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"Hey, what's your favorite song?"
Don't have a good answer for that one, do you? Luckily, your tastemaking pals at Pitchfork Media are standing by to provide you with myriad hip answers to that timeless pickup line. The Pitchfork 500 is the online music magazine's second coffee table-style publication, and it was no small undertaking: identify and wax upon the cultural, social and aesthetic contributions of the "best" 500 songs of the last 31 years.
The subtitle, Our Guide to the Greatest Songs from Punk to the Present, centers the essay collection on the more subversive element of modern modern music. Not surprisingly, punk, hip-hop, electronica, and indie rock get the spotlight, but Top 100 pop fare, metal, and experimental noise are also given their just desserts (Duh, JT and Boredoms).
The entire list has leaked to the interwebs, and we're especially happy to see Hall & Oates' "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" and Jens Lekman's "Black Cab," among myriad others, included on the list. [Ed. note: And, to my glee, Kelly Clarkson!]
Take a gander at the 500 and let us know what Pitchfork missed. Worldwide acclaim among the hipsterati for the coolest response, 0.0 for the lamest.
Catch Pitchfork editor-in-chief and apparent PR rep Scott Plagenhoef talking about The Pitchfork 500 This Thursday, November 13 at the Borders in the Lakeview, 2817 N Clark St,. 7:00 p.m.
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As someone who came of age in the grunge era, I can't believe there's no Alice in Chains or Soundgarden in that list. And the Nirvana songs they chose were Teen Spirit (yawn) and... Scentless Apprentice? Really?
Seriously, their 90s could use some work. Scentless Apprentice and 1979? Those are very mediocre compared to the rest of Nirvana and the Pumpkins accomplishments.
No "Rockit" by Herbie Hancock? For shame!
No 'Rockit' by Herbie Hancock? For shame!
ha, 1979 is the *only* song I like by Smashing Pumpkins. I found they're rawk songs to be pretty formulaic, boring and dare I say cheesy.
*their*
no billy idol?!
As much as I love to argue about this kind of stuff, the list is very impressive.
I'm sure it's just a typo that Front 242's "Headhunter" was omitted.
Some omissions by my reckoning:
Styx - Come Sail Away
George Clinton - Atomic Dog
Tones On Tail - Go!
Dream Syndicate - That's What You Always Say
Nitzer Ebb - Murderous
Fad Gadget - Collapsing New People
Lil' Louis - French Kiss
Psychic TV - Godstar
Roni Size/Reprazent - Brown Paper Bag
Luna - Friendly Advice
They do a fair job of trying to represent much from each period, but they miss on some of their song choices as far as I'm concerned. They also miss most or all of some genres (industrial/ebm, goth, jungle, etc.)
Two Springsteen songs on the list, and one of them is "I'm On Fire"? I'm on Fucking Fire? Really? Nothing from "Darkness on the Edge of Town"? "The River"? Anything besides "I'm On Fire"?
Hmmm. No Metallica. No Bootsy Collins. No Magnetic Fields.
The Alarm--68 Guns-was a huge song for us in '87.
Only one TMBG--Birdhouse. I would have chosen Anna Ng.
Oh--my bad. Metallica is on there.
Also, Cult of Personality (Living Colour)
BORRRRR-ING!