Best Song of the 1980s Bracket [FINALS, SUBMIT BY 1/5]

[Victor Prieto]

Can we convert this to a Google poll or something like that for future rounds? It's a pain to submit votes by typing out answers in a post, it would be easier for the organizer to tally, folks wouldn't have to scroll through very long posts to find Mik's posts, and it might increase voter turnout.

1. Clash of the Clash
The Clash, “Should I Stay or Should I Go”

2. Country Crossover Corner
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream”

3. Disco Holdouts (Pick One)
Rick James, “Super Freak”

4. New Wave But Not Much Else (Pick Two)
The Fixx, “One Thing Leads to Another”
Depeche Mode, “Personal Jesus”

5. People Like the Smiths and I’m Not Gonna Stop Them (Pick One)
The Smiths, "How Soon is Now?"

6. Same With the Pixies, Who are Important I Guess (Pick One)
Pixies, "Where is My Mind?"

7. Retro R’n’B Corner
Bobby Brown, “My Prerogative”

8. Classic Rockers Holdin’ On (Pick One)
Stevie Nicks, “Edge of Seventeen”

9. REM deathmatch (Pick One)
REM, “Radio Free Europe”

[Sam]

1. Clash of the Clash
The Clash, “Should I Stay or Should I Go”
The Clash, “Rock the Casbah”

2. Country Crossover Corner
Willie Nelson, “Always on My Mind”
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream”

3. Disco Holdouts (Pick One)
Rick James, “Super Freak”
Lipps., Inc, “Funkytown” Sorry Minneapolis is insufficiently funky for you, Lipps, Inc.
Kool and the Gang, “Celebration”

4. New Wave But Not Much Else (Pick Two)
The Fixx, “One Thing Leads to Another”
Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Relax"
Kate Bush, "Running Up That Hill"
Depeche Mode, “Personal Jesus”
Berlin, “The Metro”
Oingo Boingo, “Dead Man’s Party”

5. People Like the Smiths and I’m Not Gonna Stop Them (Pick One)
The Smiths, "There is a Light That Never Goes Out"
The Smiths, "This Charming Man"
The Smiths, "How Soon is Now?"

6. Same With the Pixies, Who are Important I Guess (Pick One)
Pixies, "Debaser"
Pixies, "Where is My Mind?"
Pixies, "Monkey Gone to Heaven"
Pixies, “Here Comes Your Man”

7. Retro R’n’B Corner
Bobby Brown, “My Prerogative”
De La Soul, “Me Myself and I”

8. Classic Rockers Holdin’ On (Pick One)
Neil Young, “Rockin in the Free World”
Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer”
Fleetwood Mac, “Little Lies”
Stevie Nicks, “Edge of Seventeen”

9. REM deathmatch (Pick One)
REM, “Stand”, This isn't the best REM song but it was a good theme song for "Get a Life."
REM, “It’s The End of the World As We Know It”
REM, “Orange Crush”
REM, “The One I Love”
REM, “Radio Free Europe”

[rylltraka]

Can we convert this to a Google poll or something like that for future rounds? It's a pain to submit votes by typing out answers in a post, it would be easier for the organizer to tally, folks wouldn't have to scroll through very long posts to find Mik's posts, and it might increase voter turnout.

We've already established a format for this that I'm loath to break from, for a number of reasons: 1) familiarity 2) I find it interesting/worthwhile to see how others have voted 3) What I find even more enjoyable is the commentary (sometimes even conversation!) that breaks out when people explain their votes/ways of thinking. You don't have to type anything if you don't want, just copy/paste and bold the right sections. There will be one change to future rounds, where I'll collapse the Youtube links.

[Stinkweed Imp]

1. Clash of the Clash
The Clash, “Should I Stay or Should I Go”
The Clash, “Rock the Casbah”

2. Country Crossover Corner
Willie Nelson, “Always on My Mind”
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream"

3. Disco Holdouts (Pick One)
Rick James, “Super Freak”
Lipps., Inc, “Funkytown”
Kool and the Gang, “Celebration”

4. New Wave But Not Much Else (Pick Two)
The Fixx, “One Thing Leads to Another”
Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Relax"
Kate Bush, "Running Up That Hill"
Depeche Mode, “Personal Jesus”
Berlin, “The Metro”
Oingo Boingo, “Dead Man’s Party”

5. People Like the Smiths and I’m Not Gonna Stop Them (Pick One)
The Smiths, "There is a Light That Never Goes Out"
The Smiths, "This Charming Man"
The Smiths, "How Soon is Now?"
None

6. Same With the Pixies, Who are Important I Guess (Pick One)
Pixies, "Debaser"
Pixies, "Where is My Mind?"
Pixies, "Monkey Gone to Heaven"
Pixies, “Here Comes Your Man”
None

7. Retro R’n’B Corner
Bobby Brown, “My Prerogative”
De La Soul, “Me Myself and I”

8. Classic Rockers Holdin’ On (Pick One)
Neil Young, “Rockin in the Free World”
Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer”
Fleetwood Mac, “Little Lies”
Stevie Nicks, “Edge of Seventeen”

9. REM deathmatch (Pick One)
REM, “Stand”
REM, “It’s The End of the World As We Know It”
REM, “Orange Crush”
REM, “The One I Love”
REM, “Radio Free Europe”

[AKKOLADE]

1. Clash of the Clash
The Clash, “Should I Stay or Should I Go”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN1WwnEDWAM
The Clash, “Rock the Casbah”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ9r8LMU9bQ

2. Country Crossover Corner
Willie Nelson, “Always on My Mind”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoPYQ-FmQB4
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaNGtgYwSsU

3. Disco Holdouts (Pick One)
Rick James, “Super Freak”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYHxGBH6o4M
Lipps., Inc, “Funkytown”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s36eQwgPNSE
Kool and the Gang, “Celebration”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M

4. New Wave But Not Much Else (Pick Two)
The Fixx, “One Thing Leads to Another”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHYIGy1dyd8
Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Relax", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yem_iEHiyJ0
Kate Bush, "Running Up That Hill", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn4U0-CRNVM
Depeche Mode, “Personal Jesus”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1xrNaTO1bI
Berlin, “The Metro”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEZP22b82ks
Oingo Boingo, “Dead Man’s Party”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iypUpv9xelg

Running Up That Hill is one of my all-time favorite songs, so that narrowed this down to voting for one other pretty quick.

Relax has a great groove to it. One Thing’s guitar riff combined with the delivery of the lead singer is a great combo and teases what later alternative music would sound like.

Personal Jesus is such a good song, though, that Marilyn Manson managed a good cover of it. The looping guitar riff is an all time classic, with the thudding synthesizer and drums providing the backbone it all plays off of.

5. People Like the Smiths and I’m Not Gonna Stop Them (Pick One)
The Smiths, "There is a Light That Never Goes Out", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siO6dkqidc4
The Smiths, "This Charming Man", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJRP3LRcUFg
The Smiths, "How Soon is Now?", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnpILIIo9ek
None

There is a Light wouldn’t have been one of my three finalists here, but I’m not real sure anyone actually cares.

