The Making of a Best-Songs-of-the-Decade List: An Interview (Part 3 of 4)

The interview continues:

Q) Which decade was the easiest for you to compile? Which was the most difficult? Why?

A) The 2000s was definitely the easiest. There was the pragmatic issue of the date tags, which I addressed earlier. The 2000s were also easiest because I knew from the start it was incomplete and didn’t beat myself up about the fact that I was probably leaving out a lot of great stuff. As I moved into the years when I was on the radio, particularly the 80s when I was deeply involved in radio, I felt a major obligation not to miss anything that maybe kinda oughta be considered for the list.

The 2000s were also easier because I don’t feel like my music listening has shifted due to any major life changes in the 2000s. Both of my boys were born in the 2000s, but I was pretty determined not to have that change my music listening habits and it mostly hasn’t.  I never get to watch any TV I want to see any more, but I’m still in charge of the music.

The big shift for me in the 90s was being in a band. Learning to play an instrument, or at least trying to play it, totally changed how I listened to music. It was hard for me to reconcile my pre-band listening from my post-band listening. I also moved to California in the late 90s.  There are some songs I really love from ’97 and ’98 and that could have more to do with loving life in San Francisco than the actual quality of the songs.

The 1980s were probably the most challenging in terms of reconciling my emotional attachment to the music with how good I actually think the songs are today. I was in junior high in 1980 and I was in grad school in 1989. A whole heck of a lot of emotionally intense stuff happened during those years, probably not any more than anyone else, but definitely a lot more than what I’ve experienced in the last two decades.  I was goofy (new wave). I was angry (industrial). I was moody (goth). I was cocky (punk). I was deep and artistic (avant garde). I had energy (ska revival). I was disdainful of everything on major labels by about 1985 (had to rediscover a bunch of music a decade later when the contempt began to fade).

The 1970s could have been even more challenging if I’d discovered pop music earlier, but I really didn’t start listening to the radio until about 1977, so I only have about three years of real-time experience with 70s music mixed in with a heavy influence of FM rock radio (which I don’t think they’d started calling classic rock yet, but that’s what it was). Nonetheless, the 70s was the decade where lots of big pop hits competed on the list against more obscure personal favorites as well as rock and roll hall of fame entrants. I think one of my first thoughts about the 70s was that I was going to have to figure out how Abba, Zeppelin, and Pere Ubu stacked up against one another.

Q) Are there particular songs that stick out in your head as really surprising you? Either songs that weren't nearly as good as you remembered, or totally great songs that you didn't really pick up on at the time of their release?

A) Yes.  A lot of those surprises have really come over the last five years as I’ve loaded nostalgic downloads onto my iPod, but they were reinforced by making the lists. I still can’t quite get over how truly bad Asia was, and I wish I could recapture how much I once loved Kansas because I still have fondness for a lot of their songs even while recognizing their mediocrity. On the other side of the coin, I never cared for Guns and Roses when they came out, but I have to admit they made some great songs with major lasting power. Big Black, on the other hand, sounds remarkably flat to me today. I expected them to be top 10 contenders, but they weren’t.

In terms of new wave, I’ve been really pleased at how well ABC’s Lexicon of Love album has held up and how well The The’s Soul Mining has held up. Those are both records that could have had multiple songs in my top 100 if I hadn’t had a rule against that. I was also surprised when digitizing all of my old Fun Boy 3 12-inch records at how good they still sounded to me today. It was a lot of the underground (I don’t think we called it “indie” until later) music on Homestead and SST that I used to really like that didn’t stand the test of time very well, and also a lot of the industrial music from Some Bizarre, Factory, and Wax Trax just sounds silly to me today. Those labels all produced some great songs by great artists, but their catalogue wasn’t anywhere near as deep as I considered it to be in the 80s.

For my 2000s list, I was surprised Neko Case’s Mood to Burn Bridges didn’t end up higher. That was my favorite Neko song for quite a while, but I think maybe it lost points somehow by being too out of character with her later work. Then again, maybe I just listened to it one too many times in the early 2000s. It’s not just the pop songs on the radio that suffered that fate.

Look for the conclusion (part 4) of the interview in a future post

The Making of a Best-Songs-of-the-Decade List: An Interview (Part 2 of 4)

Part 2 of the interview

Q) How do you listen to the songs? Do you already own most of them? Youtube? Purchase? Nefarious means?

A) I purchase all my music. I feel strongly about that. I’m not rich, but I have a good enough job that I can afford to infuse some money into the recorded-music economy. I say the “recorded-music economy” specifically because I don’t get out to a lot of shows, and I think it’s recorded music more than live music that’s endangered by free downloads. I don’t like Youtube. I’m a music listener, not a music watcher, and I’ve also never invested in nice speakers for my computer. Listening to music on the computer just makes me grouchy, and not a good counterculture-punk-rock sort of grouchy.

I own everything that’s on any of my lists. For one thing, iTunes playlists are central to how I do my organizing and ranking, but, for another thing, how can I say it’s one of the best songs ever if I can’t even be bothered to buy it myself? As a vinyl-lover, I was kind of a late adopter with CDs.  I think it was the realization that a bunch of hard-to-find prog rock was available on CD that got me to buy a CD player in 1990. I continued buying used vinyl at that point, but very little new vinyl. Working on this project definitely made me happy with my choices to buy CDs instead of vinyl. I do like listening to music on a turntable, but I like having all my music with me on my iPod even better. Now, I think I probably spend about as much on mp3 downloads (mostly eMusic) as I do at record stores (mostly Amoeba).

Q) What is the ranking process? Is it mathematical in nature? Or just based on feel?

A) I start with the big unsorted list of candidate songs in an iTunes playlist, and then one by one I drag and drop them towards the top of the list to roughly where I think they belong.  As I’m doing this, I try not to dwell too much on precisely where they belong. There are songs that are obvious top 40 contenders and there are others that are obviously borderline for making the list at all. The overall list has to start to take shape before I can get too far into the head-to-head rankings.

Generally, during this drag and drop process, there will be songs that I pass over and over as I’m dragging other songs past them, and I realize they were ranked too high. There are other songs that act sort of like firewalls that other good songs get stuck behind, and I realize those songs were ranked too low. I try to correct for those sort of misrankings as I go. Since I’m doing this in iTunes, I frequently listen to the songs as I’m dragging and dropping. Songs with great intros can shoot up the chart fast, and songs with great intros and annoying singers (think Rush or Journey) can move up and down by as much as 100 places as I’m listening to them.

Q) What qualities are you looking for in a song? i.e. What makes one song "better" or "worse" than another?

A) I decided a while ago that there really isn’t any such thing as good music and bad music.  I didn’t think that when I was a snobby college radio station music director, but I think it now. No songs are really any better or worse than others, with the possible exception of Kenny G. There are only songs I want to hear again really, really soon and songs I don’t want to hear again anytime soon. That’s definitely not the only criteria, but there’s really heavy weighting given to how psyched do I think I’m going to be to hear that song come up on random play on the iPod.

A problem with the how-soon-do-I-want-to-hear-it criteria is that there are great songs that I’ve already heard a thousand times. I don’t even think there’s any hyperbole when I say “a thousand times.” I really try to listen to those songs with fresh ears and think about what I’d think of them if I hadn’t heard them so many times. I don’t know if that’s even possible, but it’s what I pretend to myself I’m doing. There’s also the issue of what other people think. If my wife really likes a song, mostly I like that song more myself because when it comes on, I know both of us are going to be happy. It can’t be that only she likes it. I have to like it first and foremost myself, but, if she likes it too, that’s a bonus. It subconsciously sways me to being happier to hear that song playing, and I’m not going to deny myself that happiness. It’s the same with my kids. My 6-year-old loves Pinball Wizard and learned all the lyrics and you better believe it’s going to be high on my 60s list.

I definitely care a lot more about the music than the lyrics. There are way, way, way too many rock critics that can’t write a review without trying to tell you about every silly thing the singer is emoting through his or her mediocre lyrics, and they have to quote whatever couplet they found that best exemplifies this point even if it’s the worst song on the record. Good lyrics definitely improve a song and lousy lyrics can diminish an otherwise great song, but pop songs are mostly about the hooks and the riffs, the grooves and the choruses, getting the blend right between the familiar and the unexpected.

Some songs definitely get bonus points for being groundbreaking and other songs lose points for being derivative. Songs that are on great albums probably get a bit of a boost and occasionally lead to some of my more idiosyncratic choices. For instance, there’s a Sloan song in my top 5 of the 90s that didn’t even make it onto Sloan’s greatest hits record, but Sloan was one of my favorite 90s bands and Navy Blues was probably my favorite record of the 90s, so the particular song that I liked best on that record may have gotten an unreasonable boost.

