The bell has now rung on the “Is there a song that no one dislikes” thread.
We appear to have rounded up a surprisingly long and varied list of tunes against which nobody here is willing to speak out. So, we know they’re not disliked: but are they truly loved?
We now shift into the second and final phase of our mission to find the song most likely to unite the Afterword. The rules are simple. Select from the list below the one song you love the most, and post its name.
At 5pm on Wednesday 22 Feb, voting will close, voting will be collated, and we will identify, once and forever more, The One True Tune To Rule Them All.
One vote per person, please, all multiples will be discounted (tigger). In the event of multiple votes in a single post, the first named song will be counted.
If you’re struggling to decide, I recommend this mental exercise: imagine you’re in a vast room, with all the other inhabitants of the Afterword, drinks in hand. Suddenly, the tannoy sputters into life, and begins to play a song. What song would you most want it to be?
Looking at the list, it’s clear that Motown is the sound around which the Afterword can most gladly congregate. Indeed, this may be the least white list in the entire history of the blog. But will the effect of all that soul music be to effectively split the vote? Or will clear Afterword favourite Sam Cooke (a record setting 4 nominations here) romp to victory? We leave that, and other, questions to democracy, that great and noble process which has never failed us in recent times.
Some further rules:
1. No additional vetoes will be considered from this point. We all had our chance, and besides: NO-ONE dislikes these songs. That’s just a fact.
2. If you spent round one outside shouting at pigeons, feel free to come indoors into the warm and cast your vote.
I’d also like to say hats off to Declan, who played the system like a fiddle by nominating Heartbreak Hotel as the clock struck midnight (so to speak). Well done, that man!
Cheers!
BL
Up The Junction – Squeeze
Get Ready – The Temptations
Just For You – Sam Cooke
A Change Is Gonna Come – Sam Cooke
Bring It On Home To Me – Sam Cooke
Voodoo Child – Jimi Hendrix
Be My Baby – The Ronettes
Baby I Need Your Loving – The Four Tops
Da Doo Ron Ron – The Crystals
Will You Love Me Tomorrow – The Shirelles
Then He Kissed Me – The Crystals
Today I Met The Boy I’m Gonna Marry – Darlene Love
Do Right Woman, Do Right Man – Aretha
You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman – Aretha
Robin Hood and Little John, Running Through The Forrest – Robin Hood
Mrs. Robinson – Simon and Garfunkel
Twist & Shout – The Beatles
Unfinished Sympathy – Massive Attack
King of Rome – The Unthanks
Northern Sky – Nick Drake
Every Time We Say Goodbye – Ella Fitzgerald
These Boots Were Made For Walkin – Nancy Sinatra
Sinnerman – Nina Simone
What A Wonderful World – Sam Cooke
Free Your Mind – En Vogue
My Lovin (You’re Never Gonna Get It) – En Vogue
Be My Wife – David Bowie
An Ending (Ascent) – Brian Eno
Pop Muzik – M
Uptown Top Ranking – Althea and Donna
When You Walk In The Room – Jackie DeShannon
Pick Up The Pieces – The Average White Band
I Feel Love – Donna Summer
Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone – The Temptations
Heroes – David Bowie
Trenchtown Rock – Bob Marley
That Lucky Old Sun – Ray Charles
Wonderful Remark – Van Morrison
Kiss – Prince
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love
I Want Your Love – Chic
This Woman’s Work – Kate Bush
September – Earth, Wind and Fire
Higher and Higher – Jackie Wilson
Woolly Bully – Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs
Louie Louie – The Kingsmen
Rumble – Link Wray
Heartbreak Hotel – Elvis Presley
Ghost Town – The Specials
Loaded – Primal Scream
Sweet Jane – The Velvet Underground
It has to be A Change Is Gonna Come.
That’s my vote too.
Will the denizens of the Southern Hemisphere never be finished paying for the crimes of their ancestors?
Do Right Woman, Do Right Man – Aretha Franklin
En Vogue?! Seriously?! We’re more of an En Vogue kind of a place than an Ian Dury one? I’m on the wrong board.
