100 Best Songs? Not in Gothamist's 25 Years of Living Sweet Life

TOP FIVE SONGS at this point of existence:

5 BABYLON SISTERS - STEELY DAN

4 VAN MORRISSON - BROWN EYED GIRL

3 ROBERTA FLACK - KILLING ME SOFTLY WITH HIS SONG

2 OTIS REDDING - (SITTIN' ON) THE DOCK OF THE BAY

1 AL GREEN - TIRED OF BEING ALONE

AEROPLANE by the Chili Peppers, a truly brilliant song. Flea is an incredibale musician, the lyrics are a nice commentary on the struggles of drug addiction.

Heroine- The Velvet Underground

When tomorrow hits- Spacemen 3

Tugboat- Galaxy 500

Today is the day- Yo La Tengo

Sometimes- My bloody Valentine

Frustration- Mystic Tide

Sun's goin down- The Outsiders

Oh baby, I think I'm in love, Ladies and Gentlement we are floating in space, and any other song by...- Spiritualized

Concertina- The Mars Volta

Burning of the midnight lamp- Jimi Hendrix

Take me somewhere nice, stop coming to my house- Mogwai

Hourglass- At the Drive In

Piece of my Heart- Big Brother and The Holding co. (Janis Joplin)

Sweet Jane [live version], candy says, set free, pale blue eyes, (and so many others that I can't remember right now)-The Velvet Underground

Merry Blues- Manu Chao

King of Carrot Flowers, Song Against Sex, Aeroplane Over the Sea, Glue,Sinking Ship, Oh Comely, and others- Neutral Milk Hotel

Vamos, Bone Machine, Levitate Me (name?), winterlong, caribou, and others- The Pixies

Show me the Way, In a Jar- Dinosaur Jr

The Getaway, If you hate your friends you're not alone, liquid courage, ghosts on the radio, among others- Pretty Girls Make Graves

The Bends, Creep, Let Down, Karma Police, etc.- Radiohead

(maybe I should just throw out bands...)

Diamond Sea, Schizophrenia,Teenage Riot, Sunday...[others]-Sonic Youth

And mostly any song by Yo La Tengo, Smashing Pumpkins, The Beatles, John Lennon (mind games, instant karma, imagine....more..), Bob Dylan ('seven days' is a good one and more), Jimi Hendrix, Santana (old stuff), Led Zeppelin,

Some Smiths and Modest Mouse, Strokes, and you'll have yourself a good musical time.

Soundgarden - Burden in my hand

Stone Temple Pilots - Plush

Martin Sexton - Glory Bound

Rage against the Machine - Freedom

Chris Cornell - Sweet Euphoria

The 5 That were left in the Cold

1 - The Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends

2 - Joy Division - Love Will Tear us Apart

3 - Stone Roses - I am the Resurection

4 - Smashing Pumpkins - 1979

5 - The Cure - Love Cats

My favorite 7 easy listening songs are the following:

Tori Amos - Famous Blue Raincoat L.Cohen cover.

Jeff Buckley - Halleluja

Chris Isaak - Wicked Game

Metallica - Fade To Black

Rammstein - Seemann

Cat Stevens - Oh Very Young

Jonathon Morris - Try To Remember(TheFantasticks)

Even though the Pixies are underground, they still produced some truly fantastic songs. As Kurt Cobain had commeneted, every one of their songs is a hit. The Pixies, while not mainstream should have been respresented on this list, while they did not make a huge impact on the scene, the band still produced some of the greatest sounds from the time period.