In terms of the head-to-head rankings, when I got to the point of finalizing the list, I found a number of issues a bit challenging. On the 80s list, especially, I was a little surprised at how many hardcore songs made it to the top of the list. The thing is, when you put a great hardcore song up head-to-head with a great new wave song, it’s kind of hard to not envision the hardcore song kickin’ the new wave song’s ass. A great new wave song can’t get beaten by a so-so hardcore song, but, if they’re both great, the one that’s faster and louder and grittier just has an unfair advantage. I can’t totally justify it, but I definitely experienced it.

The head-to-head comparisons between serious jazz and everything else are tough too. What in the world does it mean to say that Martha and the Muffins’ Echo Beach is ever so slightly better than myfavorite track by the David Murray Octet? In cases like that, I just have to fall back on my how-soon-do-I-want-hear-it-again rule, which trumps all the absurd notions of greatness that sometimes prevent us from liking what we honestly like the most. I had to make exceptions for the 70s list. Classics like “Stairway to Heaven,” “Tangled Up in Blue,” and “Imagine” aren’t properly ranked according to how soon I want to hear them, so some intangible notion of those songs’ perceived greatness definitely pushed them up the list. Having said that, “Imagine” is definitely one of those songs that’s way too high on most critics’ lists because of the lyrics. Yes – the lyrics make an impressive statement, but the song as a whole is simply not Lennon’s best. Lennon knew how to rock and that song doesn’t rock. I think I’m already regretting including it in my top 100. It was #3 on Rolling Stone’s best of all time list, incidentally.

Putting top 40 songs up side-to-side with obscure recordings was also tough. Listening to them side-by-side, the polished musicianship of some of the top 40 hits can make some of my obscure personal favorites sound a bit shambling. This is one of the ways in which making a highly personal idiosyncratic list competes with a desire to have the list withstand at least a bit of external scrutiny. Bargepole is one example. I thought they’d be higher on my 80s list, because I absolutely love their record “Sodbuster.” Bargepole was one of many bands I discovered through some big record buys at a store in Toronto called the Record Peddler that had a ton of super-cheap vinyl from UK indie labels during the mid 90s. Ultimately, though, when I had to play it side-by-side against a lot of other songs that are better known, I found it just didn’t stand up quite as well as I expected. A lot of obscure bands are, I have to admit, obscure for a reason.

Both novelty songs and songs that were novel were hard for me as well. Robert Wyatt’s Soup Song is one of my very favorite songs from the 70s. It really embodies the name of my last radio show, “Pleasant Mutations” (WRUW-FM Cleveland ’92-’94), and I’ve always loved the fact that the vocals are expressed from the point of view of a bacon sandwich. When it came to deciding what did and didn’t make the cut for the top 40 though, I think the bacon sandwich perspective became more of a hindrance than an advantage.  Another hard one was Jerry Reed’s Semi-GreatPredictor. The song has very little in common with anything else Jerry Reed did and the lyric “He views the world with vision and with tact. He ponders human fate and then profoundly states that infinity will take up all the slack.” Check me out, quoting couplets like the rock critics for whom I supposedly hold so much disdain. Because I have so much respect for Jerry Reed’s musicianship, demonstrated on dozens of other songs, I didn’t feel like I could make “Semi-Great Predictor” the highest ranking Jerry Reed song on the list and it ended up much lower than I expected. I’m listening to it right now. I’m really not comfortable with the choice I made on that one, but there’s plenty to cause discomfort in terms of the choices on the list.

Some other surprises included Wings. The Wings albums are so disappointing compared to the Beatles records, it’s easy to forget that pretty much every one of them had at least one really great song. Because of the obvious comparison to the Beatles, I really don’t think Wings gets enough respect. On the 80s list, I was a little surprised that “Back in Black” didn’t end up higher.  I think the “Back in Black” I hear in my head when it isn’t playing is better than the actual song. It’s also one of those cusp-of-the-decade songs that might well have charted higher for me if it were evaluated next to the songs of the 70s than it did compared to the songs of the 80s. Songs that were somehow archetypical of the decade generally got some bonus points, either consciously or subconsciously. Andy Gibb’s “Shadow Dancing” ended up a whole lot higher than I would have anticipated. I didn’t even like that song that much in the 70s, but it’s a remarkably well done song that marks the final days of an era. It was one of the last Gibb brother songs before “Tragedy” and “Too Much Heaven.” I thought one of those songs would make the list, but the singing is just too annoying to stand even if “Tragedy” has a great hook.

Parts 3 and 4 of the interview will follow in future posts

Top 500 Songs of the 1970s

I'm interspersing decade lists with the interview about making decade lists.  Now, I'm ready to count down the 1970s. As with the other lists, it's a highly subjective list of the top 500 songs of the decade according to me and only me. There are worthy artists who are omitted because I just never got into them, and there are unworthy artists who were included because I don't feel quite guilty enough about those particular guilty pleasures.
This list is undoubtedly affected by the fact that I didn't discover commercial radio until midway through the decade. A lot of the first 45s I bought, especially from '77 and '78, are on this list, and a lot of great songs that I didn't discover until well after the 70s were over are also on the list.

Like my lists for the 1980s, I have three rules:
1) No more than one song per album
2) For the top 40 only, no more than one song per artist
3) The song had to be released in that decade (date is determined by record sleeve, allmusic.com or discogs.com)

500) Mr. Bojangles - Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (1974)
499) Do They Owe Us a Living? - Crass (1978)
498) I Can't Stand the Rain - Eruption (1978)
497) Double Vision - Foreigner (1978)
496) Killer Queen - Queen (1974)
495) Sentimental Lady - Bob Welch (1977)
494) Lady - Styx (1973)
493) Hyattsville Hospital - Grits (1976)
492) Does Your Mother Know - Abba (1979)
491) Piano Man - Billy Joel (1973)
490) Psykick Dancehall - The Fall (1979)
489) Radio Gnome Invisible - Gong (1971)
488) Closer To The Heart - Rush (1977)
487) Heartbreaker - Pat Benatar (1979)
486) Hold the Line - Toto (1978)
485) Champaigne Jam - Atlanta Rhythm Section (1978)
484) Soul Vaccination - Tower of Power (1973)
483) Driver's Seat - Sniff 'n' the Tears (1978)
482) Don't Look Back - Boston (1978)
481) Karn Evil 9 (1st Impression Part 2) - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1973)
480) L'uomo - Osanna (1971)
479) Murdoch - Trees (1970)
478) You Can't Hide From Yourself - Teddy Pendergrass (1977)
477) Am I Supposed To Let It By Again? - Roger Rodier (1972)
476) Take Me Home, Country Roads - John Denver (1971)
475) I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band) - The Moody Blues (1972)
474) Come Out Smokin' - Panic Buttons (1970)
473) Shot By Both Sides - Magazine (1978)
472) Crocodile Rock - Elton John (1973)
471) You Should Be Dancing - Bee Gees (1976)
470) She Brings the Rain - Can (1970)
469) You Know Me More Than I Know - John Cale (1974)
468) 30 Days in the Hole - Humble Pie (1972)
467) We Are Family - Sister Sledge (1979)
466) Bloody Well Right - Supertramp (1974)
465) Cat's In The Cradle - Harry Chapin (1974)
464) Everybody's Talkin' - Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (1977)
463) I'm Your Captain/Closer To Home - Grand Funk Railroad (1970)
462) Fire and Brimstone - Link Wray (1971)
461) Zumbi - Jorge Ben (1974)
460) Boogie Wonderland - Earth, Wind & Fire With The Emotions (1979)
459) Jerry's Breakdown - Jerry Reed & Chet Atkins (1972)
458) Get Off - Foxy (1978)
457) Tin Man - America (1974)
456) Short People - Randy Newman (1977)
455) Baby Come Back - Player (1978)
454) Ring My Bell - Anita Ward (1979)
453) Rubber Biscuit - The Blues Brothers (1978)
452) Saturday Night - Bay City Rollers (1976)
451) El Galleton - Tempo 70 (1972)
450) Somebody To Love - Queen (1976)
449) Shame - Evelyn "Champagne" King (1978)
448) I Need a Man - Grace Jones (1977)
447) We Are The One - Avengers (1977)
446) Positive Vibration - Bob Marley and the Wailers (1976)
445) Abominable Snowman In The Market - Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers (1976)
444) Shining Star - Earth Wind & Fire (1975)
443) Hoedown - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1972)
442) Flirtin' With Disaster - Molly Hatchet (1979)
441) Dizzy Dizzy - Can (1974)
440) Never Never Gonna Give Ya Up - Barry White (1973)
439) Rasputin - Boney M. (1978)
438) 1st Movement (Jumping Biz) - Electric Light Orchestra (1972)
437) I'd Rather Be With You - Bootsy's Rubber Band (1976)
436) Takin' Care Of Business - Bachman-Turner Overdrive (1973)
435) Miracles - Jefferson Starship (1975)
434) Can You Get To That - Funkadelic (1971)
433) So Into You - Atlanta Rhythm Section (1976)
432) Rock 'N Roll Fantasy - Bad Company (1979)
431) Renegade - Styx (1978)
430) Think (About It) - Lyn Collins (1972)
429) Frank And Jesse James - Warren Zevon (1976)
428) Hold On - Ian Gomm (1978)
427) If - Bread (1971)
426) Corner of the Sky - John Rubinstein (1972)
425) African Rhythms - Oneness Of Juju (1975)
424) Thunder And Rain - Graham Parker + The Rumour (1977)
423) You Got That Right - Lynyrd Skynyrd (1977)
422) I Feel Love - Donna Summer (1977)
421) Give A Little Bit - Supertramp (1977)
420) Blue, Turning Grey Over You - Ringo Starr (1970)
419) Morning Story - Jack Bruce (1971)
418) September - Earth Wind & Fire (1978)
417) December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) - Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons (1976)
416) The Gambler - Kenny Rogers (1978)
415) Walk Away - James Gang (1971)
414) Wild World - Cat Stevens (1970)
413) Funkytown - Lipps, Inc. (1979)
412) Black Water - The Doobie Brothers (1974)
411) Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight (1971)
410) Stealin' - Uriah Heep (1973)
409) She's Gone - Daryl Hall And John Oates (1974)
408) A Horse with No Name - America (1972)
407) It Don't Come Easy - Ringo Starr (1971)
406) You Make Me Feel Like Dancing - Leo Sayer (1976)
405) Hello It's Me - Todd Rundgren (2005)
404) Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) - Sly & The Family Stone (1970)
403) Dropkick Me Jesus - Bobby Bare (1976)
402) Fat Bottomed Girls - Queen (1978)
401) Instant Pleasure - Simply Saucer (1977)

