nod to 'adult books' or 'universal corner' over that one.

nice pick with 'gold soundz'!

*deep breath*

Blue Man Group - "Rods and Cones," "PVC IV," "Drumbone"
Smashing Pumpkins - "Soma," "Geek U.S.A.," "Mayonaise," "Rocket," "Appels + Oranjes"
Daft Punk - "Around the World"
Aphex Twin - "Come to Daddy," remix of Hot Butter's "Popcorn"
Alice in Chains - "Would?"
Moby - "Find My Baby," "Porcelain," "Sunday" (from Play: The B Sides--NOT from 18), "Everloving," "Mobility," "Natural Blues," "Move (You Make Me Feel So Good)," "Yeah"
Peter, Paul, and Mary - "Puff the Magic Dragon"
KLF - "Last Train to Transcentral"
Kyoji - "Vision"
Dream Theater - "Overture 1928"
Jimi Hendrix - "Hey Joe"
Metallica - "One"

It's amazing how much I have to think just to retread stuff I've already said over and over.

And it's amazing how many songs I actually like, when I only listen to about 20 CD's. Thank God for Kazaa!

― Curtis Stephens, Thursday, November 21, 2002 12:30 AM (6 years ago) Bookmark

One of those posts that perfectly captures the era and someone's development with music back in 2002. You were about fifteen or so, right, Curtis? I remember playlists like that - and, erm, Kazaa

yeah i was gonna highlight the blue man group selections and point out that in 2003 i would have picked the very same bmg songs

Breakin' down Curtis' picks and how stereotypical they are (but not in a bad way!).

Blue Man Group - "Rods and Cones," "PVC IV," "Drumbone"

^ the BMG pick
Smashing Pumpkins - "Soma," "Geek U.S.A.," "Mayonaise," "Rocket," "Appels + Oranjes"

^ the group you heard of, and may have tried to like when you were a kid, but now they make sense since you're all older, wiser, angstier.

Daft Punk - "Around the World"

The song that will get you into dance pop when you're 13-15

Aphex Twin - "Come to Daddy," remix of Hot Butter's "Popcorn"

Remember this also being a popular band/pick

Alice in Chains - "Would?"

Grunge was like mini-classic rock. Those bands were all, ipso facto, legit.

Moby - "Find My Baby," "Porcelain," "Sunday" (from Play: The B Sides--NOT from 18), "Everloving," "Mobility," "Natural Blues," "Move (You Make Me Feel So Good)," "Yeah"

Every kid our age downloaded at least one Moby song. I remember "South Side," "We Are All Made of Stars"

Peter, Paul, and Mary - "Puff the Magic Dragon"

The 1960s song you love and HAD TO DOWNLOAD though you may or may not know anything else about 60s music

KLF - "Last Train to Transcentral"

Way ahead of me with the KLF, Curtis.

Kyoji - "Vision"

Don't know

Dream Theater - "Overture 1928"

Dream Theater, the Rush of 2000's internet teens

Jimi Hendrix - "Hey Joe"

Guitar hero classic rock song, of course.

Metallica - "One"

No need to explain this one

the CURE - Just Like Heaven
PRINCE - When Doves Cry
James Brown - I Got the Feelin'
the Sweet - Fox On The Run
the Allman Brothers - Please Call Home
the Beatles - She Said She Said
the White Stripes - When I Hear My Name
David Bowie - Rebel Rebel
the 5 Stairsteps - Oooh Child
De La Soul - Tread Water
the rolling stones - live with me
Billy Preston - Will It Go Round In Circles
Ween - Push th' Little Daisies
the Flaming Lips - Vein Of Stars
the (english) beat - two swords
streetlight manifesto - point / counterpoint

"King of Carrot Flowers Part 1" is pretty perfect. I love watching folks on youtube cover it. It usually sounds sweet.

No perfect song exists! Not a single work of art justifies its own existence. When God writes a poem I'll change my mind.

aguas de marco is the only perfect song in the world.

'all along the watchtower'

wtf @ my list

I'm less shocked by the fact that I was still a Blue Man Group/Moby stan by the time I was posting on ILX and more shocked by the inclusion of that Metallica song, and dream theater who I have never liked????