In order from least to greatest --

XTC - The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead

Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun

Meat Puppets - Backwater

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Aeroplane

Dream Theater - Pull Me Under

sonic youth - sunday

sonic youth - starpower

guided by voices - motor away

magnetic fields - 100,000 fireflies

depeche mode - never let me down again

moby - porcelain

stereolab - avant garde

guns n roses - sweet child o' mine

pavement - angel carver blues

sentridoh - certain dance / circumstance

sebadoh - soul and fire

sebadoh - kath

universal order of armageddon - painfully obvious

void - who are you

cars get crushed - weather conditions

heroin - in general

mazzy star - fade into you

stone roses - i wanna be adored

rites of spring - spring

pet shop boys - can you forgive her

jesus and mary chain - just like honey

the sisters of mercy - temple of love (extended)

wu-tang clan - shadowboxin

wu-tang clan - triumph

raekwan - verbal intercourse

peppers - breaking the girl

veruca salt - shutterbug

live - freak

glassjaw - ape dos mil

sarah mclachlon - possesion

otep - battle ready

A few that come to mind from the past 25 years:

Train in Vain-The Clash

I Am a Scientist-Guided By Voices

Stars of Track and Field-Belle and Sebastian

Nude as the News-Cat Power

Antagonism-Will Oldham

She's Lost Control-Joy Division

That's When I ReachFor My Revolver-Mission of Burma

Soon-My Bloody Valentine

Somewhere There's a Feather-Nico

China Girl-Iggy Pop or Bowie

Common People-Pulp

William, It Was Really Nothing-Smiths

Pablo Picasso-Jonathan Richman/Modern Lovers

Woman-John Lennon

Clint Eastwood-Gorillaz

Not Great Men-Gang of Four

Feeling Yourself Disintegrate-The Flaming Lips

An Older Lover-The Fall

Waltz #2-Elliot Smith

Smart Patrol/Mr.DNA-Devo

She Sells Sanctuary-The Cult

No Surprises-Radiohead

53rd and 3rd-Ramones

Marquee Moon-Television

The Unforgettable Fire-U2

Nothing To Do With Me-Stereolab

Song Against Sex-Neutral Milk Hotel

Dead Melodies-Beck

Shipbuilding-Robert Wyatt

Of course, incomplete, and happy to think that VH1 likely wouldn't select even one of these songs for their silly list

Manguetown - Chico Science

Where Is My Mind? - Pixies

The Model - Belle & Sebastian

Sabotage - Beastie Boys

Born Slippy - Underworld

Obs: These Day - Nico was record in 1968.......not on the past 25 years.....

im sorry i know the best song ever made

John Lennon Imagine

I'm from Brazil and my favourites songs are (out of order!!!):

Head On - Jesus & Mary Chain / Pixies

Temptation - New Order

Hewlett's Daughter - Grandaddy

Transmission - Joy Division

Letter to Menphis - Pixies

No Feelings - Sex Pistols

The Group who Couldn't Say - Grandaddy

Let's Linch the Land Lord - Dead Kennedys

Ceremony - Joy Division / New Order

Wave of Mutilation - Pixies

Knock me Down - RHCP

Break Stuff - Limp Bizkit

So Watcha' Want - Beastie Boys

1979 - Smashing Pumpkins

Stand Inside Your Love - Smashing Pumpkins

This is the Day - The The

Why Does My Heart Feel so Bad - Moby

Special K - Placebo

Mayonaise - Smashing Pumpkins

Out of Control - Chemical Brothers

Rise - PIL

Schizophrenia - Sonic Youth

Mote - Sonic Youth

Hash Pipe - Weezer

Push - Cure

Manta Ray - Pixies

Orange Crush - REM

Lips Like Sugar - Echo

Acquiesce - Oasis

Lithium - Nirvana

Extreme Ways - Moby

Down by the Water - PJ Harvey

Zwan - El Sol

Volcano Girls - Veruca Salt

and more...

all rap songs form the same person? give me a break.

the best 5 songs are

2 of americaz most wanted - 2pac

changes-2pac

letter to my unborn child-2pac

brenda's got a baay-2pac

lost souls-2pac

David Bowie- Rebel, Rebel

Rolling Stones- Paint it Black

Green Day- Long View

Mission of Burma- Academy Fight Song

Dead Kennedy's- Holiday in Cambodia

Rage Againsnt the Machine- Testify

Lou Reed- Take a Walk on the Wild Side

Oasis- Champagne Super Nova

Sound Garden- Black Holed Sun

Blur- Song 2

Fugazi- Small Pox Champion

Roxanne- The Police

Snoop Dog- Gin and Juice

Black Flag- Nervous Breakdown

Doors- Break on Through (year?)