400) Fool To Cry - The Rolling Stones (1976)
399) You Don't Bring Me Flowers - Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond (1978)
398) Radar Love - Golden Earring (1973)
397) White Boy Lost In The Blues - Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee (1973)
396) Bloody Mary Morning - Willie Nelson (1974)
395) Furniture Music - Bill Nelson (1979)
394) Listen Betty - Dave Dudley (1971)
393) Darkness On The Edge Of Town - Bruce Springsteen (1978)
392) Jackie Blue - Ozark Mountain Daredevils (1974)
391) Strawberry Letter No. 23 - The Brothers Johnson (1977)
390) No You Don't - Sweet (1975)
389) Think About Your Troubles - Harry Nilsson (1970)
388) Let 'Em In - Wings (1976)
387) Another Girl, Another Planet - The Only Ones (1979)
386) Inner City Blues - Rodriguez (1970)
385) I Feel The Earth Move - Carole King (1978)
384) Just a Song Before I Go - Crosby, Stills & Nash (1977)
383) Joy To The World - Three Dog Night (1970)
382) Black Friday - Steely Dan (1975)
381) Tippi Toes - Meters (1970)
380) Fire - The Pointer Sisters (1979)
379) (Wish I Could Fly Like)Superman - Kinks (1979)
378) The Hustle - Van McCoy (1975)
377) Megaton - Vecchio (1971)
376) Phantasmagoria I - Curved Air (1972)
375) All Right Now - Free (1970)
374) Wasted - Black Flag (1978)
373) Dining Alone - Carla Bley (1976)
372) Just You 'n' Me - Chicago (1973)
371) Get Up And Get Down - Dramatics (1971)
370) Count On Me - Jefferson Starship (1978)
369) Here You Come Again - Dolly Parton (1978)
368) Taj Mahal - Jorge Ben (1972)
367) You're In My Heart - Rod Stewart (1977)
366) Band of Gold - Freda Payne (1971)
365) It's Only Rock'n'Roll (But I Like It) - The Rolling Stones (1975)
364) Bennie And The Jets - Elton John (1974)
363) Jane - Jefferson Starship (1979)
362) Dust In The Wind - Kansas (1977)
361) Midnight Rider - The Allman Brothers Band (1970)
360) Walk This Way - Aerosmith (1975)
359) I'd Have To Be Crazy - Willie Nelson (1976)
358) Jethro Tull - Skating Away (1974)
357) No Woman No Cry - Bob Marley and the Wailers (1974)
356) Superstar - Temptations (1972)
355) The Ripper - Judas Priest (1976)
354) Lexicon Devil - The Germs (1979)
353) Dream Police - Cheap Trick (1979)
352) Already Gone - Eagles (1974)
351) Pigs (Three Different Ones) - Pink Floyd (1977)
350) Sabebe - Cedric IM Brooks (1975)
349) I've Seen All Good People - Yes (1971)
348) Y.M.C.A. - Village People (1978)
347) Play That Funky Music - Wild Cherry (1976)
346) The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand (1974)
345) Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey - Wings (1971)
344) Stir It Up - Bob Marley and the Wailers (1973)
343) Love Train - The O'Jays (1972)
342) Fly Like An Eagle - Steve Miller Band (1976)
341) Godzilla - Blue Öyster Cult (1977)
340) New York Groove - Ace Frehley (1978)
339) Don't Stop - Fleetwood Mac (1977)
338) Burning Love - Elvis Presley (1972)
337) Give A Damn - The Staple Singers (1970)
336) Back in the Saddle - Aerosmith (1977)
335) Blinded By The Light - Manfred Mann's Earth Band (1976)
334) Jocko Homo - Devo (1978)
333) Cabbage Alley - Meters (1972)
332) Collage - The Three Degrees (1970)
331) Good Times - Chic (1979)
330) Fire On High - Electric Light Orchestra (1975)
329) Highway Song - Blackfoot (1979)
328) Suspect Device - Stiff Little Fingers (1978)
327) Take Me I'm Yours - Squeeze (1978)
326) Baby - Iggy Pop (1977)
325) Riding Tigers - Slapp Happy (1974)
324) Don't Eat The Yellow Snow - Frank Zappa (1974)
323) Rock 'n Roll All Nite - KISS (1975)
322) Come Sail Away - Styx (1977)
321) Copacabana - Barry Manilow (1978)
320) She's A Dancer - Crack The Sky (1975)
319) Tusk - Fleetwood Mac (1979)
318) Have You Ever Seen the Rain? - Creedence Clearwater Revival (1970)
317) Let's Go - The Cars (1979)
316) Don't Bring Me Down - Electric Light Orchestra (1979)
315) Boogie Nights - Heat Wave (1976)
314) Bang a Gong (Get It On) - T. Rex (1971)
313) Thank God I'm a Country Boy - John Denver (1975)
312) Freaks For The Festival - Rahsaan Roland Kirk (1975)
311) One Of These Things First - Nick Drake (1970)
310) Rain - Dorothy Morrison (1970)
309) Air - Aphrodite's Child (1970)
308) A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy - The Kinks (1978)
307) I'm the Greatest - Ringo Starr (1973)
306) Dancing Machine - Jackson 5 (1974)
305) Just A Chance - Badfinger (1974)
304) I Just Can't Be Happy Today - Damned (1979)
303) Do It Again - Steely Dan (1972)
302) How Long - The Honeybus (1970)
301) Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap - AC/DC (1976)