I think This Charming Man is the clear choice here – it’s got boppy guitar, a driving bass line, and the lyrics are wonderfully evocative. Also, it was never the theme to Charmed.

6. Same With the Pixies, Who are Important I Guess (Pick One)
Pixies, "Debaser", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVyS9JwtFoQ
Pixies, "Where is My Mind?", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49FB9hhoO6c
Pixies, "Monkey Gone to Heaven", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XycBLF6kWuY
Pixies, “Here Comes Your Man”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPgf_btTFlc
None

The guitar on Debaser is great, plus the concept of writing a song about Un Achien Andalou is very unique. Monkey Gone to Heaven shows off the heavier side of their sound. Where Is My Mind? Is probably my second pick here.

But I just love the guitar on Here Comes Your Man, the composition, the fact it comes together as this great alt rock that has “pop sensibilities,” a phrase I despise but don’t have a better alternative way to express it. The driving drums around 2 minutes are great. It’s a total bop here.

7. Retro R’n’B Corner
Bobby Brown, “My Prerogative”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cDLZqe735k
De La Soul, “Me Myself and I”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8-9mY-JACM

8. Classic Rockers Holdin’ On (Pick One)
Neil Young, “Rockin in the Free World”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvxxdZpMFHg
Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8L9G2_lhno
Fleetwood Mac, “Little Lies”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCGD9dT12C0
Stevie Nicks, “Edge of Seventeen”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn8-4tjPxD8

This one came down to Rockin’ and Seventeen. I think they’re both great musically, but I went with the wonderful vocals from Nicks.

9. REM deathmatch (Pick One)
REM, “Stand”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLaSXpqp__E
REM, “It’s The End of the World As We Know It”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY
REM, “Orange Crush”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mSmOcmk7uQ
REM, “The One I Love”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7oQEPfe-O8
REM, “Radio Free Europe”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Dekd24kMM

Boy, R.E.M. was great in the 80s.

[Steeve Ho You Fat]

1. Clash of the Clash
The Clash, “Should I Stay or Should I Go”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN1WwnEDWAM
The Clash, “Rock the Casbah”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ9r8LMU9bQ

Rock the Casbah is dated and boring. Should I Stay or Should I Go is fun, although I think I'm too young to really get what all the X'ers love about The Clash.

2. Country Crossover Corner
Willie Nelson, “Always on My Mind”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoPYQ-FmQB4
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaNGtgYwSsU

As someone who loves country music, '80s country music is the worst

3. Disco Holdouts (Pick One)
Rick James, “Super Freak”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYHxGBH6o4M
Lipps., Inc, “Funkytown”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s36eQwgPNSE
Kool and the Gang, “Celebration”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M

4. New Wave But Not Much Else (Pick Two)
The Fixx, “One Thing Leads to Another”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHYIGy1dyd8
Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Relax", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yem_iEHiyJ0
Kate Bush, "Running Up That Hill", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn4U0-CRNVM
Depeche Mode, “Personal Jesus”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1xrNaTO1bI
Berlin, “The Metro”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEZP22b82ks
Oingo Boingo, “Dead Man’s Party”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iypUpv9xelg

Finally an '80s song that I vibe with! Personal Jesus manages to hit just the right amount of menace and its stripped down instrumentation holds up so much better than the typical disco-influenced excess you hear here.

5. People Like the Smiths and I’m Not Gonna Stop Them (Pick One)
The Smiths, "There is a Light That Never Goes Out", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siO6dkqidc4
The Smiths, "This Charming Man", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJRP3LRcUFg
The Smiths, "How Soon is Now?", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnpILIIo9ek
None

6. Same With the Pixies, Who are Important I Guess (Pick One)
Pixies, "Debaser", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVyS9JwtFoQ
Pixies, "Where is My Mind?", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49FB9hhoO6c
Pixies, "Monkey Gone to Heaven", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XycBLF6kWuY
Pixies, “Here Comes Your Man”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPgf_btTFlc
None

I've always liked Cage the Elephant, might as well listen to their parents.

7. Retro R’n’B Corner
Bobby Brown, “My Prerogative”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cDLZqe735k
De La Soul, “Me Myself and I”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8-9mY-JACM

Listening to rap this early in its developmental stage is kind of weird, because it's clear just how much rapping itself has evolved. Lots of people back then were talented musicians and had interesting things to say, but just like Newton didn't do quantum mechanics they just didn't have the tools and flow library that 21st century rappers can draw on.

8. Classic Rockers Holdin’ On (Pick One)
Neil Young, “Rockin in the Free World”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvxxdZpMFHg
Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8L9G2_lhno
Fleetwood Mac, “Little Lies”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCGD9dT12C0
Stevie Nicks, “Edge of Seventeen”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn8-4tjPxD8

Tough competition in the category for songs I'd expect to hear coming from a Harley, with all four solidly above replacement level classic rock. I got as far as bolding Neil Young before I went back and listened to Seventeen again and I have to go with it - the vocal performance is too powerful and the guitar chug too iconic.

9. REM deathmatch (Pick One)
REM, “Stand”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLaSXpqp__E
REM, “It’s The End of the World As We Know It”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY
REM, “Orange Crush”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mSmOcmk7uQ
REM, “The One I Love”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7oQEPfe-O8
REM, “Radio Free Europe”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Dekd24kMM

[Whiter Hydra]

1. Clash of the Clash
The Clash, “Should I Stay or Should I Go”
The Clash, “Rock the Casbah”

If these were the only two songs to exist ever, I'd go with Should I Stay or Should I Go. However, it feels a bit generic, and so Rock the Casbah gets the nod for originality.

2. Country Crossover Corner
Willie Nelson, “Always on My Mind”
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream”

Islands in the Stream was more enjoyable on first listen, but Always on My Mind felt like it would have more longevity, especially once I stop trying to compare it with the superior Pet Shop Boys version.

3. Disco Holdouts (Pick One)
Rick James, “Super Freak”
Lipps., Inc, “Funkytown”
Kool and the Gang, “Celebration”

Funkytown drags on a big too long, it else it would get my vote. Super Freak is a distant third here.

4. New Wave But Not Much Else (Pick Two)
The Fixx, “One Thing Leads to Another”
Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Relax"
Kate Bush, "Running Up That Hill"
Depeche Mode, “Personal Jesus”
Berlin, “The Metro”
Oingo Boingo, “Dead Man’s Party”

None of these are particularly spectacular, except maybe Personal Jesus. I enjoyed Running Up That Hill enough for it to beat out Relax, which I will continue to associate with Zoolander.

5. People Like the Smiths and I’m Not Gonna Stop Them (Pick One)
The Smiths, "There is a Light That Never Goes Out"
The Smiths, "This Charming Man"
The Smiths, "How Soon is Now?"
None

I'm not going to stop people liking the Smiths, though it's not quite my style. Of the songs listed, How Soon Is Now? is my favorite, even if it drags on a bit near the end.