Thank God for Kazaa!

Yeah I'm definitely saving this thread for whenever an old ilxor comes bitching at me about my music taste.

La Sonora Matancera - Piel Canela
The Coasters - Love potion #9
Nina Simone - See-line woman
Bo Diddley - Hey Bo Diddley
Louis Armstrong - Hello dolly!
Peggy Lee - Sittin on the dock of the bay
Pixies - Hey
Jorge Ben - Menina mulher da pele preta
Can - I'm so green
Mazzy Star - Fade into you
David Bowie - Letter to Hermione
The Undertones - Teenage kicks
Billie Holiday & Lester Young - When You're Smiling
Jackson C. Frank - Blues run the game
Tommy Roe - Sweet pea

Radiohead / “Like Spinning Plates”
Electrelane / “The Valleys”
Nat King Cole / “Nature Boy”
Björk / “Isobel”
Piano Magic / “Wrong French”
Scott Walker / “Boy Child”
Nina Simone / “Sinnerman”
Brian Eno / “By This River”
PJ Harvey / “Oh My Lover”
The Beatles / “Strawberry Fields Forever”
Talk Talk / “I Believe In You”
Louis Armstrong / “St. James Infirmary”
Slowdive / “Ballad of Sister Sue”
Joanna Newsom / “Only Skin”
Low / “Little Argument with Myself”

Are the similarities between those last two lists deliberate?

Double XX Posse "Not Gonna Be Able To Do It"
Black Moon "Who Got The Props"
Ghostface "Apollo Kids"
45 King "900 Number"
DMX "Ruff Ryders Anthem"
Pavement "Rattled By The Rush"
Method Man "Bring Da Pain"
M.O.P. "Ante Up"
Then just listen to Ante Up on repeat. No need for anything else, really.

I only want to mention one song
Tears For Fears - Head Over Heals

indeed

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3l48_EGNdY

xxpost

bamcquern, hmm?

Also
Peggy Lee / "Folks Who Live on the Hill"

There are only 15 perfect songs in the world .... and they are, in descending order:

* * * *

3) . . . 'sail away'

The Styx or Cartman version?

What does perfect mean ... they don't mess up on any of the notes? Seems like there would be more than 15.

yep that's what perfect means

I keep on trying to record the perfect song but I keep muting one of my guitar strings on accident during the chorus, dang!

Is there a font for sarcasm?

I love Sail Away, but secretly, I prefer Babe. My 15, as of tonight:

• Al Green, Belle
• The Beach Boys, God Only Knows
• Gladys Knight & The Pips, Midnight Train to Georgia
• Def Leppard, Photograph
• Bruce Springsteen, Brilliant Disguise
• Blind Willie Johnson, Dark Was The Night/Cold Was The Ground
• Michael Jackson, Billie Jean
• The Clientele, Reflections After Jane
• Dennis Wilson, It's Not Too Late
• Prince, Kiss
• Depeche Mode, Never Let Me Down
• Iron & Wine, Bird Stealing Bread
• John Cale, Paris 1919
• R.E.M., Carnival Of Sorts
• Husker Du, Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely
• . . . ahhhhh, what the hell: Styx, Babe

1 perfect song ever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG8MQ8f4nF4

Is there a font for sarcasm?

I think putting "hey guyz," at the beginning usually does the trick :)

haha, I love Beach Baby. I could make a "Perfect 15" solely out of dippy 70s West Coast pop.

I think putting "hey guyz," at the beginning usually does the trick :)

Hahaha, noted.

Anyhow, here are some that come to mind for me. There are a lot more, though:
William Basinski - Disintegration Loop 3
Harry Nilsson - The Moonbeam Song
The Homosexuals - Vociferous Slam
Al Green - Funny How Time Slips Away
Isaac Hayes - By the Time I Get to Phoenix
Townes Van Zandt - To Live is to Fly
Tindersticks - Can Our Love ...

I'm really glad "Sweet Child o' Mine" isn't on the list.
― Arthur, Tuesday, December 25, 2001 7:00 PM (7 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

it's 16.
― ethan, Tuesday, December 25, 2001 7:00 PM (7 years ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

William Basinski - Disintegration Loop 3

Good choice!

the ones i can think of:

"genius of love" tom tom club
"ace of spades" motorhead

Daniel, Esq., some great choices there. Esp. the Gladys. :D

William Basinski - Disintegration Loop 3

Good choice!

