THE GREATEST SONG EVER.

Of all the questions I can recall hardly ever being asked it's been on my mind for some time to talk about something I think every critic at some point in time needs to cover and since I'm near the end of this thing I figured WHY THE FUCK NOT RIGHT?!?!?!

So since 2011 I've done this series of articles where I try to discuss the greatest song of all time in theory and I guess that's a topic that's more difficult for me to do since I've only done it 4 times with the last one being posted on April Fools Day 2015 and being about Prince and my unironic but comical love of Purple Rain which in retrospect is awkward because he passed on just a little over a year after I'd posted that article and the rest of the world realized I was right.

In preparing for this article like everything I'm doing on here I've been going over some of the older post and looking at what I said back then and comparing it to what my thoughts are now on top of trying to come up with an accurate way to say what is the greatest song ever and before I get into what is the greatest song ever and what made me think this I feel there has to be some precedence laid because with a statement like that as much as every dick head armchair critic is going to take every chance to inform me of how wrong I am there's still a means of taking that away from them by laying some form of groundwork to make it less of an opinion piece and to lend some more weight to my thoughts that's immediately dashed away by my vocabulary but fuck em it's better than nothing.

Alright so if you're going to say that a song in question is the greatest song ever I'd say it has to follow some criteria of being both a critical and commercially successful piece of media because while sales aren't shit in retrospect for critics it's a lot harder for your average Joe listening to music as nothing more than background music to argue these things with you  when you can show them some numbers and figures to help prove a point that the track at the very least has some clout in terms of being worth considering with critics polls serving as one more nail in their uninformed coffin of invalid opinions.

Now with that in mind and looking back at the songs I've covered on top of a cursory Google search to see what comes up when you type in the greatest song ever I came to a realization that the first song I ever covered under this umbrella is in fact still without reservation the greatest song of all time and what song is that?

Billie Jean-Michael Jackson 

#1 for 7 weeks, winner of 2 of the 8 Grammy Awards he won that night, an American Music award, half a billion views on Youtube, certified over 5x platinum as a single, and apart of one of the most watched and talked about television events of the millennium it's safe to say the second single from the top selling album of all time has a pretty good claim in terms of charting success to have the title of the greatest song of all time no doubt about that.

Yeah back in 2011 when I first wrote one of these I said that this was the best song of all time because it was this oddly dark and ominous tune that stepped out of Michael's territory of well crafted light radio friendly dance ready pop tunes and instead went about showcasing his ability to be more that meets the eye while also proving that you can be different and people will still buy it so in some case he opened the floodgates for a host of musically inclined people being able to maintain artistic integrity while also having commercial viability and that's a thing that's really important in the grander scheme of things because we can only have so much sugar coated garbage being shoved down our throats.

Jackson was a genius of sorts because he was a cold and calculated businessman that knew the vast majority of his decisions well in advance and released what was the most meticulously crafted things he could that would leave people talking for a long time and it worked more often than not even at his most over bloated he still did stuff that was of a level of quality that his contemporaries maybe minus Prince could really match and the thing that's always made this song stand out in comparison to everything else was the somewhat simplistic and straightforward nature of it because it's not a happy and upbeat tune it's a very somber and depressive tune that mixes just the right amount of disco production with a kind of funk groove and showcases a more held back side of Jackson he never really chose to do that often and it's this kind of strange direction that leads me to go back to it time and time again and really find myself thinking that it really is the best pop song to ever be made bar none.

It's after repeated listens still maybe one of the most fantastic songs I've ever heard and after all these years of asking myself what is the greatest song ever I think I've come to a point where if you were to ask me I'd probably have to say this song bar none.

Also it was in GTA Vice City which had the best soundtrack ever fight me fuckers!!!!!