300) Slurf Song - Michael Hurley & The Unholy Modal Rounders (1975)
299) Sandwiches of You - Godley and Creme (1978)
298) We Are The Champions - Queen (1977)
297) John Barleycorn (Must Die) - Traffic (1970)
296) Hold Your Head Up - Argent (1972)
295) My Life - Billy Joel (1978)
294) Express Yourself - Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd Street Rhtyhm Band (1970)
293) Tear The Rood Off The Sucker (Give Up The Funk) - Parliament (1975)
292) Fueding Banjos - Eric Weissberg W/ Marshall Brickman (1973)
291) Convoy - C.W. McCall (1975)
290) Run Through the Jungle - Creedence Clearwater Revival (1970)
289) Typical Girls - Slits (1979)
288) Seasons In the Sun - Terry Jacks (1974)
287) Midnight Wind - John Stewart (1979)
286) The Joker - Steve Miller Band (1974)
285) Getting Closer - Paul McCartney & Wings (1979)
284) Bootzilla - Bootsy's Rubber Band (1978)
283) Breakdown - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1976)
282) The Devil Went Down to Georgia - The Charlie Daniels Band (1979)
281) Long, Long Time - Linda Ronstadt (1970)
280) I Love The Nightlife (Disco 'Round) - Alicia Bridges (1978)
279) Stuck in the Middle with You - Stealers Wheel (1973)
278) Dog & Butterfly - Heart (1978)
277) Running On Empty - Jackson Browne (1977)
276) Carry On Wayward Son - Kansas (1976)
275) Cars - Gary Numan (1979)
274) The Night Chicago Died - Paper Lace (1974)
273) American Pie - Don McLean (1971)
272) Family Affair - Sly & The Family Stone (1971)
271) Thirteen - Big Star (1972)
270) The Seeker - Who (1970)
269) Golden Years - David Bowie (1976)
268) Lovely Day - Bill Withers (1977)
267) Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin (1970)
266) Love Is Like Oxygen - Sweet (1978)
265) Soho (Needless To Say) - Al Stewart (1974)
264) Love Will Keep Us Together - Captain & Tennille (1975)
263) Amie - Pure Prairie League (1972)
262) Celluloid Heroes - Kinks (1972)
261) School's Out - Alice Cooper (1974)
260) Beth - KISS (1976)
259) Love Is A Rose - Linda Ronstadt (1975)
258) Time Warp - Little Nell, Patricia Quinn & Richard O'Brien (1975)
257) Superfly - Curtis Mayfield (1972)
256) Inspiration Information - Shuggie Otis (1974)
255) At Home He's a Tourist - Gang of Four (1979)
254) Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man) - Merle Haggard (1971)
253) Trans-Europe Express - Kraftwerk (1977)
252) We Are Not The Same - Cimarons (1974)
251) A Nickel And A Nail - O.V. Wright (1971)
250) Paradise By The Dashboard Light - Meat Loaf (1977
249) Where I'm Bound - Country Gentlemen (1970)
248) The Semi-Great Predictor - Jerry Reed (1972
247) Mercury Poisoning - Graham Parker + The Rumour (1979)
246) Thirty Days Hath September - Stark Reality (1970)
245) Making Plans For Nigel - XTC (1979)
244) Life During Wartime - Talking Heads (1979)
243) El Justiciero - Os Mutantes (1971)
242) Government Center - Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers (1975)
241) Down And Out In New York City - James Brown (1973)
240) You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory - Johnny Thunders (1978)
239) An Harangue - Art & Language and the Red Crayola (1976)
238) The Real Me - Who (1973)
237) Fly By Night - Rush (1975)
236) Ezekiel Saw the Wheel - Dixie Hummingbirds (1975)
235) Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough - Michael Jackson (1979)
234) Waterloo - ABBA (1974)
233) Jive Talkin' - Bee Gees (1975)
232) Heart Of Gold - Neil Young (1972)
231) Doctor My Eyes - Jackson Browne (1972)
230) Sound And Vision - David Bowie (1977)
229) Beware the Man - Dramatics (1973)
228) How Long (Betcha' Got A Chick On The Side) - Pointer Sisters (1973)
227) Rocket Man - Elton John (1972)
226) Layla - Derek & The Dominos (1970)
225) Calling Dr. Love - KISS (1976)
224) Am I Going Insane - Black Sabbath (1975)
223) Blacknuss - Rahsaan Roland Kirk (1971)
222) D'Yer Mak'er - Led Zeppelin (1973)
221) Brick House - Commodores (1977)
220) Bad Company - Bad Company (1974)
219) Dancing Days - Led Zeppelin (1973)
218) Maggie May - Rod Stewart (1971)
217) Me and Paul - Willie Nelson (1971)
216) Hollywood Nights - Bob Seger (1978)
215) La Grange - ZZ Top (1973)
214) Sugar Magnolia - Grateful Dead (1970)
213) On My Radio - The Selecter (1979)
212) Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Diana Ross (1970)
211) The Modern World - Jam (1977)
210) Crazy Little Thing Called Love - Queen (1979)
209) Cold As Ice - Foreigner (1977)
208) Lady Marmalade - Labelle (1974)
207) Two Tickets to Paradise - Eddie Money (1978)
206) Love Roller Coaster - Ohio Players (1976)
205) Love Hurts - Nazareth (1975)
204) Just My Imagination - Temptations (1971)
203) Electric Los Angeles Sunset - Al Stewart (1970)
202) Smiling Faces Sometimes - The Undisputed Truth (1971)
201) What Is Life - George Harrison (1970)

200) Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye (1973)
199) Highway Star - Deep Purple (1972)
198) Love Hangover - Diana Ross (1976)
197) You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet - Bachman Turner Overdrive (1974)
196) The Boys Are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy (1976)
195) Brown Sugar - Rolling Stones (1971)
194) Tell Me Something Good - Rufus (1974)
193) Roving Gambler - Jerry Reed (1972)
192) Southern Nights - Glen Campbell (1977)
191) Quem Tem Medo de Brincar de Amor - Os Mutantes (1970)
190) Like A Hurricane - Neil Young (1977)
189) Theme From 'Shaft' - Isaac Hayes (1971)
188) Blitzkrieg Bop - Ramones (1976)
187) Pray Them Bars Away - Lee Hazlewood (1970)
186) Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys - Willie Nelson (1978)
185) The Night Miss Nancy Ann's Hotel For Single Girls Burnt Down - Tex Williams (1971)
184) Make Me Smile - Chicago (1970)
183) Midnight Train to Georgia - Gladys Knight & The Pips (1973)
182) The Best Of All Possible Worlds - Kris Kristofferson (1971)
181) Class War - The Dils (1977)
180) Texas Woman Blues - Taj Mahal (1972)
179) Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) - Billy Joel (1977)
178) Josie - Steely Dan (1977)
177) Knowing Me, Knowing You - ABBA (1976)
176) Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard - Paul Simon (1972)
175) Here Comes My Girl - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1979)
174) September Gurls - Big Star (1974)
173) Wake Up - Essential Logic (1979)
172) So It Goes - Nick Lowe (1978)
171) Ain't That Nothin' - Television (1978)
170) The Logical Song - Supertramp (1979)
169) Chuck E's in Love - Rickie Lee Jones (1979)
168) The Revelations Of Dr. Modesto - Tin Huey (1979)
167) Psycho Killer - Talking Heads (1977)
166) I Am The Cosmos - Chris Bell (1976)
165) ABC - Jackson 5 (1970)
164) Sweet Talkin' Woman - Electric Light Orchestra (1977)
163) I Don't Like Mondays - The Boomtown Rats (1979)
162) Foreplay / Long Time - Boston (1976)
161) Without You - Badfinger (1970)
160) Love Her Madly - The Doors (1971)
159) (They Long to Be) Close to You - Carpenters (1970)
158) You're So Vain - Carly Simon (1972)
157) Psychedelic Shack - Temptations (1970)
156) 12XU - Wire (1977)
155) Dream Weaver - Gary Wright (1975)
154) Mind Games - John Lennon (1973)
153) Grease - Frankie Valli (1978)
152) Just A Conversation - Slapp Happy (1972)
151) Willie, Waylon And Me - David Allan Coe (1976)
150) Take It Easy - Eagles (1972)
149) Lucky Man - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1970)
148) Peace Train - Cat Stevens (1971)
147) You're No Good - Linda Ronstadt (1974)
146) 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon (1975)
145) Le Freak - Chic (1978)
144) Question - The Moody Blues (1970)
143) My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) - Neil Young (1979)
142) Boogie Oogie Oogie - A Taste Of Honey (1978)
141) Shadow Dancing - Andy Gibb (1978)
140) Magic Man - Heart (1976)
139) I Hate the Rich - Dils (1977)
138) Just What I Needed - Cars (1978)
137) Harlem River Drive Theme - Harlem River Drive (1971)
136) Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment - Ramones (1977)
135) Welcome To The Working Week - Elvis Costello (1977)
134) Heart Of Glass - Blondie (1978)
133) Free Your Mind and Your Ass Will Follow - Funkadelic (1970)
132) No Agreement - Fela Kuti (1977)
131) Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner - Warren Zevon (1978)
130) Tumbling Dice - Rolling Stones (1972)
129) Night Moves - Bob Seger (1976)
128) All The Young Dudes - Mott The Hoople (1972)
127) Nirvana For Mice - Henry Cow (1973)
126) Kodachrome - Paul Simon (1973)
125) Hot Stuff - Donna Summer (1979)
124) Baby's On Fire - Brian Eno (1974)
123) Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way - Waylon Jennings (1975)
122) Roundabout - Yes (1972)
121) The Ballroom Blitz - Sweet (1974)
120) Show Me the Way - Peter Frampton (1976)
119) Get Up, Stand Up - Bob Marley and the Wailers (1973)
118) Gloria - Patti Smith (1975)
117) I Believe - Buzzcocks (1979)
116) Baker Street - Gerry Rafferty (1978)
115) Romeo's Tune - Steve Forbert (1979)
114) Aqualung - Jethro Tull (1971)
113) Working Man - Rush (1974)
112) I Was Only Joking - Rod Stewart (1977)
111) I Will Survive - Gloria Gaynor (1979)
110) From The Morning - Nick Drake (1972)
109) Strange Town - Jam (1979)
108) Cruel to Be Kind - Nick Lowe (1979)
107) On The Surface - Pere Ubu (1979)
106) Musicawi silt - Wallias Band (1976)
105) Miss You - Rolling Stones (1978)
104) Bittern Storm Over Ulm - Henry Cow (1974)
103) Diamond Dogs - David Bowie (1974)
102) Fast Cars - Buzzcocks (1978)
101) The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys - Traffic (1971)

