Acclaimed Music Top 40 Songs from 1996 poll

finally back to continue the 90s.

41 3591 Supergrass - Going Out

since Gaz Coombes is all the rage on ILM lately.

this one hasn't aged so well

Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/user/cryptosicko/playlist/1shcDQwIbElbAlWmwQ33lI

Super Furry Animals, Jay-Z and Dr. Octagon missing. Pts. 1 & 2 of "The Box" included since the list didn't specify one over the other.

on February 28, 1995 1996 she won the Grammy for Album of the Year.

Lots of good stuff, but goddamn if I'm not leaning towards Quad City.

Yuck.

If it's not No Diggity, what is it?

This isn't such a bad list. Did Firestarter and Breathe really come out as early as 96?! Feels like they came out aaaages after Jilted Generation, but that's maybe the effect of releasing your album so long after the initial single.

Anyway, Aphex, Fugees, Eels, Boards of Canada (96? are you sure?), REM, Belle and Sebast, Orbital, Nas, Suede's best song (IMO), Mark Morrison, DJ Shadow, and Marilyn Manson's most iconic song - all shine on in my heart.

And I was thinking about A Design For Life the other day. Didn't like it much at the time, but I think I could dig it today.

I don't think this is as strong as the '94 and '95 lists but there's some good stuff here. Voted Dead Presidents, although I was tempted to go with The Hidden Camera (not enough drum 'n' bass in these lists!).

Quite a few of these where I like plenty of other songs on the parent album a lot more than the ones they've picked - Aphex Twin, Tori Amos, B&S, Orbital, Weezer, even R.E.M.

"Ready or Not" still sounds hot.

REM

zig a zig ah

I'll pick Girl/Boy Song. Firestarter and Design for Life are worn out

Boards of Canada (96? are you sure?)

I wondered about this too, but Discogs lists it as having appeared on something called Boc Maxima from that year:

http://www.discogs.com/Boards-Of-Canada-Boc-Maxima/master/1875

Given how obscure this release is, and how no one knew BoC at the time, though, I agree that its placement here does feel a bit dubious.

I was 13...

Liked at the time but don't any more:
1 252 The Prodigy - Firestarter
6 843 The Chemical Brothers - Setting Sun
13 1472 Eels - Novocaine for the Soul
25 2717 Dr. Octagon - Blue Flowers
27 2816 Marilyn Manson - The Beautiful People
28 2899 Weezer - El Scorcho
34 3409 Primitive Radio Gods - Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand
35 3410 Fiona Apple - Criminal

Liked then and still like:
2 469 Beck - Where It's At
8 972 DJ Shadow - Midnight in a Perfect World
7 942 Beck - Devil's Haircut
14 1478 Belle and Sebastian - The State I Am In
16 1745 The Cardigans - Lovefool
18 1834 Orbital - The Box
29 3113 The Wallflowers - One Headlight
40 3558 Quad City DJ's - C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)

Never on my radar screen (too British?):
4 718 Manic Street Preachers - A Design for Life
17 1782 Aphex Twin - Girl/Boy Song
19 1956 Suede - Trash
20 1982 Super Furry Animals - The Man Don't Give a Fuck
30 3170 Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack
31 3224 BabyBird - You're Gorgeous
32 3279 Photek - The Hidden Camera
38 3478 Boards of Canada - Roygbiv
37 3472 Placebo - Nancy Boy
39 3541 Laurent Garnier - Crispy Bacon

I didn't listen to much pop and hip hop.

"Where It's At" even though it's a bit played out.

Tie between Where It's At and No Diggity, still hear both all the time, both brilliant.

Lots of good stuff on this list, except Dave Matthews Band, who have single-handedly ruined my day just by being on this list. Was this song the birth of old man hat voice in mainstream culture? "Crash into me and I come into you"? Yuck.

Tie between BoC & Blackstreet; I'll go for the former in the likely event it pressures the industry to promote more instrumental singles.

re BoC, I just want to point out that Boc Maxima is mentioned almost immediately on the ILM thread started in 2001, so it's not like no one knew it existed:

Boards of Canada: Classic or Dud?

Also, my first exposure to them was via the 1997 compilation Bento Box, which has "Turquoise Hexagon Sun" on it.

I'm gonna be sentimental for this one and vote
Suede - Trash

p weird compilation imo

(perhaps even... eclectic)

wannabe vs novocaine for the soul vs the beautiful people vs criminal vs c'mon and ride it

Quite a few of these where I like plenty of other songs on the parent album a lot more than the ones they've picked

My vote is torn between the two Beck tracks, but I could hypothetically also vote for DJ Shadow, Busta, Weezer or maybe the Cardigans if I wanted to get real crazy.

midnight in a perfect world

I wonder if this is not on Spotify becasue it samples Steely Dan? Haven't heard it in years and get's my vote here;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5APBfWZFD84

xps ah yeah BOC Maxima is fairly well known among fans. Forgot about it.

1 252 The Prodigy - Firestarter
4 718 Manic Street Preachers - A Design for Life
5 823 Fugees - Ready or Not
9 1206 Busta Rhymes - Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check
10 1268 Spice Girls - Wannabe
13 1472 Eels - Novocaine for the Soul
15 1655 Fugees - Killing Me Softly
18 1834 Orbital - The Box
19 1956 Suede - Trash
22 2423 Nas - If I Ruled the World
23 2433 The Prodigy - Breathe
33 3318 R.E.M. - E-Bow the Letter
37 3472 Placebo - Nancy Boy

^ Any one of these.