Please confirm which of the two En Vogue tracks you’re voting for here, Bartleby 😉
Ha! They’d both have been vetoed if I had been more diligent or remotely free today. Re-reading the original thread, not sure I can see Sex and Drugs and R’n’R being vetoed btw.
My vote goes to Be My Wife. Even if En f*cking Vogue covered it (in shit).
Balls. You’re correct.
If people would like to vote for Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll, they’re free to do so. The song, too.
In that case I’m a Blockhead too!
Musically, both En Vogue tracks are very good indeed. Lots of clever little variations going on there. Vocals a little to shrill on “Free Your Mind”. Would have been better in a slightly lower key.
My vote is for The Ronettes and “Be My Baby”.
A pretty much perfect pop song, full of yearning but somehow joyful.
Hey! I may be hallucinating, but I just saw a poster that said En Vogue are coming to town..!
Up the Junction
It could be any number of them but that’s my choice because it was my nomination in the original thread, and stood unchallenged from a very early point. Terrific list overall though.
Seconded. Up The Junction for me from a great list.
Plenty of songs on that list I like, only five that I really, really, REALLY like. Of those five (Ghost Town, Loaded, Pop Muzik, Uptown Top Ranking, Mrs. Robinson) my vote goes to Mrs Robinson.
If anyone fancies putting together a Spotify playlist for the above, please do have at it. It’s a pretty solid list of tunes, all told. Could have done with more Slayer, but you can’t have everything.
Now That’s What I Call Afterword! Volume 94. Artwork possibly to follow.
I’m tempted to go Pop Musik, but I’m going to vote for September.
Here you go.
Couldn’t find one of the Sam Cooke tracks or the Ray Charles so replaced the latter with the Louis Armstrong version (could have been worse – I could have picked Bob Dylan…)
Magnificent work Blue Boy! That is next week’s listening sorted out.
My vote goes to Voodoo Child
‘This I wanna tell you is the Trenchtown experience….All the way from Trenchtown, Jamaica….Bob Marley and the Wailers! C’MON!’
Whilst the list is clearly not right, my vote goes to…
Mrs Robinson
Papa was a rolling stone. Also the greatest intro winner.
Ghost Town, you fools! It has everything. Apart from a 15-minute Mellotron solo obvs. Moody windswept intro, righteous anger that you can still sing along (and dance) to, a trombone solo on the 12″, missus, and windswept outro that makes you want to just play it again. I am playing it now.
Cripes it even edges out “Kiss” .
I actually prefer the 7″ to the 12″ for “Ghost Town. It loses focus somehow by being extended.
Another for Ghost Town
Papa Was A Rollin’ Stone
Now there’s one that benefits from an extended intro. The single edit is very good indeed but the full album version is an absolute wonder. Still not my No.1 though.
Woolly Bully – Sam The Sham & The Pharaohs
I’m glad this has got a vote. Best totally stupid record in the list.
I stand up next to a mountain, and I chop it down with the edge of my hand. Eat shit, Sauron. Rules.
I’ve a funny feeling Voodoo Child might just win this whole thing. What a tune it is.
I’m making time.
I vote for the VC.
From my point of view the final list contains a number of “right artist wrong song” and one or two “right song wrong artist” but, in a rare attempt to be sociable, I’ll wander in to your virtual gathering, decline the drink (given it up), position myself in a quiet corner and wait for the sound system to kick in with… Ghost Town.
From that list, it has to be Ghost Town.
There are half a dozen songs there I could throw my weight behind. One vote feels like five missed opportunities, but I’m going to go for… Gho.
No I’m not. I was halfway through typing Ghost Town, but it occurred to me that if I’m picking just one song it shouldn’t be about something miserable. Of course, that also knocked out the others I had in close contention, so I’m sticking with my original En Vogue shout for My Lovin’, on the grounds that it is the one most likely to make me wiggle in my seat if it comes on when I’m driving. Sorry, Bartleby.
That said, I don’t remember Raspberry Beret being vetoed on the original thread? If it wasn’t, I’m having that instead.
Balls Redux. Raspberry Beret also available for voting.
Put me down for Raspberry Beret.
