The 16th P&J Singles Poll!

Why am I always the first poster?

In retrospect, a solid top ten, no? (except "Supernova").

Crystal Waters' "100% Pure Love."

Time to wake up, America (Alfred, you must be one hell of an early bird).

Agreed on the top 10 (except that I even like "Supernova").

Went with "Loser." And I can't really say why. Lot's of good stuff up there, as per usual, but nothing else really screamed out "vote for me, vote for me!", I guess.

Agree with the agreement on the Top 10--I like all of them (though I'm kind of middling on "Regulate"). I may, however, vote for "Gin and Juice."

Unless I vote for "Sabotage," probably the only song in here I like more now than I did at the time (and one of the very few 90s Beastie Boys songs I can even listen to).

Miss World.

Ew, "Zombie."

voted for "Seether" but I listened to "Lucas With the Lid Off" the other day and was like 'why didnt this guy take off, he was pretty weird'

I liked "Seether" at the time but listening to it recently it disappointed me – something about the drumming.

Also: I know it was popular and all, but was it SO beloved?

"Gin and Juice", laid back.

"Regulate", and let it be known that if K. J. Bozelka says a bad word about that song, I'm challenging him to a mortal duel.

Lot of songs I like here, almost enough to make up for the albums list.

"Flava In Ya Ear" for me pretty please.

M.I.A.:

George Morel: "This Is My Party, Bitch Get Out" (Strictly Rhythm 1994) - This is what happens when you don't dance. This is also what happens when you DO dance ("don't get tired on me, motherfucker!").
Dawn Penn: "You Don't Love Me (No No No)" (Big Beat 1994) - One point on a vast grid of sounds.

Albums outshine singles encore une fois even though I have no fundamental problems with the top ten ("Regulate" included, Rev - Nate Dogg was something to chew on).

Also: I know it was popular and all, but was it SO beloved?

I so beloved it. Still do. What's wrong with the drumming? It's a VERY danceable song. I know - people danced to it at a party I threw around the time.

It sounds flat? I dunno, I'd have to hear it again. It gets by on vocals, 'tude, and guitars. Which means that, yes, you can dance to it.

wtf: Des'ree: "You Gotta Be" (Columbia)

Alright, I'll just have to take my dueling pistol home and be all sad-faced.

I'd have to hear it again. It gets by on vocals, 'tude, and guitars. Which means that, yes, you can dance to it.

Well, I magine the drums make it easiest of all to dance to. But I'd have to hear ot agan myself to be sure.

wtf: Des'ree: "You Gotta Be" (Columbia)

THE middlebrow classic of the 1990s. Either that or something by Dionne Farris (Sp?). Not saying it's good...

Alright, I'll just have to take my dueling pistol home and be all sad-faced.

See what listening to g-funk does to ya? :)

Went with 100% Pure Love, although I haven't heard it in ages and wonder if it's as fab as I remember.

Seeing Springsteen's "Streets" reminds me of Neil Young's heart-breakingly beautiful contribution to the same soundtrack.

xpost: "You Gotta Be" is good. Not great, maybe, but good.

I just recently had the chance to big this song up on another thread, but I'll do it again. Dionne Farris' "Hopeless" is just about the most excellent thing ever. "You Gotta Be" just kind of seems to me like the result of removing the house (and the pianos too, I guess) from the piano house aesthetic. It's alright.

Dionne Farris' "Hopeless" is just about the most excellent thing has the dullest, most endless chorus ever.

Oh, sorry, Reverend, I thought you meant, "I Know." That's what I get for being snarky.

I'm really tempted to vote for Lucas, probably will go with Regulate if not Loser

"Lucas With The Lid Off" >>>> Play

Pretty good year. I downloaded the Sheryl Crow recently (can't remember why) and was surprised at how well it held up. The drumming is super-tight.

The "progressive" station in middle school was playing that a lot the year before it blew up, and I still hear it outside of the context of Sheryl Crow-ness.

I've never heard (of) the Mary Lou Lord song

I forgot all about mary lou lord. my freshman roommate was into her.

"Loser," just over "Regulate," "Flava" and "Closer"

Dawn Penn: "You Don't Love Me (No No No)" (Big Beat 1994)

Yeah, that one really is great (and should have definitely made the list)!

(Didn't it hit at all in the US? I remember it getting lot's of play in Europe at the time.)

I didn't realize that was this recent. I always took it for being from 75-85 or so.

Not sure of the hit status of "No No No" in the US. Don't recall hearing it on the radio or in clubs. But I rarely listened to the radio. And there wasn't anything remotely like a dancehall club in Milwaukee where I was living at the time (that I know of and where I assume this track would've been spun). Anyone?

