We may have discussed this before.
The answer is… The Stone Roses
The greatest song ever written is…
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Musings on the byways of popular culture
Musings on the byways of popular culture
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We did, and as I recall arrived at the arbitrary compromised decision of Ghost Town by The Specials.
A fine tune though it is, I personally would take your nomination over it – the wig-out instrumental at the end is just glorious. Especially when the whole lot drops out, and then starts up again bang on beat
(Their second album is still better though …)
But both would be trumped (in my world) by:
Slade – How Does It Feel
Only Ones – Another Girl Another Planet
Faces – Stay With Me
I love all of those songs as well…but no!
The greatest song ever written for dodgers (great timing pop-pickers!) might be that.
Who knows? I for one am not hanging around to find out.
That’s the spirit!
From a strictly writing perspective I would go for In My Life. If we add arrangement and production, I would say Strawberry Fields Forever. Yes, I like The Beatles.
If you listen to the demos/early takes of SFF …oh, it is such a dirge. And then George M and Ringo stick a rocket up its jacksie and it becomes one half of probably the greatest single ever.
True. But the first version, on Anthology, from December ´66 is great. At that point it was already one of their best songs. Then it became even better.
@neela yes when I saw this, that was the same thing I thought too!
@slotbadger So we must be right.
The trouble is that the really good songs are so well-worn that I actually get a bit sick of them. If I ever think “I’ll never get tired of this ” that’s a sign that I’m about to go off it.
Good songs in surprising places can pull me up. In the Bee Movie, Here Cones the Sun makes an appearance and it made me appreciate what an alarmingly good song it is.
If I ever think “I’ll never get tired of this ” that’s a sign that I’m about to go off it.
I’ve often thought that about…. oh dear, this probably isn’t the place.
I feel similarly about threads like this 😉
Des O’Connor – Dick-a Dum Dum
How progressive – why should intelligent people get all the fun?
God Only Knows. Thread finishes….
Why are songs with widespread familiarity being put up as the greatest song ever?
I would argue that Guadalupe by Tom Russell is better than any of the songs so far mentioned on here.
The song I like is better than the song you like.
…..is the correct answer….
I jest, of course….the greatest song ever written is this…..
https://youtube.com/watch?v=RFx4od2Jalc
Not the greatest song ever, but a song I never tire of hearing is Wonderful world, beautiful people by Jimmy Cliff.
So there…
Mr Blue Sky takes some beating.
Born to Run almost certainly.
Or Steppin’ Out.
I loved that album
Today it’s this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iW2_Ec3uEU
Well said or nominated @Mousey
Working class teenage anthem, superb!
Some of the above are Great Performances of not-especially great songs. A truly Great Song will support Great cover versions too, because true quality is there in the writing, just waiting to be performed well.
For instance, Another Girl, Another Planet is not a great song. It’s an absolutely sensationally good intro to what is really a fairly ordinary rock song.
Hmmmm. When you put it like that I realise I’m considerably less interested in “truly great songs” than truly great recordings/performances…
It also has a sensationally good guitar solo to go with that intro. I agree these are the points that lift into greatness.
Sorry to correct everyone but it has been scientifically proven that ‘Wichita Lineman’ is the greatest song of all time (including the future)
I’m in the ‘Waterloo Sunset’ camp .. but it’s heartening to know that I like pretty much everything on the list so far. Perhaps what we’re doing here is evolving the perfect playlist (?)
I’ll go for The Beatles…I Feel Fine.
A pointless Beatles number one on erm….Pointless.
I smugly picked it when the question came up.
Perhaps there is a formula for finding the greatest song ever written? I’m sure we could come up with one if we were that bothered.
1. Must be under 4 minutes long
2. Must have been released prior to 1990
3. Must have at least one good cover version.
etc.
Re:
“1. Must be under 4 minutes long
2. Must have been released prior to 1990
3. Must have at least one good cover version.”
Well, in that case, the answer’s obvious.
I refer, naturally to Tim Buckley’s “Song to the Siren”
Close To You The Carpenters?
“2. Must have been released in 1971”, surely.
Not sure about Lennon/McCartney as the greatest of songwriters, though they did pretty well. Cole Porter? I Get A Kick Out Of You. Or Carole King Goin’ Back – The Byrds preferred artist version. Those are truly great. The Beatles made great records, performances, productions – as stated. I don’t think the song is everything though.
A classic case in point of the production being the making of the song is Bridge over Troubled waters.
It is not even Simon and Garfunkel’s best song but the kitchen sink production lifted it to a status I doubt it would have achieved if it was merely a strummed acoustic song.
I agree that it isn’t Simon and Garfunkel’s greatest song, but I disagree that it is made by the production. Have you heard the live version from 1969? It is just Art and the piano part (played, I presume, by Larry Knechtel) and is absolutely wonderful. What makes it even better is the silence of the audience, who have never heard the song before – the tour was before the album release.
Great cover versions by Aretha and Roberta Flack as well.
I think he’s thinking of The Boxer, where the production is a much more significant factor in that record’s greatness.
I don’t know what the answer is. I am sure, though, that the correct answer is not anything by the ludicrously overrated Stone Roses.
Happy Mondays?
Northside?
You took the words right out of my mouth. (Also not the correct answer).
But it’s better than anything by the Stone Roses (ducks…)
Are you from the East Midlands?
In what way are they over rated?
Their debut album is a thing of rock beauty.
Eulogised far beyond their not particularly considerable achievements. Debut album is decent but not remotely outstanding IMO.
@uncle-wheaty
I genuinely thought you were replying to Moose’s comment about Northside!
Chicken Rhythms is ok but not really a thing of rock beauty…
Personally Superstition is the only song I never seem to tire of hearing.
I’ve never been a massive fan of Dylan but “Like a Rollin’ Stone” must have contributed greatly to the nobel prize and has had a whole book dedicated to its creation and subsequent impact. So that would get my vote even if it does break the 4 minute rule.
There is no 4 minute rule.
This thorny question was tackled by possibly my favourite tweet of all time:
And if you agree, there’s a great Twitter feed for you: https://twitter.com/africabytotobot?s=09
If nothing else, this thread is an excuse to post this evergreen. This is not the greatest song in the world – but it *is* a tribute to it:
” If you’re gonna do it, do it right, right, do it with me” It seems Wham inspired the op’s suggestion…..
I used to reaaaaally like that first Stone Roses album. Perfect age (16 in ’89). Carried the torch pointlessly into the 90s and all that.
You know what spoiled it?
People* going on and on and on about how great it was, especially during and after the reunion. Unlike Dylan and the Beatles, turns out TSR weren’t aren’t strong enough to withstand that. Thanks for the memories, ye sons of Timperley but… I’ve heard those songs enough for one life, after a relatively modest 30 years.
(*pretending momentarily that this isn’t Middle-Aged Blokes yet again)