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

Kurt Cobain Yes, VH1 released their list of the the 100 best songs of the past 25 years. Yes, Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit was number one. Yes, Britney Spears' Baby More One Time is on the list. Yes, there is no Jeff Buckley. Yes, Norah Jones' Don't Know Why is on the list. Yes, there's not much British music (no Joy Division, New Order, Stone Roses, The Smiths and Blur...there is Oasis). Yes, an oh-so scientific panel of VH1 executives of chose the songs, thinking not about ratings or good built-in PR, but about the future of music. Yes, the list has been out for less than a day and Gothamist is cranky everyone trying to dissect whether it's a good list. It's a list, by VH1, using equal components of (1) potential buzz; (2) commercial popularity; (3) existence of a video, ideally interesting; (4) mark on pop culture; and (5) least of all, musical worthiness. There are certainly worthy choices of course, (Outkast's Ms. Jackson, The Clash's London Calling) but this not the end-all. At least, not until Entertainment Weekly gets their mitts on this idea.

To remedy that, Gothamist asks you what you think the best songs (give about five suggestions) of the past 25 years are. Emotional choices are welcome, as well as those necessary for the musical canon.

VH1's official site for the Best 100 Songs of the past 25 years and the list in full.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in Arts & Entertainment, Miscellaneous on June 11, 2003 8:11 AM

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SHAMEN

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

Ian

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.

diamond sea

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.

alex

Soundgarden - Burden in my hand

Stone Temple Pilots - Plush

Martin Sexton - Glory Bound

Rage against the Machine - Freedom

Chris Cornell - Sweet Euphoria

EnglishInOz

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

Thor

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)

Master Shake

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.

Madeleine

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

Allen Kung

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

bobjohnson

peppers - breaking the girl

veruca salt - shutterbug

live - freak

glassjaw - ape dos mil

sarah mclachlon - possesion

otep - battle ready

elephant sea snake

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

Guilherme Cianfarani

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.....

derek

im sorry i know the best song ever made

John Lennon Imagine

Rafael

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...

FatLadyInHarness

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

meto

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

FatLadyInHarness

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

alex fontaine de la torre deux

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

argon

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...

Mikey

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!