100) Whatever Gets You Through The Night - John Lennon (1974)
99) Paris 1919 - John Cale (1973)
98) Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine - James Brown (1970)
97) Tangled Up In Blue - Bob Dylan (1975)
96) The Things We Do for Love - 10cc (1977)
95) Baby Blue - Badfinger (1971)
94) Boys Don't Cry - The Cure (1979)
93) Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road - Robert Wyatt (1974)
92) Angie - The Rolling Stones (1973)
91) Fire and Rain - James Taylor (1970)
90) Sweet Jane - Velvet Underground (1970)
89) The Groove Line - Heatwave (1978)
88) (Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Öyster Cult (1976)
87) Life's Been Good - Joe Walsh (1978)
86) Imagine - John Lennon (1971)
85) I'm So Bored With The U.S.A. - The Clash (1977)
84) Roxanne - The Police (1978)
83) Fool In The Rain - Led Zeppelin (1978)
82) My Sharona - The Knack (1979)
81) Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd (1973)
80) Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (1976)
79) Chinese Rocks - Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers (1977)
78) Dream On - Aerosmith (1973)
77) Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2) - Pink Floyd (1979)
76) Southern Man - Neil Young (1970)
75) Down In The Tube Station At Midnight - Jam (1978)
74) The I Of Hurricane Sue - Charles Mingus (1972)
73) Killing Me Softly With His Song - Roberta Flack (1973)
72) Who Are You - Who (1977)
71) Live And Let Die - Wings (1972)
70) Trash - New York Dolls (1973)
69) Three Little Birds - Bob Marley and the Wailers (1977)
68) You Can't Miss What You Can't Measure - Funkadelic (1973)
67) Rock Lobster - The B-52's (1979)
66) I've Got My Car And My TV - Faust (1972)
65) Cool For Cats - Squeeze (1979)
64) Surrender - Cheap Trick (1978)
63) Phases of Reality - William Bell (1972)
62) Because The Night - Patti Smith Group (1978)
61) Instant Karma - John Lennon (1970)
60) Sonic Reducer - Dead Boys (1977)
59) Panic In Detroit - David Bowie (1973)
58) You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine - Lou Rawls (1976)
57) Rapper's Delight - The Sugarhill Gang (1979)
56) Sunday Papers - Joe Jackson (1979)
55) Hearts In Exile - Homosexuals (1978)
54) Anarchy In The UK - Sex Pistols (1977)
53) Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits (1978)
52) Time - Pink Floyd (1973)
51) Take A Chance On Me - Abba (1977)
50) Runnin' With The Devil - Van Halen (1978)
49) Twenty Two Proverbs - John Greaves & Peter Blegvad (1977)
48) Sir Duke - Stevie Wonder (1976)
47) Band On The Run - Wings (1973)
46) Radio, Radio - Elvis Costello (1978)
45) Soup Song - Robert Wyatt (1972)
44) If You Don't Like The Effects, Don't Produce The Cause - Funkadelic (1972)
43) Ziggy Stardust - David Bowie (1972)
42) Kashmir - Led Zeppelin (1975)
41) Final Solution - Pere Ubu (1976)
40) Stayin' Alive - Bee Gees (1977)
39) See No Evil - Television (1977)
38) Ponta De Lanca Africano - Jorge Ben (1976)
37) Bustin' Loose - Chuck Brown (1979)
36) Iron Man - Black Sabbath (1970)
35) Gary Gilmore's Eyes - The Adverts (1977)
34) Barracuda - Heart (1977)
33) Beautiful As The Moon, Terrible As An Army With Banners - Henry Cow (1975)
32) Let's Stay Together - Al Green (1972)
31) Me and Bobby McGee - Janis Joplin (1971)
30) Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel (1970)
29) Jungleland - Bruce Springsteen (1975)
28) Walk On The Wild Side - Lou Reed (1972)
27) Papa Was A Rollin' Stone - Temptations (1972)
26) Carry On - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (1970)
25) Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney (1970)
24) Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've) - Buzzcocks (1978)
23) SOS - Abba (1975)
22) A Message to You Rudy - Specials (1979)
21) Hotel California - Eagles (1976)
20) Lola - Kinks (1970)
19) One Nation Under A Groove - Funkadelic (1978)
18) Genetic Engineering - X-Ray Spex (1978)
17) I Wanna Be Sedated - Ramones (1978)
16) What's Going On - Marvin Gaye (1971)
15) Space Is the Place - Sun Ra (1972)
14) War - Edwin Starr (1970)
13) Behind Blue Eyes - Who (1971)
12) Shine On You Crazy Diamond - Pink Floyd (1975)
11) Right Off - Miles Davis (1971)
10) The Revolution Will Not Be Televised - Gil Scott-Heron (1971)
9) Changes - David Bowie (1971)
8) Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder (1973)
7) Stairway To Heaven - Led Zeppelin (1971)
6) Casablanca Moon - Slapp Happy (1973)
5) Let It Be - Beatles (1970)
4) The Modern Dance - Pere Ubu (1978)
3) (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love & Understanding - Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1979)
2) In The City - Jam (1977)
1) London Calling - Clash (1979)

This list is virtually unchanged compared to the one that I posted as a Facebook note a few months ago.  Originally, I accidentally violated one of my own rules by putting two Elvis songs in the top 40.  In this version, Radio Radio falls out of the top 40, trading places with The Specials (produced by Elvis if you're keeping score).  I could have corrected it, I supposed, by giving #3 to Brinsley Schwartz, but I opted against that.

This time, I also excluded one of the Fleetwood Mac songs I regretted including on the original list, and I included one of the Jefferson Starship songs I regretted excluding.  With such a healthy dose of pop music on this list, I'm amazed I have as few regrets as I do.  Maybe that will change.  I've responded to complaints about excluding Genesis by listening to more early 70s Genesis and reconsidering.  I can see where I might have missed out, but I'm not ready to add them just yet.  Let the quibbling commence.

The Making of a Best-Songs-of-the-Decade List: An Interview (Part 1 of 4)

This is the first of four posts with a Q&A about the making of the four best-of-the-decade lists I've made so far.  Thanks to Jack Silbert for suggesting the idea, posing the questions, and lightly editing some of my answers.

Q) Who are you, what is your background in music, and what are these lists you've been compiling?

A) I’m a statistician in the Bay Area of California. I’ve pretty much always been a math geek first and a music geek second, but music listmaking is where I find balance and happiness.

My first minimum wage job (11^th grade) was working as a sales clerk at the Musicland at Prince George’s Plaza. I had been subscribing to Billboard magazine for several years at that point, having discovered that Casey Kasem was not the only way in which the top 40 could be revealed to me. I predicted each week’s top 40 as a hobby, so ordering the 45s was pretty much an ideal job for me.

When I went to college at Carnegie Mellon, I immediately got involved with WRCT-FM and served as the music director from 1985-1987. One of my “innovations” as music director was to make an honest top 35 to report to CMJ and Rockpool, the trade journals that tracked college radio playlists. We didn’t have a rotation or anything silly like that, so we had to tally by hand every single play that records from the “new bin” received. I think people started playing a lot more stuff and more varied stuff from the new bin once they realized that we were reporting an honest playlist instead of what the major labels were pushing me to report over the phone.

During grad school at the University of Michigan in the early 90s, I met my wife at WCBN. The next stop was Cleveland, WRUW, doing my last, and probably best, radio show, Pleasant Mutations.  In 1994 I bought a banjo and an amp, and joined a band with some friends in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the Cleveland Clinic. We recorded a few songs at Noise New Jersey with Kramer before I moved to California. Somebody none of us knew made a youtube video of one of the songs recently.

I recorded a few songs by myself on 4-track after moving to California, but mostly I moved back into being a listener. Since 1998, I’ve been making a mix CD called “Nothing But Good Things” (NGBT) that I send out to a small group of friends. Because of my lasting affection for Casey Kasem, for NGBT #40, I decided to do a countdown of the last decade in the style of American Top 40.  I even inspired somebody else to do one.

When I started deciding on my top 40 of the 00s, I made a big iTunes playlist of candidate songs, and it just got bigger and bigger. At some point I decided to type up a top 100, even though the mix CD was only going to be a top 40. Next thing you know, I’d ended up with a top 300.

Making the list was a lot of fun, so a few months later I made a top 300 of the 90s and eventually progressed to the 80s and the 70s. I’ll definitely plan on the 60s sometime in the next year. I don’t know if I can do the 50s justice.

Q) What makes your lists different than other music-countdown lists we've seen?

A) One important thing about my lists is that they’re all song lists. I find that there are a lot more lists of best albums or best CDs than there are lists of best songs. As a former DJ and as somebody who really fell in love with recorded music via 45 singles, I’ve always been more about the song than the album. Random play on the iPod has made songs more relevant and albums even less relevant. Also, if somebody sees something on the list that sounds interesting and they want to check it out, that’s a lot easier with a song than a whole record. You don’t have to pay as much to download one song, or, better yet, call up a DJ and request it.

