Single Most Overrated, Overglorified, Unjustly Celebrated Song of All Time....

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...has got to be "Smells Like Teen Spirit" surely, no? Discuss.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:44 (twenty-two years ago)

My vote is for "She sells sanctuary much" by the Cult.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

Heretic!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:47 (twenty-two years ago)

hrayyyyyyyyyy

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:47 (twenty-two years ago)

brown eyed girl or anything else by Van Morrison

― lukey (Lukey G), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:49 (twenty-two years ago)

No one goes around suggestiing that "She Sells Sanctuary" changed the course of history, though.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Hotel the fuck California

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Imagine.

― Paul T, Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:52 (twenty-two years ago)

OOooh....good one, Paul.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:53 (twenty-two years ago)

Rapper's Delight.

Worst rap record ever?

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:54 (twenty-two years ago)

"Imagine", seconded.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 19 February 2004 14:56 (twenty-two years ago)

Anything from Loveless

― hmmmm, Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:03 (twenty-two years ago)

or Hey Ya!

― hmmm, Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Fuck a bunch of that noise. Try "Anarchy in the UK".

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:04 (twenty-two years ago)

"Happy Birthday To You."

― mike a, Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:05 (twenty-two years ago)

.. but it's probably still Imagine.

― dave225 (Dave225), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:05 (twenty-two years ago)

NOT WHILE "ANARCHY IN THE UK" EXISTS!!!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:06 (twenty-two years ago)

imagine - i mean wtf - a junkie laying in his own filth in a white room in some mansion writing a song about absolutely NOTHING (imagine there is nothing it is easy if you try) - and somehow it turns into a world peace anthem? imagine wins, easy.

― jimmmy the doom saint, Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:09 (twenty-two years ago)

"Eighties"

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Imagine...

― ModJ (ModJ), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:11 (twenty-two years ago)

What's wrong with 'Rapper's Delight'?!?!?!

― ENRQ (Enrique), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Alex in NYC preposterously OTM in the first place! I was thinking 'hope he says smells like teen spirit' as my slow-azz computer slowly opened the thread!

I would also like to suggest Yesterday by the Beatles. Now that is godawful

― M Carty (mj_c), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:11 (twenty-two years ago)

Imagine. Runner-up: American Pie.

― scott pl. (scott pl.), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Good god yes! American Pie! Why didn't I think of that one?

― M Carty (mj_c), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:12 (twenty-two years ago)

anything by the sausage party boyds

― winstonsalem, Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:13 (twenty-two years ago)

Rappers delight - Dull, Boring, various bits nicked off other rappers, best rap record until the next one was made.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:14 (twenty-two years ago)

If "Imagine" stays then throw "Walk on the Wild Side" up in this list as well post haste.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Imagine.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:16 (twenty-two years ago)

"I believe in a thing called love" in the over celebrated section...

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Actually, possibly This Charming Man.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:16 (twenty-two years ago)

OK, can we start a "only one thread with the word 'overrated' in the header per month" rule or something?

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:17 (twenty-two years ago)

If I see "Imagine" mentioned on this thread one more time my head might actually literally explode.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:20 (twenty-two years ago)

various bits nicked off other rappers

Hmm, tune familiar as well. Obviously 17min is pushing it. Which raps were stolen btw?

Oh -- 'Imagine'

― ENRQ (Enrique), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Bohemian Rhapsody i mean cod opera really take a step back and listen it is truly awful

― trevor johnson, Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Milkshake, Yeah, I Luv U, etc., at least as far as ILM sacred cows go.

― Al (sitcom), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:22 (twenty-two years ago)

i agree 'Rapper's Delight' is over-rated - rubbish plagiarised lyrics, i still quite like it tho

i think 'Imagine' is quite a well-written song, Lennon has done worse (but Macca's done even worse than that, heh)

i think 'hotel california' definitely, and robbie williams 'angel', and 'wonderwall'

― stevem (blueski), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:22 (twenty-two years ago)

"Eighties"

Har, Har and thrice Har, but once again...no one (except me, of course) is running around proclaiming "Eighties" to have been the spark that ignited a maelstrom of cultural change.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:27 (twenty-two years ago)

Trevor 100% OTM.