Because it’s a perfect piece of pop confection.
Because you can practically hear Prince grinning like the Cheshire Cat as he sings it.
Because of the way he pronounces ‘leisurely’
KD, if you’re in the En Vogue camp, I’m clearly going to have to listen to these musical masterpieces afresh. If they have the effect in you that Diana Ross’s Upside Down does on me, they can’t be all bad.
Oh dear. Just listened. The only good bits of both are ripped off Sly Stone and James Brown. And where the hell was Terry Ellis? I couldn’t see the old Jethro Tull manager anywhere in those videos.
Just for clarification, (cos I can’t be arsed reading through the other thread, even if it was mentioned), which version of Van’s Wonderful Remark is under consideration? If it’s the peerless version on the King of Comedy album then count me in, the Philosopher’s Stone version, not so much.
Whichever you’d prefer.
I’m behind the curve on this having been off net for a few days but surely “Like a rolling stone” is the obvious answer.
Sadly, nominations are now closed. I’m slightly astonished it was missed, but rules is rules, and without rules what chance have we of ever finding the OTTTRTA?
You exclude LARS but include some of the crap on that list? That’ll teach me to go on holiday.
Hey – if it was down to me there’d be far worse crap on that list.
I’m sure it would. It’s a tricky question – finding something everyone likes is going to risk ending up with a Jim Hacker number.
I Want Your Love I think. Very few tracks achieve perfection. There is not a thing that could make that track better.
Never underestimate the power of a Fred Durst guest verse. It even rhymes. Unlike the verse itself, ironically.
The song I love the most from that list is…
Loaded by Primal Scream.
(p.s Oh, and many thanks for organising this, Bingo. I can see it’s like herding cats!)
I’ve responded to the admin challenge here by just doing a really sloppy job of it all. No need to change old habits.
Pop Muzik
Ghost town – The Specials.
Another Girl Another PlanetHow Does It Feel
Ooh Aah Just A Little Bit
The Birdy Song
David Bowie – Heroes
Yeah, the spirit of Gina G tweaks the nose of the veto….
Since Another Girl Another Planet wasn’t vetoed, that’s my vote.
Would’ve been my number one choice too, but I found a low-down nested veto for it – hence the secondary vote for Heroes.
I suppose I could just ignore it and vote for the monumental Only Ones track anyway
It was vetoed by Locust.
Bugger, i see that now. Add on for Louie Louie then.
C’mon – some pitiful choices in there!! I’ll be having some Sex, some Drugs and maybe a smidgeon of Rock n Roll
When did “If I Needed Someone” by The Beatles fall off the list?
I’ll go for Uptown Top Ranking – sheer joy in 3 minutes or so.
If I’d been paying more attention i would have vetoed Uptown Top Ranking, one of the most annoying singles I’ve ever heard.
Have an up – I really like the song, but that made me laugh.
It’s gotta be Voodoo Child
Small point of order (& so typically afterword), I believe it is actually titled Voodoo CHILE.
I am now feeling both smug & worthy…
Different song mate.
Even so. The (Slight Return) is missing.
Hmm, Raspberry Beret or Ghost Town? Much as I love both, Ghost Town gets my vote.
Thanks to Bingo for this. There have been some, er, interesting suggestions and some disappointing vetoes. What next? A film everyone likes perhaps?
Ooooooh. That’s a good idea. For someone else to actually execute.
By a strange coincidence, I’m preparing it at this very moment, But I suspect the rules will be somewhat more lackadaisical than Bingo’s.
Can I veto The Shawshank Redemption before we even start?
Yes, difficult to choose between those two. Ghost Town was my request on Radio Barnsley (hospital radio, basically) when I was in hospital as an 11 year old. But I’m also mad into Prince at the moment, so I am going for Raspberry Beret, if only because the idea of Prince as a shop boy, like G-G-G-G-Granville, makes me chuckle.
When You Walk in the Room will do nicely thank you
I’ve surprised myself with this choice, as I never would have picked this without the above list, but looking at the list I honestly choose…
Sweet Jane.
(Secretly, I’d still say Live And Let Die if it hadn’t been vetoed. Grr.)