Song of the Day 5/28/15

So for whatever reason I just can't get enough of this awesomely new wave tune in the form of Neon Tree's newest ode to a failed relationship in the form of this faced paced energetic rocker, "Songs I can't Listen To," which is an awkwardly appropriate tune when the occasions right and one accurate side effect of relationships gone wrong in it's exclamations of how music really can take you to a time and  a place and whenever someone ends something good those songs go with it which is saddening but still at the very least we can all accept it and of course rock out to this song which sounds like it'd of fit nicely tucked away in the middle of Picture Show.

The Greatest Song EVER!

So there are artist that have incredible musical integrity but no commercial appeal what so ever and then there are artist that are record selling machines but people find them to make the most generic radio garbage music in existence and then every once in a blue moon somebody manages to give God or the Devil the right stuff and manages to become something of an enigma in that they are a musical genius that has massive commercial appeal and today that’s where this edition of the best song ever comes into play because we’re talking about one such artist people the all mighty Prince.

Ok before you people start judging me let me say that is an undeniable god damn fact if you were to look at this guy’s musical output before he  turned himself into a symbol you not only  have one of the best movie soundtracks of all time but the most timeless and fantastic pop/R&B of the 80’s and early 90’s and also he’s responsible for what I truly believe is the 2^nd greatest B-Side ever recorded this guy is a fucking machine and a damn icon for his time and if you ever get a chance to look up his super bowl halftime show one damn amazing guitarist and showman and even though I find his work over the last 20ish years to be of very poor quality the man is a fucking machine and a legend in his own right and if there was ever a song to showcase Prince The awe inspiring act of awesomeness it’d be his classic of the ages the 8+ minute opus of the 80’s Purple Rain.

What? NO erotic city, When doves Cry, I would Die for you, Kiss, or even 1999 nope as amazing as this guy’s greatest hits have been and as much as I love when he’s the filthiest most clever song writer around there’s a supremely heartbreaking and magical thing he did when he decided to lay out this gut wrencher of a track and it’s nearly gospel like exclamations of how he, “Knows times are changing,” there’s still an unbridled sense of passion he has for this lover of his and he can’t help but to just belt it out in a way that’s just the most wonderfully sad but amazing way that eventhough I’ll often jokingly sing this songs chorus for no reason or even change purple rain to Kurt Cobain I do in all honesty 100% believe that this song is really FUCKING GREAT and the fact that it’s 8+ minutes and doesn’t feel that way is a feat in and of itself because even at that overindulgent length I’m left wanting more after listening to it which is pretty god damn insane people.

Yeah my appreciation of this song borders on parody I’m not going to lie there but sometimes there’s tunes that are a reflection of their time and place and even so you can’t help but realize that they’re known as classics for a reason and it’s this songs just utterly heartbreaking lyrics and it’s kind of all or nothing approach musically that set’s it so much above a multitude of other songs that I’ve heard and even if it’s a tender break up ballad I’d still hella slow dance the fuck out of this tune with my head playfully on my loved one’s shoulder exclaiming PURPLE RAIN PURRRRPLE RAAAAIN with absolutely no guilt what so ever to believe this may in fact be the greatest song ever.

Now i'm going to have to give you guy's this sentence as a link because Prince don't let his music on youtube and spotify isn't really letting me post their stuff on my blog ATM...

Song of the Day 10/15/14

So I'm still at a lack of too may things to really fill out the schedule of events I've made for myself but I figured if I'm going to be this way I could at least post a bad ass cover for today and who better then the all mighty PUSA!

Yes one of my personal favorite overlooked alternative acts of the 90's with their blend of humor and bad ass guitar heavy alternative music here they are covering the classic that is Video Killed the Radio Star in such spectacular fashion that it's probably the reason I own a copy of the Wedding Singer Soundtrack....

Happy 4 Year Sam's Song of the Day!!!!!

So I'm aware that I've been less then spectacular when it comes to posting because to be honest I've had to deal with a wide variety of stupid shit coming at me in a continuous wave of annoyance that's managed to both drain me mentally and leave me in a constant state of being on edge and just hating life as I know it which is really shitty people because I'd love to really make something out of this but when I can't fucking write I can't fucking write I'm not really in the mood to be apologetic or to lie to the world it's just the way I am.

