Last year, while ticking through the songs from years ending in "1" and "6", the 1971 list was the strongest batch (followed by the 1991 list). Not surprisingly, the 1972 list presents a similar mix of classic rock and latter-day soul, plus The King and Jimmy Cliff.
Picking one song from Exile is not an easy task. While it is the Stones' best album (and, to my mind, the greatest rock album of all time) it is not an album full of "singles". Ultimately, I chose "Rocks" because its rawness (both lyrically and musically) is the most emblematic of the album as a whole, though it is tough to make an argument against "Tumbling Dice", "Happy", "Sweet Virginia", "Let it Loose" or personal favorite "All Down the Line"
While Bowie is not directly on this list, his fingerprints are all over it (see #5 and #6)
Fat, cheesy Elvis was worth it for the joy of "Burning Love"
In all honesty, "Lean on Me" or "I Can See Clearly Now" are probably better choices for #10 below, but I just love the ridiculousness of "Jim" too much too leave off the list.
Top 10 Songs of 1972
"Rocks Off" / The Rolling Stones / Exile on Main St. "the sunshine bores the daylights out of me"
"Thirteen" / Big Star / #1 Record"I won't make you"
"Superstition" / Stevie Wonder / Talking Book
"when you believe in things / that you don't understand / then you suffer"
"Stuck in the Middle With You" / Stealers Wheel / Stealers Wheel
"clowns to left of me / jokers to the right"
"All the Young Dudes" / Mott the Hoople / All the Young Dudes"and my brother's back at home with his Beatles and his Stones"
"Walk on the Wild Side" / Lou Reed / Transformer
"and the colored girls say / doo doo do do do doo doo"
"I'll Take You There" / The Staples Singers / Be Altitude: Respect Yourself
"I know a place"
"Burning Love" / Elvis Presley / single "'and you light my morning sky"
"The Harder They Come" / Jimmy Cliff / The Harder They Come
"I'm going to get my share now / what's mine"
"You Don't Mess Around With Jim" / Jim Croce / single "and when the bad folks all get together at night / you know they all call big Jim boss"
The plan, in advance of a December post on the top 100 of 2012, was to publish the top 10 songs of every five year increment from 1962 to the present . That implies ten lists. Since it is currently late August, I should be posting about Radiohead and Dr Dre. by now with seven posts behind me. Instead I've got 1962 behind me and that's it.
So let's get on with it...
Top 10 Songs of 1967
"I'm Waiting For My Man" / Velvet Underground / Velvet Underground and Nico "Hey white boy / what you doing uptown?"
"Underdog" / Sly & the Family Stone / A Whole New Thing "...and you've got to be twice as good"
"Daydream Believer" / The Monkees / The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees
"The shaving razor's cold / and it stings"
"I Second That Emotion" / Smokey Robinson / single
"And a taste of honey's worse than none at all"
"Respect" / Aretha Franklin / I've Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You "Give me my propers / when you get home"
"Sweet Soul Music" / Arthur Conley / Sweet Soul Music
"He's the king of them all, yeah"
"(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" / Jackie Wilson / Higher and Higher
"But then you / came and he soon departed / and he never showed his face again"
"Ooh Carla, Ooh Otis" / Otis Redding & Carla Thomas / King & Queen "Just your touch / sets my soul on fire"
"For What It's Worth" / Buffalo Springfield / Buffalo Springfield
"Nobody's right / if everybody's wrong"
"Ruby Tuesday" / The Rolling Stones / Between the Buttons "Still I'm going to miss you"
Now that the year-end list has been completed and the suitable break has been taken from the blog, we'll start up again with semi-decennial (still not a word) march to the best songs of 2012. Last year we started in 1966 because while 1961 had some all-timers ("Stand By Me", Coltrane's "My Favorite Things"), I struggled to get to 5 tracks that wouldn't be somewhat embarrassing to list. While 1962 was still a struggle, there was enough good stuff to justify a list that goes to ten.
Also, Sam Cooke was awesome.
Top 10 Songs of 1962
"Bring It On Home To Me" / Sam Cooke / single "I tried to treat you right / but you stayed out, stayed out late at night / but I'll forgive you"
"Green Onions" / Booker T. & the MGs / Green Onions
<instrumental>
"Boom Boom" / John Lee Hooker / single
"I'm gonna shoot you right down / right offa your feet"
"These Arms of Mine" / Otis Redding / single
"And if you / would let them hold you / oh how grateful I would be"
"You've Really Got a Hold On Me" / The Miracles / The Fabulous Miracles
"I don't like like you / but I love you"
"Up On the Roof" / The Drifters / single
"and if this world start's getting you down / there's room enough for two"
"Duke of Earl" / Gene Chandler / single
"And when I hold you / you are my duchess"
"Misirlou" / Dick Dale / Surfer's Choice <instrumental>
"Beechwood 4-5789" / The Marvelettes / single
"...any old time"
"Desafinado (Off Key)" / Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd / Jazz Samba <instrumental>
After having 95% of the first 80 tracks on the list, Grooveshark holds to form with 19 of the 20 below, with a youtube link provided for lone holdout.