6. Same With the Pixies, Who are Important I Guess (Pick One)
Pixies, "Debaser"
Pixies, "Where is My Mind?"
Pixies, "Monkey Gone to Heaven"
Pixies, “Here Comes Your Man”
None

I thought Debaser would be the clear lock, but then Here Comes Your Man started playing and it managed to be really catchy without being too bubble-gum popish.

7. Retro R’n’B Corner
Bobby Brown, “My Prerogative”
De La Soul, “Me Myself and I”

Considering that I'm not really that familiar with either artist, I was pleasantly surprised at both songs. I'm definitely giving my vote to Me Myself and I for being quite a catchy rap.

8. Classic Rockers Holdin’ On (Pick One)
Neil Young, “Rockin in the Free World”
Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer”
Fleetwood Mac, “Little Lies”
Stevie Nicks, “Edge of Seventeen”

We can only vote for one? They're all great songs! I appreciate Neil Young's biting remarks at Bush Sr., Don Henley's reminiscing of youth, and basically everything that Fleetwood Mac touches, but Edge of Seventeen has unmatched vocals and an iconic riff. I hope it goes far in the bracket.

9. REM deathmatch (Pick One)
REM, “Stand”
REM, “It’s The End of the World As We Know It”
REM, “Orange Crush”
REM, “The One I Love”
REM, “Radio Free Europe”

It's short and sweet, though to be honest I'd be fine with any of these five.

Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9jhDwxt22Y

Seconding this vote.

[Ben Dillon]

1. Clash of the Clash
The Clash, “Should I Stay or Should I Go”
The Clash, “Rock the Casbah”

2. Country Crossover Corner
Willie Nelson, “Always on My Mind”
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream”

3. Disco Holdouts (Pick One)
Rick James, “Super Freak”
Lipps., Inc, “Funkytown”
Kool and the Gang, “Celebration”

4. New Wave But Not Much Else (Pick Two) <-- I refuse to pick two when one is more than enough of this junk
The Fixx, “One Thing Leads to Another”
Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Relax"
Kate Bush, "Running Up That Hill"
Depeche Mode, “Personal Jesus”
Berlin, “The Metro”
Oingo Boingo, “Dead Man’s Party”

5. People Like the Smiths and I’m Not Gonna Stop Them (Pick One)
The Smiths, "There is a Light That Never Goes Out"
The Smiths, "This Charming Man"
The Smiths, "How Soon is Now?"
None

6. Same With the Pixies, Who are Important I Guess (Pick One)
Pixies, "Debaser"
Pixies, "Where is My Mind?"
Pixies, "Monkey Gone to Heaven"
Pixies, “Here Comes Your Man”
None

7. Retro R’n’B Corner
Bobby Brown, “My Prerogative”
De La Soul, “Me Myself and I”

8. Classic Rockers Holdin’ On (Pick One)
Neil Young, “Rockin in the Free World”
Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer”
Fleetwood Mac, “Little Lies”
Stevie Nicks, “Edge of Seventeen”

9. REM deathmatch (Pick One)
REM, “Stand”
REM, “It’s The End of the World As We Know It”
REM, “Orange Crush”
REM, “The One I Love”
REM, “Radio Free Europe”

[jonpin]

PLAY-INS, SLATE ONE
PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR VOTES BY MIDNIGHT PST 11/8

1. Clash of the Clash
The Clash, “Should I Stay or Should I Go”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN1WwnEDWAM
The Clash, “Rock the Casbah”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJ9r8LMU9bQ

2. Country Crossover Corner
Willie Nelson, “Always on My Mind”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoPYQ-FmQB4
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaNGtgYwSsU

3. Disco Holdouts (Pick One)
Rick James, “Super Freak”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYHxGBH6o4M
Lipps., Inc, “Funkytown”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s36eQwgPNSE
Kool and the Gang, “Celebration”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M

4. New Wave But Not Much Else (Pick Two)
The Fixx, “One Thing Leads to Another”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHYIGy1dyd8
Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Relax", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yem_iEHiyJ0
Kate Bush, "Running Up That Hill", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn4U0-CRNVM
Depeche Mode, “Personal Jesus”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1xrNaTO1bI
Berlin, “The Metro”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEZP22b82ks
Oingo Boingo, “Dead Man’s Party”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iypUpv9xelg

5. People Like the Smiths and I’m Not Gonna Stop Them (Pick One)
The Smiths, "There is a Light That Never Goes Out", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siO6dkqidc4
The Smiths, "This Charming Man", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJRP3LRcUFg
The Smiths, "How Soon is Now?", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnpILIIo9ek
None

6. Same With the Pixies, Who are Important I Guess (Pick One)
Pixies, "Debaser", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVyS9JwtFoQ
Pixies, "Where is My Mind?", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49FB9hhoO6c
Pixies, "Monkey Gone to Heaven", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XycBLF6kWuY
Pixies, “Here Comes Your Man”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPgf_btTFlc
None

7. Retro R’n’B Corner
Bobby Brown, “My Prerogative”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cDLZqe735k
De La Soul, “Me Myself and I”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8-9mY-JACM

8. Classic Rockers Holdin’ On (Pick One)
Neil Young, “Rockin in the Free World”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvxxdZpMFHg
Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8L9G2_lhno
Fleetwood Mac, “Little Lies”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCGD9dT12C0
Stevie Nicks, “Edge of Seventeen”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dn8-4tjPxD8
but I was oh so close to picking Edge of Seventeen

9. REM deathmatch (Pick One)
REM, “Stand”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLaSXpqp__E
REM, “It’s The End of the World As We Know It”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0GFRcFm-aY
REM, “Orange Crush”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mSmOcmk7uQ
REM, “The One I Love”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7oQEPfe-O8
REM, “Radio Free Europe”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Dekd24kMM

[BenWeiner27]

1. Clash of the Clash
The Clash, “Should I Stay or Should I Go”
The Clash, “Rock the Casbah”

2. Country Crossover Corner
Willie Nelson, “Always on My Mind”
Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, “Islands in the Stream”

3. Disco Holdouts (Pick One)
Rick James, “Super Freak”
Lipps., Inc, “Funkytown”
Kool and the Gang, “Celebration”

4. New Wave But Not Much Else (Pick Two)
The Fixx, “One Thing Leads to Another”
Frankie Goes to Hollywood, "Relax"
Kate Bush, "Running Up That Hill"
Depeche Mode, “Personal Jesus”
Berlin, “The Metro”
Oingo Boingo, “Dead Man’s Party”

5. People Like the Smiths and I’m Not Gonna Stop Them (Pick One)
The Smiths, "There is a Light That Never Goes Out"
The Smiths, "This Charming Man"
The Smiths, "How Soon is Now?"

