SJ.com Memorial Day 300 rock songs TOP SONG ON PAGE 10

What the hell, let's do it.

How many of you fellow radio nerds recall listening to rock radio stations that used to have a "Memorial Day 500" countdown?

You know, when the Indy 500 was THE race of the year (and rock 'n' roll radio stations were, uh, listened to).

I used to enjoy those countdowns -- even though frequent winner Stairway to Heaven is one of the most overrated songs of all time. So I was quite pleased when a "classic rock" station here in the Pacific Northwest promised such a countdown this year.

And listeners could vote, just like the old days. But UNLIKE the old days, you had to go online and immediately give your e-mail address to submit five songs for consideration. No sale on that spam-tastic offer.

But then I thought ... we've got plenty of rock fans on SportsJournalists.com! Let's crank out our own Top 500 songs of all time countdown. And no spam e-mail, either!

Just a couple of guidelines:

1. Any song ever recorded in any format is eligible. Yes, even Michael McDonald-era Doobie Brothers tunes.

2. Post your nominees on this thread. I'll sort them out and count them down starting Sunday night, May 29. The countdown may or may not reach 500 ... the ol' stamina just ain't what it used to be ...

3. OK, one more guideline: Let's try to get some newer songs nominated. I mean, I love "American Pie" as much as anybody, but that song's 40 years old.

Vote early, vote often, start your engines, etc.

 

Re: SportsJournalists.com Memorial Day 500 (or so) rock songs

One for roughly each decade:
"Heroin," Velvet Underground
"Free Money," Patti Smith
"Caribou," Pixies
"I Want to Touch You," Catherine Wheel
and Arcade Fire tune chosen by coin flip...heads, "Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)." Tails, "Sprawl 2 (Mountains Beyond Mountains)".

 

Re: SportsJournalists.com Memorial Day 500 (or so) rock songs

"Where the Streets Have no Name", U2
"Gimme Shelter", Stones
"She Sells Sanctuary", the Cult
"Problem Child", AC/DC
"Free Fallin'", Tom Petty
"Beverly Hills", Weezer
"Girl", Beck
"Crash", Primitives
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps", Beatles


More to come later I'm sure.

 

Re: SportsJournalists.com Memorial Day 500 (or so) rock songs

Those are three great picks already, Cap'n

 

Re: SportsJournalists.com Memorial Day 500 (or so) rock songs

I'll try to stay relatively recent...

Mr. Brightside
Viva La Vida
Seven Nation Army

 

Re: SportsJournalists.com Memorial Day 500 (or so) rock songs

Comfortably Numb-70's
Jump-80's
Hysteria-90's
mizz---good call on Seven Nation Army.

 

Re: SportsJournalists.com Memorial Day 500 (or so) rock songs

Remember those countdowns well. Loved how they had to get something current in the top 10 so back in the day it would be like, "Stairway To Heaven" (overrated, clap-clap clapclapclap), "Hey Jude", "Sympathy For The Devil" and "Stray Cat Strut".

 

Re: SportsJournalists.com Memorial Day 500 (or so) rock songs

Paranoid Android, Radiohead
The River, Bruce Springsteen
Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains), Arcade Fire
Radio, Radio, Elvis Costello
Psycho Killer, The Talking Heads
I Can't Explain, The Who
Rockaway Beach, The Ramones

 

Re: SportsJournalists.com Memorial Day 500 (or so) rock songs

"Cold Turkey," John Lennon (original single version)
"Anarchy in the U.K.," the Sex Pistols
"Out of the Blue," Neil Young (electric version)
"Heart-Shaped Box," Nirvana
"God Part II," U2
"Stairway to Heaven," Led Zeppelin

 

Re: SportsJournalists.com Memorial Day 500 (or so) rock songs

Thank You -- Led Zeppelin
How A Resurrection Really Feels -- The Hold Steady
At Least That's What You Said -- Wilco
Bad -- U2
Mekong -- The Refreshments

 

Re: SportsJournalists.com Memorial Day 500 (or so) rock songs

[table][tr][td]"Until You Come Back To Me," Aretha Franklin
"God Only Knows," Beach Boys
"I Gotta Feeling," Black Eyed Peas
"Colour My World," Chicago
"Zombie," Cranberries
"Because," Dave Clark Five
"Lyin' Eyes," Eagles
"Crazy On You," Heart
"Is She Really Going Out With Him?", Joe Jackson
"Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'," Journey
"Autobahn," Kraftwerk
"Something About You," Level 42
"Walking In Memphis," Marc Cohn
"Paradise By The Dashboard Light," Meat Loaf
"Beds Are Burning," Midnight Oil
[/td]
[td]"In Your Eyes," Peter Gabriel
"1999," Prince
"Dirty Mind," Prince
"Man In The Moon," R.E.M.
"Come Undone," Robbie Williams
"Possession," Sarah McLachlan
"All I Wanna Do," Sheryl Crow
"1979," Smashing Pumpkins
"Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover," Sophie B. Hawkins
"Tempted," Squeeze
"Deacon Blues," Steely Dan
"My Old School," Steely Dan
"Long Way Home," Supertramp
"Mexican Radio," Wall of Voodoo
"I Don't Know How To Love Him," Yvonne Elliman[/td][/tr][/table]

I'm feeling a new iTunes playlist coming on. And it's mostly older tunes because I think you have to judge whether a song is good enough to stand the test of time (thus, "I Gotta Feeling").

 

Re: SportsJournalists.com Memorial Day 500 (or so) rock songs

Great idea, Coco. Five songs from each decade going back to the 1960s:

2000s:
"Times Like These," Foo Fighters
"American Idiot," Green Day
"The Rising," Bruce Springsteen
"Last Night," The Strokes
"Beautiful Day," U2

1990s:
"Santa Monica," Everclear
"Coming of Age," Damn Yankees (the last great band of the AOR era)
"Interstate Love Song," STP
"Daughter," Pearl Jam
"Shine," Collective Soul

1980s:
"Mr. Brownstone," Guns-n-Roses
"Summer Nights," Van Halen
"Rockin' In The Free World," Neil Young
"The Boys Of Summer," Don Henley
"Back In Black," AC/DC

1970s:
"Baker Street," Gerry Rafferty
"More Than A Feeling," Boston
"Born To Run," Bruce Springsteen
"Blue Morning, Blue Day," Foreigner
"Rock and Roll," Led Zeppelin

1960s:
"The Lemon Song," Led Zeppelin
"My Generation," The Who
"Yesterday," The Beatles
"Bad Moon Rising," CCR
"Satisfaction," The Rolling Stones

Many more to come I'm sure!