Oh, sorry, Reverend, I thought you meant, "I Know."

Yeah, that's the Dionne Farris song I was thinking about. But I still think "You Gotta Be" wins middlebrow classic of the 1990s. Who could LOATHE that song? Who could ADORE that song? Just like Coldplay.

I just recently had the chance to big this song up on another thread, but I'll do it again. Dionne Farris' "Hopeless" is just about the most excellent thing ever.

Yeah, I saw that thread. A pleasant song. But ultimately forgettable in my book. One day we'll agree on something, Rev.

The most excellent thing ever are bitch tracks. "Bitch get out! Bitch get out! Bitch get out! Bitch get out! Bitch get out! Bitch get out! Bitch get out! Bitch gotta go!"

There was a rougher, earlier version of the song (from the '70s maybe?). But I can't remember who it was by (or if it was by Dawn herself, even?).

xp

Rev -

"No No No" is a remake of her own hit from the late 60s. From rocksteady to dancehall. I like the original better.

Ah, so even older than I suspected.

KJB: You do know that there are a hell lot of people who LOATHE Coldplay, right?

That's silly. It's like hating a low-volt massager. Even though they may be the worst band of all-time. I wrestle with these conundrums here.

Well, yeah.

I still think "You Gotta Be" wins middlebrow classic of the 1990s. Who could LOATHE that song?

Me. (I think Ioathe Dionne Farris's hit, too. What was it again?)

"..I think I loathe,,,"

Who the fuck was Freedy Johnston and why did P&J love him so?

And, in going with recent personal tradition, I vote for what '94 me loved, and '94 me loved that Offspring song (though nothing else by them, really).

"Lucas With the Lid Off" is A++, maybe one of the best songs of the '90s.

I don't get why anyone ever liked "Loser," it sounds like vomit found outside a dive bar.

"Loser"...

I know there's a lot of haters but that is a crazy song that predated a lot of the next decade... that huge Duane Allman dobro slide hook meets bhangra and sitar... pretty epic in retrospect.

Who the fuck was Freedy Johnston and why did P&J love him so?

Boring singer-songwriter. Or okay, probably not so boring to the people who like him. But I'm really skeptical that he ever did anything that qualified as a great "single." (For some reason, that bugs me a lot more than his placing on the album lists. Or was "Bad Reputation" his "Luka" or "Fast Car" or something?)

I love him and his balding little head to pieces. But you're right. He's soooo not a singles artist. But if anything was his "Luka," it's "Bad Reputation." So it sorta makes sense that he's up there. Still, it's basically album folk voting for it I would imagine.

Album folk meaning people who aren't particularly enamored with singles, hate/refuse to rate/review them, think they're an inferior art form, etc.

I went with "Regulate." Looking at this list reminds me why I thought '94 sucked at the time--a whole lot of really boring shit here.

Surprised how not-bad this list is, or at least the 3/4 of it that I recognize. Beck, REM, Pavement, Blur, Cranberries - they all should irritate the hell out of me, but miraculously do not. Their various quirks come across as endearing rather than annoying. Ultimately, tho, I gotta go with "Whatta Man".

This seems to be a very weak year.

I'm with Myonga, I think. Not a bad year at all, as '90s years go. I like the "Loser," both Hole singles, "Come Out And Play," "All I Wanna Do," "Sabotage" (yeah, just about the only '90s Beasties track I've ever given a shit about too, though I'll admit that my youngest kid was playing Ill Communication the other day and it didn't seem as lousy as I'd remembered it for whatever that's worth), "Girls And Boys," "Streets of Philadelphia"....and "Here Comes the Hotstepper" and "Regulate" and "Supernova" and "Seether" and "Black Hole Sun" aren't bad either. Still find "Closer" irritating and stupid; still think "Buddy Holly" is one of Weezer's worst singles ever (and I never thought its video was all that clever); still don't get why anybody would listen to anything by the Pretenders after Learning To Crawl. Still wonder if I've ever actually heard the Craig Mack song. But for the most part, I like what's up there -- maybe my favorite year of the '90s (as far as Pazz & Jop singles lists go), maybe not. Was going to go with "Gin And Juice," which grew on me like crazy over the years (really, the only Snoop track I've ever truly truly loved, though his greatest hits CD is decent). But then I decided to vote for "Fantastic Voyage," which I've always loved almost as much as the Lakeside version, because if I didn't vote for it, who would? (Also, not that this makes a difference as far any particular single goes, but Coolio made way more enjoyable albums than Snoop over all; he's the better artist, as far as I'm concerned, and now that I think of it, he might well be my favorite hip-hop act of the '90s. Though maybe I forgot somebody.)

