2022 Greatest Songs: Part 2 (1699-1400)

There are so many necessary caveats for anyone putting out a list like this, of course, which sometimes reputations do not give. My caveats/limitations, to cover for how little I actually know about almost everything – songs in the Western pop tradition, songs (nearly always) with lyrics, songs (nearly always) sung in English - I don’t know about K-Pop, chansons, qawwali or Afrobeat, or jazz, or Schubert.

Talking of which ..

1699      No One Knows – Queens of the Stone Age

1698      Love Rain - Jill Scott

1697      Dry Your Eyes - The Streets

1696      Friday Night - The Darkness

“Monday cycling, Tuesday gymnastics, dancing on a Friday night

I got Bridge Club on Wednesday, archery on Thursday, dancing on a Friday night”

I just love that a lot and use my executive privilege to say it’s one of the best songs of all time.

1695      Nothing Lasts Forever - Echo and the Bunnymen

1694      China - Tori Amos

1693      Lilac Wine - Jeff Buckley

1692      Nothing Else Matters - Metallica

1691      Nuthin' but a G Thang - Dr Dre

1690      Nancy Boy - Placebo

1689      Streets of Philadelphia - Bruce Springsteen

1688      Bonita Applebum - A Tribe Called Quest

1687      Innuendo - Queen

1686      Inbetweener - Sleeper

1685      Fuck the Pain Away - Peaches

1684      It Was a Good Day - Ice Cube

1683      I Got You - Split Enz

1682      It's My Life - Talk Talk

1681      Some Candy Talking - Jesus and Mary Chain

1680      Freebird - Lynyrd Skynyrd

1679      Me and Mrs Jones - Billy Paul

1678      One of Us - ABBA

1677      That's the Way (I Like It) - KC and the Sunshine Band

1676      The Number One Song in Heaven - Sparks

1675      Got To Get You Into My Life - The Beatles

1674      Night Train - James Brown

James Brown was always someone I felt I didn’t like, whose songs I didn’t enjoy hearing on the radio. But a lot of James Brown songs have ended up on this list, and not by design, just because they really are the fabric of modern music and the foundation of the dancefloor.

1673      Crazy, Crazy Nights - Kiss

1672      Let Your Yeah be Yeah - Jimmy Cliff

1671      In a Broken Dream - Python Lee Jackson

1670      How Can We Hang On to a Dream - Tim Hardin

1669      Radio Free Europe - REM

1668      Is it Because I'm Black - Syl Johnson

1667      The Day Before You Came - Abba

1666      For What It's Worth - Buffalo Springfield

1665      Old Friends / Bookends - Simon and Garfunkel

1664      Kangaroo - Big Star

1663      Wild Horses - Rolling Stones

1662      Coal Miner's Daughter - Loretta Lynn

1661      You Make Me Feel Brand New - The Stylistics

1660      Cosmic Dancer - T.Rex

1659      All that Jazz - Chicago

1658      (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Öyster Cult

1657      Don't Get Me Wrong - Pretenders

1656      Night Nurse - Gregory Isaacs

1655      How Will I Know - Whitney Houston

1654      Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - The Police

1653      Kiss - Prince

1652      Love Plus One - Haircut 100

1651      Ebenezer Goode - The Shamen

1650      Gold Soundz - Pavement

1649      Joy Division Oven Gloves - Half Man Half Biscuit

You know those seriously cult acts with vast catalogues, who don’t really appear apart from as punchlines in mainstream culture, who inhabit their own world, with a legion of fans who clearly think their favourite is better than anyone else – Frank Zappa, The Fall, Steely Dan a little (though less so), Half Man Half Biscuit, that type of thing. They’re hard to fit in to lists like this. I tentatively like a little bit of all those artists, but can not quite be arsed to get stuck in. And none of them have “hits” that are clearly their best song, they have loads of songs which their fans have totally different views on what are the best. So, sorry, if ever fans of those acts peruse this list.