Thanks. I noticed you had The Clientele on yours. I would probably consider "6 a.m. Morningside" perfect. Suburban Light is awesome.

1. Alton Ellis - "I'm Just a Guy"
2. Erik Satie - Trois Gymnopedies (all three movements)
3. Charlie - "Spacer Woman"
4. Bob Dylan - "I Threw It All Away"
5. Treacherous Three - "The New Rap Language"
6. Price is Right - the "Showcase 1" song, as heard here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E18Fv-KnH8E&feature=PlayList&p=8AF77F992756F500&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=14
7. Neil Young - "Ambulance Blues"
8. Mulatu Astake - "Tezeta (nostalgia)"
9. Harmonia - Deluxe/Immer Weider
10. The Wipers - "No Fair"
11. Biggie - "Suicidal Thoughts"
12. Stars of the Lid - "Requiem for Dying Mothers" (both parts)
13. The Cure - "A Forest"
14. Kraftwerk - "Numbers" >>into>>
15. Kraftwerk - "Computerwelt 2"

jess's list is really good way up top there!

there are only 15 perfect songs on my ipod:

Lio - Banana Split
Louis Philippe - You Mary You
Minnie Riperton - Les Fleur
The Waitresses - No Guilt
Susanna and the Magical Orchestra - Believer
Rachel Sweet - Truckstop Queen
The Durutti Column - Otis
Mint Royale ft. Lauren Laverne - Don't Falter
Mark Spoelstra - Just a Hand to Hold (tied w/ Kathy & Carol's version of the same)
The Left Banke - Desirée
Janet Jackson - Runaway
Geoff Muldaur - Kneeing Me
Carla Bley - Funnybird Song

and fuckit:

Biota - Bellowing Room (Side A)
Biota - Bellowing Room (Side B)

Ohhhh . . . I forgot GhostFace, Walk Around. Breathtaking.

Also, thanks for kind words, Turangalila. And I'm totally okay with 6 a.m. Morningside on the list (you're right, slagterm, Suburban Light is near-perfect, top-to-bottom).

Suburban Light is album of the decade material right there.

Agreed, but I have a feeling it will be sorely underappreciated in end-of-decade lists.

Not avante-garde enough, not cutting-edge enough, doesn't push-the-envelope enough, and so forth. All it is is one of the most moving, elegant collections of songs produced this decade. Sometimes that's enough.

I think you'll be surprised. It obv. doesn't have the usual qualifications for being a game-changer, but it's one of those albums that's quietly a favorite for lots. i've been seeing it pop up on a whole bunch of people's favorite records, actually.

From your keyboard to Pitchfork's ears.

Bedhead - Lepidoptera
The Swirlies - Wrong Tube
Pavement - Gold Soundz
12 Rods - Make-Out Music
The Olivia Tremor Control - Hideaway
Dismemberment Plan - The City
The Lilys - Claire Hates Me
Guided By Voices - Tractor Rape Chain
John Fahey - On The Sunny Side Of The Ocean
The Notwist - One With The Freaks
...and you will know us by the Trail of Dead - Source Tags & Codes
My Bloody Valentine - When You Sleep
Radiohead - Karma Police
Sunny Day Real Estate - Every Shining Time You Arrive
The Wrens - Hopeless

s1ocki absolutely OTM

The Notwist - One With The Freaks

I could have easily put Pilot on my list. And that GBV song is fantastic.

10 more perfect songs:

The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Graves (the whole album)

Love Pilot, but One With The Freaks is perfect because it is everything The Notwist do well in one (also otherwise) perfect song.

this guy^^ is OTM

...