Anyway. In other news. Crystal Waters' "100% Pure Love" is about a anal sex, right? How does it go -- "Start in the middle then around again, I'm gonna get you in the end"? Still don't particular like or dislike it, but I figured that out upon hearing it in the grocery store a couple years ago. I was proud.

(Actually, by now, I may like Coolio's "Fantastic Voyage" even more than Lakeside's version.)

And oh yeah, I don't know what I think about "Zombie" (dislike it less than other Cranberries hits, probably? but I dunno), "Cut Your Hair," or "What's the Frequency, Kenneth." Guess I'd give them all about a 5.0 out of 10. Or so.

As for "Lucas With The Lid Off," I saw it on Christmas, since my daughter got that Michelle Gondry video DVD collection as a present. It was sort of fun, I thought. Better than the Bjork songs.

And who is Mary Lou Lord again? Wasn't she considered sort of a B-level Liz Phair, or something? (I like the title of "Some Jingle Jangle Morning," at least.)

still don't get why anybody would listen to anything by the Pretenders after Learning To Crawl

Actually, I probably am full of baloney about this; though I've never had the patience for any of her post-mid'-80s albums. In my head, right now, "Night in My Veins" actually sounds okay (it has a pretty great title, for starters), even if its Hynde-ness is totally watered down. And actually, speaking of Hynde (albeit her earlier great stuff), I heard "Brass in Pocket" at really low volume while standing in line in the bank the other day (so low it was hard to identify the song), and for a few seconds at first I thought it might be something by Donna Summer. It's never occured to me before, but I think Chrissie and Donna might have some sort of similarities in some of their vocal inflections.

R.E.M, for an amazing lyric, particularly the opening line: '"What's the frequency, Kenneth?" is your benzedrine, uh-huh.'

It was a close cut thing with Pavement though. Ahem.

But then I decided to vote for "Fantastic Voyage," which I've always loved almost as much as the Lakeside version, because if I didn't vote for it, who would?

I could easily vote for it--it's definitely one of my 10 favourite hip-hop songs of the decade. (Though I should make a confession: I stopped actually voting in these things a few weeks ago. I'm really just interested in what people have to say about it all, and I feel lazy for some reason when it comes to ticking a choice!)

About Coolio: I had an argument with someone very recently about whether Coolio was a "one hit wonder." Obviously, he wasn't, and a few simple facts and figures cleared things up quick enough: eight top 40 hits, two of which reached #1, three others of which reached the top five. Weird thing is, the person I argued with is close to me in age, and likes hip-hop (though probably not as much commercial stuff as I do)--and he was absolutely convinced that Coolio was a one-hit wonder, and that the one-hit was of course "Gangsta's Paradise." I bet it's not an uncommon reaction a dozen years later. Which is sad, because I always thought "Fantastic Voyage" was a thousand times better than that bloated dirge (and didn't it win P&J the next yr?). And yet--I confess, I can't recall how a single other song by Coolio goes right now, including his other top 10s.

Des'ree and Dionne Farris: the Corrine Bailey Raes of the '90s?

Night in My Veins" actually sounds okay (it has a pretty great title, for starters), even if its Hynde-ness is totally watered down

I'm sure you meant "I'll Stand By You," right? I mean, Kelly-Steinberg cowrote both, but you can hear the authors of "Like A Virgin" and "I Touch Myself" in those lines about pushing her against the pickup truck, his hand on her hips and his lips everywhere! Talk about vocal inflections. She totally sells the song; it's a Hynde readymade that, by sheer force of personality, manages to reek of sex.

Nah, I definitely meant "Night In My Veins." It's probably okay, as I said, I like the idea of it. But compared to the best Pretenders hits (from the first few albums) it's always seemed to me to lack much of a tune, much less any crunch. It' a pretty flacced, amorphous song -- no matter how sexy the words are.

"flaccid"

has anyone mentioned yet how bizarre it is that Coolio kept doing so well in these polls?

No...probably because scoring twice isn't so bizarre, and doesn't really qualify as "kept doing so well"? (Hell, he sold a lot more records than Pavement at the time, and they showed up in Pazz & Jop way more than he did...)

I don't think there's a single single on this list that could motivate me to cast a vote. "Cut Your Hair" is cute, but the joke is no longer timely. "Loser" is a good song to memorize as a party trick, but it's always been kind of overrated. "What's the Frequency, Kenneth" may mark the exact moment when REM became ignorable. "Black Hole Sun" is turgid, though it had a cool video, at least. "Sabotage" is just annoying. I suppose the Snoop, Coolio, and Weezer might be listenable.