1648      Nearly Midnight, Honolulu - Neko Case

1647      Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day

1646      Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani

1645      Getting Away with It - Electronic

1644      Mississippi - Bob Dylan

1643      Summer of 69 - Bryan Adams

1642      The King Of Rock 'n' Roll - Prefab Sprout

1641      Life in a Northern Town - Chameleons

1640      Slave to the Rhythm - Grace Jones

1639      Take This Hammer - Odetta

1638      The Universal - Blur

1637      If I Ruled the World - Nas ft Lauryn Hill

1636      Down by the Water - PJ Harvey

1635      Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) - Darlene Love

1634      Walking on a Wire - Richard and Linda Thompson

1633      Did You See - J Hus

1632      Carissa - Sun Kil Moon

1631      Bad Girls - MIA

1630      Hold On Hope - Guided by Voices

1629      Don't Know Why - Norah Jones

1628      Dog Days Are Over - Florence and the Machine

1627      Country Feedback - REM

1626      Into Your Arms - The Lemonheads

1625      Car Wheels on a Gravel Road - Lucinda Williams

1624      Goodnight Irene - The Weavers

1623      It's a Man's Man's Man's World - James Brown

1622      Build Me Up Buttercup - The Foundations

1621      Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat (Guys and Dolls)

1620      Moulty - The Barbarians

1619      Still I Dream Of It - Brian Wilson

Does it matter if a song doesn’t get finished? Some famous Dylan examples are She’s Your Lover Now and Series of Dreams. They’re up there with his best but he was never happy with them. There’s a song called Still I Dream of It by Brian Wilson. A few other people (Jimmy Nail! Ed Harcourt) have covered it, but there doesn’t seem to exist a proper studio-recorded Brian Wilson version, just a demo. It’s one of his loveliest songs. It’s possible to imagine a version of it which elevates it to the highest ranks of songs, but that version doesn’t exist. In a different way, I think the same is true of Somewhere, from West Side Story. I love the Tom Waits version, but I haven’t anywhere else heard a straight version that does justice to the song I imagine in my head.

Dylan would probably say that songs are never finished, but, thankfully, some are!

1618      Little Green Bag - George Baker

1617      The Only Way is Up - Yazz

1616      Hong Kong Garden - Siouxsie and the Banshees

1615      Love in the First Degree - Bananarama

1614      Mickey - Toni Basil

1613      I Can't Make You Love Me - Bonnie Raitt

1612      Free - Ultra Nate

1611      Summertime - The Sundays

1610      Epic - Faith No More

1609      La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh) - Manic Street Preachers

1608      He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's The Pilot - Grandaddy

1607      No Time to Die - Billie Eilish

1606      Spud Infinity - Big Thief

Music criticism has been heavily Americanised. I love music press, I have for 30 years. I love lists, history and compartmentalisation of pop music. I reject the notion that that spoils the fun. Nonsense. Charts, sales figures, lists are intrinsic to the whole thing. Sadly, British music journalism has been stripped back to a husk. NME is an online shadow of its former self, Smash Hits is gone, Q is gone. Melody Maker and Word are gone. There remain Mojo and, my regular, Uncut – ironically, an Americana-focused publication – and there are other specialist websites as well as decent coverage in some newspapers, but the dominant music criticism arbiters are Pitchfork and Rolling Stone - both American, and where they may have come at it from strikingly different perspectives in the past, they seem to me more and more similar, editorially – a new orthodoxy. To me, Pitchfork is fairly one-eyed, weirdly dismissive, on a lot of British music. It is easy to be swayed by that and have too much American music which really doesn’t mean much to British music fans.

Saying that, both publications put a lot of care and prestige into their lists. They’re usually interesting and good sources of orthodoxy.

Anyway, this is the American indie rock that people like at the moment.

1605      Mirrors - Justin Timberlake

1604      When I Grow Up - from Matilda

1603      Don't Delete the Kisses - Wolf Alice

1602      Perfect Places - Lorde

1601      Riptide - Vance Joy

1600      Hotel Yorba - The White Stripes

1599      Someone Great - LCD Soundsystem

1598      Since I Left You - Avalanches

1597      Everything in its Right Place – Radiohead

People love Radiohead, eh? I think I made a firm decision in around 1998 to like Radiohead less than everyone else, but, you know, I like them a lot, and I like The Smile a lot too. But I still probably like them less than everyone else. They come top of all the Pitchfork readers’ polls. Radiohead. Their fanbase transcends gender, race, age, nationality, genre. I mean, I still slightly prefer The Longpigs, but I accept Radiohead have done some solid work, so this list will reward that.

1596      Chelsea Dagger - The Fratellis

1595      Girl on Fire - Alicia Key

1594      Grace Kelly - Mika

1593      Something Changed - Pulp

1592      The Ship Song - Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds

1591      The Bomb - Bucketheads

1590      Let's Hear it for the Boy - Deniece Williams

1589      Mad World - Tears for Fears

1588      1952 Vincent Black Lighting - Richard Thompson

1587      Surf's Up - The Beach Boys

1586      Omaha - Moby Grape

1585      I Can See for Miles - The Who

1584      Village Green Preservation Society - Kinks

1583      You Can Get It If You Really Want - Desmond Dekker

1582      Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child - Paul Robeson

1581      Just a Friend - Biz Markie

1580      Say So - Doja Cat

1579      Lost Weekend - Lloyd Cole & the Commotions

1578      Brother, Can You Spare a Dime - Bing Crosby

1577      L.O.V.E - Nat King Cole

1576      These Days - Nico

1575      Duchess - Scott Walker

1574      Dream On - Aerosmith

1573      You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer

1572      I'll Take You There - Staple Singers

1571      Parisienne Walkways - Gary Moore

1570      Your Song - Elton John

1569      The Power of Love - Frankie Goes to Hollywood

1568      More than This - Roxy Music

1567      Burn It Down - Dexys Midnight Runners

1566      Graceland - Paul Simon

1565      Don't Stop Movin' - S Club 7

1564      Vogue - Madonna

1563      The Boy is Mine - Brandy and Monica

1562      The Deal - Stephen Duffy

1561      Ladykillers - Lush

1560      Oxford Comma - Vampire Weekend

1559      Izzo (HOVA) - Jay-Z

1558      Jack and Diane - John Cougar Mellencamp

1557      Levitating - Dua Lipa

1556      Severed Crossed Fingers - St Vincent

1555      Acceptable in the 80s - Calvin Harris

1554      True Love Waits - Radiohead

1553      One Day Like This - Elbow

1552      Gold Digger - Kanye West

1551      Kinky Afro - Happy Mondays

1550      In the Aeroplane over the Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel

1549      Sun Hits the Sky - Supergrass

1548      Missing - Everything but the Girl

1547      Love is a Battlefield - Pat Benatar

1546      Ever Changing Moods - Style Council

1545      Everywhere - Fleetwood Mac

1544      Wild World - Cat Stevens

1543      Autobahn - Kraftwerk

1542      Don't You - Micah P Hinson

1541      I Don't Wanna Talk About It - Rod Stewart

1540      Lady Marmalade - Labelle

1539      Just a Little Lovin' - Dusty Springfield

1538      Astral Weeks - Van Morrison

1537      Time is on My Side - Irma Thomas

1536      Let's Work Together - Canned Heat

1535      The Man Comes Around - Johnny Cash

1534      Cold Cold Heart - Hank Williams

1533      Bad and Boujee - Migos

1532      Lost in Music - Sister Sledge

1531      Kung Fu Fighting - Carl Douglas

1530      California - Joni Mitchell

1529      Oops Upside Your Head - Gap Band

1528      Master Blaster - Stevie Wonder

1527      Suddenly - Angry Anderson

1526      Goodbye England (Covered In Snow) - Laura Marling

1525      Round and Round - Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

1524      Hello Dolly - Barbra Streisand

1523      Hard Drive - Cassandra Jenkins

1522      Concrete Schoolyard - Jurassic 5

1521      Don't Cry for Me, Argentina (from Evita)

1520      Good as Hell - Lizzo

1519      Rill Rill - Sleigh Bells

1518      I Knew Your Mother - Loudon Wainwright

1517      In Too Deep - Sum 41

1516      Hate to Say I Told You So - Hives

1515      The Greatest - Cat Power

1514      Trouble - Shampoo

1513      Think Twice - Celine Dion

1512      Olympian - Gene

1511      The Next Episode - Dr Dre

1510      Pony - Ginuwine

1509      Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys - The Equals

1508      Children's Story - Slick Rick

1507      Hot Girl Summer - Megan Thee Stallion

1506      Nature Boy - Nat King Cole

1505      Green Green Grass of Home - Tom Jones

What to do with old Tom Jones, eh? I kind of loathed Tom Jones for a pretty long time, I’m afraid, thought he represented the unthinking side of the retro masculine 90s. Oh yeah, Tom Jones, ledge, tell us your bloody stories Tom … then I saw him play at midnight in the woods on the Thursday night before Latitude in 2010 and, of course, I thought, well, this guy can sing, to be fair. Really sing. He sang Bob Dylan’s What Good Am I? and of course, it was still a little bit hammy, but not very, it was deep and serious and sad, and it was, perhaps all the things Tom Jones might have been if he hadn’t been Tom Jones and gone “Wooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” because he could. He did some truly truly abysmal singles along the way, and I have been internally tortured by Sex Bomb for several months, but, still, bit of Tom Jones, eh …

1504      Blues Run the Game - Jackson C Frank

1503      If You Don't Know Me By Now - Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes

1502      The Jungle Line - Joni Mitchell

1501      I Can't Stand the Rain - Ann Peebles

1500      Cars and Girls - Prefab Sprout

1499      Darkness On The Edge Of Town - Bruce Springsteen

1498      Today - Smashing Pumpkins

1497      Ready or Not - Fugees

1496      Black Sheep - Metric

1495      Avant Gardener - Coutney Barnett

1494      On The Radio - Regina Spektor

1493      Royals - Lorde

1492      Man in the Mirror - Michael Jackson

1491      Brass In Pocket - The Pretenders

1490      Beds are Burning - Midnight Oil

1489      Boys Don't Cry - The Cure

1488      Georgia Lee - Tom Waits

1487      Never Gonna Give You Up - Rick Astley

1486      Only Love Can Break Your Heart - Neil Young

1485      Alison - Elvis Costello

1484      Jive Talkin' - Bee Gees

1483      Papa Was a Rolling Stone - The Temptations

1482      Dance Away - Roxy Music

1481      Good Rockin' Tonight - Roy Brown

1480      Neat Neat Neat - The Damned

1479      The Story - Brandi Carlisle

1478      But Not for Me - Ginger Rogers/Ella Fitzgerald

1477      Blue Moon - Frank Sinatra

1476      Guess I'm Dumb - Glen Campbell

1475      Rock with You - Michael Jackson

1474      Buffalo Soldier - Bob Marley

1473      Transmission - Joy Division

1472      Wonderful Life - Black

1471      Bastards of Young - The Replacements

1470      New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down - LCD Soundsystem

1469      Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above - CSS

1468      Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat (Cats)

There are quite a few songs from musicals on the list. Some of the greatest songs ever were written for musicals by the greatest writers, of course. One of my favourite songs is Being Alive, which I only first heard a few years ago. I have heard people throughout my life saying Sondheim is one of the greatest songwriters ever. But, the truth is … I have, over the last two or three years, really tried to enjoy more of his songs, but hit a bit of a block. Not a total block, but a bit of a block. Songs from musicals are not necessarily pop songs, and don’t necessarily work out of context. Some do, some don’t.

I liked musical theatre a lot when I was a boy, then went off it in a big way, and now am somewhere in between.

