Flagpole Sitta vs. You Get What You Give

POLL: Best line from "Flagpole Sitta"

Of course, if we'd ran this thesedays, it'd have been called FlagPOLL Sitta, naturally.

RATM vs. Beck, Hanson, and Marilyn Manson

YGWYG = worst song of the 90s

TS: "Popular" vs "Flagpole Sitta"

i like both these songs but flagpole sitta

Flagpole Sitta is rubbish. New Radicals by default.

Not the worst, but pretty bad. Gregg Alexander didn't do himself or his song any favors by calling out other, better musicians and then running away.

Of course, if we'd ran this thesedays, it'd have been called FlagPOLL Sitta, naturally.

― Mark G, Wednesday, December 10, 2008 11:28 AM (8 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

More like "POLLpole SitPOLL"

too tough

both these songs are great, but ygwyg is like seriously transcendent and shit.

we should have just called this poll "US vs UK"

Faust Arp

both of these bands must be happy ILM exists to support their legacy because no-one else remembers them

Flagpole Sitta by several miles.

We listened in Mexico ad infinitum YGWYG for the last two years in a Movistar ad. Now they changed it for a crappy Great DJ soundalike. Still, despite the fact of being obliged to listen to it since it was released I'll have to go for it.

-If you feel your dream is dying
Hold tight
You've got the music in you-

"Flagpole Sitta", but I may be biased due to never hearing the other song until relatively recently.

Flagpole Sitta is fun, but kinda always sounded like Green Day gone slightly twee.

but ygwyg is like seriously transcendent and shit.

Thanks pollbox

I relistened to "Flagpole Sitta" for the first time since its heyday and DAMN it is one nasty little rant. Was a LOT of fun to sing along to car radio at age 16 when it hit big and I first learned to drive.

You Get What You Give, I can't tell if the fashionshowswithBeckandHanson CourtneyLoveandMarilynManson You'reallfakesgotoyourmansions Comearoundwe'llkickyourassin! part is terrible or great because it is so terrible (evidence for latter: it is fun to sing all sassy).

I'll bet Courtney could beat the shit out of Gregg Alexander. Not so sure about Marilyn.

xxpost: anything 4 U PW

I'll bet Courtney could beat the shit out of Gregg Alexander. Not so sure about Marilyn.

uh, not sure what just happened. it appears my computer is haunted. by ghosts!

What happened to Gregg Alexander? I remember he did some writing for Rod Stewart before Rod went loco for "The Great American Songbook." But nothing since.

he's been busy successfully orchestrating the steady decline in popularity of beck, hanson, courtney love and marilyn manson

A new song entitled "Why Can't We Make Things Work" written by Alexander (and Rick Nowels) was released by Any Dream Will Do winner Lee Mead in November 2007, on his self-titled album.

writer makes sense - it's a better song than performance/production

flagpole sitta = worst song of history

god i could go for some mead right now

xxp

He wrote that nice Michelle Branch song that came out in 2003 or so.

http://blogs.glam.com/glamchic/files/2008/05/trapperkeepers.jpg

I suppose it is also worthy of mention that both of these songs were composed and performed by hopeless dorks, who used their moment in the spotlight to direct contempt at their cooler or more ordinary peers (not just fellow alterna-popsters, but television owners, stupid breeders, mall shoppers and such). YGWYG seems a bit less mean-spirited in this regard, but not by much.

On second thought, I think ^ only applies to YGWYG if one factors in the content of the song's video. The lyrics themselves are actually, almost without exception, earnestly optimistic - even if it is music by and for dorks. This makes the venom toward Beck etc. in the song's coda all the more peculiar.

fashionshowswithBeckandHanson

YGWYG makes me homicidal, this bit in particular, unless I sing my own lyrics:

New York cops are testilyin'
Bosnians n' Serbians dyin'

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

I suppose it is also worthy of mention that both of these songs were composed and performed by hopeless dorks, who used their moment in the spotlight to direct contempt at their cooler or more ordinary peers

I always presumed that Flagpole Sitta was sung 'in character' - I doubt the author really wants to rage against machines, and I don't remember a time when "I'm so smart, I don't watch TV" wasn't something you'd get a slap for saying. Next you'll be telling me that Bohemian Like You is straight-faced aspiration rather than vicious satire.

yes, and "Sex Type Thing" by the Stone Temple Pilots is a song which advocates rape.

Yeah, you're probably right. I'm pretty much a gullible sap, so satire and irony are sometimes lost on me. But there does seem to be a legitimate, sneering contempt to some of the lines ("only stupid people are breeding" & the lyrics do seem too oblique for straight satire ("they cut off my limbs, and now I'm an amputee goddam you"). And I won't comment anything about The Dandy Warhals except for that I used to kind of have crush on their keyboard player. Mostly, though, I just want to punch that Courtney dude in the face.

*lol some serious typing / grammar errors in that post

is there some sort of "automatic vote for any Flagpole Sitta option" preference on ILX?

he's been busy successfully orchestrating the steady decline in popularity of beck, hanson, courtney love and marilyn manson

He actually worked with Hanson on one of their more recent albums...so this isn't so far from the truth.

Both great songs, YGWYG wins cause of the video.

I thought it was "Becky Hansen", ie Beck, and not Hanson at all.

Oh, and re: Flagpole Sitta: He's not really an amputee, he is lying, and paranoid.

Flagpole Sitta is somewhat confusing, WRT questions about the "voice" and what we're to make of its pronouncements. I mean, this is clearly sarcasm:

i wanna publish zines
and rage against machines
i wanna pierce my tongue
it doesn't hurt, it feels fine

been around the world and found
that only stupid people are breeding
the cretins cloning and feeding
and i don't even own a tv

hear the voices in my head
i swear to god it sounds like they're snoring
but if you're bored then you're boring
the agony and the irony, they're killing me

it's not that fucking complicated

the song is about YOU

2nd one is better

Plus yeah, song isn't hard to figure out, but it does move in more than one direction at a time. Thus complicated.

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

whew

eeked it, but good job everyone.

this was wayyy too fuckin close

Kublai Khan Paw Paw Chow Chow Chow

You Get What You Give must surely be one of the worst songs ever.

milling OTM but I have several friends whose taste I respect who thought it was just awesome. cannot understand it. haaaaaate it.

len

"Flagpole Sitta"'s one of the greatest songs ever. I think the exact order goes 1. "Like a Rolling Stone," 2. "Mystery Train," 3. "Flagpole Sitta."

I don't even know Flagpole Sitta.

I woke up with the Courtney Love/Marilyn M part from Get What You Give in my head the other morning. That was strange.

rocking out to this jam as I type these words

new rads, that is

it is kind of like musical zoloft

If you're not bored then you're boring.

I don't even know Flagpole Sitta.

Yeah, you do.

Just say "Paranoia paranoia everyone is coming to get me song"

Oh! haha I had no idea that was the name of that song.

E u know you were publishing zines, even whilst raging against machines.