6. Same With the Pixies, Who are Important I Guess (Pick One)
Pixies, "Debaser"
Pixies, "Where is My Mind?"
Pixies, "Monkey Gone to Heaven"
Pixies, “Here Comes Your Man”

7. Retro R’n’B Corner
Bobby Brown, “My Prerogative”
De La Soul, “Me Myself and I”

8. Classic Rockers Holdin’ On (Pick One)
Neil Young, “Rockin in the Free World”
Don Henley, “The Boys of Summer”
Fleetwood Mac, “Little Lies”
Stevie Nicks, “Edge of Seventeen”

9. REM deathmatch (Pick One)
REM, “Stand”
REM, “It’s The End of the World As We Know It”
REM, “Orange Crush”
REM, “The One I Love”
REM, “Radio Free Europe”

[rylltraka]

The results of the first play-in round are:

1. Rock the Casbah 18, Should I Stay or Should I Go 18 - my tiebreaker goes for Rock the Casbah

2. Always on My Mind 14.5, Islands in the Stream 19

3. Super Freak 20, Celebration 10, Funkytown 4.5

4. One Thing Leads to Another 15.5, Relax 13, Running Up That Hill 19, Personal Jesus 20.5, The Metro 0, Dead Man's Party 0

5. There is a Light That Never Goes Out 10, This Charming Man 4, How Soon is Now? 14, None 9.5

6. Debaser 3.5, Where is My Mind? 17, Monkey Gone to Heaven 0, Here Comes Your Man 7.5, None 6.5

7. My Prerogative 9, Me, Myself, and I 20

8. Rockin' in the Free World 9, The Boys of Summer 6, Little Lies 1.5, Edge of Seventeen 19.5

9. Stand 3, It's the End of the World (And I Feel Fine) 12, Orange Crush 5, The One I Love 5.5, Radio Free Europe 10.5

[rylltraka]

PLAY-IN MATCHES PART TWO
SUBMIT BY 11:59 PM, WEDNESDAY 11/11

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No

[ryanrosenberg]

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”

No "Last Christmas"? Probably for the best.
The "Careless Whisper" hook is far better than anything in "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", and would be even if this video had never been created: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GaoLU6zKaws

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”

I assume "Blister in the Sun" will take this, so I'll throw a vote to "Going Underground", which has a killer riff and is the perfect emblem of restrained British rage.

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”

I'm spiritually picking all of the first three, but if I have to choose: "Teenage Riot" is just a minute or two too long (not the intro, that's great, but a verse or two could be cut); there are no such quibbles with "Just Like Honey" or "A New England", but I'm opting for the former due to its greater legacy of fuzz-soaked pop (including, among others, My Bloody Valentine).

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

I hadn't heard "Danny Says" before but it's quite good, fun hearing how the Ramones matured. Once you've listened to "Holiday in Cambodia" a couple times, the menace goes away and there's not much else there. "Celebrated Summer" is the best song off of one of my favorite albums ever, so it's an easy choice here.

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No

[Sam]

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire” Whatever you think about his music, you have to admire the timelessness of Billy Joel's theme "I'm perfect and nothing is my fault."

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette" I agree with this Jack Hamilton piece about "Little Red Corvette" being one of the greatest pop songs.
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No

[MiltonPlayer47]

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”

[Ben Dillon]

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”
None

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”
None

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”
None

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

I'm going to go for a write-in here. "Fire" is too obviously catering to the quiz bowl community, and I like the a cappella of "For the Longest Time".

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”
None

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No

[ScoBo]

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No

[mrtyrmystry]

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"

Every other song is good, and Genius of Love is easily better. lyric references that pay their dues, inventive music video, a lot of great lines, endlessly sampled.

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Billy Bragg, “A New England”

I "suggested" three of these and picked the fourth. I don't know "A New England" nearly as well as a lot of people but it's a special song that tries to pass itself off as uninspired.

Teen Age Riot: ~1:21 when the guitar comes in is one of my favorite moments in music. It's a miracle that this band ever chose to make good sounds come out of their guitars.
Just Like Honey: great noise(s)
You Made Me Realise: here's a different 80s mbv song that is particularly tolerable, with cool noises. soft as snow (but warm inside)
my guess is MBV turns off more curious listeners than almost any other band because "listentoloveless it's hipster-canon" ==> "wtf noise". Honestly, I don't like the band, particularly the noise, that much either. but there's some sort of beauty in all the elements of their music combined that can't be reproduced.

13. Punk pummel-fest
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

the only bad thing about this song is its mixing - the album is mixed AHR$AHGAIGHI cious -ly. I am ambivalent towards noise, so it's nearly okay, but I strain to hear the words sometimes. The Ramones song is better than the DK song.

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”

pass on the next two - im not fit

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Yes, but I don't think I should "help" decide which one.

[Stained Diviner]

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”
Conan O'Brien: Bush's Supreme Court nominee [is] taking a lot of heat. Yeah, they're scrutinizing everything. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito said he's embarrassed by some of the things he wrote in the 1980s. Yeah, it turns out Alito wrote the song, "Wake Me up Before You Go Go."

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”
This is a good song. Would vote for again. Some of the other ones are good too.

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”
I would rather vote for Joan Jett than any of these.

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”
Holiday in Cambodia is also good.

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”
Queen made good songs. Their 70s songs are better, but their 80s songs are good.

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”
When I was 12 I listened to Glass Houses a lot, which is an appropriate thing for a 12-year-old to do.

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”
The video ruins Hot For Teacher for me. The video to Panama isn't all that good, but it doesn't ruin the song.

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”
These are some good songs right here.

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No
These are good songs, but one is enough, and When Doves Cry definitely is better than the options.

[Steeve Ho You Fat]

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”

Solely for the sax riff.

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”

Another nice riff, although I've always wished this song was a little more loud and in your face.

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”

Guess I'm not cool enough for the indie community

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

Definitely not cool enough for punk.

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

If we're going to have boomer icon Billy Joel, we might as well have his most boomerest song

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”

[A Dim-Witted Saboteur]

PLAY-IN MATCHES PART TWO
SUBMIT BY 11:59 PM, WEDNESDAY 11/11

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”
It breaks my heart to vote against Billy Bragg, but I must do what I must do

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”
Abstain, neither of these are particularly good Van Halen songs.

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No

[rylltraka]

Abstain, neither of these are particularly good Van Halen songs.

Man, we're not even in the real tournament yet and people are already taking big swings

[ValenciaQBowl]

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
--Fun Wham! is better than sexy Wham!

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”
--Criminal that this is going out so soon.

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
--The opening to this song gets me ready to go.

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
--Missing a lot of good songs here, but sure.

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”
--Abstain, these songs both suck, and unlike most of y'all, I had to hear the latter about 58 million times in eighth grade.

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”
--Abstain, these songs are absolutely wretched.

16. Val Halen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
--Au contraire, mon frere: these aren't the best Van Halen songs, but they're both a lot of fun. "Hot for Teacher" is hookier, though.

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
--I won a copy of this album on vinyl by calling into WRUF in Gainesville from my sophomore year dorm when I really didn't have any idea who the band was. Hoo-boy, that album got popular with guys on my floor quickly.

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
--Yes, and it should be "Let's Go Crazy," the song that the movie Purple Rain tries with a straight face to act like Morris Day could make fun of.

[kitakule]

I'll be abstaining from most of these, a lot of these genres just aren't my cup of tea.

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”

"Wake Me Up" is fun but that sax riff in "Careless Whisper" is everything to me.