― Nick H (Nick H), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:28 (twenty-two years ago)

IMAGINE WINS BECAUSE IT WAS VOTED THE "WORLD'S PEACE ANTHEM" and that lame-o Yoko had it played everywhere the anniversary of the day that Lennon died. FUCK I HATE THAT SONG!

personal points: my teacher once rented a billboard and plastered the words to imagine on it. IT'S ABOUT NOTHING. IT'S ABOUT A VOMIT-COLOURED JUNKIE GETTING LOST IN THE H-HOLE.

― Jimmy the Doomed Saint, Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:30 (twenty-two years ago)

Somebody should rent a billboard and plaster the lyrics of "Cadaveric Incubator of Endoparasites" by Carcass on it.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:33 (twenty-two years ago)

WHAT SOME TEACHER SHOULD NOT DO IS FORCE KIDS TO SING 'IMAGINE' IN FRONT OF THE BILLBOARD TO SATISFY SOME SICK, CATHOLIC PEDEO THING ABOUT JOHN LENNON!!!!

― Jimmy the doom saint, Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Well reminding us of how much you hate Nirvana every other week sort of loses its intended effect after a while (intended effect being "canon-smashing revolution"; unintended yet prevalent effect being "pee on the popular kid's locker during gym class")

I gotta go to work so I'll shut up now; feel free to excoriate me for liking derivative trash. I like Atmosphere, so I got no cred to lose.

― Nate in ST.P (natedetritus), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Even if Lennon did intend it as such it is very hard to not interpret it as a peace anthem...which makes me wonder how many other songs have been interpretted as something entirely different from the songwriter's intent.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:36 (twenty-two years ago)

Who knows, maybe "Thong Song" was a cry for REVOLUTION!!!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:37 (twenty-two years ago)

nicked bits: I don't have the article to hand, but there was one bit where the guy rapping uses most of some other guy's rap, even without changing the name included...

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Heck, when Damon wrote "Woo Hoo", he wasn't thinking about ice hockey / whatever...

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:38 (twenty-two years ago)

Well reminding us of how much you hate Nirvana every other week sort of loses its intended effect after a while

Get used to it, `cos it's never going to stop.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Better still, put the lyrics from "Imagine" up, but after they've been put through a h4x0r text convertor.

Hey nate, I like "Smells like Teen Spirit"!!

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:39 (twenty-two years ago)

WHERE CAN I FIND THE TRANSLATOR OF WHICH YOU SPEAK NORMAN?

― JIMMY THE DOOM SAINT, Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:41 (twenty-two years ago)

just for you!@#

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Thursday, 19 February 2004 15:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Skipping 76 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

isnt imagine about socialism?

― juiceboxxx (juiceboxxx), Friday, 20 February 2004 03:21 (twenty-two years ago)

It's about a future where gelatinous desserts and water-soaked sheets of cellophane make people happy.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Friday, 20 February 2004 04:38 (twenty-two years ago)

"Love Will Tear Us Apart". Turn the fuckin' heater on.

― dave q, Friday, 20 February 2004 11:43 (twenty-two years ago)

but the delicate subtext of that song is that the heater is broken

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 20 February 2004 11:44 (twenty-two years ago)

How are the lyrics to "Rapper's Delight" plagiarised?

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Friday, 20 February 2004 14:49 (twenty-two years ago)

check it out, i'm the c-a-s-an-the-o-v-a
and the rest is f-l-y
ya see i go by the code of the doctor of the mix
and these reasons i'll tell ya why

these lyrics were nicked wholesale from another rapper actually called Casanova Fly

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 20 February 2004 14:51 (twenty-two years ago)

the majority of Rappers Delight lyrics is bordering on Blondie 'Rapture' naffness, even for the time

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 20 February 2004 14:52 (twenty-two years ago)

Yeah, well.

― NERQ (Enrique), Friday, 20 February 2004 14:52 (twenty-two years ago)

ten months pass...

deffinately rappers delight, that's a piece of shit.

― silent bob, Wednesday, 29 December 2004 17:37 (twenty-one years ago)

i was gonna post "nights in white satin" but i did a ctrl+f first to see if anyone else said it. i said it, it turns out.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 17:40 (twenty-one years ago)

ah but it's about HEROIN do you see

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 17:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Aretha

― LSTD (answer) (sexyDancer), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 17:42 (twenty-one years ago)

fuck i meant to quote

Maybe too brit an example but that fucking La's song, is it "there she goes"? Inoffensive three minutes of guitar jangles, but a ridiculous number of people appear to think it's the second coming...

before posting that

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 17:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Since Imagine has already been taken, got to be Losing My Religion or Everybody Hurts, whichever is more overrated and has further to fall.