I actually liked (and like) "Leaving Las Vegas" (which I bought on a 45 at the time, and still have) more than "All I Want To Do," and "Spoonman" (which is on the flipside of my "Black Hole Sun" 45) more than "Black Hole Sun." Best thing about "Loser" is the riff (from Dr. John or the Allmans, take your pick.) And yeah, it's precious in a lot of ways. But it's still so heads-and-tails above any hit that Beck had later that I don't want to quibble.

Also, I don't disagree at all that "Black Hole Sun" is turgid. (Though it's no more turgid -- and somehow, less clogged up with digestive materials -- than anything, say, Pearl Jam or Alice in Chains ever scored big with. I'm pretty sure I gave it a 7.0 out of 10 in "Radio On" when it came out, and that still sounds about right.)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I'm going with Springsteen, although I think Neil Young's "Philadelphia" is a better song.

o. nate otm. couple great singles(bruce and snoop) but cumulatively this list is the definition of 'lackluster'.

Xgau's Dean's list (much of which I don't know, and the bottom half of which has some intriguing stuff....like, who the heck are Worl-a-Girl???):

Singles

Beck: "Loser" (DGC)
Craig Mack: "Flava in Your Ear" (Bad Boy)
FU-Schnickens: "Sum Dum Munkey" (Jive)
Dawn Penn: "You Don't Love Me (No No No)" (Big Beat)
Shaquille O'Neal: "Biological Didn't Bother" (Jive)
Scarface: "I Seen a Man Die" (Rap-a-Lot/Noo Trybe)
Yo La Tengo: "From a Motel 6" (Matador)
Morel's Groove, Pt. 6: "This My Party, Bitch Get Out" (Strictly Rhythm)
Bruce Springsteen: "Streets of Philadelphia" (Epic Soundtrax)
Worl-a-Girl: "No Gunshot (Put Down the Gun)" (Chaos/Columbia)
The BC-52's: "(Meet) The Flintstones" (MCA)
All-4-One: "I Swear" (Blitzz/Atlantic)

i went w/ "closer" but "gin and juice" was a close 2d.

I can't recall how a single other song by Coolio goes

Some of my favorites other than "Fantastic Voyage" are "C U When You Get There," "Ooh La La," "1,2,3,4 Sumpin' New," and "County Line" -- all findable on his 2001 Tommy Boy Fantastic Voyage: The Greatest Hits, which I have to admit is definitive enough to compel me to put his first few albums -- all of which were surprisingly solid -- into storage.

(Oops..."Country Line," I mean. Runners up: "I Remember," "Aw Here It Goes (Theme From Kenan + Kel)", and "Gangsta's Paradise," which I apparently like more than Scott does. Though I don't like it as much as Pazz & Jop voters did a year later. And I probably prefer "Amish Paradise" by Weird Al to it.)

who the heck are Worl-a-Girl???

A less fun Midi, Maxi & Efti.

I'm two polls late in remembering Bizarre Inc.'s "I'm Gonna Get You."

Surprised by how badly this list dates, though I always hated "Loser" and "Seether," but I'd still listen to deeper tracks like "The Shack" or "Do You See" off Regulate, and Girls & Boys" and "Gin and Juice" are pretty timeless. I voted for Craig Mack, even though I didn't know what to make of it at the time and still don't.

<i>No...probably because scoring twice isn't so bizarre, and doesn't really qualify as "kept doing so well"? (Hell, he sold a lot more records than Pavement at the time, and they showed up in Pazz & Jop way more than he did...)</i>

Scoring in the top five twice in three years is pretty impressive for someone currently used mostly as a pop culture punchline. And if sales were the basis for these things, then Boyz II Men and Ace of Base should probably own the entire top five.

Scoring in the top five twice in three years is pretty impressive for someone currently used mostly as a pop culture punchline.

Lauryn Hill to thread, then

(Oops..."Country Line," I mean.

no you were right, it was 'County Line' and I would vote for it easy if it were in this poll

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

I woulda voted for "Whatta Man," but i forgota vote. :(

Lauryn Hill to thread, then

What, you didn't top ten her Unplugged twofer? Her mom did.

Whoa! "Closer" tops 'em all? Didn't see that one coming. The rest of the big winners make a lot more sense, I think.

I never see any of the top spots coming. So I'll stop being surprised from now on.

This one surprised me, too, though. (If "Closer" isn't the shittiest song on the list, it's close.)

I didn't vote for "Closer", but it is MEGA AND A HALF.

yeah i didn't come close to bvoting for it AND i hate nine inch nails and that song rules