20. "Powa" by tUnE-yArDs(from w h o k i l l) "I need you to press me down before my body flies away from me"
Merrill Garbus' second album of experimental and discordant music shines when it all comes together (like on "Powa", as well as "Gangsta", "Doorstep" and "Killa") but is somewhat brutal when it doesn't.
19. "Marathon" by Tennis (from Cape Dory) "Coconut grove / is a very small cove"
Good thing you can't judge an album by its cover.
18. "Mysterious Power" byEzra Furman and The Harpoons (from Mysterious Power)"Call me up right now / I'd call you but I don't know how"
Furman's vocal similarities to Alec Ounsworth of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah may not win him favor with most listeners as readily as it did with me (see #11).
17. "Jeopardy" by Dan Mangan (from Oh Fortune)
"Have I always been filled with questions?"
A: A 2011 top 20 song not on grooveshark (listen here) Q: What is the Dan Mangan song in which every lyric is posed in the form of a question?
16. "Sweet Release" by Wugazi (from 13 Chambers) < Method Man + Fugazi mashup >
Another year, another song in the top 20 featuring an old Method Man track mashed together with an even older rock track. Like last year's "Uh Huh", "Sweet Release" replaces the original beat (not one of RZA's best) with something faster, giving an otherwise unremarkable song new life.
15. "Don't Let It Get To You" by Rostam (single) "I want you / even when it don't make sense / actually, I want you more when it don't make sense"
Vampire Weekend's Rostam Batmanglij released two singles in late 2011 that have aspects similar to his full-time gig (this song samples Paul Simon, for example) while also layering in additional elements to create his own sound. Taken together, it could result in the most entertaining solo album by a non-frontman since Little Joy.
14. "Prophecy" by Adam & The Amethysts (from Flickering Flashlight) "They say / try not to get worried / try not to turn on to / problems that upset you"
Like #53 on this year's list, "Prophecy" is elevated from being a good song to a great one through the creative repurposing of a well known tune over the closing minute.
13. "So American" byPortugal. The Man (from In The Mountain In The Cloud) "They sing / everyone of you will never try to lend a hand / when the policeman don't understand"
Here we have a band named Portgual singing about being American while the lead singer, who sounds a lot like a woman, is The Man. None of this is as strange as the mid-name punctuation.
12. "Serve the People" by Handsome Furs(from Sound Kapital) "Saying / oh / my god / waiting here so long I feel a change"
An anthem for the disillusioned. Life post-Wolf Parade is manageable as long as both Dan and Spencer (at #6) are releasing music this good on their own.
11. "Maniac" byClap Your Hands Say Yeah (from Hysterical) "Maniac / statue of marble / and I don't want to touch your dark thoughts any more"
After a beloved debut and a maligned followup (which nevertheless had my #1 song of 2007), CYHSY broke-up. "Maniac" is not their best track, but it and a few others on Hysterical were still vintage CYHSY, which feels like a miracle given that the band was no longer an active entity at the start of the year.
10. "You" byTV on the Radio (from Nine Types of Light)
"You / threw your hands up and walked away"
A second appearance on this year's list for Tunde and Kyp (they are also on the Tinariwen album). A very hard decision between this and "Second Song", but the weariness of the chorus on this track puts it over the top. One of my favorite bands.
9. "Never Quite Free" by The Mountain Goats (from All Eternals Deck)
"It's all good to know that from right here the view goes on forever"
This standout from a middle-of-the-pack MG album has a hopefulness that is partially tempered by the song's name. For my money, no one in music history does a better job naming songs (most of which don't come directly from the lyrics) than John Darnielle.
8. "Montana" byYouth Lagoon (from The Year of Hibernation)
"I looked back and turned into salt / A pillar with a hat"
Youth Lagoon's debut is so consistently excellent and each song follows a familiar enough pattern (indecipherable lyrics, slow build) that picking one song from the album is a challenge. Ultimately, I chose the first one I heard, the one which made me want to learn more. I highly recommend the whole album.
7. "Barnes' Yard" by The Rural Alberta Advantage (from Departing)
"We're broken down lovers on the side of the road / we're broken down lovers in a city of oil"
Unlike Of Montreal, Architecture in Helsinki, Beirut, Boards of Canada and others, this band's lead singer is actually from rural Alberta. Canadians are just completely without guile.
