All Time Favourite Songs #90-81

(See start of list for rules I've set myself. Pretentious? Yes. Yes it is.)

90. U.N.I.T.Y. – Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah expands upon Aretha Franklin’s Black Power classic ‘Think’, only this time with a merciless censure of gender politics. An impertinent saxophone line signifies the calm before the storm, then Latifah crashes her way into the track bitterly spitting ‘WHO YOU CALLIN’ A BITCH?’ She references instances of street harassment and domestic abuse, sputtering her livid, and at times even exposed, verses before spelling out the inequality in the hook. ‘U.N.I.T.Y.’ is a violent denouncement of Dre and Ice Cube’s indifferent use of ‘bitch’ and ‘hoe’, and a rallying call for women to stand up and respect themselves.

SEE ALSO: ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’ – Lauryn Hill, ‘Killing Me Softly With His Song’ – The Fugees

89. Get Ready – The Temptations

An energetic brass, piano and strings threesome establishes this statement of (romantic) intent. There’s an initial tension in the verses, Eddie Kendrick’s assertive falsetto wailing over one of the 60s most stomping backing instrumentals. During the chorus this gives way to a sweeping, philanthropic enthusiasm, a simple, joyful yippee (for lack of a better word). It’s wonderful, a playful warning of competitive wooing, ‘I’m gonna try to make you love me too/so get ready, get ready.’ This track symbolises Motown’s appeal to me; when most 60s Americans suffered through socio-political revolution and national paranoia, they chose fun instead.

SEE ALSO: ‘My Girl' – The Temptations, ‘Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow' – The Shirelles

88. Spooky – Dusty Springfield

The sexiest song ever written. Although originally by Classics IV, ‘Spooky’ is all Dusty’s. Her gorgeously seductive vocals waver mystifyingly while reciting a tale of neo-noir, and a lightly smiling percussion induce the smoke-drenched, dimly lit atmosphere. Dusty elucidates the excitement of meeting the handsome, rebellious, mysterious stranger; the one who asks ‘to go see a movie’, with nothing more than a charming hello. She thrills in the spontaneous breaking of dating conventions, the shameless breach of conservative protocol. It’s just so naturally cool. You feel like you’re wearing a collar-up leather jacket just by listening to it.

SEE ALSO: ‘Look Of Love' – Dusty Springfield, ‘Son Of A Preacher Man' – Dusty Springfield

87. Archangel – Burial

Burial (William Bevan) is the David Lynch of Dubstep, the Franz Kafka of Electronica, the Harold Pinter of Ambience. It’s progressive house found in the farthest reaches of the galaxy-spanning genre, the most striking arrangement of obscure, absurd sounds you’ll ever hear. ‘Archangel’ is his most perfect song, as cavernous, rhythmically off-centre drums smash against each other across a chorus of angelic… somethings. ‘Archangel’ is a tribute to Bevan’s dead dog, and the persistent key changes delicately accentuate his fraught, impenetrable loneliness and pain, ‘holding you/couldn’t be alone.’ ‘Archangel’ was allegedly written and produced in twenty minutes.

SEE ALSO: ‘Street Halo’ – Burial, ‘Endorphin’ - Burial

86. Long Live The Queen – Frank Turner

‘Long Live The Queen’ is unbearably heart-breaking to listen to, so how must have Turner felt writing it? The bright introductory riff is at odds with this elegiac lament, stressing the suddenness of Turner’s shock: ‘I was sipping on some whisky when I got the call/yeah my friend Lex was lying in hospital.’ It’s the perfect eulogy; it describes succinctly the emptiness you feel swallowing every fibre of your being when you lose someone you love, the pervading bubble of hopelessness that lingers, but also the pride you feel in commemorating them: ‘sing with all your heart/the queen is dead.’

SEE ALSO: ‘I Miss You Beau Velasco’ – The Death Set, ‘The Funeral’ – Band of Horses

85. Rid Of Me – PJ Harvey

‘Rid Of Me’ is one of the best anti-love songs of all-time, a disconcerting back-and-forth between an impossibly quiet, difficult introspection and a scarily plausible, violent confrontation. The switch is dynamic, representing the bipolar passive-aggression of the obsessive, psychotic protagonist. Harvey doesn’t explode until two minutes in, a menacingly reserved riff initially her only corroborator, before her damning refrain antagonises everyone in its path; ‘don’t you wish you never, never met her,’ which implies a multiple personality disorder among everything else. A Freudian goldmine, and a frightfully intense voyage through the fanatical psychology of a sadistic nutjob.

