Heart of Rock and Soul Poll: the 1001 Greatest Singles Part 21: 476-500

"Keep up, with the Flintstones / Don't Stop Til You Get Enough"

Arrrgh! So torn between "Don't stop til you get enough" and "What a fool believes". This may come down to a coin flip.

Voting Anna, perfect song, no need to think twice.

Any one of these:

476 1980 Donna Summer On the radio
478 1976 Bob Seger Night moves
479 1973 Allman Brothers Band Ramblin' man
480 1955 Elvis Presley Baby let's play house
481 1979 Michael Jackson Don't stop 'till you get enough
482 1983 Jackson Browne Lawyers in love
483 1977 Fleetwood Mac Go your own way
488 1969 Rolling Stones Honkey tonk woman
489 1972 Stylistics Betcha by golly wow

"Night Moves," easy.

Though any number of these (Stylisitcs, MJ, Paul Revere, maybe Sir Doug and Stones and Donna and Elvis and Bo and Tymes and Fleetwood Mac, maybe more) would have received my vote had they been in the lame previous round.

Allmans would've been a shoo-in to win last time too. (Just noticed that one.)

And Heptones! Jeez, this a great list.

Oh man, "Book of Rules."

Disco vote #3: Disco Clemenza loves disco! I have a real hard time looking past all the baggage that accompanies Michael Jackson--much of which miraculously disappeared for the first couple of weeks after his death (understandable, sort of)--but this is one of two instances where I can manage ("I'll Be There" the other...Jackson 5 in general, I guess). Close: Stylistics, Buck Owens (there's a great version of "Love's Gonna Live Here Again" in the Canadian film Goin' Down the Road, played by a busker). Close to close: "Ramblin' Man" (I wish it were "Jessica" instead).

But his baggage signifies; it's an intrinsic part of his star text.

So torn between "Don't stop til you get enough" and "What a fool believes".

Ha! My choices too but I went with "What A Fool Believes" which I've always heard as a song about the 1960s/counterculture/Sexual Revolution all grownup and jaded (or mildly amused). It would've been perfect on the soundtrack to Chilly Scenes of Winter (aka Head Over Heels) released the following year.

Love that synth sound on "What a Fool Believes" (and "It Keeps You Running"). I could rock that shit all day.

Doobies got good once they got infected with the Dan parasite.

So I just found my old copy of Spin's all-time Top 100 singles list in the closet! "Night Moves" at #55, "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" at #96, cool. (But THREE singles from 1988, which is when the list came out, in the Top 10. Plus six more in the Top 100 -- talk about trying to beat us over the head with a stupid point, Christ. But at least Pebbles' "Mercedes Boy" at #34 looks neat now.) (Actually, the Smiths' #92 "Please Please Please" is listed via typo as having come out in "198," so I'm not sure what that one's precise year is.)

What exactly is the stupid point, xhuxk? (And notice, swoods, that I did not bring this up.)

There are a lot of points one could be making by putting a bunch of months-old songs all over (and at the top) of a greatest-of-all-time list, which ones do you need explained to you?

xp Nah, I did; know I shouldn't have, because it's beating a dead horse, but couldn't resist. Looking at the list reminded me why it pissed me off so much two decades ago. Stupid point: If you are not paying attention to what's happening now, you are not as cool as us because music now is better than ever. Proof: really mediocre New Order and Sinead and Feelies singles. (Not even nearly the best things they'd ever done, but hey, newer is better, right?) Okay, we get it guys.

Honestly, looking over the list, I understand even less why people consider it so much more adeventurous or surprising than Marsh's. There's a few unexpected choices on it, sure. But not a lot of them.

What I will say, though, to prevent this from being a total tangent, is that it's always a challenge when making lists like this to figure out what current stuff to include, since you have to include some, but whatever you pick has a real good chance of sounding silly years later, since you haven't had a chance to live with it yet. Marsh's recent choices often have the same problem. (As do mine, even more so, in my metal book btw.) But for me, maybe that's just another reason Spin shouldn't have called so much attention to it.

Might vote for "Baby Let's Play House." Frankly surprised by all the love I'm showing in these polls for Elvis records -- love lots of his music, of course, but he's never been in my personal Pantheon or anything. I guess my taste just aligns closely with Marsh's in this area.

The Jackson would have been a walk up until a few years ago -- nothing to do with him or his issues, everything to do with overplay at a couple hundred weddings. Not completely sour on it, but at this point I much prefer "Rock With You," which I will still turn up very loud in the car (and also play at a lot of weddings, just not as one of the "big-deal" type of songs expected to cause tremors)

Lots of other good ones here also, incl. Seger, Fleetwood Mac, Donna, Raiders, Stylistics, Doobies, Heptones.

xp Spin list by my count also has only eight singles from before 1960 (i.e., fewer singles than from 1988), zero of them in the top ten, fwiw (and only one in the top 20).

Well...Charles Manson's baggage "signifies" too, but it doesn't follow that I need to overlook it when sorting out my feelings about him. He made pop music too. (And yes, I realize Michael Jackson never murdered anyone.)

Let me correct that, since what you're saying is that Michael and his baggage are inseparable, not that it should be overlooked. What I should have said is that it doesn't follow that Charles Manson's baggage contains some kind of inherent artistic value, which to me seems to be the trend of Michael Jackson appreciation the past decade or so, especially after his death. It's fine to recoil from Manson, and it's fine to recoil from Michael.

In the interest of thread peace (and so sw00ds doesn't erupt at me again), I'll just roll my eyes at xhuhk's posts.

The Jackson would have been a walk up until a few years ago -- nothing to do with him or his issues, everything to do with overplay at a couple hundred weddings.

That's one of the things that gives "What A Fool Believes" the edge over it for me. "Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough" is just such an automatic go-to song at parties that it's starting to began a drag to hear/dance to it.

man, Chuck and Kevin should just start a Leland vs. Marsh--or Spin vs. Creem (or Rolling Stone)--thread and duke it out once and for all. c'mon y'all, think of the children. i'll get the popcorn.

Lots of good ones here: MJ, Seger, Elvis, Fleetwood, Stones, Stylistics, Allmans, Buck, Rascals. But I'm going to vote for an underdog: the Doobies. It's perfect California late 70's Pop, and the lyrics are great too. Written by Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. When's the last time either one of those got some love?

"What A Fool Believes" which I've always heard as a song about the 1960s/counterculture/Sexual Revolution all grownup and jaded

Huh? It seems pretty about a dude who dated some girl once back when and he still obsesses over her, but she barely remembers who he is.

Anyway:

1. 1979 Michael Jackson Don't stop 'till you get enough
2. 1976 Heptones Book of rules
3. 1979 Doobie Brothers What a fool believes
4. 1955 Elvis Presley Baby let's play house
5. 1959 Bo Diddley Say man
6. 1980 Donna Summer On the radio
7. 1972 Stylistics Betcha by golly wow
8. 1962 Arthur Alexander Anna (go to him)
9. 1965 Sir Douglas Quintet She's about a mover
10. 1972 Otis Clay Trying to live my life without you

There are a lot of songs I like on this list, but not too many I love. Stuff like Bob Seger and Fleetwood Mac. I love the Jive Five but I'm not so into their uptempo numbers. The Otis Clay is a very solid piece of Hi Records soul that I can't find fault with, so I guess it goes in my top 10. Michael Jackson sort of owns this thread.

pretty clearly is what i meant to write

I just opened a fortune cookie which read "Every burden is a blessing." But I'm not sure if that means I should refrain from being snarky.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

"Night Moves" by a nose over "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough."

"Night Moves" over "Honky Tonk Women"

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