Elvis Costello- Pump it up

and yes....

Nirvana- Smells Like Teen Spirit

my ten, in no order:

cowboy junkies - blue moon revisited

lauryn hill + bob marley - turn your lights down low

john lennon - angel baby

stp - big empty

mazzy star - five string serenade

velvet underground - who loves the sun

beatles - i'm only sleeping

elvis - oh danny boy

that dog - being with you

the cure - close to me

i'm not all super indie or all super pop. on a scale of that, 1 being hardcore, and 100 being all yuppy-ish, i'd probably be a 38, so oh well. I don't think this is five, but oh well...

Dre and Snoop - ain't nothing but a g thang

Tupac - to live in die in L.A. (represent)

Hope Sandoval and the Warm Inventions - untitle/ bavarian fruit bread (track 1-, 4:10)

Sarah McLachlan - I love you (mirrorball version)

New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle

Weezer - Only in Dreams/ Say it ain't so (tie)

Led Zeppelin - D'yer Mak'er (uh oh uh oh uh oh baby)

(is that in the last 25 years? oh well)

Tori Amos - Imagine (cover)

Sublime - STP/ Seed (tie)

i would have added some Beatles, but i guess that doesn't fit in...

Wow, what an accurate and concise list. I sure hope they make it available for purchase through Time-Life. Then I could get rid of all those useless CDs on my shelf and get all my favorites in one collection!

Sigur Ros - the nothing song

Spiritualized - Ladies and gentlemen

Nico - These Days

Bob Dylan - Wigwam

Nick Drake - Fly

great list

Ben Folds- The Luckiest

Velvet Underground- Heroin

Juliana Theory- We're At The Top Of The World

Rod Stewart- When I Was Younger

Bob Dylan- I Want You

Beatles- Julia

Beatles- I Will

Radiohead- Fake Plastic Trees

Dashboard Confessional- The Best Deceptions

David Gray- Babylon

Dynamite Hack- Boyz in the Hood

Coldplay- Sparks

Coldplay- The Scientest

Third Eye Blind- Deep Inside Of You

Ben Lee- No Room To Bleed

Rilo Kiley- With Arms Outstretched

The Get Up Kids- I'll Catch You

Velvet Underground- Sweet Jane

Red Hot Chilli Peppers- My Friends

AND

NEIL SEDAKA- CALENDAR GIRL

No list as yet, its just baffling, the fact that no one has mentioned any tool songs in their lists. Listen to TOOL!

i have to agree a lot with drat fink. here's my list:

weezer - el scorcho

sleater kinney - heart factory

jeff buckley - lover, you should have come over

bright eyes - when the curious girl realizes she is under glass

built to spill - big dipper

mazzy star - fade into you

liz phair - dance of the seven veils

So, E-Cyrano, you're saying that you don't think a list of the 100 best songs in the last 25 years shouldn't necessarily include what you think are the best songs in the last 25 years?

...

Uh?

Ok, here goes in no special order

Just Like Haven the Cure

Talk Show Host Radiohead

Voices Carry Til Tuesday

I Will Dare the Replacements

Pink Moon Nick Drake

Good, and some VH-1 nners might have heard them

As a Vh1 Classic apologist, I go forth...

1. "The Different Story" - Peter Schilling

2. "(Feels Like) Heaven" - Fiction Factory

3. "Images Of Heaven" - Peter Godwin

4. "Heaven (Must Be There)" - Eurogliders

5. "One Night in Bangkok" - Murray Head

My 5 is more mainstream then most, don't know if these are already on the vh1 list

Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead

Black - Pearl Jam

Sweet Child Of Mine - Guns N' Roses

One - Metallica

Uninvited - Alanis Morissette

SOMEthing by the Smashing Pumpkins belongs on that list. I'm not quite sure which song, but since they were huge not too long ago, and Billy Corgan was being praised as a genius songwriter, they deserve to be represented.