Haha. whoops. Wrong thread. Can a mod delete the above post?

x-pst

i'm not sure they are all perfect, but they are my personal favorites nonetheless..

animal collective - winters love
beatles - here comes the sun (i think..definitely some beatles song either way..)
broken social scene - shampoo suicide
caribou - melody day
daft punk - make love
dan deacon - okie dokie
devendra banhart - lover
flaming lips - yoshimi battles the pink robots pt 1
grizzly bear - on a neck, on a spit
magnetic fields - nothing matters when we're dancing
mirah - advisory committee
neutral milk hotel - king of carrot flowers part 1
of montreal - lysergic bliss
pavement - gold soundz
peter and the wolf - the bonsai tree

oh, and i also agree with Evan that Tallest Man on Earth is pretty amazing

grizzly bear - on a neck, on a spit

I could have gone with Grizzly Bear's While You Wait For The Others, but only the version with Michael MacDonald on lead vocals. Pitchfork's track review said MacDonald's big voice "sell(s) the drama to the cheap seats." I like that.

BTW, Horace Andy's Spying Glass should have been on my list, too.

The problem is that there's more than 15 perfect songs in the world. But I like going through the exercise, anyway.

Yeah its tough to limit it.

wau price is right theme rocks

Family Feud theme pwns Price Is Right theme imo.

I had no idea that a M.M. version existed. I must find it now.

On another note, I busted out my impression of Mr. Michael McDonald on a job interview once. True story and I'll leave circumstances and reaction up to the imagination w/ that one.

x-post

What I posted above isn't the theme, fwiw. It's the showcase showdown song!

I recently downloaded a collection of Price is Right songs and it's surprisingly funky as hell!

Here it is. (xp)

I've done a (highly embarrassing) Michael McDonald impression, too.

Can we have a link to that?

Thanks.

I don't think a non-embarrassing impression of MM exists, to be honest.

x-oost

Sorry, I meant here. (on HypeMachine)

aphex twin - mookid
audio two - top billin
bunny wailer - dreamland
chaka khan - i feel for you
deee-lite - groove is in the heart
the flamingos - i only have eyes for you
the heptones - make up your mind
jackie edwards - your eyes are dreaming
james and bobby purified - i'm your puppet
johnny clarke - tears on my pillow
king nawahi's hawaiians - mauna kea
kool and the gang - summer madness
larry marshall - together now
lyn collins - think
st etienne - london belongs to me

happy to continue the Clientele love, though I am going with Saturday. So a quick 15

The Clientele - Saturday
Dionne Warwick & Issac Hayes - Walk on By
Joy Division - 24 Hours
Steely Dan - Rikki Don't Lose That Number
Beach Boys - Caroline, No
Harry Nilsson - Everybody's Talkin'
Bonnie Raitt - Angel From Montgomery
Brian Eno - St. Elmo's Fire
Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman
Massive Attack - Protection
Modern Lovers - Roadrunner
The Go-Betweens - Love Goes On!
Gram Parsons - $1000 Wedding
Joni Mitchell - Coyote
Low - Silver Rider

excluding classical and jazz

1. Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues (or any other version)
2. Donna Summer - I Feel Love
3. Company B - Fascinated
4. Dr Dre feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg - Fuck Wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin)
5. Three Six Mafia feat. Young Buck and 8Ball & MJG - Stay High
6. Brian Eno - Third Uncle
7. Pere Ubu - Final Solution
8. Simply Saucer - Illegal Bodies
9. The Chameleons - View From A Hill, or Swamp Thing, or Caution, or Is It Any Wonder?, or Second Skin, or any Chameleons song
10. The Cure - Plainsong
11. Tom Dissevelt and Kid Baltan - Song of the 2nd Moon
12. Can - Mother Sky
13. Yoko Ono - Mindtrain
14. Tommy Johnson - Cool Drink of Water Blues
15. Hank Williams - Settin' the Woods on Fire

even though I numbered it, that list is in no particular order. although "summertime blues" probably is one of the best rock songs of all time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU5uDozoSSM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy7eWTaAjfA

hot damn 'jeepster' by t rex is a pretty fucking perfect song.

The Chameleons - Swamp Thing

Yeah, agreed.

