For as long as I can remember, the week between Christmas and New Year's means our radio is on for the Radio 2 Top 2000. The best 2000 songs of all time as voted by listeners are played in one week, leading up to the winner just before midnight December 31st. It's the list that years ago introduced me to a wealth of classic rock and Dutch music history. Now, it's mostly a list of music I love.
It's a cultural phenomenon here: 4,5 million people voted this year (out of a population of 16 million) on their best songs of all time. It's a list full of classic rock, nostalgic Dutch songs and one-offs. You see the list here; they're currently at #1281.
I voted for these (future) classics. What would you have voted? What are the best songs of all time?
- PINK FLOYD - COMFORTABLY NUMB
SIMON & GARFUNKEL - THE BOXER
AIR - ALL I NEED
RADIOHEAD - PARANOID ANDROID
ELBOW - ONE DAY LIKE THIS
MARLENA SHAW - CALIFORNIA SOUL
PINK FLOYD - THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY
ACDA EN DE MUNNIK - REN LENNY REN
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL - UP AROUND THE BEND
SUPERTRAMP - FOOL'S OVERTURE
THE DOORS - RIDERS ON THE STORM
ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA - DON'T BRING ME DOWN
DIRE STRAITS - BROTHERS IN ARMS
THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT - THE TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD
THE BEATLES - BLACKBIRD
PINK FLOYD - SUMMER '68
DAFT PUNK - LOSE YOURSELF TO DANCE
BOARDS OF CANADA - SATELLITE ANTHEM ICARUS
RADIOHEAD - OPTIMISTIC
TAME IMPALA - LET IT HAPPEN
THE WHO - EMINENCE FRONT
SUFJAN STEVENS - JOHN WAYNE GACY, JR.
LED ZEPPELIN - WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS
JOHN FRUSCIANTE - THE WILL TO DEATH
THOM YORKE - INTERFERENCE
I think there are two questions here. For me, my favorite songs may not be the same list of songs I'd call the best songs of all time. Favorite song is pretty easy. Broken Social Scene - Anthems for a Seventeen Year Old Girl After that it gets more difficult. It becomes a list of songs I like a lot. Rural Alberta Advantage - Under The Knife, specifically the Paper Bag Sessions version The National - Fake Empire is a song I reconnected with recently. But do I think these are the best songs of all time? No, not really. Radiohead is a good place to start, and I'd probably pick something off The Bends. Maybe Fake Plastic Trees, though Street Spirit is my favorite. The Beatles have to be on the list, and I'd pick Across The Universe. I think it's easy to get stuck in classics like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin or The Who. To defend my high school years, I'll offer up Nine Inch Nails, probably Closer (though I prefer Hurt) and Nirvana, presumably Smells Like Teen Spirit. And Pearl Jam - Better Man. It's tough to make a list. The more songs I offer, the more I'm sure I'm forgetting more obvious ones.