I would have to say this would be my top tracks for my current state of mind/mood:

check these tracks out....good to play for the summer.... its all about the order for things to run smooth.....

Guns N Roses - November Rain

Gill Scott heron - The bottle

thievery corporation - shadows of ourselves

Nigo - Ape sounds

The Walkmen - we've been had

Lewis Taylor - Lucky

The sea and cake - afternoon speaker

Depeche Mode - Policy of Truth

Morrisey - I'm so sorry

The Clash- Train in Vain

The Smiths - This charming man

Pete Rock & CL smooth - Reminisce

Mondo Grosso - Souffles (masters at work mix)

Tribe Called Quest - Electric Relaxation

Pink Floyd (pulse live)- coming back to live

Quincy Jones - Summer in the city

Vision of Love - Mariah Carey

Vanishing - Mariah Carey

Emotions - Mariah Carey

Fantasy - Mariah Carey

My All - Mariah Carey

Okay - for real now, if limiting to five and in current state of mood:

Let Down - Radiohead

Smalltown Boy - Bronski Beat

#1 Crush - Garbage

Obsession - Animotion

Clocks - Coldplay

you guys forgot all about James Taylor! Now he is damn good. And R Kelly...even if he is a weirdo outside musiq. Or 2pac? My top 5

Carolina in my mind- James Taylor

All along the watchtower- guns and roses

I believe I can fly- r kelly

Hypnotize- Notorious BIG

Changes- 2pac

elephant breath - karpet kingdom

jesmond sleeps - chris crick

walk away renee - the left banke

baby one more time - britney

I love your fried trumpet - intentionally blank

absolute musts!

Praise you- fatboy slim

November Rain- Guns 'n Roses

she's a Queen- Queen

Cream- Prince

I need you tonight- INX

It's actually 26 years (1977), but I think Aja, by Steely Dan is about the greatest thing to ever happen to popular music.

It's nice to see how many other Gothamist readers appreciate the finer acts of the 80's. Lots of props to Joy Division, Elvis Costello, etc. But how come nobody else is as upset about the low ranking that "Roxanne" got? Even in the context of this VH1 dreck, that song was a major hit that turned pop music on its head.

this is gay.

"i wanna be sedated" by the ramones

"fuck and run" by liz phair

"tuesday's gone" by lynyrd skynyrd

"alison" by elivis costello

"she says" howie day

"tell her this" del amitri

current emotional choices, so use me.

"Born Under Punches"- Talking Heads

"Lord Only Knows"- Beck

"Climbing Up the Walls"- Radiohead

"The Whistling Song"- Meat Puppets

"In the Mouth a Desert"- Pavement

I like Cortez the Killer, but that's from 1975 (drat).

My Neil Young top 5, steering this towards High Fidelity-ville:

Rocking In The Free World

Needle and the Damage Done

Ohio

Heart of Gold

Southern Man

No Neil Young anywhere?

Only 5? My iPod holds 2000...is 100 still a valid range considering the size of personal music collections these days?