6. "Return to the Violence of the Ocean Floor" by Moonface (from Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I'd Hoped)
"Said I got a spirit / made out of sand"
Some quick history. I've been doing this list for 7 years now. Spencer Krug has made the list 3 times with Wolf Parade (#1 in 2008), 3 times with Sunset Rubdown (#1 in 2009), 2 times with Swan Lake (#1 in 2006) and now with Moonface. That is nine appearances in seven years, all of which were in the top ten. So, yeah, I kind of like the guy.
5. "Holocene" by Bon Iver(from Bon Iver)
"I was not magnificent"
I love the way this song, even upon a first listen, sounds like a song you have been listening to for years. This is not because Bon Iver's sound is derivative or unoriginal (which it is, a little bit), but simply because it is so comfortable and lived-in. "Skinny Love" held the same spot in 2008 and I'd have a hard time choosing between the two.
4. "Under Cover Of Darkness" byThe Strokes (from Angles)
"I'll wait for you / will you wait for me?"
Upon release as the advance single for Angles, this song was damned with great praise as sounding like a lost single from Is This It. After disappointing attempts to evolve their sound on First Impression of Earth and elsewhere on Angles can't we just celebrate how great anything that sounds like an essential cut from Is This It is?
3. "Belong" byThe Pains Of Being Pure At Heart (from Belong)
"But no one else / can make me know there's no one else"
I have never had a song climb the chart throughout the year like this one. I enjoyed elements of their 2009 debut album, but it didn't make the year-end list. When Belong came out I thought the title track would be a strong contender to make the list, but had it pegged in the back 50. As time progressed and the play count rose, it climbed and climbed, until I finally realized that the song was a good as anything released during the year. Great fuzzy guitars a la MBV coupled with lyrics that could be heard as "it is hard / but we still belong" or "it is wrong / but we just don't belong" depending on your mood (it is the latter, but I wish it was the former).
2. "East Harlem" by Beirut (from The Rip Tide)
"And sound of your breath in the cold / And oh, the sound will bring me home"
Like with Youth Lagoon, it is exceptionally hard to choose between the best songs on The Rip Tide, but unlike YL it is not because the songs are eerily similar. The best tracks on The Rip Tide ("Goshen", "Santa Fe", "The Rip Tide", "East Harlem") are unique, with different tempos and mood. Instead, it is hard because they are all just so damned good. Faced with this challenge and no obvious #1 for awhile (see below), I lighted upon with the idea of breaking the "one song" rule and just voltroning several songs together to create a dominant #1. Instead, with Beirut at #2, I drew on my experience of having to play favorites among my own children and selected the more classically "Beirut" of the standout tracks. But any of the above could be here.
1. "Law of Gravity" byRubik (from Solar)
"Had I fought in a war without you / I’m sure / I would be dust and bones in a faraway corner of the world / we made all the difference / we were all that mattered / just like an apple around its core / then it finally happened / we got old "
As noted above, this is the 7th year of this list. In the prior six years, the #1 slot has been occupied by three Spencer Krug bands (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown and Swan Lake), Sufjan Stevens, Iron & Wine and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. These are inner circle bands that I truly love; bands I have seen live and own their complete discography of LPs and EPs. A year ago I had never heard of Finland's Rubik and until December (when I bought a digital download of the rest of Solar) I owned only one of their songs. The prior #1s averaged over 5 minutes long, while "Laws of Gravity" comes in at a brisk 3:26. If none of those make this a surprising top choice, there is also the fact that this is basically a cheesy 80's retro pop song by a bunch of guys singing in their second language. You may hate it. But, at the end of the day, there was no song I listened to more in 2011 and there is no song I want to listen to right NOW more than this wonderful little slice of happiness (especially 1:45 - 2:10).
40. "My Mistakes" by Eleanor Friedberger (from Last Summer) "And I swear they / swear they saved my life"
On her debut solo album, Eleanor Friedberger sticks to what I enjoy most about Fiery Furanaces while leaving the band's more eccentric impulses aside.
39. "212" byAzealia Banks (single) "I'm a ruin you, c***"
The WTF song of the year is a masterclass on how to cut a debut single. The filthy lyrics smack of novelty, but the song works because of the various permutations that Banks steps through, from rapping, to cutesy spoken word to suprisingly good singing back to a rude-girl Minaj before returning to where we started.
38. "Lover to Lover" byFlorence & The Mahcine (from Ceremonials)"And I feel I'm heading down / but that's allright"
I am a fan of Florence Welch's histrionics as long as they come in relatively modest doses, with this Annie-Lennox-meets-Mowtown tune standing out among a pretty solid album.
37. "Bubble" by King Creosote and Jon Hopkins (from Diamond Mine)
"So who's been unfair? / who causes you sorrow?"
