A few weeks ago I downloaded the song “No Rain” by Blind Melon. You may remember it. It was everywhere in the early 1990s and hearing it takes me right back to my high school days.
It really is a catchy song, yet it is nowhere to be found on Rolling Stone magazine’s latest update of its “500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” Nope, Blind Melon didn’t make the cut.
You know what did make the cut from that same era, “Cannonball” by the Breeders. Some of you, but probably not that many, especially if you are over 50 or under 35, remember that one. It came in at No. 489, in the middle of what is a very strange five-song run on the list.
At No. 492 is Miles Davis with “So What.” Guns N’ Roses’ debut single “Welcome to the Jungle” is ranked one better at 491, with Lil Nas X’ “Old Town Road” up one more at 490. Then it’s the Breeders, topped by The Weeknd’s “House of Balloons” at No. 489.
That’s a whole series of strange comparisons.
In his book “Rock & Roll: An Unruly History,” author Robert Palmer — who is not Robert Palmer the singer of the 1980s classics “Addicted to Love” and “Simply Irresistible,” neither of which made the top 500 — wrote about his difficulty in preparing such lists due to questions like a song’s staying power and how to make cross-genre comparisons.
“Which is better, a classic Little Richard single or the first Velvet Underground album? What does better mean when each item in the comparison is arguably the best of its kind?” Palmer, the music critic, wrote.
Well, Rolling Stone magazine put Little Richard’s “Tutti-Frutti” at No. 35 while the Velvet Underground’s top-ranked song was “I’m Waiting for the Man,” off their debut album, at No. 81.
And here’s another strange five-song run: No. 304 Kraftwerk, “Trans-Europe Express” followed by the TLC classic “No Scrubs” at 303, then the Pink Floyd classic “Wish You Were Here” at 302 paired nicely with good ol’ Bob Seger’s “Night Moves” at 301, with the B-52’s doing who knows what with “Rock Lobster” at No. 300.
Honestly, what I wouldn’t give to have been in the audience the first time the B-52’s played “Rock Lobster.” Just give it a listen — the title pretty much says it all — and you’ll know what I’m talking about.
Here’s an interesting comparison: the 1965 song “Gloria” a hit for Them featuring Van Morrison is ranked No. 413 on the Rolling Stone list, while Patti Smith’s update recorded in 1975 is No. 97.
In reverse order, Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly” from 1973 is ranked No. 273, while the Fugees’ 1996 update — another high school nostalgia track for me — is down at No. 359.
As might be expected, the list included a lot of classic Rolling Stones songs. I didn’t count how many. Nor did I count the number of songs listed from other expected repeaters on the list like the Beatles and Bob Dylan.
I will note that I think Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” came in way too low at No. 164. Meanwhile “Like a Rolling Stone” is No. 4. and there is plenty of Dylan in between.
For whatever reason, I used Bruce Springsteen as the dad-rock measuring stick. He is the Boss after all. He scored five tracks in the top 500, six if you count Patti Smith’s “Because the Night,” which Springsteen wrote. The Boss peaked at No. 27 with “Born to Run.”
What else is there? No. 458 is my favorite song to feature a Cheez Whiz reference, Beck’s breakout 1993 hit “Loser.”
Here’s a head scratcher, how are you going to put Glen Campbell’s “Wichita Lineman” (No. 206) ahead of Rage Against the Machine’s signature “Killing in the Name Of” (No. 207)?
I’m not arguing one is better than the other — I mean one certainly is better than the other — but that’s kind of like seating two wedding guests at the same table knowing full well they are going to get into an argument and cause a scene. Those two tracks need a lot more separation.
Also, Lorde’s “Royals” from 2011 gets No. 30 above the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” from 1965, which is No. 31. Is it because of the Stones’ poor grammar?
Of course, there should be an argument about James Brown’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” being listed below the Stones at No. 34 along with “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry — who Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, et. al. flat out ripped off — being No. 33.
And why is “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie all the way, way down at No. 429? Too much scat by Freddie Mercury?
Toots and the Maytals’ “Pressure Drop” made the list at No. 278 and Nick Drake’s “Pink Moon” came in at No. 162. These are a couple of under-the-radar favorites of mine that I was just happy to see made the cut.
What’s really awesome is seeing Outkast’s “Hey Ya!” at No. 10 and Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On” at No. 8. Both are outstanding, very well deserving tracks that break the classic rock radio vibe that permeates so much of this list and others like it.
Of course the ’90s kid in me is happy to see Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” at No. 5, but as singer-songwriter Kurt Cobain himself has said, the band had better songs. But “Teen Spirit” completely shook up the music industry when it was released in 1991, leaving an indelible impact.
No. 2 on the top 500 is another that, to me, breaks the track record for most lists like this: Public Enemy’s 1989 anthem “Fight the Power.” Boy was I surprised when I turned the page and saw this — surprised and happy because this track is a powerhouse. And Public Enemy made the list a few times.
Look, everyone who reads the list will have their disagreements.
I mean is Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” (No. 449) really better than Neil Young’s “Powderfinger” (No. 450)? And are you actually going to have Beyonce’s iconic “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” down at No. 228? Sure “Formation” is No. 73 and “Crazy in Love” is all the way up at No. 16, but when Mott the Hoople is breaking the top 200, “Single Ladies” is pretty under-ranked here.
What is undeniable is the No. 1, top song of all time: Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” Otis Redding — an incredible talent — wrote it, but when Franklin recorded her version in 1965, she owned that song from then on.
And 56 years later, Franklin’s performance continues to amaze and inspire. It is the gold standard for certain.
Daniel Divilio is the editor of the Kent County News. Email him at ddivilio@thekentcountynews.com.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.