Now all seriousness aside there's a realization I'd made earlier this month that I was quickly approaching this blog's 4th anniversary and I made sure to promise myself that no matter what happens that I'd post for that day because it's significant to me because I remember getting the motivation from my friend Verta to start a blog after I'd been posting these on the Smashing Pumpkins Forums and ever since I took the plunge I've loved posting on here it's legitimately something that brings me joy and I want it to truly become something because archiving the songs I've heard is just crazy especially when I look back.

All warm and fuzzies there I couldn't honestly pinpoint one particular tune to justify the whole post with and since I've avoided a Friday's finest or two in my process of having my 20th nervous breakdown I figured I'd compile a short hand list of 5 tunes kind of like when you get married your bride to be has something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue I'd instead post a classic, a newer tune, a song with importance, a song that's fun, and of course the first song I ever posted on this blog so before I link the playlist here's the 5 tunes for ya:

1. Something Old: Sheena is a Punk Rocker-The Ramones

I've recently been listening to an astronomical amount of punk rock lately and in the process I've kind of been thinking a lot about this band in particular because their first album is an amusing little insight of short tunes with no real song structure beyond a couple of chords and maybe a verse to accompany a very straightforward chorus but even so I've also noticed that they also seem to really have a knack for stupid simple love songs or at the very least making me think of the perfect woman.

I'm sure you're curious so I'm going to just say it Punk rock Girls as the Queers said who on a lesser note actually covered this song but that's irrelevant are in fact quite yummy as fucking odd as that sounds there's something unquestionably attractive about a girl who enjoys being a bit of a punk and loves this kind of music I know I'm still looking for Sheena and also on a lesser note Husker Du did a BAD ASS cover of this song on their living end live album.

2. Something New: Up We Go-Lights

So on the topic of attractive women I'm just going to say while I'm not necessarily sold on Lights music and would still rather completely obsess over the likes of Lauren Mayberry or Meg Myers this chicks a fucking babe people and this video is more than evident of the things that having a kid can do and the fact that she's managed to get an even more banging figure is just wrong in every right way and also oddly enough this semi-uplifting kind of anthemic sounding tunes really starting to grow on me people gotta give the girl credit she's both pretty and can make a damn fine tune.

3. A Song with Importance: I of the Mourning-The Smashing Pumpkins

You know any time my life's gone to shit or I'm in a crisis I usually find myself blasting Machina the Machines of God by The Smashing Pumpkins because in all honesty that album has a light at the end of the tunnel feel for me in that it oddly calms me and can really get my head in order as the songs progress with this song in particular being the truest expressions of loneliness, alienation, and the desire of that which is amazing and fulfilling to never leave your side.

I honestly find this to be the strongest instance of Billy Corgans post apocalyptic story of an album to actually give me a decent picture of the characters he attempted to paint and find something I can attach myself to because I'm not going to lie I never could get into the story of Glass and the Machines of god or whatever Billy's grand idea was at the time of their demise it's just that this album served as a better swan song then people gave it credit for especially in songs as amazingly done as this one and it's really a whole lot more joyful and positive then things appeared at that time and it has that effect for me because it's a small step in the right direction when I'm hopeless and this song starts hitting those feels.

4: A song that's Fun: Only a Lad-Oingo Boingo

What an awesomely overlooked band Oingo Boingo were people no seriously their names fucking dumb as shit but god damn did they make some of the best new wave tracks of the 80's and to think about just the amount of impressive soundtrack work their lead singers done since then it's fucking crazy people and while I wanted to post Little girls as a cheeky stab to my shitty ex roommate and his affinity for gloating about banging a 16 year old when he's 24.....yeah he's a fucking creep and a half....I just didn't want to go there people instead I want to enjoy something and this song's one of those things.

