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

[rylltraka]

SEMIFINAL RESULTS

5 Tracy Chapman, "Fast Car" 8.5, 3 Prince, "When Doves Cry" 15.5
"Fast Car"'s dark-horse run ends here. I really enjoyed discovering it, and when I listened to it, I realized "Oh, this is what David Gray's "Babylon" is ripping off".

1 Michael Jackson, "Billie Jean" 11.5, 5 Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime" 12.5
"Once in a Lifetime": Quizbowlcore song, or the most quizbowlcore song? Guess we'll find out.

[rylltraka]

GRAND FINAL
POST VOTES BY 11:59 PM PST 1/5

3 Prince, "When Doves Cry" vs. 5 Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"

When I started this bracket - as something to do - I somewhat underestimated the amount of labor involved, so a tip of my hat to Fred for organizing previous ones. What I might ask of you, since this decision will presumably take less time than previous rounds, would be to list, for the enjoyment of the audience, two or three 80s songs that weren't going to make this bracket, but which would be in your own, personal, vanity 80s music tournament. Here's some from my consciousness:

David Bowie, "Up the Hill Backwards"
The Sisters of Mercy, "Dominion/Mother Russia" and "This Corrosion"
The Ramones, "Pet Sematary"

[Stained Diviner]

3 Prince, "When Doves Cry" vs. 5 Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"

Thanks to Mik for organizing this, and thanks to the voters for having this come down to two great songs.

Bop (harvey), "Vibe"
Eric Clapton, "Running On Faith"
John Mellencamp, "Pink Houses"
Phish, "The Squirming Coil" (on an album in 1990 but played live many times in the 80s)
The Police, "Walking In Your Footsteps"
U2, "Bad"
The Who, "Eminence Front"
All 216 minutes of Bruce Springsteen-Live 1975/85

I listened to lots of white dudes during the 80s, which was the style at the time. I didn't realize until recently that Clapton is a bad person.

[ValenciaQBowl]

O damn, missed the semi-final! Two days slugging out and eating leftovers, drinking beer, and watching football made for a lost weekend(ish). But the songs I would've voted for won, so yay!

I'm okay with either of these songs as the winner, but I'll go with

5 Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"

Some songs I would've included in a personal best of the '80s (too lazy for links, google if you want!):

Simple Minds: Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel
XTC: Senses Working Overtime
Mojo Nixon: I Ain't Gonna Piss in No Jar (and every Mojo Nixon song)
Linton Kwesi Johnson: Inglan Is a Bitch
The Call: And the Walls Came Down
Killing Joke: Eighties (duh)
Springsteen: The River

Super-hard agree with "Eminence Front," David. I'd add "Athena," too.

Thanks, Mik, for doing this.

[Steeve Ho You Fat]

3 Prince, "When Doves Cry" vs. 5 Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"

One thing I realized while doing this is that I generally don't love '80s music, and I think I realized that it's because '80s music seems to have maximized the white influences. The '60s and '70s were dominated by blues rock based on scales and sounds bitten from Howlin' Wolf and friends, and by the '90s R&B and hip-hop were mainstream. '80s pop is dominated by electronic music, and rock morphed into some unrecognizable combination of glam-rock and metal. I don't mind electropop, and appreciate some of its recent revivalists (Gaga and Dua Lipa), but I can't take an entire decade where all I hear is that and some occasional shredding.

There's a few '80s songs that I appreciate by artists that weren't included here, though:
About a Girl - Nirvana
Deep Ellum Blues - Jerry Garcia & John Kahn
Everybody Knows - Leonard Cohen

[A Dim-Witted Saboteur]

Once in a Lifetime

[MiltonPlayer47]

3 Prince, "When Doves Cry" vs. 5 Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"

[BenWeiner27]

3 Prince, "When Doves Cry" vs. 5 Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"

[Ben Dillon]

3 Prince, "When Doves Cry" vs. 5 Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"

[rylltraka]

Here's some from my consciousness:

David Bowie, "Up the Hill Backwards"
The Sisters of Mercy, "Dominion/Mother Russia" and "This Corrosion"
The Ramones, "Pet Sematary"

Some songs I would've included in a personal best of the '80s (too lazy for links, google if you want!):

Simple Minds: Colours Fly and Catherine Wheel
XTC: Senses Working Overtime
Mojo Nixon: I Ain't Gonna Piss in No Jar (and every Mojo Nixon song)
Linton Kwesi Johnson: Inglan Is a Bitch
The Call: And the Walls Came Down
Killing Joke: Eighties (duh)

Chris Borglum and I are, despite all evidence to the contrary, very different people.

[Sam]

Thanks for organizing, Mik!

3 Prince, "When Doves Cry" vs. 5 Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"

I'm terrible at remembering song names and when they're from but in the vanity bracket there would probably be more Kate Bush.

[pray for elves]

When Doves Cry

I'd have included "The Killing Moon" by Echo and the Bunnymen, and also "Town Called Malice" by The Jam.

[ValenciaQBowl]

Ooh, excellent song choices above, Evan. I don't know if your enjoyment of The Jam moved on to Paul Weller with The Style Council, but there's a great documentary on that band on Showtime this month called Long Hot Summers. I learned how close Weller was with Billy Bragg, among other things.

Chris Borglum and I are, despite all evidence to the contrary, very different people.

And yet I'd sit next to you for 14 hours playing CO anytime! (Do check out Mojo Nixon, though).

[1992 in spaceflight]

When Doves Cry, but both of these are excellent songs. Great choice for the finals, quizbowl.

[AKKOLADE]

When Doves Cry

[ScoBo]

3 Prince, "When Doves Cry" vs. 5 Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"

Some of my favorites released in the 80's:
Dire Straits, "Telegraph Road" [1982] (not sure if there's anything I would vote for over it)
Rush, "Time Stand Still" [1987] (with ultra-cheesy music video)
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, "Riviera Paradise" [1989]

I'm also partial to Rush's "The Camera Eye" [1981], especially after learning that the version on R40 Live was apparently recorded at their last Kansas City concert in 2015, the only time I saw them live.

[ryanrosenberg]

Once in a Lifetime

I'm on mobile so no links but:

• "Tell Me When It's Over" by Dream Syndicate
• "Harborcoat" and "Feeling Gravitys Pull" by R.E.M.
• "Graceland" by Paul Simon (in retrospect I really should have proposed something from this album for the bracket, I think this or "You Can Call Me Al" or "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" could have made a deep run)
• "That's When I Reach For My Revolver" by Mission of Burma
• The songs included are very good but "Temptation" is New Order's finest song
• "Sixteen Blue" by the Replacements
• "Rich" by Lloyd Cole and the Commotions

[Gerald Ford's Economics]

3 Prince, "When Doves Cry" vs. 5 Talking Heads, "Once in a Lifetime"
Some songs that might've made it:

• " Let's Dance" by David Bowie

• Either " Flashdance... What a Feeling" or " Maniac " from Flashdance

• " Parents Just Don't Understand" by Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff

• " Holiday in Cambodia" by Dead Kennedys

[AgathokakologicalPunk]

When Doves Cry

It's Not the Night
Twisting by the Pool

[rylltraka]

Please submit your votes by whenever I decide to tabulate them tomorrow.

[rylltraka]

FINAL RESULTS

Prince 16.5, Talking Heads 6

Thanks for your involvement, everyone. Someday there will be a 90s bracket, but that day is not today.