'The Man Don't Give A Fuck' was always a lesser SFA track.

massive lolz @ that Prodigy song at #1

Yeah, who would have thought that 20 years later that Keith Flint would be into fox hunting, eh?

Just got to "Crash Into Me" on the Spotify playlist, which is obviously the worst song to ever appear on any of these polls simply by virtue of it being the worst song in the history of recorded sound.

1 252 The Prodigy - Firestarter
2 469 Beck - Where It's At
3 570 Blackstreet feat. Dr. Dre - No Diggity
5 823 Fugees - Ready or Not
6 843 The Chemical Brothers - Setting Sun
7 942 Beck - Devil's Haircut
8 972 DJ Shadow - Midnight in a Perfect World
9 1206 Busta Rhymes - Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check
10 1268 Spice Girls - Wannabe
11 1302 Erykah Badu - On and On
12 1384 Fugees - Fu-gee-la
13 1472 Eels - Novocaine for the Soul
15 1655 Fugees - Killing Me Softly
16 1745 The Cardigans - Lovefool
17 1782 Aphex Twin - Girl/Boy Song
18 1834 Orbital - The Box
21 2102 Tori Amos - Professional Widow (Armand's Star Trunk Funkin' Mix)
22 2423 Nas - If I Ruled the World
23 2433 The Prodigy - Breathe
24 2627 Jay-Z - Dead Presidents
27 2816 Marilyn Manson - The Beautiful People
29 3113 The Wallflowers - One Headlight
30 3170 Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack
32 3279 Photek - The Hidden Camera
34 3409 Primitive Radio Gods - Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand
35 3410 Fiona Apple - Criminal
38 3478 Boards of Canada - Roygbiv
40 3558 Quad City DJ's - C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)

^^^ all of these are great, very very very tempted to vote Photek even though my real answer is Orbital

Loved Ready Or Not so much at the time and it stills sounds amazing now.

chems
erykah
cardigans
nas
jay-z
boards

Loved Ready Or Not so much at the time and it stills sounds amazing now.

― kraudive, Friday, January 8, 2016 6:26 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I agree, the production on that track still very much holds up.

Is 'The Box' in this poll referring to either Part 1 or Part 2, or both parts together, or the EP?

massive lolz @ that Prodigy song at #1

― Darin, Friday, January 8, 2016 11:30 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I like the song, but yeah, I don't get the placement at all.

I'm a foxhunter!
Ta-wisted foxhunter!

no diggity no doubt

Lovefool, Blue Flowers, Return of the Mack or Criminal. this is harder than the previous ones.

No Diggity will obviously win this, no?

The Box' in this poll referring to either Part 1 or Part 2, or both parts together, or the EP?

The Box" was released in two main versions, each divided into parts. The album version released on In Sides is in two parts, a slow ambient "part 1" and an upbeat "part 2". The longer single version is in four parts, of which the first has a similar arrangement to "part 2" of the album version. On the CD single (but not the 12" vinyl), the first three parts are segued/mixed together, though indexed separately

^^^ this is why it will be virtually impossible for me to vote for anything aside from "The Box" even though I adore over half the songs on this list

'The Box' it is, then!

my knee-jerk is to be all like sfa or boards, but truthfully it's lovefool.

(i do hope 'the man don't give a fuck' gets at least one vote, tho)

belle and sebastian

Must say Wannabe is a fantastic jam

'The Box' never sounds any less fresh and amazing to me.

love these Spotify lists - never knew that REM song but so cool to hear Patti on backing vox

i'm not sure if this is as strong as a list as the last few either. only have a few more songs to hear again before voting.

Can't front, my answer is "setting sun", so so so so awesome.

"Setting sun" is so hard and gorgeous

It was one of those "wow that approximates how I feel inside" early high school things

noel gallagher was guest vocalist for your inner feelings?

pretty much, same could be said for "wonderwall"

Or "I want your sex" by George Michael

or "infinity" by superhuman guru josh

Years and years of years.. This is the led Zeppelin version!

George Michael.... That's my guy

"lovefool" has aged well.

that chorus is my fav. thing here. disco was not cool in 1996 iirc.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

massive lolz @ that Prodigy song at #1

― Darin, Friday, January 8, 2016 11:30 AM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I like the song, but yeah, I don't get the placement at all.

― Beef Wets (Old Lunch), Friday, 8 January 2016 20:22 (3 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

In retrospect it's a bit of a strange one. Time (and the band themselves) haven't been kind to the band's image. Peep Show's 'Outrageous' hit the nail on the head. But this coming out was so important to me and my friends, all of whom were very much invested in rock music at the time. It felt like a crossover release, and got a lot of punk and metal fans into dance and electronic music.

xp Disco was actually very cool in 1996.

Midnight in a Perfect World.

Finally decided to vote for Primitive Radio Gods

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

26 2794 Dave Matthews Band - Crash into Me 3

heh

smdh at that b&s song always getting critical love. It's like the fifth-best song on tigermilk!

but would be by far the best song on most other albums, including most b&s albums

30 3170 Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack 5
hehe

Should be higher

Dr. Octagon - Blue Flowers 0

This is a bit sad.

An excellent pop year, fuiud.