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

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

[Petronski]

Find the song "The Best Song in the World: A Tribute" by Tenacious-D. It is hilarious.

[bassmaner]

What? 120 posts and no one suggested "The Internationale"?

My fellow Freepers disappoint (heh heh heh)!

[Petronski]

Ja! Die Horst Wesselied ist gut!

[pankot]

"Unchained Melody" by Righteous Brothers

[Don W]

Boston: Foreplay/Long Time

Bach's Organ Fugues (I blew up a brand new set of speakers with each of them, on 3 separate occasions).

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Bach's Organ Fugues

Hmmm. You may be on to something there.

I do have to admit that Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" by E. Power Biggs on Deutsche Grammophone vinyl is especially delicious.

[Nachum]

No one has mentioned the classic:

Nothing but a pencil-necked geek"

By Freddy Blassy (the wrestler)

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Ahhh yes! From Blassie's classic lp I Bite The Songs.

[titanmike]

"Marching Onward" (the finale of Scott Joplin's "Treemonisha" needs to be in there somewhere.

A couple of shaped-note hymns, "Babylon", "Brightest and Best".

Mojo Nixon's version of "This Land"

"Smoke gets in your eyes", and "Great Pretender" by the Platters. Unlike the 60s and the Beatles, bands had to be able to actually sing to get anywhere in the 50's.

[judgeandjury]

My 10 all time favorite songs:

"Set It Off" - Snoop Dogg
"Puppy Love" - Donny Osmond
"Cleaning Out My Closet" - Eminem
"Stand By Your Man" - Tammy Wynette
"Black Dog" - Led Zeppelin
"Little Red Corvette" - Prince
"Anarchy In The U.K." - Sex Pistols
"Fernando" - ABBA
"Push It" - Salt & Pepa
"Yellow Submarine" - Beatles

[Charles Henrickson]

"Una Paloma Blanca," Slim Whitman.

[Charles Henrickson]

I'm odd. I like Johann Sebastian Bach, John Philip Sousa, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Al Green, and Dwight Yoakam.

But not all at the same time.

[Revolting cat!]

Deck of Cards by T. Texas Tyler (and later by Wink Martindale and others!)

[jmc813]

Skynyrd - Freebird
Hendrix - Machine Gun
Floyd - Echoes
G&R - November Rain
Phish - Divided Sky

[Revolting cat!]

What I want to see is a complete list of songs about themselves. I consider this the weirdest subgenre of all. Parse this frag from James Taylor's Fire and Rain:

"I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song
I just can't remember who to send it to"

Does the singer mean he walked out this morning and wrote the words "I wrote down this song"?

Others as annoyingly illogical: Your Song by Elton John, A Song For You by Leon Russell (from his first and best album,) I Write the Songs by (?) Barry Manilow, Song Sung Blue by Neil Diamond. There are many others, no doubt, by uninspired songwriters walking out this or any other morning. I recall Sinatra had some songs about songs or about writing songs. Somebody make 'em stop!

[BamaFan]

I love Bach ... in D- and the Mancini scores, as well as Linus & Lucy (haven't seen it mentioned yet), but it seems like the best SONG should have some lyrics.

"Into the Mystic" is the most moving love song I've ever heard. "We Won't Get Fooled Again" is a great anthem. But for me, "He Went to Paris" provides enough of the emotion that both of these provide, plus more from songs such as "Like A Rock" (I appreciate this more as I age) and "Night Moves" (clearly a great song for teenagers). I vote for "He Went to Paris"

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Yeesh, of course, I wrote quickly in error! FREE it is! Bad Company is my second fav group with all their songs (and Rodgers as singer).

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Pachelbel - Canon in D

My absolute favorite classical piece. I was mesmerized when I first heard it in 1989. Too few compositions by Pachelbel were ever recorded, unfortunately.