Diamond Mine is the output of the inspired pairing of Scottish singer-songwriter King Creosote and English electronica artist Jon Hopkins. Hopkins' subtle beats at the outset almost sound like the crackle of static on an old record, creating both a modern and classic sound.
36. "I Don't Want Love" by The Antlers (from Burst Apart) "Keep your hands to your side / when you follow me home / I don't want love"
The Antlers crafted a strong second album that was still unhappy in most places but it still felt positively cheery following their debut, a 50-minute song cycle about terminal illness and death (Hospice, which was featured on both the 2008 and 2009 lists).
35. "The City" by Patrick Wolf (from Lupercailia) "No I / don't care about cash or careers / your losses or your arrears"
Weird dude. Catchy music.
34. "The Honest Truth" by Typhoon (from A New Kind of House) "All my time I’ve walked a filed line / I’ve held a vacant sign upon my eyelids"
The number of good bands out of Portland is getting ridiculous. In addition to Typhoon and #33 below, bands recently on the top 100 list out of Portland include Horse Feathers, Menomena, Ramona Falls, Laura Veirs, The Thermals, Portugal. The Man, Starfucker and Blitzen Trapper
33. "This Is Why We Fight" byThe Decemberists (from The King Is Dead) "And when we die / we will die / with our arms unbound"
Hopefully the current hiatus from Colin Meloy and crew doesn't last too long. If it does, at least we got a pretty good full length as well as an EP in 2011.
32. "Contact High" by Architecture in Helsinki (from Moment Bends) "Here in a paradise / that shakes the world romantic to the bone"
If last year's list was too heeavy on female British pop singers, 2011 has more than a fair share of cheery electronic pop.
31. "Exile Vilify" byThe National (from Portal 2) "Did you fall for the same empty answers again?"
In a year with no album, the National release two new singles, the first on the soundtrack to one of the year's best reviewed films (Win Win) and the other as part of the year's best video game (Portal 2). Both the songs and their source material are recommended.
30. "We Have Everything" byYoung Galaxy (from Shapeshifting)
"In poverty / my love / we have / everything"
See #32
29. "Here Is My Co-Pilot" by Holly Throsby (from Team)
"I know we could / be good, be good"
There are probably a half dozen songs on this list that I knew were going to make the cut within the first 10 seconds of the first listen. This is one.
28. "Weather of the Killing Kind" byThe Tallest Man on Earth (from Adult Swim Singles Program)
"I drink for something when I'm nothing / I drink for nothing when it's gone"
This was released as part of cable channel Adult Swim's music program and is sponsored by some Kia vehicle. I am glad that artists can do stuff like this now without inane discussion about "selling out". The song itself is another wonderful, simple folk tune by perhaps the best guy recording such songs today.
27. "Cut Me Out" by MNDR (from Green Label Sound)
"At least look down boy / as the words rush in / and they wash you away"
And this was released as a promo single on Mountain Dew's label, Green Label Sound. What a bunch of corporate whores...
26. "Shell Games" by Bright Eyes (from The People's Key)
"My private life is an inside joke / no one will explain it to me"
My least favorite of the Monsters of Folk charts the highest on the list during a year they all released new music (to be fair, M Ward only released the holiday She & Him disc).
25. "Well OK Honey" by Jenny O (from Home EP)
"I am a child / you have a child"
I think I initially downloaded this because I briefly got Jenny O. confused with Karen O. And it worked out. What a charmed life I lead.
24. "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele (from 21)
"We could have had it all"
The first song added to this playlist (on Jan 5 2011) ends up being the year's most heaviliy and widely played song. It's always a surprise when you hear a song that should become an absolute monster, and then it actually does.
23. "Death As A Fetish" byStarfucker (from Reptilians)
"And I will never be good enough / quietly / and you will never be good enough / just like me"
The same weekend I received Starfucker's mortality focused album I also watched the death-obsessed (and excellent) movie Never Let Me Go and reached the part in (the excellent) White Noise where we learn why people take Dylar and want to be like little Wilder. If I didn't make it to Monday, St. Peter and I were going to have a little conversation about subtlety.
22. "Wonder Why" by Vetiver (from The Errant Charm)
"When is this old world going to treat me kind"
The perfect music for a summer barbecue that is just chock full of white people.
21. "A Real Hero" byCollege (from Drive OST)
"And you / have proved / to be / a real human being"
I am going to cheat a bit here. College actually released this song on an EP in early 2010 that just about no one other than the music coordinator for Drive took notice of. All of the EP's reviews on iTunes and elsewhere came after Drive was released in September 2011. So, while it is techinically not a 2011 song, 1) the song is awesome, 2) Drive is awesome and 3) the way this awesome song is used in the aforementioned awesome movie is awesome. So let's just keep it out of the top 20 and call it fair.