SEE ALSO: ‘On Battleship Hill’ – PJ Harvey, ‘Fuck And Run’ – Liz Phair

84. Pictures of You – The Cure

The highlight of The Cure’s best album, Disintegration, isn’t the vividly whimsical lyrics or the pretty, impeccably structured compositions, but how its introductions paint the band’s sonic dreamscapes before Robert Smith even utters an inescapably forlorn syllable. ‘Pictures Of You’ is as close to a (dark) fairytale as music can get, Smith’s achingly touching longing and regret, ‘I've been looking so long at these pictures of you/that I almost believe that they're real,’ (lovely line by the way) aided by the twang of Smith’s distorted guitar and Gallop’s looming, pervasive bass. A song to lose and find yourself in.

SEE ALSO: ‘Disintegration’ – The Cure, ‘Lullaby’ – The Cure

83. The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us! – Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens should really be a lot higher on this list. Stevens’ music is magnificently unpretentious; it peels back and reveals what we are, not instructs us on what we should be. It’s a celebration of humanity and all our faults; there’s isn’t a cynical note in his entire back catalogue. On ‘Predatory Wasp,’ an extraneous anecdote about an imaginary mutant wasp chasing his eight year-old self, he employs trumpets, clarinets and an entire backing chorus to support his gentle guitar in its illustration of his narrative; the result is a stunning homage to the gloriously incomprehensible vastness of the child’s imagination.

SEE ALSO: ‘Casimir Pulaski Day’ – Sufjan Stevens, ‘To Be Alone With You’ – Sufjan Stevens

82. Takeover – Jay Z

Jay Z’s diss track to Nas is the definitive burn. He lists almost every East Coast rapper (except for Nas) working the early Noughties as ‘running this rap shit’, demeans Nas’ commercial success ‘I sold what your album sold in my first week,’ and slates his consistency by claiming Illmatic to be his only good album. This is hip-hop decimation. With the help of a young Kanye West, the production matches the irreverent verses; bass guitars, keyboards, but it’s instrumentally minimalist. The samples, particularly ‘Sound Of Da Police’, are textbook; clever, funny and a weighty symbol of Jay’s overwhelming confidence.

SEE ALSO: ‘99 Problems’ – Jay Z, ‘Crazy In Love’ – Beyonce (featuring Jay Z)

81. Maps – The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The final track on Fever To Tell dismisses the indie-rock/post-punk fusion which came before it. ‘Maps’ is pure ballad, a tender, profoundly moving plea for a lover to stay. Even the tribal drums hold a warm sensitivity to them. Karen O’s voice reaches invisible levels of intimacy, the cocksure bite of the past half-an-hour dissipates in an instant of repressed vulnerability: the ‘wait’ is the key here, a small murmur of unabashed, unsentimental desperation that tears you in two. The climactic bridge doesn’t feel inappropriate; if anything it’s understated, as the most ferocious apex couldn’t do Karen O’s pain justice.

SEE ALSO: ‘Y Control’ – The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, ‘Laura’ – Bat For Lashes

All-Time 100 Favourite Songs 100-91

A far more comprehensive and ordered list than my previous tame, uninspired effort. In order to make as strong and diverse a list as possible, I’ve set myself some rules for its composition. Firstly, I’m only allowed one song per artist (although I’ve used a ‘SEE ALSO’ section to highlight other great songs, from either the same artist, or ones similar in genre or theme). Secondly, to ensure variety over the course of the list, I’ve split the 100 into ten groups of ten. For each ten, I’ve assigned the number of places according to genre; my favourite genre, Rock, receives three places per ten. My next favourite genres, Hip Hop and Indie/Folk, are assigned two each per ten, while Modern Pop and Motown each receive one per ten. Old Pop and Dance are each assigned one per twenty, but cannot be in the same ten as the other. Therefore, I’d choose my 30 favourite rock songs, 20 favourite hip hop and indie/folk songs, 10 favourite modern pop and motown songs, and 5 favourite old pop and dance songs. Thirdly, I’ve set myself a limit of 100 words per song, except for number one which is allowed 150. Lastly, just to clarify, while the placement of a song on my list is a reasonably decent barometer of my opinion of that artist, there are a few anomalies, for example Crystal Castles, The Flaming Lips, Built To Spill and The Rolling Stones would be far higher on a 100 Artists list, while Fugazi, Guided By Voices, The Libertines, Nick Drake, Interpol, Dean Martin, Simon And Garfunkel, Wire, The Strokes, Tame Impala, Prince, The Postal Service, Depeche Mode and, of course, Frank Sinatra would actually be on it. They are some of my favourite artists, but they lacked an exceptional stand-out track. There are also the inevitable one-hit wonders, although these are supplemented by fantastic songs of the same genre. Now that I’ve explained my self-indulgent pretensions, enjoy!