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”

Abstain

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”

Abstain

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

Abstain

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”

"Jump" is the correct answer here, but whatever, haha.

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No

[Nine-Tenths Ideas]

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”
I don't like Wake Me Up. At least Careless Whisper has the sax.

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”
This little section is mostly where my taste in music lies. Genius of Love and There She Goes are both brilliantly written songs, but Save It For Later is just such a perfectly written song that Pete Townshend reportedly became a little obsessed with it. Plus, it's ska! I'm always gonna vote for ska (this is not true).

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”
I thought I hadn't heard any of these songs before, but it turns out I knew all of them except the MBV song. It turns out MBV is kind of my thing!

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”
I see Bob Mould, I vote, though for the record I'm the kind of lame-o who prefers Sugar to Husker Du.

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”
Panama is pretty catchy!

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No
Sure, it's Prince

[dwd500]

10. Wham!?
Careless Whisper

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Blister in the Sun

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
You Made Me Realise
- Whole category was new to me. This is the only one I managed to listen to all the way through. Killer riff.

13. Punk pummel-fest
None

14. Queenskrieg
Another One Bites the Dust

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Keeping the Faith

16. Val Hallen
Panama

17. The Gun or the Rose
Sweet Child o’Mine

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
No

[BenWeiner27]

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes" (Although I think Blister in the Sun is much better, this song was stuck in my head for like 3 months, so it gets my sympathy vote)
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says” (Pet Sematary is probably my favorite Ramones song from the 80s, but this one is pretty good also)
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No

[kammajos000]

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher” - disappointed this song isn't doing well
Van Halen, “Panama”

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No

[rylltraka]

Just a friendly reminder that votes will be tabulated in about 12 hours.

[pray for elves]

PLAY-IN MATCHES PART TWO
SUBMIT BY 11:59 PM, WEDNESDAY 11/11

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper” - Who could resist that sexy sax?

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground" - Town Called Malice is the song I'd pick for The Jam. It would beat Blister in the Sun.
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia” -- for a good time, check out "Pull My Strings," a song they only played once
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl” -- my least disliked of these three
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama” -- tough choice but the riff in Panama is better

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’ Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n' Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain" -- especially when played during a Super Bowl halftime
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No

[AKKOLADE]

PLAY-IN MATCHES PART TWO
SUBMIT BY 11:59 PM, WEDNESDAY 11/11

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”

I'm shocked Blister didn't make it into the main bracket, and I'll be sad if this isn't the pick here.

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

This is a ridiculously tough pick.

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No

Picking "No" should put you on a list.

[Stained Diviner]

Picking "No" should put you on a list.

I thought we were friends.

[1.82]

PLAY-IN MATCHES PART TWO
SUBMIT BY 11:59 PM, WEDNESDAY 11/11

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”

Careless Whisper loses because my whole life I got it confused with Smooth Operator by Sade, which is also from 1984.

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”

Probably the best buzz of my quizbowl career came at 2016 Chicago Open Trash, when I first-clued Andrew's tossup on There She Goes by knowing about M. W. Macefield's In Search of The La's: A Secret Liverpool. Several years later I opined to Andrew that I've heard the Sixpence None the Richer version of There She Goes rather more often than the version by The La's; I don't know how common an experience that is, but for me it's the product of having spent much of the late '90s in the car with my parents while they listened to the sort of station that would play Sixpence None the Richer. I discovered that this was less than universal in 2017, when some of my friends from college came to visit and we went to a game at the new ballpark. Between innings as the kiss cam was on they played another late '90s classic, Kiss Me, but I found that my nostalgic reminiscences were met by my peers with nothing but befuddlement, because they had never heard this song. Anyway, I've gotten well afield. There She Goes is a very good song that doesn't overstay its welcome for even a second.

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”

What always strikes me about A New England is those first two lines: "I was twenty-one years when I wrote this song / I'm twenty-two now but I won't be for long". I wasn't yet twenty-one years when I heard this song, which perhaps made me feel it all the more acutely: it's not just nostalgia for something that's not yet over, even though it is that, but it's the idea of being prematurely nostalgic, of being nostalgic when you're not yet supposed to have anything to be nostalgic for, when you have your the whole future lying ahead of you and yet you're stuck thinking about the past and about the present as though it were the past.

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

I've long known about Radio Ga Ga as the inspiration for Stefani Germanotta, but I heard it for the first time in the car on the way back home from the office at some time in the last year. It's definitely better than the Queen songs that I've heard all the time my whole life, so I wonder why it doesn't get played like those do.

15. Billy Joel Uncoolness Club
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

I'm not a huge fan of Uptown Girl (or, really, any of Billy Joel's songs with the exception of Movin' Out, which regrettably is not from the 1980s), but it's fine. Keeping the Faith is a song I hadn't heard before, and I've already forgotten it. When I was in sixth grade and I heard We Didn't Start the Fire for the first time, I felt like I was clever for knowing that "British politician sex" referred to the Profumo affair, but I certainly never thought it was actually a good song as opposed to a novelty record.

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”

I guess I can imagine liking a song called Hot for Teacher, but it wouldn't be this one.

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No

[AKKOLADE]

Picking "No" should put you on a list.

I thought we were friends.

You had the option of listening to more Prince and you declined!

[Whiter Hydra]

10. Wham!?
Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”
Wham!, “Careless Whisper”

Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go is a fun song, but it lacks anything nearly as good as the hook from Careless Whisper.

11. Mostly muted English-sounding post-punk (Pick One)
Violent Femmes, "Blister in the Sun"
Tom Tom Club, "Genius of Love"
The La's, "There She Goes"
The Jam, "Going Underground"
The English Beat, “Save It for Later”

Not really inspired by any of those songs, but I think of those 5 There She Goes is the one I'd be most likely to seek out again. Going Underground is a close second, though.

12. Sops for the Indie Community (Pick One)
Sonic Youth, "Teenage Riot"
The Jesus and Mary Chain, "Just Like Honey"
Billy Bragg, “A New England”
My Bloody Valentine, “You Made Me Realise”

I continue to believe that indie isn't quite my wheelhouse. I can see why people would like them, and ultimately I think A New England resonated with me the most.

13. Punk pummel-fest
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday in Cambodia”
The Ramones, “Danny Says”
Hüsker Dü, “Celebrated Summer”

For the most part, punk had had better days, but I do think Holiday in Cambodia is a better song than their entry in the 70s bracket (California Uber Alles).

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

Another One Bites the Dust is the more well-known song, but Radio Ga Ga is the one that made me realise that I really like Queen as a band and not just one or two songs. Also the music video is the most Queen-ish I've seen, outside of possibly I Want to Break Free.

15. Billy Joel Supercoolness Club (Fixed name)
Billy Joel, “Uptown Girl”
Billy Joel, “Keeping the Faith”
Billy Joel, “We Didn’t Start the Fire”

An Innocent Man is one of my favorite albums because it's basically Billy Joel's love letter to his musical influences. Also he had seven singles from that album, which was pretty darn impressive. They're all so stylistically different such that it's hard to pick a favorite from that album, but Uptown Girl is usually near the top, along with The Longest Time. We Didn't Start the Fire is too much of a novelty for me to vote for it, though I wouldn't put it 120th out of 121th like that one guy who ranked all the Billy Joel songs. It's a shame that his best work was in the 70s but is typically ignored in favor of Piano Man. Seriously, give The Stranger (the album) a listen if you can.