I think the veto list would be far more interesting Arthur. This is the Lowest Common Denominator list.
Nyaaah!
Let’s be clear: the common denominator can always be lowered further if needs be.
Uptown Top Ranking Althea and Donna. Even though I can’t understand all the words.
“See me inna all tabac”… Me neither…
Halter back. Better?
Hey terrific Friar. Been getting me since 1970.
7 years before it was released.
That definitely takes the prize for the most annoying lyric ever – causing confusion before it is even spoken.
Although, een when you do read the lyrics, there is still some nonsense in there:
“Them check sey me come from cosmo spring”
???
‘Constant Spring’. Residential area of Kingston.
Aah …
Fair point, Rigid. Just realised I was mixing it up with Bob + Marcia’s Young, Gifted and Black.
@rigid-digit
Mrs Robinson.
It’s Friday night!
Pick Up The Pieces – The Average White Band
Kiss
Look, the best song ever made is It’s A Family Affair – Sly Stone. The second best is America – S&G. The third is The Moon’s A Harsh Mistress – Jimmy Webb by Judy Collins.
Given that none of the above are present, I’ll go with a miracle of motion and mystery and motiveless yearning
Unfinished Sympathy
Do I like Sex and Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll more than I like Heartbreak Hotel? Dunno.
Do I like Sam Cooke’s Change Is Gonna Come more than Otis’s? Dunno.
Is That Lucky Old Sun my fave Ray Charles track? Absolutely not.
Faced with all these dilemmas I’ll go for my original choice: Aretha’s You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman.
Looks like it’s just thee and me against all these Filipinos then, Mr Thupee.
Let the record therefore show that this is another vote for You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman.
Thanks for doing this thread and its all-important precursor, Bingo, they’ve both been fun and friendly.
Cheers! I’ve enjoyed it too.
Heroes it is.
Four Tops for me. Ghost Town is going to win this hands down though.
It’s a temptation to wait until close to the deadline, so as to be able to vote tactically, but no – I like the Rollin’ Stone track – those Temptations just won’t wait.
Heroes. Cos we could be.
Every Time We Say Goodbye – Ella Fitzgerald….
….since there’s no VdGG, or King Crimson, or that…..
Heroes but the German version for me.
Ruummbblee! It has to be, surely? I am a lurker driven to vote by this excellent list, and there were many others I could have picked, so well done sir and thanks for the inspiration x
Any thread that brings out the lurkers is a thread worth respek’. Do keep posting, ajtyorks!
Thanks for posting! I heartily endorse your vote.
Interesting list.
I know the shutters are down, but . . . . these could be on it.
Impossible task.
We really should have nominated TNTDODD. Oh, regret.
I would have vetoed it.
Seconded. There’s a song dragged down by the weight of the chorus.
I shall stick with my original nomination of Sinnerman
I’m in a pickle here…both my nominations are still standing (Pop Muzik & Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone), but I could also easily have nominated Trenchtown Rock and Ghost Town and Sinnerman and…now I have a headache.
But, because I feel a bit impolite voting for my own choices, and because this song always make me feel so happy that I used it as a sort of lifeline and preserver of sanity for a character in a short story I once wrote; I’ll actually choose Trenchtown Rock.
En-Vogue for me!
“Free your mind “
Louie Louie for me please
I see Dancing in the street had been vetoed (or ignored), I’m going for Just for your – Sam Cooke.
Another Girl, Another Planet
Kudos
Vetoed, I’m afraid. You can vote again, if you like.
Missed the nomination thread (would’ve put forward “Tears of a Clown”, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” and “Move on up” I think) but from that list I’d go for “I Feel Love”.
This is tougher than tough but at the moment Unfinished Sympathy gets my vote
Why did I not veto “Ghost Town” when I had the chance? It’s a dirge, a dirge with a message, a message that fell on deaf ears to all those faux skinheads who took it as an opportunity to pick on those of a less physical disposition. Lads from Coventry trying to sound like Bob Marley “Why mus de youd fide again demselv”. I hated it then, I hated it now. This is not a veto, this a lament to a missed opportunity and some dark memories.
