It's hard to imagine not knowing Ball & Chain either. That's one of the most ubiquitous alternative songs of all time.
― how's life, Thursday, 10 July 2014 19:33 (ten years ago) link
basket case is the best song on the list probably
that, closer, or buddy holly for me
oh, 1994
― da croupier, Thursday, 10 July 2014 19:33 (ten years ago) link
last resort is too ridiculous to hate imo, it's the moment when the genre finally achieved blissful self-parody after half a decade of attempts
― ciderpress, Thursday, 10 July 2014 19:35 (ten years ago) link
― ciderpress, Thursday, July 10, 2014 1:30 PM (6 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― mattresslessness, Thursday, 10 July 2014 19:39 (ten years ago) link
so I looked up the video for Basket Case and I definitely remember it now, not Green Day's worst I suppose.
Also looked up Ball & Chain and I could definitely see that being one that would have made me change the channel immediately if it came on MTV.
― odd proggy geezer (Moodles), Thursday, 10 July 2014 19:39 (ten years ago) link
Closer would probably be my favorite of the top 25, there's some good stuff in the second 25 too
― odd proggy geezer (Moodles), Thursday, 10 July 2014 19:41 (ten years ago) link
basket case sounds like sped-up badfinger
― mattresslessness, Thursday, 10 July 2014 19:42 (ten years ago) link
I only know about eight of these songs, but I couldn't pass up the chance of voting for 'Under the Bridge' either.
― Bloody Snail, Thursday, 10 July 2014 19:52 (ten years ago) link
― mattresslessness, Thursday, July 10, 2014 3:42 PM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
a good idea!
― Doctor Casino, Thursday, 10 July 2014 19:57 (ten years ago) link
I love "Under the Bridge" :)
― polyphonic, Thursday, 10 July 2014 19:58 (ten years ago) link
the californication-era singles are the ones that drive me crazy since i've heard them way more
― ciderpress, Thursday, 10 July 2014 19:59 (ten years ago) link
33. Soft Cell - Sex Dwarf
this has to be an LA thing.
― Spectrum, Thursday, 10 July 2014 19:59 (ten years ago) link
And San Diego. I think that might have been the only Soft Cell song I heard until college.
― polyphonic, Thursday, 10 July 2014 20:01 (ten years ago) link
"Under the Bridge" is a great song
― Star Gentle Uterus (DJP), Thursday, 10 July 2014 20:20 (ten years ago) link
Overplay has dulled a nice melody and good evocation of L.A.
― guess that bundt gettin eaten (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 10 July 2014 20:23 (ten years ago) link
yeah, those "Californication" songs hung around forever, apparently it is their best-selling album...?! MOR stinkers all, except "Scar Tissue" which at least was pretty to listen to. Predictably, it's the one I've heard the least in the last fifteen years.
― Doctor Casino, Thursday, 10 July 2014 20:28 (ten years ago) link
"under the bridge" is about as old today as "fire and rain" was when "under the bridge" came out.
― da croupier, Thursday, 10 July 2014 20:28 (ten years ago) link
re californication singles, i like "otherside" a lot except for the really grating bridge
― da croupier, Thursday, 10 July 2014 20:29 (ten years ago) link
'scar tissue' bugs me the most because it has no melody but sort of pretends like it does
'otherside' is the one that i wouldn't rage at if it came on, since it kind of fell off the map after its initial run as a single
― ciderpress, Thursday, 10 July 2014 20:30 (ten years ago) link
always had a huge soft spot for "under the bridge". looking at the lyrics now, it's not as treacly as i remembered. always loved the awayyyyyayyayyyyayayy refrain. but yeah, played to death. xp "fire and rain" is a good analogy, an earlier case of "you got me, asshole."
― mattresslessness, Thursday, 10 July 2014 20:37 (ten years ago) link
i enjoy 'by the way' and 'can't stop' the most of all the MOR-era rhcp singles, they briefly stepped it up a little bit for that record
― ciderpress, Thursday, 10 July 2014 20:37 (ten years ago) link
I also don't have much of a problem with Under the Bridge, especially once it gets going. At first I think "not this again..." but it's a nice, well-constructed track.
― skip, Thursday, 10 July 2014 21:06 (ten years ago) link
never heard 'date rape' before. listening to it now. think i'm gonna cry.