16. Val Hallen
Van Halen, “Hot For Teacher”
Van Halen, “Panama”

This is more of a vote against Hot for Teacher, which I was never really that comfortable with. At least Panama's a good song.

17. The Gun or the Rose
Guns n’Roses, “Welcome to the Jungle”
Guns n’Roses, “Sweet Child o’Mine”

The intro seals the deal for me. It's a shame the aptly-named November Rain didn't come out until 1992, because that's a song that would go far.

18. Does Prince Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “When Doves Cry”)
Prince, "Little Red Corvette"
Prince, "Purple Rain"
Prince, "Sign 'O' the Times"
Prince, "Kiss"
Prince, “Let’s Go Crazy”
No

Abstain, due to running out of time.

[rylltraka]

PLAY-IN ROUND TWO RESULTS

10. Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go 13.5, Careless Whisper 19.5

11. Blister in the Sun 12, Genius of Love 2, There She Goes 7, Going Underground 3.5, Save it for Later 4

12. Teenage Riot 7, Just Like Honey 6.5, A New England 9.5, You Made Me Realise 5.5

13. Holiday in Cambodia 9, Danny Says 5, Celebrated Summer 13

14. Radio Ga Ga 13, Another One Bites the Dust 14

15. Uptown Girl 12, Keeping the Faith 1.5, We Didn't Start the Fire 14

16. Hot For Teacher 3.5, Panama 21

17. Welcome to the Jungle 8.5, Sweet Child o'Mine 24.5

18. Little Red Corvette 8, Purple Rain 5, Sign o' the Times 0, Kiss 5, Let's Go Crazy 3.5, None 11.5

[rylltraka]

FINAL PLAY-IN ROUND (SUBMIT VOTES BY 11:59 PST 11/14)

19. The Head That Talks
Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime”
Talking Heads, “Burning Down the House”

20. Pick ‘em: U2 (“With or Without You” is untouchable)
U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
U2, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
U2, “Pride (In the Name of Love)”

21. Calling The Police for a Second Song (“Every Breath You Take” is untouchable)
The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”
None

22. Pick ‘em: New Order
New Order, "Blue Monday"
New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

23. Does Bruce Springsteen Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Born in the USA”)
Bruce Springsteen, “Hungry Heart”
Bruce Springsteen, “The River”
None

24. Hall, or Oates?
Hall and Oates, “Maneater”
Hall and Oates, “Private Eyes”

25. Pick ‘em: Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer”
Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”

26. Late ‘80s Rap Roundhouse (Pick One for Each)
NWA, “Straight Outta Compton”
NWA, “Fuck Tha Police”
NWA, “Express Yourself”
Public Enemy, “Don't Believe the Hype”
Public Enemy, “Fight the Power”
Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise"

27. Does Journey Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Don’t Stop Believin’”)
Journey, “Open Arms”
Journey, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”
Journey, “Any Way You Want It”
None

[pray for elves]

FINAL PLAY-IN ROUND (SUBMIT VOTES BY 11:59 PST 11/14)

19. The Head That Talks
Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime”
Talking Heads, “Burning Down the House”

20. Pick ‘em: U2 (“With or Without You” is untouchable)
U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
U2, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” -- "New Year's Day" would have been my pick for a second '80s U2 song.
U2, “Pride (In the Name of Love)”

21. Calling The Police for a Second Song (“Every Breath You Take” is untouchable)
The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me” -- quizbowl clues in this song
The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”
None

22. Pick ‘em: New Order
New Order, "Blue Monday"
New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

23. Does Bruce Springsteen Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Born in the USA”)
Bruce Springsteen, “Hungry Heart”
Bruce Springsteen, “The River”
None

24. Hall, or Oates?
Hall and Oates, “Maneater” -- "I Can't Go For That" would be my preference in this slot
Hall and Oates, “Private Eyes”

25. Pick ‘em: Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer”
Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”

26. Late ‘80s Rap Roundhouse (Pick One for Each)
NWA, “Straight Outta Compton”
NWA, “Fuck Tha Police”
NWA, “Express Yourself”
Public Enemy, “Don't Believe the Hype”
Public Enemy, “Fight the Power”
Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise"

27. Does Journey Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Don’t Stop Believin’”)
Journey, “Open Arms”
Journey, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)” -- great riff
Journey, “Any Way You Want It”
None

[jonpin]

19. The Head That Talks
Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime”
Talking Heads, “Burning Down the House”

20. Pick ‘em: U2 (“With or Without You” is untouchable)
U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
U2, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
U2, “Pride (In the Name of Love)”

21. Calling The Police for a Second Song (“Every Breath You Take” is untouchable)
The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”
None
One song from The Police about a relationship where someone needs to call the actual police is enough.

22. Pick ‘em: New Order
New Order, "Blue Monday"
New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

23. Does Bruce Springsteen Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Born in the USA”)
Bruce Springsteen, “Hungry Heart”
Bruce Springsteen, “The River”
None

24. Hall, or Oates?
Hall and Oates, “Maneater”
Hall and Oates, “Private Eyes”

25. Pick ‘em: Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer”
Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”

26. Late ‘80s Rap Roundhouse (Pick One for Each)
NWA, “Straight Outta Compton”
NWA, “Fuck Tha Police”
NWA, “Express Yourself”
Public Enemy, “Don't Believe the Hype”
Public Enemy, “Fight the Power”
Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise"
strange that one can answer both prompts with classic quiz bowl lingo "FTP"

27. Does Journey Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Don’t Stop Believin’”)
Journey, “Open Arms”
Journey, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”
Journey, “Any Way You Want It”
None
[/quote]

[ValenciaQBowl]

19. The Head That Talks
Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime”
--"Burning Down the House" is a good song, but "Once in a Lifetime" is an iconic song, one that should go very far in this bracket. The song alone would ensure that, but the video, boy, that was a sort of invitation to the weird and avant garde for a suburban Florida kid in pre-Internet days.

20. Pick ‘em: U2 (“With or Without You” is untouchable)
U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
--"New Year's Day" was the first song by U2 I remember from MTV, though after they became popular a video of them just performing "I Will Follow" started being shown. I'd prefer either NYD or "Two Hearts (Beat as One)" (including over "With or Without You," which is kinda ponderous). And though it would never make this list, surely their best song is "A Sort of Homecoming" (especially the live version on Wide Awake in America).

21. Calling The Police for a Second Song (“Every Breath You Take” is untouchable)
The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”
--What a great, ebullient song (it made me use the word "ebullient").

22. Pick ‘em: New Order
New Order, "Blue Monday"
--Never was a huge fan, but this song is okay. PS: If you're interested in deep band dives, the Rivals podcast with Steven Hyden and Jordan Runtagh is always very interesting, and they recently did an hour on the Bernard Sumner vs. Peter Hook feud.

23. Does Bruce Springsteen Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Born in the USA”)
Bruce Springsteen, “The River”
--Bruce should have like six songs in this competition. "The River" is still capable of commanding my full attention if it comes on in the shuffle.

24. Hall, or Oates?
Hall and Oates, “Maneater”
--These guys are such great pop/soul songwriters. Truly one of the very rare acts that has songs that are liked by nearly everybody.

25. Pick ‘em: Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”
--You know, "Games without Frontiers" was released in 1980 and is far superior to any of the synth-schmaltz of his album So. Hell, I would've been happier with "Shock the Monkey."

26. Late ‘80s Rap Roundhouse (Pick One for Each)
NWA, “Express Yourself”
--This is the only NWA song I still regularly listen to. Great sample, great lyrics.
Public Enemy, "Bring the Noise" (EDIT: I never read these instructions, sigh)

27. Does Journey Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Don’t Stop Believin’”)
--Absolutely not. Why people under 30 have re-embraced a wretched song piece of pop-rock confection like "Don't Stop Believin'" makes me even more cynical about today's youth.

[AgathokakologicalPunk]

19. The Head That Talks
Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime”
Talking Heads, “Burning Down the House”
Mildly interesting Talking Heads > "sophisticated" Talking Heads

20. Pick ‘em: U2 (“With or Without You” is untouchable)
U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
U2, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
U2, “Pride (In the Name of Love)”
Intro riff is better than anything else on this list, including the anguished gargles of "With or Without You".

21. Calling The Police for a Second Song (“Every Breath You Take” is untouchable)
The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”
None
Even if the former sounded better it would lose, for generally one listens hoping at least not to have their skin crawl. Tips to Sting for the allusion to "Lolita" though.

22. Pick ‘em: New Order
New Order, "Blue Monday"
New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

23. Does Bruce Springsteen Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Born in the USA”)
Bruce Springsteen, “Hungry Heart”
Bruce Springsteen, “The River”
None
The Dross doesn't deserve one song in this contest - this is supposed to be music, not echolalia!

24. Hall, or Oates?
Hall and Oates, “Maneater”
Hall and Oates, “Private Eyes”
The contrarian pick, I assume.

25. Pick ‘em: Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer”
Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”
Eh. At least we can avoid PG's dated horns and keyboards.

26. Late ‘80s Rap Roundhouse (Pick One for Each)
NWA, “Straight Outta Compton”
NWA, “Fuck Tha Police”
NWA, “Express Yourself”
Public Enemy, “Don't Believe the Hype”
Public Enemy, “Fight the Power”
Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise"

27. Does Journey Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Don’t Stop Believin’”)
Journey, “Open Arms”
Journey, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”
Journey, “Any Way You Want It”
None
All three of these are easy listening imo. Not amazing, but we have to keep something better than Don't Stop Believin' in to represent Journey.

[Ben Dillon]

19. The Head That Talks
Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime”
Talking Heads, “Burning Down the House”

20. Pick ‘em: U2 (“With or Without You” is untouchable)
U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
U2, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
U2, “Pride (In the Name of Love)”

21. Calling The Police for a Second Song (“Every Breath You Take” is untouchable)
The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”
None

22. Pick ‘em: New Order
New Order, "Blue Monday"
New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"
None

23. Does Bruce Springsteen Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Born in the USA”)
Bruce Springsteen, “Hungry Heart”
Bruce Springsteen, “The River”
None
Write-in: Bruce Springsteen, "Glory Days"

24. Hall, or Oates?
Hall and Oates, “Maneater”
Hall and Oates, “Private Eyes”

25. Pick ‘em: Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer”
Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”

26. Late ‘80s Rap Roundhouse (Pick One for Each)
NWA, “Straight Outta Compton”
NWA, “Fuck Tha Police”
NWA, “Express Yourself”
Public Enemy, “Don't Believe the Hype”
Public Enemy, “Fight the Power”
Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise"
None and none

27. Does Journey Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Don’t Stop Believin’”)
Journey, “Open Arms”
Journey, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”
Journey, “Any Way You Want It”
None

[Whiter Hydra]

FINAL PLAY-IN ROUND (SUBMIT VOTES BY 11:59 PST 11/14)

19. The Head That Talks
Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime”
Talking Heads, “Burning Down the House”

Once in a Lifetime stands in a tier of its own.

20. Pick ‘em: U2 (“With or Without You” is untouchable)
U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
U2, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
U2, “Pride (In the Name of Love)”

I guess? I'm not really the fan of U2, so all three kinda fall into the category of songs I'll kinda ignore if they're on the radio.

21. Calling The Police for a Second Song (“Every Breath You Take” is untouchable)
The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”
None

As much as I enjoy a good cough/Nabokov rhyme, I think I'm going to have to put my vote for a song with the more tolerable subject matter.

22. Pick ‘em: New Order
New Order, "Blue Monday"
New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

Look, there's a reason why Wonder Woman 1984 used this song in their trailer to tell people, "Hey look guys, this movie is super 80s!"

23. Does Bruce Springsteen Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Born in the USA”) (Yes he does)
Bruce Springsteen, “Hungry Heart”
Bruce Springsteen, “The River”
None

The River is about as Springsteen as you can get. Probably the only song I can think of at the moment that mentions a union card.

24. Hall, or Oates?
Hall and Oates, “Maneater”
Hall and Oates, “Private Eyes”

25. Pick ‘em: Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer”
Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”

I remember hearing bonus part about In Your Eyes that used the pronoun "this location". Sledgehammer just feels a bit too overdone for me.

26. Late ‘80s Rap Roundhouse (Pick One for Each)
NWA, “Straight Outta Compton”
NWA, “Fuck Tha Police”
NWA, “Express Yourself”

This was a tough choice between the latter two options. I think what ultimately tipped it for me was the smooth use of samples in Express Yourself, even if it doesn't quite have the cultural influence as the other two songs.

Public Enemy, “Don't Believe the Hype”
Public Enemy, “Fight the Power”
Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise"

I feel like I'm not really familiar enough with hip-hop to really make an informed decision.

27. Does Journey Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Don’t Stop Believin’”)
Journey, “Open Arms”
Journey, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”
Journey, “Any Way You Want It”
None

I'd rank all three of these above Don't Stop Believin'. I actually think Open Arms is my favorite, but this is more of a tactical vote to make sure "None" doesn't win.

[rylltraka]

25. Pick ‘em: Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”
--You know, "Games without Frontiers" was released in 1980 and is far superior to any of the synth-schmaltz of his album So.

The Dross doesn't deserve one song in this contest - this is supposed to be music, not echolalia!

Sledgehammer just feels a bit too overdone for me.

I initially thought that I'd be upset by not having a vote since I was running the competition, but I've come to realize that I have the more important role of being the cooler head that prevails over other people's crazy opinions!

[ryanrosenberg]

19. The Head That Talks
Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime”
Talking Heads, “Burning Down the House”

20. Pick ‘em: U2 (“With or Without You” is untouchable)
U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
U2, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
U2, “Pride (In the Name of Love)”

21. Calling The Police for a Second Song (“Every Breath You Take” is untouchable)
The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”
None

I don't like the idea that an artist can be good enough to get multiple songs in.

22. Pick ‘em: New Order
New Order, "Blue Monday"
New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

23. Does Bruce Springsteen Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Born in the USA”)
Bruce Springsteen, “Hungry Heart”
Bruce Springsteen, “The River”
None

Springsteen does sorely test this principle, though, and if it were up to me I'd've chosen "The River" (which is just a masterpiece of concise and compelling storytelling) as his pick. But sometimes you just gotta stick to your principles.

24. Hall, or Oates?
Hall and Oates, “Maneater”
Hall and Oates, “Private Eyes”

25. Pick ‘em: Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer”
Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”

26. Late ‘80s Rap Roundhouse (Pick One for Each)
NWA, “Straight Outta Compton”
NWA, “Fuck Tha Police”
NWA, “Express Yourself”
Public Enemy, “Don't Believe the Hype”
Public Enemy, “Fight the Power”
Public Enemy, "Bring the Noise"

Pretty much the only thing that's aged well about Public Enemy's sound is Chuck D's voice, and "Bring the Noise" is a tour-de-force of his rapping.

27. Does Journey Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Don’t Stop Believin’”)
Journey, “Open Arms”
Journey, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”
Journey, “Any Way You Want It”
None

If I didn't break the "no two songs" rule for Prince and Springsteen, I'm definitely not breaking it for Journey.

[ValenciaQBowl]

I have the more important role of being the cooler head that prevails over other people's crazy opinions!

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

[Stained Diviner]

19. The Head That Talks
Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime”
Talking Heads, “Burning Down the House”
Burning Down the House is good, but it's not Once in a Lifetime.

20. Pick ‘em: U2 (“With or Without You” is untouchable)
U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
U2, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
U2, “Pride (In the Name of Love)”
Honestly, I'm just voting for whichever of these songs I heard most recently. I'd be fine with 20 U2 songs in this bracket. I'd be fine with every Joshua Tree song being in this bracket. I'd be fine with Bad being in this bracket in several places. I'm the guy who thinks Rattle and Hum was a good movie.

21. Calling The Police for a Second Song (“Every Breath You Take” is untouchable)
The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”
None
These are both better than Every Breath You Take. I suggested Don't Stand So Close to Me, which is on the better album, but Every Little Thing She Does is Magic actually is better.

22. Pick ‘em: New Order
New Order, "Blue Monday"
New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"
This is some true play-in quality music here.

23. Does Bruce Springsteen Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Born in the USA”)
Bruce Springsteen, “Hungry Heart”
Bruce Springsteen, “The River”
None
I suggested Hungry Heart because I didn't realize The River was an option. These are some good songs. They're both better than Born in the USA, but that's good too.

24. Hall, or Oates?
Hall and Oates, “Maneater”
Hall and Oates, “Private Eyes”
These guys get more respect now than they did when they were recording these songs.

25. Pick ‘em: Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer”
Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”
I'm cancelling out Chris's vote, but he's right about Games without Frontiers. In Your Eyes is too serious for a Peter Gabriel song. He has good serious songs, but not like this.

26. Late ‘80s Rap Roundhouse (Pick One for Each)
NWA, “Straight Outta Compton”
NWA, “Fuck Tha Police”
NWA, “Express Yourself”
Public Enemy, “Don't Believe the Hype”
Public Enemy, “Fight the Power”
Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise"
These seem like easy decisions to me.

27. Does Journey Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Don’t Stop Believin’”)
Journey, “Open Arms”
Journey, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”
Journey, “Any Way You Want It”
None
Escape was one of my first albums (though it was on cassette, so maybe I'm not supposed to call it an album). I listened to a lot of Journey. Two Journey songs? Do you have any idea how many good songs are being kept out of this bracket, and we're talking about two Journey songs? I have nothing against listening to Journey, but let's not call it something it's not.

[Sam]

19. The Head That Talks
Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime”
Talking Heads, “Burning Down the House”

20. Pick ‘em: U2 (“With or Without You” is untouchable)
U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
U2, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
U2, “Pride (In the Name of Love)”

21. Calling The Police for a Second Song (“Every Breath You Take” is untouchable)
The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”
None

22. Pick ‘em: New Order
New Order, "Blue Monday"
New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

23. Does Bruce Springsteen Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Born in the USA”)
Bruce Springsteen, “Hungry Heart”
Bruce Springsteen, “The River”
None

24. Hall, or Oates?
Hall and Oates, “Maneater”
Hall and Oates, “Private Eyes”

Abstain. I enjoyed listening to both of these Hall and Oates songs and then immediately forgot everything about them.

25. Pick ‘em: Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer”
Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”

26. Late ‘80s Rap Roundhouse (Pick One for Each)
NWA, “Straight Outta Compton”
NWA, “Fuck Tha Police”
NWA, “Express Yourself” Didn't really like any of the NWA songs, disliked this one least.
Public Enemy, “Don't Believe the Hype”
Public Enemy, “Fight the Power”
Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise"



27. Does Journey Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Don’t Stop Believin’”)
Journey, “Open Arms”
Journey, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”
Journey, “Any Way You Want It”
None

[Sam]

14. Queenskrieg
Queen, “Radio Ga Ga”
Queen, “Another One Bites the Dust”

I've long known about Radio Ga Ga as the inspiration for Stefani Germanotta, but I heard it for the first time in the car on the way back home from the office at some time in the last year. It's definitely better than the Queen songs that I've heard all the time my whole life, so I wonder why it doesn't get played like those do.

Completely agree with Naveed here, this was the first time I heard "Radio Ga Ga" and it's way better than many (most?) of the more frequently played Queen songs.

[MiltonPlayer47]

19. The Head That Talks
Talking Heads, “Once in a Lifetime”
Talking Heads, “Burning Down the House”

20. Pick ‘em: U2 (“With or Without You” is untouchable)
U2, "Sunday Bloody Sunday"
U2, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
U2, “Pride (In the Name of Love)”

21. Calling The Police for a Second Song (“Every Breath You Take” is untouchable)
The Police, “Don’t Stand So Close to Me”
The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic”
None

22. Pick ‘em: New Order
New Order, "Blue Monday"
New Order, "Bizarre Love Triangle"

23. Does Bruce Springsteen Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Born in the USA”)
Bruce Springsteen, “Hungry Heart”
Bruce Springsteen, “The River”
None

24. Hall, or Oates?
Hall and Oates, “Maneater”
Hall and Oates, “Private Eyes”

25. Pick ‘em: Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel, “Sledgehammer”
Peter Gabriel, “In Your Eyes”

26. Late ‘80s Rap Roundhouse (Pick One for Each)
NWA, “Straight Outta Compton”
NWA, “Fuck Tha Police”
NWA, “Express Yourself”
Public Enemy, “Don't Believe the Hype”
Public Enemy, “Fight the Power”
Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise"

27. Does Journey Deserve a Second Song? (beyond “Don’t Stop Believin’”)
Journey, “Open Arms”
Journey, “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)”
Journey, “Any Way You Want It”
None