Top 5 List Songs
Because you asked for it:
Honorable mention (because I can’t decide if it’s a list song, but it’s awesome):
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Because you asked for it:
Honorable mention (because I can’t decide if it’s a list song, but it’s awesome):
RSS feed for comments on this post.
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Despite the greatness of “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” the number one all-time best list song is “88 Lines about 44 Women” by the Nails.
Comment by kuri — July 13, 2008 @ 2:47 am
Automatic disqualification because of its overuse in a Sprite ad.
Comment by MCQ — July 13, 2008 @ 3:47 am
I was going to say the Nails as well. And they used it in a Sprite ad? Crazy.
Comment by jjohnsen — July 13, 2008 @ 6:44 am
“My Favorite Things”
Comment by Jack — July 13, 2008 @ 7:43 am
“God” by John Lennon (the list part starts about a minute into the song so be patient)
Comment by Brian V — July 13, 2008 @ 7:55 am
Oh geeze. Until now I couldn’t figure out what list songs were. Songs that just list a bunch of things in the lyrics?
Does this one count?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcsvJvLMzyA
Comment by Susan M — July 13, 2008 @ 8:26 am
U2 has to have some list songs. All I can think of is “Promenade.” What else?
Comment by Susan M — July 13, 2008 @ 8:49 am
Bad.
Comment by Clark — July 13, 2008 @ 9:41 am
I stand by “88 Lines.” I’ve never seen the commercial, and since pretty much everyone except (one of) the Doors is a sell out anyway, I don’t think that’s a disqualification.
Comment by kuri — July 13, 2008 @ 12:16 pm
Susan: I don’t think that’s a list song, it’s more of a story song, but it’s disqualified just because I don’t like it.
Clark, “Bad” does have a list in it, but it doesn’t come until 4 minutes in. It’s not primarily a list song, but there may be other U2 songs that qualify.
kuri, sorry, the decision of the judges is final.
Here’s a dance being performed to another great list song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUefTPUKUcU
Comment by MCQ — July 13, 2008 @ 1:34 pm
Apparently, it was a series of Mazda commercials that used “88 lines.” That’s actually worse.
There is another Nails song that is a great list song, probably better than “88 lines.” It’s called “Things You Left Behind,” from their Dangerous Dreams album. I can’t find a link, but you can hear it on iTunes.
Comment by MCQ — July 13, 2008 @ 2:05 pm
Man - wikipedia has an entry for everything. Here’s the entry for “List Song.”
Comment by danithew — July 13, 2008 @ 2:24 pm
It’s not on that wikipedia page, but does Land of 1,000 Dances count?
Comment by Brian V — July 13, 2008 @ 2:57 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2lbiS1fris
Comment by Eric Russell — July 13, 2008 @ 3:23 pm
U2 has to have some list songs.
Numb
Comment by Rusty — July 13, 2008 @ 3:38 pm
Good call, Rusty.
Comment by Eric Russell — July 13, 2008 @ 3:51 pm
Step Right Up by Tom Waits might also count.
Comment by Brian V — July 13, 2008 @ 4:44 pm
A couple more, both by Chuck Berry:
Too Much Monkey Business (the obvious precursor to Subterranean Homesick Blues)
Promised Land (a travelogue, which I suppose might be a subset of the list song genre)
Comment by Brian V — July 13, 2008 @ 4:59 pm
Eric,
I didn’t click on your link until after my comment. Then I felt dumb. Then I drank some milk.
Comment by Rusty — July 13, 2008 @ 8:03 pm
People Who Died by the Jim Carroll Band.
Horrible song, but worth mentioning in this context.
Comment by Last Lemming — July 13, 2008 @ 8:27 pm
So, mostly we learn from this that people shouldn’t write list songs?
What about New Dress by DM?
Comment by shazbraz — July 13, 2008 @ 9:16 pm
Ball of Confusion by Tina Turner -
Comment by Gilgamesh — July 13, 2008 @ 10:45 pm
Here’s the ancestor of all these songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7-rRIeBZcw
Comment by Bill — July 13, 2008 @ 11:01 pm
Haha. That’s awesome.
Gilgamesh, that song was originally by the Temptations. Great choice.
Comment by Susan M — July 14, 2008 @ 8:27 am
I consider memorizing REM’s It’s the End of the World… as one of the greatest achievements of my youth.
Comment by Tim J. — July 14, 2008 @ 11:45 am
Geeze. Not even Michael Stipe did that.
Comment by Susan M — July 14, 2008 @ 12:21 pm
a phonebook full of accidents
a girl to drive your car
a suit to wear on mondays
and a coat a magazine
a heavy rain a holiday
a painting of the wall
a knife a fork and memories
a light to see it all
you didn’t leave me anything
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you round
dominoes a pack of cards
a picture of the queen
a dress to wear on sundays
and a handle for the door
a letter that i sent for you
a note you left for me
a wave a pack of cigarettes
a pocket full of beads
you didn’t leave me anything
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you on
you didn’t leave me anything
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you round
you didn’t leave me anything
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you on
the sound of people getting drunk
a ceiling and a sky
a bank that’s full of promises
a telephone that lies
a visit from your doctor
he crawls in through the door
a mirror you can look in
so that you know where you are
you didn’t leave me anything
that i can understand
hey i never meant that stuff
i want to turn you round
you didn’t leave me anything
that i can understand
now i’m left with all of this
a room full of your trash
- P Furs “All of This And Nothing”
Comment by Susan M — July 14, 2008 @ 6:08 pm