Wow! That's really nice! I'll look more into these lists later. I wonder if the same names keep popping up. From what you posted, I'd put "Riders On The Storm". About "Lose Yourself To Dance": I like that song too. I'd put "Get Lucky" and "Beyond" from RAM and the entire Discovery album. Speaking of Nile Rodgers, there are a bunch of Chic songs that I like. Especially the Take It Off album. On a side note, I stopped halfway through AIR's discography. Don't remember why, I probably got hooked on another artist at the time or was in a more hectic mood. Ok, here' my top songs list, I'll keep it to 40 songs: White Zombie - Thunder Kiss '65 Aphex Twin - Actium Yellow Magic Orchestra - Seoul Music Diamond Head - Truckin' The Crystal Method - Difference Goldfish - Drive Them Back To Darkness Infected Mushroom - Elation Station Paul Oakenfold - Touch Me Probot - Sweet Dreams Rainbow - Cold Hearted Woman Schatrax - Aliena's Journey Groove Armada - Lazy Moon Stone Temple Pilots - Piece Of Pie Testament - Malpractice TOKiMONSTA - Sa Mo Jung Juno Reactor - Samurai U2 - Discotheque Vincenzo - Where You Are Deadmau5 - Seeya U.D.O. - Mission No. X Us3 - The Darkside Black Sabbath - Glory Ride The Prodigy - Wild Frontier Venom - Firelight Slavior - Origin (not available on YT, but I'll put "Another Planet" here) ATB - Twisted Love Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Welcome To The Pleasuredome Nine Inch Nails - Ringfinger Gorillaz - Double Bass Garbage - Sleep Together Hallucinogen - Gamma Goblins {All The Way Down Mix} Shpongle - Nothing Is Something Worth Doing Babymetal - Onedari Daisakusen -it's track 7 in the album- Leftfield - Open Up Lil' Louis - Jazzmen Nuyorican Soul - You Can Do It (Baby) Mr. Fingers - Let's Dance All Night Prince - Kiss {I found a Prince song on YT, YAY! \o/} Soilwork - Bastard Chain P.S.: I feel weird!!! It's the first time I can't find a song on Youtube! :SFor as long as I can remember, the week between Christmas and New Year's means our radio is on for the Radio 2 Top 2000. The best 2000 songs of all time as voted by listeners are played in one week, leading up to the winner just before midnight December 31st
What would you have voted? What are the best songs of all time?
Slavior - Origin (NOT ON YT, but I'll put "Another Planet" here)
P.S.: I feel weird!!! It's the first time I can't find a song on Youtube! :S
Yeah, that's a bummer... which country did you set it to? I tried UK and global, didn't work. And of course, doesn't work in Brazil. I'm glad it's working for one country at least. :) This is a great time to be alive. =Dsome copyright holders wish it was still the 20th century.
I can only speak for Brazil. We are left out of a lot of things. But hey, we end up finding other ways to get the content we want. This is the first time ever I had problems accessing music videos on Youtube. After searching a bit, you can find it on Spotify. Speaking of Spotify, it took 6 years since it first started to open shop here (May 2014). It sucks. I don't know how Tidal or Apple Music deal with us here because I don't use their services. Thanks for helping me anyway. :DSo they like North America and Asia, but not Europe or South America?
Favorite of all time is really difficult. I tend not to stick with one album for more than a couple months. That said, here are a couple picks from current & older rotations: The sheer intensity of Brittany Howard's voice pretty much covers this one for me. I saw a live performance broadcasted on PBS and it was absolutely incredible-- I was in the middle of something, but ended up in front of the TV for over an hour, transfixed. IMO Whitacre writes some of the most beautiful harmonies there are. I heard Colgate's Chamber Singers do this piece and it was what got me back into choral music. It's hard to call this one of my favorites of all time, but I first stumbled upon it about a month ago and I've had it on heavy rotation ever since. Something about the beauty of the lyrics and the tight, twangy harmony laid bare. I come back to this song whenever something really terrible has happened. I played it on the radio show in the days after the Paris attacks. It's one of the most beautiful expressions of hope I've heard.
It really depends on my mood, but this one is consistently near the top of my list: The Tragically Hip - Nautical Disaster
For me there can only ever be one answer to this question : However, if you'd prefer something you've probably never heard, this is a close second :
I'm sure if I put more thought into it, I'd think of much more. Here's what I could think off the top of my head though . . . Mississippi John Hurt - You Have To Walk That Lonesome Valley Blues/Folk Sister Rosetta Tharp - Down by the Riverside Gospel/Folk Against Me! - Walking is Still Honest Punk Justin Townes Earle - They Killed John Henry Country New Order - True Faith New Wave Daft Punk - Aerodynamic Techno Violent Femmes - Gone Daddy Gone Folk Punk
Depeche Mode's But Not Tonight, it probably my absolute favorite. Here's a live version.
I love Hans Zimmer. I think a lot of his songs sound a bit similar, and I wish he would take greater risks with the sound. Aside from that, I enjoy the depth that he puts into his music. I'm also a sucker for instruments of the violin family.
A perfect song leaves me wanting more. I never tire of this one: