BBC Poll: What's the best song in the world? (A long-but fast- read)

BBC On-Line | Tuesday, 17 December 2002 | staff writer

[drjimmy]

My top five are:
"Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen
"Hallelujah" by Sheryl Crow
"Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright
"Hallelujah" by John Cale


and number one:
"Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley

[Psalm 73]

I was thinking anything by Slim Whittman, until I saw your: "Muskrat Love" by the Captain & Tennille.
You are a sly man, Mr. dead.

[Cosmo]

My pick: 'Feel Flows" by the Beach boys....And just about every song Steely Dan ever Recorded

[FreeTally]

"Hot Rod Lincoln"

Great song. Have you ever heard the traditional Country & Western band Asleep At The Wheel do a cover? Pretty cool.

[7thson]

My top songs -
IN THE MODD - Glenn Miller
BROWN SUGAR - Stones
SHAME ON THE MOON - Segar
RUMBLE - Link Wray
MAC THE KNIFE - Bobby Darin
CHANGE IN THE WEATHER - John Fogerty
BANG A GONG(GET IT ON) T.Rex & Power Station

[Wolfstar]

I love the Ave Maria as performed by Mario Lanza, and later by Luciano Pavarotti. If I had to pick just one song, that would be my favorite.

But there are so many songs I love from the musical theater. My short list would include:

Ol' Man River (and all the music from Show Boat)
Always (I'll be loving you always)
What'll I do
Over the Rainbow
I'll Get By
Somewhere (from West Side Story)
Oklahoma (in fact, almost any Rogers and Hart, and Rogers and Hammerstein music)
You've Got to be Taught (from South Pacific)
Puttin' on the Ritz (as danced and sung by the great Fred Astaire)

In the greatest American classics category, I'd put Gershwin's Raphosdy in Blue and American in Paris at the top, along with Richard Rogers' theme from Victory at Sea, plus some songs from the Civil War era.

In the greatest American themes category, I'd put God Bless America, America the Beautiful, This Land is Your Land, and the Battle Hymn of the Republic at the top.

In the classic rock category, Hey Jude by the Beatles, Mack the Knife by Bobby Darin, and American Pie would probably top my list.

In the country music category, I'd go with almost anything by Patsy Cline, and several by Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams.

Americans have been blessed with truly great pop/musical theater songwriters through the years: George M. Cohan, the Gershwins, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Steven Sondheim, Jerome Kern, Richard Rogers, Larry Hart, and Oscar Hammerstein to name just a few. We gave jazz, ragtime, big band and rock-and-roll music to the world. How we pick a single tune from that rich legacy, I sure don't know.

[Logic_3]

Stand back.....

Die Fahne hoch

lyrics
diefahne.MP3
diefahn2.MP3

[TheBigB]

Rock the Casbah?

And FWIW, in no way...under no definition of the word...in the past, present or future...did Careless Whisper "rock". :)

[asformeandformyhouse]

Has to be either:

'Tempted' by Squeeze
or
'Spooky' by the Atlanta Rythm Section

[fnord]

It's Bill Mumy ...

and it's 'Fish Heads' :-)

and it's cooler than half the songs mentioned so far ...

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

"Louie Louie" and anything by Hawkwind.

[Remole]

Pange Lingua Gloriosi

Veni Creator Spiritus

Sultans of Swing

[E Rocc]

Some here got confused and thought the poll was looking for the most effective emetic disguised as music.

That would be "Shining Happy People" by REM.

-Eric

[sox_the_cat]

I think Van Morrison's best song is "Into the Mystic", listened to it at lunch and had to play it twice. He's so prolific there are a number of his songs that are great

Probably the season but "O Holy Night" sung by Nat King Cole is incredible. He has the most incredible voice, and numerous songs I love.

[fnord]

my hat's off to anyone who agrees that 'Sing Sing Sing' by Benny Goodman is great. I have about 12 versions of that song, studio and live, and they are the best.

Krupa on drums, Harry James trumpet, Lionel Hampton vibes, Fletch Henderson arrangements ... ahhh it is Heaven to hear.

[Imal]

"No answer. The music is fantastic because it is a world of diversity. This kind of questions are the globalization and homogenization of the universal stupidity and can be in the list of the top ten stupid concerns. For each place, time and culture there will be a very different and proper song." Ximena Duarte, Colombia

I'm with Ximena on this one. Aside from the method, which will not yield a true "world opinion" and is therefore inauthoritative, even a poll of every single human being on earth would lack relevance, since just a fractional plurality -- probably representing some specific cultural group in a populous nation -- would select a particular song.

A cute, but pointless, idea.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I must differ.

"Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd.

"We Don't Get Fooled Again" must take second.

[Revolting cat!]

This is so subjective to render any such poll just about entirely useless. Also, there is difference between "best song" and best record". Songs should stand on their own, (I'm Into) Something Good is one of those, records are complete, unique productions, let's say Mother's Little Helper is one of those. And what time period and genre are we talking about? Where are Hank Williams, Buck Ram, Don Gibson, Don Robertson, Bacharach, or the Brill Building songwriting duos?

This month, I'd pick something off Van Morrison's early albums, or Leon Russell's, or Elton John's first two, or the Stones Moonlight Mile, Torn and Frayed. (Sitting on the) Dock of the Bay is another favourite, and who can beat such lines as:

"I got sunshine on a cloudy day,
When it's cold outside, I've got the month of May"

(My Girl by the Temptations. Unfortunately the geniuses who post song lyrics on the web in violation of copyright laws, don't bother to credit the songwriters. It's always "My Girl by the Temptations". Grrrrr!)

And what about The Brand New Tennessee Waltz by Jesse Winchester?

[Braak]

Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison (A fave of both me and the Mrs.) and anything by CCR! (And yes, I am a twentysomething who hates any music dating after 1993 for the most part)

[Pagey]

What's the best song in the world? HMMM... P>It has to be "Pancho and Lefty" Written and Performed by Townes Van Zandt (RIP)