Down by the Water - P.J. Harvey

Repeater - Fugazi

Fall On Me - REM

Head On - JAMC

Debaser - Pixies

#1 "Love will tear us apart", Joy Division

#2 "That's Entertainment", The Jam

#3 "Oblivious", Aztec Camera

#4 "Pump it Up", Elvis Costello

#5 "Train in Vain", the Clash

Tom waits - 16 Shells From a 30-06

Elvis Costello - Beyond Belief

The Jam - That's Entertainment

Talking Heads - Life During Wartime

Jim Carroll Band - People Who Died

The Clash - Clampdown

The Way it Is- Bruce Hornsby

Glory of Love- Peter Cetera

Baker Street- Gerry Rafferty

Circle in the Sand- Belinda Carlisle

Sowing the Seeds of Love- Tears for Fears

While everyone here can find fault in a Top 100 list, it seems that everyone's Top 5 "omissions" are simply their own personal favorites. No disrespect to any given individual, but it would be a pretty pathetic for VH1 if their viewers hadn't heard of most of the songs on the list. Indie cred doesn't (nor should it) land an artist anywhere on a Top 100 list, so all you Jeff Buckley, Husker Du and Ani Difranco fans should simply take heart in the fact that you are way cooler than all the Top 40 pop music slaves out there. The only person who seemed to "get it" is the one who listed "Boys of Summer", "Vogue" and "Fast Car", which are all popular and enduring songs from the 80's. Lest you think I'm being hypocritical, I'm the biggest Black Crowes fan around, but there's no way "Jealous Again" deserves to be on the VH1 list. Nor does "Remedy", which is probably the Crowes most definitive work. Maybe this whole blog is just an excuse to list your five favorite songs, which is fine. It doesn't, however, pay much mind to what would be worthy additions to a better "best of" list that would please the masses who watch VH1 (which, by the way, is the whole point of such lists...)

south central rain - r.e.m.

drive in saturday - bowie

nothing compares 2 U - sinead's version

brilliant mistake - elvis costello

song to the siren - this mortal coil

Year of the Cat- Al Stewart

Hysteria- Def Leoppard

Last Goodbye- Jeff Buckley

Plush- Stone Temple Pilots

willie nelson. i vote for willie nelson.

the best 5 songs of the past years for me would include

1.joydivision love will tear us apart

2.patsy cline crazy

3. led zeppelin in through the out door

4. the beeges how deep is your love

5. the waterboys the whole of the moon

Five all-time best songs that VH-1 somehow forgot:

- "Bastards of Young" by the Replacements

- "Teenage Riot" by Sonic Youth

- "She's A Woman (And Now He Is A Man)" by Husker Du

- "There She Goes" by The La's

- "Love Vigilantes" by New Order

what an impossible task. ive thrown out a few that strike me but it could just as easily be many others. (caution: indie rock bias)

"oh comely" neutral milk hotel

"twin falls idaho" built to spill

"king rides by" "colors and the kids" catpower

"frontwords" "here" "range life" pavement

"will you miss me when i burn" palace brothers

"good things" sleater kinney

"autumn sweater" yo la tengo

"ride it on" mazzy star

"creep" "paranoid android" radiohead

"dress" "rid of me" pj harvey

"ladies and gentlemen we are floating in space" spiritualized

"motor away" guided by voices

ok, that takes care of the 90s. now in the eighties......

ive got a counter question. what are the 5 best songs since 2000?

Travis?

Patty Griffin - "Peter Pan"

Pearl Jam - "Yellow Ledbetter"

Nikka Costa - "Everybody Got Their Something"

Ani DiFranco - "Both Hands"

Bjork - "Hyperballad"

Travis - "Turn"

i guess that's more representative of that past 10 years, but hey, those are my choices.

I know - it's VH1 repackaging a mix of their usual music plus the ones they have to include or the list will totally lose credibility. It's infuriating to read, but it's fun for Gothamist (me) to see what songs other people like...I learn about new stuff this way.

There needs to be some Jonathan Richman, Liz Phair (What Makes You Happy?), New Order (Temptation?).

ok, i hate to break it to ya, but this vh1 list ( like all 25 best..whatever viacom lists) is pretty much dictated by asshole publicists and asshole vh1 staff who lick the asses of said publicists: "Um, like you HAVE to put Norah Jones, in there, i dont care where but we HAVE to, I promised the label " no shit, these meetings DO happen. i've been there.... just in case you thought lists like these were determined by people who like/know/listen to music..... sad but true

In no particular order:

Don Henley - "Boys of Summer"

Madonna - "Vogue"

The Sundays - "Here's Where the Story Ends"

Tracy Chapman - "Fast Car"

Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush - "Don't Give Up"

Remember, it's the last 25 years, not just the last 10.