The other thing that’s unique about the lists is the size and variety of them, coming from just one individual. I think individuals often make top 10 lists or top 20 lists or occasionally top 40 lists, but usually it’s just magazines or music websites that make longer lists. The longer lists always feel a bit homogenized, probably because there are committees or consensus involved, and the personal lists never go very deep. I also see a lot of personal lists on Amazon where people list their 20 favorite records and 4 or 5 of them are all one band. Yay – you like that band a whole lot – who cares? I know I’ve got some overrepresented artists and genres on my list, but I think my one-song-per-album rule keeps that in check, and my one-song-per-artist-in-the-top-40 rule helps too.

Q) How do you begin one of your lists? Do you just start jotting down songs? Do you consult other lists? Tell us about the research process.

A) The 2000s were the easiest to start because pretty much all of the music I liked in the 2000s was already in my iTunes library, and none of the date tags were for the wrong decade. I’m obsessive about rating my music in iTunes, so the starting point was just a smart playlist of 4-star and 5-star rated songs from the 2000s. Next, I began dragging and dropping songs from the smart playlist into a regular playlist, picking out no more than one song per album and only picking out songs that I thought could reasonably be in a top 100 list. The fact that I ended up with more than 300 songs that I originally thought could be in a top 100 list may suggest just how subjective the difference is between what’s #100 and what’s #300, or it may just mean that there’s even more music that I really love than I guessed myself.

The 1990s were a little harder than the 2000s. I was still buying a fair number of 7” singles in the 1990s, and I realized as I got into the list that there were quite a few that I hadn’t gotten around to digitizing. I was an early adopter with CDR decks and I still have one, along with a turntable and a tape deck. It doesn’t get a ton of use anymore, but making the lists was a nice opportunity to rediscover my vinyl and also get it archived digitally.

The 1980s were the hardest.  I think about a third of my 80s list was vinyl that I digitized while making the list. I’ve repurchased a lot of my favorite 80s music on CD or digital download, but there’s tons of great music from the 80s that hasn’t been released digitally to my knowledge. The 80s were also a big challenge because of all of the bad date tags for digital downloads. The iTunes store is the absolute worst with that. Why do I care what the year of the digital release was? Why did they set up a cool feature like smart playlists and then sabotage it with bad date tags?

I do look at other lists, but I’m looking at them mostly for possible omissions as opposed to paying very much attention to their rankings. I’ve always used lists to inform purchases. I remember going to Musicland when I was in the 6^th or 7^th grade and trying to buy “Heart of Glass.”  The clerk hadn’t heard of it and said he didn’t think they had it. I indignantly informed him that it was already #1 in England (I always liked the non-U.S. charts when they printed them in Billboard).  I think the first time I bought an album I hadn’t heard, but purely because it was on a bunch of best-of-the-year lists, was R.E.M.’s “Murmur.” That set me on a path of buying a lot more music using the same approach.

In terms of specific sources, one thing I looked at was the Rolling Stone Magazine top 500 songs of all time. It’s helpful because it has some very popular and really great songs that I’ve just never gotten around to buying. Even if I really like a song, if it seems everpresent by simply living life, I haven’t felt a real need to get it loaded onto my iPod. I went ahead and bought some of those songs while making these lists. I also look at the Robert Christgau books, which are nice because they’re organized by decade.  For the later decades, the Pitchfork lists are good to look at.  I also enjoy perusing individuals’ listmania lists on Amazon.  Some of them are dreadful, but the Amazon software engineers mostly know what they’re doing with how they’ve programmed the suggestion for other lists you might like.

Another invaluable source on my music book shelves is my collection of Joel Whitburn books. I have about 10 of them for various genres. They give the peak and weeks on chart for every entry on various Billboard charts. Obviously, I haven’t used it yet for the decade lists, but I really like his Pop Hits 1940-1954 book. It has a very short section in the beginning that does a nice job succinctly summarizing the battle over formats (78 vs. 45 vs. 33-1/3) in that period. The 33-1/3 7” single fought as valiantly as the betamax video tape would 30 years later.

Continue to part 2 of the interview, or skip to part 3 or part 4.

Top 500 Songs of the 1980s

This is a highly subjective list of the top 500 songs of the decade according to me and only me.  I posted this at the end of 2010 on Facebook, but I found Facebook notes to be a poor alternative to blogging.

There are worthy artists who are omitted because I just never got into them, and there are unworthy artists who were included because I don't feel quite guilty enough about those particular guilty pleasures. The list is undoubtedly affected by the fact that I was in junior high at the start of the decade and in grad school at the end of the decade and the music director at WRCT-FM from 85 to 87.

I have three rules:
1) No more than one song per album
2) For the top 40 only, no more than one song per artist
3) The song had to be released in that decade (date is determined by record sleeve, allmusic.com or discogs.com)

500 Leather Nun - Gimme Gimme Gimme
499 Bronski Beat - Why?
498 Rave-Ups - Remember
497 Queen - Another One Bites The Dust
496 John Zorn - Cobra (Moderato)
495 Aztec Camera - Jump
494 Talk Talk - It's My Life
493 Piranhas - Love Games
492 Rick Springfield - Jessie's Girl
491 The Wolfgang Press - Sweatbox
490 Michelle Shocked - The Cement Lament
489 Big Dipper - Faith Healer
488 Mekons - Big Zombie
487 Ian Dury - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
486 Wang Chung - Dance Hall Days
485 Alter Natives - Sunset
484 Yes - Leave It
483 Motor Totemist Guild - Submission
482 JFA - Charlie Brown
481 Home and Garden - King Penguin
480 Bloody Mannequin Orchestra - Meal at McDonalds
479 Genesis - Misunderstanding
478 Ali & Tams avec L'Orchestre Malo - Malo
477 The Police - Synchronicity I
476 Lounge Lizards - Incident On South Street
475 The Circle Jerks - Coup d'Etat
474 Dbs - Bonneville
473 Long Ryders - Join My Gang
472 Robert Hazard - Escalator of Life
471 Ratt - Round and Round
470 Men at Work - Down Under
469 Romeo Void - Never Say Never       
468 The Romantics - What I Like About You
467 Fishbone - Ma And Pa
466 Eartha Kitt - Cha Cha Heels
465 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Manaqib Khawaja Mueenuddin Chishti
464 Chumbawamba - How to Get Your Band on Television
463 Alarm - Sixty Eight Guns
462 Rolling Stones - Start Me Up
461 Pato Banton - Don't Sniff Coke
460 Billy Bragg - It Says Here
459 Yeah Yeah Noh - Stealing in the Name of the Lord
458 The Waitresses - I Know What Boys Like
457 The Cars - Shake It Up
456 Talk Talk - Talk Talk
455 I, Ludicrous - Mistakes
454 Cesaria Evora - Fruto Proibido
453 Kenny Loggins - I'm Alright
452 Blue "Gene" Tyranny - Harvey Milk
451 Casselberry-Dupree - Did Jesus Have a Baby Sister?
450 Thelonious Monster - Union Street
449 Bobby McFerrin - Walkin
448 Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot
447 Sneetches - In My Car
446 Zimbo Chimps - Inca Vacation
445 Didjits - Jerry Lee
444 Coil - Tainted Love
443 Belfast Cowboys - Jesus Was a Truck Driving Man
442 Max Urban - Flem Fatale
441 Nena - 99 Luftballons (German version)
440 Sonic Youth - Schizophrenia
439 Pop Group - Feed the Hungry
438 This Heat - Independence
437 Bangles - How Is The Air Up There
436 Walkabouts - Ask Me Another
435 k.d. lang - Big Boned Gal
434 Scorpions - Rock You Like a Hurricane
433 Wall of Voodoo - Mexican Radio
432 Cat and Mouse Band - Living Room
431 Carsickness - I Don't Think So
430 Dinosaur Jr - Freak Scene
429 The Buggles - Video Killed the Radio Star
428 Copernicus - Chichen-Itza Elvis
427 The Residents - This Is a Man's World
426 Elvis Costello - Veronica
425 Cassandra Wilson - Apricots on Their Wings
424 Freakwater - Ballad of Freakwater
423 Trio - Da Da Da I Don't Love You
422 Culture Shock - Punks on Postcards
421 Chesterfields - Hopes For Lauren and Joseph
420 Contras - SOS
419 Bongwater - His New Look
418 Guy Klucevsek - Samba D. Hiccup
417 Queen Latifah - Ladies First
416 Black Flag - Six Pack
415 Butthole Surfers - Sweat Loaf
414 Glass Eye - Maggie
413 The Colourfield - Thinking of You
412 Damned - There Ain't No Sanity Clause
411 The B-52's - Private Idaho
410 Billy Joel - It's Still Rock And Roll To Me
409 Josie Cotton - Johnnie Are You Queer?
408 Lindsay Cooper - Parliament Catch
407 Katrina & The Waves - Walking On Sunshine
406 Agitpop - Stop, Drop And Roll
405 Mice - Downtown
404 Blurt - Get
403 The Style Council - My Ever Changing Moods
402 Here Today - Whistle in the Yard
401 EBN-OZN - AEIOU Sometimes Y