Great thread Bingo! 🙂
Well obviously the answer is Bring It On Home to Me, but I’m tempted to go with the heart on this one and choose the one that means most to me, Another Girl Another Planet.
Then again I could go tactical and vote for Ghost Town, just to stop Heroes winning and because Dave A is so wrongly wrong in his analysis of it.
But no, AGAP it is.
Vetoed, I’m afraid.
My Jim Hacker track is “Another girl another planet”. I like it well enough but it’s nowhere near my favourite, even from that list. But the exam question is what does everyone like so this must be a contented. I saw them back in the day – very clever – old 70s road hardened rockers with a dab of mascara and a new shtick to look punky, which they obviously weren’t, but fooled enough people to turn a dime.
Sorry – vetoed. See above.
Prince – Kiss for me. Thank you.
Kiss what for you? Not saying I won’t, I just need to be sure.
Act your shoe size and lose your inhibitions.
Stop the count – there are some missing.
In the thread for a song everyone likes both Wichita Lineman (which I would declare as my choice) and Teenage Kicks had YouTube clips posted.
Neither is up there.
Start again with them included.
Chill Ray Virus vetoed Teenage Kicks. I (and possibly Friar) vetoed Wichita Lineman.
Yes I did….. and I have no regrets.
Only one album gets a ceremonial play or 12 from me at a certain time of the year, and change my entire mood to happy silly 5 year old. Picking the best track on that album is a given.
Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) – Darlene Love
Instead of shouting at the pigeons, I’m going to vote for them!
The King of Rome by the Unthanks.
You must have a heart of stone not to be moved by that.
It was impossibly difficult to choose.
(Will the winning song Make the Afterword Great Again?)
Herr Steinmetz hier. My heart was already taken by the superior June Tabor version.
What an eclectic list, but a good eclectic list. I would have vetoed most of them. A few gems though, the best of which gets my vote – You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Women.
Just goes to prove you can have super clever, slick changes a la Steely Dan stylee, and still create a super popular global hit.
Surprisingly this is a really good list, and like others I am somewhat torn. I’m disappointed we only get to vote for one song, rather than a eurovision style “douze points” allocation thingy. Nevertheless, with a drink in my hand and the company of fellow AW’s the song that would most lift my heart would be:
Woolly Bully
….. really. it is. I might even be tempted to jump off my seat and join in.
Another vote for
The Temptations – Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.
Still astonishing, and qualifying for a mainstream (as it were) accolade: yesssss!
Can’t for the life of me understand why I didn’t spot and veto “Robin Hood and Little John, Running Through the Forest”.
Every single other entry has merit, but not that one.
My vote is further up.
I Feel Love. (Of course)
I missed the original vote….but I guess I would have suggested this…..
Hmmm.
Much as I love King of Rome, Unfinished Sympathy and Voodoo Child, I think I’ll have to go with Sinnerman.
That’s the one I’d play three times in a row, despite its length.
I don’t remember seeing anyone veto Sitting on the dock of the bay, but as it doesn’t appear on the final list, then I will have to cast my vote for Heroes.
That concludes the voting from Birkenhead, thank you & goodnight.
@Jackthebiscuit I did. Sorreee!
Must admit that I am kicking myself for not nominating the magnificent
Cant get you out of my head by the wonderful Kylie Minogue
I wonder how that would have got on.
Vote!
Ghost Town
How strange the change.
Every Time We Say Goodbye – Ella Fitzgerald
Heroes
Nick Drake – Northern Sky
Inclined to think this list is a decent first-draft rather than The Definiate Article, but anyway, my vote goes to The Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie”…
Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.
Unsurpassable.
Baby I Need Your Loving – The Four Tops
I could listen to this on a loop for hours.
I am going to vote for Heartbreak Hotel.
When You Walk In The Room – Jackie DeShannon
REMINDER: Voting for the OTTTRTA will close at 5pm today.
Heroes is currently the front runner, but there’s still plenty of time for a late rally from En Vogue.
Heroes
Voting now closed.
We missed Song To The Siren by This Mortal Coil. Wasn’t even nominated!