Jeff Buckley, "Lover, You Should've Come Over"

Thomas Dolby, "Screen Kiss"

Tracy Chapman, "Fast Car"

The Smiths, "Rubber Ring"

Prince, "If I Was Your Girlfriend"

And if there must be Radiohead, it's "Exit Music" from OK Computer.

VH1's highest ranked rap song on this list is by Eminem. Need I say more?

(also: Hanson also made the list. Perhaps VH1 will never figure out why their viewership is close to zero)

Gothamist should make the ultimate collaborative mix tape/music list via blog.

1) Mississippi--Bob Dylan

2) Not Dark Yet--Bod Dylan (again!)

3) Paradise City--Guns R' Roses This song has more hooks than a tackle shop.

4) Fairytale of New York--The Pogues A Christmas classic.

5) Jealous Again--The Black Crowes Straight classic American rock n roll.

oooh the pressure. 5 of this precise moment, not in order.

1)peter murphy, "cuts you up"

2)DAMN. "brandy" by looking glass is too old.

3)the clash, "london calling"

4)luna, "chinatown"

5)the auteurs, "new french girlfriend"

6)the jam, "ghosts"

and, a special bonus for the best cover EVER: dwight yoakam and flaco jimenez, "carmelita."

Okay, seriously this time, but in no particular order:

Even considering that we're talking about VH1, they made some truly boneheaded omissions. I mean, "Mr. Jones," by Counting Crows? Hello?!

ugh. I'll tell you what this smells like: like every Labor Day countdown growing up in North Carolina, where Stairway to freakin' Heaven was always the Greatest Song of All Time.

If VH1 were a state, I'd move away from it.

Okay, here goes:

Pregnant women should not be allowed to see that list, it is so infuriating. Rrrgh. It is VH1, though... It's not like they are selling out their principles. In fact, judging by the list, they are sticking to them pretty closely. Anyway, my top 5 at this moment:

Sentimental Favorite: Live Forever--Oasis

Bar Favorite: Where is my Mind--The Pixies

Mandatory Radiohead Song: Electioneering

Elvis Costello pick (I think Alison is too old for the list): Strict Time (from Trust)

And, uh, Tainted Love by Soft Cell. Because I always end up clapping along when I hear it.

Saint Etienne: Hate Your Drug

Rachel's: His Eyes

Peter Gabriel: Biko

The Beta Band: She's The One

Schnittke: Penitential Psalms: XII Wordless Humming

Hooverphonic: Autoharp

Oh, is that six? Oops.

In no particular order, but trying to pick more popular of the underground (as I consult my Ipod)..

Galaxie 500- Oblivious

Radiohead- Let Down

Wilco- Kamera

Built to Spill- Big Dipper

Joy Division- Ceremony

Wire- Outdoor Miner

Talking Heads- Thank you for sending me an Angel

Man.. I could go on.. and on.. That list should be relabled top 100 in heaviest rotation on VH1

Gosh, that's a hideous list VH1s got there. Much better music "bests" can be found at:

http://listsofbests.com/

ding! callalillie wins for getting the most correct answers!

My favorites generally vary with mood and feelings of sentiment...but I would include:

- Black Boys on Mopeds, Sinead O'Connor

- Out of Range, Ani DiFranco

- Down In It, Nine Inch Nails

- Hit, Sugarcubes

- Been Caught Stealing, Jane's Addiction

And I second Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen.

you are an idiot, jen- the best five songs are:

- hallelujah by leonard cohen (john cale version)

- send me an angel by they might be giants

- thunder road by bruce springstein

- now my heart is full by morrissey

- here comes your man by the pixies

- electrolite by REM

- better days by the kinks

I have exceptions with some songs, versus the artists (like I would have put into something from Paul's Boutique for the Beastie Boys), so I'll just take up for songs of artists not on the list:

- Last Goodbye by Jeff Buckley

- Central Reservation by Beth Orton

- There She Goes by The La's

- I Am The Resurrection by The Stone Roses

- This is Hardcore by Pulp

Five is not enough, I realize.