Hopefully, the ones I’ve included stand up whether you’re watching the show or not. If you look at this list, for example, yes to Ol’ Man River, no to Rose’s Turns. But, saying all that, I am including Skimbleshanks the Railway Cat cos it made me very happy when I was 7, although I must admit it is a little reliant on context.

1467      Bloody Motherfucking Asshole - Martha Wainwright

1466      Fallin' - Alicia Keys

1465      I'm a Cuckoo - Belle & Sebastian

I was thinking today about songs that sounded like GREAT songs when I first heard them (whether they turned out to be or not …). The first three that came into my head are a bit all over the place. One of them was ‘I’m a Cuckoo’ by B and S. Of course, Belle and Sebastian were a great small band. That’s where their legend lies. But they’ve spent most of this century trying to be a big band, with a certain kind of success.

In particular, I feel like Stuart M was committed to trying to have a bona fide hit single for the first few years of the century, and this song was the closest they came, the one song they did that was a pop song that absolutely worked, that was one of their best.

I remember I stayed up to listen to Stuart doing a late night track by track of Dear Catastrophe Waitress with either Steve Lamacq or John Kennedy before the album’s release, and when I heard I’m a Cuckoo, I really thought it was the best song I’d ever heard. I told people “that’s the best song I’ve ever heard”. It turned out it wasn’t the best song I’d ever heard.

But I still love it. When they perform it live and the four guys line up with their guitars across the stage, it’s so absurdly playful and wish-fulfilling while ironic, and of course, B and S, even with four guitarists, don’t sound like Thin Lizzy, or Metallica, or the Stooges, they sound like B and S, but it’s such a clever ghost of another great song, and such an all-encompassing lyric. I remember listening to it in real time that night with such close attention – of course, you hear every word when Stuart Murdoch sings, and it was all there, his own health, his own faith, the band gossip and history.

And the chorus. I wonder if the chorus, the title or the song came first. I’m a Cuckoo … what rhymes with cuckoo … Harajuku … where’s Harajuku … Tokyo … need a rhyme … this song sounds a bit like Thin Lizzy … Thin Lizzy-o … I just love it … four parts, like a great Only Connect question, the little guitar riff the icing on the cake.

I read an interviews on Pitchfork with a journalist who’s been writing about all the US Number 1s ever, and he says the key thing about a Number 1 hit is timing. Always timing. I’m a Cuckoo could have been Belle and Sebastian’s big hit … it got to Number 14, not bad, but I reckon it was probably a couple of happenings away from taking off, setting them in entirely different company. Aah well.

1464      54321 - Manfred Mann

1463      Blind - Hercules and Love Affair

1462      November Rain - Guns N Roses

1461      True Love Will Find You in the End - Daniel Johnson

1460      Confide in Me - Kylie Minogue

1459      Up Where We Belong - Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes

1458      I'm Coming Out - Diana Ross

1457      The Trader - Beach Boys

1456      I Wanna Be Your Dog - The Stooges

1455      Seven Days Too Long - Chuck Wood

1454      Monday Monday - The Mamas and the Papas

1453      Cissy Strut - The Meters

1452      Open Up - Leftfield/Lydon

1451      Joe's Garage - Frank Zappa

1450      Sail Away - Randy Newman

1449      Skinny Love - Bon Iver

1448      California - ema

1447      It Wasn't Me - Shaggy

1446      Bang - Yeah Yeah Yeahs

1445      Spinning Around - Kylie Minogue

1444      Come On Let's Go - Broadcast

1443      Serious Drugs - BMX Bandits

1442      Ain't No Love Ain't No Use - Subsub

1441      (I've Had) The Time of My Life - Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes

1440      Smalltown Boy - Bronski Beat

1439      Down Under - Men at Work

1438      Baby Love - The Supremes

1437      What Do I Get - Buzzcocks

1436      Sam Stone - John Prine

1435      I'm Still in Love With You - Alton Ellis

1434      Children of the Revolution - T Rex

1433      Thunderstruck - AC/DC

1432      I Think We're Alone Now - Tiffany/The Rubinoos

1431      Love Me Like I'm Not Made of Stone - Lykke Li

1430      All Night Disco Party - Brakes

1429      Hot in Herre - Nelly

1428      Speed Trials - Elliot Smith

1427      Stay Another Day - East 17

There was often one boyband member who seemed a bit separate, like he had a bit more hinterland, a bit more depth, or just belonged in a different line of work. They didn’t always fulfil the same role – sometimes it was the main musical talent, sometimes it wasn’t. Jason of Orange, Sean from 5ive, Simon from Blue (I think Lee Ryan thought it was him), Babak from Another Level. You know, you know. And Tony Mortimer.

Were East 17 a boyband? Did they meet the trade description. They were quite … standard … looking chaps. There was Brian who sang distinctively, though I thought his voice overpraised, Terry and John who moved around, and Tony, who rapped, sang backing vocals, played piano, wrote the songs. Heavy lifting. He had a knack for extreme catchiness – House of Love, Deep, Thunder, Around the World, It’s Alright – the last of those truly a belter for all-in no-shame shouty karaoke – and, then, their monster hit, 5 weeks Christmas Number 1, Stay Another Day.

In the Secret Life of the Lovesong lecture, Nick Cave deconstructs the lyrics to Better the Devil You Know, describing it as “a message to God that cries out into the yawning void, in anguish and self-loathing, for deliverance”. A wry but truthful reappraisal of a glossy surface. There are plenty of other lyrics ripe for reappraisal. If you listen to Stay Another Day with the knowledge that Mortimer wrote it for his brother, after his suicide, well, let’s say the lines hit harder.

Does it matter, does it help a song, if we know the backstory? Well, yeah, to me, it does (or, occasionally, the opposite). I love reading around songs. It doesn’t have to – I expect most of the million-plus people that bought Stay Another Day didn’t know that, though. It’s a song with two equally valid lives.

1426      More Adventurous - Rilo Kiley

1425      Three Lions - Baddiel, Skinner etc

1424      Kiss from a Rose - Seal

1423      St James Infirmary Blues - Louis Armstrong

1422      No Depression - The Carter Family

1421      You Got Me - Roots ft Erykah Badu

1420      She Loves You - The Beatles

1419      I'm in the Mood for Dancing - Nolans

1418      Iron Man - Black Sabbath

1417      Vienna - Ultravox

1416      This Charming Man - The Smiths

1415      Senses Working Overtime - XTC

1414      Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear

1413      Something Like Happiness - The Maccabees

The Maccabees are probably now (though not at the time) my favourite of the post-2000 British indie bands. They stopped after their fourth album, when it went UK Number 1 but not bigtime crossover Number 1. I don’t know why they stopped exactly, but it was a solid dignified move. How much was it worth trying to get bigger than this? Is this the peak? It seems to me they were more equipped for massiveness than most. They made a big warm sound, they did wall of noise better than Mumford and Sons, they could make a racket, the singer Orlando Weeks had a lovelier voice than Martin, Bellamy, Mumford, whomever else … but the big boat wasn’t quite for them. I include Something Like Happiness, a single from their final album, a single which failed to bother the charts, despite … well, despite everything about it. “Indie rock” had a few brief windows where, if you had a catchy tune, you were pretty likely to make a big career from it, but the Maccabees, like most of the indie bands, just missed that window.

1412      Cellophane - FKA Twigs

1411      Wouldn't It Be Luvverly (My Fair Lady)

1410      Pass the Dutchie - Musical Youth

1409      Public Image - Public Image Ltd

1408      24 Hours from Tulsa - Gene Pitney

1407      Pale Blue Eyes - Velvet Underground

1406      Big Girls Don't Cry - Four Seasons

1405      Cokane in My Brain - Dillinger

1404      Glad to be Gay - Tom Robinson Band

1403      Keep On Running - Spencer Davis Group

1402      River Song - Dennis Wilson

1401      More Than A Feeling - Boston

1400      Lithium - Nirvana