One quick piece of trivia: Before I decided upon my ‘one song per artist’ rule, I drafted an initial list. It contained 14 Radiohead songs. Four from Ok Computer, three from Kid A, three from In Rainbows, two from The Bends, one from Amnesiac and one from Hail To The Thief; ‘Paranoid Android’, ‘Let Down’, ‘Climbing Up The Walls’, ‘No Surprises’, ‘The National Anthem’, ‘Idioteque’, ‘Motion Picture Soundtrack’, ‘All I Need’, ‘Reckoner’, ‘Videotape’, ‘Talk Show Host’, ‘Fake Plastic Trees’, ‘Pyramid Song’ and ‘There, There’.

Honourable Mentions:

ROCK: Today – The Smashing Pumpkins, Pork And Beans - Weezer, Admit It! – Say Anything

INDIE/FOLK: Suzanne – Leonard Cohen, Poke – Frightened Rabbit

HIP HOP: They Reminisce Over You – Pete Rock And CL Smooth, Yonkers – Tyler, The Creator

MOTOWN: I Want You Back – Jackson 5

MODERN POP: Sexy Boy - Air

OLD POP: Walk Away Renee – The Left Banke

DANCE: We Are Your Friends – Justice And Simian

100. Young Hearts Spark Fire – Japandroids

Written before Japandroids soared to critical darlingdom and commercial success, ‘Young Hearts Spark Fire’ is a celebration of carefree hedonism and a morose acknowledgement of mortality. Believing the opportunity to fulfil his dream of breaking into the post-punk scene had passed, Brian King had reached a stalemate in his life. Directionless, he expressed his disillusionment in the only way he knew how; songwriting. The result is double-edged; blissfully loud pop-punk on the joys of getting wankered, ‘beat up[…] but too drunk to feel it,’ but also unreservedly, powerfully morbid, ‘we used to dream/now we worry about dying’.

SEE ALSO: ‘The House That Heaven Built’ – Japandroids, ‘To Hell With Good Intentions’ – McLusky

99. Hey Boy, Hey Girl – The Chemical Brothers

It starts with two samples: the creepily enticing vocal from Rock Master Scott and the relentless synth from Joeski Love. Then, seconds later, the bassline resonates in the distance, approaching, and growing. When it arrives, it’s not with a bang, but a bow. The bass-drop is so ceaselessly satisfying because it’s more of an elegant bass-slide than a drop. It just clicks. The synths, drums, vocals, bassline. All of it. The Chemical Brothers are one of the most consistent dance groups because they understand the importance of a seamless sample arrangement. ‘Hey Boy, Hey Girl’ is their masterpiece.

SEE ALSO: ‘Midnight Madness’ – The Chemical Brothers, ‘Star Guitar’ – The Chemical Brothers

98. Myth – Beach House

Beach House don’t use the synth to excite, but to caress. ‘Myth’ is the finest track off the outstanding Bloom and the best representation of Beach House’s maturation as the quintessential dream-pop band. They’re often criticised for being too over-produced, squeakily clean and therefore empty; a polished shell. However, BH’s abstract, textured sound is opulent with striking imagery in itself, transiently evoking sunrises, sunsets, moments of happiness, moments of loss. In ‘Myth’, Legrand capsises lyrically from her introverted dispassion into the role of authoritative counsellor, ‘You can't keep hangin' on/to all that's dead and gone’.

SEE ALSO: ‘Zebra’ – Beach House, ‘My Girls’ – Animal Collective

97. White Winter Hymnal – Fleet Foxes

‘White Winter Hymnal’ is a song which simultaneously diverges and converges; it diverges out into effervescent synchronised harmonies, while converging on the same perversely pretty image at the verse’s close; ‘And Micheal you would fall/and turn the white snow/red as strawberries in the summertime’. The verse is repeated three times: as percussion is introduced, guitars are strummed with greater ferocity and vocals become fervent, the same lines become more and more horrifying, yet spellbinding. The light folksy melody is circumstantial to a tale of a brutal animal attack. An aesthetically glorious contradiction.

