The Heart of Rock and Soul Poll: the 1001 Greatest Singles Part 28: 301-325

Too much great soul on that list for an easy choice, but I'll go with Sly. More than any other song, that sums up the sheer joy he could generate just before the coke, guns and pitbulls kicked in (even though there's some melancholy nostalgia in the lyrics, the tune is transcedent). One of the all-time top 10 summer jams.

"Bad Luck." That. Piano!

Went with "Hungry Eyes" over "Serpentine Fire."

My favorite version of "Night Time is the Right Time":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSvGdfOfLFw

I yield to no one in my EWF fandom, but "Serpentine Fire" is probably my least favorite of their '70s singles.

Jumpin' Jack Flash

Too many great songs here. But voting for the Stones.

I'm Yr Puppet

I've been posting my picks on my own site, so I was starting to wonder if President Keys had bailed--glad you've carried on. This is even better, I think, than the group a couple back. Seven songs that rank high among my all-time favourites: Harold Melvin, Persuaders, Jackson 5, Chic, Sly, the Who, and the Crystals (not a famous hit, but maybe their best). It's almost meaningless for me to pick one, but I guess I'll go with "Hot Fun in the Summertime." My guess is that this will be the most diffuse vote yet, and that "Jumpin' Jack Flash" will win.

I need to go out and listen to a lot of these, but "Pink Houses" is a worthy choice - a very sly and subtle commentary on American culture, and it rocks too.

Don't blame me, I voted for Mellencamp.

This is probably crazypants but I prefer the Pretenders' cover of "Thin Line..."

I voted for "Running Scared", which I'd vote for over just about anything, including "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Under the Boardwalk", which in most of the other polls in this series would get my vote.

"Brother Louie."

(Would vote for the Hot Chocolate version too, if it was up there.)

2nd Place: probably "Bad Luck" or "Pink Houses" or "Oh Girl" or "Le Freak" or, uh, something else.

Went with "Hungry Eyes" over "Serpentine Fire."

I read this and thought, wow, I don't remember Marsh picking a song from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack -- cool.

Anyway, yeah, good list, not sure what I'm choosing, probably Sly.

Haha, saw that big empty white space at work and figured "don't tell me Soto's posting that Cosby thing!"

It really is the best karaoke scene evar

It really is why The Simpsons had to happen.

Sly for me.

Sly for me too -- that is the happiest song ever recorded. I actually wrenched my back once thanks to the little jump for joy I made when it came on the radio.

Earth,Wind and Fire Serpentine fire
Drifters Under the Boardwalk
Sly and the family Stone Hot fun in the summertime

This is like some summertime trinity!

Went with Thin Line tho.

"Hot Fun in the Summertime" might be about the only specific entry I remember from Marsh's book 20 years later; something to the effect that, far from being the blissful song I'd always heard it as, it was all a wry metaphor for the inner-city rioting that had spread throughout the country in the wake of Watts. Seemed like overreach to me at the time; thinking about it today, sounds pretty reasonable.

soooo many great songs. i voted this to keep it from being shut out. dig her duds!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXSocE_M1G4

I like that Hot Fun theory - Sly was passing through Detroit during the 67 riots and was pulled over by the cops - but I'm not sure the lyrics bear it out. It seems like a Dancing in the Streets situation, politicised by context rather than intent.

voted wilson pickett over georgia on my mind and running scared

Love Sly, love the late-August-afternoon atmosphere it always evokes (despite first hearing it in midwinter), but otherwise "Hot Sun" has never been a particular favourite. There's a murkiness that I've always found somewhat offputting, probably because I've only ever heard it in that awful fake stereo instead of pristine mono or stereo.

Anyway, voted for Dyke et al, partly to ensure that they don't get overlooked (Wilson Pickett stealing their thunder.)

"Jumpin' Jack Flash" is one of the few songs where I can recall everything in my immediate surroundings the moment I first heard it, coming out of a beach transistor radio in summer '68, and I still get that same rush from it 40 years later.

#2 - Bad Luck.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

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