5: The First Song posted on this blog: Champain-Cee-Lo Green

Yeah I'm not ashamed to say that I got to love some Cee-Lo"Say the wrong thing" Green and while his comments on rape where dumb as fuck for him to say it doesn't take away the fact that his fat overly confident self isn't responsible for some truly great music and even though I'd be extra lying to say I gave any fucks for anything he made before The Lady Killer there was that one off Stray Bullets mixtape that housed some truly bad ass gems and this song probably the strongest of them all and I recall it being an early download for those who subscribed to his newsletter or something but really this songs just a serious toned track that's a good exercise in his range as a vocalist and the fact that it is so serious sounding and kind of modern in tone compared to the Lady Killers complete throwback tone is probably why the world didn't get a mass release of this gem but even now listening to it for the first time in quite a while even after the dumb shit is all said and done I'm not ashamed this song fucking kicks ass.

SO there we have it 5 songs for the 4 year anniversary of the Blog stay tuned though February is right around the corner and my favorite number is 5....thanks for sticking through people for those who actually read thanks a lot you keep me doing this and to my haters....Fuck off.

Sound Familiar?

So tomorrows a special day for me and if you don't know by this point I'll let you take the time to look that stuff up yourself but until then I wanted to point out this thing I came up with at work yesterday and feel like pointing out today in an article that isn't really likely to become a semi-re-occurring segment but rather an idea like the album/concert reviews, so bad it's good, lost great albums, and Greatest song ever where I just kind of make an observation and let you guy's take notice for yourself so without further ado let's get into this.

 Have you ever listened to a song and kind of thought to yourself, "hey this is really good but for some reason it sounds a lot like something else I've heard before," or have you ever listened to a song and noticed that any particular artist or group has decided to do something that sounds a little too much like another artist? Well that's what today's segment is covering in Sound Familiar I'll be taking a song and bringing up a similarity to another tune that might be a little odd and with today I figure I'd talk about something I recall pointing out a long time ago but feel like going a little more in depth with today and that's with these two tunes...

(Just Hold On) We're Going Home-Drake & Africa-Toto

So I recall a while back in one of the many times I've covered this smooth little throwback sounding Drake number that it sounds like a kind of modern day Africa and whenever I say that I mean that it's a very steady synth heavy number that kind of harkens back to going to a mother land of sorts whether it's home or Africa is one of a few things that kind of separates these two tunes lyrically, but whenever you kind of listen to them side by side you notice the intro's are very similar and they both are rather mid tempo pop numbers.

I know it's kind of random but it's a kind of funny observation none-the-less and the fact that I can hear the newer of the two tunes and want to go coast down the streets of Vice City kind of is probably the reason why I enjoy it so much..that and it's a pretty decent tune to make out with someone too but that's a whole different article for another time people.

SO go listen to these two tunes side by side and tell me what you think and of course if there's any two tunes that you think are a little too similar in sound feel free to suggest it in the comments down below or of course on The Official Facebook Page where you'd be real awesome to click that like button buddy.





 

Tuesday Two-Fer

You know of all the forgotten 80's alternative acts that managed to break that mainstream mold and carve out a good niche for themselves even though they really did deserve more earlier based on a solid foundation of quality material I'd have to say INXS would be one of my personal favorites for the fact that they weren't anywhere near as pretentious sounding as U2 and could craft either fairly epic pieces of music with some of the most killer chorus' or they just knew how to make some truly catchy little pop minded rock songs that weren't too alternative for the mass public to really get a grip of but still had enough girth to stand apart from the crowd of other new wave acts looking to become the next big thing and with that in mind I was randomly reminded of my favorite song by them and an interesting little cover done...