― ailsa (ailsa), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 23:28 (twenty-one years ago)

If it's not 'Teen Spirit', it could be Bob Dylan - 'Knockin' On Heaven's Door'. My God, what a turgid self-important piece of unimaginative strumblebumming that song is.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Wednesday, 29 December 2004 23:31 (twenty-one years ago)

"Teen Age Riot"

― Curt1s St3ph3ns, Wednesday, 29 December 2004 23:41 (twenty-one years ago)

"How Soon Is Now?" I mean, yeccch.

― Lewis J. Bateman (Lewis Bateman), Thursday, 30 December 2004 01:03 (twenty-one years ago)

"God Save The Queen" (no, not UK's National Anthem)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Thursday, 30 December 2004 01:08 (twenty-one years ago)

hoiw the fuck is nights in white satin sabout heroin?

my vote is for fucking any grime xsomnf siong sonmg ever recorded.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 30 December 2004 01:20 (twenty-one years ago)

no no scratch that. mty vpte is for aNYTHING SIMON REYNOLDS LIKES.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 30 December 2004 01:20 (twenty-one years ago)

oph waity. the thread says "SINGle MOST OVERRted..." so i gotta choose one song, don't I? OK them, i choose galang by mia.

― Mr. Snrub (Mr. Snrub), Thursday, 30 December 2004 01:21 (twenty-one years ago)

hoiw the fuck is nights in white satin sabout heroin?

It isn't - Cindy corrected herself shortly afterwards. "There She Goes" is the smack-hymn to which she was referring.

I'm still yet to read a convincing argument on this thread to topple "Imagine" from its tippermost-of-the-toppermost position.

― CharlieNo4 (Charlie), Thursday, 30 December 2004 09:58 (twenty-one years ago)

Rock Around The Clock

Now, only clueless British news journos would claim this was the first rock 'n roll song, but it probably was the first one many British people heard. Doesn't make it especially significant - when you see Bill Haley lumped in with Little Richard, Elvis, Chuck Berry et al on these tacky rock 'n roll shows, it's like wtf?

It's not without charm, but Hank Williams' Move It On Over, which it shamelessly rips off, rocks much harder and has an awesome guitar solo to boot.

― stew, Thursday, 30 December 2004 10:29 (twenty-one years ago)

maybe london calling?

― Shmool McShmool (shmuel), Thursday, 30 December 2004 11:35 (twenty-one years ago)

'Hey Hey My My' (Rock and roll will ne - ver die)....obsequious rubbish, deemed critic-proof becuause as the man says 'this is a tribute to Johnny Rotten'.

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Thursday, 30 December 2004 12:30 (twenty-one years ago)

brown eyed girl or anything else by Van Morrison

amen!

― dog latin (dog latin), Thursday, 30 December 2004 12:57 (twenty-one years ago)

Deep Purple's 'Dan Dan' song also has strong claims.

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Thursday, 30 December 2004 13:00 (twenty-one years ago)

anything and everything by that ridiculous charlatan bob dylan.

and imagine. which is such an imbecilic song that i'm not entirely convinced it isn't actually a piss-take.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Thursday, 30 December 2004 13:42 (twenty-one years ago)

'Hey Hey My My' (Rock and roll will ne - ver die)....obsequious rubbish, deemed critic-proof becuause as the man says 'this is a tribute to Johnny Rotten'.
-- Fred Nerk (phurt196...), December 30th, 2004.

Oh no you didn't.

― David Allen (David Allen), Thursday, 30 December 2004 14:41 (twenty-one years ago)

"Rock around the Clock" is a piece of shit, but it's all about the great guitar solo, the first "great guitar solo" in rock, no?

I'd go with "Day in the Life" by Beatles as overrated, overglorified. "Stairway to Heaven," of course.

― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Thursday, 30 December 2004 18:31 (twenty-one years ago)

'hey jude' is always in the top ten for greatest songs ever, no idea why. i like paul.

deep purple 'dan dan'? is that widely known? i wonder if i've ever heard it.

grimly is on the right track.