400 Bill Laswell - Work Song
399 Journey - Don't Stop Believin'
398 Ophelias - Palindrome
397 Fems - Go To a Party
396 Soldier String Quartet - Five Little Monsters
395 Todd Rundgren - Bang the Drum All Day
394 Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Jesus Met the Woman at the Well
393 Virgil Moorefield - Vitus Dance
392 Tommy Tutone - 867-5309/Jenny
391 fIREHOSE - Brave Captain
390 R.E.M. - It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)
389 XTC - Senses Working Overtime
388 Peter Gabriel - I Go Swimming (Live)
387 Terry & Jerry - Kennedy Says
386 28th Day - Pages Turn
385 Bow Wow Wow - I Want Candy
384 Longshoremen - Locomotive
383 Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
382 Fred Lane - Car Radio Jerome
381 Mary Jane Girls - In My House
380 Pylon - Crazy
379 Wayne Horvitz - Please Take This Train From My Door
378 House Of Freaks - Sun Gone Down
377 French Letters - Don't Tell Robert
376 Violent Femmes - I Hear the Rain
375 Robert Rental and the Normal - Live in San Francisco
374 Stan Ridgeway - The Big Heat
373 Clive Pig - One Night in Greece With An American
372 Section 25 - Guitar Waltz
371 Poet's Corner - Trippin' on Krupa
370 UnknownmiX - Soul
369 Dramarama - Anything, Anything
368 Public Image Ltd. - Rise
367 Section 25 - Looking From a Hilltop
366 The Damned - Eloise
365 Siouxsie & the Banshees - Happy House
364 Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet - Having an Average Weekend
363 Joyce Lightbody - Furo Fuhrer
362 Electric Light Orchestra - Hold On Tight
361 Pere Ubu - Something's Gotta Give
360 The Pretenders - Middle Of The Road
359 Foetus - I'll Meet You In Poland, Baby
358 Bruce Springsteen - The River
357 Beastie Boys - No Sleep Till Brooklyn
356 Blue Öyster Cult - Burnin' For You
355 Divine Horsemen - My Sin
354 Roxy Music - Avalon
353 Housecoat Project - Only in San Francisco
352 Love Camp 7 - Janet in a Green Light
351 Jane's Addiction - Jane Says
350 Invisible Chains - Sal Mineo Youth Growing Up
349 Details at Eleven - Row Song
348 David Bowie - That's Motivation
347 David Thomas - My Thoery of Simultaneous Simultude
346 Fun Boy 3 - The More I See The Less I Believe
345 David Garland - TV Can Teach Me
344 Minutemen - Cheerleaders
343 Rolling Stones - Emotional Rescue
342 Flies - I'm In Pittsburgh
341 Frank Zappa - Porn Wars
340 Frenzy - I See Red
339 Roky Erickson And The Aliens - Night Of The Vampire
338 New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle
337 Devo - Girl U Want
336 Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough
335 Pigbag - The Big Bean
334 Ciccone Youth - Burnin' Up
333 Rare Essence - Body Moves
332 The Microscopic Septet - The Lobster Parade
331 Peter Blegvad - Karen
330 Scott Johnson - John Somebody (Part I)
329 The Weather Girls - It's Raining Men
328 World Saxophone Quartet - Hattie Wall
327 Luc Van Acker - Zanna
326 Wha Ha Ha - On the Floor
325 Peter Gabriel - Games Without Frontiers
324 Miracle Legion - The Backyard
323 Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel - Descent Into The Inferno
322 Joe Pop-o-Pie - Political Song
321 Paul Sturm - Times Are Bad
320 Marc Almond - Untitled
319 blotto - I Wanna Be a Lifeguard
318 Savage Republic - Trudge
317 R.E.M. - I Am Superman
316 The Honeydrippers - Sea of Love
315 Chris Isaak - Wicked Game
314 Fifth Column - Fairview Mall Story
313 Cyndi Lauper - Girls Just Want To Have Fun
312 Rockpile - Teacher Teacher
311 Circle Jerks - World Up My Ass
310 Agitpop - Five Day Forecast
309 Newcleus - Jam On It
308 A.T.S. - Texas
307 Toasters - Matt Davis
306 Etron Fou Lebloublan - Laves a la Machine
305 Cameo - Word Up
304 Laurie Anderson - O Superman
303 Dbs - Neverland
302 V-Effect - A Tree Grows in Managua
301 Ululation - Bad Day on Avenue B

300 Linton Kwesi Johnson - Wat About Di Working Claas?
299 Kraftwerk - Tour de France
298 Talking Heads - Burning Down the House
297 Motörhead - Ace of Spades
296 Massacre - Legs
295 Rebby Sharp - Some Men
294 Marc Riley and the Creepers - Goin' Rate
293 LMNOP - Comparative Analysis
292 Elvis Costello & The Attractions - I Stand Accused
291 Jam - Absolute Beginners
290 Joe Jackson - You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)
289 The Dead Milkmen - Bitchin' Camaro
288 Lo Yo Yo - All the Atrocities
287 Christmas - Big Plans
286 Government Issue - Caring Line
285 Bernice Johnson Reagon - Buses Are a Coming
284 Made For TV - So Afriad of the Russians
283 Mental As Anything - Humming a Tune
282 3 Mustaphas 3 - Starehe Mustapha I, II, and III
281 No Trend - Teen Love
280 Life In A Blender - Showers Lose the Girl
279 Bangles - Going Down to Liverpool
278 Hüsker Dü - Makes No Sense at All
277 Camberwell Now - Wheat Futures
276 Bevis Frond - Repressor
275 Prince - Little Red Corvette
274 Replacements - Can't Hardly Wait
273 Psychick T.V. - Godstar
272 The Legendary Pink Dots - Louder After 6
271 Blondie - Rapture
270 Public Image Limited - This Is Not a Love Song
269 The Chills - I Love My Leather Jacket
268 Cucumbers - Who Betrays Me
267 David Murray - 3-D Family
266 Comsat Angels - Independence Day
265 Yello - Domingo
264 Sheila Chandra - Question the Answer
263 Einstürzende Neubauten - Yü-Gung (Fütter Mein Ego)
262 Oliver Lake - Olla's Blues
261 M.D.C. - John Wayne Was a Nazi
260 Hüsker Dü - - New Day Rising
259 Chris Isaak - Gone Ridin'
258 Godley and Creme - My Body the Car
257 Cassiber - Sleep Armed
256 World Saxophone Quartet - Kinda Up
255 Beefeater - Fred's Song
254 The Durutti Column - Tomorrow
253 Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians - My Wife and My Dead Wife/Brenda's Iron Sledge (Live)
252 Tones on Tail - Twist
251 Skeleton Crew - Sparrow Song
250 Feelies - Original Love
249 Art of Noise - Close to the Edge
248 Psychedelic Furs - We Love You
247 Name - False Latin Situation
246 Adam Ant - Stand and Deliver
245 Ice T - Colors
244 Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - Bad Reputation
243 Van Halen - And the Cradle Will Rock...
242 Pixies - Gigantic
241 David Bowie - Ashes To Ashes
240 Crass - Berkertex Bribe
239 Stranglers - Golden Brown
238 Embarrassment - Celebrity Art Party
237 Yello - Live at the Roxy
236 Police - When The World Is Running Down
235 Trouble Funk - Still Smokin' (Beat is Bad Dub Mix)
234 Camper Van Beethoven - Cowboys From Hollywood
233 Deltones - Make Me Smile
232 Rush - Freewill
231 Jayne Cortez - There It Is
230 Fear - Let's Have A War
229 The Cure - The Love Cats
228 R.E.M. - So. Central Rain
227 Skinny Puppy - Assimilate
226 Fun Boy Three - The Lunatics Have Taken Over the Asylum
225 Dick Griffin - A Dream for Rahsaan
224 RUN-DMC - My Adidas
223 Shop Assistants - Safety Net
222 Colorblind James Experience - (He Must've Been) Quite A Guy
221 Tupelo Chain Sex - Everyday's a Holiday
220 Clash - Ivan Meets GI Joe
219 Kurtis Blow - The Breaks
218 John Lennon - Watching The Wheels
217 Human Sexual Response - Land of the Glass Pinecones
216 Dogma Probe - 13
215 Magazine - Model Worker
214 Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Lovers Walk
213 Greg Kihn Band - The Breakup Song
212 The Go-Go's - Skidmarks On My Heart
211 Frankie Goes to Hollywood - Two Tribes
210 Stray Cats - Rock This Town
209 Psychic TV - Just Drifting
208 Thompson Twins - The Gap
207 Test Dept - Victory
206 Psychedelic Furs - Here Come Cowboys
205 XTC - Generals And Majors
204 Kinks - Destroyer
203 Steve Weisberg - I Can't Stand Another Night
202 Young Fresh Fellows - TV Dream
201 The English Beat - Mirror In The Bathroom