― Merdeyeux, Thursday, 10 July 2014 21:09 (ten years ago) link
Looking up some of the songs I don't recognize, I'm amazed at how many of them are completely lacking a melodic hook (Dramarama, Social Distortion) or even a chorus ("Brain Stew"). I guess they resonated with people solely on the basis of production & lyrical 'attitude'? (Cf. that recent paper on timbre as distinguishing mark for indie/alternative music)
― bernard snowy, Thursday, 10 July 2014 22:38 (ten years ago) link
the fuck is this geir shit
― da croupier, Thursday, 10 July 2014 22:45 (ten years ago) link
do you know what a melodic hook is? Regardless of how you feel about the songs, both "Anything, Anything" and "Ball and Chain" have clear melodic hooks
― sarahell, Thursday, 10 July 2014 23:25 (ten years ago) link
No you're right, I was being overly harsh. What I meant is that the hooks are boring as shit & the dudes can't sing :)
― bernard snowy, Thursday, 10 July 2014 23:46 (ten years ago) link
"I'll give you anything, ANYTHING" [plays four-chord progression for three minutes without variation]
― bernard snowy, Thursday, 10 July 2014 23:49 (ten years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Friday, 11 July 2014 00:01 (ten years ago) link
lol dude you'll have that hook in your head literally for the rest of your life, maybe reserve comment on a song's hooks until a little longer than "I just heard this song just now"
― Now I Am Become Dracula (underrated aerosmith bootlegs I have owned), Friday, 11 July 2014 00:09 (ten years ago) link
even as a self-loathing former rhcp fan i don't really get the under the bridge hate.
― Merdeyeux, Friday, 11 July 2014 00:13 (ten years ago) link
Justice served in this poll, that song is anti-rape on paper, but actually treats date rape as a sleazy and "hilarious" joke.
― intheblanks, Friday, 11 July 2014 00:18 (ten years ago) link
too close.
― EZ Snappin, Friday, 11 July 2014 00:31 (ten years ago) link
I admire the Nirvana voter, whoever you be
― i'm elf-ein lusophonic (imago), Friday, 11 July 2014 00:37 (ten years ago) link
15. Suicidal Tendencies - Institutionalized 0
^^good job ILM
― sinister porpoise (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 11 July 2014 00:40 (ten years ago) link
they knew what they consequences would be
― Neanderthal, Friday, 11 July 2014 00:40 (ten years ago) link
also wtf at the comments on Ball and Chain upthread, that song is immortal
― Neanderthal, Friday, 11 July 2014 00:41 (ten years ago) link
what the hell, under the bridge is like the 2nd best song on here.
― brimstead, Friday, 11 July 2014 00:42 (ten years ago) link
Maybe it's a west coast thing
― brimstead, Friday, 11 July 2014 00:43 (ten years ago) link
I get "Under the Bridge" fatigue but when that shit was fresh it was welcome as hell
― Neanderthal, Friday, 11 July 2014 00:43 (ten years ago) link
Such nice hendrixy guitar. The lyrics are pretty lousy apart from the first verse.
― brimstead, Friday, 11 July 2014 00:49 (ten years ago) link
that ride-out riff from Frusciante is all-time
― Neanderthal, Friday, 11 July 2014 00:51 (ten years ago) link
kiedis's wretched singing throughout, how can anyone bear it, I ask you.
― Dokken played here for a Ribfest and people were total assholes (Sparkle Motion), Friday, 11 July 2014 00:52 (ten years ago) link
normally I hate the sound of Kiedis' throaty singing voice and prefer when he does more of his funk staccato or doesn't draw attention to it, but he's very listenable on this track IMO.
― Neanderthal, Friday, 11 July 2014 00:53 (ten years ago) link
RHCP instrumentals would probably be half-decent to good tbh but that man is possibly my least favourite vocalist ever & I'm not sure why
― i'm elf-ein lusophonic (imago), Friday, 11 July 2014 00:54 (ten years ago) link
he has a grating voice and he's terrible live for starters
― Neanderthal, Friday, 11 July 2014 00:59 (ten years ago) link
there was an mp3 of RHCP covering the Jackson Five's "I Want You Back" live and I don't want to say Kiedis' dreadful vocals contributed to MJ's early demise but I'm going to say it anyway
― Neanderthal, Friday, 11 July 2014 01:00 (ten years ago) link
I'm gonna stop arguing after this cuz I guess I have a weird conception of a "hook"; but to me, it's something that stands out from its surrounding musical setting--a melodic line, a vocal refrain, a dynamic swell, an unexpected & satisfying chord change, the entrance of new instruments or voices... the Dramarama song might qualify for the last of these, that trebley guitar that enters for a few bars at a time, except the guitar is playing the most boring imaginable straight-time up-and-down bullshit. I've already forgotten everything about the song except that it feels "tense" & I hate it
― bernard snowy, Friday, 11 July 2014 01:43 (ten years ago) link
yeah the Dramarama song is total dogshit, easily the worst song from the '80s in the alt rock radio canon
― some dude, Friday, 11 July 2014 01:46 (ten years ago) link
but i too have been badgered by aero for daring to suggest that an enduringly popular song has a lousy hook so you have my sympathy
― some dude, Friday, 11 July 2014 01:47 (ten years ago) link