― keith m (keithmcl), Thursday, 30 December 2004 19:06 (twenty-one years ago)

"Light My Fire" by The Doors.

*the organ solo in particular*

― donut christ (donut), Thursday, 30 December 2004 20:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Deep Purple's 'Dan Dan'.

You know:

"Dan dan daan, dan dan da-daan, dan dan daan da-dan daan....' etc.

― Fred Nerk (Fred Nerk), Thursday, 30 December 2004 22:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Funny, I thought it was "Nur Nur".

― briania (briania), Friday, 31 December 2004 00:02 (twenty-one years ago)

"Rock Around The Clock," by Bill Haley and the Comets

― Ken L (Ken L), Friday, 31 December 2004 02:27 (twenty-one years ago)

brown eyed girl or anything else by Van Morrison

-- lukey (picninj...), February 19th, 2004.

And that takes the cake right there I'm afraid. Van Morrison OWNZ this thread as far as I'm concerned. When someone can explain why I must endure Brown Eyed Girl for the 60,000,000th time, I am all ears. Perhaps the man was talented. But sometimes talent makes for very, very bland music.

― Bimble..., Friday, 31 December 2004 02:37 (twenty-one years ago)

"Stairway To Heaven". Overplayed, overrated, and not half as good as "Over The Hills And Far Away".

― Tantrum The Cat (Tantrum The Cat), Friday, 31 December 2004 03:57 (twenty-one years ago)

>>>Well reminding us of how much you hate Nirvana every other week sort of loses its intended effect after a while (intended effect being "canon-smashing revolution"; unintended yet prevalent effect being "pee on the popular kid's locker during gym class")>Yeah, but if "Smells..." had never taken off and was still a cult song by a relatively unknown band, you'd be creaming all over it.

― John Bullabaugh (John Bullabaugh), Friday, 31 December 2004 04:32 (twenty-one years ago)

xx-post: van morrison is indeed a pompous old curmudgeon, but at least people only ever really rhapsodise over his dull melodies. with dylan, otherwise intelligent people start bandying about words such as "genius" and "thinker" and "poet". and he's not any of those, he's just a nasal wanker with a very poor line in abstract imagery.

who can't even play.

there, i feel better now.

― grimly fiendish (grimlord), Friday, 31 December 2004 11:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Anything by the Libertines or the Streets.

― stew, Friday, 31 December 2004 12:24 (twenty-one years ago)

"Rock around the Clock" is a piece of shit, but it's all about the great guitar solo, the first "great guitar solo" in rock, no?

i can't recall that solo offhand, but there were plenty of good ones before "rock around the clock" - scotty moore on any elvis song, for sure.

― J.D. (Justyn Dillingham), Friday, 31 December 2004 12:28 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm so tired I read this: I always wonder what it would have sounded like and what would have happened if Chad Channing was still in the band with Carol Channing's name instead, and dreamed of how much better Nirvana would've been.

― Vic Funk, Friday, 31 December 2004 13:29 (twenty-one years ago)

First great guitar solo in rock? Rocket 66 anyone? Ike Turner gettting distortion from a fucked up amp. Oooh baby.
Then there's all the rockabilly cats - Chet Atkins is completely rad! Charlie Feathers!

― stew, Friday, 31 December 2004 13:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm so tired I read this: I always wonder what it would have sounded like and what would have happened if Chad Channing was still in the band with Carol Channing's name instead, and dreamed of how much better Nirvana would've been

Hahahahahahahahahahahaha

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Friday, 31 December 2004 15:47 (twenty-one years ago)

I would like to put in another vote for "Yesterday"

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Friday, 31 December 2004 19:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Hello hello hello hello....

.... Dolly...

― Pangolino again, Friday, 31 December 2004 21:33 (twenty-one years ago)

I say Nirvana should reform with Carol Channing as their new singer. Is she dead already? Well, than can use samples of her, then.

― Bimble..., Friday, 31 December 2004 22:18 (twenty-one years ago)

"hey jude"

― Eisbär (llamasfur), Sunday, 2 January 2005 10:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Carol Channing is alive. I just went and saw her a few months ago. She's fucking awesome.

― Drew Daniel (Drew Daniel), Sunday, 2 January 2005 11:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Britney Spears - "Baby One More Time"

― sleep (sleep), Sunday, 2 January 2005 16:47 (twenty-one years ago)

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