200 Echo & The Bunnymen - The Cutter
199 Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science - Thomas Dolby
198 Rosanne Cash - Tennessee Flattop Box
197 New Order - Blue Monday
196 Fang - The Money Will Roll Right In
195 Berlin - Metro
194 Siouxsie & the Banshees - Spellbound
193 King Missle (Dog Fly Religion) - Take Stuff From Work
192 R.E.M. - Stand
191 Crazy 8's - Johnny Q
190 Anne Clark - Poem For A Nuclear Romance
189 AC/DC - Hells Bells
188 Polecats - Make a Circuit With Me
187 Barry Altchul Quartet - Ahfra Love
186 Lloyd Cole - Rattlesnakes
185 Sneetches - Unusual Sounds
184 My Dad Is Dead - Talk To The Weatherman
183 The Selecter - Too Much Pressure
182 Bauhaus - The Passion Of Lovers
181 The Cure - In Between Days
180 Waitresses - Christmas Wrapping
179 David Rudder - Kojak
178 Soft Cell - Tainted Love
177 The Redskins - Bring It Down
176 Pere Ubu - Waiting For Mary
175 Specials - Man At c&a
174 Sisters of Mercy - Black Planet
173 Squeeze - Pulling Mussels (From The Shell)
172 Fun Boy Three - Our Lips Are Sealed (Club Mix)
171 Government Issue - Fashionite
170 Bongos - Glow in the Dark
169 Stranglers - Ice Queen
168 Jayne Cortez - Maintain Control/Economic Love Song
167 Dub Syndicate - Ravi Shankar, Pt1/The Show is Coming
166 Duran Duran - Hungry Like The Wolf
165 Gun Club - She's like Heroin to me
164 Bargepole - Building Site
163 BCR - Krankenhaus Juju
162 Duran Duran - Girls On Film
161 Diana Ross - Upside Down
160 Danielle Dax - Fizzing Human Bomb
159 Toasters - Weekend in LA
158 Lou Reed - New Sensations
157 Guns N' Roses - Welcome to the Jungle
156 A.T.S. - Runaway Barge
155 Shadow Vignettes - Honky Tonk Bud
154 Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love
153 3 Teens Kill 4 - Tell Me Something Good
152 David Garland - This Is Love
151 Prefab Sprout - Don't Sing
150 Conjure - Jes' Grew
149 Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot
148 Kahil El'Zabar - Another Kind of Groove
147 Clive Pig - Furious Table
146 Brian Woodbury - All White People Look Alike
145 Mekons - The Prince of Darkness
144 Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – The Message
143 Confusional Quartet - 1Sigla
142 Judas Priest - Breaking the Law
141 Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers - Sho Yuh Right
140 The Replacements - I Hate Music
139 X - Sex And Dying In High Society
138 U2 - I Will Follow
137 Art Bears - The Song of Investment Capital Overseas
136 Terry Allen - Gimme a Ride to Heaven
135 Queen & David Bowie - Under Pressure
134 Saxophone Choir - Saxophone Shop
133 Nails - 88 Lines About 44 Women
132 Depeche Mode - Blasphemous Rumours
131 Geroge Clinton - Atomic Dog
130 String Trio of New York - Texas Koto Blues
129 Jesus & Mary Chain - Just Like Honey
128 Guadalcanal Diary - Watusi Rodeo
127 John Zorn - Giu La Testa (duck You Sucker!)
126 Human League - These Are the Things That Dreams Are Made Of
125 Agitpop - Problems Respond
124 Ozzy Osbourne - Crazy Train
123 Lora Logic - Brute Fury
122 Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Human Hands
121 The Pixies - Monkey Gone to Heaven
120 Yaz - Nobody's Diary
119 Icicle Works - Whisper to A Scream
118 Living Colour - Cult of Personality
117 Minor Threat - Betray
116 After Dinner - After Dinner
115 Government Issue - Vanity Fare
114 News From Babel - Black Gold
113 Iva Bittova & Pavel Fajt - Big Beat
112 Rick James - Super Freak
111 Soft Boys - I Wanna Destroy You
110 Steinski - The Payoff Mix
109 Big Black - Crack Up
108 Hüsker Dü - Eiffel Tower High
107 Bauhaus - She's In Parties
106 Times - I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape
105 XTC - Wake Up
104 Fall - Couldn't Get Ahead
103 Amina Claudine Myers Sextet - Country Girl
102 Sonic Youth - Star Power
101 Robert Wyatt - Stalin Wasn't Stallin'

100 Kurtis Blow - 8 Million Stories
99 Gray Matter - Burn No Bridges
98 Tupelo Chain Sex - The Revolution Will Be Televised
97 The Special A.K.A. - Free Nelson Mandela
96 Iggy Pop - Repo Man
95 Prince And The Revolution - When Doves Cry
94 Egg Hunt - We All Fall Down
93 Men & Volts - Someone Else's Money
92 Men Without Hats - The Safety Dance
91 Echo & The Bunnymen - The Killing Moon
90 Jim Carroll Band - People Who Died
89 Fang - Everybody Makes Me Barph
88 Laurie Anderson - Sharkey's Day
87 Cassiber - Vengeance Is Dancing
86 Au Pairs - It's Obvious
85 Joe Jackson - Steppin' Out
84 Replacements - I Will Dare
83 Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
82 Heaven 17 - (We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang
81 Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)
80 Higsons - Conspiracy
79 XTC - Poor Skeleton Steps Out
78 Billy Bang Sextet - Going Through
77 U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
76 Black Flag - TV Party
75 Psychedelic Furs - Pretty In Pink
74 Flipper - Sex Bomb
73 Scream - Walking By Myself
72 Kalahari Surfers - Safety Seat
71 The Legendary Pink Dots - Fifteen Flies In The Marmalade
70 Young Marble Giants - Wurlitzer Jukebox
69 Minutemen - Viet Nam
68 Bauhaus - Bela Lugosi's Dead
67 Carsickness - Never Walk Alone
66 Gang of Four - I Love A Man In Uniform
65 Orthotonics - Luminous Bipeds
64 The Dream Syndicate - The Days Of Wine And Roses
63 Psychedelic Furs - President Gas
62 They Might Be Giants - Ana Ng
61 AfterDinner - Ironclad Mermaid
60 Great Plains - Letter to a Fanzine
59 Cassandra Wilson - I Thought You Knew
58 Modern English - I Melt With You
57 Big Black - Racer X
56 Fishbone - Party At Ground Zero
55 The Fall - Cruisers Creek
54 ABC - Poison Arrow
53 Suicidal Tendencies - Institutionalized
52 Suzanne Vega - Small Blue Thing
51 News From Babel - Dragon At The Core
50 Bob Marley - Redemption Song
49 Sun Ra - Nuclear War
48 Hüsker Dü - Real World
47 Chumbawamba - Always Tell The Voter What the Voter Wants to Hear
46 Kamikaze Ground Crew - Rearranging the Deck Chairs on the Titanic
45 The Clash - Should I Stay or Should I Go
44 Jam - Beat Surrender
43 Minor Threat - Minor Threat
42 Hüsker Dü - Everything Falls Apart
41 Embarrassment - Careen
40 Fibonaccis - Had It With Girls
39 Colorblind James Experience - I'm Considering a Move to Memphis
38 Slapp Happy - Everybody's Slimmin'
37 David Bowie - Let's Dance
36 Peter Blegvad - When The Work Was New
35 Robert Wyatt - The Age Of Self
34 Trouble Funk - Drop the Bomb
33 Beat Happening - Indian Summer
32 David Murray Octet - Morning Song
31 Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach
30 Billy Bragg - A New England
29 Time Zone - World Destruction
28 Split Enz - I Got You
27 Camper Van Beethoven - Take The Skinheads Bowling
26 Smiths - How Soon Is Now?
25 Dead Kennedys - Holiday In Cambodia
24 Marshall Crenshaw - Cynical Girl
23 Astor Piazzolla - Tanguedia III
22 Cleaners From Venus - Summer In a Small Town
21 E.U. - Somebody's Ringing the Doorbell
20 Public Enemy - Fight The Power
19 Avengers - Cheap Tragedies
18 Cannanes - I Woke Up
17 Television Personalities - How I Learned to Love the Bomb
16 Rush - Tom Sawyer
15 Madness - Our House
14 Minutemen - Courage
13 Kalahari Surfers - Prologue/Houghton's Parents
12 Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers - We Need Some Money
11 Holger Czukay - Perfect World
10 The The - This Is The Day
9 Skeleton Crew - Bingo
8 Mission of Burma - That's When I Reach For My Revolver
7 R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe
6 Violent Femmes - Blister In The Sun
5 Bad Brains - I Against I
4 Jam - That's Entertainment
3 Minor Threat - Salad Days
2 Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart
1 Hüsker Dü - Turn On The News

That's it.  The complaints can officially begin about who and what I left out.  I did make a very few additions, subtractions, and corrections of date errors based on feedback on my Facebook note.  You never know.  It could happen again.

If you wonder how somebody might make a list like this, or if you're wondering about making one yourself, further thoughts are forthcoming.  A friend suggested doing an interview about the making of my decade lists (this is just one of the four I've done so far).  The interview and the other decade lists will follow in the coming weeks and months on this blog.