Don't Change-INXS(1982) & AFI(2006)

So what we have here is probably the biggest sounding kind of semi-inspirational rocker that I've heard form INXS and it's larger then life chorus is only enhanced by the fact that it employes a very kind of trancey jangly intro that just picks up pace continually before Michael Hutchence's vocals come in and bring forth some fairly introspective lyrics about love and loss and it just kind of fires and works on all levels which kind of makes me wonder how this isn't one of the tunes that got them to become a household name.

In comparison though if you were to take that kind of epic sound that the original has and completely strip it of all of that and make it a rather bleak kind of slow-paced mildly acoustic number you have AFI's cover which isn't really a bad thing in that they still manage to kind of build up through the course of their cover they just don't really lead to any resolve and it feels suffocated in some odd way which is a shame because this song's pretty spectacular eventhough after listening to the cover I don't dislike it it's just a difficult number to match but like I say every week you can listen down below and judge for yourself...

INXS:




AFI:

Song of the Day 4/1/12

Walking on Sunshine-Katrina and the Waves

I very explicitly remember in my request for readers to suggest songs that nobody mention this 80’s sugar coated mess of a single, but sadly enough after much persistence and people posting this shit to my wall on facebook I feel it’s my duty as a person to cover this tune and OH is it going to be something.

Ok let’s get this out of the way in that my hatred of this tune is less about the fact that I think of it as a bad song but more along the lines of I can explicitly recall my friends blaring the holy hell out of this over and over and over again just for the sake of making me want to bash my head against a wall which for the most part was pretty damn successful but that’s beside the point.

I’m just saying this song in terms of sound completely fulfills the requirements of a tune with it’s name in that it’s this bright woo-oh kind of tune that you can easily picture someone skipping along to singing at the top of their lungs, its’ ever so slightly annoying in a so bad it’s good kind of way that while I love to say how much I dislike it all I know almost every word and for the sake of making it amusing for all I’d very easily sing along to this little One hit wonder of a tune so for that I say…..and pardon my French but….FUCK YOU!!!

The Greatest Song EVER!!!

What a touchy subject my friends, what is the greatest song ever made? We all have our own opinions as to what we would consider to be the best and we all have a different song, but you know what there’s a certain set of tunes that if you were to ask a group of people as being universally known for being great then we’d have the starting of a segment I stole from another website that I’ll say I don’t remember the name of.

So here I present to thee an ongoing segment that I’m calling, “The Greatest Song Ever…” and the premise is simple I write about the most universally or at least what I see as being the most universally accepted tunes that one would consider the best, and it’s as simple as that people.

So this being a new segment let's start this bastard out with the biggest fish in the sea....

Billie Jean-Michael Jackson

He’s known far and wide as the king of pop for a reason people. It wasn’t that he could dance, it wasn’t that he could entertain, and it wasn’t even that he made thriller it was the songs he did that made Mr. Jackson the most successful artist in the world people and if there was a song that I would have to say was his crown masterpiece it would be this one.

“Billie Jean is Not my Lover, She’s just a girl who claims that I am the one, but the kid is not my son,” what a morbid line for one of the biggest hits of his massive career, it’s a song about betrayal, it’s dark, moody, and unlike anything you could possibly expect from the same man who was partly responsible for songs like Don’t Stop till you get enough, Ben, ABC, and I’ll be there it’s really an example of what happens when an artist tries to step out of their boundaries and perform a song that is completely out of character and it’s an example of that artist completely taking over and showcasing that they’re here and they’ve accomplished just what they set out to do showcase that they are in fact someone to pay attention to.

Really, from its steady synth intro you know you’re in for something different and whenever you hear Michael deliver that opening line there’s a sense of maturity in his delivery that no other song he was able to do afterwards could exactly showcase. Its’ a straightforward number there’s no theatrics to it, it’s video is as simple as he could make it, and the songs a masterpiece and really the best thing Jackson ever did in his mighty career and the only shame is that there doesn’t exist a recording of him singing it with nothing more than an acoustic guitar backing him up because I’d kill to just get one listen to a pure vocal track just to hear the intensity that this man had in his voice on this masterpiece of pop music.