Ok I want to change my list:

Althea & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking
Aphex Twin - Windowlicker
Boards of Canada - Roygbiv
Can - Future Days
David Bowie - Letter to Hermione
Gang of Four - Damaged goods
Flying Lotus - Tea Leaf Dancers
Jorge Ben - Take it easy my brother Charles
Liquid Liquid - Optimo
My Bloody Valentine - Soon
Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood - Some velvet morning
Nina Simone - See-line woman
Pixies - Hey
Sebastien Tellier - La Ritournelle
The Undertones - Teenage kicks

'damaged goods' is a nice choice!

otm Pixies 'Hey'. Love. Gorgeous.

I will try my personal 15...perfect in my world, maybe not anyone else's.

Father and Son - Cat Stevens
Decoration Day - Drive By Truckers
Tangled up in Blue - Bob Dylan
People Get Ready - Chambers Brothers
Mountain Song - Jane's Addiction
Little Wing - Jimi Hendrix
Me and Bobby McGee - Kris Kristofferson
I've Just Seen a Face - The Beatles
Raspberry Beret - Prince
That's Entertainment - The Jam
If You Leave - OMD
Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain - Willie Nelson
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack
A Boy Named Sue - Johnny Cash
Blue - Jayhawks

Midnight Train to Georgia so OTM, Daniel Esq.,.

Raspberry Beret - Prince

Good choice. Sly and playful and groovy and full of attitude.

Yeah Raspberry Beret is a fine choice. One of my favorite singles. Not only is the b-side great as well but it's worth if only for the wicked cover:

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/f4c3b48ec939452250ba96cd84f5f7ab/o84064.jpg

Always bothered me that she's holding an apple instead of a raspberry tho.

Sloan - Everything You've Done Wrong

is another one!

Gil Scott Heron - The Revolution will not be Televised
The Specials - Ghost Town

Here's a left-field choice, but I say it's perfect: Grant Hart, You Don't Have To Tell Me Now.

xpost 'Ghost Town' otm.

Sloan - Everything You've Done Wrong

is another one!

A friend once made me a best-of-Sloan mix cleverly titled "Everything They've Done Right."

Haha yeah. I haven't ever found a song they've done as "right" as that song.

Also:

Liz Phair - Glory

They hung out together in their off time too, cooking and driving around. In California they rented a convertible — “a sweet silver Sebring,” Mr. Oberst said — and cruised, blasting “Be Thankful for What You Got,” the 1970s soul hit by William DeVaughn, the only music other than their own they listened to. “It’s like the best song ever,” Mr. Oberst said. “Jim played it on repeat for about six days straight.”

Not sure I will care much for the Monsters of Folk(Conor Oberst, better known as Bright Eyes; M. Ward; Jim James; and the producer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis) but I gotta agree on this awesome song

The quote is from this Sunday NY Times article
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/20/arts/music/20mele.html

6. Price is Right - the "Showcase 1" song, as heard here:

I am such a fan of those Edd Kalehoff queues.

my new knowledge of the existence of "the monsters of folk" makes me want to kill

das pop fool for love remix by aeroplane. makes me want to hump a pink teddy bear

First draft -

David Bowie - Life On Mars?
Massive Attack - Better Things
Liquid - Sweet Harmony
Tom Waits - Take It With Me
Portishead - Roads
Curtis Mayfield - Little Child Running Wild
Led Zeppelin - Thank You
Roots Manuva - Dreamy Days
Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through the Grapevine
Warren G - Regulate
Dexys - Geno
The Specials - Ghost Town
The House Crew - Euphoria
Mr Bungle - Pink Cigarette
Metallica - Master of Puppets

Damn, forgot '1 Thing'.

there is only one perfect song in the world, and it is the love you save by joe tex

ive gotta say 'year of the cat' by al stewart is damn perfect

1. Face to Face - Daft Punk
2. Miss You (12" Extended Mix) - The Rolling Stones
3. California Soul - Marlena Shaw
4. River Song - Dennis Wilson
5. Controversy - Prince
6. Follow the Leader - Eric B & Rakim
7. Feel Flows - Beach Boys
8. Path Through the Forest - The Factory
9. Fly - JK & Co
10. Cargo Culte - Serge Gainsbourg
11. To Love Somebody - Bee Gees
12. Africa - D'Angelo
13. War in Peace - Skip Spence
14. Relevee (Carl Craig remix) - Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom
15. She Comes in Colors - Love

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDB3vvwZJn0