SEE ALSO: ‘Helplessness Blues’ – Fleet Foxes, ‘Upward Over The Mountain’ – Iron And Wine

96. Feeling Yourself Disintegrate – The Flaming Lips

Like the best Flaming Lips songs, ‘Feeling Yourself Disintegrate’ combines the innate catchiness of Bowie-lite pop-rock and the atmospheric, trippy otherworldliness of The Velvet Underground’s psychedelic rock while addressing themes of galactic significance. In its multi-layered build-up Coyne articulates the ultimate problem, that life should be dedicated to love (not purely romantic love), but that it’s too short to properly commit and that death’s omnipresence inevitably dictates everything. In a crash of guitars, strings and drums, Coyne concludes that death and living are forever interlinked, that to love, you must live, and in living, death’s footsteps echo closely behind.

SEE ALSO: ‘Do You Realize??’ – The Flaming Lips, ‘Race For The Prize’ – The Flaming Lips

95. Backstreet Freestyle – Kendrick Lamar

In the first three lines he compares himself to MLK Jr. before recalling a prayer for his ‘dick to get as big as the Eiffel tower/so [he] can fuck the world for 72 hours’. Public Enemy this is not. ‘Backstreet Freestyle’ is a bold self-endorsement, a tongue-in-cheek proclamation of charismatic arrogance. Lamar is one of, if not the, best rappers around, and he thoroughly enjoys rubbing it in. The production is excellent, an irretrievably deep bassline operating the flippant hook which in turn breaks up the exhausting verses. It’ll be iconised by the third verse’s repeated howl of ‘BIATCH’.

SEE ALSO: ‘Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe’ – Kendrick Lamar, ‘R.A.P. Music’ – Killer Mike

94. Holocene – Bon Iver

Before their self-titled LP was released in 2011 Bon Iver had been a band whose music I enjoyed without truly, irrefutably loving it. They had pleasant melodies, touching lyrics and a unique voice in Justin Vernon, but seemed destined for Sun Kil-Moon level general agreeability rather than the universal adoration, acclaim and obsession of a Smog or Belle And Sebastian. Bon Iver and ‘Holocene’ changed that, demonstrating a thematically ambitious Vernon and an evidently refined (perfected?) folk songwriting ability. There’s an ambivalent beauty in the soothing guitars, distant claps and out-of-time clarinets accompanying Vernon’s ambiguous, haunting lyrics.

SEE ALSO: ‘Perth’ – Bon Iver, ‘The Snow Leopard’ – Shearwater

93. What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted – Jimmy Ruffin

One of Motown’s saddest songs, showcasing the darkness that comes as a side effect of the idyllic romance so jubilantly described by Ruffin’s contemporaries. The steady two-three bass-drum mimics the beat of Ruffin’s particular broken heart, and you can imagine him treading the pavement of an indefinite city seeing the tragedy in every interaction as he sings. The bashed piano and impassioned backing vocals stress that this is not a rhetorical question, but a helpless yearning; he’s desperate to find something, that ‘piece of mind’ which he can use as a launch pad to finally begin the recovery process.

SEE ALSO: ‘Standing In The Shadows Of Love’ – The Four Tops, ‘Behind A Painted Smile’ – The Usley Brothers

92. Common People – Pulp

Cocker’s sneering (eventually vindictive) assault on class tourism is just as relevant today as it was twenty years ago, and just as riotously epic. It’s the song everyone knows the words too, the perfect Indie Rock anthem, and as it builds up to its inescapably ballistic climax it’s infectiously dancey. But it’s often forgotten just how angry ‘Common People’ is, with Cocker gradually escalating from a condescending whisper to a furious cry of disaffection; ‘You will never understand/how it feels to live your life/with no meaning or control.’ Its transformation from satire to direct political condemnation is terrifyingly effective.

SEE ALSO: ‘Running The World’ – Jarvis Cocker, ‘Paint The Silence’ – South

91. The Next Episode – Dr Dre And Snoop Dogg

The continuation of ‘Nuthin But A G Thing’ indicated Dre’s return to the mainstream, and what a return it was. ‘The Next Episode’ succeeds because of, not in spite of, a paradox: Dre’s harsh verse and the pounding drums shouldn’t work alongside the effortlessly casual synth line and Snoop Dogg’s nonchalant moan. The strings sample, used to introduce the track and separate the verses, sets the chilled tone impeccably and complements the simple concept of friends getting together to make music, as Dre raps ‘Dre and Snoop chronic'ed out in the 'llac/with Doc in the back, sippin' on 'gnac.’

SEE ALSO: ‘Still Dre’ – Dr Dre And Snoop Dogg, ‘Nuthin But A G Thing’ – Dr Dre And Snoop Dogg